Around Beijing

1.Xicheng

Couple jailed for blackmail attempt

A couple have been sentenced to prison terms for using nude photos to attempt to blackmail a woman out of 50,000 yuan, Beijing Times reported on Sunday.

The court heard that the husband, surnamed Liu, took a nude photo of his lover in early April and extorted 10,000 yuan from her by threatening to make the picture public.

Several days later, the woman called police after receiving text messages from both Liu and his wife urging her to pay another 40,000 yuan for the picture.

Police arrested Liu when he turned up at his lover's workplace to collect the money.

Xicheng district court sentenced Liu to two years and 10 months in prison.

His wife was sentenced to one and a half years in jail with two years of probation.

2.Chaoyang

Policeman hurt in hit-and-run

A car hit a police officer involved in an anti-smuggling operation before being driven off on Saturday, according to Beijing Youth Daily on Sunday.

The injured policeman was hospitalized but is now out of danger and expected to recover.

The incident happened in the courtyard of the inspection center for non-trade articles at the Beijing Customs facility.

The policeman, surnamed Tu, was trying to stop an unlicensed car when the driver suddenly sped up and knocked him down. Tu sustained injuries to his head and face.

Beijing Customs investigators are looking for the driver and the case remains under investigation.

Prized relics to be seen during show

An exhibition of important relics will be held in Beijing Guanghua 5 Art Exhibition Space from Oct 21 to 25.

Organizers recently released the list of treasures that will be on display during the Second Beijing China Art International Fair.

Highlights among the rare antiques and art include the armor worn by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), an exquisite Qinghua porcelain vase with patterns of plum blossom made during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and an imperial jade seal from the Qing Dynasty.

The items are owned by domestic and overseas collectors or agencies and "some were even hard to find in museums", according to the organizers.

At the same time, a series of high-end forums concerning art collection and investment as well as the function of city museums will be held.

Representatives from the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art will join the discussion.

3.Haidian

Students prepared to pay for luck

The rents in apartment buildings near some of Beijing's top universities, especially those rooms that have housed successful applicants for postgraduate examinations, are on the rise as students begin to rent homes to prepare for upcoming postgraduate examinations in January.

The reason for the rent hikes is the demand for some apartments because of their perceived good luck, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Sunday.

A regular single room, for example, which usually costs several hundred yuan a month, surged to 1,500 because former tenants had been selected for top universities.

The rent discrepancies are common around universities including Peking University and Renmin University of China.

Disgraced diet expert reappears

A micro blog claiming to be written by Zhang Wuben, a self-proclaimed diet therapist, has been started on Sina.com, Beijing News reported on Sunday.

The identity of the micro-blogger has not yet been confirmed but Sina will not interfere with the blogger's freedom of speech, whether it is Zhang or not, said Cao Zenghui, who is in charge of the operation of the micro blog.

Zhang became well known after appearing on a talkshow in February and then publishing a best-seller that claimed to offer cures for diseases through diet.

In May, it was revealed that his qualifications, including his certification as a nutritionist, had been faked. Medical experts also questioned his diet theories.

The micro-blogger has posted messages about diet therapy, including observations that eating bean and raw eggplant can cure some diseases.

Hearing-impaired drivers licensed

More than 100 hearing-impaired people in the capital received their driving licenses on Saturday, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The driving licenses they received are almost the same as regular licenses but contain the instruction: "Please use hearing aid when driving."

If they are involved in an accident or other situation in which they need to call police, hearing-impaired drivers are advised to use text messages instead of making direct phone calls. A special team will work around the clock to convey the messages and give feedback.

China Daily

(China Daily 09/27/2010)