China Scene: South

Monkey makes itself at home, gives birth

A Nanning resident of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was given a big surprise when a female wild bee monkey let itself into his home last Thursday to give birth to twins.

The man, surnamed Yang, found the unexpected guest had made itself at home, and an awful mess of his bed.

But instead of getting rid of the monkey, Yang took care of the mother and fed it apples, and called the local animal rescue center for help. The three monkeys were later sent to the center for further observation.

Local experts said the pregnant bee monkey, which is now under strict State protection, might have entered Yang's home in search of food.

(www.cctv.com)

Stars' smart card scheme outsmarts fans

How did some savvy film stars and teen idol singers avoid being mobbed by fans when they had to queue like everyone else in Hong Kong on Saturday for the three-year smart identity card replacement scheme? They had assistants scout the identity card replacement centers just before the closing hour so they could be the last and hence the only applicant there, according to an Immigration Department official last Tuesday.

And it turns out the stars completed the application process quickly because they were good at posing for photos.

(Wen Wei Po)

HK people look less at the bright side of life: Poll

Hongkongers are a negative lot, or so it seems, according to a street survey by the City University of Hong Kong.

More than 600 people were asked to rate the degree they loathe their dislikes in daily life. More than 60 percent gave a score above seven, on a scale of one to ten. The average score had risen to 7.03, from 6.61 in a 2006 poll.

Associate professor Dennis Wong, who headed the survey, said that Hongkongers are under higher work pressure a side effect of a booming economy while the prevalent materialistic attitude had made people more selfish.

(Ta Kung Pao)

Unexpected birth leads to unexpected residency

A mainland woman who was due to give birth next month went into labor early last Thursday on a ship from Zhuhai to Hong Kong, securing permanent residency for the baby because the ship was already in Hong Kong waters.

The woman's husband asked for help one hour after the ship left Zhuhai, Guangdong. There was no doctor among the passengers but the crew all had first-aid training. With the help of a woman sailor, a baby girl was born while the ship neared its destination port.

Both the mother and the baby are in good condition.

(Oriental Daily)

(China Daily 04/03/2007 page6)