A trip of history and culture

Located to the east of the Wenchang Tower in the Summer Palace, the Wenchang Gallery is the largest and the most impressive gallery of its kind in any classical Chinese garden.  On display in its six halls are thousands of artifacts extracted from the Summer Palace, covering some 3,600 years from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

The exhibits include bronzeware, jewelry, chinaware, furniture, paintings, calligraphy, ancient books, enamels, clocks, handicrafts made of gold, silver, bamboo, wood, ivory, horn and lacquer, and other miscellaneous items, representing almost all types of Chinese antiques

Source: china.org

China's 'Porcelain Capital' - Jingdezhen

Jingdezhen, also known as Jingde Town, China's "Porcelain Capital", is a city of 1.58 million in Jiangxi Province in eastern China. It is one of the Four Great Towns in China, together with Foshan of Guangdong Province, Hankou of Hubei Province and Zhuxian of Henan Province. The history of producing porcelain can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). Most people come here to see the ancient ceramics industry. Highly recommended scenic spots include Ceramic History and Culture Zone, Gaoling-Yaoli Scenic Area, Fuliang Ancient Government Office, Hongyan Scenic Area, Deyu Ecological Garden and China Porcelain Garden

Source: china.org

Opinions mixed on subway ban of food, drinks

Beijing's legislature is considering whether to allow people to eat and drink on subway trains, as members of the city's People's Congress urged on Thursday that such behavior be banned.

Eating and drinking, as well as giving out fliers, begging and performing for money should all be prohibited in subway train carriages, and violators should be fined at most 1,000 yuan ($160), according to the Urban Construction and Environment Protection Committee under the city's People's Congress.

The committee submitted review opinions on Thursday of a draft to enhance the safety of the city's subways.

When it first came out for public review in February, the draft of Regulations on Beijing Railway Transportation Operation Safety said that eating and drinking should be prohibited on subway trains. 

However, the city's government deleted the stipulation when it submitted the draft to the standing committee of the city's People's Congress for review on Thursday.

"Eating and drinking doesn't have much direct relation to the safety of the subway operation," said Yang Hong, an official with the city's Legal Affairs Office, as quoted by China National Radio.

Additionally, she said, a large number of personnel would be needed to enforce the prohibition, which, if it becomes law, won't be effective if enforcement lags.

However, Guo Pujin, director of the Urban Construction and Environment Protection Committee, believes otherwise.

"Eating and drinking in the carriage of the subway may cause disputes between passengers and between passengers and the operators of the subway, as food and drink may be spilled or give out an unpleasant smell," Guo said when announcing the committee's review opinions.

Li Wenjie, an official with Beijing Subway Line 8, agreed.

Li said she has received reports of people who slipped and fell in stations and in carriages because they stepped in food or drink that had spilled on the floor.

One woman even broke a bone, she recalled.

"In the carriage, it's more often that the food and drink spill out, burning other passengers or staining their clothes, and the two sides fall into a brawl," she said. "Getting the report of such cases, our employees have guided these passengers out and handed them over to the police in the station."

If the prohibition becomes law, the employees of the subway lines will have something to fall back on when dissuading passengers from eating and drinking, she said.

However, it would take a special team of law enforcers to patrol subway carriages, because the stewards focus on driving the train and don't have time to supervise passengers' behavior, she said, adding that stewards also lack the authority to levy fines against violators.

It's also difficult to patrol the carriages in peak hours, she said.

Chen Haibo, 28, who takes the subway to work, said he would welcome the enactment of such a ban.

"I never eat on the subway," he said. "The air in the train in the morning peak hour is already very stuffy, and food gives out a smell that further deteriorates the air quality. But I don't think the ban, if legalized, will be effectively implemented, as some people believe it is their right to eat and drink in the train."

Source china daily via china.org

Few Taxis, Unfriendly Locals: Beijing Voted World’s Second-Worst Travel Destination

(WSJ) As if it wasn’t bad enough that China is home to seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, a new tourism poll this week ranked its capital Beijing the second worst globally for transport and friendliness.

A survey of 54,000 travelers by the online travel guide TripAdvisor said Beijing trails only Moscow when it comes to the unhelpfulness of its locals, the unfriendliness of its taxi drivers and the poor quality of its taxi services.

By contrast, Tokyo was ranked in the same poll as the best destination in the world — a fact that isn’t likely to help the apparently generally dour disposition of Beijingers. China nurses century-old historical grievances and a rivalry with Japan that in recent years has erupted in diplomatic quarrels and occasional violence.

Visitors to Beijing wouldn’t be overly shocked at TripAdvisor’s findings.

Never mind the relatively simple problem of a taxi shortage, which many global cities face. Most people living in the city would have a horror story or three of taxi drivers who tamper with meters (or “forget” to turn them on so they end up charging passengers more at the end) to fleece unsuspecting tourists.

It’s common fare to find drivers who refuse to drop passengers at requested stops, just because it’s more convenient for the driver to stop elsewhere. Such drivers have been known to bark at passengers: “Just walk!” Local expatriate-friendly magazines often include tips to beware of taxi scams.

Neither is it hard to imagine an unhelpful Beijing local, though in part this might be a linguistic gap. 

Tourists not armed with rudimentary Chinese or a guide might find it difficult to get anyone to stop to help with directions. And it’s easy to imagine people being shocked by public behaviors in Beijing: Queuing isn’t exactly a Chinese thing, even in the swankiest of Beijing shopping districts, while spitting in public definitely is.

