Alcatel Asia moves head office here
ALCATEL yesterday announced the setting up of its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai, reflecting its confidence in the economic growth of the Asia Pacific region.
Friendship stores offer best of Britain
A RANGE of British luxury and consumer products made by 20 renowned manufacturers, ranging from confectionery and biscuits, knitwear and arts products, will be on offer in Shanghai's four Friendship stores from tomorrow, according to sources from the British Consulate General.
Three women drug dealers face jail
THREE young women have been sentenced to criminal detention in Pudong for drug trafficking after they became addicted to drug abuse.
Hearing opens in Huahai case
COURT hearings started yesterday into a major case of embezzlement in which company board chairman, Gui Aizhen, is suspected of channelling 12 million yuan ($1.4 million) of public funds into private companies, according to the municipal No 1 Intermediate People's Court.
New perks to hook high-tech expertise
THE local job market just got more attractive for job-seekers in the high-tech industry.
Sowing seeds of conservation
THE future is in the hands of the younger generation. That's why Shanghai Changning International School (SCIS) tries hard to impart to its students a strong sense of environmental protection.
Woman knifed in Pudong after fight with boss
ONLY a few weeks after reports that a security officer chopped off four of a woman's fingers in South China's Guangdong Province sparked outrage, another report has surfaced that a migrant woman in Pudong suffered a similar injury when a disagreement with her boss turned nasty.
IPR review positive
CHINA has honoured the US-China bilateral agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights signed in 1995, according to Joseph Papovich, assistant US trade representative for services, investment and intellectual property.
German companies build business and friendships
THE Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai, established in 1994, has helped more than 360 representative offices and firms funded by German enterprises to set up, most of which are based in Shanghai and the rest in other provinces such as Jiangsu, Sichuan, Zhejiang and Shandong.
Woman raped, murdered for $21 and phone
AN unemployed migrant from Anhui Province was arrested last week for robbing, raping, and murdering a young woman, according to sources from Zhabei Procuratorate.
Hounded robber gives himself up to the police
A MAN who robbed a karaoke bar gave himself up to police last week hoping for protection after being hounded for money by other members of the criminal underworld.
Campus river has a story
PEOPLE visiting East China Normal University often ask: why is the river which traverses its campus called Li Wa He, or Beautiful Woman River?
Eyesores on way out; filthy shacks to raze
DEMOLITION of some ugly shacks built on grassland has pleased residents in Jintang Residential Area, Xuhui District. Green grass has been replanted on the ground.
Street corners, goldfish go with the feng shui flow
AS everyone knows we are about to enter a dragon year, regarded as the most auspicious by the Chinese. The dragon is also an important aspect of feng shui, or wind and water, an ancient Chinese geomantic practice and buzz word in the West in recent years. Having co-written a book on the subject, coming to China has given me the opportunity to see for myself how feng shui works in its country of origin, particularly in Shanghai. The objective of feng shui is to create a harmonious and balanced flow of "qi," or energy. Professor Lin Yun, a world authority on the subject who was in town last October to bless the Jin Mao Tower, stated that the urban feng shui of Shanghai is the best in the Chinese mainland. All around town, I have noticed many examples of good "qi." Note the position of the Lujiazui financial area, which is embraced by the Huangpu River. A river which embraces an area of land rather than flowing away from it is said to bring prosperity. Many buildings have elaborate water features surrounding them. The water flow is gentle, not too fast and not too slow, which creates a harmonious and relaxed environment. Still water features should be avoided in that the energy stagnates, so moving energy is healthy energy. I have yet to see a square or rectangular shrubbery, the emphasis being on a natural, curved arrangement. The tops of subway exits and many new buildings have the same shape. The zigzag bridge at Yuyuan Garden is yet another example of feng shui in Shanghai. It may take longer to cross a zigzag bridge than a straight one, but the idea here is to slow down the energy flow to avoid less beneficial "sha qi" or negative energy. While you cross the bridge look down into the water, which is teeming with goldfish. The abundance of fish keeps the water from stagnating and thus encourages the movement of "qi." Still at Yuyuan Garden I found an antiques market where you can buy feng shui regalia, for example Lo Pan (traditional Chinese compasses) used to locate the "xue" (auspicious site) for a building, Bagua mirrors, which deflect negative "qi" back to its source, bronze three-legged frogs to place just inside your doorway for wealth and the ancient Chinese coins with holes in the middle. Tying three of these coins together with red ribbon is also said to bring luck. Proper street corners are few and far between in Shanghai. Instead, the corners are "sliced" off, so as to attract people into the building in question (usually a department store). Lions are said to bring protection to a building, so maybe those big, stone ones outside almost every bank are not just there for decoration. Feng shui can also be used on the inside. My neighbours from Taiwan have red and gold symbols on virtually every door in their house, which they told me means good luck and prosperity. I read in a recent report that Shanghainese are investing more and more money in interior design and giving more attention to colour patterns too, which perhaps demonstrates the desire to create a greater sense of well-being and harmony in the home. All I need to do now is to learn all of the 200 plus characters on my Lo Pan. Stewart Park is a British lecturer working in Shanghai.
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