Are there any groups for pregnant women in Beijing, especially expats?
Beijing United Family Hospital hosts regular events. You will meet many foreign and local moms and moms-to-be.
Breastfeeding support group (English) at Beijing United Family Hospital
Where: 2 Jiangtai Lu, Chao-yang District
Open: January 27, 1:30-3 pm
Tel: 6309 9714
When and where can I buy fireworks for the holiday?
Authorities have said that there will be 1,500 temporary stands that sell fireworks. All fireworks have already gone on sale. The cost can be anywhere from 120 to 1,200 yuan per unit.
How much do housekeepers cost? I met a Sichuan woman who charges 20 yuan per hour. How is that rate?
With the dramatically increased costs of living here, 20 yuan per hour is a great price for a housekeeper. You can also get a live-in housekeeper or nanny, but you’ll have to negotiate the price.
I just moved into a shared apartment and I’ve seen three cockroaches already. What can I do to get rid of them?
Try the following:
1. Starve them (don’t leave food out where the roaches can get to them).
2. Clean dishes thoroughly.
3. Put roach motels in dark areas where they are most likely to hide.
4. Keep the bathroom as clean as possible. Avoid filth buildup of any kind; cockroaches love dark, damp and warm places.
5. Clean your house regularly. Sweep under and behind beds, wardrobes and heavy furniture.
Can anyone recommend some good Chinese music? Is there any Chinese indie rock?
Try Twist Machine, Yaksa, AK-47, XTX and Cold Animal for Metal, The Suffocate,Chun Qiu, Zhan Fu, Dian Fu, Ming Jie for heavy and trash metal, CMCB for rap, The Reflector, Hang on the Box and other many locals for punk. Zi Yue and The Sand are also popular.
You can find the bands easily through Google or Baidu.
(By Wei Ying)
Email your questions to: weiying@ynet.com
Are there any groups for pregnant women in Beijing, especially expats?
Beijing United Family Hospital hosts regular events. You will meet many foreign and local moms and moms-to-be.
Breastfeeding support group (English) at Beijing United Family Hospital
Where: 2 Jiangtai Lu, Chao-yang District
Open: January 27, 1:30-3 pm
Tel: 6309 9714
When and where can I buy fireworks for the holiday?
Authorities have said that there will be 1,500 temporary stands that sell fireworks. All fireworks have already gone on sale. The cost can be anywhere from 120 to 1,200 yuan per unit.
How much do housekeepers cost? I met a Sichuan woman who charges 20 yuan per hour. How is that rate?
With the dramatically increased costs of living here, 20 yuan per hour is a great price for a housekeeper. You can also get a live-in housekeeper or nanny, but you’ll have to negotiate the price.
I just moved into a shared apartment and I’ve seen three cockroaches already. What can I do to get rid of them?
Try the following:
1. Starve them (don’t leave food out where the roaches can get to them).
2. Clean dishes thoroughly.
3. Put roach motels in dark areas where they are most likely to hide.
4. Keep the bathroom as clean as possible. Avoid filth buildup of any kind; cockroaches love dark, damp and warm places.
5. Clean your house regularly. Sweep under and behind beds, wardrobes and heavy furniture.
Can anyone recommend some good Chinese music? Is there any Chinese indie rock?
Try Twist Machine, Yaksa, AK-47, XTX and Cold Animal for Metal, The Suffocate,Chun Qiu, Zhan Fu, Dian Fu, Ming Jie for heavy and trash metal, CMCB for rap, The Reflector, Hang on the Box and other many locals for punk. Zi Yue and The Sand are also popular.
You can find the bands easily through Google or Baidu.
(By Wei Ying)
By Wu Hao
Sunlight streamed through the windows of Beijing Rego British School’s cafe last Saturday as volunteers in red aprons shuffled about, sorting books and helping visitors find what they want.
This was Roundabout’s charity book fair, with all proceeds going to purchase coal for a school for deaf children in Hebei Province. Books were sold from all genres, from fiction to travel to cooking. There was also a children’s area for books and toys.
An annual event in years past, “this year we’ll start to have it every six weeks or so,” said Sally Hind, who’s in charge of the book fair.
But Roundabout does much more than organize book fairs.
Inspired by
Mama Tina
Many of Roundabout’s volunteers have been involved in volunteering for a long time. Leslie Simpson, the founder of Roundabout, worked at a charity store when she was in UK.
In the 1980s, Simpson read Bridge Over My Sorrows and Mama Tina, which were about an Irish woman from a humble background who moved to Vietnam to help homeless children.
“When I read her story I instantly knew that I wished to do similar work,” Simpson said. “My husband said he could apply for a job in China so that I could do what I want.”
Simpson arrived in China nine years ago and volunteered at Blue Sky Healing Home for three and a half years.
“I saw, through doing that, the need for a donation point. Many expats, when they leave – what do they do with all their things? They can turn them into something [useful].”
With that in mind, Simpson started Roundabout in October 2008, first using donations from friends. She used the money to buy furniture for an orphanage.
