Search

The article reports that Chinese sportswear firms Anta Sports Products and Li Ning will use the Beijing 2008 Games to build their brands and share some Olympic exposure. Fujian-based Anta will be the main sponsor of Chinese Basketball Association, a strategy that analysts say is targeted at the huge midtier mass markets. Losing out to Adidas to become the official sportswear sponsor at the games, Li Ning's market presence is expected to strengthen with its acquisition of Shanghai Double Happiness Co., a leading maker of ping-pong tables and equipment.

The article discusses a surplus of bachelors in China. An estimate based on 2005 data found that among single persons under the age of 20, there were 32 million more males than females. The imbalance has spawned chicanery whereby some newly-married wives collect a customary cash payment from the groom, then flee.

This article describes the journey and efforts of Liu Jishu and Tang Shuxiu to return home to a village near the sight of a devastating earthquake in China on May 12, 2008 to find their missing daughter. The two are migrant construction workers who had been working eight hundred miles away in Beijing. Many laborers such as Liu and Tang must leave children at home and travel great distances to earn money.

The article details plans made by U.S. Olympics Games corporate sponsors trying to avoid green movement protesters. Activist groups such as Olympic Dream for Darfur are protesting China's support for the Darfur conflict, and the sponsors advertising in the Games. Public relations personnel for corporations such as Johnson & Johnson are offering public service announcements about public health.

The article focuses on the impact regulations imposed in 2006 in China will have on the country's direct sales industry. China imposed a ban on the sales in 1998. The ban was lifted in 2005 but China then imposed strict regulations on direct sales companies operating in the company. Analysts feel that China's $3 billion direct sales industry, which includes Avon and the Amway Corp, will see a 10.7% annual growth rate from 2006 to 2011 compared to 22% annual growth rate seen from 2001 to 2006.

The article focuses on the construction boom in Beijing, China, in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games. The author discusses the preparations that the city is making for the Olympics. There are over 10,000 building sites in the city as of December, 2006, according to the article. The author discusses the overtime hours that construction workers are putting into completing Olympics-related building projects. The article also discusses the rate of industrial accidents related to the construction boom.

The article discusses a planned clinical trial on stem cell use in spinal cord injury which will be conducted by Wise Young, a Rutgers University professor and well known researcher in the field. The research is to be conducted in China, a country which has come under criticism for its use of stem cell therapy whose effectiveness has not been proven in clinical trials.

The article reports on the development of museums in China, including Beijing's planned International Motor Museum. The Chinese government has launched a plan to construct or renovate 1,000 museums by 2010. The author discusses the political and cultural debates concerning museums in China. According to the author, the museum renovations are in part spurred by the 2008 Olympics, which will be held in Beijing, China.

The article reports that people in China are shunning chicken, in light of fears about avian flu. English teacher Clare Wei says it is risky to eat chicken and does not order food from the KFC restaurant in Beijing. Sales of chicken, duck meat and eggs have been affected. Statistics for Yum Brands Inc. are provided. There have been efforts to influence Chinese consumers, but health officials are concerned about the virus mutating and infecting humans.

Observes that all across China, budget travelers are overnighting at bathhouses. Perception of bathhouse lodgings as clean but affordable accommodations; Role of the bathhouses in catering to the country's growing middle class as they travel for business and pleasure; How the bathhouses are part of a wave of cheap hotels, motels and other travel accommodations that are springing up across China to fill the booming demand; Reference to preparations for the tourist boom leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics; Intent of budget-hotel operators to create brand awareness and uniformity of service; Examples of family-friendly bathhouses.

The article reports on the views of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on China's economic stimulus measures. According to Wen, these measures are helping consumer spending and growth. He cited that foreign automobile makers and other manufacturers are already seeing a rebound in sales in the country. It is noted that the resilience of Chinese spending contrasts with cutbacks by U.S. and European consumers.

The article reports on a staff restructuring in China by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. which may result in about 2.5 percent of its local work force relocating or getting pay cuts. The changes will reduce Wal-Mart's management system, by cutting jobs at the middle-manager level. Affected employees will be relocated to other stores in neighboring areas or face reduced salaries. Jonathan Dong, a spokesman for Wal-Mart in China offered a statement about the moves of Wal-Mart.

The article reports that the Clinique brand cosmetics of Estée Lauder were incorporated into the plotlines of "Sufei's Diary," a Chinese version of the Web series "Sofia's Diary." It notes that Sony Pictures Television International, which owns the franchise of the Web series, produce the show and marketed it to Estée Lauder. It states that "Sufei's Diary" has attracted over 20 million views on the Web sites Sina and Youku, and on the Chinese university broadband network Cernet.com.

