China Scene: East

Stand-in mother raises doubts among netizens

A woman who recently posted an ad to sell her motherly love for 300 yuan ($38) a day has triggered hot debate among netizens.

The 20-something Hangzhou native, surnamed Chen, is outgoing and enjoys playing with children. She offered to temporarily play mother for the children of single father families. She also offered to host birthday parties and attend parents' meetings at schools. Within 10 days after the message was posted, Chen had made two deals. However, some netizens doubted Chen's capability as she does not actually have any children of her own.

(Qianjiang Evening News)

Extremely rare butterfly found dead in park

A rare but precious Teinopalpus aureus butterfly was found dead in a nature reserve near Jinggang Mountain, Jiangxi Province.

The species is the world's most precious and the only Class I State-protected butterfly in China. There are fewer Teinopalpus aureus than there are pandas. The dead male butterfly from the nature reserve was processed for future study. Several years ago a group of domestic butterfly researchers found three Teinopalpus aureus in the mountains of Jiangxi Province.

(www.cctv.com)

Kitten survives long passage in steamer trunk

A kitten magically survived at least 35 days in a sealed trunk aboard a cargo ship without any food or water.

The kitten was found dying in a trunk containing motorcycle parts by a store owner in North Carolina, the United States, who had ordered the materials from Shanghai. Given that the journey from Shanghai to North Carolina normally takes dozens of days, the owner presumed the kitten had been in the trunk for at least a month. People said it was a miracle that the cat had survived for so long without food or water.

(Chongqing Morning Post)

Quick trip to toilet turns into an hour in hiding

Worried that people would think he was a pervert, a man in Shangrao, Jiangxi, who accidentally used a women's toilet hid in one of the stalls for about an hour until police arrived at the scene.

The 36-year-old man, surnamed Hu, rushed into a toilet to deal with an upset stomach. While in the stall, he heard women's voices and realized that he had entered the wrong toilet. Too embarrassed to leave, Hu sat in the stall for about an hour. He eventually decided to call his friend about the embarrassing situation, but a woman in the next stall heard his voice and reported him to police. After investigation, Police believed Hu's story and dismissed him.

(www.zjol.com.cn)

(China Daily 05/17/2007 page6)