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Chinese Police Catch Taiwanese Fraud Suspect On The Run for 16 Years

Posted: 09/8/2014 10:00 am

Two Taiwanese suspects arrested by mainland police.

A Taiwan-born suspect who fled the island 16 years ago has been arrested by police in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China News reported on September 7.

The suspect, identified by his surname Guo, is accused of fraud involving RMB 36 million and has been on the Fujian Police Department’s wanted list since 1998, said the city’s Gongbei police at a press briefing on September 6.

Guo was also listed on China’s “Hunting Fox 2014”, a police operation that targets suspects of white collar crime on the run overseas. Guo was arrested on August 30 in one of the city’s residential areas. In addition, a Macau-born suspect hiding in China was also arrested on the same day in the city, the report said.

On the back of improved cross-strait relations, a 2009 extradition treaty signed between the Mainland and Taiwan has been extremely effective at helping coordinate police raids, extradite criminals, combat fraud, drug-smuggling and counterfeit currency, reported AFP. Since the signing of the agreement, nearly 6,000 suspects have been arrested, including the infamous Chang An-lo, also known as the “white tiger”, a gang leader who was extradited to Taiwan in 2013.

As a result of the treaty, Taiwan’s fraud cases have dropped 54.3 percent from 38,802 cases worth NT$10.27 billion in 2009 to 17,744 cases worth NT$3,77 billion last year, the news agency said.

photos: CRNTT.com

 

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Zhuhai To Harness Ocean Waves at New Energy Park

Posted: 06/10/2014 8:00 am

wave energyZhuhai will be the home to a newly developed power plant that will employ the renewable energy of ocean waves, China Daily reports.

The “renewable energy trial park” will be one of three developed by 2016. The other two locations will be in Zhoushan, Zhejiang and Weihai, Shandong.

The Zhuhai park will harness the power of waves, and when complete, will be the location of a 300-kilowatt wave farm and test site. The Zhoushan site will harness tidal power, while the Weihai location will utilize both types of energy.

Deputy director of the science and technology department of the State Oceanic Administration Kang Jian said the three renewable energy parks will help speed up the commercial expansion of the wave and tidal power industry.

Guangdong Province has long been a place to develop new types of energy in China. Guangdong has three nuclear power plants in operation at Daya Bay, Lingao and Yangjiang; combining those in operation and under construction, the province has more nuclear reactors than anywhere else in China.

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Photo: the GreenAge

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Zhuhai Most Livable City in China, PRD Cities Among Most Competitive

Posted: 05/14/2014 12:03 pm

zhuhai balconyZhuhai readers of the Nanfang may have trouble reading this on their balconies as the glare of the sun reflects off a shining ocean of topaz, but here goes: you live in the most livable city in China.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has released a report that put Zhuhai ahead of Hong Kong for the first time as China’s most livable city. Rounding out the top three on the list is Haikou in Hainan Province; fellow Pearl River Delta city Shenzhen came in at the number six position.

Compiled from a list of 294 cities, the CASS determines the ranking based upon factors such as house price-to-income ratio, environment and ecology.

In another CASS report that ranks cities in terms of competitiveness, Hong Kong ranks first in China as determined by its living conditions, city harmony, cultural competitiveness, and its ability to be economically competitive.

As if to make up for not being represented enough on the previous list, PRD cities are all over this one: Shenzhen is named as the second most competitive city in China while Guangzhou is listed at number five, Foshan at number nine, and Macau at number ten.

Zhuhai was recently named at the top of a list of Chinese cities with the best air quality in a report made by the Environmental Protection Agency. Along with Shenzhen, Zhuhai was listed among six cities to score a perfect 100% record of clean days during the entire year.

But then, it may be a given that local residents know their air quality is sublime. The breeze is so crisp in Zhuhai that they flew the world’s largest kite there, and then did it again this year as though to subtly hint that such a record can’t be bested in the limpid, stale smog of the north.

