Learn Chinese

Input Methods for Typing Characters and Pinyin

2008-06-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

Windows System

[top]Default MS Pinyin IME 3.0

All Windows computers come with the capability for this, however, you may have to install it. To do this on Windows XP, follow these steps:

Go to the Start Menu, and click on Control Panel. If it's not there, it should be under Settings.

In the Control Panel Window, if it says "Pick a Category" in big letters, then click on 'Date, Time, Language and Regional Settings', then click on 'Regional and Language Options'.

If it does not show this, then click on 'Regional and Language Options'.

You should now have a dialog box that says 'Regional and Language Options' at the top, with three tabs - 'Regional Options', Languages and Advanced.

Click on the 'Languages' tab.

There should be an area down towards the bottom of the dialog box that says 'Supplemental language support'. If the 'Install files for East Asian Languages' box does not have a tick in it, select it, and click the 'apply' button in the lower right hand corner. This may require you to insert your Windows XP CD.

Once that's done, click on the 'Details' button, which is in the same dialog box.

That should bring up a new dialog box called 'Text Services and Input Languages'.

From here, click on the 'Add' button on the right hand side of the list, where the list will display whatever language + keyboard combination you are currently using.

You should now see yet another dialog box called 'Add Input Language'.

Click on the box which is not greyed out and currently shows a language (Mine shows English New Zealand, as that's the language of my operating system). Select Chinese (PRC).

This will automatically select Microsoft Pinyin IME 3.0. Select OK.

That will close the dialog box. Select apply. You should now see the language bar somewhere on your screen, in all likelihood, down in the bottom right hand corner, near the taskbar, or in the upper right hand corner of the screen. It will be a simple blue bar, which should have the letters 'EN' on it. It may also appear in the taskbar.

When you have found the language bar, open a new document somewhere (e.g. start -> run -> notepad) and select the EN on the language bar. Click on Chinese PRC. Congratulations! You can now type Chinese on your computer!

If any of the instructions above do not work, then please post on the forums and ask for help.

[top]Wubi[1]

Follow the following steps to get Wubizixing working under Windows XP:

Download the ime_gen.zip and wubi.zip files attached to this thread. (NOTE: wubi.zip is currently not attached due to being too large).
Copy the contents the directory 'ImeGen5' to C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 (assuming C:\ is where Windows is installed to)
Copy the .MB file for the method to C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32
Check that there is no .IME file with the same name as the one you want. If so, erase it.
Launch the program IMEGEN.EXE
Go to the second tab. Click on the (O) button at the top.
Select the .MB file for the desired IME.
Click on the bottom button (R), and a .TXT file is created
Go to the first tab. Click on the (W) button at the top. Select the .TXT file which was created during the previous step.
Click on the third button (C) from the bottom, and a box will open.
Click on the first button (K) at the bottom.
A box opens speaking about BITMAPs. Click OK
A box opens speaking about ICONs. Click OK
Answer yes to the final question to install the new IME.
Finished! A new IME is available in the list at the icon at the bottom right in the taskbar.

[top]Google's Pinyin Input

Download Page

[top]Pinyin Input

THIS IS A PLACEHOLDER FOR LATER USE

[top]Mac System[2]

[top]QIM

QIM is for use on all Macintosh Systems running OS X. It can input both Simplified and Traditional Characters and switching between Simplified, Traditional, and Romanization is as simple as pushing one or two keys.
中文站
 English Page

[top]OpenVanilla

OpenVanilla is a text entry (input method) platform and a collection of popular input methods and text processing filters. It is designed to offer a better text entry experience and alternative input methods that are not found in Apple’s built-in set and better suit the needs of Windows “switchers.”

[top]Biaoyin and Biauyin

Biaoyin is a pinyin input for Simplified Characters and Biauyin is for Traditional Character input. These plug-ins to your pre-existing Input methods on Macintosh will allow you to type Pinyin with the tone marks. All you have to do is type in the pinyin with the tone (designated by a number) and it does the rest.
Both Plug-ins are available here

[top]Fun Input Toy, FIT

Fun Input Toy(FIT) is a neat open source Chinese input method, which is able to save you some bucks but still provide as many features as QIM under Macintosh OS. Fun Input Toy comes with pinyin, double pinyin, and wu bi xing styles of input.

[top]Linux System

[top]Smart Common Input Method, SCIM

SCIM is a general input method for UNIX-like systems, which has a good smart-pinyin based Chinese input method (traditional and simplified). It is integrated in many modern distributions and works with all modern GTK and KDE/Qt-based applications.

Learn mandarin - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Search Forums

2008-06-11T06:17:00.001-07:00

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Forum: Bug Reports / Help 24th July 2007, 02:23 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

Simon,

If you have general suggestions, you should post them here. If you have full text you want to
include, you can either PM them to me, or just wait a few days until the wiki section becomes...

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 30th June 2007, 09:29 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

Sure, I can take the lead as it gets off the ground. Hopefully it'll be easy enough that I won't
have to do too much.

Are you going to set Nuwiki? It looks fairly good for what it is.
Here is...

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 30th June 2007, 04:54 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

Yes, this add-on -- NuWiki (http://www.nuhit.com/nuwiki/features.html) -- looks fairly promising.

Here's an example of it in use. Not a very well done one, but an example...

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 29th June 2007, 10:45 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

That could work for a start. One just have to be more careful in editing others' post without
Wiki's ability to revert to an earlier version if an edit goes badly.

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 29th June 2007, 08:19 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

The links section wasn't that useful partly because it contained too many links, not in a very
organized fashion. A newbie would have a hard time with hundreds of links. However, the most
popular...

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 29th June 2007, 02:14 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

If registration to become a contributor is straightforward and semi-easy, it has a chance of
working. People may not want to pre-commit to contributing, but once it become available, people
might do...

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 29th June 2007, 12:21 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

What do you think, admins?

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 20th June 2007, 08:41 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

I suppose a Wiki would be dynamic than a sticky. The pool of editors for a wiki would probably be
larger. The original posters of a few stickies -- for example, All "Simple," yet confusing
grammar...

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 20th June 2007, 05:37 PM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

You mean as stickies? Aside from the problem of finding the information, the forum structure also
only allows the person who writes a post to edit it (plus the admin). The good thing about a
wiki...

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 20th June 2007, 11:03 AM

Replies: 34

From Beijing Chinese School Wiki?

Roddy,

How about doing a From Beijing Chinese School.com - Archive - Top

Chinese Course - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Search Forums

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Forum: Bug Reports / Help 28th October 2007, 11:34 AM

Replies: 27

Database Error

Posted By gato

Re: Database Error

"Database Error" just now.

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 19th September 2007, 11:09 PM

Replies: 27

Database Error

Posted By gato

Re: Database Error

Server problem probably.

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Forum: Other cultures and language 2nd May 2008, 07:58 AM

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German

Posted By tooironic

Re: German

Yeah German's not too bad. I have a few Austrian friends with whom I've picked it up casually.
True, the grammar (gender categories, cases, etc, etc) are a steep learning curve, but then so
are...

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Forum: Other cultures and language 13th February 2006, 11:02 AM

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What other languages do we speak

Posted By Ian_Lee

Chaozhouese -- father's native tongue. I know...

Chaozhouese -- father's native tongue. I know all the swear words. Understand about 30% when two
people chat in Chaozhouese. I wished my father has taught me when I traveled in...

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cdn_in_bj -

Quote:

Brilliant, I now realise (after seeing the earlier birthday topic) that I actually remembered
wrong and the forums were created on the 24th

Haha.. well, Happy Birthday! Take 2 :-)

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pandaxiongmao -

Happy Birthday!

Thanks for this invaluable resource!

ajax -

Happy Birthday!

I largely owe where I'm currently living to information gathered from these forums. I'm sure quite
a few people could say the same....

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Learn Chinese - What other languages do we speak - Page 18 - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Extras > Other cultures and language

2008-06-08T05:50:00.001-07:00

What other languages do we speak
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usna_mori -

My mother language is spanish , I´ve been studying japanese for 2 years , chinene for 1 and
korean for a few months , I´m fluent in english =)

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rezaf -

Persian, English, Arabic, a little bit German and now I can claim some Chinese

Jikolp -

Hungarian - native!
English - Advanced
Spanish, French, German - Upper-intermediate or Intermediate
Slovak, Czech - around upper intermediate with sharp passive skills
Russian - lower-intermediate
Latin- able to translate
Japanese - getting near 3 kyuu
Mandarin - beginner!

crazy-meiguoren -

English (native speaker)

Some German in high school, most of it is lost although at my peak I could understand what the
teacher was saying.

Beginning Mandarin.

I would like to learn French. I bought a set of instruction tapes once but did not follow through
on it. That was quite a few years ago.

I would also like to learn a Native American language, preferably Salish, which is the language of
the tribes in the Pacific Northwest.

I had cancelled a trip to Boonville, CA, because Berlitz does not offer courses in Boontling. lol
(There really is such a language!)

hanwairen -

English (speaking for the last 35 years)
Cantonese (born with it)
Mandarin (Madarin Chinese elementary school)
Vietnamese & French (secondary & high school)
German (4 years during high school)
Japanese (1 semester at work but hated it)
Can communicate with my gardener in broken Spanish
C, Assembly, Verilog and VHDL languages.

kisha -

Filipino/Tagalog - mother tongue
English - advanced
Mandarin - learned it from elementary to high school (but now nearing it's extinction)
French - learned it 6months (but lost it all)

baoluo -

English
'n Bietjie Afrikaans. But rusty.
Half a year's worth of Vietnamese, but I want to learn more.
And 3 years of Mandarin.

Hofmann -

Cantonese is my mother tongue.
I learned English because I was raised in the U.S., going to school, talking to people, etc.
I learned Mandarin from talking to people and studying by myself.
I learned French in middle school and high school.
I learned a bit of German and Japanese by cramming for a few days.
I can read a bit of Vietnamese if it's written in Chữ Nôm. (can't speak a single syllable of
it; I pronounce the Chữ Nôm in Cantonese.)

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Chinese Mandarin - Translation - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Reading and Writing

2008-06-07T08:01:00.001-07:00

Translation
Home New Posts

laser2302 -

Have a look at the following paragraph. I came across in some Chinese article. It is really
difficult for me to understand this paragraph. Can anyone please tranlsate it into English so I
can understand it easily.

"而在那些沧海桑田都已物是人非之后，刘海波似乎学会了将伤痛内敛，将感
情沉淀在心中，然后仿佛是在不经意中自如地挥洒出那么只言片语，然后轻�
��地触摸到我们心中最容易感受到温暖和舒适的地方，这就是《大使在飞》�
�"

Thanks

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monto -

Quote:

It seems to be another piling up of big words. Can't translate them exactly.
The main line is:

After dramastic great changes, Liu Haibo seems to have learnt how to restain the rounds inward and
precipitate the feelings in heart, and then, as if casually, made out a few words freely and then
easily touched the place in our heart where it feels the wormth and comfort easiest, that is "The
Ambassador in Flight ".

cathy2321 -

let me try: Hence things changing people leaving，刘海波seems have learned to harbour the
sorrow and bury the feeling deep in heart. Then，incidentally， words spilled out，directly
touching about the place where the heart is most vulnerable to warmth and comfort—— that is
《angel flying》.
（personal opinion:大使在飞is a typing error of 天使在飞）

monto -

Yes, just like this

No changes one can experence in life could be described by 成语 "沧海桑田" (Once a blue sea
became a mulberry field today)

calibre2001 -

Wow, that's a difficult text for me. How would you guys rate its difficulty level? Seems like an
equivalent of a pretty flowery text in english.

cathy2321 -

Exactly.
That's a pretty literary one,not that easy to translate word by word.
Infact,I have to admit my version reduced some glamor of the original text.
There are several idioms need to note: 沧海桑田、物是人非、只言片语
They are useful and quite expressive phrases.
Remembering them will do you a lot of good.
Happy jouney with Chinese

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Chinese Studies - hanzi list ? - Page 3 - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Reading and Writing

2008-06-07T05:50:00.001-07:00

hanzi list ?
Home New Posts

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Quest -

roddy had posted a link to a website with scanned Chinese textbooks grades 1-6. Search the forums.

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Learn Chinese - systematic isolated character study - Page 3 - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Reading and Writing

2008-06-06T08:01:00.001-07:00

systematic isolated character study
Home New Posts

View Poll Results: Do you think systematic isolated character study will make one literate faster?
yes 9 32.14%
no 16 57.14%
I don't know 3 10.71%
Voters: 28. You may not vote on this poll

Page 3 of 3 < 12 3

rob07 -

After working through a couple of beginners level books (which got me to about 800 characters), I
felt that if I read one more passage in which the inherent superiority of Chinese culture dawned
on a couple of ignorant foreign friends, I would tear off my own head and eat it.

So I stopped learning for a while but eventually bit the bullet and rote memorised the remaining
characters on the 2000 list so I could go straight to reading worthwhile material. I was learning
Chinese in order to read novels so I wasn't that interested in learning how to express myself
grammatically. Once I had learnt the 2000, because I was missing the grammatical/contextual base,
I still found reading hard so I needed to go back to the textbooks to read the passages and
example sentences. Because I knew all the characters I was then able to skim through another four
levels of textbook in a couple of months. By that point I was ready to start reading novels. My
first was 一座城池 by 韩寒.

I don't know if that was a particularly efficient way to learn, but it seems to have worked OK. I
voted yes, because if I had had to spend any longer with the textbooks, I doubt I would have
survived.

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werdnerd -

For me I would definitely say yes. But perhaps that is just my engineering sort of temperament.
For myself though, learning characters when I started learning Chinese was not particularly
efficient. It was more enjoyable to learn pinyin first and then when I became conversational to
start learning characters.

I applied the same systematic approach to learning both pinyin and then characters... learning
syllable/radicals and then building up and learning more complex characters. In addition, applying
memory association techniques as well even made words sink in more quickly. Of course this must be
combined with conversation/reading appropriate to your level. It is never good in isolation.

Like Imcgraw, I come from an engineering background, so maybe it is in our nature. Also similarly,
I've worked on a website to make this easier for myself. Originally I used sites like
www.zhongwen.com for memory associations combined with my own implimentation of the Leitner card
system as implimented by the Mnemosyne and Anki apps, but in the end, i found it more effective to
have these combined together in one location.

renzhe -

Quote:

I think that the "lack of reading material" at an appropriate level doesn't apply after about one
year of study, if you are willing to invest in a decent handwriting recognition dictionary. There
are 45 books of Doraemon (not to mention a spin off series). With the aid of the pen-input
dictionary, you can quickly get to a stage where you could understand and enjoy the stories
without it (if you had to).

I've stocked up on Doraemon. I love it!

Don't need a dictionary at all, so it's some easy reading from time to time to keep my reading
skill fresh. Thanks for the tip.

yersi -

In my experience, isolated character study (as in looking up a character in the dictionary,
learning all the different definitions and pronunciations) is useless except for classical Chinese

Rote memorization of words, however, is an absolute necessity. I found the best way is to learn
the characters through words, not the other way around.

lilongyue -

I voted no because in modern Chinese most words are made up a two characters. A fact often bandied
around foreigners learning Chinese is how learning "X" number of characters is required to read a
newspaper, etc. What usually isn't mentioned is that besides needing to know all those characters,
one needs to know what that character means in combination with hundreds of other characters, as
meaning can and does change. If you look at it this way, learning 2,000 characters, which seems
overwhelming at first, is quickly dwarfed by learning an actual vocabulary whose number is
something like 2,000 to the power of 5 or 6, taking into account all the words that contain a
character. I personally would find it more informative to include numbers of words needed to read
a Chinese newspaper, for example, as well as number of characters.

Before I started studying Chinese in school, when I was just studying by myself, I found the fact
that each character has a meaning really confusing. There are many characters with the same
meaning, but not all are used to make a word that has that meaning, Some are also more "literary"
in nature, not used in 口语, some are rarely used or not used at all anymore, other characters
having taken over the job.

imron -

Quote:

is quickly dwarfed by learning an actual vocabulary whose number is something like 2,000 to the
power of 5 or 6

I agree with what you say about learning words, however I have a slight problem with your maths!
2,000 to the power of 5 is: 32,000,000,000,000,000, and 2,000 to the power of 6 is
64,000,000,000,000,000,000. I think we can all be thankful that there aren't this many words in
the Chinese language

renzhe -

Quote:

If you look at it this way, learning 2,000 characters, which seems overwhelming at first, is
quickly dwarfed by learning an actual vocabulary whose number is something like 2,000 to the power
of 5 or 6, taking into account all the words that contain a character. I personally would find it
more informative to include numbers of words needed to read a Chinese newspaper, for example, as
well as number of characters.

The HSK Advanced test (an extremely challenging test to say the least) uses about 3000 characters
and 10,000 words, so the relationship between words and characters is not as extreme as you say.
If you pass the HSK with grade 11, you should be able to comfortable read most papers.

Besides, some people find word study infinitely easier than character study -- once you know the
characters. If you know the meaning of the characters involved, it is often (though not always,
not by a long shot) easy to remember the meaning of the word.

The "Know xxxx characters to read yyy" thing only works for native speakers who are fluent in the
language. Obviously characters alone will get you nowhere, and nobody is advocating NOT learning
words.

lilongyue -

Quote:

I have a slight problem with your maths! 2,000 to the power of 5 is: 32,000,000,000,000,000, and
2,000 to the power of 6 is 64,000,000,000,000,000,000.

It's hyperbole, dear Watson!

Quote:

the relationship between words and characters is not as extreme as you say

I find a tripling (and then a bit more) of characters to words a rather large ratio, but I guess
that's just me.

renzhe -

I think everyone agrees that many beginners get hung up on "how many characters till I can read
so-and-so" and misunderstand the concept of 词.

But learning thousands of words is the same in any language. 10,000 words to read a book is not a
big deal -- you have to learn that for Spanish, Greek, Russian, or any other language, at least
that order of magnitude.

The main difference is that you can learn the Roman, Greek or Cyrillic alphabet in about 1 hour,
and the rest goes into learning words and you can learn the Chinese writing system in about 5
years and the rest goes into learning words.

Which is why people learn characters by rote.

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Learn to speak Chinese - ECpod: online learning - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Speaking and Listening

2008-06-06T05:49:00.001-07:00

ECpod: online learning
Home New Posts

renergade -

About ECpod.com: ECpod.com (http://www.ECpod.com) is a free website for
members to make friends and to learn English and Chinese by videos. ECpod
stands for "English Chinese Podcast" where our website's video clips are
"Video Podcasted" by our members. While ECpod began as an
English-and-Mandarin-only website, by popular demand ECpod now accept
clips in other Chinese dialects as well (for eg: Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien
and etc). We realized cultural exchange wouldn't be complete without the
inclusion of a rich variety of Chinese dialects which tend to be
characteristic of different parts of Chinese populated-areas. Furthermore,
some dialects will be extinct within one or two generations. Preservation
of Chinese culture and history is nothing if it does not also preserve the
dialects spoken by some of the ancient families of yore.

