This is Beijing-Beijing English blog

Beijing will rely mainly on its expanded public transportation network, instead of forcing vehicles off the roads, to cope with busy Olympic traffic, a senior municipal transportation official told Xinhua in an interview.

“Beijing’s public transportation system, including buses, subways and taxis, will have an increased capacity to take an additional 4.5 million passengers daily by the time the Games is held,” said Liu Xiaoming, head of the Municipal Communication Commission.

He said that this means that the normal vehicular volume will only need to be reduced by 20 percent to 30 percent to allow smooth traffic flows during the Games, which start 50 days from Thursday.

“Restrictions during the Games will mainly target government- and company-owned vehicles,” said Liu.

He did not say whether private vehicles would have to follow the same license plate system used in a simulated Olympic traffic control exercise last August. That trial took 1.3 million of the city’s total 3.05 million vehicles off the roads.

During the trial, 70 percent of government- and company-owned vehicles were ordered off the roads, and private cars had to follow an even-odd license plate number system.

Beijing is gearing up to provide swift transportation for 8 million athletes, media people and spectators from around the world during the Games.

Liu said that by the time the Games start on August 8, Beijing will have 2,000 more buses, meaning room for 2.8 million more passengers daily.

The opening of several new subway lines and increased subway frequency will enable the rail system to handle 1.1 million extra passengers a day, he said.

“The system’s maximum passenger handling volume is expected to reach 5 million a day during the Games, up from the current level of about 4 million passengers a day,” he explained.

According to the official website of the Games preparatory committee, beijing2008.cn, Beijing will open 34 new bus routes connecting the city with each of the Olympic competition venues. Olympic ticket holders may ride certain buses and subway lines for free.

“Nineteen of the bus routes will be non-stop at night, and we know that 40 percent of Beijing’s 66,000 cabs will have drivers working at night. These together will cater to the Games attendees’ night transportation needs,” said Liu.

Beijing spent almost half of its transportation infrastructure budget on its bus system ahead of the Olympics to avoid becoming a giant parking lot during the event, according to the commission.

“Our confidence in coping with the Olympic traffic comes from early preparations to improve the public transportation system, which has been designated as a priority since 2001,” he said.

He said the current number of vehicles on roads was nearly double the 2004 level. However, rather than getting worse, in some areas, traffic has gotten better.

A unified bus fare of 1 yuan (13 US cents) was adopted in Beijing on 1 January 2007, and transit cardholders received another 60 to 80 percent discount, which attracted more people to use public transport.

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想着生活继续，天空失去了美丽，
你却等待梦在明天站起。
你的呼喊刻在我的血液里
Always together, dead or alive
Where did your dream go
As life continues, the sky becomes gloomy
You look for the dreams of tomorrow
Your cries will forever in my blood flow

生死不离，我数秒等你的消息。
相信生命不息，与你祈祷一起呼吸
我看不到你却牵挂在心里，
你的目光是我全部的意义！
Always together, dead or alive
I wait for word of you every second
I pray with you that we breathe together
Believing life will never end
My heart is with you, where can you be?
And your eyes are the whole world to me

无论你在哪里，我都要找到你。
血脉能创造奇迹，生命是意义
无论你在哪里，我都要找到你。
手拉着手，生死不离
Wherever you are, I will find you
The bond (of blood) makes miracles, and for life we strive
Wherever you are, I will find you
Hand in hand, together always, dead or alive

生死不离，全世界都被沉寂
痛苦也不哭泣，爱是你的传奇，
彩虹在风雨后渐渐升起。
我的努力看到爱的力气！
无论你在哪里，我都要找到你！
血脉能创造奇迹，大山毅然举起
无论你在哪里，我都要找到你。
天裂了，去缝起
你一丝希望是我全部的动力
搭起我的手筑成你回家的路基！！！
Always together, dead or alive
When the world is silenced
We shed no tears though in pain
For of love you are legend
And rainbows are rising after wind and rain
I see love’s strength in search of you
Wherever you are, I will find you
The bond (of blood) makes miracles, and mountains rise again
Wherever you are, I will find you
If the sky breaks, we will sew it
Your glimmer of hope is all power of me
Your road home is what my hands will be

无论你在哪里，我都要找到你。
血脉能创造奇迹，生命是命题
无论你在哪里，我都要找到你。
手拉着手，生死不离
Wherever you are, I will find you
The bond (of blood) makes miracles, and on life we thrive
Wherever you are, I will find you
Hand in hand, together always, dead or alive

无论你在哪里，我都要找到你！
血脉能创造奇迹，大山毅然举起
无论你在哪里，我都要找到你。
无论你在哪里，我都要找到你。
天裂了，去缝起
手拉着手，生死不离！！！

Although wordpress is the most popular blog programe today  and it has developed for a long time, there are still bugs for the new version.