It’s not just tourists who have found Beijing inhospitable: Local sports teams have also been known more for their thin skin than their sportsmanship when hosting foreign sports teams.

The problem of air pollution also appears to be driving down Beijing’s appeal, according to some statistics.

Of course, for every tale of an unfriendly local, a Beijinger might be able to match it with one of a horrible tourist or laowai, the local term for an expatriate. It’s not all brickbats. Beijing is often praised for being one of the safest cities in the world. Its wealth of cultural and historical sights also win plaudits. Like any city, it has its share of heartwarming Samaritans and unexpected kindnesses, as well as willingness to celebrate life—even amid the smog.

Source: Wall Street Journal 

Chinese Commercial Plane Maker Faces Delays

(WSJ) Delivery of China's first locally produced commercial jetliner will be delayed further to 2018, a fresh setback in the country's bid to become a global force in the aerospace industry.

The C919 jet, under development by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., or Comac, is the nation's gamble against the Airbus and Boeing Co. aviation duopoly. But early-stage design difficulties have forced Comac to revise the production schedule for the 150-seat narrow-body jet.

Comac initially had aimed for the C919 to take its first flight in 2014, with deliveries starting in 2016.

But a company official said Wednesday that the Chinese aircraft manufacturer now aims to have the homegrown jetliner's maiden flight by late 2015, with deliveries starting in 2018. The official declined further comment. People familiar with the situation said in August that delivery of the C919 jet was expected to be pushed back to 2017 at the earliest.

Analysts have said that production delays are common, particularly for a new aircraft maker such as Comac.

So far, Comac has secured orders for 400 of the C919 jets from 16 customers, mostly from Chinese airlines and other aircraft-leasing firms. GE Capital Aviation Services, the world's biggest aircraft lessor by fleet value and the aircraft-financing arm of U.S.-based General Electric Co., is the only foreign buyer, with an order for 20 jets.

Comac hasn't disclosed the list price of the jet. It unveiled a mock-up of the 150-seat aircraft in 2010, but has yet to build the actual plane.

Despite a noticeable lack of foreign airline interest and concerns over development delays, China is eager to develop commercial jets amid the nation's rapidly growing demand for air travel. Chinese carriers remain some of the biggest buyers of Boeing and Airbus jets as the country's economic prosperity lifts travel demand.

Last Friday, China Southern Airlines Co., the nation's biggest by fleet size, signed a deal to buy 80 passenger narrow-body jets, the bulk of which are the more advanced Airbus A320neo series aircraft. 

Those orders, worth a combined $9.33 billion at list prices, came just days after upstart discount rival 9 Air placed an order for 50 Boeing 737 jets, including 737 versions with more advanced engines.

Comac's experience in producing a smaller regional jet, the ARJ21, illustrates the difficulties aircraft makers face in securing tests and approvals before they can move on to commercial sales.

The 78-to-90-seat turbofan short- and medium-range jet, which had its maiden flight in 2008, is expected to complete final certification by the end of 2014. The jet will be delivered Chengdu Airlines next year, four years behind its original 2010 delivery schedule.

Separately, the Comac official on Wednesday confirmed that the Chinese aircraft maker has signed a pact with Russia's state-owned United Aircraft Corp. to jointly develop a new widebody plane, a move that could help the two nations better compete against the established players.

Source: Wall Street Journal by Joanne Chiu

United Airlines will launch first direct route from US to Southwest China

(China Daily) United Airlines will launch the first direct route from the United States to Southwest China on June 11, flying between San Francisco and Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu. The airline will offer three flights to Chengdu every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and from Chengdu every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A one-way flight takes about 14 hours. The route will be flown by Boeing 787-8.


Source: China Daily

Civilian airliners to be allowed in military airspace

(China Daily) Civil aviation flights in northern China will be allowed in military-controlled airspace during thunderstorms in the latest move to reduce flight delays.

A new regulation, enacted on Tuesday, from the North China Air Traffic Management Bureau under the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the People's Liberation Army air force opened 25 temporary flight paths and one temporary airspace for civil aviation flights in northern China during thunderstorms.

The move, another major sign of cooperation between the civil aviation authority and the air force, is expected to reduce flight delays at Beijing Capital International Airport, whose flights are frequently affected by thunderstorms in summer and fall.

According to the new regulation, the bureau will devise the detour flight paths to avoid thunderstorms and submit the request to the air force one hour before the flight. The military will reply to the request 30 minutes before the flight.

The new flight paths will cover airports in five provincial areas, including the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin; Shanxi and Hebei provinces; and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The regulation also covers the plan in which flights are allowed to take off and land when thunderstorms end.

Wen Xuezheng, chief of the North China Air Traffic Management Bureau, said the new regulation will significantly reduce flight delays in northern China in summer and increase air traffic capacity during harsh weather.

Poor weather accounts for about 20 percent of flight delays in China, the civil aviation authority said in 2011.

Previously, when a thunderstorm lay on a flight route between two cities, the flight had to be delayed because the flight could not detour through controlled airspace.

"The new regulation will enable flights to take detours in the controlled area after requests and thus could reduced the delays," said Yan Xiaodong, the bureau's chief engineer. He expects the flight delays at Beijing's airport this summer will be significantly less than they were last summer.

Meanwhile, the new regulation will also significantly reduce the flight mileage during storms and thus reduce airlines' costs.

The new regulation also is expected to prevent the inconvenience to passengers when they are forced to use other airports when thunderstorms delay flights at the Beijing airport. Flights with enough fuel could circle western Beijing until the storms dissipate and the planes can land.

Source: china daily via china.org