Telling someone to “go fly a kite” may not be construed as a testament to urban air quality, so we’re told by the WSJ of the other reasons why Zhuhai is China’s most livable city:

Factors such as a large proportion of college students, a variety of dining and shopping venues and ample green space gave the city its edge, says Ni Pengfei, the director of the academy’s Center for City and Competitiveness.

Zhuhai: China’s answer to Fort Lauderdale. “Spring Break” will finally receive the proper Western meaning it has been lacking all along.

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Photo: typepad

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Northern Smog Forcing Expats South to Cleaner Guangdong

Posted: 05/7/2014 12:11 pm

The air quality in the Pearl River Delta is very good, if not excellent. Due to rain, brisk air currents and anti-pollution measures, Shenzhen enjoyed 81 days that complied with air quality standards classified as good or fairly good in the first quarter of this year.

And what isn’t perfect can be fixed: While a joint report published by mainland and Hong Kong environmental departments has noted both improvements and setbacks in air quality throughout various districts of Foshan, Zhuhai has gone ahead and adopted the measure of restricting vehicle use on heavily polluted days.

Furthermore, the Guangdong cities of Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Huizhou and Zhongshan have all been named to a list of cities with the cleanest air in China. As a PRD resident, you likely know this, but you should know that everyone knows this, knowledge that may lead towards an oncoming trend.

While pollution has no direct benefits save the allegorical efforts to turn carbon particles from Beijing smog into diamonds, it remains that southern Chinese cities may stand to benefit from an exodus of highly-qualified expat workers fleeing the bad air quality of the north.

XKB reports that an unnamed study has said that 48% of foreign companies in China are dissatisfied with the state of pollution in 2014, compared with only 19% in 2010.  They then verify this report by two members of the Dragonfly HR recruitment company.

Philippe Comolet-Tirman, head of the Dragonfly Group offices in Beijing, does not draw a strong correlation between the effects of pollution upon employment recruitment at first:

“Chinese people aren’t that concerned with this problem, although I’ve noticed in the past few months that an increasing number of Chinese are wearing masks during smoggy days. But in the field of HR recruitment, there has been no influence. Compared to urban air quality, job applicants in China are more concerned with the type of company, salary, distance from work among other things.”

However, Comolet-Tirman does point out a recent trend:

“Those people (in Beijing) that have worked there for a number of years are now moving to Shanghai, Southern China, even to Europe.”

Fellow colleague Homeric De Sarth, the operating manager of Dragonfly in Shenzhen, verifies this trend:

“Southern China has done a great job in preserving the air quality. Although it’s not perfect, it’s still much better than it is up north. We have discovered that many people working in Beijing and Shanghai have moved down south.”

An exodus of Beijing expats was first reported upon this past January, so we’ll see if the trend of foreign workers in norther cities seeking the sunny climes of southern China continue.

Photo: Business Insider

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World’s Largest Kite Flown in Zhuhai Breaks New World Record

Posted: 05/6/2014 11:57 am

kite guinness record chinese knotThe successful flight of a 2,600 square meter kite in Zhuhai, Guangdong has been described by organizers as having broken a new Guinness World Record, reports GMW.

The “Chinese knot” kite flew more than two hours on the morning of May 2 at the Gree Coast Kite Festival, an event that also featured competition between 18 domestic and international kite-flying teams.kite guinness record zhuhai world largest

The kite weighs approximately 500 kilograms, is 98 meters long, and required 30 men to help it take to the air. Its construction required 15,600 meters of imported nylon and underwent 30 revisions during its design.

To get a proper sense of scale, here’s the previous record holder of the “world’s largest flown kite” that weighed 200kg and had a span of 1,500 square meters. The “Mollusk Octopus” kite was flown at the same kite festival last year October:

Photo: GMW, Southcn

See also:
World’s Largest Kite – Weighing 200kg – Flown in Zhuhai 

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Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Zhongshan: Chinese Cities With Cleanest Air

Posted: 04/29/2014 12:45 pm

zhuhai airResidents of the Pearl River Delta have long known this, but here’s the news to make it official: some of the cleanest cities in China to live are located right here in the PRD.

A report released by the Environmental Protection Ministry has named the Guangdong municipalities of Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Huizhou, and Zhongshan in a list of cities in China that have the best air quality.

