For all the tea in China, head to Shantou

The people of Shantou, Guangdong Province, drink more tea than anyone else in China, in total 700 million yuan (US$87.5 million) each year.

The town is the home of Kung Fu Tea, and residents say they would prefer to have no rice for three days than no tea for a day. There are more teahouses and teashops in the town than restaurants.

Shantou Daily

McDonald's gets fried in ice-cream case

A court in Shenzhen has ordered a local McDonald's to pay compensation of 6,800 yuan (US$850) to a girl who was injured in the store.

The girl's mother bought her an ice-cream last October, but the girl cut her nose on the packaging and suffered heavy bleeding. The mother filed a lawsuit after failing to win compensation, but the company is disputing the result, and will appeal to a higher court.

Guangzhou Daily

Guangdong launches 'best employer' contest

Guangdong Province is to launch an award to find the 30 best employers.

All non-government companies with no record of payment delay and tax evasion will be considered.

The campaign is a response to the growing number of cases of payment delay in the prosperous province.

New Express News

Cold chicken sales down amid bird flu fears

Sales of Baicheji, cold boiled chicken, have been plummeting in Guangzhou since a local resident died of bird flu.

The chicken is usually only half cooked, to keep the meat soft and full of flavour. However, this has not been a safe way of consuming chicken due to the bird flu threat.

One restaurant that is famous for its Baicheji said it hadn't received a single order for it in a week.

Information Times

Zoo birds vaccinated against H5N1 virus

More than 3,000 birds in Guangzhou zoo have been vaccinated against H5N1 bird flu virus.

It is the first time the zoo has vaccinated its birds, which include peacocks, parrots, ostriches, mandarin ducks and swans.

Southern Metropolis News

Local celebrity wedding centre of attention

A love story of a handsome 22-year-old man and his deaf-and-dumb 26-year-old lover has been the talk of the city of Yingde in Guangdong Province for months.

They got married this week, and the ceremony was attended by hundreds of officials, businessmen and neighbours.

The bridegroom said he was attracted by the woman's kind-heartedness and industry. They mainly use text messages to communicate.

Nanfang Daily

(China Daily 03/14/2006 page5)