As Roundabout grew, it needed a second and third warehouse to store its supplies. Its reputation attracted more volunteers, too.
According to its website, “Roundabout is currently supporting 30 charities within the Beijing area and many more in areas throughout the country.”
“We first started by contacting a few charities and asking them if they would be interested in us being a central donation point and to support them,” Simpson said. “They all said yes. And they told charities, and they told charities … we never actually had to lift the telephone and ask for help, they always found us.”
The group also has a good relationship with the Shunyi District government, which provides them information.
Seeking transparency
With scandals rocking many charity groups in China, Simpson believes in transparency.
“Normally in our retail store, if we purchase coal for the orphanage, a copy of the receipt is on the wall, as is the picture of coal being delivered,” Simpson said. “We would be crazy to steal [funds].”
Roundabout has also sent aid to other countries. It cooperated with a Canadian organization called The Fugong Foster Care Project , which has been working in Yunnan for many years, and also some Chinese organizations like Butter Lamp Foundation in Qinghai. All are reputable charities, Simpson said.
“First we have to ensure that the organizations we are working with are very clean and transparent,” Simpson said. “So we do research on the Internet, ask a lot of questions from other organizations, asked those charities about the work they’ve already done. We have to ensure that things get to people who need it.”
Everybody can
get involved
Roundabout has a core team made up of a few dedicated volunteers who take on all major roles.
“We talk all the time and consult one another on ideas and projects,” Simpson said. “We pull our expertise and skills together and make a great team. We offer each other emotional support, which is very important in this job.” The team also consists of volunteers who don’t have much time but do what they can to help sort and price products.
Roundabout also gets a lot of support from locals. During the last book fair, Roundabout dropped bags at every house in their neighborhood on Friday with a note in English and Chinese. When they came to pick up the bags a few days later, they got a lot of Chinese books, and a lot of Chinese people came to the fair for the first time.
“There is a big thought in China that only rich people can do charity,” Simpson said. At the same time, a lady came to greet her with a basket of home-baked cookies.
“Everybody can be involved, everybody has some talent or even just time,” said Flora Clyde, Roundabout’s communications director.
Find the right people
Although Roundabout has operated relatively smoothly since 2008, it has not been free of problems.
Strictly doing volunteer work can be a problem, Simpson said. She can count on 15 to 20 volunteers, but all are part-time, and the expat community the charity draws from has people constantly coming and going. Roundabout has five locals as its full-time staff.
Location is also a big problem – perhaps the biggest. Roundabout has a retail store, a 1,000-square-meter space it rents for 1,500 yuan per month, but it’s located in Shunyi. It’s hard to find to find anything of comparable size for that price nearer downtown.
“Bags of donations come to us, which can be jewelry, expensive things. We need people with the good heart to not take these things,” Simpson said. “So that’s what really stops us from expanding too much. We are not going downtown until we find the right person.”
Passing on the trust
Roundabout wants to find a new affordable home soon, to reestablish its base in Shunyi, then move on to open more stores in the city. After five years, Simpson would like to be able to perfect her model and open stores in other areas of China.
“The ultimate goal is we want Chinese people to run this for Chinese, we’re just showing how this works, but here has to be enough trust,” Simpson said.
Simpson, as a charity veteran, has won many people’s trust. But the problem with trust is that it’s much more easily lost than gained.
“When we reopen we want to take three Chinese graduates,” Simpson said. “The workload is huge; we want someone we can depend on.”
By Wu Hao
Sunlight streamed through the windows of Beijing Rego British School’s cafe last Saturday as volunteers in red aprons shuffled about, sorting books and helping visitors find what they want.
This was Roundabout’s charity book fair, with all proceeds going to purchase coal for a school for deaf children in Hebei Province. Books were sold from all genres, from fiction to travel to cooking. There was also a children’s area for books and toys.
An annual event in years past, “this year we’ll start to have it every six weeks or so,” said Sally Hind, who’s in charge of the book fair.
But Roundabout does much more than organize book fairs.
Roundabout's charity book fair, with all proceeds going toward the purchase coal for a school for deaf children in Hebei Province. Photos by Wu Hao
Inspired by Mama Tina
Many of Roundabout’s volunteers have been involved in volunteering for a long time. Leslie Simpson, the founder of Roundabout, worked at a charity store when she was in UK.
In the 1980s, Simpson read Bridge Over My Sorrows and Mama Tina, which were about an Irish woman from a humble background who moved to Vietnam to help homeless children.
“When I read her story I instantly knew that I wished to do similar work,” Simpson said. “My husband said he could apply for a job in China so that I could do what I want.”
Simpson arrived in China nine years ago and volunteered at Blue Sky Healing Home for three and a half years.
“I saw, through doing that, the need for a donation point. Many expats, when they leave – what do they do with all their things? They can turn them into something [useful].”
With that in mind, Simpson started Roundabout in October 2008, first using donations from friends. She used the money to buy furniture for an orphanage.
As Roundabout grew, it needed a second and third warehouse to store its supplies. Its reputation attracted more volunteers, too.
