News » China » Astronauts send festival greetings

---

• Astronauts send festival greetings
• Manual docking slated for Sunday
• Cement output growth rate drops sharply
• 7.1 mln rail trips on first day of holiday
• Second chance at drug rehab center
• Beijing launches anti-drug campaign
• 5.9m people take trains on holiday rush
• Farmer turns own story into TV drama
• Rio+20 document balanced: official
• 5.9 mln people take trains on first day of holiday rush
• Astronauts ready for challenge
• Astronauts ready for challenge
• China-U.S. contracts top US$3.4 bln at forum
• Xinjiang Tourism Festival kicks off
• Filmmaker couple tells their story
• Chinese premier's visit to Argentina to boost bilateral ties: Chinese diplomat
• 400 mln yuan to be invested to develop Tibet's tourism
• 5.9m people take trains on 1st day of holiday rush
• 8 missing after ship capsizes in Bohai
• Province invests 400m yuan in Tibet tourism

Astronauts send festival greetings Posted: 23 Jun 2012 11:40 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-23 20:42 ( Xinhua) BEIJING - Three astronauts who are performing China's space mission in orbiting Tiangong-1 module Saturday sent Dragon Boat Festival greetings to all Chinese. The Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 23 this year and it is the first time for Chinese astronauts to celebrate this traditional Chinese festival in space. The astronauts, Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang, appeared in front of a camera in Tiangong-1 lab module at around 12 pm and had dialogues with ground staff. "On this traditional Chinese festival, we three astronauts wish all Chinese a happy Dragon Boat Festival," said Jing, who sent festival greetings from space on behalf of his crew mates. Jiang later wrote down "Happy Dragon Boat Festival" in Chinese on his flight manual. Liu Wang and Liu Yang also signed their names on it. After Jing showed his flight manual to the ground staff via camera, applause erupted in the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

Manual docking slated for Sunday Posted: 23 Jun 2012 11:40 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-23 20:41 ( Xinhua) BEIJING - A manual docking will be conducted between Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module around noon Sunday, according to a spokesperson of China's manned space program. Since Shenzhou-9 and Tiangong-1 successfully conducted an automatic docking and astronauts entered the Tiangong-1 module on June 18, both the spacecraft and the module have been operating normally and the three astronauts were in good condition, said the spokesperson. All scientific tests have been conducted without any glitches and a manned conjoint flight has been realized, according to the spokesperson. Related Stories Shenzhou IX sends off aerospace economy 2012-06-21 16:50 $4000 Shenzhou IX souvenirs for sale 2012-06-19 17:43 Wreckage of Shenzhou IX's escape tower found 2012-06-19 09:24 Shenzhou IX gold bars go sale 2012-06-18 16:57

Cement output growth rate drops sharply Posted: 23 Jun 2012 11:40 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-23 19:22 ( Xinhua) BEIJING - China's cement output grew 5 percent from a year earlier to 793.98 million tonnes in the first five months, the country's top economic planner said Saturday. The growth rate, however, represented a sharp decrease of 14.3 percentage points from the same period of last year, data with the National Development and Research Commission showed. In May, cement output increased 4.3 percent year-on-year, down from 19.2 percent recorded last year. The sharp decrease came as economic slumps both at home and abroad have dampened market demands. The building material sector has been particularly weighed down due to the government keeping real estate controls in place. Meanwhile, flat glass output dropped 1.7 percent year-on-year to 298.28 million weigh boxes in the first five months, in comparison to an increase of 19.6 percent last year. In May, flat glass output dropped 10.2 percent, compared to 21.7-percent growth last year. Over the January-April period, the building material sector saw profits drop 7 percent from a year earlier to 81.3 billion yuan ($12.9 billion). In the period, profits of cement producers dropped 59.9 percent to 9.53 billion yuan, while the flat glass sector recorded losses of 130 million yuan, compared with 2.35 billion yuan in profits during the same period last year.

