China Scene: North

Blind to get a deserved free ride on the buses

Up to 2,000 blind people living in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, are expected to benefit from free rides on the city's buses.

Harbin Federation for the Disabled will start issuing the boarding cards in March, a spokesman for the agency said at a conference held on Tuesday.

The city government will also launch a series of community-based programs for the disabled, including free medical care for the mentally disabled.

(Heilongjiang Evening News)

Less is more warm for one resident of Dalian

A 60-year-old man has taken to wearing just a T-shirt and shorts in winter, no matter how cold the weather is.

Liu Wangqiang, from Dalian, Liaoning province, explained his habit by saying he used to be a long-distance runner and was used to taking cold baths.

His attire has caused disbelief among neighbors and some local soldiers clearing snow last winter even touched his legs to see if they were artificial.

(Dalian Evening News)

Two convicted of murder in Inner Mongolia

Two men were convicted of willful murder last Monday in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, after running down a pedestrian, and them dumping him in a remote place to let him die.

After drinking too much with Qiao, Dong drove a jeep, which knocked down Chen, one night last summer.

Instead of rushing Chen to hospital, Dong carried him to another car driven by Qiao who drove Chen to a remote area where he was left to die.

(Hohhot Evening News)

Vagrants stand their ground, refuse to move

To help a group of vagrants seeking shelter from the cold at the Shenyang Railway Station, a rescue team was sent to provide them with food and accommodation.

But the vagrants said that they had got used to their lifestyle and preferred to live they way they were.

One, a man in his 60s, threatened the team with a stick and said he would not budge unless he was given cigarettes and beer.

The team left after providing winter clothing and shoes to the vagrants.

(Shenyang Evening News)

Fasting experiment goes beyond endurance

Doctors had to free a man from a glass house where he had been living for the past 31 days without food as part of an experiment. He started to show erratic behavior last Tuesday.

Li Zhengjia had conducted a similar experiment previously to see how long he could fast. He was able to fast for 60 days.

Over the past weeks, he has only survived by drinking water.

Li has vowed to go on with his experiment once he recovers.

(Daily Update)

(China Daily 01/23/2008 page6)