It's a REALLY REALLY good site....

Heres an article from there site

"When in Rome, why not let the Romans teach you?

In Huangshan (黄山), southern Anhui province in Eastern China, Fu Shou-Bing
logs on to the computer in the public library near his village. Since
discovering ECpod.com, the retired High School Chemistry teacher has been
logging on almost every day to the English-Chinese teaching website.
Sometimes he cycles the 25 miles home, cooks himself a simple lunch of
rice and stir-fried vegetables with salted fish, often returning once
again to the library and his new hobby in the evening.

ECpod.com boasts an educational website that teaches members
conversational English or Chinese (no "this is an apple" stuff here) via
video clips contributed by other members. After a vetting and often
transcribing process by language tutors commissioned by the site, the
clips are available free of charge in YouTube fashion. The twist? Members
film each other in everyday activities, hoping other members will learn
not just their native tongue, but also cultural innuendos lost in
textbooks and more conventional means of language learning.

"One member filmed himself cooking in his kitchen. We got a few emails
asking what condiments he used," says a bemused Warwick Hau, one of the
site's more public faces. One emailer even wanted to know if she could
achieve the same Chinese stir-fry using ingredients from her regular CR
Vanguard (华润超级) supermarket. "We often forget our every day activities may
not be as mundane to people on the other side of the world," Hau adds.
Another such clip is "loaches" - a Chinese mother of 3 filmed her children
and their friends playing with a bucket of loaches - slippery eel-like
fish the children were picking up and gently squeezing.

Lately the members have also begun to make cross-border friends and
contacts. The ECpal function works much the same way sites like
Facebook.com and MySpace.com work – members can invite each other to view
their clips and make friends. And it has its fair share of juvenile humor
as well. “Farting Competition” features two teenagers and graphic sound
effects. Within a week, the clip had 569 hits and was one of the most
popular videos of the week, likely due to mass-forwarding by the
participants’ schoolmates.

For other members keen to learn more than the fact juvenile humor is
similar everywhere, there are many home videos featuring unlikely little
nuggets of wisdom. “The last thing I learned from the site is why you’ll
never find green caps for sale in China,” says Adam Schiedler one of the
English language contributors to the site. Green caps signify cuckolded
husbands, particularly shameful in China as they are a huge loss of face.
Adam vows not to buy any green headgear for his newfound friends.

The subject matter of the videos often speaks volumes about its
contributors. Members choose their own content and film the clip wherever
they please, some of their efforts drawing attention to rural surroundings
and the quaint insides of little homes otherwise not seen unless you
backpack your way thru the tiny dirt roads and villages along the Chinese
countryside."

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Chinese School - Difference between these versions of a book? - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Chinese Culture > Art and Literature

2008-06-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

Difference between these versions of a book?
Home New Posts

DrWatson -

I'm not the type who can read stuff online or on a pda, so I'm looking for a book to slowly read
over a year or two. For some reason I feel more comfortable with a book in hand that I can mark up
with a pencil and flip through while on the bus. I found one that interests me (I'll planning to
read the English version as well) and I found a bookstore on the internet that apparently ships
overseas from Taiwan. However, they have two versions of the book:

古都 (精)
古都

They both seem to be published in the same year, but I can't really tell what the difference is
other than the price What does 精 mean beside a book title? My Chinese is not that good yet (but
I'm going to try to read a book, I must be crazy!) and the online Chinese dictionaries have not
been of much help.

About Ads (and how to hide them) -- Your message here

skylee -

Quote:

What does 精 mean beside a book title?

It means 精裝 (hardcover), as opposed to 平裝 (paperback).

DrWatson -

Thank you!!!

All times are GMT +8. The time now is 05:26 PM.

Speak Chinese - Indo-european langauges bought the golden age to Chinese poem - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Chinese Culture > Chinese History

2008-06-05T05:49:00.001-07:00

Indo-european langauges bought the golden age to Chinese poem
Home New Posts

zozzen -

No one would deny that Tang Dynasty was the golden age for Chinese poem, but one would be
wondering how Chinese used characters, without pinyin at that time, to build a comprehensive
knowledge about rhyme. But today i got an interesting answer.

According to 許倬雲, a renowned Chinese historian, the development of the Tang Poem was
coincident with the boom of Buddhism in India. Hundreds of Buddhism classics were bought into
China, along with the knowledge of Indo-European languages. Inspired by the way that ancient
Indian wrote their language, Chinese found a way "反切" to indicate a sound of Chinese
characters with two other characters. This was done for easing the translation of Devanagari books
at first, but 反切 also marked the milestone for Chinese study on rhythm and made a foundation
for the Tang-style Poem.

That's a surprise to me personally. I know the Chinese traditional music and mandarin were deeply
influenced by non-Han tribes, but never had an idea that the ancient Tang Poem was also closely
related to non-Han culture. Possibly it's a good and interesting challenge for Han-ism.

P.S. the book is called "萬古江河" (recently published) and it's absolutely Dr. Xu's ambitious
attempt for covering most Chinese culture. I take it as one of the greatest books I've read in the
past 5 years, and hope you like it too.

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Outofin -

Quote:

one would be wondering how Chinese used characters, without pinyin at that time, to build a
comprehensive knowledge about rhyme.

That's indeed an interesting theory, and it sounds plausible to me, but not convincing enough.

To answer the question above, they had some sort of reference books "Book of Rhyme". But obviously
they didn't have to rely on these books to write poems. The discover of four tones 四声和平仄
was during Qi and Liang. Then poets established 格律.

I think the introduction of foreign language might have helped Chinese language's development. But
in this case, I can't see how they could help the discover of tones, which I suppose Indian
language doesn't have?

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Chinese School - All these dialects!! Will I survive? - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Non-Mandarin Chinese

2008-06-04T07:59:00.001-07:00

All these dialects!! Will I survive?
Home New Posts

dynaemu -

Hello everyone, I am learning the standard mandarin known as Putonghua....

But the problem is, theres a different dialect, I was wondering if Shenzhen and Shanghai spoke
Putonghua more?

Also, what is the difference between Chengduhua and Nanjinghua?

Any other answers about dialects are appreciated, thank you!

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gougou -

Did you try searching? Or just browsing this "Non-Mandarin Chinese" forum, you should be able to
find plenty of relevant posts. This, for example, is still on the first page.

muddy -

easily speaking,mandarin can use everywhere,dialect is just used in certain areas.

the main differences of different dialects is their pronounce and slang.

asheh -

it really depends why you need each dialect. Speaking Mandarin will usually suffice anywhere in
China and now more and more overseas. It used to be mostly Cantonese abroad.

If you plan to stay in one region, you might want to learn the dialect but once you are outside,
it is safer to speak Mandarin. Over than that, u won't use the dialect much.... unless u marry
someone from a region and want to speak to the family directly

zozzen -

If you only take it as a communication tool, then mandarin is always good everywhere in China. But
learning dialects is of big benefit.

When i go back to China, I'm always surprised about the popularity of standard putonghua. It's
been promoted for a few decades, but no matter you're in Shenzhen, Henan, Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan,
Guangzhou or Hanzhou, you'll always hear a mutated mandarin with a variation of heavy accents,
weird tones and regional vocab.

When I was in Wubei, some of my friends who speak better putonghua than me often can't understand
local "putonghua", but it's amazing that i can always "translate" it. Not because i can speak
Wunanese, but because i can speak Cantonese and I share hundreds of common spoken "putonghua"
mistakes with them.

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Learn Mandarin online - 本是同根生，相煎何太急 - Page 2 - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Reading and Writing

2008-06-04T05:48:00.001-07:00

本是同根生，相煎何太急
Home New Posts

Page 2 of 2 < 1 2

Quest -

Here, but this is suppose to be a serious story:

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82riceballs -

is the stuff at the bottom the "豆萁“? the bean stalks?

So, Cao Zhi = beans cooking in pot
and Cao Pi = bean stalks fueling the fire?

Thanks for the picture. It really helps me visualize.

Tom Higgins -

Quote:

So, Cao Zhi = beans cooking in pot
and Cao Pi = bean stalks fueling the fire?

That's right!

82riceballs -

YEAH!! THANKS GUYS!!!

johnLi -

一直: 直means straight, while 一 means one, its picture also shows straight,
So altogether the phrase means straight, continuously, never changed...

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Chinese Class - Help translate and figure out a pattern - Page 2 - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Reading and Writing

2008-06-03T07:59:00.001-07:00

Help translate and figure out a pattern
Home New Posts

Page 2 of 2 < 1 2

xiaojiang216 -

Perhaps it works like the English "ONE Mississippi, TWO Mississippi, THREE Mississippi...."? Just
a guess

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Chinese Mandarin - "How to" for sound files - From Beijing Chinese School.com > Learning Chinese > Speaking and Listening

2008-06-03T05:48:00.001-07:00

"How to" for sound files
Home New Posts

retep57 -

Utilising free online resources.
Use stuff you may already have as a "gadget"

You can use Skype to build vocal resources. There are a bunch of third party addons that allow you
to record. ( powergramo etc) . You can then edit the sound files to tidy them up (audacity etc).
You can then upload files to a hosting area (eg your google account). You then put a link to the
file on your webpage (eg google page creator).

You can do all this for free. Saves simple monoglots like me having to struggle with the
complicated transliterations etc. Ideally sound from a native speaker. I have collected native
vocals for the greek page on my site.
http://smarthearts.info/index.php?op...id=27&Itemid=2

I am collecting text. transliterations. Sounds by native speakers etc for my site. If you want to
help me i would be delighted. Would be fun and useful to get native voices from around the world.
Do this yourself and /or help me.
Cheers.

PS my skype name is veitch57

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Chinese Lesson - From Beijing Chinese School - View Single Post - Guide to Shanghai (上海)

2008-06-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

Thread: Guide to Shanghai (上海)
View Single Post

Guide to Shanghai (上海)

[top]Food

* 小杨生煎(陕西北路店), 静安区陕西北路678号(武定路口) (great for 生煎包
- grilled pork buns, which are little buns, grilled like potstickers)
* 绿波廊(豫园路店), inside 豫园, near the lilypad lake, a great place to enjoy some
Shanghainese dimsum (one of the few good restaurants in 豫园).
* 杨家厨房, 衡山路9弄3号近乌鲁木齐路, 地铁1号线衡山路站 (good
Shanghainese food inside a two-story French concession-era house)
* 老正兴菜馆(福州路店), 黄浦区福州路556号(近浙江中路), (great reputation
for Shanghainese food)
* 上海老饭店, 黄浦区福佑路242号豫园(近旧校场路) (old-time Shanghai restaurant)
* Whisk Cafe, 淮海中路1250号 (近常熟路地铁站) (great pasta and hot chocolate)
* La Gondola, 河南中路16号近延安路, 地铁2号线南京东路站 (great pasta and
desert)
* Baan Thai, 复兴中路1479号近淮海路 (good Thai food inside a lovely garden)
* Thai House, 武定路657弄12号205室近西康路 (simple decor, good food)

[top]Night Spots

* Club JZ, 复兴西路46号近永福路，地铁1号线，常熟路站 (great jazz shows,
starts at 9:30-10, get a pint of Carlsburg and order 拌馄饨 (spicy wonton without soup); JZ
All-Star Big Band every Saturday is a must see; need to arrive early as it gets very crowded
* House of Blues and Jazz, 茂名南路158号近复兴中路, 地铁1号线黄陂南路站
(another great spot to enjoy some bluesy jazz)
* Face bar, 瑞金二路118号 inside Ruijin Hotel complex, 4号楼近永嘉路,
地铁1号线陕西南路站 (lots of outdoor seating inside a beautiful garden)

[top]Bookstores

* Dragon Books (龙强书店), inside 龙之梦购物中心, 8th and 9th floor
(长宁区长宁路, near 凯旋路) (very big selection of general Chinese books, similar to
上海书城 on Fuzhou Road, but Dragon Books is much less crowded).
* 上海书城(长宁店), on 长宁路 across the street from 龙之梦 shopping center;
combined with Dragon Books inside 龙之梦, this area is an even better place to shop for
Chinese books than Fuzhou Road near People's Square, as it's less crowded (very few tourists).
* 季风书园(陕西店), inside the Shaanxi Road subway station (great selection of more
academic and literary books)
* Penguin Books (企鹅书店), 徐汇区天钥桥路869号上海体育场旁 (great reputation
among Shanghai's literati)

====================================================================================================

Contributors: gato, muyongshi
Created by muyongshi, 9th October 2007 at 06:22 PM
Last edited by gato, 11th October 2007 at 02:38 PM
0 Comments , 1153 Views

Discussion

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Forum: Bug Reports / Help 14th February 2008, 06:21 AM

Replies: 19

New Chinese language interfaces

Posted By 82riceballs

回覆: New Chinese language interfaces

The traditional version works fine for me. If I click "reply" 回覆: shows up.

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 14th February 2008, 02:09 AM

Replies: 19

New Chinese language interfaces

Posted By 82riceballs

回覆: New Chinese language interfaces

Wow! THis is sooo cool!!!

thanks!

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Forum: Other cultures and language 2nd May 2008, 07:58 AM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By tooironic

Re: German

Yeah German's not too bad. I have a few Austrian friends with whom I've picked it up casually.
True, the grammar (gender categories, cases, etc, etc) are a steep learning curve, but then so
are...

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Forum: Other cultures and language 13th February 2006, 11:02 AM

Replies: 177

What other languages do we speak

Posted By Ian_Lee

Chaozhouese -- father's native tongue. I know...

Chaozhouese -- father's native tongue. I know all the swear words. Understand about 30% when two
people chat in Chaozhouese. I wished my father has taught me when I traveled in...

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Learn Chinese online - From Beijing Chinese School - View Single Post - Getting to Know China: A Kaleidoscope of Chinese Culture

2008-05-31T04:22:00.001-07:00

Thread: Getting to Know China: A Kaleidoscope of Chinese Culture
View Single Post

Getting to Know China: A Kaleidoscope of Chinese Culture

Usage Advice

Users intended: Foreigners without any experience in Chinese learning and teachers of Chinese as a
foreign language, Chinese elementary and middle school students and friends of Chinese minority
group
Description

With the rapid development of its economy, China is getting more and more influential in the
world. People all over the world are casting their eyes on this great old nation and their
interest to learn more about China's past and present is growing. They want to find out what has
been driving this nation to develop at such a great speed.

Being an old country with 5,000 years of history, China is an important birthplace of human
civilization. The great inventions of China, such as paper, gunpowder, the compass, the technology
of printing, along with china and silk, have spread to the world and enhanced the cultural
exchange between China and other nations; the poems, painting, music, dance and drama created by
Chinese people all express their love for nature and their emphasis on ethics and moral
obligations, which constitute the essence of Chinese culture and art; the rich and colorful
traditional Chinese festivals of various kinds show the passions and emotions of Chinese nation;
the traditional architecture of China, such as ancient cities, palaces, temples, common residences
and classical gardens, has reflected the Chinese culture and spirit of different eras in history;
and the all-embracing attitude Chinese people take towards foreign cultures has further developed
and promoted Chinese culture.

The world needs to know China, while China also needs to show the world the splendor of its
culture. Based on these needs, Beijing Language and Culture University Press, along with Viewpoint
Culture Communication Co., Ltd, has put great efforts of 3 years into this large-scale DVD
product, A Kaleidoscope of Chinese Culture, which gives a comprehensive introduction on Chinese
culture. This DVD series covers the quintessence of Chinese culture, including Chinese
civilization and art, Chinese customs, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, different ethnic groups,
and famous places of historic interest and scenic beauty. With brief and vivid commentary, and
clear and beautiful pictures, it brings readers to the core of Chinese culture in a convenient and
direct way. A Kaleidoscope of Chinese Culture can truly be called a solid multimedia encyclopedia
of Chinese culture.

It is our sincere hope that this product will set you on an exciting journey of Chinese culture
filled with pleasant surprises and help you to learn more about China.

====================================================================================================

Contributors: BLCUP
Created by BLCUP, 22nd February 2008 at 05:38 PM
Last edited by BLCUP, 22nd February 2008 at 05:39 PM
0 Comments , 322 Views

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Forum: Bug Reports / Help 3rd December 2007, 07:57 PM

Replies: 14

"Multiple posts" by gougou

Posted By roddy

Re: "Multiple posts" by gougou

/ gives up

Forum: Bug Reports / Help 3rd December 2007, 07:12 PM

Replies: 14

"Multiple posts" by gougou

Posted By roddy

Re: "Multiple posts" by gougou

Thought police :clap

Myriam, a number of your posts are hard to understand and seem to bear no relevance to the topics
they are placed in. You also have a habit of deleting posts after you've made...

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Forum: Forums Information 31st March 2006, 09:13 AM

Replies: 0

Admin / mods / editors

Posted By roddy

Admin / mods / editors

If anyone wants to help out with the site, I'd be very happy to hear from people willing to do
stuff like
1) Moderate - fairly simple stuff, merging / splitting / moving posts when necessary and...

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Forum: Other cultures and language 15th May 2008, 07:32 PM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

Re: German

No, difference, I promise, not in standard. Ch in "such" and "suche" (imperative for "suchen") are
the same, whether at the end of the syllable or in front of the shwa. As I said before, I don't...

Forum: Other cultures and language 15th May 2008, 07:08 PM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

Re: German

Yes, if using standard German pronunciation (Hochdeutsch). Both are rendered as [x] in IPA.

The difference is often in usage. Chinese "h" never occurs at the end of a syllable, always as an
initial,...

Forum: Other cultures and language 15th May 2008, 02:38 PM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

回复: German

There are some dialectal differences between [x] and [χ] but generally, being a native Russian, I
don't make any adjustment for German "ch" and Chinese "h". Both Germans and Chinese commented
about...

Forum: Other cultures and language 14th May 2008, 08:02 PM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

Re: German

Lu and Renzhe. I see you both know German. I majored in German and worked as a
translator/interpreter for a short time.

Renzhe, I know this too (about -ig) but I prefer to hear fertik to...

Forum: Other cultures and language 14th May 2008, 07:36 AM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

回复: German

Lu, there are 2 varieties of German "ch", the link I gave before shows both. The soft ch as in ich
(I), euch (you, plural, oblique case) is very different from auch, Buch, etc.

The German hard "ch"...

Forum: Other cultures and language 12th May 2008, 10:33 PM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

Re: German

If "sh" is the closest you can get to the palatalised German "ch" (ich, sprechen, Milch), that's
OK for a start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_phonology#Ich-Laut_and_ach-Laut

These are...