According to its website, “Roundabout is currently supporting 30 charities within the Beijing area and many more in areas throughout the country.”
“We first started by contacting a few charities and asking them if they would be interested in us being a central donation point and to support them,” Simpson said. “They all said yes. And they told charities, and they told charities … we never actually had to lift the telephone and ask for help, they always found us.”
The group also has a good relationship with the Shunyi District government, which provides them information.
By Han Manman
More than 20 superstar snowboarders from 12 countries met in Beijing last weekend to compete in the 10th annual RedBull Nanshan Open at Nike’s Snowboard Park.
“It’s been awesome to see how the event has grown the last years, since I won it my first time,” said Finnish rider Juuso Laivisto, who won the $50,000 (315,550 yuan) first prize, his second time winning the event. “I was stoked with my win, there was definitely heavy competition today. The others were just a little unfortunate I think.”
Photo provided by Zhang Xian
By Han Manman
More than 20 superstar snowboarders from 12 countries met in Beijing last weekend to compete in the 10th annual RedBull Nanshan Open at Nike’s Snowboard Park.
“It’s been awesome to see how the event has grown the last years, since I won it my first time,” said Finnish rider Juuso Laivisto, who won the $50,000 (315,550 yuan) first prize, his second time winning the event. “I was stoked with my win, there was definitely heavy competition today. The others were just a little unfortunate I think.”
By Zhao Hongyi
Last year was not kind to the Chinese food industry. Crises included poisoned milk, recycled cooking oil, fake eggs and wines, dyed steamed buns, excessive fertilizer use and pollution of drinking water.
But while the above all captured headlines, many people worked behind the scenes to improve the country’s food, introducing concepts such as organic farming and farmers’ markets. They offered training and lobbied for officials to draft safety regulations.
This is the story of one of those people.
Japanese girl and her Organic
Farmer’s Market
In September 2010, Emi Uemura, an artist from Japan, came to Beijing and set up her Organic Farmer’s Market, or Country Fair, downtown. The market collected and sold organic products from farms in the suburbs around Beijing.
Over the past year, she worked on independent projects around town and collaborated with Vitamin Creative Space to create Mobile Farm, which grows plants in wheeled containers, and Calendar Restaurant, which uses food products grown from the farms.
Uemura has worked on many social projects, using meals as a vehicle for people from all walks of life to gather and discuss.
“I had no idea what to do when I came to China,” Uemura said. “Fortunately, soon after I arrived, we found the topic of organic agro-products.”
Uemura thought her organic market would attract artsy types, but it drew thousands of local farmers and foodies interested in healthy eating.
She and her colleagues realized it was a great opportunity to promote the so-called “Local Food Movement,” an ongoing movement popular in Japan, Europe and the US.
With her organic market setting an example, more locals bought small patches of farmland in the suburbs and began cultivating their own vegetables.
Social project of organic restaurant
Uemura and her colleagues did not rush to the suburbs. Instead, they created and promoted Mobile Farm, providing organic products to restaurants and setting up the concept of sustenance of space: they make full use of the spaces and corners in the buildings they live and grow organic food in boxes, squares and movable containers.
Now they produce vegetables and fruits for their Farmer’s Market and Calendar Restaurant.
In June 2011, Uemura and her friend Danmin Fang opened Calendar Restaurant in Wudaokou to remind people to eat seasonal foods.
The two women prepare dishes with organic ingredients and talk to visitors about the advantages of eating organic.
“Our restaurant is not for profit and is not open every day,” Fang said. In the last month of 2011, they held a class at the restaurant on how to prepare kimchi.
“Every one of us has the responsibility for the food crisis that happened,” Fang said. She believes that, as the final consumers, we need to think about the kind of lifestyle we want and pursue.
“Our market, farm and restaurant emerged as the result of this thinking,” she said. “It’s not an ideology insisted on by an artist from Japan.”
A long-term
commitment
The story of Uemura and Fang is only one example of the organic campaign beginning to gather momentum in the capital. More are coming to promote the planting and export of organic products.
In 2008, Joseph Jen, former deputy secretary of the US Agriculture Department and now one of the five co-chairmen of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, joined China’s Ministry of Health to hold an international food security forum in Beijing for three consecutive years.
Patrick Wall, former chairman of the European Food Safety Authority, reminded Chinese supervisors that “when a crisis happens, the most important point is to keep the consumer’s confidence. [But] prevention is much more important than solving the problems.”
Gale Prince, former chairman of the International Association of Food Protection and now president of SAGE Food Safety Consulting, agreed.
“Qualified professionals and technical trainings are the most important factors to ensure food safety,” he said.
Helen Yu, press officer of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Beijing, said the WHO has advised the health ministry and State Food and Drug Administration on topics such as food security management, inspection and risk evaluation.
The US Federal Drug Administration set up its first overseas office in Beijing in 2008. The office claimed that “they are focusing on the food products exported to the US only.”
Eight UN agencies, including WHO, have joined local Chinese government bodies to launch a project in six counties in the western part of the country to provide food security training to women whose husbands have left to find work in the cities.