This article reports on the move of police in China to detain 12 people in connection with the fire that gutted a 44-story building in Beijing, China. Among the people detained is the construction chief for the compound where the building is located and three other employees of the China Central Television. The other eight people are employees of the fireworks company hired for the firework show. The fire occurred during the Lunar New Year celebration when people light firecrackers.

The article reports that China Central Television accepted blame for fire that heavily damaged a 44-story building next to its iconic new headquarters in Beijing, China. According to the state broadcaster, an unauthorized fireworks display organized by one of its employees set off a blaze that damaged the building. It is noted that the admission of culpability is an embarrassment for the state broadcaster.

This articles reports on the plan of the Chinese government to spur consumption of rural residents in the country to offset the decline in demand for Chinese exports abroad. It says that the Ministry of Commerce aims to put up 150,000 stores in the countryside in 2009 to offer rural residents easy access to safe consumer goods. The plan of the government is expected to generate 775,000 jobs. The plan of the government is also aimed at keeping the economic growth which was dented by the global recession. The government will offer subsidies to consumers.

This article reports on the destruction by fire of a 44-storey tower located in the central business district of Beijing, China. According to the city government of Beijing the fire was caused by fireworks from the Lunar New Year celebrations. The brand new tower was supposed to house the flagship hotel in China of Mandarin Orioental International Ltd. The details on the plan for the building are presented.

The article focuses on the coping mechanism of school headmaster Zhou Dexiang after an earthquake destroyed the Dongqi Middle School and killed his wife and daughter in China. Zhou intends to focus his energy on creating change instead of grieving. Some parents consider the principal accountable for the death of their children as he should have known the educational facility was not safe. He also published a book remembering the victims and conducts a counseling session once a week for Chinese students.

The article focuses on a plan to achieve universal health care unveiled by the government of Beijing, China in October 2008. The plan's overall goal is to provide health insurance coverage to 90 percent of the population within two years and achieve universal health care by 2020. The plan suggests funneling all revenue raised by public hospitals to state coffers. Critics are pointing out the failure of the plan to address how the government would pay for its nationalization program if hospitals are restrained from earning more.

The article reports on the institution of new press laws in China which make it easier for foreign media to report within the country. These rules make permanent a relaxing of China's traditional press restrictions that had been put in place in the run-up to the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing. Still critics note that the liberalized rules do not apply to Chinese journalists who are not allowed to work as journalists for foreign media organizations and whose works are liable to censorship by the state.

The article speculates that after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China's powerful sports programs will undergo changes. Wang Jun of the General Administration of Sport of China says he sees more private-sector participation in it. The author said money is the biggest reason for the change. With the Beijing Olympics over, there is pressure to divert spending to other programs. This opens opportunities for multinational corporations and sports leagues like the National Basketball Association and other entrepreneurs to profit from China's sports program.

The article reports on the increasing number of female Olympians. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), of the 10,500 Olympians competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 42 percent are female, up from 34.2 percent at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Under the direction of its president, Jacques Rogge, the IOC has made increasing the numbers of women one of its primary goals, mandating that each national Olympic committee come up with a plan to increase female participation.

The article reports that Chinese sportswear brands Erke and Li Ning's Groups are sponsoring Olympic teams that other big global giants would not outfit. Erke will sponsor North Korea, while Li Ning will sponsor Sudan. This decision has alarmed human rights activist over the brands' association with nations known for human rights violations and genocide. Executives of the sports brands say their sponsorship is about the athletes and not the policies of their rulers. The deals also give their brands international prestige to Chinese consumers.

The article features Chinese weightlifter, Chen Yanqing who won her second gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games on August 11, 2008. The 29-year old, who was heavily favored to win the event, broke two world records. Chen is a product of China's state-run centralized sports system who has been weightlifting since age 11. At her age, she still dominates her division but admits that lifting weights has become more difficult over time.

This article presents information on the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics held in Beijing, China. The host city opened the event with a mix of traditional performance and technological wizardry that shows the country's transition into an economic powerhouse. A display of fireworks began the ceremony. The event proceeded with performances in front of the estimated 91,000 spectators, athletes and world leaders.

