China Chronicles July 28, 2012

• Worker lucky to be alive after plunge

  A doctor checks an injured worker in a Tianjin hospital yesterday. The worker plunged 4 meters onto two concrete bars that penetrated the left-side of his body at a construction site in Tianjin on Friday night. After a seven-hour emergency operation, doctors successfully saved his life, which was described as a "miracle" since the bars didn't hurt any of his nerve system.

• Paper mill pipeline project is suspended

  THE Qidong city government announced yesterday that construction of a Japanese paper mill's pipeline to the sea near Shanghai had been suspended amid an outcry over potential pollution.

  Qidong residents had petitioned against the construction on the grounds that it would pollute the nearby Lusi Fishery, and plans for a protest had prompted the response from the city government, the website of the People's Daily reported.

  There were also online claims that sewage from the paper mill in Jiangsu Province could pollute Shanghai's Qingcaosha Reservoir at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

  Zhang Jianxin, Qidong's vice mayor, announced that the project had been suspended for further evaluation.

  "The government noticed our citizens have paid high attention to the project that reflected your good wishes to the development and environment of the homeland," Zhang said when reading "a letter to citizens" in a video posted on the city government's website.

  The People's Daily's website confirmed that the project that Zhang was referring to concerned Japan's Oji Paper Co Ltd's paper mill.

  Zhang asked Qidong citizens not to "support, participate or watch" any illegal marches or demonstrations. Police would severely punish anyone who disrupted social order, he said.

  Meng Mingqun, director of the water supply division of the Shanghai Water Authority, told Shanghai Daily yesterday: "It is hard to determine whether the paper mill would actually pollute the Qingcaosha Reservoir."

  Meng said the sewage outfall of the mill was near the north part of the mouth of Yangtze River while Qingcaosha takes in water from the south.

  An official with the city's water supply hotline also said the outfall was planned on the lower reaches of the Yangtze while the reservoir was on the upper reaches.

  In addition, Chongming Island lies between the outfall and the reservoir.

  The Shanghai Water Authority has said a 5-kilometer buffer area around the intake of the reservoir ! is monit ored around the clock to ensure it can be shut in time should any emergency occur. "It is unnecessary for Shanghai residents to be too nervous about this," an official said.

• To London on a rickshaw

  A CHINESE farmer has spent two years riding more than 60,000 kilometers through 16 countries and regions on a rickshaw to reach London in time for the Olympic Games.

  Chen Guanming, 57, said in London on Thursday that his goal had been to "spread the Olympic spirit" on his journey through war zones, floods and extreme temperatures in countries that included Turkey and Iraq.

  "During this rickshaw journey, I've travelled through a distance of more than 40,000 miles," Chen said. "I wanted to arrive on time for the opening ceremony. I had to face both floods and very hot and dry conditions." He added: "Londoners are very welcoming, the city is welcoming the whole world in a very nice way."

  The BBC showed footage of Chen displaying a passport filled with visas allowing him entry to countries along the route, as well as pictures of him with his three-wheeled vehicle at several international landmarks.

  He told the BBC he was inspired to make the journey while watching London Mayor Boris Johnson accept the Olympic flag inside the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Games.

• Owner sad after gigantic snake is confiscated

  A LARGE pet snake that drew a lot of attention after it was seen swimming in the lake of a park in Changzhou City of Jiangsu Province has been taken from its owner, who failed to obtain permission to raise the protected animal.

  The five-year-old patteraless, a type of python, named Xiao Guaiguai or Little Sweetie, has been housed in the Yancheng Wild Zoo while its owner Tian Hui felt so distraught at the loss of his pet, nearly 3.43 meters long, that he has decided to leave the city.

  Changzhou police and forestry authorities said Tian didn't have approval to raise the endangered specimen, which is under government protection. In fact, he may face charges, Modern Express newspaper reported yesterday.

  "I didn't expect to make the headlines. I just took her to have a bath," Tian said.

  He insisted that he didn't catch his pet in the wild.

  Possessing such a protected species is a crime that can carry a jail term of more than 10 years, the Shanghai Wildlife Conservation Center said.