At the end of last year, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce declared that more than 99 percent of Chinese food exports are clean and healthy.
“It’s only a short-term achievement,” said Wang Jun, professor of social sciences at Peking University. “The safety of food requires long-term commitment and supervision.”
By Zhao Hongyi
Last year was not kind to the Chinese food industry. Crises included poisoned milk, recycled cooking oil, fake eggs and wines, dyed steamed buns, excessive fertilizer use and pollution of drinking water.
But while the above all captured headlines, many people worked behind the scenes to improve the country’s food, introducing concepts such as organic farming and farmers’ markets. They offered training and lobbied for officials to draft safety regulations.
This is the story of one of those people.
Uemura's organic market draws thousands of local farmers and foodies interested in organic products. Photos provided by Danmin Fang
Japanese girl and her Organic Farmer’s Market
In September 2010, Emi Uemura, an artist from Japan, came to Beijing and set up her Organic Farmer’s Market, or Country Fair, downtown. The market collected and sold organic products from farms in the suburbs around Beijing.
Over the past year, she worked on independent projects around town and collaborated with Vitamin Creative Space to create Mobile Farm, which grows plants in wheeled containers, and Calendar Restaurant, which uses food products grown from the farms.
Uemura has worked on many social projects, using meals as a vehicle for people from all walks of life to gather and discuss.
“I had no idea what to do when I came to China,” Uemura said. “Fortunately, soon after I arrived, we found the topic of organic agro-products.”
Uemura thought her organic market would attract artsy types, but it drew thousands of local farmers and foodies interested in healthy eating.
She and her colleagues realized it was a great opportunity to promote the so-called “Local Food Movement,” an ongoing movement popular in Japan, Europe and the US.
With her organic market setting an example, more locals bought small patches of farmland in the suburbs and began cultivating their own vegetables.
By Huang Daohen
No asset is safe. The sluggish stock market, restrained housing industry and surging inflation have left investors no safe option save the yellow metal: gold.
Although gold prices remained high last year, the precious metal still traded at a record level, spawning multiple unauthorized gold exchanges to capitalize on investors’ insecurity.
But regulators are not happy about the competition.
Late last year, the central bank ordered that all gold exchanges, apart from the official one in Shanghai, cease operations as part of a crackdown on illegal deals.
Will this be the end of the gold rush?
Gold fever at year end
Apple’s latest gadget, the iPhone 4s, is not the only gift that people are lining up for.
The recent decline in gold prices, together with year-end promotions, has sparked a rush on the purchase of the metal in the capital.
In a collective sales campaign, the city’s top stores like Caibai, Gongmei and Zhongjin Gold reduced the price of pure gold by as much as 10 yuan per gram and provide more dragon-themed jewelry designs for shoppers to choose from.
“I am looking for a gold pendant with a dragon on it,” said a 35-year-old woman surnamed Chen, who was born in the year of the dragon.
Chen went to Caibai, one of the country’s largest gold stores, over the weekend after hearing news of the discounts.
“I had this idea several months ago, but the price just kept rising. Now it is going to be the year of the dragon soon, and since they dropped the price a little bit, I decided to buy it now,” Chen said.
Chen bought a gold pendant and the promotional 12-percent discount saved her 800 yuan.
Not only did Beijingers show keen interest, but some customers have been travelling to the capital from neighboring cities to take advantage of the cheap prices.
Caibai said its business increased more than a half from last year over the three-day New Year’s holiday, with sales volume totalling 50 million yuan.
Although the store dropped the price to 390 yuan per gram, that is still nearly 50 yuan higher than last Christmas. The spot gold price went through a decade-rally and touched a record of more than $1,900 per ounce early last September. It declined about 20 percent since then to around $1,600.
“In recent years, the gold price has kept rising in Beijing, so the decrease has been attractive to customers,” said the marketing manager of Caibai in Chongwen District surnamed Ma.
Ma is optimistic about sales in the coming Spring Festival.
Sales have also been strong at Gongmei’s flagship store on Wangfujing Street. Almost 20 kilograms of gold bars for investment were sold on the morning of January 1 after the store adjusted its price.
Xinhua reported that gold sales jumped more than 30 percent over the three-day vacation in Beijing.
Clamping down
While consumers like Chen bought gold as a gift, others were rushing to hoard the metal for investment. Gold exchanges and trading centers have mushroomed in the country, and so has illegal trade.
That these have pushed gold to record prices worries regulators.
On December 27, the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, together with the Ministry of Public Security and other regulators, issued a notice saying that gold exchanges outsides of two in Shanghai are to be banned.
“No local authorities, institutions or individuals are allowed to set up a gold exchange or trading center,” the notice published on the central bank’s website said.
The notice said that the Shanghai Gold Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange are enough to meet domestic investors’ demand for spot gold and futures trading.
Other existing exchanges or trading centers were ordered to stop offering new services, and closed down.
Senior officials at the central bank cited by Xinhua said the move aims to harden regulations and promote healthier development of the bullion market.
Gold is an important component of the central bank’s international reserve. The measure will “safeguard economic and financial security and social stability,” Xinhua reported.
