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No-car days to no longer include Second Ring Road

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:29:00 +0800

The committee in charge of Kunming's no-car days has reduced the scope of no-car days to only include the area within the city's first ring road, citing current construction on the Second Ring Road's western portion as well as roadwork starting today on the road's eastern and southern segments.

For the last three months, the area between the first and second ring roads was off limits to odd- or even-numbered cars on alternating months. Beginning this Saturday and continuing on the last Saturday of each following month, private automobiles will be banned from the area within the First Ring Road from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The First Ring Road includes Huancheng Dong Lu, Huancheng Nan Lu, Xichang Lu and Yieryi Dajie. Buses and taxis will still be allowed to operate within the no-car area.

Over the next 12 months, Kunming will invest six billion yuan (US$878 million) into improving traffic flow on the Second Ring Road. Roadwork on the second ring road is scheduled for completion by September 2009.

Related articles:

Kunming first Chinese city with monthly no-car days

Kunming's no-car days expand to second ring road

Kunming goes car crazy

Zhuantang: Downtown Kunming's forgotten pier

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:38:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming is publishing photos from the collection of Auguste François (1857-1935), who served as French consul in south China between 1896 and 1904, during which he spent several years in Kunming. The photos have been provided by Kunming resident and private collector Yin Xiaojun (殷晓俊). GoKunming thanks Yin Xiaojun for providing us a glimpse of Yunnan at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Year: 1901
Subject: Zhuantang and Daguan Canal
Location: Daguan Lu/Huancheng Xi Lu, Daguan Canal

Background:

More than two thousand years ago when people began to build settlements in the area now known as Kunming, Dianchi Lake was the main source of life and livelihood, providing water for humans, livestock and crops. Over time, it also became an important transport link between Kunming and other towns springing up around the lake.

The city of Yuxi (玉溪), roughly 110 kilometers south of Kunming, was founded in 960. By the Yuan Dynasty, which was founded in the Thirteenth Century, trade between Kunming and Yuxi was flourishing. Lacking good roads and vehicles, traders in the two cities used sailboats to transport livestock and goods. Shipping goods between Kunming and the town of Jinning (晋宁) eliminated the need for slower horse carts for 40 of the 110 kilometers.

Water transport became increasingly important to Kunming, which undertook the major task of digging out the Daguan Canal (大观河) roughly 800 years ago. The canal extended Dianchi Lake's northern tip into what is now downtown Kunming, culminating in the pier known as Zhuantang (篆塘), which was located at the present-day intersection of Daguan Lu and Huancheng Xi Lu.

Today, things are different as roads and automobiles have made Dianchi an outdated transport option. Zhuantang is but a small park, the Daguan Canal has fallen out of use, and Dianchi Lake is known for being one of China's most polluted lakes rather than a 'sparkling pearl' as it was once called.

Hongyun, Honghe announce merger plans

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:29:00 +0800

Hongyun Group and Honghe Group, two of Yunnan province's largest tobacco companies intend to merge, a move that will form China's largest and the world's fourth-largest cigarette producer by volume, according to Chinese media reports.

The planned merger, which is still awaiting regulatory approval, suggests a move towards consolidation in China's highly fragmented tobacco industry. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of cigarettes, with a market of more than 300 million smokers, a market that is still growing.

If the merger goes through, the new company is expected to be the world's fourth-largest cigarette producer after Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco Inc.

Yet in terms of revenue, the two companies' combined 2007 revenues are less than 30 percent of the revenue of current number four Imperial Tobacco Plc, partially because cigarettes in China are some of the cheapest in the world. According to their websites, in 2007 Hongyun Group posted 29 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion) in revenue and Honghe took 16 billion yuan.

The proposed company would be named Hongyun Honghe Tobacco Group Company Limited (红云红河烟草集团有限责任公司) and would have production facilities in Kunming, Qujing, Honghe, Zhaotong, Huize in Yunnan province, plus facilities in Xinjiang.

After the merger, the company would produce several of China's larger cigarette brands, including Yunyan, Honghe, Hongshancha, Shilin and Lesser Panda.

Related article: Kunming: Bong city, PRC

Kunming unveils 12-year development plan

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:52:00 +0800

On August 3, the Kunming government released a comprehensive development plan for the city over the next 12 years.

In the course of the next dozen years, three core areas will be built up:

1. The main urban area (主城), consisting of the Guandu, Panlong, Wuhua and Xishan urban districts;

2. Chenggong new city (呈贡新城), located approximately 25 kilometers southeast of the main urban area;

3. The new airport economic zone (空港经济区), which will be northeast of the main urban area.

Kunming will expand primarily to the northeast and southeast, with this phase of growth supported by the construction of the city's first urban rail network.