7.1 mln rail trips on first day of holiday Posted: 23 Jun 2012 05:38 AM PDT China's Ministry of Railways said Saturday that the country's railways record over 7.1 million passenger trips on the first day of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday that runs from June 22-24.

Second chance at drug rehab center Posted: 23 Jun 2012 05:25 AM PDT Recovering addicts work at a rehabilitation center in Fuzhou, Fujian province on June 20, 2012. More than 300 people are receiving treatment at the center, where therapy and recreation are used to help people through their addiction. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is June 26. [ Photo/CFP]

Beijing launches anti-drug campaign Posted: 23 Jun 2012 05:25 AM PDT A police helicopter taking off marks the start of the "Eagle Eye 2012" anti-drug campaign in the suburbs of Beijing on June 22, 2012. Police will be using unmanned drones, along with helicopters, to search out opium fields in Beijing. The campaign also involves volunteers going to the countryside to monitor poppy crops and try to prevent people from planting. [Photo/CFP]

5.9m people take trains on holiday rush Posted: 23 Jun 2012 05:25 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-23 17:11 ( Xinhua)   Passengers wait to board a train at a railway station in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, June 22, 2012. [Photo/Asianewsphoto] BEIJING - China's Ministry of Railways said Saturday that 5.9 million people traveled on trains on Thursday, the first day of the four-day travel rush for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The figure marked a jump of nearly 1 million passengers from Wednesday, and 298,000 passengers, or a 5.3-percent increase, from last year, the ministry said. Passenger volumes of Jinan Railway Bureau and Qinghai-Tibet Railway Co. increased the most, up 23.8 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively, from the same period last year. Shanghai Railway Bureau saw the biggest volume of passengers, as trains under its control carried 1.1 million travellers on the day. Tourist cities Beijing, Tianjin and Wuhan all saw high rail-traffic volumes. To cope with the travel rush, the ministry added 196 provisional passenger trains on Thursday, one day ahead of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival commemorates the famous ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Chinese people prepare and eat zongzi, or leaf-packed glutinous rice dumplings, drink wine and race dragon boats on the day. The festival falls on June 23 this year.