Forum: Other cultures and language 12th May 2008, 09:44 AM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

回复: German

Pseudo-German sounds very funny in Russian too. The famous Vladimir Voinovich's World War II novel
(The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin) has some very funny episodes
where...

Forum: Other cultures and language 2nd May 2008, 07:50 PM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

Re: German

Although very funny, just be aware (in case you're not) that it's not a real heavily anglicised
German, it also has many grammatical and spelling mistakes (perhaps deliberate). :wink:

Forum: Other cultures and language 2nd May 2008, 10:39 AM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

回复: German

You're right. Interest combined with efforts. Adrianlondon, obviously, just cycling around and
drinking coffee (alone?) may not help learning some German, even if it's much easier than English
for...

Forum: Other cultures and language 2nd May 2008, 07:34 AM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

回复: German

You are welcome - "bitte", I have updated the guide after you posted.

note final "e" is pronounced like "shwa"

danke [dunka] = thank you
bitte [bitta] = please, you're welcome (after thank...

Forum: Other cultures and language 2nd May 2008, 07:16 AM

Replies: 40

German

Posted By atitarev

回复: German

Guten Tag Adrianlondon, [gooten tahk]
Hello, Adrianlondon

Ich spreche Deutsch. [ikh shprekhe doych]
I speak German.

Deutsch ist nicht so schwer. [doych ist nikht zaw shvear (as in "wear")]
German...

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Forum: Other cultures and language 11th July 2006, 09:41 PM

Replies: 177

What other languages do we speak

Posted By magores

I guess I'm the closest thing to monolingual around here...

-English (native)
-Mandarin - Working on it right now
-Spanish - Read okay, Understand okay, Speak badly.
-Russian - Studied for a year, forgot most of it

On the other hand, I can also say "hello"...

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Chinese Mandarin - Int'l children's drama show

2008-05-26T04:17:00.001-07:00

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China Observer

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�� Int'l children's drama show

��Home>>

Int'l children's drama show

www.chinanews.cn 2006-07-18 10:33:49

Several excellent dramas performed by children chosen from 2006 Shanghai
International Children's Drama Festival began to stage in Nanjing, a city
of Jiangsu Province on July 16, 2006. Students flock to enjoy these
attractive dramas during their summer vocation.

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Chinese Class - Star panda turns one in US zoo

2008-05-25T04:17:00.001-07:00

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�� The housing prices remain unreasonable

�� Who can be the top of the car industry in China?

�� Teenagers spend 290 bln yuan annually - survey

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Star panda turns one in US zoo

www.chinanews.cn 2006-07-11 09:20:03

(Source: China Daily)

Tai Shan (R) and his mother Mei Xiang, take a close look at a frozen
treat that was made for him on his first birthday, July 9, 2006, in the
outdoor panda exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington. The frozen
melange was filled with apples, yams, carrots and fruit juices. More than
1.2 million have visited the panda exhibit since the cub first went on
display last December. [AP Photo]

July 11 - One year ago, he was nearly hairless, pink and weighed 113
grams. On his first birthday, giant panda Tai Shan is an active,
25.4-kilogram cub and the star attraction of the National Zoo in
Washington.
"He's like a rambunctious little toddler that loves to get into
everything," Suzan Murray, the zoo's chief veterinarian, said on Sunday.
Murray has monitored every development benchmark for the panda since his
birth on July 9, 2005. Those included the opening of his eyes, the
development of his distinctive markings, his heartbeat, his mobility, and
even the frequency of his squeals, grunts and barks.
Under the agreement with China that allowed the National Zoo to bring two
adult pandas to the US for breeding, the cub must be available for
shipment to China at 2 years of age to become part of breeding efforts to
preserve the endangered species.
The cub still nurses, but he has advanced from milk provided by his
mother, Mei Xiang, to eating bamboo. The woody perennial grass is the
staple of adult pandas' diets, accounting for more than 90 per cent of
their nutrition.
"My next challenge is weaning Tai Shan from his mum," said Lisa Stevens,
the zoo's curator of pandas and primates.
For his birthday, staffers prepared a giant fruitsicle for the cub, a
frozen melange of apples, yams, carrots and fruit juices. That is a
favourite of Mei Xiang's, but this was the first prepared for the growing
cub.
Tai Shan, whose name means peaceful mountain, routinely awakens before
daybreak. After a meal, the mother and cub are often seen wrestling. Tai
Shan also rolls around in the outdoor paddock and climbs trees,
delighting zoo visitors.
More than 1.2 million have visited the panda exhibit since the cub went
on display last December, and more than 21 million people have linked to
the panda cam website.
Tai Shan is aware of the scent of his father, Tian Tian, in a separate
exhibit, and they are often in visual proximity of each other, but they
do not look at each other at all, said Stevens.
"In the wild, males play no role in the rearing of cubs, so there's no
reason for there to be any recognition of who this strange neighbour's
scent mark belongs to," said Stevens.
Only about 1,600 giant pandas remain in the wild, and fewer than 180 live
in captivity. Zoo officials hope their Chinese counterparts will allow
the cub to remain in the United States until it nears breeding age of 5
or 6.
Tai Shan was the product of artificial insemination. Zoo officials hope
to breed the adult pandas again in the next year.

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Chinese School - Qinghai-Tibet railway ready for operation

2008-05-24T04:17:00.001-07:00

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China Observer

�� A glimpse at sweatshops in China

�� Shanghai the int'l metropolis is losing Chinese characteristics

�� China tries out new retirement modes

Photos

�� Nicole Kidman in Shanghai

�� National Water Lily Exhibition in Hangzhou

�� Quanzhou set up first emergency shelter

��Home>>

Qinghai-Tibet railway ready for operation

www.chinanews.cn 2006-06-29 13:58:25

(Source: Xinhua)

BEIJING, June 29 - Qinghai-Tibet railway is ready for operation on July
1, said a senior official with the Ministry of Railways at a news
conference here Thursday.
Zhu Zhensheng, vice director of an office in charge of the railway under
the ministry, said the railway will go into operation one year ahead of
the schedule with good construction, environment and safety conditions.
The Qinghai-Tibet railway stretches 1,956 km from Xining, capital of
Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. The
section of 814 km from Xining to Golmud began operation in 1984.
Most parts of the 1,142-km new track from Golmud to Lhasa are located
more than 4,000 meters above sea level, with the highest point at 5,072
meters.
In this regard, the railway is the highest in the world, said Zhu at the
news conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.
According to Zhu, the construction of the railway has resolved three
major difficulties -- frozen tundra, high altitude and plateau
environmental protection.
The testing operations of freight trains and passenger trains have been
smooth, which paves the way for the formal operation of the track, said
Zhu.
In testing operations, the trains reached the designed speed of 100 km
per hour when running across the frozen tundra and 120 km per hour in
non-tundra area, he said.
Trains linking Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Xining and Lhasa
will operate in the early phase, and more trains will be added in the
near future, said Zhu.

          ��Views along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
          ��Construction of Qinghai-Tibet railway does not destroy local
religious sites
          ��China plans to build resorts along Qinghai-Tibet Railway
          ��China sets timetable for early running of Qinghai-Tibet
Railway
          ��Qinghai-Tibet Railway to have earthquake warning system
          ��Qinghai-Tibet Railway under examination
          ��Garbage train to run on Qinghai-Tibet railway
          ��Trains running on Qinghai-Tibet Rail Line ready for use
          ��Staff of Qinghai-Tibet Railway trained for better service
          ��Qinghai-Tibet Railway stations to start operation

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Chinese Online Class - Garbage train to run on Qinghai-Tibet railway

2008-05-23T04:17:00.001-07:00

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China Observer

�� China's oil security faces four major threats

�� China makes efforts to build spindle-shaped income distribution
structure

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�� Korean food culture in NE China

�� Anti-drug volunteers tour in SW China

�� Guangdong held college entrance exam for the blind

��Home>>China Travelling

Garbage train to run on Qinghai-Tibet railway

www.chinanews.cn 2006-06-17 16:57:45

(Source: Xinhua)

June 17 - A special train will collect garbage along the Qinghai-Tibet
railway every week to protect the plateau environment.
Other measures have also been set in place to allay fears Hoh Xil, a
nature reserve for endangered Tibetan antelopes, is under threat from the
1,142-kilometer railway which begins trial operation on July 1.
"Waste water discharge is banned along the railway," said Liu Xinduo, a
senior engineer with the environment control and labor sanitation
institute of the Academy of Railway Sciences.
Currently, disposing facilities have been built at 15 sites along the
railway to treat waste water through means of bio-chemistry,
electrochemistry and oxidation, Liu said.
The carriages are equipped with garbage collecting systems, which can
compact refuse, said Ma Baocheng, deputy general managerof the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company.
"All the garbage collected in train cars will be carried to Golmud or
Lhasa for disposal," he said. "We have installed vacuum equipment to
gather excrement in toilets and special facilities for gathering all
kinds of waste onthe train," Ma said.
Ma said his company has designated a special protection belt along the
railway to reduce the contamination of the environment to a minimum.
China began constructing the railway in 2001 with cost of 26.2 billion
yuan (3.16 billion U.S. dollars). The Chinese government expects the
project to boost Tibet's social and economic development, helping local
residents to improve their living standards.

          ��Trains running on Qinghai-Tibet Rail Line ready for use
          ��Staff of Qinghai-Tibet Railway trained for better service
          ��Qinghai-Tibet Railway stations to start operation
          ��No news yet for the sales of tickets for trains that will run
on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
          ��Tibetan antelopes adapted to the channel cross Qinghai-Tibet
Railway
          ��Qinghai-Tibet Rail to bring mineral water to Beijing
          ��
          ��Police petrol on horses in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
          ��Qinghai-Tibet Railway to bring more visitors to Tibet

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Chinese Online Class - The lotus in Liuzhou, Guangxi

2008-05-22T04:17:00.001-07:00

Chinese School - Yellow Emperor & Yan Emperor statues completed

2008-05-21T04:17:00.001-07:00

Home Business Politics Life Culture��Edu Sci��Tech Sports Photos

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China Observer

�� China's oil security faces four major threats

�� China makes efforts to build spindle-shaped income distribution
structure

Photos

�� Prelude of the "Year of the Pig"

�� Suzhou Garden on the wall

�� Beijing-Shanghai Electric Railway finished Jinan section

��Home>>Photos

Yellow Emperor & Yan Emperor statues completed

www.chinanews.cn 2006-06-09 14:26:43

Workers were busy building the "Chinese Yellow Emperor & Yan Emperor
altar" in Henan's Zhengzhou City on June 8, and currently the statues of
Yellow Emperor & Yan Emperor, the main part of this project, are
completed. The statues occupy an area of 2,816 square meters and are 106
meters in height. They were constructed on the body of a hill, which
created a right mix of the hill and the figure. A Yellow Emperor & Yan
Emperor square and a commemorative altar will be built in the park and
the entire project will be finished by the end of 2006. Pictured: Huge
majestic statues of the Yellow Emperor & Yan Emperor.

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Chinese Mandarin - The beautiful field of Xinjiang

2008-05-20T04:17:00.001-07:00

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China Observer

�� China's oil security faces four major threats

�� China makes efforts to build spindle-shaped income distribution
structure

Photos

�� The beautiful field of Xinjiang

�� Shanghai South Railway Station tests lights

�� The Laundry girl of Shui Nationality

��Home>>Photos

The beautiful field of Xinjiang

www.chinanews.cn 2006-06-06 15:09:57

In response to the country's call, Xinjiang's Huhetuohai livestock farm
positively pushed forward the policy of returning land for farming to
forestry and effectively boosted the development of stockbreeding. In
summertime, the high quality forage grass jequirity and clover planted by
the 9th team of this farm are blossoming in purple flowers. The whole
field looks very beautiful.

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Chinese Class - Happy Children's Day!

2008-05-19T04:17:00.001-07:00

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China Observer

�� China's oil security faces four major threats

�� China makes efforts to build spindle-shaped income distribution
structure

Photos

�� Big cake in welfare home

�� Calculation competition with abacuses

�� World Cup craze in traditional teahouse

��Home>>Photos

Happy Children's Day!

www.chinanews.cn 2006-06-01 15:44:28

Some kids put on costumes and play parts in a scene of Beijing Opera in
Beijing Working People's Culture Palace on June 1st.

200 kids from Wuxi Chengxi Bi-lingual Kindergarten, Jiangsu Province come
to an armed police detachment in Wuxi with the company of their teachers.
The kids celebrate the Children's Day with the officers and soldiers by
experiencing the military life style. They "try" guns for the first time,
learn how to make beds and get military training.

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Learn mandarin - China plans to levy oil excess profit tax

2008-05-18T04:18:00.001-07:00

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China Observer

�� China makes efforts to build spindle-shaped income distribution
structure

Photos

�� Asia supper models show national costumes

�� Volunteers to clean off white garbage on Everest

�� Chongqing's Changjiang River Bridge building second line

��Home>>Business

China plans to levy oil excess profit tax

www.chinanews.cn 2006-05-30 08:50:15

Chinanews, May 29 - Zhu Jianjun, director of the system reform section
under the China National Petroleum Corporation's development research
department, revealed that based on three major changes facing the oil
industry, related departments are working over to raise petroleum
resource tax and planning to levy excess profit tax.
It is learned that the changes in global oil supply-demand situation are
mainly reflected in Asian and Pacific regions' consumption growth. It is
predicted that the Asian and Pacific regions will overtake North America
in oil consumption and become the largest oil consumer in the world this
year. At present, Asia's dependency on oil import has exceeded 70%.
China's dependency on oil import will also increase consequently. Zhu
estimated that by 2020, China's oil consumption will reach 450 to 500
megatons while domestic output will amount to 200 megatons, which means
that China's oil import dependency will go up to 60% and its oil supply
will shift from domestic market-oriented to overseas market-oriented. In
terms of international oil price, Zhu believes that the average oil price
will range from 55 to 60 US dollars per barrel in 2006 and it is unlikely
to drop to below 40 US dollars per barrel in the coming two or three
years.
Zhu added that China's related departments are studying on the adjustment
of oil industry-related polices. "China's oil resource tax consists of
several tiers and the level is obviously lower than that of foreign
countries. Hence China needs to adjust related policies and the base of
oil resource tax will be raised by a large margin." said Zhu. He also
revealed that China would impose excess profit tax on the oil industry.
Profits of upstream oil production when the price is over 40 US dollars
will be collected by the government for a second distribution to
subsidize industries and institutions affected by oil price hike, such as
transportation and oil refining.

          ��Stable long-term oil supply predicted
          ��Crude oil deficiency to reach 270mt by 2020
          ��Kazakhstan oil piped into China
          ��Oil prices in China will not rise sharply
          ��China possibly uses excessive forex reserves for oil reserves

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Chinese language - Commemorative event for Yellow River control project

2008-05-17T04:16:00.001-07:00

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China Observer

Photos

�� "Blue-tooth robot"

�� Dragon and Lion Dance Competition

�� New "Straits" operation ship put into use

��Home>>Photos

Commemorative event for Yellow River control project

www.chinanews.cn 2006-05-24 15:46:52

A girl was watching the Yellow River flow graph composed of many bowls of
Yellow River water at the Huayuankou section of the river on May 23. 2006
is the 60th anniversary of the control project of Yellow River in Henan
Province. Yellow River Henan Bureau sponsored a series of commemorative
events, calling on the society to pay attention to and protect the mother
river and maintain its healthy development.

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Learn Chinese - "Wastes" made into art crafts

2008-05-16T04:16:00.001-07:00

Home Business Politics Life Culture��Edu Sci��Tech Sports Photos

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China Observer

�� China gains trust in Africa

�� "Ancient Rome of the East"

Photos

�� Pricey artworks on display in Beijing

�� Unique hitching posts of different times

�� Koalas have adapted to life in Guangzhou

��Home>>Photos

"Wastes" made into art crafts

www.chinanews.cn 2006-05-19 15:48:38

A type of art crafts made of wastes begins to enter Chongqing citizens'
life in mid May. A shop owner who sells such art crafts in the city said
that his goods were all made of wastes, such as used woven wire, steel
balls and screws. Pictured: "guitar player" made of used screws and wire.

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Learn Chinese online - China edged out US and Europe in IPO size

2008-05-15T04:16:00.001-07:00

Home Business Politics Life Culture��Edu Sci��Tech Sports Photos

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China Observer

�� China gains trust in Africa

�� "Ancient Rome of the East"

Photos

�� Beijing brims over with World Cup atmosphere

�� A plant called "greenhouse of angel"

�� Foreign teacher welcomed by students

��Home>>Business

China edged out US and Europe in IPO size

www.chinanews.cn 2006-05-16 15:42:24

Chinanews, May 16 �CThe average deal size of initial public offerings
(IPO) in China has overtaken that in the US and Europe for the first
time, with the number jumping from USD 83 million in 2004 to USD 260
million in 2005, according to a report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Hong Kong stock market has become the fourth largest capital market in
the world in capital raised.
The report said such change was mainly attributed to IPOs of China
Construction Bank, China Shenhua Group Corp. and other large Chinese
enterprises launched only in Hong Kong, other than in New York or London
simultaneously.
The total amount of IPOs in China increased from USD 17.16 billion to USD
25.57 billion, with 97% of capitalisation raised from Hong Kong, while
80% of capitalisation raised in Hong Kong came from IPOs of giant
companies in Chinese mainland.
Compared with the increase in Hong Kong stock market, the size of IPOs in
NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange dropped to USD 170 million, by 22%��
The report released on May 11 included all the IPOs on stock markets in
Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
International Finance News cited the report, saying that the trend showed
the centre of global capitalisation was shifting to Asian countries from
American and European countries.

��BOC to conduct record-breaking IPO roadshow
��Construction Bank raises 8 b dollars in IPO

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Learn Chinese online - Price of tour package to watch World Cup soared

2008-05-14T04:18:00.001-07:00

Home Business Politics Life Culture��Edu Sci��Tech Sports Photos

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China Observer

�� China gains trust in Africa

�� "Ancient Rome of the East"

�� Boao, small fishing town in the process of amazing changes

Photos

�� 1st Sino-US JV hospital opened

�� Ancient sacred flame lighted up in Luoyang

�� China uprooted 2.55 million opium poppies

��Home>>Photos

Price of tour package to watch World Cup soared

www.chinanews.cn 2006-05-11 16:07:02

There is still a whole month to go before the FIFA World Cup Germany
kicks off. As the tickets to watch this soccer event are about to be sold
out, the prices of tour packages for World Cup soared simultaneously. It
was learned from various travel agencies that at present, the most
expensive tour package for the game costs 80,000 yuan (US$10,000) while
the lowest price for such a package has reached 30,000 yuan (US$3,750).
Four year ago, it only took Chinese tourists 7,000 yuan (US$875) to 8,000
yuan (US$1,000) to participate in FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.

