China Scene: East
Surgeon sees through suspect's faked coma
A surgeon in Fuzhou, Fujian, outsmarted a suspected rapist who pretended to be in a coma to try to avoid court judgment.
The suspect, surnamed Chen, was sent to a hospital on January 16, the day before his trial, after he seemed to lose consciousness. Medical data indicated Chen was healthy, which puzzled doctors. Suspecting that Chen was faking, a surgeon surnamed Min announced loudly he would give Chen an injection with an extra large needle, which might cause unbearable pain. Seconds after he heard that, Chen's facial muscles started twitching. He stood up by himself minutes later.
(Fuzhou Daily)
Bikini-clad stars' photos survive flood in archive
A batch of well-preserved old photos of Shanghai celebrities from the 1930s was found in an underground archive of a Shanghai photo studio.
The Shanghai Wangkai Photography Company, on the Nanjing Road pedestrian mall, has a history of 88 years. Last month, a water pipe in its archive suddenly burst, soaking many precious collections. Days ago as the employees straightened out the files, they saw piles of archives bags marked "pornography" and "reactionary". In the bags were photos of actors and celebrities either in bikinis on yachts or in formal dress at parties. Experts said the photos would help research Chinese film history.
(Xinmin Evening News)
Parents now want young couples to have checkups
Apart from education, a decent family and salary, a healthy body has become one of the requirements Shanghai parents consider when they assess their girls' boyfriends.
According to a medical clinic in Pudong, at least a dozen young couples visit for checkups every month. Many have said that the parents would permit a romance only after they pass the exams. A mother who brought her daughter and the girl's new boyfriend for a checkup last week said if one of them had an infectious disease, finding out in a pre-martial health check would be too late.
(Xinwen Evening News)
Shanghai library starts damaged books exhibit
Minhang Library in Shanghai is displaying volumes of books deliberately damaged by readers in a bid to educate readers about the misdeeds.
Some covers were ripped off the books, some had notes scribbled on the pages and other books were cut into pieces by scissors. One worker said more than 1,000 books in the library become unusable every year. When the exhibition ends at the end of this month, the library will accept ideas from the public about how to protect books from vicious damage.
(Wenhui Daily)
(China Daily 01/23/2007 page6)