Farmer turns own story into TV drama Posted: 23 Jun 2012 05:25 AM PDT   Liu Yunxia (C, white shirt) directs the TV drama "Yezi's arranged marriage" based on her own real-life story in Zhuanglang County, Northwest China's Gansu province, May 27, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]  BEIJING - Poverty made her drop out of school and accept an arranged marriage. But she never stopped pursuing her dream. Eventually she changed her life and now is trying to tell her story to all. The 36-year-old farmer, who lives in Zhuanglang County, northwest China's Gansu Province, is now busy shooting the TV drama "Yezi's arranged marriage" based on her own real-life story. But more than one decade ago, Liu Yunxia's life could only be described as marked by resentment. Her fate mirrors the hardship faced by the villagers in "Sanxi." The place name refers to Ningxia's Xihaigu area, as well as Gansu's Dingxi and Hexi areas -- "san" means "three" and "xi" is "west" in Chinese. The "Sanxi" areas are among China's driest, and least-developed regions. At the beginning, Liu resented her husband and her arranged marriage. She was engaged at the age of nine. Her fiance was four years older than her and illiterate. In the 10 years following the engagement, they spoke to each other no more than 10 sentences. Liu loved studying. She was a top student and particularly good at writing at primary school. But when she entered junior middle school, her would-be mother-in-law came to Liu's family and repeatedly opposed her attending school. She feared that if Liu entered university one day, the arranged marriage would not be honored. Liu's family lived in poverty. Her parents often borrowed money for her schooling. When she was grade two in junior middle school, her father broke his ribs when repairing a terrace field. Her mother was also in poor health and so couldn't provide all the support he needed. Liu had to drop out of school to take care of the family. At 16, she went to work for one year. She was once a family assistant in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, and then a worker in an clothing factory in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia. When she came back to her hometown, she became more resentful of her arranged marriage. But her family had used up the 800-yuan betrothal gifts given by her fiance's family. Her father said to her, "your elder brother has not married. If you broke your engagement, our reputation will be ruined and then who will dare to marry him." Liu's elder brother is nine years older than her and has worked in a brick factory since 14 years old to support the family. Liu could not hold back her tears when she remembered her elder brother buying fruit sugars for her and younger brother, while he only ate cold potatoes. For the sake of her elder brother, Liu agreed to marry. At the day of wedding ceremony, she refused to wear red attire and did not wear flowers in her hair. She felt depressed, thinking her whole life would be colorless and hopeless. The newly-wed couple suffered poverty as well. They even borrowed oil for cooking. One year later, Liu gave birth. To support family, she opened a tailor shop but it failed. Then she pulled boiled corns to county seat to sell. The corns were too heavy. Sometimes she tumbled and injured herself. During those years, the couple ignored each other. Her husband always turned a blind eye to her injuries or illness and always went out to gamble. Domestic abuse occurred as well. But as time went by, Liu's life started to change. The Chinese government launched poverty relief program in the "Sanxi" areas as early as in 1982. Government advocated to help locals shake off poverty by improving farmer's self-development abilities. With years of unremitting efforts, the effects had shown. Benefited from government's favorable industrial policies, Liu tried to plant scallions and alfalfa, raised rabbits, sheep and cattle. Experienced both failures and successes, her family eventually became better-off. The couple's relations got better as well after they had been married for five years. The turning point occurred in 2000 when Liu got meningitis. She lost consciousness for one day. When she woke up, she saw her husband's tearful eyes. She had never seen him crying before. At this time, her husband realized the importance of her wife to his life. Since then, her husband has offered her much care and support. Since her childhood, Liu dreamed of writing and being an actress. In 2008, she watched a TV documentary about migrant worker's children directed by a woman farmer whose only eduction was two years at primary school. Liu was inspired. She asked herself "Why don't I write and shoot a TV drama?" She then started writing a script. Her husband bought a computer for her. At the beginning, she even did not know how to power off the computer. But later, she learnt how to type. During the daytime, she planted crops. After her child was put to sleep at night, she wrote. In 2010, she almost finished her 100,000-word first draft, titled "Yezi's arranged marriage." Eighty percent of the story was based on Liu's own life. Then harvest season came, she, together with her family, reaped wheat for two months and didn't touch the computer during the time. Two months later, she couldn't access her script on the computer as its hard drive had been wrecked by the dampness in the house. She had to rewrite the script based on memory. While rewriting, she started to select actors and actresses in the village for her TV drama. Her husband spent about 100,000 yuan buying equipment, such as video camera and mobile hard drives for her. The camera man is a farmer in his fifties. Liu also has two deputy directors. One is head of the village's local opera troupe, the other is a taxi driver. Actors and actress are fellow villagers. She is not able to pay her team, but only give them free meals. A young woman in the village agreed to act the heroine, but gave up half way through due to strong opposition from her family. Since then, Liu started to act the heroine by herself. The homemade drama moved her fellow villagers. They thought the drama  reflected the real life very well and suggested Liu give the drama a happy ending. Hoping the drama could be broadcast on TV someday, she also sent the script to Gansu provincial radio, film and TV bureau, asking experts to review and adapt it. She said she would not be the heroine again. "I am getting old and not pretty enough to act the heroine." She did not mind someday if professional crews came to perform her story.