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Learn mandarin - Tourists marveled at the gigantic tobacco pipe

2008-05-10T05:12:00.001-07:00

Home Business Politics Life Culture��Edu Sci��Tech Sports Photos

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China Observer

�� China gains trust in Africa

�� "Ancient Rome of the East"

�� Boao, small fishing town in the process of amazing changes

Photos

�� The US introduced precious Chinese rose varieties

�� Chinese men's basketball team start military training

�� Wa Nationality hosted carnival

��Home>>Photos

Tourists marveled at the gigantic tobacco pipe

www.chinanews.cn 2006-05-08 17:23:37

Pictured: a tourist was standing on the second floor and leisurely
smoking a gigantic tobacco pipe. This gigantic tobacco pipe was displayed
in a tobacco store in Hefang Street of Hangzhou City in Zhejiang
Province. It was carved with Indian sanguine sanders. It is 5.06 meters
in length, 102.6 kilograms in weight and the perimeter of the spout
reaches 1.13 meters. Tourists can light the pipe on the first floor and
smoke the pipe upstairs. It is funny and interesting though taking much
efforts.

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Chinese Lesson - --Hotels - eLong

2008-05-09T03:31:00.001-07:00

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Hotel - Chongqing

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Free airport pick-up and check in procedure handling
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Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Hotel is a 2-star hotel. 7 types
of rooms are available at this hotel, which are deluxe suites, superior
room, standard suite, triple room etc.

The 800 square meters dining hall with 6 dinning boxes can hold 350
guests at the same time. The conference rooms with various sizes will
provide amenable meeting services to the guests.

Other hotel facilities include laundry room, KTV rooms, beauty salon,
sauna rooms, tearoom and chess room etc.

Dining

Chinese restaurant KTV rooms Beauty salon Sauna rooms Tea house Chess
room Conference rooms Business center Laundry
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Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
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Learn Chinese, Learning Chinese, Chinese Course, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet

Chinese School - --Hotels - eLong

2008-05-08T03:31:00.001-07:00

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Shousong Hotel locates on the extension of West Chang'an Avenue, between
the west third ring road (Gongzhufen) and the west fourth ring road
(Wukesong). The hotel is 2.4 kilometers away from Beijing West Railway
Station, and it takes 40 minutes to drive to Beijing International
Airport. Metropolitan subway and lots of bus lines pass the front gate of
the hotel, which makes it fairly easy to travel to any direction of the
city. Surrounding landmarks are Beijing Urban-Rural Trading Center, Cui
Wei Plaza, Office building of China Central Television etc.
The 11-story, 12,000-square meters' hotel building has 252 guestrooms
categorized into deluxe triple rooms, suites, business rooms and standard
rooms. Room amenities include central air conditioning, 24-hour hot
water, concierge, telephone and satellite TV programs.
There are conference rooms, business center, shops arcade, amusement
facilities and beauty salon in the hotel, and the dining hall serves both
Chinese food and buffet. The parking lot can park 80 automobiles.

Dining

Conference hall Conference rooms Chinese restaurant Chess room Karaoke
Beauty salon Massage

Recreation

Business center Car rental Parking Shopping

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
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Learn Chinese, Chinese Online Class, Chinese Course, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet

Chinese Lesson - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-05-07T03:30:00.001-07:00

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Travel Consultant >> Answer the question

2007-09-22 , apsuresh asked:

Is it possible to arrange a to and fro train ticket to Qingdao leaving on
the night of 1st Oct from Beijing and return by train leaving Qingdao in
the night on 5th Oct - we are an expat couple and would like to travel by
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Learn Chinese online - --Hotels - eLong

2008-05-06T00:18:00.001-07:00

Beijing?Tianrui Hotel

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Tian Rui Super 8 Hotel is located in Beijing's commercial and cultural
center, neighboring the historic Catholic church at Wangfujing.

Located only a 15-minute walk away from Tian'anmen Square and the
Forbidden City, 2 kilometers from the railway station and 30 minutes from
the Beijing International Airport.

Tian Rui is equipped with a total of 64 comfortable and spacious
guestrooms and suites that infuse traditional Chinese style with modern
comforts. Guest rooms feature wood flooring, individual temperature
control, electronic door locks, IDD/DDD telephone access, satellite TV,
complete mini bar and work desks with Internet access.

Our friendly staff will provide you with express check in and check out
services. We also offer many personal services including facsimile,
airline ticketing through our travel services, lobby computers and tour
information.

The Hotel also offers a restaurant with a variety of Chinese delicacies
including Cantonese cuisine and dim sum, and dishes from Beijing and
Xi'an.

We would like to invite you to enjoy the Super 8 experience through our
clean and friendly services!

Dining

Cafe Restaurants Bar Chess and cards room Cyber-cafe Karaoke bar Massage
Meeting rooms

Recreation

Business center Car rental Shopping Parking Laundry

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Learn Chinese, Chinese Course, Learn Mandarin online, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet

Learn mandarin - --Hotels - eLong

2008-05-05T00:15:00.001-07:00

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Hotel - Chongqing

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Free airport pick-up and check in procedure handling
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Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Hotel is a 2-star hotel. 7 types
of rooms are available at this hotel, which are deluxe suites, superior
room, standard suite, triple room etc.

The 800 square meters dining hall with 6 dinning boxes can hold 350
guests at the same time. The conference rooms with various sizes will
provide amenable meeting services to the guests.

Other hotel facilities include laundry room, KTV rooms, beauty salon,
sauna rooms, tearoom and chess room etc.

Dining

Chinese restaurant KTV rooms Beauty salon Sauna rooms Tea house Chess
room Conference rooms Business center Laundry
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Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Learn Chinese, Chinese Course, Chinese language, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet

Chinese Mandarin - --Hotels - eLong

2008-05-04T00:15:00.001-07:00

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Dining

Conference hall Conference rooms Chinese restaurant Chess room Karaoke
Beauty salon Massage

Recreation

Business center Car rental Parking Shopping

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Learn Chinese online, Chinese Course, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet

Chinese Online Class - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-05-03T00:15:00.001-07:00

ticket and hotel reservation.

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Learn Mandarin online - --Hotels - eLong

2008-05-02T04:21:00.001-07:00

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Dining

Conference hall Conference rooms Chinese restaurant Chess room Karaoke
Beauty salon Massage

Recreation

Business center Car rental Parking Shopping

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Learn Chinese, Chinese School, Chinese Course, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet

Chinese Class - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-05-01T04:21:00.001-07:00

ticket and hotel reservation.

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Learn Chinese online - --Hotels - eLong

2008-04-30T04:19:00.001-07:00

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Dining

Conference hall Conference rooms Chinese restaurant Chess room Karaoke
Beauty salon Massage

Recreation

Business center Car rental Parking Shopping

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Chinese Lesson - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-04-29T05:19:00.001-07:00

ticket and hotel reservation.

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y Choose Language Choose Language Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese

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Chinese Mandarin - --Hotels - eLong

2008-04-28T04:13:00.001-07:00

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Dining

Conference hall Conference rooms Chinese restaurant Chess room Karaoke
Beauty salon Massage

Recreation

Business center Car rental Parking Shopping

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Learn Chinese, Chinese Course, Chinese Mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet

Chinese School - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-04-27T04:06:00.001-07:00

ticket and hotel reservation.

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Reservation number: 86-800-820-6666, 86-400-820-6666

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Chinese School - --Hotels - eLong

2008-04-26T03:27:00.001-07:00

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The hotel is located on the extended west section of Chang'an Avenue out
of the Third Ring Road and 200 meters away from the Wanshoulu subway stop.

The hotel is 3.5 km to Beijing West Railway Station, 10-minute drive to
Tian'anmen Square, 20-minute drive to Beijing Railway Station and 30 km
from the airport.

The hotel is well facilitated with central air conditioining, auto fire
alarm system, 24-hour hot water, broadband Internet access etc.

Dining

Restaurant Mah-jong room

Recreation

Business center Laundry house Parking

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Chinese Class - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-04-25T03:29:00.001-07:00

ticket and hotel reservation.

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Travel Consultant >> Answer the question

2007-09-23 , stephen_khor asked:

I am trying to buy return airticket on China Eastern Airline between
Kuming and Lijiang through CTRIP. A couple of questions:
1. How do I buy the airticket for Oct 16/Oct 19 (return) on CTRIP now as
I will only be in Kunming on Oct 14.
2. Can I purchase the airticket as a e-Ticket instead of paper ticket,
from CTRIP ?
Thank you.

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Learn Chinese online - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-04-24T02:50:00.001-07:00

ticket and hotel reservation.

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Reservation number: 86-800-820-6666, 86-400-820-6666

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2007-09-23 , stephen_khor asked:

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Learn Chinese online - Leading online travel service in China specialized in discounted air

2008-04-23T04:28:00.001-07:00

ticket and hotel reservation.

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y Choose Language Choose Language Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese

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Chinese Mandarin - --Hotels - eLong

2008-04-22T02:20:00.001-07:00

New Asia Hotel

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The hotel was built in 1927 and had the most deluxe guestrooms and
restaurants of that age. It is 6km to the railway station and 38km to the
Huadu Airport.

The hotel is located on the prosporous Renming South Road and facing the
beautify Pearl River to the south. The hotel is surrounded by an array of
shopping centers, eateries and entertaining venues.

Dining

Chinese restaurant Western restaurant Cafe Table tennis Gym Conference
hall Beauty salon Shops

Recreation

Business center Shopping

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Chinese Mandarin - --Hotels - eLong

2008-04-21T02:14:00.001-07:00

Xianheng Hotel

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The two-star Xianheng Hotel, located near the Caohejing Hi-tech Park and
the Xujiahui commercial district, is two kilometers from the city center,
eight kilometers from the airport and 16 kilometers from the railway
station.

The hotel has 120 guest rooms, including standard rooms, single rooms and
suites. The hotel also has a large Chinese restaurant and 12 VIP rooms.

The hotel's business center offers basic services including an IDD
telephone, photocopying, fax and word processing. The hotel also provides
meeting rooms.

Dining

Chinese restaurant Meeting rooms Beauty salon Chess room Foot therapy
Parking lot

Recreation

???????

Conference

Business center Ticket booking

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Learn Mandarin online - --Hotels - eLong

2008-04-20T02:09:00.001-07:00

San Yu Hotel

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San Yu Hotel starts business since 2000 and locates on the southeast
corner of Guomao Bridge on east third ring road.
It takes 10 minutes to drive to downtown, 10 minutes to Beijing Railway
Station and 30 minutes to Beijing International Airport.
The hotel is designed in European styles with 44 standard guestrooms
meeting the standards of three-star rooms.
Room amenities include air conditioner, color TV, individual bathroom and
IDD/DDD.
The Chinese restaurant in the hotel can serve 150 guests at the same
time, which is suitable for banquets of different levels. The 30-seat
cafe provides guests with western fast food and refreshments. Other
entertaining facilities in the hotel are beauty salon and Karaoke rooms.

Dining

Conference rooms Shops Beauty salon Karaoke rooms Chinese restaurant
Western restaurant Cafe

Recreation

Business center

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Chinese Online Class - China captain confident before opener

2008-04-19T04:09:00.001-07:00

Sports / Team China

China captain confident before opener

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-07-08 21:35

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 -- Chinese captain Zheng Zhi said on Sunday China
will perform well at the Asian Cup, but the opening match against
Malaysia will not be easy.

"Everything has gone well for us so far in our preparations. Things have
been well organized and there is a good atmosphere in the team," he said.

He noted the opening match will be tough. "We have to meet the co-host in
the opening match and that could be a very difficult test for us," he
said.

"There is pressure for us to perform. I still believe that we can do well
in this competition," said the Chinese captain.

China will play against co-host Malaysia on July 10 at the National
Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Top Sports News

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� Israeli Cabinet OKs release of prisoners

� Suicide bomb kills over 100 in Iraq

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Learn mandarin - Toll in Iraq bombings could surpass 150

2008-04-19T04:07:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Middle East

Toll in Iraq bombings could surpass 150

(AP)
Updated: 2007-07-08 19:44

A man cover the face of Iraqi intelligence officer Hecor Mohammed, after
he died in the hospital after he was attacked by gunmen in central
Kirkuk, Iraq, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Friday, July
6, 2007. [AP]

BAGHDAD - A flurry of bombings in Baghdad killed 26 people Sunday, and
officials said the death toll from a giant suicide truck blast that
devastated the market of a Shiite town north of the capital a day earlier
could be more than 130.

Officials earlier had said Saturday's bombing in the town of Armili
killed 115 people, one of the deadliest attacks in Iraq in months. The
blast suggested Sunni insurgents are moving further north to strike in
less protected regions beyond the US security crackdown in Baghdad and on
the capital's northern doorstep.

The string of attacks Sunday morning in Baghdad made clear that
extremists can still unleash organized strikes in the capital despite a
relative lull in violence there in past weeks amid the US offensives.

Two car bombs detonated nearly simultaneously in Baghdad's mostly Shiite
Karrada district, killing eight people. The first hit at 10:30 a.m., near
a closed restaurant, destroying stalls and soft drink stands. Two
passers-by were killed and eight wounded, a police official said.

The area is near the offices of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, the
biggest Shiite party in parliament, and is believed to be among the most
protected parts of the city.

About five minutes later, the second car exploded about a mile away,
hitting shops selling leather jackets and shoes. Six people were killed
and seven wounded, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

On Baghdad's southwestern outskirts, a bomb hit a truckload of newly
recruited Iraqi soldiers being brought into the capital to join the
crackdown, killing 15 soldiers and wounding 20, a police official at the
nearest police station said, also speaking on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to release the information.

Also, a bomb hidden under a car went off at the entrance of Shorja market
�� a central Baghdad market that has been hit repeatedly by insurgents ��
killing three civilians and wounding five, police said.

The US military announced that an American soldier was killed in combat a
day earlier in Salahuddin province. It did not provide details.

Armili residents on Sunday buried about 70 of the dead from the truck
bombing the previous morning. Mourners flowed into mosques and funeral
tents set up in the town's main street, where black banners were hung on
the walls with names of the dead.

Iraqi army and police forces were out in increased numbers in the streets
and closed off entrances to the town to prevent attacks on the funerals
�� a frequent target of Sunni insurgents, said Brig. Abbas Mohammed Amin,
chief of police in the nearby city of Tuz Khurmato.

The toll from the attack in the farming town of 26,000 �� mostly Shiites
from Iraq's ethnic Turkoman minority �� was still not clear. Abdullah
Jabara, deputy governor of Salahuddin province where the town is located,
said Saturday the toll from the blast was 115 dead �� nearly
three-quarters of them women, children and elderly.

On Sunday, Amin put the toll at 150 dead, while Abbas al-Bayati, a Shiite
Turkoman lawmaker, told reporters 130 had been killed.

The count was difficult because of the town's remote location and because
many of the dead initially had been buried under rubble that took hours
to clear. Saturday's blast ripped through the town market during crowded
morning shopping, destroying dozens of old mud-brick homes and shops.

Al-Bayati sharply criticized the security situation in the town, saying
its police force had only 30 members and that the Interior Ministry had
finally responded to requests for more two days before the attack. He
said authorities should help residents "arm themselves" to protect them
if the security forces cannot.

He said an Iraqi army battalion was moved out of the Armili region to
Baghdad earlier this year to help in the crackdown in the capital.
Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari denied that,
saying the army's 4th Division was in the area.

Armili residents say regions like theirs are being left exposed and
vulnerable. Tensions are constantly high between the town's Shiite
Turkoman population and the Sunni Arabs who dominate the surrounding
villages. Iraqi security presence is scant in the remote region, far from
Salahuddin's administrative center and the eye of officials.

"The number of Iraqi police and army in this area is too low. This is a
farming area with a lot of empty areas, so it's neglected. There's not
even much presence of government officials," said Haytham Khalaf, 37, an
Amirli resident whose niece was injured. He accused local Sunnis of
helping al-Qaida set up a presence there.

US forces are waging an offensive in the city of Baqouba, just north of
Baghdad, to uproot al-Qaida militants and Sunni insurgents using the
region to launch attacks in the capital. But American commanders
acknowledged that many extremists fled Baqouba before the sweep began in
mid-June.

Al-Bayati said Sunni insurgents had fled to the Himrin region, a swathe
of mountains southeast of Armili, between it and Baqouba.

The top US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, told The Associated
Press on Saturday he expected Sunni extremists to try to "pull off a
variety of sensational attacks and grab the headlines to create a
`mini-Tet.'"

He was referring to the 1968 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Tet offensive
that undermined public support for the Vietnam War in the United States.

The US military may be forced to tolerate attacks further north as they
focus on pacifying Baghdad and its surroundings, hoping that calm in the
capital will give the government time to take key political steps.
Washington is pressing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to pass measures to
encourage Sunni Arabs to turn away from support of the insurgency to back
the government.

Efforts to pass the measures, however, continue to be tied down in
political feuding between Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish parties in
al-Maliki's fragile coalition.

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Today's Top News

� No death threat to Chinese hostage in Niger

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� Toll in Iraq bombings could surpass 150

� Israeli Cabinet OKs release of prisoners

� Suicide bomb kills over 100 in Iraq

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Chinese Class - --Hotels - eLong

2008-04-18T03:34:00.001-07:00

Wuxi Grand Hotel - Wuxi

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The 4-star Wuxi Grand Hotel, located in the city center, features a gym,
a sauna center, an outdoor swimming pool, a karaoke bar and a disco.

Wuxi Grand Hotel has 371 standard rooms, 13 executive suites, 8 business
suites and 3 deluxe suites. Wuxi Grand Hotel offers a wide range of
eateries, including Chinese, Western and Japanese restaurants.

For recreation, The hotel offers opened a gym, a sauna center, an outdoor
swimming pool, a karaoke bar and a disco, as well as a beauty salon and
shops.

Dining

Chinese restaurant Western restaurant Japanese restaurant Sauna center
Beauty salon Shops Disco Karaoke bar Swimming pool Gym Billiards room
Table-tennis room Parking lot Shop Business center Car rental Ticket
booking Laundry

Phone: 400-810-1119 (in Mainland China)
0086-10-64329999 ext. 6 (in other areas around the world)Email:
web@elong.net

Chinese Class - Israeli Cabinet OKs release of prisoners

2008-04-17T03:34:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Middle East

Israeli Cabinet OKs release of prisoners

(AP)
Updated: 2007-07-08 16:44

JERUSALEM - JERUSALEM - The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved the
release of 250 Palestinian prisoners, officials said, in the government's
latest gesture of support for moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas.

