China Scene: West

Neolithic pottery gives the period a face

A piece of face-shaped pottery was recently unearthed in Gaoling county, Shaanxi province.

The relic is thought to be some 5,000 years old and was found at a Neolithic site called the Yangguanzhai ruins in the county's Yangguanzhai Village. The ruins occupy 600,000 sq m and were first found in May 2004. Archaeologists started excavating the site the following month and found 837 ash pits, 38 house ruins, 31 jar coffins, 13 kiln ruins, 45 tombs and more than 600 pieces of pottery. Archaeologists said the site houses key Neolithic period relics and that the site has yielded very important information about the period.

(Sanqin Metropolis Daily)

Boy redistributes parents' wealth to classmates

Dong Dong (not his real name), a 4-year-old boy at a kindergarten in Chongqing municipality, just wanted to share the colorful paper with his friends.

As he boarded the bus on Tuesday morning, the little boy started passing out 100-yuan notes to the other children. A teacher surnamed Zhang eventually noticed six of Dong Dong's classmates playing with the money, so she took it from them. Later teachers found 88 100-yuan notes in Dong Dong's bag.

When asked what he was doing with it, the boy said he had found the money at home and wanted to share it with his classmates.

Dong Dong's parents came to the kindergarten after receiving a call about the incident.

"He knows what money is, but he does not know the value," the boy's mother said.

(Chongqing Evening News)

Yunnan plans play centers for left-at-home children

Yunnan province has been taking special care to build play facilities for left-at-home children.

Local government officials said the facilities will be built across the province, and that the project will be completed by the end of this year. The play centers will give left-at-home children a place to read, watch TV and films and surf the Internet. They will also be able to make free long distance phone calls to parents working as migrant workers in other provinces.

(Yunnan Daily)

Couple finds love despite fatal illness

Zhang Ping, a 36-year-old resident of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, has nothing but love in her life.

Zhang was diagnosed with lupus when she was 19 years old and has been struggling with the symptoms for 17 years. The disease has nearly robbed her of her eyesight.

In 2003, she was listening to a match-making program on the radio and learned that a man named Qian Yongxiang wanted to be friends with her. Zhang called Qian and the two decided to marry in September 2004.

"I have no money, I have no health, but I have love," Zhang said.

Qian said he knew it would be hard for him when he married Zhang, but he loves her and wants to spend as much time as he can with her.

(New Life Daily)

Investigation uncovers new ruins of an old wall

Ruins of the Great Wall have been discovered in Gansu province after a year-long investigation.

The authorities started investigating the Great Wall in 13 provinces in April 2007, turning up more than 1,000 km that were built during Warring States Period (475-221 BC), Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Gansu is home to the most Great Wall ruins.

(www.chinanews.com)

Driver carefully stops bus before dying

Yang Huaihui, 38, a bus driver in Baoji, Shaanxi province, seems to have had the safety of his passengers in mind when he pulled his bus to the curb and died on Monday.

Yang was driving from Baoji to Fengxiang, a nearby county, when he felt a pain in his head. He pulled his busload of 20 people over, fell down on the steering wheel and died. Doctors said Yang had died of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and were surprised that he could control the bus.

(Chinese Business View)

(China Daily 04/01/2008 page6)