Coretronic Corp, a Taiwan-based company that manufactures liquid crystal display modules for the US-based tech giant, is halting production and liquidating assets at its Nanjing, Jiangsu factory. The ten year-old plant employs 1,500 workers and is capable of churning out one million units a month during peak production.

One of the top three electronic panel manufacturers in the world, Coretronic operates six factories in China. A human resources employee confirmed to China Daily that the Jiangsu plant is in fact closing but declined to confirm whether the company will lay off its workers or simply relocate them to other plants.

The factory closing comes at a time iPad sales are slumping. iPad sales have declined for the sixth straight quarter. Apple is now struggling to sell 10 million units per quarter, a four-year low for the tech giant.

To stimulate interest in the tablet market, Apple released the new iPad Pro this September, a tablet with a 12.9 inch screen featuring a smart keyboard and a stylus designed to act more like a desktop computer.

Related:

• Shenzhen court says iPad can’t be iPad in China
• Guangzhou restaurant uses iPad as menu, waiter
• Guangzhou man loses iPad while on vacation in Norway, has it mailed back to him

The post Apple’s Slumping iPad Sales Forces Closure of Chinese Factory appeared first on The Nanfang.

The entirety of Tiananmen Square and the pedestrian commercial street Wangfujing will be completely closed this coming weekend to accommodate parade rehearsals, following the closure of the Sanlitun area this past weekend. A number of tourist attractions are also closed until the parade is over, including the Forbidden City and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.

“The parade will mainly affect scenic spots, including the Palace Museum, National Museum of China, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Tian’anmen Rostrum and the National Center for the Performing Arts,” said Xu Xiaolei, a publicity officer for a Chinese travel service provider.

Seven Beijing parks will be closed during the rehearsals and the parade, including Chaoyang Park, Longtan Park, Honglingjin Park, Lotus Pond Park, Yaowahu Park, Taoranting Park and Yuyuantan Park. The nearby Qianmen commercial street will face entry restrictions on September 2 and 3.

Broadcast radio and wireless Internet signals will be banned in neighborhoods located around Tiananmen Square from midnight to noon on September 3, while amateur radio stations, campus broadcasting stations, and the use of radio-controlled planes have been banned throughout the city. Some 850,000 Beijing residents will be given public security responsibilities from August 22 until September 3 to assist in the preparations, said the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Preparatory measures haven’t been limited to Beijing. In Shanghai, trains bound for Beijing will be guarded around the clock. As railway police officer Zeng Ji’an explained, “This is a temporary measure to prevent undesirables from trying to smuggle dangerous items onto the trains that serve Beijing.”

The military parade has affected a number of services and areas of Beijing, including shutting down the city’s airports, subway stations, restricting car use, and placing stricter security protocols on all mail and deliveries entering the city. At the same time, thousands of factories and power plants in Beijing and its six surrounding provinces will be shuttered in an effort to improve local air quality in time for the parade.

The military parade will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, known in the rest of the world as World War II. It is being held on China’s newest holiday this year on September 3 which will serve as the beginning of a three-day holiday for Chinese workers.

The post Beijing Shuts Down More of the City Ahead of Sensitive September 3 Parade appeared first on The Nanfang.

Affected areas include the popular Taikoo Li South mall and Courtyard Four, an area located across the street from Taikoo Li. A letter from Swire Properties and given to Sanlitun business tenants reads in part as follows:

In line with the work of commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and in accordance with arrangements and notices from related Beijing Municipal Government departments, on August 22 and August 23, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South will come under martial law measures.

According to the requirements of related Beijing Municipal Government departments, during that period, all stores must temporarily cease operations. The time period is: August 22, 2015 3pm to August 23, 2015 2pm.

Several temporary measures have been implemented in order to accommodate the military parade that will be held in Beijing on September 3, including closing down the city’s airport, shutting down subway stations, halting the operation of tens of thousands of factories and power plants, and increasing security protocol on the delivery of mail and packages in the city.

Local authorities have previously announced the closure of Tiananmen Square and the Wangfujing area in order to hold rehearsals for the parade, two places within a few kilometers of Sanlitun.

The post Sanlitun to Close This Weekend as Martial Law Declared appeared first on The Nanfang.

The hotel, known as the home of American and other foreign families who come to Guangzhou to adopt Chinese babies, has had a long and storied history. It was one of the first five-star hotels in Guangzhou and has become synonymous with the city.

The Life of Guangzhou tells us what’s in store:

The project will renew the hotel’s facilities and enlarge the rooms to help the first Sino-foreign cooperative five-star hotel to meet the ever-growing needs of patrons. After renovations the 843 rooms in the hotel will be reduced to about 500.

“We had over 90 percent occupancy yesterday,” said Xie Weijie, vice general manager of the hotel. He said many people had come to bid farewell these days.

According to Xie, the basic appearance of the hotel, especially given its unique scenic location, will be kept intact. However, the restaurants and dining halls will undergo work until early February of next year.

The article notes the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou received a similar upgrade last year. Another historic hotel, the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, was also closed for two years for a massive renovation. Like the White Swan, the Peace Hotel was nearly fully booked in the weeks leading up to its closure.

With new luxury hotels seemly opening in Guangzhou by the month, the White Swan was long overdue for a facelift.

The post Aging White Swan closed for renovations appeared first on The Nanfang.

The Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre is ready

Well, hello Shenzhen.

Today is a day that has been years in the making. For a long time, we’ve seen the Universiade signs, roads closed, construction underway, been told to clean the city, register with the police, and more. And after all this wait… all this anticipation… the Universiade is set to open today. Finally.

Security is tight in Shenzhen, much like the hours before the kickoff of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. In fact, even Hu Jintao himself is down in our fair city to preside over the glitzy opening ceremonies.

This is all fine and good for fans of the Universiade, but if you have flights scheduled to depart or arrive Shenzhen today, you’ll need to know this: Shenzhen Airport will be closed from 2pm to 7pm as a security measure today. That means no flights taking off or landing during that time. The Hong Kong Standard has a bit more:

Some mainland travel agencies said they were informed of the restrictions just a few days ago.

“I don’t think it’s right to ask so many people to change their work schedules just because of the games,” a woman tourist said.

The airport will also be closed for a few hours on August 23, when the closing ceremonies are held. One wonders if authorities are concerned about a security threat at airports or in the sky, why Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Macao, and Hong Kong airports continue to function, considering they are only a few kilometres away. But alas.

More than 12,000 athletes are in Shenzhen for the big show. If you’re out and about, send us some pictures that capture Shenzhen at its finest (and cleanest).

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