Tibet trips to halt

Travel agencies in Beijing will stop sending tourists to Tibet starting from National Day, since Tibet will be not suitable for visiting as the region becomes much colder in October, The Beijing News reported. Tibet is a strong seasonal tourist spot, and the most ideal time to visit Tibet is from July to September. In winter, some of the travel routes in the mountains are blocked with snow, hard to traverse, and the air lacks oxygen, making it difficult for tourists to endure.

Charity marathon

This year's Terry Fox Marathon of Hope will be held at 9:30am, September 30 in Beijing, co-organized by the Canadian Embassy and the Cancer Institute & Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. To raise funds for cancer patients, Beijing community members are welcome to join in the cause of Hope Run. They can take on the distance in various ways, such as running, walking and even cycling to cover the 8-kilometre trek, which starts from the North Gate of Workers' Stadium, and runs along the Second Ring Road to arrive at the hospital. The charity run has been launched seven times in Beijing, and has gathered millions of yuan in donations, all for the cause of cancer treatment and related researches in China. For those interested, call 8778-8888 or 6779-3346 to sign up.

Liquid limits on airplanes

To provide safety on flights to the United States, passengers will not be allowed to carry on any kind of liquid products, such as cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos and other kinds of lotions. Since August 11, security checks at the Beijing International Capital Airport have tightened with stricter rules, ordered by Civil Aviation Administration of China. Passengers can still take liquid products in check-in bags, but will be made to discard them if they are found in carry-on luggage. The airport warns that US-bound passengers should arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure to avoid any difficulty.

Walking on water

The first "walking on the water" fun place opened August 10 at Bayi Lake of Yuyuantan Park, reported Star Daily. Children can walk on water by getting in a large transparent air balloon. The air balloon has a diameter of 2.5 metres, and can take a total weight of 3 tons. Walking on the water with the aid of the balloon, children feel safe, have fun and can learn how to adjust their bodies and balance.

A twist on chopsticks

A Beijing resident who made pencils from used chopsticks won first place in a local energy-saving competition on August 11 in Chunshu Neighbourhood, Xuanwu District, reported The Beijing News. Seven winners showed clever ways of saving the natural resources like wood, water and electricity. In the past two years, Qiao Ping carried home 500 kilograms worth of disposed chopsticks from nearby restaurants and made recycled pencils out of the waste. The event is to help raise public awareness on ways to conserve energy in daily living.

Book bonanza

A Beijing book fest bringing 2 million kinds of publications will be held next month from September 15 to 24 in Ditan Park, or the Altar of Earth. At this 7th Beijing Book Fair, with theme of "Reading Our New Life, Creating a New Beijing," most of the books will be sold at a discount, the Beijing Morning Post reported. Besides nabbing bargains on books, there are interactive activities such as viewing exhibitions, watching kite masters make kites, having books signed by writers, and appreciating artists paint on the spot.

NEET folks feel the blues

Most of the NEET people in Beijing, who are "Not in Education, Employment orTraining" depend on money provided by parents, lovers or their own savings. According to a recent report launched by Beijing Evening News and Beijing Statistics Bureau, the NEET people range from ages 18-34, and most are high school or technical school graduates. Half of them have not had stable jobs. More than one-third of the jobless attribute harsh competition as their reason not to work, while another one-third said they chose to become a NEET. Some 20 per cent of the total 245 people interviewed choose to lead this sort of life, either shutting themselves off, doing nothing, or losing themselves in computer games. About 70 per cent of the total wish to "adjust themselves and plan for their future life" or "develop hobbies to enjoy life better."

New code for canine lovers

The Beijing Dog Raising Management Office announced on August 18 that dog owners whose pet bites others will be recorded, and get fined as much as 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) per case. Meanwhile, people who walk their dogs in public, must take three things from now on tissues, a plastic bag and a small shovel to clean up dog excrements. Violators will face harsh penalties.

The office declared that there are 550,000 registered dogs this year in Beijing. It also revealed that not a single human has died of rabies in the past 12 years in Beijing, but there have been 70,000 people in Beijing who were bitten by dogs in the first half of this year.

(China Daily 08/24/2006 page2)