The March report is a current list made of 74 cities in China that include areas of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei tri-provincial area; the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl river delta, and also first-tier cities and provincial capitals around the country.

While other Chinese cities around the country only had an average of 62.3% of days in a year that conformed with environmental safety standards, Shenzhen and Zhuhai were among six cities to have a perfect 100% record of clean days during the entire year.

You can probably breathe the difference yourself, but here’s the statistical breakdown: The PRD had an average last year of 87.4% of days that conformed to environmental air quality regulations, while the average of days last year that exceeded environmental standards was 12.6%. The Pearl River Delta only had an average of “seriously polluted” days at 0.4%, and had none whatsoever of “very serious” days.

Breathe easy: The PRD is doing great when compared with only 35.1% of days that conformed to environmental standards for the tri-provincial area of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei.

If it worries you upon hearing the leading cause of death in Guangzhou is lung cancer, here’s the full list of China’s cleanest cities to which you can make your move:

  1. Haikou, Hainan Province
  2. Lhasa, Tibet Automonous Region
  3. Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province
  4. Zhuhai, Guangdong Province
  5. Shenzhen, Guangdong Province
  6. Huizhou, Guangdong Province
  7. Guiyang, Guizhou Province
  8. Nanchang, Jiangxi Province
  9. Zhongshan, Guangdong Province
  10. Nanning, Guangxi Province

Photo: CNR

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Nigerian man caught using Chinese girlfriend to smuggle drugs out of Guangdong

Posted: 03/26/2014 8:58 am

It’s often hard to find someone with that special something that draws you towards him or her. But that was not the case for a Nigerian man caught by police in Guangzhou for drug trafficking. He knew exactly what he was looking for in a girlfriend – a perfect drug mule.

According to a report by China News, the Nigerian man, whose name was not disclosed in the report, deliberately sought Chinese women as girlfriends and lured them to help him smuggle drugs by mailing packages of drugs abroad, the report said.

In order to further reduce police suspicion, the drug dealer would ask his girlfriend to send a package from Zhuhai instead of Guangzhou where he lives.

The Nigerian man was arrested after police officers at Gongbei Customs Department seized a mail package containing more than 600 grams of crystal meth sent from Zhuhai to Malaysia in January this year. After a two month investigation, the couple was arrested at an apartment they shared in Baiyuan district in Guangzhou on March 18.

This, however, is not the first time a drug dealer used Chinese girlfriends to cover his drug trail. In 2006, a Nigerian man in Guangzhou was sentenced to death for dealing drugs. His Chinese girlfriend also received a death penalty with a two-year reprieve for assisting the illegal trade, China Daily reported in 2006.

Home page photo credit: CBC

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Blocking economic progress, Chairman Mao’s private plane may be headed for the trash

Posted: 03/21/2014 9:59 am

It looks like Chairman Mao is finally bowing to the pressure of capitalism. At least, that’s the case for his private plane. The aircraft, which has been displayed in front of a shopping mall in Zhuhai, may be dismantled because it is apparently getting in the way of the mall’s economic development.

The plane, bought by Wang Zhilei in the 1990s, attracted a lot of tourists when it was first displayed in front of his shopping mall. It has since helped turn Wang’s mall into a local tourist site. But as Wang’s business expanded, the plane became more of a nuisance, taking up valuable parking space from his customers.

The plane was first offered for sale in 2008, but was shelved after locals called on Wang to keep it. Six years later, Wang seems determined to finally get rid of it. He said a company’s economic interest comes first and if no one offers to buy it before May, the plane will be moved away, Yangcheng Evening News.

The jet is one of the three Tridents imported from Pakistan in 1969. One was designated to Mao, another for state and military leaders, and the last one to Lin Biao, the former successor of Mao until his plane mysteriously crashed in Mongolia. To add to the plane’s tragic lore, it was never used by Mao, but by Madame Jiang Qing, Mao’s wife and the radical leader during China’s chaotic Cultural Revolution.

Wang is hoping private collectors, especially ones from Zhuhai, can come forward and buy the plane.