  Li Daibing, a Changzhou animal expert, said the patteraless has evolved from python molurus, and is unable to survive in the wild. It shouldn't be categorized as a wild animal because it has been a popular pet in Europe and Japan and many snakes can live only under the care of humans, Li told the paper.

  An Internet user who claimed to be an employee of the national animal museum backed Li up, suggesting the nation revise the rules to remove the patteraless from the wildlife list.

  A pet shop owner surnamed Gu told the paper that a little patteraless could sell for 1,000 yuan (US$156.70) and a bigger one up to 2 meters is priced at 2,000 yuan. But Little Sweetie, at nearly 3.43 meters, is worth 100,000 yuan.

  Tian said an entrepreneur wanted to buy the snake for 180,000 yuan, but he refused since Little Sweetie is his "relative."

  "She loves chicken legs and needs 3 kilos per meal," he said.

  The zoo took his advice and fed the snake with chicken legs instead ! of rats in order to have her accustomed in the new home as soon as possible, the paper said.

  In June, pictures showing a palm-sized monkey sipping a soft drink with a straw was widely circulated online. It turned out to be a baby macaca, a precious species under national protection. It has been sent to a zoo in Nanjing.

• Diaoyu Islands remarks cause for 'grave concern'

  A FOREIGN Ministry spokesman yesterday expressed China's grave concern and strong displeasure over the highly irresponsible remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda regarding the Diaoyu Islands.

  "Nothing can shake China's firm resolve and determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," spokesman Hong Lei said.

  Hong added that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands have been part of China's inherent territory since ancient times.

  China has taken note of the willingness expressed by Japan to solve the issue through diplomatic efforts, Hong said.

  "Japan should make concrete efforts to properly solve relevant issues while fully considering the overall condition of Japan-China relations," Hong said.

  According to Japanese media reports, Noda said the Japanese government would use force if necessary to resolutely respond to any illegal activity that occurs within Japan's borders, including the "Senkaku Islands," as the Diaoyu Islands are referred to in Japan.

• Teacher sacked for naked test

  A university teacher who ordered women students to expose their private parts and touch their bodies in a test has been removed from his post, Guangzhou Daily reported yesterday.

  Yu Xiaohua, a teacher of the University of South China in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, demanded women students of the School of Nursing to take off their clothes including pants in a test that simulates the physical examination for patients, according to the newspaper.

  He threatened that students who refused would fail the test, which was held last month.

  Students dared not oppose him but they later complained online that they "either took off their clothes or failed the test," according to one post that triggered widespread anger against the teacher.

  The test contained 21 body examination items and only three items required students to take off their clothes, the newspaper said.

  Students were told that they would draw lots to decide what they had to practice in front of the teacher.

  However, Yu threw that out and demanded they each perform examinations on chests and belly, both requiring them to remove their clothes.

  He also touched students' bodies to demonstrate the skills if he said they weren't doing it the right way, according to the newspaper.

  As public condemnation grew on the Internet, the university announced the punishment against Yu on its website.

  Yu was ordered to apologize to all students and he was removed.

  The university pledged to improve the regulations on tests to prevent similar incidents.

• Graft probe sparked by costly film about trains

  AN expensive but widely panned promotional video made for China's Ministry of Railways has triggered a corruption investigation into a couple who are both ministry officials.

  In June, the country's top auditor found that the ministry had spent 18.5 million yuan (US$2.9 million) on the five-minute video, "Chinese Railways," without going through a public bidding process.

  That led to suspicion of violations or corruption, and authorities began an investigation into Chen Yihan, deputy general secretary of the ministry's literal and arts department, early this month.

  An insider said inspectors seized more than 10 million yuan in cash and at least nine property ownership certificates from Chen's home.

  Chen, a low-ranking official, couldn't have amassed such an amount of money and property, according to investigators. Then her husband, Liu Ruiyang, deputy director of the vehicle department, was brought into the investigation. Bank deposit books and shopping cards were found in Liu's office, Caixin.com reported yesterday.

  "We didn't expect to get a somebody because we had planned to just catch a nobody," the insider was quoted as saying.

  Another unnamed source told the news website that Liu was promoted in April and he had been responsible for vehicle purchases in his previous role.

  Liu graduated from Dalian Jiaotong University in 1984 and became a section chief with the ministry and deputy head of the Beijing Railway Bureau. Chen used to work for the ministry's publicity department.