The country’s gold consumption doubled to 20 percent of global supply in the past decade, while its reserves have climbed to 1,054 tons, counting 1.8 percent of the foreign exchange reserves.
As of Wednesday, the Beijing Gold Exchange Center said it has not received any detailed instructions. “But the talk of the ban has been going on for a while,” an official named Wang at the exchange said by phone.
Wang said the measure is surely going to affect their business.
To buy or not to
Should consumers invest in gold? Zhao Xiao, economics professor at University of Science and Technology Beijing, said yes.
Zhao said no commodities are safe, and the only choice to hedge risks is to hold hard currency like gold. Zhao, also a consultant to an investing firm, urged his clients to buy more gold.
“You have a growing middle class that has increasing disposable income,” he said. “That may affect the gold exchange somewhat, but in the long run it would help the market to grow.”
Before the central bank’s move, many experts worried that the gold boom was a speculative bubble and discouraged the public from buying.
But Zhao said the current demand is healthy, and is a sign of a cultural and social imperative.
“Gold is indestructible and timeless. That is why it has been chosen as the basis of wealth that can be passed on to future generations,” he said.
In China, people like to buy gold for dowries, he said.
Zhao’s statements were echoed by billionaire George Soros and Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma. Being optimistic about the country’s retail demand for gold, Soros and Ma have placed their bets on the country’s gold market via the IPO of Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook.
Gold is always the ultimate hedge against times of turmoil, Zhao said. “Time and again we see that in any crisis, natural disaster or financial crisis, gold holds its value, and sometimes actually rises in the short term.”
By Huang Daohen
No asset is safe. The sluggish stock market, restrained housing industry and surging inflation have left investors no safe option save the yellow metal: gold.
Although gold prices remained high last year, the precious metal still traded at a record level, spawning multiple unauthorized gold exchanges to capitalize on investors’ insecurity.
But regulators are not happy about the competition.
Late last year, the central bank ordered that all gold exchanges, apart from the official one in Shanghai, cease operations as part of a crackdown on illegal deals.
Will this be the end of the gold rush?
Gold is especially popular with shoppers at Caibai this year. CFP Photo
Gold fever at year end
Apple’s latest gadget, the iPhone 4s, is not the only gift that people are lining up for.
The recent decline in gold prices, together with year-end promotions, has sparked a rush on the purchase of the metal in the capital.
In a collective sales campaign, the city’s top stores like Caibai, Gongmei and Zhongjin Gold reduced the price of pure gold by as much as 10 yuan per gram and provide more dragon-themed jewelry designs for shoppers to choose from.
“I am looking for a gold pendant with a dragon on it,” said a 35-year-old woman surnamed Chen, who was born in the year of the dragon.
Chen went to Caibai, one of the country’s largest gold stores, over the weekend after hearing news of the discounts.
“I had this idea several months ago, but the price just kept rising. Now it is going to be the year of the dragon soon, and since they dropped the price a little bit, I decided to buy it now,” Chen said.
Chen bought a gold pendant and the promotional 12-percent discount saved her 800 yuan.
Not only did Beijingers show keen interest, but some customers have been travelling to the capital from neighboring cities to take advantage of the cheap prices.
Caibai said its business increased more than a half from last year over the three-day New Year’s holiday, with sales volume totalling 50 million yuan.
Although the store dropped the price to 390 yuan per gram, that is still nearly 50 yuan higher than last Christmas. The spot gold price went through a decade-rally and touched a record of more than $1,900 per ounce early last September. It declined about 20 percent since then to around $1,600.
“In recent years, the gold price has kept rising in Beijing, so the decrease has been attractive to customers,” said the marketing manager of Caibai in Chongwen District surnamed Ma.
Ma is optimistic about sales in the coming Spring Festival.
Sales have also been strong at Gongmei’s flagship store on Wangfujing Street. Almost 20 kilograms of gold bars for investment were sold on the morning of January 1 after the store adjusted its price.
Xinhua reported that gold sales jumped more than 30 percent over the three-day vacation in Beijing.
Clamping down
While consumers like Chen bought gold as a gift, others were rushing to hoard the metal for investment. Gold exchanges and trading centers have mushroomed in the country, and so has illegal trade.
That these have pushed gold to record prices worries regulators.
On December 27, the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, together with the Ministry of Public Security and other regulators, issued a notice saying that gold exchanges outsides of two in Shanghai are to be banned.
“No local authorities, institutions or individuals are allowed to set up a gold exchange or trading center,” the notice published on the central bank’s website said.
The notice said that the Shanghai Gold Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange are enough to meet domestic investors’ demand for spot gold and futures trading.
Other existing exchanges or trading centers were ordered to stop offering new services, and closed down.
Senior officials at the central bank cited by Xinhua said the move aims to harden regulations and promote healthier development of the bullion market.
Gold is an important component of the central bank’s international reserve. The measure will “safeguard economic and financial security and social stability,” Xinhua reported.
The country’s gold consumption doubled to 20 percent of global supply in the past decade, while its reserves have climbed to 1,054 tons, counting 1.8 percent of the foreign exchange reserves.