Palestinian students attend their graduation ceremony at Birzeit
University near the West Bank city of Ramallah. [AFP]

However, the officials said Israel had still not finalized the list of
prisoners to be freed or the timing of the release. Palestinian officials
said they were disappointed Israel wasn't coordinating the release with
them.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to the prisoner release at a June 25
summit with Abbas as part of Israel's strategy of bolstering the
Palestinian leader in his standoff against Hamas militants.

Israel also has transferred more than $100 million in frozen tax funds to
Abbas, and pledged to ease travel restrictions on Palestinians in the
West Bank.

"We want to use every means that can strengthen the moderates within the
Palestinian Authority, to encourage them to take the path that we believe
can create conditions for the start of meaningful discussions," Olmert
said in a televised statement at the opening of the meeting.

Israel is holding some 10,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The prisoner release would be the first since February 2005, when Israel
freed 500 in a similar move aimed at bolstering Abbas, who had just won
election as Palestinian president.

Olmert said none of the prisoners "have blood on their hands" �� Israeli
terminology for people involved in deadly attacks. He said the release
had been cleared with Cabinet ministers and security officials.

Participants in Sunday's Cabinet meeting said the planned release was
approved by a wide margin.

The participants said Olmert wants the release to be more than symbolic.
Israeli media said Olmert over the weekend had rejected a list dominated
by people who were scheduled to be released soon and ordered a new list
to be drawn up.

After the June 25 summit in Egypt, Israeli officials had pledged a quick
release. But the move has been delayed because of wrangling with security
officials over who should be freed.

Saeb Erekat, a top aide to Abbas, urged Israel to coordinate the release
with the Palestinians. "We have not been consulted on this release," he
said, adding that Israel has rejected calls to convene a joint committee
of prisoners.

The Palestinians have urged Israel to release some of the most prominent
prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, a top official in Abbas' Fatah
movement who is serving life sentences for involvement in five murders.

Israel has rejected calls for Barghouti's release, though Olmert has said
the prisoners will come from Abbas' Fatah movement.

Riad Maliki, the information minister in Abbas' new government, said he
expected the 250 prisoners to be former military men from pro-Fatah
security forces. "If it was in our hands to chose ... we would have
chosen a group that more fairly represented the body of Palestinian
prisoners, from all political groups," Maliki said.

Israel is interested in strengthening Abbas, a moderate who favors peace
talks, following Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last month.
The fighting in Gaza has left Palestinians with two rival governments ��
the isolated Hamas rulers in Gaza, and Abbas' Western-backed emergency
government in the West Bank.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said a release of Fatah prisoners
signaled that Abbas is collaborating with Israel. "He should have refused
any release unless it includes all Palestinian prisoners," he said.

Hamas has been demanding the release of hundreds of prisoners in exchange
for an Israeli soldier it captured more than a year ago. Israel has a
long history of lopsided prisoner exchanges to bring captured or fallen
soldiers home.

Olmert said he is "convinced beyond doubt" that the upcoming release
would not hurt the chances of returning the soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit,
or bringing home two other soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas a
year ago. He said "maybe it will even create an atmosphere that will
facilitate the process relating their release."

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Learn Mandarin online - UK house used as bomb factory

2008-04-16T03:24:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Europe

UK house used as bomb factory

(AP)
Updated: 2007-07-06 01:02

Police searched for evidence Thursday in a Scottish house that may have
been used to produce the makeshift bombs that failed to explode in three
attempted terror attacks on London and the Glasgow airport, officials and
news reports said.

A police officer guards Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official
residence at 10 Downing Street, in central London, Wednesday July 4,
2007. Authorities across the UK remained on 'Critical' alert following
the car bomb attacks in London and at Glasgow airport in Scotland. [AP]

Community leaders in Scotland appealed for calm after Glasgow police said
there had been dozens of racially motivated incidents since the attack on
the city's airport Saturday.

At least two of the eight suspects caught so far rented a house a few
miles from the airport where two men crashed a gas-laden Jeep Cherokee
into barriers outside a terminal the day after two car bombs failed to
explode in London, several British news outlets reported, citing
unidentified sources.

The two men slept upstairs and used the downstairs as a bomb factory, the
outlets said. Officials would not confirm or deny the reports.

Denis O'Donnell of the local Paisley Cab Company told The Associated
Press that his taxis had picked up suspect Bilal Abdulla, an Iraqi-born
physician, from the house nearly 20 times since May.

Neighbor Susan Hay told the AP that police said they were "stripping" the
home Thursday morning to look for fingerprints and other forensic
materials. A large tent �� set up on Sunday �� was hanging over the
garage.

Two other suspects were arrested at staff housing at the Royal Alexandra
Hospital in Paisley.

With all suspects connected to the medical profession, Prime Minister
Gordon Brown has ordered an investigation of the procedures of recruiting
foreign doctors for the National Health Service, which Health Secretary
Alan Johnson promised would be done "very quickly."

"It is what more we need to do between striking a balance between
ensuring that we have people with the right skills in this country to
make sure the NHS works properly and how we ensure we have a proper
oversight of security," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

A British security official said authorities were still investigating
whether there were any suspects at large who may have on the peripheries
of the plot. The official requested anonymity because he was not
authorized to talk to the press.

There have been 38 racist incidents in the Glasgow area since the attack,
police said, including beatings and an attack on a white youth by three
South Asian youths who believed he was involved in a previous racially
motivated attack. A South Asian-owned shop was also set on fire in
Glasgow, police said. There were no serious injuries.

Muslim community leader Bashir Maan appealed for calm and said community
relations remained strong. "We must remember these people were not from
Scotland," he said of the suspects held.

Also Thursday, a subway derailed in the capital during rush-hour, leaving
at least 37 people with minor injuries in an incident transport
authorities believe was caused by an obstruction on the tracks.

Britain's terrorism threat level has been lowered following the capture
of the eight suspects, and a British investigator arrived in Australia to
question a detained Indian doctor.

Australian police acting on information from British counterparts
arrested Muhammad Haneef, 27, on Monday in the eastern city of Brisbane
as he tried to board a flight with a one-way ticket.

Haneef worked in 2005 at a hospital in northern England where another
suspect arrested in connection to the failed attacks also worked.

In a separate case, a man was convicted Thursday in Manchester of
possessing terrorist training materials, including instructions on using
gas canisters to make car bombs.

Prosecutors also said they found material on the computer of Omar
Altimimi, 37, that identified nightclubs and airports as "suitable
targets." He faces sentencing on Friday. However, police have reported no
links between Altimimi, an asylum seeker who came to Britain from the
Netherlands, and the recent foiled attacks.

Also Thursday, a group of al-Qaida inspired computer experts received
prison sentences for running extremist Web sites. Prosecutors said the
group gave advice, including on how to build suicide vests, to would-be
terrorists from Web pages run from their London homes.

In the latest terror plots, six physicians are among the eight suspects,
including the Iraqi Abdulla, one from Jordan, two from India and a man
identified by Royal Alexandra Hospital staff as being from Lebanon. Also
in custody are the Jordanian's wife, a medical assistant, and a doctor
and medical student thought to be from the Middle East, possibly Saudi
Arabia. None has been charged.

Relatives of the Jordanian and his wife have told their families they are
"innocent," relatives said Thursday. Mohammed Jamil Asha, 26, and his
wife, Marwa, 27, telephoned their families in Jordan separately on
Wednesday, relatives said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered his country's help in the
investigations during a talk Wednesday with Brown, said an official who
requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Singh urged Brown to discourage the public from labeling all Indians
abroad as terrorists, the official said.

Brown said there will be increased scrutiny of foreigners recruited for
their skills, including doctors coming to work for the National Health
Service.

"We'll expand the background checks that have been done where there are
highly skilled migrant workers coming into this country," Brown told the
House of Commons in his first appearance at the weekly prime minister's
questions.

Several suspects were on a watch list compiled by the domestic
intelligence agency MI5, the British security official said, indicating
their identities previously had been logged by agents. The official did
not say why they were put on the watch list. The official said Britain's
security services are watching about 1,600 people and have details logged
on hundreds more.

Two of the suspects �� 26-year-old doctor Sabeel Ahmed, whose family in
India said he is related to Haneef, and Khalid Ahmed, 27, believed to be
from Lebanon �� had applied for jobs in Western Australia state, said
Geoff Dobb, state president of the Australian Medical Association.

He told the AP the pair had applied to work in the state health system
since 2005 but were turned down because "they did not meet the standard
required" but that "it had nothing to do with suspicions of any terrorist
associations."

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Today's Top News

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Chinese language - NBA Draft Lottery 1995

2008-04-14T03:57:00.001-07:00

Sports / Draft History

NBA Draft Lottery 1995

(nba.com)
Updated: 2007-06-28 13:47

Pick Player School Team
1 Joe Smith Maryland Golden State Warriors
2 Antonio McDyess Alabama Los Angeles Clippers
3 Jerry Stackhouse North Carolina Philadelphia 76ers
4 Rasheed Wallace North Carolina Washington Wizards
5 Kevin Garnett Farragut Academy Minnesota Timberwolves
6 Bryant Reeves Oklahoma State Vancouver Grizzlies
7 Damon Stoudamire Arizona Toronto Raptors
8 Shawn Respert Michigan State Portland Trail Blazers
9 Ed O��Bannon UCLA New Jersey Nets
10 Kurt Thomas Texas Christian Milwaukee Bucks
11 Gary Trent Ohio Milwaukee Bucks
12 Cherokee Parks Duke Dallas Mavericks
13 Corliss Williamson Arkansas Sacramento Kings

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Chinese Lesson - Staph superbug may be infecting patients

2008-04-13T05:43:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Health

Staph superbug may be infecting patients

(AP)
Updated: 2007-06-26 01:05

A dangerous, drug-resistant staph germ may be infecting as many as 5
percent of hospital and nursing home patients, according to a
comprehensive study.

At least 30,000 U.S. hospital patients may have the superbug at any given
time, according to a survey released Monday by the Association for
Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

The estimate is about 10 times the rate that some health officials had
previously estimated.

Some federal health officials said they had not seen the study and could
not comment on its methodology or its prevalence. But they welcomed added
attention to the problem.

"This is a welcome piece of information that emphasizes that this is a
huge problem in health care facilities, and more needs to done to prevent
it," said Dr. John Jernigan, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.

At issue is a superbug known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus, which cannot be tamed by certain common antibiotics. It is
associated with sometimes-horrific skin infections, but it also causes
blood infections, pneumonia and other illnesses.

The potentially fatal germ, which is spread by touch, typically thrives
in health care settings where people have open wounds. But in recent
years, "community-associated" outbreaks have occurred among prisoners,
children and athletes, with the germ spreading through skin contact or
shared items such as towels.

Past studies have looked at how common the superbug is in specific
patient groups, such as emergency-room patients with skin infections in
11 U.S. cities, dialysis patients or those admitted to intensive care
units in a sample of a few hundred teaching hospitals.

It's difficult to compare prevalence estimates from the different
studies, experts said, but the new study suggests the superbug is eight
to 11 times more common than some other studies have concluded.

The new study was different in that it sampled a larger and more diverse
set of health care facilities. It also was more recent than other
studies, and it counted cases in which the bacterium was merely present
in a patient and not necessarily causing disease.

The infection control professionals' association sent surveys to its more
than 11,000 members and asked them to pick one day from Oct. 1 to Nov.
10, 2006, to count cases of the infection. They were to turn in the
number of all the patients in their health care facilities who were
identified through test results as infected or colonized with the
superbug.

The final results represented 1,237 hospitals and nursing homes �� or
roughly 21 percent of U.S. inpatient health care facilities, association
officials said.

The researchers concluded that at least 46 out of every 1,000 patients
had the bug.

There was a breakdown: About 34 per 1,000 were infected with the
superbug, meaning they had skin or blood infections or some other
clinical symptom. And 12 per 1,000 were "colonized," meaning they had the
bug but no illness.

Most of the patients were identified within 48 hours of hospital
admission, which means, the researchers believe, that they didn't have
time to become infected to the degree that a test would show it. For that
reason, the researchers concluded that about 75 percent of patients
walked into the hospitals and nursing homes already carrying the bug.

"They acquired it in a previous stay in health care facility, or out in
the community," said Dr. William Jarvis, a consulting epidemiologist and
former CDC officials who led the study.

The infection can be treated with other antibiotics. Health care workers
can prevent spread of the bug through hand-washing and equipment
decontamination, and by wearing gloves and gowns and by separating
infected people from other patients.

The study is being presented this week at the association's annual
meeting in San Jose, Calif., but has not been submitted for publication
in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

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Chinese Online Class - Henin and Mauresmo enjoy fine Eastbourne start

2008-04-13T04:16:00.001-07:00

Sports / Tennis

Henin and Mauresmo enjoy fine Eastbourne start

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-06-21 08:19

Justine Henin began the defence of her Eastbourne International title in
fine style on Wednesday, beating Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-1.

Eleven days after winning her fourth French Open title on clay, the world
number one sailed through her first grasscourt match of the season,
impressing the Devonshire Park crowd with her volleying skills.

The Belgian top seed now plays Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova, who
swatted aside British qualifier Elena Baltacha 6-3 6-2 on a calm day at
the normally windy seaside resort.

Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo joined Henin in the third round,
looking equally at home on her favourite surface after just a few days'
practice in the British Embassy grounds in Paris.

The world number four, who last year lost in her first match here before
going on to win Wimbledon, beat Italian Mara Santangelo 6-2 6-3 in 61
minutes.

Henin, who next week will set out to succeed Mauresmo at Wimbledon -- the
one grand slam title to elude her -- needed just one break, in the third
game, to take the first set against 18-year-old Eastbourne debutante
Radwanska.

After getting a break at the start of the second set, Henin raced to a
5-1 lead and went 15-40 up. She wasted one match point by putting a
backhand long but hit a winning backhand volley on the second.

"The first match on grass is not easy," said Henin, adding that her aim
was to get to the net even more.

"When I am at the net I am okay, it is just (I need) to go to the net and
make the effort and be brave enough. But it starts to get much more
natural."

CONFIDENT MAURESMO

Mauresmo, who served superbly and finished her match with the flourish of
an ace in a love game, was visibly delighted to be back on grass after
losing in the third round at the French Open at the start of the month.

"I feel confident in this kind of match," the French second seed told a
news conference. "I think it is the fact that really I know perfectly how
to play on grass and it gives you a lot of confidence."

Mauresmo will now face Israeli sixth seed Shahar Peer, who beat Japanese
qualifier Aiko Nakamura 6-3 6-2.

Fifth seed Vaidisova is one of the grunt-and-bash brigade, staying firmly
at the baseline throughout the match and hitting the ball with tremendous
force and accuracy.

The tactic served her well against Baltacha, ranked 412 in the world and
only recently returned from back surgery, who was rarely able to collect
a point on the Czech's serve.

Austrian ninth seed Sybille Bammer had a much tougher time, needing three
sets to beat Czech left-hander Lucie Safarova 7-6 5-7 6-3. She will now
play Russian third seed Nadia Petrova, who beat France's Nathalie Dechy
7-5 7-5.

After Baltacha's exit, local hopes ended with Katie O'Brien losing 6-3
6-4 to fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva in a baseline slugging
match and wild card Melanie South being knocked out by French number
eight seed Marion Bartoli 6-1 6-3.

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Chinese Lesson - Liverpool, Portsmouth, Fulham to compete in HK

2008-04-12T04:55:00.001-07:00

Sports / China

Liverpool, Portsmouth, Fulham to compete in HK

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-06-14 08:29

The English Premier League team Liverpool, Portsmouth and Fulham will be
competing for the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong this summer, the
Premier League and the Hong Kong Football Club (HKFA) announced on
Wednesday.

The four team tournament, which will also feature South China FC, will
take on a knock-out format with a final to determine the winner and a
third-place playoff.

All matches will take place in the 40,000 capacity Hong Kong Stadium and
will be officiated by Premier League referees in accordance with the
Premier League rules.

Ricard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, said, "The
Premier League has a fantastic following across East Asia and nowhere
more so than in Hong Kong. This is a great opportunity for those fans
that follow our competition week-in, week-out to experience what a
Premier League game is like in the flesh."

After in Thailand in 2005 and Malaysia in 2003, this is the third Premier
League tournament in Asia.

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Learn mandarin - Liverpool, Portsmouth, Fulham to compete in HK

2008-04-11T01:44:00.001-07:00

Sports / China

Liverpool, Portsmouth, Fulham to compete in HK

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-06-14 08:29

The four team tournament, which will also feature South China FC, will
take on a knock-out format with a final to determine the winner and a
third-place playoff.

All matches will take place in the 40,000 capacity Hong Kong Stadium and
will be officiated by Premier League referees in accordance with the
Premier League rules.

After in Thailand in 2005 and Malaysia in 2003, this is the third Premier
League tournament in Asia.

Top Sports News

� Yang wins all-around at China's gym championship

� Robinho green-lighted by FIFA

� Indonesia book Sudirman Cup semis berth

� Liverpool, Portsmouth, Fulham to compete in HK

� Hamilton puts the pressure on Alonso

Today's Top News

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� UN hails Sudan's nod for Darfur force

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Chinese Lesson - G8 summit mixed with smile and strife

2008-04-10T00:47:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Photo

G8 summit mixed with smile and strife

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-06-07 10:50

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila arrive for an
official dinner in Hohen Luckow June 6, 2007. Leaders from the world's
major industrialised nations meet in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm on
June 6-8 for a Group of Eight (G8) summit. [Reuters]

1 2 3 4

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Chinese Class - Less radiation OK for breast cancer

2008-04-09T00:49:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Health

Less radiation OK for breast cancer

(AP)
Updated: 2007-06-04 11:02

CHICAGO - Women with early-stage breast tumors can undergo a shorter
course of radiation without a greater risk that their cancer will come
back years later, the largest study to test this suggests.

The results are good news for women who must quit work or travel far to
receive the five-week, daily treatments usually given.

"This is very disruptive to your life. If we could achieve the same
outcome with less frequent visits to the radiation center ... this would
be a tremendous benefit," said Dr. Julie Gralow of the Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Center in Seattle.

Gralow was not involved in the study, but reviewed and discussed it at a
meeting Sunday of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Most of the 180,000 breast cancers diagnosed each year in the United
States are the type this study addressed - still confined to the breast.
The usual treatment is surgery plus chemotherapy or hormone therapy,
followed by radiation to prevent a recurrence.

Dr. John Dewar of the University of Dundee in Scotland led a two-part
study of nearly 4,500 women in the United Kingdom to test shorter courses
of radiation.

Women received either the standard 50 Grays, the unit used in measuring
radiation, in 25 treatments spread over five weeks, or roughly 40 Grays
given in 13 treatments every other day for five weeks or in 15 treatments
over three weeks.

Five years later, cancer recurrence rates were low for all groups,
ranging from 2 to 5 percent. So few recurrences occurred - 158 - that
doctors believe the treatments are equivalent but cannot say so with
certainty.

