This is Beijing-Beijing English blog

XI’AN, June 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese archaeologists started a new excavation of the famous terracotta army site Saturday, hoping to find more clay figures and unravel some of the mysteries left behind by the “First Emperor.”

    It was the third excavation in the pit — the first and largest of three pits at the site near Xi’an, capital of northwestern Shaanxi Province — since 1974 when the terracotta army was discovered by peasants digging a well.

FIRST DAY: “BETTER THAN THOUGHT”

    The new dig began at 1 p.m. Saturday, which marks the country’s fourth Cultural Heritage Day, and it lasted about five hours on the first day.

    ”The most important discovery today is two four-horse chariots that are standing in tandem very closely,” said Cao Wei, deputy curator of the Qinshihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum.

    ”It is the first time for us to find such an existence in the excavation history,” Cao said.

In addition, another important discovery was that a few newly-unearthed terracotta warriors were richly colored. Archaeologists soon used plastic sheets to cover them for protection.

    Richly colored clay figures were unearthed from the mausoleum of Qinshihuang in the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.- 207 B.C.), the first emperor of a united China, in previous excavations, but once they were exposed to the air they began to lose their luster and turn an oxidized grey.

    ”From what we have excavated today, the preservation of the cultural relics is better than thought,” said Xu Weihong, head of the excavation team.

“Take for instance, the discovery of the richly colored terracotta warriors gave us great confidence. I believe the future excavation will go smoothly,” Xu said.

    The 230 by 62-meter pit was believed to contain about 6,000 life-sized terracotta figures, more than 1,000 of which were found in previous excavations, said Wu Yongqi, museum curator.

    The State Administration of Cultural Heritage has approved the museum’s dig of 200 square meters of the site this year, Wu said.

Also Saturday, deputy curator Cao told reporters that the state ministration has approved a five-year excavation plan submitted by the museum.

    ”We plan to dig about 2,000 square meters in the coming five years,” Cao said.

    NEW DISCOVERIES EXPECTED

    Archaeologists hoped they might find a clay figure that appeared to be “in command” of the huge underground army, said Liu Zhancheng, head of the archeological team under the terracotta museum.

    ”We’re hoping to find a clay figure that represented a high-ranking army officer, for example,” he told Xinhua earlier.

    Liu and his colleagues are also hoping to ascertain the success of decades of preservation efforts to keep the undiscovered terracotta figures intact and retain their original colors.

    Most experts believe the pit houses a rectangular army of archers, infantrymen and charioteers that the emperor hoped would help him rule in the afterlife.

    But Liu Jiusheng, a Chinese historian in Xi’an, claims it was an army of servants and bodyguards rather than warriors. His argument is still not widely accepted by other terracotta experts.

    The army is still known to most Chinese people as the “terracotta warriors and horses.”

    The army was one of the greatest archeological finds of modern times. It was discovered in Lintong county, 35 km east of Xi’an, in 1974 by peasants who were digging a well.

    The first formal excavation of the site lasted for six years from 1978 to 1984 and produced 1,087 clay figures. A second excavation, in 1985, lasted a year and was cut short for technical reasons.

    The discovery, listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in December 1987, has turned Xi’an into one of China’s major tourist attractions.

China’s Health Ministry confirmed Tuesday a new A/H1N1 influenza case in central Hunan Province, bringing the total confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland to 12.

The patient is a 19-year-old male from Changsha, capital of Hunan. The provincial health department said he had been studying at an unidentified U.S. university.

The patient boarded Air China flight CA982 from New York at 4 a.m.(Beijing time) Thursday and arrived in Beijing at 6 p.m. (Beijing time).

On Friday, he took a taxi with his mother to the airport. They then boarded Air China flight CA1349 and arrived in Changsha at 1:40 p.m.

He developed a sore throat and cough Friday and was put under observation at the Changsha Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDCP) the following day. On Monday, his cough worsened and he was sent to the Public Health Treatment Center in Changsha, where he remained under quarantine.

