China Scene: North
Old man jailed for Qing Dynasty scam
A senior citizen who sold fake craftworks has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in Beijing.
Jiang Yinglong, who came to Beijing in 2003 claimed his goods were original royal artefacts of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Jiang began his cheating to pay for treatment of his illness. In April 2004, a manager surnamed Niu from an auction house in Beijing fell victim, and was cheated of 3.3 million yuan ($428,571) after seeing Jiang's "craftworks", he insisted were antiques from the Qing royal family.
(Beijing Morning Post)
Eight years and fatter, man on the run caught
A man from Chifeng of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who fled to Beijing after seriously beating up another man has avoided police pursuit for eight years by making himself fatter with heavy meals.
While staying in Beijing, Zhang Qi gained 15 kilograms and used fake identification. However, on March 28, he was stopped on a crossroad in Guanyuan Bridge of Xicheng District with a fake driver's license. Police checks soon revealed he was a criminal at large.
(Beijing Times)
Yuck, smelly surprise not on the menu
Two diners having lunch at a restaurant in Dalian, Liaoning, were given a dirty and smelly surprise last week, when excrement and urine fell along with part of the ceiling above them, covering them in disgusting mess.
Restaurant owner, surnamed Liu, said she rented the two-storey house last year, and several workers from a factory nearby lived upstairs. Liu filed for compensation from the property management company, and company officials said their workers were dredging the blocked urinal when the sudden accident happened out of the blue. The dispute is ongoing.
(Peninsular Morning Post)
Bumbling thieves get caught in the act
Two thieves, who traveled to "try their luck" in Beijing to steal from participants at an ongoing exhibition, were caught red-handed by police.
The thieves, surnamed Wang and Yang, came from South China's Guangdong Province after reading online about a show at the Beijing International Exhibition Center.
Police netted them after people at the center called for help. The pair, both migrant workers, had stolen more than 10,000 yuan ($1,290) in cash, a laptop computer and two mobile phones.
(Beijing Daily Messenger)
Alleged murderer turns himself in out of fear
A suspected murderer from Cangzhou, Hebei, who admitted he had killed two people since last October, has turned himself in to police, saying he would rather die than flee in fear.
While on the run in neighboring Shandong Province, Xu Ruijie approached a newspaper in Jinan Shandong's provincial capital last Wednesday and asked for their help to approach police about his alleged murders.
Xu told police he first killed a person in his hometown during a robbery, and later killed another while fleeing. Xu killed the two people after he lost his job in his hometown. Police are still verifying the two cases.
(Qilu Evening News)
Short woman wins in arts, but still needs husband
A tiny 23-year-old woman in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who is only 1.01 meters high, has become a teacher in a drama institute in the regional capital of Hohhot.
Wang Yujie, who was born in a small village in the city of Chifeng, said she is quite happy at the Inner Mongolia Drama Performance and Art Institute and is proud of her job after students said she is quite "talented." When she was nine, a doctor from Beijing diagnosed her as carrying congenital dwarfism and could no longer grow. Not to be let down, she has learnt to sing and perform well. She said anyone can overcome physical obstacles and earn others' respect as long as you have self-esteem. Her parents say it's their wish to see their daughter find a good husband.
(Inner Mongolia Morning News)
(China Daily 04/03/2007 page6)