As of Wednesday, the Beijing Gold Exchange Center said it has not received any detailed instructions. “But the talk of the ban has been going on for a while,” an official named Wang at the exchange said by phone.
Wang said the measure is surely going to affect their business.
To buy or not to
Should consumers invest in gold? Zhao Xiao, economics professor at University of Science and Technology Beijing, said yes.
Zhao said no commodities are safe, and the only choice to hedge risks is to hold hard currency like gold. Zhao, also a consultant to an investing firm, urged his clients to buy more gold.
“You have a growing middle class that has increasing disposable income,” he said. “That may affect the gold exchange somewhat, but in the long run it would help the market to grow.”
Before the central bank’s move, many experts worried that the gold boom was a speculative bubble and discouraged the public from buying.
But Zhao said the current demand is healthy, and is a sign of a cultural and social imperative.
“Gold is indestructible and timeless. That is why it has been chosen as the basis of wealth that can be passed on to future generations,” he said.
In China, people like to buy gold for dowries, he said.
Zhao’s statements were echoed by billionaire George Soros and Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma. Being optimistic about the country’s retail demand for gold, Soros and Ma have placed their bets on the country’s gold market via the IPO of Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook.
Gold is always the ultimate hedge against times of turmoil, Zhao said. “Time and again we see that in any crisis, natural disaster or financial crisis, gold holds its value, and sometimes actually rises in the short term.”
By Huang Daohen
Wall Street bankers have long maintained that cash is king. But a new Nielsen study has found that Chinese consumers also value fast access to cash when faced with emergencies and investment opportunities.
The study, sponsored by US money-transfer agent Western Union, polled Chinese consumers who transferred money in and out of the country.
Chinese consumers attach much importance to whether money can be received quickly, the report said. Quick access to cash allows people to solve urgent problems and make quick decisions, even when anticipated expenditures may not be immediate.
Gao Jianhua, president and general manager for western China and Mongolia, agreed. Many Chinese people see cash as a token of confidence and pride.
“When parents receive money from their sons or daughters working overseas and share it with their neighbors, they feel proud,” Gao said.
Chinese people, Gao said, still see cash as the most appropriate gift for close family members to maintain connections.
The country is the world’s second largest recipient of remittances. In 2010, the trans-border remittances market in China reached $50 billion.
“China has been an important market for Western Union, considering the volume of the country’s overseas migrants,” Gao said.
According to a report by the China News Services, the number of Chinese living and working overseas reached 48 million by the end of 2010,
Knowing the local culture and its consumers’ behavior has become extremely important for the US money-transfer agency’s expansion in China.
Last year, the company unveiled the world’s biggest red envelop at a Chinese New Year celebration in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, the hometown of many overseas workers.
Red envelopes, called hongbao, still play an important role in modern China in spite of the country’s growing prosperity, said Drina Yue, managing director and senior vice president of Western Union Asia Pacific.
By Huang Daohen
Wall Street bankers have long maintained that cash is king. But a new Nielsen study has found that Chinese consumers also value fast access to cash when faced with emergencies and investment opportunities.
The study, sponsored by US money-transfer agent Western Union, polled Chinese consumers who transferred money in and out of the country.
Chinese consumers attach much importance to whether money can be received quickly, the report said. Quick access to cash allows people to solve urgent problems and make quick decisions, even when anticipated expenditures may not be immediate.
Gao Jianhua, president and general manager for western China and Mongolia, agreed. Many Chinese people see cash as a token of confidence and pride.
“When parents receive money from their sons or daughters working overseas and share it with their neighbors, they feel proud,” Gao said.
Chinese people, Gao said, still see cash as the most appropriate gift for close family members to maintain connections.
The country is the world’s second largest recipient of remittances. In 2010, the trans-border remittances market in China reached $50 billion.
“China has been an important market for Western Union, considering the volume of the country’s overseas migrants,” Gao said.
According to a report by the China News Services, the number of Chinese living and working overseas reached 48 million by the end of 2010,
Knowing the local culture and its consumers’ behavior has become extremely important for the US money-transfer agency’s expansion in China.
Last year, the company unveiled the world’s biggest red envelop at a Chinese New Year celebration in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, the hometown of many overseas workers.
Red envelopes, called hongbao, still play an important role in modern China in spite of the country’s growing prosperity, said Drina Yue, managing director and senior vice president of Western Union Asia Pacific.
January 20, 2012 Filed under News
Apple Beijing store pelted with eggs
Apple became a victim of its own success after the botched launch of its iPhone 4S on January 13 led it to suspend sales.
Would-be customers who waited overnight as temperatures dropped to -9 degrees C reacted with fury after the company’s main store in Sanlitun failed to open.
The company sold out of the handsets at stores that did open and later halted sales of all iPhones at its five retail outlets in the country “for the time being,” spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said.
Apple had advertised that the store would open at 7 am. At 7:15 am, people began chanting “Open the door!” and “Liars!” after an unidentified man said over a bullhorn that the phone wouldn’t go on sale today, without giving an explanation.