The article announced that China designated space in three Beijing parks for protests during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. These areas include the city's main diplomatic area and the university district near the venues but away from main stadiums. According to the security chief of the Beijing games, Chinese law protects legal assembly, but requires protestors to obtain a government permit. The decision came after prodding from the International Olympic Committee who said that Chinese authorities were encouraged to find ways to manage any protests.

The article reports on the plans of authorities in China to reduce the number of automobiles in the roads of Beijing by almost half in a two-month period beginning July 20, 2008. Automobiles will be permitted to run on roads on alternating basis based on even and odd number license plates until September 20. Environmental Protection Bureau spokesman Du Shaozhong stated that the measure would guarantee good air quality in time for the Olympic Games. The air quality in the country was rated at Level 3 or slightly polluted on June 20.

The article focuses on a search for someone to blame for the Sichuan earthquake which led to the collapse of Dongqi Middle School in China in May 2008. The school was operated for years by a subsidiary of state-owned power-generating equipment producer Dongfang Electric Corp. According to government statistics, the country was devoting 2.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to education. It says that it is not clear whether underfunding led to systematic construction problems at schools that exacerbated the death toll across the earthquake zone.

The article reports that Chinese officials stopped protests by parents angry over the deaths of their children in the May 2008 earthquake. The complaints of grieving parents who say poor construction led to their children's deaths is a sensitive issue for the Chinese government. Just two months before the Beijing Olympics, Chinese authorities are balancing the demands of disaster relief work with the need to manage growing unrest among parents. Restrictions were tightest is areas where collapsed schools killed hundreds of students.

The article reports that the Chinese government is giving an annual sum of $144 to parents who have lost their only child in the May 12, 2008 earthquake in the Sichuan province. Such financial aid is part of the one-child policy of the country and further compensation is expected to be given after the investigation on charges regarding poor school construction that led to the death of many students is completed. Those whose only child was injured during the earthquake will also be given financial assistance.

The article reports on greater government openness and accountability sought by Chinese citizens after the May 12, 2008 earthquake. It notes that enabled by the Internet and domestic media, and fueled by an outpouring of emotions over the earthquake, citizens are asking pointed questions about the devastation. According to China, over 68,500 people had died and 19,350 were still missing as of May 29. Lin Qiang, an official responsible for schools in Sichuan, has admitted that corruption might have contributed to the collapse of schools.

The article reports on the issue of collapsed schools in China as a result of the May 12, 2008 earthquake. On May 26, a photograph was published by the Chinese media showing Communist Party Secretary Jiang Guohua on May 25 pleading with parents whose children died in collapsed schools during the earthquake. Other problems faced by the Chinese government are possible floods from quake lakes, damages to reservoirs and connected dams.

The article reports on the problems faced by hospitals in the Sichuan province of China after the area was hit by an earthquake on May 12, 2008. After thousands of earthquake victims were rushed to various hospitals in the said province, they are said to be refusing to leave even after treatment since their houses have collapsed. Others fear to transfer to other hospitals in Beijing or Shanghai due to high medical fees. Hospital officials state that most healthy patients are taking up rooms that are supposed to be for other patients.

The article reports on migrant workers from Sichuan province in China who are anguished over the plight of family members and relatives back home in the light of the earthquake which struck the area. Natives leave Sichuan for work elsewhere in China because the local economy has not kept pace with the rest of the country. According to official data, 8 million migrant workers come from Sichuan but the number excludes many unregistered workers. Other estimates place the number of Sichuanese migrant workers at 20 million.

The article reports that China would not yet accept international aid for its earthquake-stricken areas in Sichuan province as of May 14, 2008. Wang Zhenyao, head of the department of disaster-relief of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, expressed his government's hesitation to accept aid to reporters. According to the state news agency Xinhua, offers of aid have come from the U.S., Japan and Germany. The disaster-relief activities launched by the government are also cited.

The article focuses on the role of online technologies in broadcasting news about the earthquake in Sichuan, China in 2008. One college student in the province recorded the upheaval at the Sichuan University and posted it online. The proliferation of new communications technologies is said to have helped encouraging greater transparency from the government, which previously keep information about disasters secret. The usefulness of the Twitter online service in emergencies is tackled.

The article reports on how the Olympic torch relay was perceived inside and outside of China. According to observers, the torch relay was a public-relations disaster because of protests, especially on China's policy on its Tibetan population. However, torch relay reportedly received favorably in mainland China when it arrived on May 4, 2008. Views by communications consultants and Beijing Olympic corporate sponsors are offered.

