China Scene: East

Former classmates square off over wives' looks

Wang and Sun are former classmates and were ecstatic when they bumped into each other at a hotel in Qingdao, Shandong province, on the evening of Jan 17. The two were attending different banquets, but that did not stop them from drinking to each other's health.

However, the fun ended when Wang got drunk and announced that his wife was more beautiful than Sun's wife. Not one to take such slights lying down, Sun said his wife was more beautiful. The reunion ended in blows.

Each of the men then sued the other asking for compensation for their medical bills.

However, the court ruled that each of them had to pay for their own treatment because their fight resulted from a trivial matter.

(Peninsular News)

Steel ball feat gets the blood flowing

A 56-year-old man in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, can rotate two 2.5-kg steel balls on one hand.

Chen Puxian exercises with the 8-cm steel balls every day to boost blood circulation and treat hypertension.

Most people would struggle to hold the heavy balls in one hand, but Chen controls them with ease.

He began practicing the one-handed exercise in 1995 with 1.25-kg balls and eventually graduated to the heavier ones.

Hands have acupuncture points that connect to the heart, according to traditional Chinese medicine, and exercising them can help circulation and hypertension.

(Urban Express)

(China Daily 04/11/2008 page6)