The store stayed closed “for safety reasons,” Wu said. Beijing police temporarily cordoned off the shop after it was pelted with eggs by the crowd.
“This is a debacle,” Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group, a Shanghai-based retail advising company, said in a phone interview today. “Everybody knows there will be massive numbers of people when Apple has this kind of a launch. This shows very poor retail management ability.”
(Agencies)
Apple became a victim of its own success after the botched launch of its iPhone 4S on January 13 led it to suspend sales.
Would-be customers who waited overnight as temperatures dropped to -9 degrees C reacted with fury after the company’s main store in Sanlitun failed to open.
The company sold out of the handsets at stores that did open and later halted sales of all iPhones at its five retail outlets in the country “for the time being,” spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said.
Apple had advertised that the store would open at 7 am. At 7:15 am, people began chanting “Open the door!” and “Liars!” after an unidentified man said over a bullhorn that the phone wouldn’t go on sale today, without giving an explanation.
The store stayed closed “for safety reasons,” Wu said. Beijing police temporarily cordoned off the shop after it was pelted with eggs by the crowd.
“This is a debacle,” Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group, a Shanghai-based retail advising company, said in a phone interview today. “Everybody knows there will be massive numbers of people when Apple has this kind of a launch. This shows very poor retail management ability.”
(Agencies)
January 20, 2012 Filed under News
Han Han denies ghostwriting rumor
A well-known blogger has claimed that Han Han, the country’s most famous young writer, ghostwrote his novels.
Han has responded by offering 200 million yuan to anyone who can prove his work as ghostwritten, the Beijing Youth Daily reported this week.
The 29-year-old, who in addition to being a bestselling writer is also a professional rally driver, has been a controversial figure ever since he published his first novel Triple Door in 2000. His latest essays discussing revolution, democracy and freedom, by contrast, have been criticized as mild.
Mai Tian, the former CEO of online private loan platform Mayi, posted a story on his popular blog last Sunday saying that Han’s public image was entirely created by his father Han Renjun and his publisher, Lu Jinpo.
Mai said Triple Door was ghostwritten by his father and won a prize in a competition because his father was an acquaintance of the judge. Mai said another 13 essays on Han’s blog were likely ghostwritten by others in 2008 because the dates of their publication coincided with dates he was off racing.
Mai asked how Han was able to publish essays on his blog and take part in races at the same time.
Han responded to the accusations on his own blog, saying, “I have been honest and upright since I entered the (literary) circle. I have a clear conscience.”
A well-known blogger has claimed that Han Han, the country’s most famous young writer, ghostwrote his novels.
Han has responded by offering 200 million yuan to anyone who can prove his work as ghostwritten, the Beijing Youth Daily reported this week.
The 29-year-old, who in addition to being a bestselling writer is also a professional rally driver, has been a controversial figure ever since he published his first novel Triple Door in 2000. His latest essays discussing revolution, democracy and freedom, by contrast, have been criticized as mild.
Mai Tian, the former CEO of online private loan platform Mayi, posted a story on his popular blog last Sunday saying that Han’s public image was entirely created by his father Han Renjun and his publisher, Lu Jinpo.
Mai said Triple Door was ghostwritten by his father and won a prize in a competition because his father was an acquaintance of the judge. Mai said another 13 essays on Han’s blog were likely ghostwritten by others in 2008 because the dates of their publication coincided with dates he was off racing.
Mai asked how Han was able to publish essays on his blog and take part in races at the same time.
Han responded to the accusations on his own blog, saying, “I have been honest and upright since I entered the (literary) circle. I have a clear conscience.”
(Agencies)
By Annie Wei
Although libraries can provide students a nice escape from Spring Festival chaos, most are closed during the break. Here’s what you should know before heading to one.
Peekabook
The biggest library of the lot, it houses 15,000 Chinese and English children’s titles in its Haidian store. “Many of the books were brought from the US by the store’s founders,” said manager Cheng Xin, referring to the Chinese mothers who opened Peekabook in 2005 after spending a few years in the US, where they discovered children’s libraries.
The library’s three outlets will be closed from January 23 to 29.
Mohezi Huibenguan
This library has many illustration books for children. It also has tables and coffee for adults.
The library will be closed from January 20 to 31.
Where: 288 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District
Open: 10 am – 8 pm
Tel: 8261 8538
Website:
Huicholbooks.com
Peekabook – Jinsong
Where: 2/F Building 10, Baihuanjiayuan, Shuangjing Dong Qiao, Chaoyang District
Open: Daily except Monday, 9:30 am – 8:30 pm
Tel: 8773 8382
Email:
jinsong@peekalibrary.org
Peekabook – Sanyuan
Where: Room F305, Building 10, Phoenix City, Jia 5 Shuguang Xi Li, Chaoyang District
Open: Daily except Monday, 9:30 am – 8:30 pm
Tel: 5866 8064 / 8074
Email:
sanyuanqiao@peekalibrary.org
Peekabook – Wanliu
Where: Room 302, Building 1, Bishuiyuntian, Wanliu Zhong Lu, Haidian District
Open: Daily except Wednesday, 9:30 am – 8:30 pm
Tel: 8256 7276 / 6324
Email:
wanliu@peekalibrary.org
Capital Library
The children’s section is designed for those 16 and under. It has many children’s books in different languages.