Many will want to see what happens to these women with longer follow up,
said Dr. Gary Freedman of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He is
testing a shorter course, too, and noted that in the United States, most
doctors give a total of 60 to 64 Grays - the standard 50 plus a boost
dose directly to the tumor area.

Lisa Warren is a patient who received the shorter course in Freedman's
study. Warren, 46, lives nearly an hour's drive from the cancer center
and was eager when the short course was offered.

"I was all for that," she said. "Seven weeks is a long time to be running
back and forth. Mentally and physically, it's very draining."

Gralow, whose Seattle clinic sees many Alaskan women who must travel
great distances for treatment, said she would consider the shorter
treatment in such situations.

"This is very exciting news for our patients," because many women around
the country live in rural areas or are elderly and must have someone
drive them to get care, she said.

Shorter treatment had another benefit: less swelling or shrinkage of
breast tissue and less enlargement of blood vessels as a side effect of
radiation.

Other news at the conference:

-The median survival of black women with advanced breast cancer lags that
of their white counterparts - 17 months versus 27 months - an analysis of
federal statistics from 1999 to 2003 finds. It is unclear, however,
whether the gap is due to true racial differences or to variations in
treatment, which the statistics do not reflect.

-MRI or magnetic resonance imaging scans detect 10 percent to 20 percent
more pre-invasive breast cancers than standard mammograms, especially the
type most likely to spread, a study of 6,000 women in Germany found.
However, no information was available on how many false alarms MRIs gave
- the biggest factor limiting their use now, besides higher cost and
limited availability.

-Many survivors of childhood cancers are not getting recommended follow
up tests to watch for second cancers later in life, a survey of 8,500
cancer survivors found. Only one-fourth at risk of developing heart
problems because of their cancer treatment were tested for this every
year or two as doctors recommend, and only half of women at risk of
breast cancer got annual mammograms.

About 10 million Americans are cancer survivors, so the study "tells us
both about our success and some of our challenges for the future," said
Dr. Nancy Davidson, a cancer specialist at Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore and president-elect of the oncology society.

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Chinese School - Mutombo eyes return to Rockets

2008-04-08T00:42:00.001-07:00

Sports / Basketball

Mutombo eyes return to Rockets

By JONATHAN FEIGEN (Houston Chronicle)
Updated: 2007-05-25 17:08

Center Dikembe Mutombo, a free agent who had been reconsidering his
intention to play another NBA season, said Thursday he told Rockets owner
Leslie Alexander on Wednesday that he wished to return to the Rockets for
another season.

Mutombo, who had not yet told his agent David Falk or Rockets general
manager Daryl Morey of his intentions, said that a dinner conversation
with former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon helped seal his decision.

"I've had a lot of time to think about it," Mutombo said. "I talked to my
family. I talked to my wife and kids. And also, I went to dinner with
Hakeem and he talked me into it.

"He said, 'why do you think you want to quit? You still have a lot to
show. You can come in and help Yao (Ming) for 10-15 minutes. You can
stick with basketball and do what you love to do.' For me, that is to
play basketball and my work with my hospital."

Mutombo, 40, averaged 3.1 points and 6.5 rebounds last season. He
averaged 10.4 rebounds in the 33 games Yao missed.

He will open his hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 15.

With Rick Adelman only becoming Rockets coach Wednesday, Morey said the
team has not entirely formed its free-agent strategy.

"Dikembe was a key part of our season last year, obviously," Morey said.
"We still feel like he has good basketball ahead of him. Obviously, he's
a community icon.

"I think in ways he can be very effective in his role. With coach
Adelman, we're still having discussions on our philosophy and strategy
going forward."

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Chinese School - Romario scores 1,000th goal

2008-04-07T00:47:00.001-07:00

Sports / Soccer

Romario scores 1,000th goal

(AP)
Updated: 2007-05-21 08:30

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Veteran striker Romario scored the 1,000th goal
of his 23-year career during Vasco's game on Sunday with Sport of Recife
in the second round of the Brazilian national championship.

The 41-year-old Romario hit the milestone on a 48th-minute penalty kick
before a cheering crowd that packed Rio's Sao Januario stadium to see the
23-year veteran.

After the goal, the game was delayed -- with Vasco leading 3-0 -- as his
parents, wife and children and journalists rushed into the field.

Romario then ran around the field waving at the crowd.

"I dedicate this goal to all the people who helped me and who were always
by my side, like my parents, my children and all of you," a teary-eyed
Romario said. "I want to thank God in heaven for all this."

"This is a historic moment for me and world soccer," Romario said. "I
have been chasing this goal real hard and at times I thought I may never
reach it. Without a doubt, this was the most important moment in my
career as a professional player."

At the end of the 15-minute celebration, Romario returned to the field to
help his team defeat Sport 3-1.

It was the first time he has played since April 11 when his team lost to
Botafogo in a penalty-kick shootout that eliminated Vasco from the Rio de
Janeiro state championship.

Many soccer experts consider the landmark dubious. That's because Romario
counts 71 goals scored as a teenager and as an amateur, as well as others
scored in training games and unofficial matches against small clubs.

In addition, his tally had to be revised several times because he
initially counted goals scored in matches that never happened and in
games that ended 0-0.

The mark is not recognized by FIFA, world soccer's governing body, which
says it only counts goals scored in official competitions.

According to FIFA, Romario still has quite a way to go before reaching
1,000 goals. Not counting the 71 before turning pro, Romario would have
929 career goals.

Three other players reportedly have scored 1,000 goals, the most notable
being Pele, who had 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches and who scored his
1,000th against Vasco when he was 29.

Top Sports News

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Today's Top News

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Learn Chinese - Snacking can be good for older adults

2008-04-06T00:42:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Health

Snacking can be good for older adults

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-08 10:44

NEW YORK - A couple snacks each day might help elderly adults ensure they
get enough calories and needed nutrients, a study suggests.

For young and middle-aged adults, snacking can be the enemy of the
waistline. As people age, however, their calorie intake tends to drop,
either from appetite loss, medical conditions or difficulty buying food.
This puts some older adults at risk of inadequate nutrition and
unintended weight loss.

Research suggests that even among relatively healthy people in their 60s
and beyond, those with low calorie, protein and carbohydrate intakes die
sooner.

In the new study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic
Association, researchers found that snacks were an important source of
older adults' daily calories and nutrients. And in general, snackers took
in more calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat than non-snackers did.

While that could be a problem for other age groups, the extra nutrients
might benefit elderly men and women, according to the study authors.

Older adults who notice that they've lost weight, or that their appetite
has waned, might want to add some snacks to their daily menu, said lead
author Dr. Claire A. Zizza, an assistant professor of nutrition at Auburn
University in Alabama.

She and her colleagues based their findings on data from a national
health and nutrition survey that included 2,000 adults age 65 and older.
Overall, 84 percent said that they snacked in addition to eating meals.

On average, snacks accounted for one-quarter of the study participants'
daily calories and carbohydrates, and 14 percent of their protein.
Snackers ate about 250 calories more each day than non-snackers did.

That doesn't mean that older adults should have a couple bowls of potato
chips each day for the sake of their health, according to Zizza.

People should avoid "empty calories," she told Reuters Health, and
instead choose healthful snacks like fruits, vegetables, yogurt, tuna and
whole grains.

On the other hand, older adults who are eating a nutritionally sound diet
shouldn't feel they have to give up their potato chips or desserts, Zizza
noted.

"Favorite foods can be a great source of pleasure," she said.

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Learn mandarin - Hamas: Truce with Israel at end

2008-03-27T05:51:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Middle East

Hamas: Truce with Israel at end

(AP)
Updated: 2007-04-24 18:02

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets and
mortar shells toward Israel on Tuesday and said they considered a
five-month truce with Israel to have come to an end.

The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon shakes hands with Syrian President
Bashar Assad. Ban, who flew into Damascus Tuesday, April 24, 2007. [AP]

Tuesday's attack, which came on Israel's 59th independence day, did not
cause damage or injury. However, it marked the first time Hamas openly
acknowledged firing shells toward Israel since it agreed to a cease-fire
along the Gaza-Israel border in November.

Special coverage:
Middle East Conflict
Related readings:
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A spokesman for Hamas' armed wing said the group considered the truce to
have come to an end. "The cease-fire has been over for a long time, and
Israel is responsible for that," the spokesman, Abu Obeida, told the
Voice of Palestine radio station.

In recent months, Hamas had largely held back on attacks, particularly
during its negotiations on a power-sharing agreement with the Fatah
movement of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Now the Muslim militant group appeared to be spoiling for a fight,
especially in the absence of any progress toward the release of
Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

Shalit was captured by Hamas-allied militants in Gaza last June.

"This is a message to the Zionist enemy that our strikes will continue,"
Abu Obeida said of the rocket fire. "We are ready to kidnap more and
more, and kill more and more of your soldiers."

Shalit's kidnappers demand the release of hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners, including veterans and those involved in killing or wounding
Israelis.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that freeing soldiers was
deeply important to the government, but that it would not repeat
"mistakes made in the past" by releasing violent prisoners who then
carried out more attacks against Israelis. But Olmert said there would be
"no escape in the end from making a difficult decision" on trading
prisoners for the captured Israeli troops.

Hamas militants claimed Tuesday they launched 40 rockets and 70 mortar
shells. However, the Israeli military said it could only confirm five
rockets and eight mortars. One of the rockets fell in Israel, north of
the Gaza Strip, the army said.

The rockets come after nine Palestinians were killed in fighting with
Israel over the weekend. Most of the dead were militants, but
Palestinians said at least two civilians, including a 17-year-old girl,
were killed.

The upswing in violence drew calls from Palestinian moderates for Abbas
to cut off contacts with Olmert. Hamas, the senior partner in a coalition
with Fatah, called for renewed attacks against Israelis.

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Chinese Mandarin - Candlelight vigil for Virginia Tech shooting victims

2008-03-27T04:49:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Photo

Candlelight vigil for Virginia Tech shooting victims

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-04-18 16:11

Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger (R) grieves at a candlelight
vigil for the victims of the shootings in Blacksburg, Virginia April 17,
2007. Cho Seung-Hui, the gunman who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech
university, was identified on Tuesday as a student from South Korea and a
troubled loner whose behavior had sometimes alarmed those around him.
[Reuters]

1 2 3 4 5

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Today's Top News

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� Hu, Lien stress cross-Straits peace

� US captures senior Al-Qaida operative

� Yang Jiechi named new FM, replacing Li Zhaoxing

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Chinese Online Class - Australia's Howard decries US "gun culture"

2008-03-27T03:50:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Asia-Pacific

Australia's Howard decries US "gun culture"

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-04-17 15:41

SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Tuesday decried the
negative "gun culture" in America after the deadly shooting spree at a US
university, holding up tough gun laws in his own country as the answer.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard answers a question in his Sydney
offices in this April 13, 2006 file photo. [AP]

Howard introduced strict gun ownership laws after the shooting massacre
of 35 people in the southern island state of Tasmania in 1996.

"We had a terrible incident at Port Arthur, but it is the case that 11
years ago we took action to limit the availability of guns," said Howard,
who extended his sympathies to the families of the 32 people killed at
Virginia Tech university on Monday at the hands of what he described as
"a crazed gunman."

"We showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a
negative in the United States would never become a negative in our
country."

In 1996 a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle killed 35 people at Port
Arthur in Australia's worst modern-day shooting massacre.

The horror of that massacre prompted Howard to confront Australia's gun
lobby and imposed laws banning almost all types of semi-automatic weapons.

The government spent A$300 million ($250 million) buying more than
600,000 weapons from farmers, hunters and other members of the public
before the new laws took affect.

But Howard told reporters: "You can never guarantee these things won't
happen again in our country."

More than 30,000 people die from gunshot wounds in the United States
every year and there are more guns in private hands than in any other
country. But a powerful gun lobby and support for gun ownership rights
have largely thwarted attempts to tighten controls.

Australia's small Greens party called on Tuesday for a further review of
the nation's gun control laws, saying the latest US shooting involved a
multiple-shot pistol and there were an estimated 250,000 handguns in
Australia.

"We really need to go back and look at the laws in Australia which permit
handguns to be available, and that includes handguns with up to 10
bullets in the magazine," Greens Senator Bob Brown told reporters.

"We Greens are saying let's remove the potential, as far as we can, for a
repeat massacre by somebody wielding a multiple-shot handgun," he said.

Top World News

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� Hu, Lien stress cross-Straits peace

� US captures senior Al-Qaida operative

� Yang Jiechi named new FM, replacing Li Zhaoxing

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Learn mandarin - Beckham wins Sport Industry award

2008-03-26T06:03:00.001-07:00

Sports / Soccer

Beckham wins Sport Industry award

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-03-30 09:47

Soccer player David Beckham and his wife Victoria arrive for the Sport
Industry Awards 2007 at Old Billingsgate in central London March 29,
2007. The annual industry awards celebrates commercial achievement in
British sport.[Reuters]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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Today's Top News

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� Yang Jiechi named new FM, replacing Li Zhaoxing

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Learn mandarin - Iran softens stance on British sailors

2008-03-26T04:57:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Middle East

Iran softens stance on British sailors

(AP)
Updated: 2007-03-27 06:23

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Monday it was questioning 15 British sailors and
marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was
"intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them - the
first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff.

The two countries continued to disagree about where the military
personnel were seized Friday, with Britain insisting they were in Iraqi
waters after searching a civilian cargo vessel and the Tehran regime
saying it had proof they were in Iranian territory.

Britain's Defense Ministry said they were seized in the Shatt al-Arab, a
waterway flowing into the Persian Gulf that marks the border between Iran
and Iraq. But the dividing line in the waterway, known in Iran as the
Arvand river, has long been disputed.

The Iranian emphasis Monday on the detainees' intent was a noticeable
pullback from the certainty expressed Saturday by Iran's military chief,
Gen. Ali Reza Afshar. Afshar said then that the 15 confessed to
"aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters."

Other Iranian officials suggested afterward that the Britons might be
charged with a crime - presumably espionage or trespassing - for
knowingly entering Iran's territorial waters.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi took a softer line Monday while
saying that the 14 men and one woman were still being interrogated.

"It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or
unintentional. After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be
made," Mostafavi said.

Iran has refused to say where the captured Britons were being held or to
allow British officials to speak with them, but assured the British
ambassador to Tehran, Geoffrey Adams, that they were in good health.

During an official visit to Turkey on Monday, British Foreign Secretary
Margaret Beckett called for Iran to allow access to the captives. "We
will continue to press the Iranian authorities until the incident has
been resolved with the safe return of our personnel and their equipment,"
she said.

In London, Iranian Ambassador Rasoul Movahedian was summoned to the
British Foreign Office for the third time since the standoff began. Lord
Triesman, Foreign Office undersecretary, again demanded the safe return
of the detained personnel, the Foreign Office said.

There were fears in Britain that the fate of the 15 could get caught up
in the political tensions between Tehran and the West, including the
dispute over Iran's nuclear program and accusations of Iranian help to
Shiite militants in Iraq.

In particular, there were worries Iran might seek to use the prisoners as
leverage in trying to get the U.S. to free at least five Iranians
detained in Iraq for allegedly being part of a Revolutionary Guard force
that provides funds, weapons and training to Iraqi Shiite militias.

Mostafavi denied Iran was seeking a trade, but there were calls from
elsewhere within Iran's leadership for the government to hold out for a
swap.

A Web site run by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Expediency Council and
a former Revolutionary Guard commander, quoted an unidentified lawmaker
as saying, "If Iranian diplomats in Iraq have no security, there's no
reason why we should forgive and turn a blind eye to aggressors into
Iranian territories."

Some members of the Iranian public also called for the British sailors
and marines to be held and tried. Hundreds of Iranian students
demonstrated near the coast to urge a tough stand in the confrontation
with the West.

British leaders sought to play down fears the situation could escalate or
become entangled with the other disputes.

"This is a matter that should be dealt with on its own merits ... and
that is how we are approaching it," British Prime Minister Tony Blair's
office said.

Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told The Associated Press
in a telephone interview from Baghdad that there was no connection
between the capture of the British sailors and marines and other disputes
between the West and Iran.

"They entered Iranian territorial waters and were arrested," Qomi said.
"It has nothing to do with other issues."

A 1975 treaty between Iran and Iraq set their border as running down the
center of the Shatt al-Arab, but Saddam Hussein canceled the treaty
before invading Iran in 1980 and setting of a devastating war. Iran
claims the border runs along the deepest parts of the river.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabi said the
United Nations had not become involved in the current dispute. "This
matter is between the countries involved," she said.

Calls for the release of the Britons also came from the European Union,
Iraq and the United States, under whose command the military search team
was serving when it was captured.

On Monday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told Iranian Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki that the personnel were seized in Iraqi
waters and said they should be released.

Meanwhile, Iranian state TV said Iran was open to negotiations over its
nuclear program despite its decision to partially cut cooperation with
the U.N. atomic watchdog agency in response to the U.N. Security
Council's vote Saturday to approve additional sanctions on Tehran.

"Iran looks at negotiations as the only solution to the nuclear case," it
said.

The sanctions are meant to persuade Iran to suspend uranium enrichment as
demanded by the council and underline its growing international
isolation. The United States has warned of even tougher penalties if
Tehran doesn't comply.

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Chinese Online Class - Democrats set Iraq deadline in war bill

2008-03-26T03:51:00.001-07:00

WORLD / America

Democrats set Iraq deadline in war bill

(AP)
Updated: 2007-03-22 07:15

U.S. soldiers of the 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th
Cavalry Regiment take position as they patrol a street in Baghdad's
north-west Shi'ite neighborhood of Sholla March 20, 2007.[Reuters]

WASHINGTON - US Senate Democrats on Wednesday revived legislation urging
President Bush to bring combat troops home from Iraq in a year, attaching
the plan to a $122 billion measure needed to fund the war.

The move puts Democrats on track for another confrontation with Bush over
the increasingly unpopular war and with Republicans, who are expected to
try to block the measure.

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Violence continues in Iraq

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US adjusts Iraq tactics after copters downed
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House Democratic leaders are pushing a similar measure that would require
that troops leave by the fall of 2008. Party officials predicted the
House would pass it on Thursday, albeit by a razor-thin margin.

"United States troops should not be policing a civil war, and the current
conflict in Iraq requires principally a political solution," says a draft
Senate bill circulated to lawmakers in anticipation of a committee vote
Thursday.

The measure would provide nearly $97 billion for the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and billions more in domestic aid and emergency relief
programs. It would require that Bush begin bringing home some troops
within four months of the bill's passage, setting a nonbinding goal of
having all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by March 31, 2008.

The provision is similar to a resolution the Senate rejected last week.
The vote then was 50-48, 12 shy of the 60 needed to pass, after Bush
pledged to veto the legislation.