Road connectivity between the main urban area and outlying towns including Haikou, Kunyang and Jinning will be upgraded to create a transportation network that encircles Dianchi Lake.

Within the main urban area, an 'urban ecological control belt' (城市生态控制带) will be established, consisting of Xishan and Dianchi National Scenic Area. Outside of the city, the Qiaozi Snow Mountain scenic area, Xundian Red Tourism Scenic Area, Jiuxiang National Scenic Area, Stone Forest National Scenic Area, Yangzonghai Tourism and Holiday area and other tourist areas within Kunming municipality will be administered as 'urban ecological scenic controlled areas' (城市生态景观控制区).

Five 'functional zones' within the main urban area will be created, with the area within the second ring road as the center of four other areas to the north, east, south and west. This is what the city plans for each zone:

Center: Public services infrastructure and green space coverage will be improved and population density reduced.

North: Heavily polluting industrial operations will be gradually moved out.

West: Heavily polluting industrial operations will be gradually moved out.

South: With the pending retirement of Kunming Wujiaba International Airport, the area currently occupied by the airport will be redeveloped for urban use. The airport land plus the nearby exhibition halls and Baohai Park will serve as a secondary city center.

At the same time, Dianchi National Scenic Area, Caohai Ecological Park and Daguan Park will be built up into a sports, leisure and tourism area. There will also be extensive residential space in the area, as well as many municipal administrative offices and traffic infrastructure leading out of Kunming.

East: The layout and composition of the Kunming Economic Development Zone will be optimized so that it serves as a more streamlined industrial hub.

Beijing Olympics golden for China

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:03:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming has been crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

On the final day of competition, China took two gold medals and a silver in women's rhythmic gymnastics to end up with a total of 51 gold medals and 100 medals overall – its best Olympic medal haul to date. Number two United States and number three Russian Federation trailed China with 36 and 23 golds, respectively.

In terms of total medals, the US took the most medals, with 110, followed by China with 100. The Russian Federation took the third-largest number of medals with 72.

Zou Shiming wins China's first boxing gold
Zou Shiming ( 邹市明) made Chinese sports history on the last day of the Beijing Olympics by claiming the country's first gold medal in boxing. Zou was declared winner in the second round when light-flyweight opponent Serdamba Purevdorj of Mongolia pulled out of the match due to an injury sustained in a previous match.

China's Zou Shiming won China's first boxing gold today by defeating Mongolia's Serdamba Purevdorj in the final of the light-flyweight class. Zou hit Purevdorj with a combo of punches in the first round, earning one point.

"I wanted to give the spectators a wonderful show, but I did not expect that my opponent would get injured," Zou said. "However, the gold medal is the most important thing."

Zhang Xiaoping picks up second boxing gold for China
Shortly after Zou Shiming gave China its first taste of boxing gold, light heavyweight Zhang Xiaoping (张小平) quickly added another gold medal in boxing by beating Kenny Egan of Ireland 11 to 7.

"I'm really excited," said Zhang, "before the Olympic Games, I was just a normal athlete but now I am a gold medalist. I was perfect today and did very well psychologically and physically. Throughout the Games, I fought with 100 per cent of my skills. I put myself in a low position and tried my best to fight against my opponent."

Zou Shiming image: Xinhua

IOC investigating ages of Chinese gymnasts

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:46:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming will be crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee has launched an investigation into the ages of gold medal-winning gymnasts He Kexin (何可欣) and Yang Yilin (杨伊琳), according to multiple media reports. Accusations have been leveled that the hosts cheated by faking age records in the sport, which requires that athletes be turning 16 or older in the year they enter Olympic competition.

If the IOC finds that He and Yang are underage and strips China of medals they won, that would cost China both of its women's gymnastics golds—the team title and He's uneven bars gold—and two bronzes, won by Yang in the uneven bars and the all-around competition.

The Associated Press claimed to have found archived reports (later scrubbed from the Internet) from last November in Chinese state media Xinhua, stating that He was 13 in 2007. More recently, some digging by an American computer security expert revealed more records indicating that He is underage.

Related: China, US medal competition heats up

He Kexin image: Boston Globe

This weekend around Kunming

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:07:00 +0800

Saturday: The Side-Effects at Speakeasy Bar
As Kunming emerges from its Olympic lull, Beijing funk/blues band The Side-Effects will play Speakeasy Bar on Saturday night. Admission to the 9:30 show is 25 yuan. After the band, DJ Ma Xi will play a trance/electronic/reggae set.