For wordpress 2.5.1, the first bug i found is the uploading of images. I can not insert images to the post in the new version. It is too bad. I took some photos recertly, but the bug stoped me to upload these photos.

Hopefuly the next version will come soon. And it is better for less bugs.

On Sunday morning, Beijing’s subway management company revealed that travelers would have a 30% shorter wait time for trains on line 2.

According to Legal Evening News, beginning next week, during peak hours, trains will arrive at stations along line 2 every 2.5 minutes, down one minute from the current 3.5 minute interval.

A subway engineer compared line 2’s signal system with the human brain, as they both require a structure of coordination. The system of the subway line has just been renovated; based on wireless technology, trains can be arranged in a more efficient manner.

The new system has been successfully tried and tested, earning the highest security grade Europe can give.

If any problems arise with the train or the overall operating system, the first thing the new technology will authorize is the stopping of the train, ensuring passenger safety.

According to the plans, before the Olympics begin, all old trains on line 2 will be taken out and new ones put in. In addition, the tracks will be replaced so that commuters will not feel as much turbulence or hear as much noise while on the train.

Some passengers have expressed concerns that line 2 trains often “stop-and-go.” A Beijing subway management company representative remarked that this phenomenon, caused by a clash of signals between the train and the operating system, would be solved by the time the Beijing Games begin.

Even with the new system in place, the mix-up of signals will take a bit of time to correct; signals in individual trains and sections of track will need to be adjusted, but the system is getting steadier and steadier. For example, on April 12, there were 30 instances of the system giving out unsafe directions, but on May 12, there were less than 10, and in the past few days, the system has seen less than 5 a day, said an engineer. ¡¡

On Saturday, the last national large-scale anti-terrorism practice drill before the Olympic Games was completed in Beijing.

In order to perfect Beijing’s security plan ahead of the opening ceremony, this last round of tests was launched on June 11, reported Xinhua. The “Great Wall No. 5″ series of anti-terrorism exercises was initiated to check Beijing’s ability to cope with threats should anything happen during the upcoming Beijing Games.

The unannounced examination investigated the abilities of organizers to deal with simulated chemical attacks, carjackings of vehicles carrying athletes, air accidents, and situations that may occur in the subway system, among other threats.

Organizers deemed the series a success, as appropriate measures were taken to control the emergency situations. The four-day drill raised the level of quality of anti-terrorism work so that the important goal of a “peaceful Olympics” would be guaranteed.

In addition, “Great Wall No. 5″ demonstrated the defensive group’s increased capability of handling situations involving large crowds.

“Great Wall No. 5″ showed that Beijing is prepared to combat any terrorist threat, a representative of the drill said.

As terrorists attacks generally occur before the Olympics, the success of “Great Wall No. 5″ implies that Beijing’s security forces are prepared to counter any attack that may occur.

Zongzi is an essential food of the Dragon boat festival.

Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. As the fun is fired, people will see racers in dragon shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied bu rapid drums, speeding toward their destination. Folk tales say the game originates from the activities of seeking Qu Yuan’s body, but experts, after painstaking and meticulous research, conclude that dargon boat racing is a semi-religious, semi-entertaing program from the Warring States Period. In the following thousands of years, the game spread to Japan, Vietnam and Britan as well as China’s Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Now dragon boat racing has developed into an aquatic sports item which features both Chinese tradition and modern sport spirit. In 1980, it was listed into the state sports competion programs and has since been held every year. The award is called Qu Yuan Cup.

On the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, it is will be the Dargon Boat Festival. And there will be three days holiday for the Chinese workers. This is the first year that national holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival.

There are many legends about the evolution of the festival, the most popular of which is in commemoration of Qu Yuan. He was minister of the State of Chu and one of China’s ealiest poets. In face of great pressure from the powerful Qin State, he advocated enriching the country and strenthening its military forces so as to fight against the Qin. However, he was opposed by aristocrates headed by Zi Lan, and later deposed and exiled. In his exiled days, he still cared much for his country and people and composed immortal poems including Li Sao, Tian Wen and Jiu Ge, which had far-reaching influences. In 278 BC, he heard the news than Qin troops had finally conquered Chu’s capital, so he finished his last piece Huai Sha and plunged himself into the Miluo river, clasping his arms to a large stone. The day happended to be the 5th of the 5th mmonth in the Chinese lunar calender.

After his death, the people of Chu crowed to the bank of the river to pay their respests to him. The fishermen sailed their boats up and down the river to look for his body. People threw into the water zongzi and eggs t divert possible fish or shrimp attacking  his body. An old doctor pured a jug of realgar wine into the river, hoping to turn all aquatic beasts drunk. That’s why people later followed the custums such as dargon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine on that day.