Democrats think the spending legislation has a much better chance. Sen.
Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who voted against last week's proposal, has agreed to
support the spending bill because it outlines benchmarks for the Iraqi
government.

Democrats also think Republicans will be reluctant to reject a much
needed spending bill that would fund popular projects in their states in
favor of the war.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., "continues to believe that
despite the high-fives the Republicans had last week, there's serious
heartburn in the caucus over the war," said his spokesman, Jim Manley.

So far, Republican leaders say they will reject the bill.

"We must not risk providing our troops the equipment and supplies they
need to carry out their mission by including this risky Democratic
leadership retreat plan, this poison pill," said Senate Republican leader
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "We owe our troops better than that."

Sean Kevelighan, spokesman for the White House budget office, said it is
"unfortunate that the Senate is wanting to delay vital funds for our
troops by producing a bill that mirrors House legislation that will never
become law, attempts to tie the hands of our military commanders and is a
Christmas wish list of nonwar related spending add-ons."

The House was expected to vote Thursday on a similar $124 billion
spending bill that would finance the wars. The bill, which Bush also
threatened to veto, would require that combat troops be out of Iraq
before September 2008, possibly sooner if the Iraqi government does not
meet certain benchmarks.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pressed Democrats to back the bill,
unsure whether she had enough votes to pass it. In a private meeting,
former President Carter's national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski,
tried to convince party skeptics that the bill was their best chance at
ending the war.

Max Cleland, a Vietnam War veteran and former Democratic senator from
Georgia, also came out in support of the bill. His endorsement could help
to persuade more conservative Democrats who do not want to tie the hands
of military commanders.

Like the House bill, the Senate legislation would allow for an
unspecified number of troops to be left behind in Iraq for anti-terrorism
missions, training Iraqi forces and protecting coalition infrastructure
and personnel. Of the more than 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, fewer than
half are combat forces.

The Senate proposal would urge the Iraqi government to meet certain
benchmarks, such as disarming militias and amending the constitution to
protect Sunni minorities.

The inclusion of the benchmarks was enough to persuade Nelson to support
the bill, spokesman David DiMartino said. Nelson opposes arbitrary
deadlines to end the war but wanted legislation that would put pressure
on the Iraqi government to take more responsibility.

The Senate measure would set no consequences if the Iraqis fail to
achieve those goals. Under the House bill, combat troops would have to
begin coming home as early as this fall if the president cannot certify
that the Iraqi government was making progress.

The Senate measure requires the U.S. commander in Iraq to submit regular
reports on progress made by the Iraqi government toward meeting those
goals; the president also would have to report on progress made in
redeploying troops.

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Free Chinese Lesson - Writer offers a lecture to athletes

2008-03-26T02:49:00.001-07:00

Sports / China

Writer offers a lecture to athletes

By Jeff Pan (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-03-15 15:42

Writer Wang Meng challenged world 110-meter hurdles record holder Liu
Xiang -- not on the tracks, but in a much more implicit way behind the
podium of the ongoing CPPCC, Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference.

"'One athlete' said Asians could also run fast after he won a
track-and-field gold medal," said Wang, a member of CPPCC, "this claim is
bound to face lawsuit should it have happened in Europe."

Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, overwhelmed with the excitement after he won
the first place in men's 110-meter hurdles in 2004 Athens Olympic Games,
said "it's incredible I have crossed the hurdle of 13 seconds, as a
Chinese and an Asian. But I do believe there are more miracles to be made
in the future of my career. I want people to change the stereotype that
Asians cannot excel in sprinting. I have demonstrated to the whole world
with my action: Asia has me. China has me."

It does not take a rocket scientist to conclude that Wang's criticism is
directed to Liu, considering China has won very scarce gold medals in
track and field in world games.

Wang also concluded Liu's after-game address, laded with passions and
emotions, "is not decent and a reflection of lack of confidence. We can't
always talk in a bitter manner like that of a bullied concubine."

Liu is not the only one Wang opened fire to. Wang noted it is normal and
touching for athletes to shed tears of excitement after they make some
outstanding achievements, but they have to contain themselves and keep
good manners.

"However, there was a male athlete, who has come to the proper age and
assumes some sort of a leader position in some organizations, cried after
he won the game. Tears also devoured him when he was awarded the prize.
He could hardly hold himself, and that influences the image of our
athletes," said Wang, "I maintain we can shed some tears, but have to
refrain ourselves, and outline our spiritual outlook of being optimistic,
healthy, and open."

Wang offered another example of improper response during the Athens
Olympics. A Chinese player snatched the golden medal largely because of
the misplay of another athlete from a different country. When the player
was asked whether his success holds some random factors, He answered "no,
I deserve the gold medal."

Wang thought his answer was too unrefined and direct, and also offered
his version for obtaining the golden medal, "Yes, he (the other player)
got the skills to win the golden medal. I feel sorry for his misplay. I
hope we have more chances to learn from each other in the future. For the
gold medal, I don't think anyone can win it because of mere luck and
other people's misplays."

"Wouldn't that be better?" Wang asked his fellow CPPCC members.

Han Han, a post-1980 writer does not think Wang's reply is better. "That
is too ridiculous. In the top games on the global level, the athletes are
basically on the same level. A lot of champions win their gold medals
because of their performance, luck, and turnovers of competitors. It's a
great thing that your opponents misplay, because I am chasing right after
you, posing a lot of pressure, and waiting for you to misplay," said Han
on his blog entry about Wang's suggestions to the athletes, "It's weird
for a famous writer to teach the world champions how to be hypocritical
and distort their true thoughts."

A heated debate on Sohu.com shows that a number of netizens also back up
Wang's opinion. "Some athletes did say things that are not appropriate,
and they are just narrow-minded. The underbred claims are definitely not
a good way to express your personality," said a netizen on Sohu.com.

However, more people have voted against Wang, "Sports are about passions
and emotions. Wang is just trying to castrate the individuality of
Chinese athletes," said another netizen from Sohu.com.

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Learn Mandarin online - Tornadoes kill 13 in Alabama; Mo. girl

2008-03-25T08:52:00.001-07:00

WORLD / America

Tornadoes kill 13 in Alabama; Mo. girl

(AP)
Updated: 2007-03-02 07:11

ENTERPRISE- Apparent tornadoes killed at least 13 people in Alabama on
Thursday, including eight at a high school where students were trapped
under a collapsed roof, state officials said.

State Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Yasamie Richardson said
eight fatalities "are in relation to the high school but whether they are
all students or some students and teachers we're not sure."

A fallen tree rests atop a crushed pickup truck after an early morning
tornado moved through Caulfield, Mo., Thursday, March 1, 2007.[AP]

House Speaker Seth Hammett, at the statehouse in Montgomery, announced
that five people had died at Miller's Ferry in west Alabama, where
another apparent tornado tore into mobile homes.

Martha Rodriquez, a 15-year-old sophomore, said she had left the school
about five minutes before the storm hit. When she returned, a hall at the
school had collapsed, she said.

"The stadium was destroyed and there were cars tipped over in the parking
lot and trees were ripped out. There were trees and wood everywhere. It
was just horrible," she said.

More than 40 people were brought in to an Enterprise hospital as a
violent storm front crossed the state. The same system was blamed for a
tornado that killed a 7-year-old girl in Missouri.

Several school systems across Alabama closed or dismissed students early
Thursday as the storm front approached from the west, extending the
length of the state.

"The clouds were so dark that all the lights out here came on," said
Walter Thornton, who works at Enterprise Municipal Airport.

Top World News

� N.Korea pledges to denuclearize in talks

� US blasted for treatment of detainees

� UK to pull troops from Iraq in spring

� Pakistan denies hosting bin Laden

� US Democrats revamp anti-war plan

Today's Top News

� First human case in 2007 reported

� Global warming takes toll on nation

� Dissatisfaction plagues many marriages

� Tornadoes kill 13 in Alabama; Mo. girl

� New law to abolish laojiao system

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Free Chinese Lesson - Gunman kills 5 in Utah shopping mall

2008-03-25T07:45:00.001-07:00

WORLD / America

Gunman kills 5 in Utah shopping mall

(AP)
Updated: 2007-02-13 15:49

ALT LAKE CITY - A man with a shotgun fired randomly in a historic
shopping mall Monday night, killing five people and injuring several
others before he was killed, police said.

People who were inside the Trolley Square Mall when a gunman opened fire
gather outside the mall in Salt Lake City, Monday, Feb. 12, 2007. [AP]

Hours later, police still were searching stores for shocked shoppers and
employees who were hunkered down awaiting a safe escort from the Trolley
Square mall.

"We have six fatalities and multiple victims at hospitals," police
Detective Robin Snyder said. "They were found throughout the mall. I
don't know male or female or ages."

At least four people were hospitalized, three in critical condition and
one in serious condition, hospital spokesmen said. Two of the critically
injured were a 16-year-old man and a 50-year-old man, a spokesman said.

Authorities offered few details about the shootings but said the gunman
entered the mall about 6:45 p.m. MST.

The two-story mall, southeast of downtown, is a refurbished trolley barn
built in 1908, with a series of winding hallways, brick floors,
wrought-iron balconies and about 80 stores, including high-end retailers
such as Williams-Sonoma and restaurants such as the Hard Rock Cafe.

Matt Lund, whose wife manages a clothing store, said he saw a woman's
body face-down at the entrance to Pottery Barn Kids. He locked himself
and four others inside a storage room for about 40 minutes, isolated but
still able to hear the violence.

"We heard them say, 'Police! Drop your weapon!' Then we heard shotgun
fire. Then there was a barrage of gunfire," Lund, 44, said. "It was hard
to believe."

Marie Smith, 23, had the day off from Bath & Body Works but stopped there
during an errand and saw the gunman shoot a woman in front of the store.

"He was ahead of her, standing still. I don't think she saw that he had a
gun," said Smith, who dashed to a bathroom and locked the door.

Outside the mall, streets were blocked as police swarmed the two-block
scene. Dozens of people lingered on the sidewalk, many wrapped in
blankets, as they talked about what they had seen inside.

Antique store owner Barrett Dodds, 29, said he saw a man in a trenchcoat
exchanging gunfire with a police officer outside a card store. The
gunman, he said, was backed into a children's clothing store.

"I saw the cops go in the store. I saw the shooter go down," said Dodds,
who watched from the second floor.

Barb McKeown, 60, of Washington, D.C., was in another antique shop when
two frantic women ran in and reported gunshots.

"Then we heard shot after shot after shot - loud, loud, loud," said
McKeown, saying she heard about 20. She and three other people hid under
a staircase until it was safe to leave.

Many employees and shoppers - "a lot of scared people" - were still
inside the mall hours after the shootings, waiting to leave, Snyder said.

"This is a huge area to cover," she said.

An off-duty officer from Ogden was in the mall and involved in the
shooting, said Ogden police Sgt. Blaine Clifford, who declined to release
the officer's name. The officer was not injured, Clifford said.

Top World News

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Learn Mandarin online - British paper reveals video of US "friendly fire"

2008-03-25T06:36:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Europe

British paper reveals video of US "friendly fire"

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-02-06 16:53

LONDON - A British newspaper published transcripts on Tuesday of a
cockpit video recording from a US jet at the center of an inquest into
"friendly fire" in Iraq in which a British soldier was killed.

An undated pool photograph released on March 30, 2003 shows the late
Lance Corporal Horse Matty Hull, 25, of The Blues and Royals Household
Cavalry Regiment which is based in Berskshire, Britain. [Reuters]

The Sun, Britain's biggest-selling tabloid, said the video tape revealed
the pilots, realizing they had hit a convoy of British armored vehicles,
saying "God dammit" and "We're in jail, dude."

Lance Corporal Matty Hull was killed near the southern Iraqi city of
Basra in March 2003 when two US A-10 tankbusters twice fired on the
British convoy.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement: "This recording is the
property of the United States government and the MoD does not have the
right to release it without their permission."

It also said a copy of the video was used as evidence by a British
military board of inquiry (BOI) investigation.

"When the BOI findings were released to the family we did inform them
that some classified material had been withheld, but we did not specify
its exact nature. There has never been any intention to deliberately
deceive or mislead LCoH Hull's family."

An inquest into Hull's death was adjourned last week after the coroner
said he had no choice but to delay his verdict until the recording of the
incident was produced by the government.

A BBC radio reporter who has seen the video said it showed the pilots
were "confused" about what they were doing.

Top World News

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� Hackers attack key Net traffic computers

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Today's Top News

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� Hu, Mbeki pledge to boost cooperation

� Love is... a pair of really good jeans

� Economist: Drastic rise of yuan 'could spark crisis'

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Chinese School - CAWGOCLearn Chinese - Talks on Iran sanctions delayed

2008-03-25T05:33:00.001-07:00

Sports / Host Cities

CAWGOC

(changchun2007.org)
Updated: 2007-01-26 15:05

Mr.Zhu Yejing,major of Changchun,received the OCA flag from the OCA
president at the closing cer

WORLD / Europe

Talks on Iran sanctions delayed

(AP)
Updated: 2006-12-13 11:23

UNITED NATIONS - Negotiations on an Iran sanctions resolution were
unexpectedly postponed Tuesday because of Russia's anger at the United
States for raising the plight of an opposition leader in Belarus in the
UN Security Council.

Russian Atomic Agency Chief Sergei Kiriyenko, left, shakes hands with
Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, during their meeting in
Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 11, 2006. Russia's nuclear chief will arrive
in Tehran Monday for talks on finishing the construction of Iran's first
nuclear power plant, being built by Russians in the south of the country.
[AP]

Belarus, an authoritarian former communist state that has close ties to
Russia, is not on the agenda of the UN's most powerful body. Russia's
Ambassador Vitaly Churkin strongly objected when senior US diplomat
William Brencick brought up the 54-day hunger strike of jailed former
Belarusian opposition presidential candidate, Alexander Kozulin, council
diplomats said.

The five veto-wielding council members - the US, Russia, China, Britain
and France - along with Germany had been scheduled to meet soon after to
discuss Russian amendments to a revised European draft resolution on
Iran. But because of the diplomatic tiff over Belarus, the meeting was
put off.

"It wasn't the best timing by the US," said Britain's UN Ambassador Emyr
Jones Parry.

The Europeans circulated a revised text on Friday in a bid to win backing
from Russia and China, and Churkin said after talks Monday he was pleased
with the direction of the negotiations though specific points still
needed to be worked out.

A US official said Washington felt it was important to raise the issue of
Kozulin in the Security Council because of US concerns for freedom of
political expression and democracy, especially in the heart of Europe.

"We raised this issue and our goal was to highlight the plight of this
individual and what it means for the state of democracy in this country,"
the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the council
meeting was closed.

Kozulin, who ended his hunger strike on Tuesday, has been jailed since
March when he led a protest march following presidential elections in
which he was one of three candidates challenging authoritarian President
Alexander Lukashenko.

Kozulin had been on hunger strike to protest his sentencing in June to
five and a half years in prison for organizing the unsanctioned protest.

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, quashing dissent and maintaining
power through elections that have been dismissed by critics abroad and at
home as illegitimate.

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� Olmert hints Israel has nuclear arms

� Gore chases possible 2008 bid

Today's Top News

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� China rejects US trade complaints

� Ample food reserves to feed market

� Fees waived for 150 million rural kids

� Steady food price rises prompt watch on inflation

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emony of the 5th Asian Winter Games hosted by
Aomori,Japan,on Feb.8th,2003.[File Photo]

Patronized the OCA, Asian Winter Games is the largest winter sports
gathering at the highest level and with the most extensive influence.

As the extension of the Olympic Spirit in Asia, it will serve as a bridge
for the Asian peoples from various countries and regions to promote the
friendship and understanding through sports exchanges.

Asian Winter Games is a quadrennial sporting event. The first 2 editions
were held in Sapporo, Japan, the 3rd in Harbin, China, the 4th in
Kangwon, Korea, and the 5th in Aomori, Japan. On October 3rd, 2002,
Changchun was awarded the right to host the 6th Asian Winter Games in
2007.

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� Short-track skaters to vie against the best

Today's Top News

� China's GDP grows 10.7% in 2006, fastest in 11 years

� Premier Wen to visit Japan in April

� Divorce rate half of what we thought

� PetroChina branch fined for pollution

� Young officials spotlight in succession

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Learn Chinese - Iran president sends note to Saudi king

2008-03-24T09:03:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Middle East

Iran president sends note to Saudi king

Updated: 2007-01-17 10:41

CAIRO, Egypt - Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said
Tuesday that he sent a message to Saudi King Abdullah proposing that they
cooperate in helping stabilize Iraq.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez (R) and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad meet at Miraflores Palace in Caracas January 13, 2007.
[Reuters]

Ahmadinejad's comments came as Washington is trying to rally its Arab
allies and isolate Iran.

"We, Saudis and other neighboring countries can help the Iraqi people to
take the lead to consolidate their government's capability to stabilize
and maintain security in their country," Ahmadinejad told the Saudi-owned
satellite television channel.

"I sent a message to King Abdullah in this regard and the answer,
generally, was positive," the Iranian president said in the interview
taped Saturday in Venezuela, one of the countries on his Latin American
tour.

Iran's top national security official, Ali Larijani, had delivered a
message to Abdullah, the official Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday, but
did not reveal its contents.

Iran's overture to Saudi Arabia appeared to be an attempt to counter
American efforts to rally its allies in the region and isolate Tehran.

Saudi Arabia has shown increasing alarm over Iran's growing influence in
Iraq and across the Arab world, even as it has grown more worried over
Iraq's chaos.

The US has previously asked Saudi Arabia to use its close ties to Iraq's
Sunni minority to encourage reconciliation with the Shiite-led
government. Saudi Arabia has pressed the US to ensure that Shiite
militias are reined in.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ahead of her regional tour, rejected
anew proposals for opening a diplomatic dialogue with Iran and Syria as a
way to help stabilize Iraq.

She said Iran would demand US concessions on its nuclear program while
Damascus would ask for an easing of the US opposition to Syrian policies
in Lebanon as a price for cooperation.

Ahmadinejad said the Americans were in "trouble and they are seeking a
way to get out of it while ensuring their economic interests and increase
their hegemony over the region."

Addressing Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad reiterated that "we are
always ready to talk, but if the dialogue is used as a means to impose
something which is illegal then they should realize that it is a dead
end."

