Chinese Lives

South provinces in China including Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunan, Guizhou and Guangdong suffered unusual ice rain and snow weather. In Hunan province, a few power transmission towers were malfunctioned after being covered by thick ice. Three maintenance staffs died when the electricity lines they repaired collaped under heavy ice weight and hit them.

Since the begining of January, mid-China and south-China has been trapped in heavy snowing weather, which was acclaimed by official weather station as unusual in 50 years. According to weather forcast, snowing icing weather will last in next few days, which may shock the nation if it snowed out of control just in 10 days before our traditional Spring New Year.

The worst affected people were travellers. Sources said a train heading from Guangdong to Hunan were trapped in the middle of journey due to frozen railroad, lack of electric power related to collaped electricity post, whose on board passengers lack food, sleep, clean toilet and constant communication with family.

Frozen highway slowed traffic down to crawling speed, and even caused multi-vehicle crash accident. Sources said in Jiangxi 16 driving vehicle crashed including a police car and several other massive vans, a child was killed in the crash and a few people dropped through gap when they tried to run away to the opposite in the dark.

Meanwhile, higher pricing on vegetable hit city residents. Necessity vegetables such as Chinese lettuce rose 5 times and rice price rose nearly 10 times in some places. Supermarkets had panic customers empty grocery shelves. Old people were suggest stay home in order not to fall injured when walk outside.

It puts the government accountablity on test at this moment, since Spring New Year is equally the most important moments for every Chinese. At present 5 provinces are in heavy snow weather for continuously 2 weeks, which have many cases of power cut and water supply cut due to the unprepared icy condition.

British Prime Minister Brown was in China on a 3 day state visit from 18th January to 20th January. Brown’s visit secured 800 million US dollar business contract in China. Compared to Blair, the former Prime Minister who impresses Chinese with a good sense of humor, Brown more or less shows practical.

Disastrous snow weather hit Hubei and adjacent provinces in China from 11th this month to today。Hubei weather forcast station say average snow amount in a week is about 10-20mm. In 69 provincial cities and counties, snow coverage is about 10 centimeters, while in a few higher land area, there may be over 30 centimeters snow.

The mid-south area is issued red code warning regarding heavy snow cold weather. From 18th, after motorway and cross-river motor way became frozen, most major intercity motorways have been closed, which will add more pressure to rail transport in the pre New Year critical period.

Though snow is beautiful natural scenery to appreciate, people in agricultural regions with less convenient communication and living supplies were badly hit. They could lose half a year’s income if their outdoor crops, vegetable plants, and chicken nests collaps against severe weather.

China National Aquatics Center, also nicknamed Water Cube has completed after 3 years’ construction. It has capacity of 17,000, and will host 2008 Olympic water games such as Swimming, Diving and Synchronized Swimming.

It is the world’s largest ETFE clad structure, which keep more light and heat than glass panel. Like China’s National Grand Theatre, the Aquatics Center is strikingly outstanding.

University graduates not only stand still for photo shooting at graduation ceremony, but have more weird funny ideas of photo posing.

China’s Spring New Year drops on Feb 7 this year, and presently 22 days pre new year, a battle called getting home is now on. Students, farmer workers and all others who work outside where families live will spend New Year with families at home, which make the rail system to care for 20 million person/time travel every year in 40 days covering both before and after New Year’s Day.

Some major cities in China, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing seem to be emptied before New Year, because people return to their hometown, while 5 days after New Year’s Day, big volume of population head back to big cities mentioned above via rail system.

Airplanes and buses only divert small part passengers due to their transport capacity. Last year, I joined Spring Travel on route from UK to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Shen Zhen, Shen Zhen to Wuhan, which was expensive and long long journey. In Shen Zhen, my plane was 5 hours late.

Here below, compared to my exhaustion and stress, this is a real pain to queque for tickets five days before departure and know your seat on train is on depend, because pressure on rail is like 1/3 world population on the train. To transport more people home, rail system has to sell standing ticket.

At last, my best wished to every Chinese on their way home.

The only bridge pillar with dragons pattern is in Shanghai, and it was said that Shanghai had a real dragon underneath where that bridge was contructed. Digging on dragon’s place irritated the dragon, who delayed whole project. Finally, a respectful monk prayed three days and provided with a resolution of dragon pillar, but unfortunately he died afterwards because he leaked details to others, which was forbidden.

Fengshui masters or monks are often consulted before big building projects get ahead, and often suddenly summoned to sing prayers for days, so as to please ghosts and gods who are disturbed by people.

For many Chinese without a beautiful face, amazing figure or gifted talents, no worries,because all roads lead to Rome. Golden rules top 3 are attention, attention, attention.

From nobody to shameless somebody, Miss Lotus, nicke named Furong Jiejie becomes China’s NO.1 hot chick on interne in two years’ time. She efforted in posting weird posed pictures and unusual diary on how she suffered from car accident and her talents in dancing, though her signature chin up, half squat, bottom upward pose was mocked like needing loo badly.

As a matter of fact, compared jobless two years ago, fame from internet bring her real gold by playing performance guest to fashion show, small-budget movie, company advertising venue, as well as hosting programe and debuting her first music single.