CCDCP has located 56 Hunan residents who were on the CA1349 flight and urged health authorities of 23 regions to find the remaining 101 passengers.

The patient had close contact with 21 Hunan residents, including flight passengers and those he met after arrival in Hunan. Eighteen have been quarantined and three others are being sought.

The ministry noted that he was on the same plane with a 65-year-old man who had the fourth case of A/H1N1 reported in Beijing.

Beijing’s transit authority plans to improve ventilation in public buses and subway trains, in the wake of the report that the city’s fifth confirmed A/H1N1 flu patient, and the ninth on the mainland, had traveled by subway twice before he was quarantined.

The city began to disinfect all bus stations and public vehicles early this month.

Shanghai, which reported one confirmed case, has conducted onboard quarantine inspection on all incoming international flights.

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2009)

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Chinese health departments said Thursday more people were put under quarantine while the two citizens who were confirmed to have contracted A/H1N1 this week were recovering swiftly.

Health authorities in east China’s Shandong Province put 30 people under home or hospital quarantine as of 2 p.m. Thursday to check for symptoms of A/H1N1 influenza, said the provincial health department at a news briefing held Thursday.

The 30 people, consisting of 27 passengers and three train service workers, were in close contact in a Beijing-Jinan train with a male resident of Shandong who health officials said Wednesday had tested positive for A/H1N1 flu. They didn’t show any symptoms of the disease.

The provincial health authorities are seeking the remainder 13 other passengers who were in the same car of train D41, from Beijing to the provincial capital of Jinan, Monday night.

After the man who was only identified by his family name as Lu was diagnosed, Shandong Province declared China’s first A/H1N1 flu health emergency at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Wang Suilian, vice governor of the eastern province, said Shandong declared the second-level health emergency, which will involve many departments coordinating to contain the disease and keep the public informed.

A health official surnamed Zhang said that the second-degree emergency declaration was the highest-level response available to provincial governments. A first-degree emergency declaration would be up to the central government.

Shandong’s flu case, the second known case on the Chinese mainland, involved a 19-year-old student surnamed Lu who arrived in Beijing from Canada May 8 in a flight labeled AC029 and traveled to Jinan three days later.

Lu was hospitalized Monday. Apart from a sore throat, Lu was recovering with a normal body temperature, and showed no other symptoms of discomfort such as headache, coughing or a runny nose Thursday, said Li Zhongjun, spokesman for Shandong Provincial Health Department.

Lu is in an isolation ward in the Jinan Hospital of Infectious Diseases.

According to Li, Lu is receiving antiviral medication — Tamiflu and traditional Chinese medicine — in accordance with suggestions given by medical experts from the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Apart from Lu, Shandong has not reported other new A/H1N1 flu suspected or confirmed cases.

Shandong health authorities said they had reached four of the 45 passengers who were in the same flight AC029 as Lu as of 2 p.m. Thursday. The four passengers were all quarantined and reported normal temperatures.

Search for other passengers in the flight is ongoing.

Zong Lin, chief of the disease control and prevention section of the Shandong Provincial Health Bureau, said health officials were sending text messages and running notices on TV to find the remaining passengers.

Health authorities in Hebei Province, a neighbor of Shandong, are also busy with seeking 22 passengers who reportedly were in the same train carriage as Lu but got off at stops inside Hebei or on the juncture of the two provinces before the train reached its final destination in Jinan. No progress has been reported in this front thus far.

Bao, the Chinese mainland’s first A/H1N1 flu case, who has been kept at Chengdu Infectious Diseases Hospital for isolation and medical treatment for five days in Sichuan Province, southwest China, is also recovering fast.

All 147 passengers who had been exposed to Bao on Northwest Airlines flight NW029 from Tokyo to Beijing, had been contacted by the Beijing Health Department, said the department Wednesday.

Tian Ming, vice president of Chengdu Infectious Diseases Hospital, said Thursday that the time for Bao to be discharged from the hospital was not decided yet.