Iranian officials have said that efforts to make Iran roll back its
nuclear activities are not legal because it has the right to a peaceful
nuclear program as a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Top World News

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� Iran: US, Britain, Israel 'axis of evil'

Today's Top News

� Hong Kong curbs entry of pregnant mainlanders

� Veteran revolutionary Bo dies at 99

� Nuke power security a key concern

� Rightist threats raise fears in Japan

� Commerce Minister: Huge trade surplus to be reduced

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Free Chinese Lesson - Saddam execution video draws criticism

2008-03-24T07:58:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Middle East

Saddam execution video draws criticism

(AP)
Updated: 2007-01-03 09:48

An Iraqi cries on the grave of the country's former president Saddam
Hussein in Ouja, 115 kilometers (70 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq,
Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007. [AP]

Grainy cell phone video of Saddam Hussein's execution triggered
international criticism Tuesday, with Britain's deputy prime minister
calling the leaked images "unacceptable" and the Vatican decrying the
footage as a "spectacle" violating human rights.

Special coverage:
Saddam Hussein Hanged

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Saddam had feisty exchange at gallows
Saddam compliant, calm in final moments
TV footage shows Saddam's body
World leaders welcome, condemn Saddam's execution

Meanwhile, the Italian government pushed for a UN moratorium on the death
penalty, Cuba called the execution "an illegal act," and Sunnis in Iraq
took to the streets in mainly peaceful demonstrations across the country.

The unofficial video showed a scene that stopped just short of
pandemonium, during which one person is heard shouting "To hell!" at the
deposed president and Saddam is heard exchanging insults with his
executioners. The inflammatory footage also showed Saddam plummeting
through the gallows trapdoor and dangling in death.

The grainy video appeared on the Internet and Al-Jazeera television late
Saturday. On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered an
investigation into the execution to try to uncover who taunted the former
leader, and who leaked the cell phone footage.

At the United Nations, new UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ran into
trouble on his first day of work over Saddam Hussein's execution when he
failed to state the United Nations' opposition to the death penalty and
said capital punishment should be a decision of individual countries.

The UN has an official stance opposing capital punishment and Ban's
predecessor Kofi Annan reiterated it frequently. The top UN envoy in
Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, restated it again on Saturday after the former Iraqi
dictator was hanged.

Ban, however, took a different approach, never mentioning the UN ban on
the death penalty in all its international tribunals, and the right to
life enshrined in the UN Charter.

"Saddam Hussein was responsible for committing heinous crimes and
unspeakable atrocities against Iraqi people and we should never forget
victims of his crime," Ban said in response to a reporter's question
about Saddam's execution Saturday for crimes against humanity. "The issue
of capital punishment is for each and every member state to decide."

His ambiguous answer put a question mark over the UN's stance on the
death penalty. It also gave the new chief an early taste of how tricky
global issues are, and how every word can make a difference.

Michele Montas, Ban's new spokeswoman, insisted there was no change in UN
policy in what she described as "his own nuance" on the death penalty.

"The UN policy still remains that the organization is not for capital
punishment," she said. "However, the way the law is applied in different
countries, he left it open to those different countries."

The death penalty is legal in Ban's homeland, South Korea as it is in
many other countries including the United States, Russia, China and much
of the Middle East.

Ban, who took over on New Year's Day from Annan, is the first Asian to
serve as secretary-general in 35 years. Tuesday was his first day of work
at UN headquarters.

British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said those who leaked the
footage should be condemned.

"I think the manner was quite deplorable really. I don't think one can
endorse in any way that, whatever your views about capital punishment,"
Prescott said in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp radio.

"Frankly, to get the kind of recorded messages coming out is totally
unacceptable and I think whoever is involved and responsible for it
should be ashamed of themselves."

The Holy See's daily, L'Osservatore Romano, lamented that "making a
spectacle" of the execution had turned capital punishment into "an
expression of political hubris."

The execution "represented, for the ways in which it happened and for the
media attention it received, another example of the violation of the most
basic rights of man," L'Osservatore wrote.

The office of Italian Premier Romano Prodi said Italy would seek the
support of other countries that oppose capital punishment to put the
issue of a moratorium to the UN General Assembly. Italy and all other
European Union countries ban capital punishment.

Italy, which is one of the rotating members of the UN Security Council,
has lobbied unsuccessfully for UN action against the death penalty.

On Monday, a crowd of Sunni mourners in Samarra marched to a bomb-damaged
Shiite shrine, the Golden Dome, and were allowed by guards and police to
enter the holy place carrying a mock coffin and photos of the former
dictator.

The shrine was bombed by Sunni extremists 10 months ago, an attack that
triggered the current cycle of retaliatory attacks between Sunnis and
Shiites.

Communist Cuba, which allows capital punishment, called Saddam's
execution "an illegal act in a country that has been driven toward an
internal conflict in which millions of citizens have been exiled or lost
their lives."

The Foreign Ministry statement Monday said the island nation "has a moral
duty to express its point of view about the assassination committed by
the occupying power."

The US military had held Saddam since capturing him in December 2003 but
turned him over to the Iraqi government for his execution.

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Free Chinese Lesson - Top envoys meet in Beijing for Six-Party talks

2008-03-24T06:51:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Photo

Top envoys meet in Beijing for Six-Party talks

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-12-18 09:08

Envoys from the six nations attending talks on North Korea's nuclear arms
get ready for a group photo in Beijing December 17, 2006. The United
States and Japan demanded real progress when talks on scrapping North
Korea's nuclear arms resume this week, warning Pyongyang on Sunday that
sanctions and isolation were its only alternative. The envoys are (from
L): Russia's Sergey Ravoz, North Korea's Kim Kye-gwan, South Korea's Chun
Yung-woo, Japan's Kenichiro Sasae, United States' Christopher Hill and
China's Wu Dawei. [Reuters]

1 2 3 4

Top World News

� Wedding fire, stampede kills over 20 in Pakistan

� Castro does not have cancer, seriously ill-Chavez

� O.J. Simpson publisher Judith Regan fired

� US Army chief seeks more forces, reserves

� Training of cops in NYC shooting faulted

Today's Top News

� US tells N.Korea to get serious about nuke talks

� New move to promote small houses

� Bookings for hotels to begin in spring

� Reid: Brief troop increase OK in Iraq

� China may fail its 'Green GDP' target

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Chinese School - Steelmakers seek lower ore price increase

2008-03-23T08:46:00.001-07:00

Free Chinese Lesson - Israeli military leave coast, attacks from Gaza continue

2008-03-23T07:39:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Middle East

Israeli military leave coast, attacks from Gaza continue

(AP)
Updated: 2006-11-26 15:12

JERUSALEM -- A truce meant to end five months of deadly
Israeli-Palestinian clashes took hold in the Gaza Strip early Sunday, but
early violations by Palestinian militants tempered hopes the accord would
help to coax moribund peace talks back to life.

The Israeli military said all troops were withdrawn from Gaza in the
hours before the 6 a.m. cease-fire, announced late Saturday, went into
effect. Dozens of tanks and armored vehicles were parked just over the
border in a military staging ground in southern Israel early Sunday, and
the streets of northern Gaza were empty.

But occasional rocket and mortar fire from Gaza continued to strike
Israel within the truce's first hour.

"Let's hope that's just the problems of the beginning," Israeli
government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said. "But if Israel is attacked, we
will respond. If there are Palestinian factions that are not part of the
cease-fire, it's hard to see how the cease-fire will hold."

All militant factions denied involvement in the attacks.

A spokesman for the Palestinian government, Ghazi Hamad, said all armed
groups have committed to the agreement, and termed any violations rogue
acts.

"There is 100 percent effort to make this work, but there is no guarantee
of 100 percent results," Hamad said.

The truce agreement, if it holds, will be a coup for Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas as he tries to form a more moderate government
than the one currently led by Islamic Hamas radicals, who refuse to
recognize Israel. Abbas, a moderate from the Fatah Party elected
separately last year, hopes a new government lineup will persuade the
West to end crushing economic sanctions imposed after Hamas took power in
March.

The cease-fire was meant to halt both rocket fire and other militant
attacks on Israel from Gaza, and a military offensive Israel launched in
the coastal strip in June, less than a year after ending its 38-year
occupation.

The two sides announced the accord after Abbas telephoned Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert late Saturday to tell him he wrested an agreement
from Palestinian factions to stop rocket fire and all other violence from
Gaza. Olmert reciprocated by pledging to stop all Israeli military
operations in Gaza and withdraw all troops there.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said a truce reached in Egypt in
February 2005 would be revived.

"There is a signed agreement between the president and Prime Minister
(Ismail) Haniyeh and all the Palestinian factions to resort to the
agreement of the factions in Cairo in 2005, including ceasing all the
military activity from Gaza, starting from Sunday morning," Abu Rdeneh
said from Gaza City. "The Israeli prime minister has agreed, and it is
going to start tomorrow morning."

Abbas told Olmert that the factions had agreed to stop all violence from
Gaza, including rocket fire and suicide bombings, starting at 6 a.m.
Sunday, Eisin said.

He "asked that, in response, Israel stop all military operations in the
Gaza Strip and withdraw all her forces," and Olmert responded favorably,
she said.

Israeli forces originally entered Gaza to try to recover a soldier
Hamas-linked militants captured in a June 25 cross-border raid. But they
soon widened their objectives to target militants who had intensified
their rocket attacks on southern Israel after the September 2005 Gaza
pullout.

The violence claimed the lives of more than 300 Palestinians and five
Israelis. Most of the dead Palestinians were militants, but dozens of
civilians died, too, including 19 members of an extended family killed
earlier this month.

Despite international criticism over Palestinian civilian deaths, Olmert
pledged to continue the offensive until Palestinian rocket attacks from
Gaza significantly decreased. Instead, as the fighting swelled, rocket
fire in November more than doubled from October, killing two Israeli
civilians in a single week.

The militants' capture of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who remains in captivity,
and the subsequent Israeli incursion into Gaza cut short efforts by
Olmert and Abbas to restart peace talks that broke down six years ago. A
truce could help to create the momentum to get talks moving.

"We welcome the announcement and see this as a positive step forward,"
White House spokesman Alex Conant said Saturday evening in Washington.
"We hope it leads to less violence for the Israeli and Palestinian
people."

Although Israel has no ties with the Hamas government, which rejects the
Jewish state's right to exist, it considers the separately elected Abbas
an acceptable negotiating partner. He and Olmert agreed months ago to
meet, but Abbas has balked at setting a date without receiving assurances
the meeting would yield real dividends for him, like a release of
Palestinian prisoners Israel holds.

Olmert has said no prisoners would be released to Hamas before Shalit is
freed.

A cease-fire in Gaza is part of a broad package Abbas is trying to put
together in the hope of restoring hundreds of millions of dollars in
funding Western powers cut off to pressure Hamas to recognize Israel and
renounce violence.

The centerpiece of that package would be the formation of a new
government less inimical to Israel. Another major element is a prisoner
swap.

Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, arrived in Cairo this week to
discuss both issues with Egytian mediators, but there was no word of a
breakthrough.

On Saturday, Mashaal said his group was willing to give peace
negotiations with Israel six months to reach an agreement for a
Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, but threatened a new armed
uprising if the talks failed.

The double-edged comments were his strongest confirmation that the
Islamic militant group would allow Abbas to try to negotiate with Israel.
But it was also the first time he has set a deadline with an explicit
threat of a new uprising.

Israel had no immediate comment on Mashaal's proposal.

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Today's Top News

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� 53 miners dead in coal mine explosions

� China will slow economic growth

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Learn mandarin - On the trail of ancient cures

2008-03-23T06:39:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Wall Street Journal Exclusive

On the trail of ancient cures

By NICHOLAS ZAMISKA (WSJ)
Updated: 2006-11-15 12:35

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116354914377323235-NnLFTPz5b_zTWYbbn
ant_Wwm788_20061121.html?mod=regionallinks

SHANGHAI -- On an afternoon in Xinjiang province in China's remote and
mountainous west, botanist Shen Jingui was searching for a snow lotus, a
grayish-white flower used for centuries in Chinese medicine to alleviate
the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. He spotted the plant on a rock
ledge and shimmied across to pick it. He slipped and plunged some 30
yards, slamming into rocks on the way down.

When he regained consciousness, local farmers were putting him on a horse
to take him to the nearest health clinic, several hours away. "I was very
scared," he recalls of the incident, "but I was happy to collect the
material."

Mr. Shen, head botanist for the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, a
government-funded laboratory, has spent three decades trekking across
China and going to great lengths to ferret out rare plants and herbs
traditionally used in treatments for ailments ranging from aches and
pains to cancer.

His bag of plants has captured the interest of Swiss drug giant Novartis
AG, which since 2000 has invested several million dollars in a venture
with SIMM. Last month, Novartis struck a similar deal with the Kunming
Institute of Botany, an organization that works with traditional remedies
in the country's southwestern Yunnan province. Earlier this month,
Novartis announced it will invest about $100 million in its own
pharmaceutical research-and-development center in Shanghai.

Facing soaring costs in developing new drugs and a limited pipeline of
promising candidates, Novartis hopes that traditional Chinese medicines
will hold the secrets for a new generation of blockbusters to fight
diseases such as Alzheimer's. While Novartis isn't the only multinational
drug company seeking to tap traditional Chinese cures -- French drug
maker Servier also has a collaboration with SIMM -- Rachel Lee, a senior
manager at Boston Consulting Group in Shanghai, says "no other major
pharma has gone further than Novartis" in this area.

The collaboration between East and West on drug development is in many
ways an unlikely one. Chinese and Western specialists approach
pharmacology from very different angles. For centuries, Chinese doctors
have tinkered with different mixtures of medicines, guided in part by
trial and error, to see which ones are most effective. Working with that
body of knowledge, they operate on the assumption that the traditional
remedies work, even if by Western scientific standards it's not
completely clear why. Chinese doctors "know it will cure people, but they
don't know what target it hits," says Shen Jingkang, a professor at SIMM.

In contrast, researchers at Western pharmaceutical companies often begin
the search for a drug by identifying a target, and then look for a
chemical compound that has the desired effect. If they do find a drug
that works, they usually understand the mechanism behind it. That helps
in refining the compound to make it more effective and in convincing
regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that
the medicine is safe and effective.

Novartis hopes to isolate the particular compounds active in the Chinese
traditional medicines by testing the raw extracts from plants collected
by Mr. Shen and fellow botanists.

"There are so many compounds in nature, from the seas to the jungles,
it's very difficult to know where to start," says Paul Herrling, the head
of corporate research at Novartis. "China has thousands of years'
experience of using plants in Chinese traditional medicines. The idea
was, why not use the Chinese experience as a kind of filter?"

Novartis has experienced the potential of Chinese traditional medicines
firsthand. The company's malaria drug Coartem stems from a traditional
Chinese cure for fever. Mention of the plant, Artemisia annua L. or sweet
wormwood, was found in a Chinese medicine book written on silk, unearthed
from a tomb of the West Han Dynasty, which began around 200 B.C. Chinese
military scientists developed the drug from the plant in the 1970s to
treat Chinese soldiers suffering from malaria in Vietnam. In the early
1990s, Novartis struck a deal with the Chinese to purchase the rights to
Coartem, a combination of a derivative of the plant and another
antimalarial treatment, paying a few million dollars up front and
royalties on future sales. Novartis declined to reveal the revenue it
makes on the drug, most of which it sells to developing countries at $1
per treatment.

Since the venture began, Novartis says SIMM has provided around 1,000
natural products to the Swiss drug company's laboratories in Basel. In
return, Novartis has agreed to pay SIMM royalties and fees if certain
plants yield marketable pharmaceuticals.

So far, nine of the compounds have shown particular promise against
specific disease targets, and two have been selected for further study,
according to Dr. Herrling. While those numbers may seem small, the search
for drugs using conventional methods is far less fruitful, he says. The
investment is also small when stacked up against Novartis's typical
research-and-development outlays.

In this particular project, it all goes back to a small group of
botanists led by Mr. Shen -- before any research can begin in the lab,
they must venture out in the field and find the plant.

On a recent afternoon at the laboratory in Shanghai, Mr. Shen dried lily
bulbs and snow pine branches in small, neat piles on the floor of a
sun-soaked hallway. He says he decided on this line of work when, as a
student at a Shanghai university, he saw a film about the life of a
Chinese botanist. The movie had a sad ending: The botanist dies after an
accident collecting plants in a remote area and is carried home on the
back of a horse. Nevertheless, Mr. Shen found the story inspiring.

"I love this career," says Mr. Shen, whose forearms and legs are covered
with scars from his arduous trips to collect rare plants.

One of his most memorable finds was in spring 1999. Shortly after the
snows melted, he set out on a weeklong journey to western China's remote
Qinghai plateau. He was searching for a certain type of Aweto, an
exceedingly rare fungus that Chinese-medicine doctors believe helps
strengthen the immune system and fend off cancers. When dried, it looks
like a small light-brown caterpillar.

Mr. Shen hired a guide and set off on horseback into the mountains, armed
with descriptions from old Chinese texts. Deep in the forest, he spotted
something, and got off his horse for a closer look.

"We won! We finally got it!" he recalls shouting as he jumped up and
down. "I was screaming, 'I found it -- I found it!'" Gathering hundreds
of bunches, he put them in his bag for the journey back to Shanghai.

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Learn mandarin - N.Korea wants Japan to stay away from six-party talks

2008-03-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

WORLD / Asia-Pacific

N.Korea wants Japan to stay away from six-party talks

(AFP)
Updated: 2006-11-04 13:59

Pyongyang on Saturday said Japan should not attend six-party nuclear
disarmament talks after Japanese officials reportedly said Tokyo would
not recognise North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.

Special coverage:
North Korea Nuclear Crisis
Related readings:
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Nuclear-free peninsula remains goal
Six-Party Talks set to resume soon

"It is the view of the DPRK (North Korea) that since the US attends the
six-party talks, there is no need for Japan to participate in them as a
local delegate," a spokesman of its foreign ministry said.

"Because it is no more than a state of the US and it is enough for Tokyo
just to be informed of the results of the talks by Washington," he was
quoted as saying by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea said it had decided to end a year-long boycott and return to
the six-party talks on the premise that the issue of lifting US financial
sanctions against it would be discussed and settled at the six-party
talks.

Japanese leaders behaved "impudently" after Pyongyang's announcement,
asserting that "Japan cannot accept North Korea's return to the six-party
talks as a nuclear-armed state," the spokesman said.

"The Japanese authorities have thus clearly proved themselves that they
are political imbeciles incapable of judging the trend of the situation
and their deplorable position."

"The DPRK (North Korea) has never asked Japan to participate in the
six-party talks. In fact, it was displeased with Japan's participation in
the six-party talks, but has properly treated it, taking the relations
with other participating countries into consideration," the spokesman
said.

The new administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must have a lot of
work to do, he said.

"It had better, therefore, mind its own business instead of poking its
nose into the work of the talks to its inconvenience.

"It would be much better for Japan to refrain from participating in the
six-party talks and less attendants would be not bad for making the talks
fruitful," he added.

The six-party talks, which began in 2003, are aimed at convincing North
Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme in exchange for economic
incentives and security guarantees

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