Sunday: Free afternoon documentaries at Yuansheng Studio
Yuansheng Studio will continue to hold free afternoon showings of documentaries from the Yunfest archives on Sunday afternoon, from 2:00 to 6:00. An open discussion of the films will be held after the screenings.

Get your event listed in GoKunming
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Report: Face transplant recipient's recovery holds promise

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:30:00 +0800

British medical journal The Lancet has published a follow-up report in this week's issue about a man from Yunnan who successfully underwent facial transplant surgery in 2006, raising hopes that the difficult surgery will be more viable in the future. The man is the second person ever to have received a successful face transplant.

Farmer Li Guoxing of Yunnan's Lanping County was attacked by a bear in October 2004, resulting in major tissue damage on the right side of his face. Li reportedly had beat the bear with a stick after discovering it eating one of his sheep, leading to the bear disfiguring his face.

Li, a member of the Lisu ethnic minority who could not speak standard Chinese, lost his job due to his appearance and became a recluse. It was through the efforts of US-based non-governmental organization The Nature Conservancy, which has operations in nearby Lijiang involving bear protection, that led to finding a suitable hospital for the operation he needed to re-enter society.

In an operation 18 months after his accident, the man underwent allograft tissue transplantation at Xijing Hospital and Fourth Military Medical University in the north Chinese city of Xi'an. He received an upper lip, nose, skin, muscle and even some facial bone from a 25-year-old donor who had died in a traffic accident.

The man reportedly underwent treatments with four different drugs to modulate his immune system and minimize the risk that his body would reject the donated tissue. He was also given drugs to prevent infection.

Researchers in the Lancet hailed the transplant and treatment as a positive step forward for face transplant surgery, but emphasized the trickiness of such an operation.

"Facial transplantation could be successful in the short term, but the procedure is not without complications," the researchers wrote.

The Lancet report also reported another facial transplant after the Chinese man's, in which a French man with a massive facial tumor successfully received a new face in January 2007.

The two successful facial transplants follow the world's first face transplant, which took place in France in 2005. The recipient, Isabel Dinoire, had been attacked by a pet dog.

For more information about the transplants, The Lancet has produced a podcast on the subject.

Related article:

The Nature Conservancy working with China to protect biodiversity

Black bear incursions a growing problem in protected area

Slow medal day for China, US

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:31:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming will be crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

Both China and the US had slow days at the Olympics on Wednesday, with China picking up one medal – a gold in sailing – and the US taking no medals on the twelfth day of competition as of 8:15 pm Beijing time.

China continues to lead the US and the rest of the world in gold medals, with 44. The US and Great Britain trail China with 26 and 16 gold medals, respectively.

China inched closer to the US in terms of total medals, with 77, just two shy of Team USA's 79. The Russian Federation was in a distant third with 45 total medals.

Yin Jian wins China's first sailing gold
Yin Jian (殷剑) finished third in the final race of the RS:X class windsurfing event to claim mainland China's first ever sailing gold, bettering her Athens silver in the process.

The event uses a complicated scoring system that runs over 11 races, with higher points for the final 'medal race'. Yin made a bad start, having chosen a different route around the course from her main rivals. She caught up well, but her overall status was unsure until late in the race. Italy's Alessandra Sensini struggled with the light winds, but won the race to take silver. Newcomer Bryony Shaw of Great Britain finished second to win bronze.

While this may be the mainland's first windsurfing gold, a Chinese sailor has taken gold on the board before - Lee Lai Shan (李麗珊), popularly known as "San San", took Hong Kong's first-ever Olympic medal in Atlanta, becoming a local hero in the process.

Yin Jian image: 2008.sina.com.cn

Liu Xiang writes open letter to China, promises to return

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:34:00 +0800

Injured hurdler Liu Xiang has written a letter to the people of China and his supporters worldwide, which was posted on Chinese national track and field coach Feng Shuyong's (冯树勇) blog yesterday. Below is a translation of Feng's post:

I have already been in touch with Liu Xiang several times since he pulled out of the race as an absolute last resort. Right now as far as Liu Xiang is concerned, he needs to get back to normal as soon as possible, he needs to fully recover from his foot injury. Now via my blog, I will relay Liu Xiang's feelings.

[quote]To all the people who care about and support me:

I am thankful for all understanding and support the people who care about me have given me. At this moment in time I feel sad for all the people who are still disappointed at my pulling out of the race.