“Though he shows normal temperature, eats normally, and is in good mood,” said Tian, “A/H1N1 flu is a new virus strain, the medical experts panel need to carry out a comprehensive review over Bao’s recovery before a specific date could be given for him to be discharged from the hospital.”

Tian disclosed that as of midday Thursday, 126 people who had contact with Bao had been put under quarantine at a local camp in Chengdu, while two other people who were said to be in the same flight with the confirmed A/H1N1 flu case in Shandong had also been quarantined. There are no reports of flu symptoms with them.

In the meantime, health authorities in China’s Shanxi and Henan provinces said Thursday they quarantined 16 people who had exposed to Bao or Lu.

Beijing Health Department said Thursday evening as of 5 p.m. Thursday the department had quarantined 426 people and 131 had been released while the other 286 are still under medical observation in four hotels.

Beijing launched three search campaigns to look for the people who contacted with the three cases in Hong Kong, Sichuan and Shandong.

The department said it had appointed 38 medical institutions, which have the capability to set up flu examinations centers in 96 hospitals to examine any suspect flu patients.

Thirteen people from Mexico and Canada were removed from quarantine from Beijing You’an Hospital on Thursday, said Li Ning, head of the hospital.

“We released them after the tests. The foreigners said the medical examinations were understandable,” Li said.

The panic caused by confirmation of the two A/H1N1 flu patients in China has helped boost sales of face masks and some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with antiviral function, such as Banlangen, a kind of crystal powder made of a medicinal herb bearing the same name and commonly prescribed for treating the common cold in China.

Qiu Xiaolin, an administrative personnel with Tongrentang Pharmacy on Zongfu Road in Chengdu City, capital of Sichuan Province, said there had been long queues of local residents to buy antiviral TCM at his store each day since Monday.

“We now sell 2,000 boxes of Banlangen and 400 face masks each day, comparing 100 boxes of Banlangen and 20 face masks daily before Monday,” said Qiu, “No worry, we have reserved a good stock of those materials.”

The Chinese mainland has reported its first confirmed infection of A/H1N1 Influenza. The case was found in Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan province. Emergency measures are already in place.

Officials in Sichuan say the patient is a 30-year-old man. His condition is stable. Basic vital signs are normal.

The man is a native of Sichuan studying at a university in the US state of Missouri. On Thursday, flew from St. Louis to Tokyo. On Friday, he took flight NW029 from Tokyo and arrived at the Beijing International Airport early on Saturday. The same day, on flight 3U8882 to Chendgu, he developed a fever and other symptoms. He was met by his father and girlfriend, and the three took a taxi to hospital.

Authorities in Sichuan are stepping up efforts to locate everyone who’s had close contact with the man.

More than 130 of 150 passengers on the flight to Chengdu 3U8882 are under quarantine. Nearly 30 of 144 passengers on the flight from Tokyo are now under observation.

The Chinese Ministry of Health has dispatched a team of experts to Chengdu to guide prevention and control.

It’s also asked local health authorities to immediately send a virus specimen to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention for a second check

China would impose stringent checks on people entering the country by air, land and sea in an attempt to prevent influenza A(H1N1) from spreading to the country, the top quality supervisor said Saturday.

Anyone entering from places where the flu was reported should have their temperatures checked twice, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ).

According to the World Health Organization, 11 nations have reported influenza A(H1N1) cases: Mexico, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Spain, Germany, Israel, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

People entering China from these areas must go through a separate channel upon arrival. The first check should be done at or before that point, while the second should be done at regular inspection channels.

People with temperature at or above 38 degrees Celsius must undergo further examination, and all arriving passengers and transportation staff must provide health information, the GAQSIQ said.

The administration ordered quarantine offices to conduct thorough sanitation of flights, ships and other vehicles, including waste.

Cargo and baggage on vehicles arriving from affected areas should also be examined

After more than six months’ preparation, the Beijing-based newspaper the Global Times will launch its English edition together with its website on Monday.

