China Scene: North

Student helps dying woman with wedding photo

To help a dying woman fulfill her wish to become a bride, a college student from Hohhot, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, posed for a wedding photo with her on Sunday.

Li Xiao'e, 24, has been in bed for the past 13 years, fighting with leukemia. Though she had never been able to meet any men of her age, she never gave up hope of becoming a bride some day so she could leave a wedding photo to her parents when she dies.

A few days ago, she signed an agreement to leave her organs to those in need after her death. Touched by her goodness, a student surnamed Chen decided to help get her wish.

(Inner Mongolia Daily)

Lenience urged for son who killed abusive father

As many as 300 villagers from Benxi, a city in Liaoning province, urged local authorities to be lenient on a 16-year-old boy who killed his drunkard father after the latter stabbed his mother.

The villagers said the father regularly beat his wife and son when he was drunk.

On Friday, Pang Xijun, the father, stabbed his wife nine times after she took his liquor away from him. Seeing his mother suffering, the boy chased after his dad and killed him in a rage.

(Beijing Evening News)

Repeat offender sent to jail for chopping down trees

A farmer from Beijing's Fangshan district was sentenced to four years in jail for illegally chopping down 24 trees along a reservoir and selling them for more than 10,000 yuan ($1,400).

Wu Youwei and his friend Wang Hong had previously both been jailed for larceny and were released just months ago. However, that did not keep them from stealing trees.

Wu was sentenced to a four-year term, while Wang got three years. Their sentences reflected the fact that they had committed other crimes within the last five years.

(Beijing Times)

Teenager given party before being sent to jail

Zhang Haijun, a female judge, helped Xiao Yu, a 16-year-old girl from Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, celebrate her birthday at the court where she was being sentenced to 15 years in jail for willful and malicious injury.

When she saw her boyfriend with another girl, Xiao Yu flew into a rage and killed her. She was in court for the offense on Monday.

During the trial, Zhang learned that Xiao Yu had not had a birthday party since her parents divorced 12 years ago. The judge held a party for her in the hope of encouraging her to serve her sentence and return to society as soon as possible.

(Shenyang Evening News)

(China Daily 04/30/2008 page6)