China Scene: West

School calls in barbers to chop students' locks

More than 40 male students in a middle school in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, were forced to queue for haircuts earlier last month.

The students' long locks broke the school's rules and, according to the teachers, diverted their attention during class, so the barbers were called in.

Parents firmly supported the school because it was taking their children too long to do their hair each day.

(Ningxia Daily)

Unique 100-yuan bank note deemed genuine

A resident of Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, wanted to sell a 100-yuan banknote that had an inverted watermark.

"One day in 2003 when I went shopping, the shop girl handed back the note to me without any reason," the woman surnamed Zhou said. "My husband found the watermark of the note was upside down when I went back home and showed the note to him. Then I kept it at home."

Earlier last month Zhou brought the note to a bank for identification, which showed the note was genuine.

(Beijing News)

2.38 m man thought to be China's tallest

A Shandong province man who towers above everyone else at a formidable 2.38 m is believed to be the tallest man in the country.

Twenty-one-year old Zhang Huan began playing basketball at the age of 12, when he was already 1.8 m. But, a waist injury forced him to retire prematurely in 2005.

Zhang, who wears EU size-72 shoes, was once trained by Yao Ming, China's famous NBA player, who gave the youngster a shirt and pair of shoes. "Yao's shoes are only size 56 and his height is 2.26 m," Zhang smiled.

(Xinjiang Metropolis Daily)

Bank theft fugitive surrenders after 10 years

After ten years on the run, a former bank employer who embezzled hundreds of thousands of yuan finally surrendered to local police last month in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Thirty-three-year-old Xiao Zhang illegally took over 600,000 yuan ($85,714) of public funds from the bank that employed him between 1995 and 1997. The disgraced clerk fled in 1998, when the bank was investigating him after discovering the missing funds.

(Xiao Zhang is not his real name)

(Xinjiang Metropolis Daily)

10 kg tumor removed from man's head

Yang Lei, a resident of Anhui province, underwent a successful operation in which a 10 kg tumor was removed from his head earlier last month in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province.

The tumor started to grow on Yang's head in May 2004, and he received an operation in June that year. However, the doctors at a hospital in Yang's hometown cut off only part of the tumor because it was on an artery. Later, Yang was admitted to Xi'an Xijing Hospital, one of the best in China, for further treatment. After careful examination, the doctors decided that the tumor could be completely removed.

(Sanqin Metropolis Daily)

(China Daily 06/03/2008 page6)