Rio+20 document balanced: official Posted: 23 Jun 2012 05:25 AM PDT RIO DE JANEIRO - The outcome document adopted at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 summit) is comprehensive and balanced, reflecting major concerns of all parties, a Chinese official said here Friday. "The final document adopted by the summit reflects the spirit of cooperation of the international community and future prospects for sustainable development," said Du Ying, chairman of Chinese Preparatory Committee for Rio+20 Earth Summit, which ended here Friday. "It is of great significance in guiding the direction of global sustainable development," Du said in an interview with Chinese media. The document reiterated the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," maintained the foundation and framework of international development cooperation, and provided important guidance for the 2015 international development agenda, said Du. Sustainable Development Goals will replace the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals from 2015. The document emphasizes that green economy is an important way of achieving sustainable development, but it should be applied according to each country's national conditions and stage of development. The summit decided to establish a high-level political forum to replace the Rio+20 Earth Summit and to strengthen the functions of the United Nations Environment Program, helping to enhance the status and importance of sustainable development mechanism within the UN system, Du said. He also said the Chinese delegation led by Premier Wen Jiabao made important contributions to the promotion of global sustainable development. Premier Wen expressed the willingness of China to push forward, along with the international community, the cause of sustainable development, Du said. During the negotiation process, which had lasted for a year and a half, China has been positive and constructive in discussions and consultations on the final document, he said. "The Chinese delegation made important contributions to urge all parties to seek common ground while reserving differences, to bridge their differences and push forward the negotiations for a consensus," Du said. Around 50,000 people, including heads of state and government, had meetings here for the past three days to discuss new measures for poverty eradication, social equity advancement and environment protection.

5.9 mln people take trains on first day of holiday rush Posted: 23 Jun 2012 02:59 AM PDT China's Ministry of Railways said Saturday that 5.9 million people traveled on trains on Thursday, the first day of the four-day travel rush for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

Astronauts ready for challenge Posted: 23 Jun 2012 02:02 AM PDT Chinese astronauts are scheduled to perform Shenzhou 9 spacecraft's first manual docking with the Tiangong 1 space lab module tomorrow, which would be a major step toward China building a permanent space station around 2020.

Astronauts ready for challenge Posted: 23 Jun 2012 02:13 AM PDT Chinese astronauts are scheduled to perform Shenzhou 9 spacecraft's first manual docking with the Tiangong 1 space lab module tomorrow, which would be a major step toward China building a permanent space station around 2020.

China-U.S. contracts top US$3.4 bln at forum Posted: 23 Jun 2012 02:13 AM PDT Investment contracts worth 3.4 billion U.S. dollars were signed by enterprises from both China and the United States during a forum held in eastern China's Jiangsu Province.

Xinjiang Tourism Festival kicks off Posted: 23 Jun 2012 02:13 AM PDT The Eighth China Xinjiang International Tourism Festival has raised its curtains in Shihezi City.

Filmmaker couple tells their story Posted: 23 Jun 2012 02:13 AM PDT A Beijing-based Japanese filmmaker and a Chinese writer-director will make a film based on their relationship, the couple told China.org.cn on Thursday.

Chinese premier's visit to Argentina to boost bilateral ties: Chinese diplomat Posted: 23 Jun 2012 12:31 AM PDT The imminent visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Argentina will push forward bilateral ties, Chinese Ambassador to Argentina Yin Hengmin told Xinhua in a recent interview.

400 mln yuan to be invested to develop Tibet's tourism Posted: 23 Jun 2012 12:11 AM PDT More than 400 million yuan (63.5 million U.S. dollars) has been earmarked to develop tourism in southeastern Tibet, by south China's Guangdong provincial government as partner assistance.

5.9m people take trains on 1st day of holiday rush Posted: 23 Jun 2012 12:49 AM PDT China's Ministry of Railways said Saturday that 5.9 million people traveled on trains on Thursday, the first day of the four-day travel rush for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

8 missing after ship capsizes in Bohai Posted: 23 Jun 2012 12:26 AM PDT Eight people are missing after a sand mining ship capsized Friday afternoon in the Bohai Sea, local authorities told Xinhua Saturday.

Province invests 400m yuan in Tibet tourism Posted: 22 Jun 2012 11:29 PM PDT More than 400 million yuan (63.5 million U.S. dollars) has been earmarked to develop tourism in southeastern Tibet, by south China's Guangdong provincial government as partner assistance.

You are subscribed to email updates from Update » News » China To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610