The staff has a reputation for being very professional. The library holds many events year-round, including storytelling sessions.
The library will stay open over Spring Festival.
Where: 88 Dongsanhuan Nan Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 9:30 am – 7 pm
Tel: 6735 8114
National Library
Its children’s section has 22,000 books and is open to young people between the ages of 6 and 16. Readers can apply for a membership card with a valid student ID to check out books.
Because the children’s section is relatively new, the staff isn’t as experienced as at Capital Library. The library said its holiday schedule has not been finalized.
Where: 33 Zhongguancun Nan Dajie, Haidian District
Open: Weekdays 9 am – 5 pm
Tel: 8554 4114
By Annie Wei
Although libraries can provide students a nice escape from Spring Festival chaos, most are closed during the break. Here’s what you should know before heading to one.
At a library for children/CFP Photo
Peekabook
The biggest library of the lot, it houses 15,000 Chinese and English children’s titles in its Haidian store. “Many of the books were brought from the US by the store’s founders,” said manager Cheng Xin, referring to the Chinese mothers who opened Peekabook in 2005 after spending a few years in the US, where they discovered children’s libraries.
The library’s three outlets will be closed from January 23 to 29.
Mohezi Huibenguan
This library has many illustration books for children. It also has tables and coffee for adults.
The library will be closed from January 20 to 31.
Where: 288 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District
Open: 10 am – 8 pm
Tel: 8261 8538
Website: Huicholbooks.com
Peekabook – Jinsong
Where: 2/F Building 10, Baihuanjiayuan, Shuangjing Dong Qiao, Chaoyang District
Open: Daily except Monday, 9:30 am – 8:30 pm
Tel: 8773 8382
Email: jinsong@peekalibrary.org
Peekabook – Sanyuan
Where: Room F305, Building 10, Phoenix City, Jia 5 Shuguang Xi Li, Chaoyang District
Open: Daily except Monday, 9:30 am – 8:30 pm
Tel: 5866 8064 / 8074
Email: sanyuanqiao@peekalibrary.org
Peekabook – Wanliu
Where: Room 302, Building 1, Bishuiyuntian, Wanliu Zhong Lu, Haidian District
Open: Daily except Wednesday, 9:30 am – 8:30 pm
Tel: 8256 7276 / 6324
Email: wanliu@peekalibrary.org
Capital Library
The children’s section is designed for those 16 and under. It has many children’s books in different languages.
The staff has a reputation for being very professional. The library holds many events year-round, including storytelling sessions.
The library will stay open over Spring Festival.
Where: 88 Dongsanhuan Nan Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 9:30 am – 7 pm
Tel: 6735 8114
National Library
Its children’s section has 22,000 books and is open to young people between the ages of 6 and 16. Readers can apply for a membership card with a valid student ID to check out books.
Because the children’s section is relatively new, the staff isn’t as experienced as at Capital Library. The library said its holiday schedule has not been finalized.
Where: 33 Zhongguancun Nan Dajie, Haidian District
Open: Weekdays 9 am – 5 pm
Tel: 8554 4114
There are plenty of places hosting snow carnivals downtown during the Chinese New Year, like the Summer Palace, the National Stadium, and Beijing Kuangbiao Leyuan, a speed-sport zone in Haidian District.
The Summer Palce
Where: 19 Xinjian Gongmen Lu, Haidian District
Open: 9 am – 5 pm
Tel: 6288 1144
Cost: 30 yuan, including 10 yuan as entrance fee
Beijing Kuangbiao Leyuan
Where: 1 Nan’anhe Lu, Sujiatuo town, Haidian District
Open: 9 am – 5:30 pm
Tel: 6245 5588
Cost: starting from 240 yuan
The National Stadium
Where: Jia 3, Anding Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 9 am – 9 pm
Tel: 8498 68888
Cost: starting from 160 yuan
(By Wei Ying)
Beijing Kuangbiao Leyuan organizes not only skiing but other outdoor sports. CFP Photo
There are plenty of places hosting snow carnivals downtown during the Chinese New Year, like the Summer Palace, the National Stadium, and Beijing Kuangbiao Leyuan, a speed-sport zone in Haidian District.
The Summer Palce
Where: 19 Xinjian Gongmen Lu, Haidian District
Open: 9 am – 5 pm
Tel: 6288 1144
Cost: 30 yuan, including 10 yuan as entrance fee
Beijing Kuangbiao Leyuan
Where: 1 Nan’anhe Lu, Sujiatuo town, Haidian District
Open: 9 am – 5:30 pm
Tel: 6245 5588
Cost: starting from 240 yuan
The National Stadium
Where: Jia 3, Anding Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 9 am – 9 pm
Tel: 8498 68888
Cost: starting from 160 yuan
(By Wei Ying)