  The video also put renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou at the center of a media storm because the ministry claimed he had directed it.

  However, in a statement, Zhang's assistant said Zhang, who had been invited to take part, just offered advice in the project's early stages.

  Zhang didn't know that the video would include a credit for "Zhang Yimou Works."

  The video was played at the opening of the 7th World Congress on High-Speed Rail in Beijing in De! cember 2 010 as well as in high-speed trains.

  It showed China's railway development by simply showing running trains. Internet users called it boring and wondered how so much could have been spent on such a poor video.

• Loopholes bared in infrastructure

  A top city government official said yesterday that last weekend's rainstorm in Beijing, in which at least 77 people died, had exposed multiple loopholes in urban planning, construction, infrastructure and emergency management.

  Guo Jinlong, the capital's Party chief, mourned those who lost their lives during a trip to Fangshan District, the hardest-hit area. "We must seriously reflect on these lessons and always bear them in mind," Guo said.

  Qi Hong, head of the district, said conditions remained chaotic with roads blocked, electricity and water supplies yet to be restored and many people left homeless.

  Meanwhile, Beijing issued an alert for possible geological disasters yesterday, with a new round of rainstorms expected to hit the capital from last night, possibly causing mudslides and cave-ins in mountainous areas in Pinggu, Miyun, Huairou, Fangshan and Mentougou districts.

  Up to 50 millimeters of rain is expected.

• Beijing 'death map' turns spotlight on a city's flaws

  A MAP pinpointing the locations of the 77 people who died in Beijing's worst downpour in six decades has put the city's municipal government under the spotlight, rekindling public concern over flaws in the country's decades of explosive economic growth.

  The map, posted by the municipal government on its Sina Weibo account, Beijing Release, shows that most of the victims were from suburban Fangshan District, about 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing.

  Of the 61 victims whose identities have been confirmed, 38 were from Fangshan, six from Chaoyang District and five from both Fengtai and Shijingshan districts. The other seven victims were from five other districts, according to the map, dubbed the "death map."

  The map reveals a bleak reality. Despite being a short distance from the downtown Beijing, Fangshan District has long been overshadowed by the glamorous development taking place in Beijing.

  While much investment has been injected into skyscrapers, theaters and other shining facilities downtown, infrastructure in agriculture-oriented Fangshan has been left largely unattended.

  More importantly, flood discharge facilities such as rivers and reservoirs in the district had not regularly been protected and had, therefore, not retained their designed capacities.

  At Nanhanji Village in Fangshan, sludge as thick as 20 centimeters remained inside many homes nearly a week after the downpour.

  Sun Guo, the village head, told reporters that a nearby quarry often dumped debris into the Jiakuo River, which is meant to be used as a flood discharge channel. "The blocking of the river by debris and garbage aggravated flooding in our village," Sun said.

  Four villagers drowned, Sun said.

  The same night, about 350 students were trapped inside a training school in the district. The students were eventually brought to safety by firefighters, but an investigation revealed that the school was built on what had once been a flood discharge channel.

  The ci! ty's dra inage networks have received most of the blame for the flooding. Fast urbanization resulting in vast networks of cement roads and the elimination of greenbelts had crippled the city's ability to cope with heavy rain.

  Wang Hao, an expert with the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, said more than 80 percent of city roads were covered in impermeable materials.

  Meanwhile, the upgrading and expansion of drainage networks lagged far behind the development of above-ground construction.

  Li Yuhong, an expert with the Association of Beijing Water Resources, said: "More than six decades after the People's Republic of China was founded, many of Beijing's sewers remain unchanged and some can even be traced back to the Ming and Qing dynasties."

  In May, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning laid out a plan to beef up design standards for rainwater pipelines.

  This year, the city government plans to upgrade drainage systems, including building underground reservoirs and installing pumps, in 50 locations prone to deluges.

• Beijing flood victims remembered

  Flowers left by mourning Beijing residents are seen under Guangqumen Bridge in honor of the 77 people who died in July 21 downpours. Beijing city leaders led by Party Chief Guo Jinlong and Acting Mayor Wang Anshun mourned victims killed in the downpour, while inspecting disaster relief work in Fangshan District this morning.