Here are some photos of the aircraft:

The red poster on the plane’sbody reads: plane for sale. Photo credit:Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside of the plane. Photo credit: China News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home page photo from Shajiabang 沙家浜

 

 

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Chinese poet Gu Cheng’s letters released in Zhuhai

Posted: 01/28/2014 10:00 am

After a documentary broadcast last month sparked increased interest in the poet, novelist and essayist Gu Cheng (1956-1993), letters he wrote when he was young were released to the media in Zhuhai on Jan. 25, Chinanews reports.

The author and critic Li Geng, who is 7 years Gu Cheng’s junior, released the letters sent to him between 1979 and 1981 when Li was still a teenager. They reveal Gu Cheng to have been full of self doubt but also to have a more genial personality than he is remembered for.

Even by the standards of poets who died young, Gu Cheng had an extraordinary life. The son of army poet Gu Gong, his family were sent off to Shandong to work on a pig farm during the Cultural Revolution. Gu Cheng claimed to have learnt poetry directly from nature and later became part of a group called the “misty” (朦胧) poets that were prominent in the late twentieth century.

Gu Cheng and Xie Ye, via Google Images

On August 10, 1993, while employed as a Chinese lecturer at the University of Auckland, Gu Cheng attacked his wife Xie Ye with an axe before hanging himself. She died on the way to hospital.

Gu Cheng’s best known poem is the two-line piece “A Generation” which goes: “The dark night has given me dark eyes. But I use them to look for light.” This is thought to have encapsulated the experience of the generation that was young during the Cultural Revolution. It also forms the chorus of the song “Dark Eyes” by Shenzhen-based alternative singer Liang Ying.

A typical paragraph in the newly released letters goes: “You and I are quite alike, but in some ways are not alike. You seem to have more life in you than I do.” He later writes: “I hope to see your poetry, but I can’t give a critique. I don’t understand theory, or standards. I only understand emotions.” Gu Cheng then urges Li to please critique his work. They are also full of interesting tidbits such as the admission by Gu Cheng that he saw fellow misty poet Shu Ting as his soul mate and “like an older sister”.

Li thinks that Gu Cheng was a clinical depressive but lived in a society that was not yet enlightened about the issue. He also shared an important insight with a reporter from Chinanews. “In a short time, poetry has ceased to be part of real life in Chinese society. Pretty much nobody makes a living from poetry anymore. In a society that can’t produce great poets, poetry cannot go on producing a wealth of quality.”

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Psychiatric patients ‘abandoned’ at Dongguan bus station

Posted: 09/13/2013 7:00 am

Seven female patients from a psychiatric hospital in Zhuhai were abandoned at Dongguan’s Nancheng bus Station for 25 hours early this week, Nanfang Daily reports. A representative of Baiyun Psychiatric Hospital said nurses left the patients there by mistake but the patients, who were wandering around the bus station in their dressing gowns, have claimed otherwise.

Surveillance camera footage shows that at 2 p.m Monday, seven people entered the station unescorted.

While they were there, the patients didn’t harm anybody but drew much attention until police intervened. When hungry, they would eat out of dustbins or even grab food from passers-by. When tired, they would sleep on the floor.

Nurses from the hospital told them they had been discharged, drove them to the bus station, and told them they would be picked up there.

After Dongguan police traced the women back to Baiyun Psychiatric Hospital, the hospital checked its records and found no discharge procedures for them.

The two nurses who sent them to Nancheng Bus Station, Wang Ni and Fan Hong, said they thought they had lost the patients, but did not report the matter to the police.

This is the latest example of how difficult it is for China to care for its mentally ill.

The Atlantic had this to say in a recent report:

Statistics released by China’s National Center for Mental Health showed that as of the year of 2009, 100 million Chinese suffered from mental health problems with more than 160 million citizens afflicted with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and paranoid psychosis. Such figures indicate that one in every 13 Chinese in 2009 had a mental health problem.

If this Daily Mail report is anything to go by, it is not unheard of for Chinese cities to sweep their mentally ill under the carpet.

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