China Scene: West

Public servants busted while playing games

Seven officials in Daxian county, Sichuan province, were recently punished for playing mahjong and computer games when they should have been working.

The seven officials are all based in Jintan township and were caught playing games by inspectors dispatched by the Dazhou government.

(Chengdu Commercial Daily)

Weather official sorry for ruined weekends

Zhao Guangzhong, director of the Sichuan provincial bureau of meteorology, apologized last Tuesday for two errors in a recent weather forecast.

On March 8, International Women's Day, the weather bureau forecast sunshine, leaving residents dismayed by the cold and rain that greeted them outside.

"That day was Saturday, and many residents wanted to go sightseeing. They did not prepare for the rainy day. I do apologize for that," the director said.

It was the first time an official had apologized for a bad weather forecast. The director also said weather officials would make more of an effort to make accurate weather forecasts.

(News Morning Report)

Cat rescue ends poorly for overstretched woman

Wu Xiaoli, 26, a resident of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, fell five stories to the ground as she attempted to rescue a cat.

Last Tuesday morning, Wu spotted her cat, which had been missing for two days, on the roof of a building next to her house so she decided to take matters into her own hands by retrieving the missing feline. She leaned out of her window to grab the cat, but then fell to the ground and was seriously injured. Wu was soon sent to hospital, and doctors said her third, fourth and fifth lumbars were broken and that she might be paralyzed.

(West China Metropolis Daily)

Filial son on quest for abandoned wife, child

An ailing 81-year-old from Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, is on a mission to find his wife and child.

Sun Yiwen has been separated from the two for 47 years. He was sent to Qinghai province in 1957, where he met Yuan Zhirong. The two married and had a child in July 1959.

In 1961, Sun returned to his hometown to see his mother, who was gravely ill. But his mother threatened to commit suicide if he left her side.

Sun stayed with his mother and hasn't seen his wife and child since.

(www.qhnews.com)

Handsome reward offered but also questioned

A notice posted recently on a website in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, has caused a stir among local residents.

A girl surnamed Zhang from Gansu province posted a note seeking information about her missing elder brother, who could be working in Xi'an. Zhang said she would pay 100,000 yuan ($14,200) to anyone able to lead her to her brother. However, as a 23-year-old girl from a poor family, Zhang is not able to pay the money.

Yu Guoqing, a professor at Northwest Law University, said Zhang had made a serious mistake and would face a lawsuit if someone actually offered the information sought.

(Sanqin Metropolis Daily)

Ancient kiln actually older than first thought

After five years of hard work, archaeologists in Shaanxi province have confirmed that the Yaozhou Kiln is 1,300 years old.

The ancient kiln, located in Yaoxian county, was an important pottery production center in the region.

The kiln was previously thought to have a history of 700 to 800 years.

(Xi'an Evening News)

(China Daily 03/26/2008 page6)