Published under the official People’s Daily, the Global Times was established in 1993, specializing in coverage of international affairs.

The English edition will cover the world from a Chinese perspective, and reflects the standpoints and opinions of Chinese people on significant international issues.

“It marks a new beginning for the Global Times,” said Hu Xijin, the Editor-in-Chief of the Global Times. “The world of English language was new to us. But with the launch of the Global Times English edition, we have gained confidence to make it a success, to make friends with foreigners and to facilitate communication between China and the world.”

According to Hu, the English edition, instead of a translated version of its Chinese newspaper, is based on an independent team of reporters, editors and foreign experts.

It will be printed daily from Monday to Friday in pace with the Chinese edition and distributed nationwide.

The web site address is http://en.huanqiu.com or http://www.globaltimes.cn.

The construction of 10 major infrastructure projects will begin this month in Beijing, with investment mostly focused on southwestern downtown Beijing and projects for ecological conservation, the local government said yesterday.

Liu Yinchun, deputy director of Beijing municipal commission of development and reform, said the 10 projects cost a total of 19.6 billion yuan ($2.9 billion), of which 10.4 billion yuan would be spent this year.

The projects include construction of expressways such as the Puhuangyu expressway, linking the third and fifth ring roads, in southern downtown Beijing, and the renovation of No 111 national highway in Huairou district.

In addition, a number of water conservation projects – including a canal and a reservoir supporting the mammoth south-to-north water transfer project and renovation and two sewage disposal plants – will be started.

The construction of three riverside forest parks, in Tongzhou, Miyun and Yanqing, will begin this month, with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan this year.

Liu said Beijing will focus on 59 major infrastructure projects, including 33 new ones this year, with a total investment of 70 billion yuan. Of these, work on 10 began during the first quarter.

The Puhuangyu expressway is expected to boost the development of a comprehensive business district in southwestern downtown Beijing, said Fengtai district government chief You Guangbin.

Fengtai district government is kicking off the construction of a business district, combining shopping, hotels, catering and entertainment this year.

“The proposed business center and the Beijing railway station south division will together drive the economic development of southern downtown Beijing,” he said.

The district will cover nearly 15 hectares along the Subway Line 5, with a construction area of 653,900 sq m.

Oliver Radtke believes Chinglish mistranslations may be fun, but are not to be made fun of.

More than that, they have become serious business for the German Sinologist, who believes the portmanteau adds spice to the alphabet soup that is English today.

“My message on Chinglish is: It should be conserved.

“It shouldn’t be treated as a cheap joke for foreign tourists to laugh at but as a cultural treasure,” said the 32-year-old multimedia designer, who frequently visited China for almost a decade before moving to Beijing in 2007.

“I’m trying to challenge the notion that there is only one type of standard English – the English that’s spoken in America or in the British Isles – which is shortsighted, because Chinglish is already being used by millions of people to communicate with one another.”

So, since 2005, the scholar has collected more than 5,000 specimens of “the wonderful results of an English dictionary meeting Chinese grammar” on his website www.chinglish.de and has published two books on the subject.

The website receives about 10,000 visitors a week, he said, and his first book, Chinglish: Found in Translation, has sold nearly 50,000 copies since it was published in September 2007 by Gibbs Smith Publishers. His new book, More Chinglish: Speaking in Tongues, hit the shelves this month and is available in Beijing at the Wangfujing Bookstore and The Bookworm.

“The two books are unique in that they go beyond the fun book you pick up at the airport in that they talk about this approach of conservation, the academic value of Chinglish, the creative combination of English and Chinese, and why we should keep it,” Radtke said.

Patricia Schetelig, who works for the German Embassy in Beijing and regularly contributes to www.chinglish.de, said she appreciates Radtke’s approach to Chinglish.

“What’s important to me is that he’s not making fun of the way things are translated,” she said.

“There are other websites doing similar things, but they’re making fun of Chinglish or saying it shouldn’t be done this way.”

