|
|
| FOCUS |
THE auction of 300 Chinese cultural relics on November 30 in Shanghai was less successful than the public and the sponsor, the US-China Collectors Association had expected. Only one-third of the items were sold, for a total of 23 million yuan (US$2.7 million).
|
| |
| Focus |
- Historic artefacts come home
THE auction of 300 Chinese cultural relics on November 30 in Shanghai was less successful than the public and the sponsor, the US-China Collectors Association had expected. Only one-third of the items were sold, for a total of 23 million yuan (US$2.7 million).
- Impressionism a cultivated taste
THE French Impressionism exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum attracted more than 26,000 visitors in its first four days.
- Drivers face market overhaul
AS an ordinary office worker planning to buy a car, Wang Xiaoli decided to wait a few more months, expecting to benefit from the tariff cuts on imported cars. To her disappointment, experts say lower tariffs may not bring down car prices substantially.
- WTO commitments
THIS December 11 marked the third anniversary of China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). As it has done during the past three years, China will continue to honour its WTO commitments and eliminate limitations on wholesale, insurance and securities business by foreign-funded companies, while opening markets in key goods such as processed oil, medicines and agricultural products.
- Angry dragon
NIKE'S news ads showing NBA star LeBron James battling a cartoon kungfu Master and dragons has invoked great controversy in China. China banned the ads, describing them as an insult to the country's national dignity. The commercial, titled "Chamber of Fear" was broadcast on local TV stations and CCTV 5, the national television sports channel, before being pulled last month.
- Controversial ads
THE Nippon dragon ads published in International Advertising magazine triggered considerable anger among Chinese people. The ads feature a Chinese pavilion with two pillars, each with a dragon wound around it. The left pillar looks grey and the dragon clings to it persistently. The other dragon falls off the pillar painted by Nippon supposedly because the glossy Nippon paint made it slip.
|
| Voice of people |
- Age discrimination's high cost to society
Anyone who pays a little attention to job recruitment advertisements will notice a curious and interesting phenomenon - the upper age limit of 35 for recruitment in both public and private sector positions, such as public servants, business managers, journalists, editors, technicians and operators. Those who are above 35 years old are almost always denied access to job opportunities, even if they are in the prime of life, mature in experience, knowledge and judgment.
- letters
Community correction
- Examinations, curse or blessing
The news that mid-term exams have been cancelled in some primary schools recently has sparked quite a few controversies. Some people regard it as a big step in educational reform, while others question whether it is on the right track. Parents, teachers and students, the three parts involved, have all reacted a little bit pessimistically toward the new policy. Parents, always busy working to support their families, feel that they are losing an important quantified judgment for their children's behaviour or performance at school and are more worried than relaxed about their children's increased spare time. Most of them, I believe, prefer bookworms to idlers or addicts. Some parents have decided to pay more for after-school classes.
- Promoting condoms-who needs them most ?
Some time ago, around World AIDS Day this year, a number of Shanghai college students took part in promotional activities on streets and public squares to raise awareness of AIDS. Young ladies handed out free condoms to locals, making a splash on the newspaper headlines.
- A snake swallowing an elephant?
Last week, two business news items struck a strong blow in Chinese economic circles. China Oil Aviation announced that it had lost hundreds of millions of US dollars gambling on world oil prices. Almost at the same time, stock of China's leading computer maker, Lenovo, slumped by over 10 per cent on the Hong Kong exchange, as the market expressed pessimism about the future of its deal to take over IBM's personal computer business.
- Voice
"That's not part of the press conference and I'll tell you later."
|
| Profile |
- Salad days in China
ALTHOUGH many people regard vegetables as no more than a basic food, in Xavier Naville's eyes, they are living things, breathing oxygen and carbon dioxide.
- Dramatic life and work of versatile director
ALTHOUGH she was ill during the interview, enthusiasm still sparkled the eyes of renowned female director Chen Xinyi as she spoke about dramas and Chinese traditional operas.
|
| Culture |
- Private life
SINCE January, Hu Yang has stepped into the homes of more than 400 of his fellow city dwellers, armed with only a manual Contax 645 camera and the trust of the residents inside.
|
| Dining out |
- Royal disappointment
THE King's Saloon Restaurant has such a huge logo boasting of its "the most authentic Hubei cuisine" that it can be seen from the nearby Jinmao Tower. Ever since an ancient self-declared king named Xiang Yu conquered the area covered by today's Hubei Province in Central China 2,000 years ago, this warrior monarch has been renowned for his bravery and treated as a source of pride by people from the area. That is the story behind the restaurant's bold name.
- Coffee show
A SPLENDID coffee show was held at the Vinothek wine bar in the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel recently. Renowned Australian coffee-maker Maico LaPenna demonstrated the way to make the soul of coffee ?espresso.
- Personalized
coffee
- New look
MACALLAN, the 180-year-old brand of single malt Scotch whisky, launched new packaging and bottles for its 12-year-old scotch in the China market this month. The new look for 18-, 25- and 30-year-old scotch will come to the market one by one next year. The new design, with elliptical lines and slim shapes, includes the image of the Easter Elchies House, which is believed to be the original inspiration for Macallan, on the label.
|
|
|
