China Scene: West

Volunteer lawyers looking out for kids' rights

Three hundred seventy two lawyers in Shaanxi province have become volunteers to protect children's rights.

The lawyers set up a network on Saturday in Xi'an, capital of the province. The lawyers, who hail from 66 counties and districts across the province, will provide free services to children.

(Chinese Business View)

Students take to covering stylish hair with wigs

Students at high schools and middle schools in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have taken to wearing wigs to avoid getting in trouble for dying or curling their hair.

Yang Xiaorui, a third grade student at a high school in the city, got her hair curled, but her school forbids students from styling their hair. To avoid getting in trouble, she has started wearing a wig. Many other students, both boys and girls, have taken to disguising their stylish hairdos.

Yan Xiaogang, deputy principal of No 20 High School in the city, said middle and high school students are not allowed to dye their hair, and that the teachers hope the students will pay more attention to their studies.

(Urumqi Evening News)

Shaanxi museums begin opening doors to public

The Shaanxi History Museum became the first of 50 museums in the province to open its doors free to the public last week.

Ma Li, director of the museum department of the Shaanxi provincial heritage administration bureau, all museums in the province will be free by the end of next year. Both tourists and local residents were happy about the new policy, saying it would give them more chances for people to learn about Chinese history.

(Sanqin Metropolis Daily)

Police swoop on imposter during sham car sale

Police arrested a man surnamed Tan on Sunday for impersonating a police officer in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province

That evening, officers at the Jinyang road police station received a report that an officer was attempting to sell a car for a very low price because the owner was missing. As responding officers approached the man, he said hello and introduced himself as a criminal police officer from the Jinyang road police station. They arrested him immediately.

(Chengdu Evening News)

(China Daily 04/02/2008 page6)