Some of Radtke’s favorite phrases include: “Welcome To Presence”, “Wash after relief”, “Little grass has life, please watch your step” and his first specimen, which sparked his interest in Chinglish in 2000 – “Don’t forget to carry your thing”.

Another darling is “STELIOT” – the mirror image of “toilets”. Radtke said he loves this example because it came from the sign-maker’s presumption that since Chinese characters were once written from right to left, English letters could be, too.

Part of his mission, Radtke said, is to preserve rapidly disappearing Chinglish specimens.

He was anguished while watching the government replace Chinglish signs with standard English ones in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.

“That was a sad day for me and a sad day for Chinglish,” Radtke said.

But American David Tool, who has been closely involved in cleaning up Chinglish in Beijing since 2001, disagreed.

“(Chinglish) takes away from the aesthetic, educational and cultural value we want these signs to provide,” the advisor to the Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Committee said.

“We get distracted when we’re trying to explain something. It’s not dealing with the issues with respect.”

Radtke said that while Chinglish is swiftly vanishing from the public sector, it’s still thriving in the private sector.

“Restaurants, private institutions, little shops – Chinglish will never die there. There’s a massive amount of Chinglish being produced every day, and I’m happy about that.”

He said he has contacted local governments, sign-makers and park managers to suggest they change their signage “back to something more creative and more local” but has received little response.

Radtke believes the fact that both English and Chinese are second languages to him is a boon, rather than a bane, to his understanding of Chinglish.

“Because I have this outside perspective, I’m far away from finger-pointing.”

He added that he asks native English speakers to assess the Chinglish he collects.

Radtke said many Chinese web users were furious when he first started his blog and he often received hate mail.

“But that’s all changed, because more people understand my point, which is that Chinglish is a window to the Chinese mind for non-Chinese speakers and a cultural bridge between the West and China.

“It should be regarded with pride.”

I think you might be interested in this stuff:

Mourn quake victims on Tomb-Sweeping Day

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/2009-04/04/content_7649619.htm

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Wednesday that it has rejected a bid by Coca-Cola to acquire China’s top juice maker Huiyuan, saying the takeover could stifle competition and harm the growth of small juice makers in China.

In a statement posted on its website on Wednesday, the ministry says it rejected the $2.4 billion bid in accordance with China’s Anti-Monopoly Law. This is the first offer rejected since China’s Anti-Monopoly Law took effect last August.

The ministry says in its statement that if the takeover went ahead, Coca-cola could use its dominant position in the carbonated soft drinks market to promote its fruit juices through tied selling. Consumers may eventually have fewer choices and be forced to accept higher prices. The deal would also harm the growth of small and medium-sized fruit juice makers in the country.

The ministry said that Coca-cola submitted plans to reduce the deal’s unfavorable effect on competition but the ministry was not convinced by the plans. It rejected the bid in accordance with Article 28 of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law.

Shares of Huiyuan were suspended from trading at 10:13 Wednesday morning in Hong Kong after slumping 19 percent following reports Coca-Cola may scrap its bid for Huiyuan.

China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd. requested the suspension pending the release of an announcement relating to price sensitive information, the company said in a statement.

Coca-Cola proposed to purchase Huiyuan for a steep premium on Sept 3, 2008, marking the largest foreign takeover of a Chinese company. It submitted an application for anti-monopoly approval to the Ministry of Commerce in December.

The offer price of HK$ 17.92 billion is the US beverage giant’s most aggressive move in China since the company started its operations in the country in 1979.

The transaction has been closely monitored in China as the acquisition may have become the first major test case since the country’s anti-monopoly law took effect on August 1, 2008.

According to ACNielsen, Huiyuan controls over 40 percent of China’s pure juice market. Analysts say that as a long-established juice brand in China, Huiyuan is highly complementary to the Coca-Cola China business. They believe that since Coca-Cola dominates the Chinese diluted-juice market, it hopes to make inroads into the pure-juice sector.