Biz Scene: Biz Unusual

Net satellite

As the nation's first lunar satellite Chang'e-I is about to blast off, the moon orbiter has become a hit on the Internet. A netizen recently registered changer1hao.com.cn and plans to sell it in an auction on Taobao.com, an online shopping website, with a starting price of 10,000 yuan.

Chang'e is the name of a fairy maiden who, in a Chinese classic, lives on the moon.

Ball mender

What do you do with worn out balls? Take them to Yi Guirong, a 55-year-old man in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province and get them fixed for just a few yuan. Yi has been mending balls for about 30 years, earning 5,000 yuan a month. Yi said his main clients are schools, especially physical education colleges, which have piles of damaged basketballs, footballs and volleyballs.

Pricey dress

A jewelry shop in Shangrao of East China's Jiangxi Province recently displayed a wedding dress priced at 999,999 yuan. The shop said the dress is decorated with 9,999 carats of bijous and diamonds. Designed by a jeweler in Hong Kong, the dress is elegant and delicate. Although the eye-catching dress attracted huge crowds, most thought it was overpriced.

Wedding drinks

Since drinks form a chunk of wedding expenses, many in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, have started buying liquor and soft drinks from professional wedding drinks suppliers instead of hotels or restaurants where such feasts are held.

Luo Hangjiong, a young man in Hangzhou, has been in the business of drinks supply for more than a year now. Compared with big restaurants, his competitive edge is his cheaper prices, he said. "October is the hot marriage season. I have been supplying drinks to about 20 clients every day."

(China Daily 10/24/2007 page15)