The article reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sent letters to all national Olympic organizing committees stating that athletes should avoid clothes, gestures or actions that demonstrate political, religious or racial propaganda at the various locations of Olympic games in Beijing, China. The letter represents the most explicit pronouncements of IOC as of May 2008, explaining a prohibition on the use of the Olympic Games as a political venue. The move is reportedly an attempt to prevent protests in the most controversial Games.

The article reports on the plan of China to bring the Olympic torch to the summit of Mount Everest in borders of Nepal, Tibet and China to mark its arrival in China in 2008. To avoid protesters, China has reportedly asked cooperation from Nepal to impose a lockdown on the mountain up to May 10, 2008. The preparations undertaken by the Chinese government for the event, protesters' views and pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to influence Beijing to skip Tibet are also reported.

The article reports on the attempt of Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee in China to resume selling tickets on May 5, 2008. Ticketing center director Zhu Yan cited that organizers have no option but to try selling tickets again on first-come, first-served basis. The demand to watch the Olympics is anticipated to be stronger compared to previous games despite recent controversy over human-rights record of the country. The joint venture Gehua Ticketmaster developed a ticketing platform for the games.

The article reports on the efforts of China to improve its medal haul for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. China is expected to field 550 athletes, 50% more than what it sent to the 2004 Athens Olympics, in an attempt to increase its chances for Olympic medals. Chinese athletes, on the other hand, are pushing for reforms and pressuring their federations for more freedom and bigger share of China's sports funding.

The article reports that many corporate sponsors of the 2008 Beijing Olympics are following their plan to continue supporting the Games despite mounting global protests against China's crackdown on Tibetan protests and imprisonment of political activists. Most sponsors have refrained from criticizing the Chinese government for fear of being shut out of the country's domestic market. Sponsors such as Coca-Cola revealed that they would not issue a public statement on China's human rights.

The article reports on the reaction of Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to protests at the relay of the Olympic torch across the continents. Rogge condemned anti-China protesters and insisted the Beijing Olympics will not be derailed, saying that politics invited itself in sports. He reiterated the neutrality of the IOC on debates about China and hinted the possible modification of an international torch relay in the future.

The article reports on the increasing tensions over Tibet, China as activists stage demonstrations ahead of the start of the Olympic torch relay in March 2008. The Chinese government is augmenting its security measures in the province and prohibiting access to Mount Everest as it seeks to prevent disruption of the symbolic event and of the Beijing Olympic Games in August. The torch relay also caused controversy after organizers wanted it to pass through Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.

The article reports on the opening of a $3 billion airport terminal in Beijing, China on February 29, 2008, which marks one of the milestone in the transformation of the city prior to the Olympic Games. It predicts that the Beijing airport will be able to handle about 90 million passengers annually by 2012 with the new terminal. It attributes the growth of air travel in the country to rising prosperity, easing of travel restrictions and growing interest in leisure travel. British architect Norman Foster designed the terminal.

The article reports that closures of pollutant-generating factories in China will continue as the government struggles to ensure good air quality for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. More than 40 factories are set to be closed in addition to 47 others that closed down in 2007 according to the Xinhua news agency. Officials are reportedly reluctant to release details as it may dampen economic investment. Chinese official Du Shaozhong said that other anti-pollution measures will be taken in time for the opening of the games on August 8, 2008.

The article focuses on the impact of rising costs and tighter regulations on low-cost manufacturers in China. About 10% of the 60,000 to 70,000 Hong Kong-owned factories in the Pearl River Delta region are expected by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries to close in 2008. Some factory owners are relocating to places where they can enjoy lower costs and investment incentives. A labor contract law which took effect on January 1, 2008 is said to be one of the main catalyst behind the shifting climate for light manufacturers.

The article reports on the plans of McDonald's Corp. to accelerate its growth in China by opening 125 outlets in the country in 2008. According to the article, half of the new outlets will have drive-through windows. It reveals that roughly 28% of sales come from drive-through customers at the 60 Chinese outlets that offer the service. McDonald's has partnered with gasoline retailer Sinopec to have outlets at some filling stations.

The article reports that Ding Zhenkuan, deputy chief of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Work Safety, disclosed at a news conference that six workers have been killed during construction work for the Olympics in August 2008. This is the first time Beijing has acknowledged fatalities and is seen by observers as a test of Beijing's promise to improve transparency. The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games denied an article in "Sunday Times" claiming Chinese authorities are covering up the deaths of 10 workers at the Beijing National Stadium.