On July 13, 2001, the date that Beijing won its bid for the Olympics, it was also my 18th birthday. This intertwined the joy of my birthday celebration and the joy of the successful bid. Although I was an unknown athlete back then, the dream of every athlete was to participate in the Beijing Olympics. I've been putting in everything I've got toward this goal.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, I realized my dream of being an Olympic champion. From that moment onward, my unshakeable goal has been to defend my Olympic title in my own motherland. I've always enjoyed facing challenges and have never been willing to accept defeat – this is just the way I am. As a matter of fact, when I stepped onto Greek soil, I was very confident in myself.

As I won more and more championships and more people began to pay attention to me and give me support, I also endured growing pressure and puzzlement in my life. I am unable to relax and party without restraint like other people my age. I also can feel the expectations of the entire country at any moment.

I know that everyone was eagerly anticipating my performance yesterday [August 18] – I also wanted to fight to the finish, as you've all see me do before. But it's truly my foot… please believe that nobody is feeling more sadness and pain than me. At the same time, please believe that I'm the same Liu Xiang I've always been.

Innumerable friends sent me text messages and called me after seeing me get injured and walk off the track. I am sincerely thankful for the friends that understand, support and encourage me. I would also like to thank all the Chinese people, who in these years have given me tremendous support and credit.

I believe I still possess great strength. You all will see a Liu Xiang that runs even faster.[/quote]

Editor's note: GoKunming is crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

Liu Xiang image: blog.iqilu.com

China leads with 41 golds, second in total medals

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:51:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming will be crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

As of 8:15 pm Beijing time on Tuesday, China had won two more golds, both in men's gymnastics, to bring their total number of gold medals to 41, or 16 more than Team USA's 25 golds. Great Britain was in third in the gold count with 15.

In terms of overall medals, China trails the US, 77 to 72, with silver- and bronze-heavy Russia in third with 40 total medals.

Li Xiaopeng enters Chinese gymnastics pantheon
Li Xiaopeng (李小鹏) beat out Yoo Won-chul of South Korea and Anton Fokin of Uzbekistan to claim his fourth gold in men's gymnastics – this time in the parallel bars. This Olympics Li has surpassed Chinese gymnastics legend – and the star of these Olympics' opening ceremony – Li Ning as the winningest Chinese gymnast ever, with a total of 18 international first-place finishes to Li Ning's 14.

Zou Kai wins men's horizontal bar
Li's teammate Zou Kai (邹凯) beat out Jonathan Horton of the US and Fabian Hambuechen of Germany to win gold on the last day of artistic gymnastics competition. The medal is Zou's third gold medal in his first Olympics – earlier in the Beijing games he won gold in the men's team competition and also in the individual floor competition.

Li Xiaopeng image: news.cctv.com

Zou Kai image: english.people.com.cn

Zhong Lifeng to play Kunming tonight

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:58:00 +0800

The recent wave of popular neo-folk musicians coming through Kunming continues tonight when Beijing-based Zhong Lifeng (钟立风) plays Halfway House tonight.

Originally from Zhejiang province, Zhong moved to Beijing in 1995 and began to write and perform of folk songs, some of which became well known when covered by Chinese pop acts such as Shui Mu Nian Hua.

In 2004 Zhong signed with Chinese label Taihe Rye Music and released his first solo album Beside the Road in 2006. He also played the Chaoyang Pop Music Festival in Beijing the same year.

Zhong Lifeng's show at Halfway House on Tuesday starts at 9:30 pm. Admission is 15 yuan per person.

China take men's, women's ping pong team gold

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:25:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming will be crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

With Monday night's men's team table tennis gold medal, and the women's team title the night before, China is halfway to a sweep of the top spots in its national sport.

China defeated Germany in the men's final, which requires teams to play a mix of singles and doubles matches. Wang Hao and Ma Lin each won their singles matches easily, and then Wang Hao went on to win the doubles with partner Wang Liqin.

On Sunday, the women's team denied rivals Singapore an Olympic gold medal, with a 3-0 victory.

The singles competition for the women started Monday, and for the men it begins Tuesday. Anything less than gold will be a disappointment, and China has the talent to sweep all three medals on both sides.

Beijing booty: China leads with 39 gold medals

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:17:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming will be crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

After winning one gold medal and six total medals on Saturday and then seven golds and 14 total medals on Sunday, China is making a serious run at coming out of the Beijing games with the most gold and most medals overall.

As of 11:00 pm Beijing time on Monday, China leads the Olympic gold quest with 39 gold medals, 17 more than Team USA's 22. In terms of overall medals, China trails the US by five, with the Americans taking 72 compared to China's 67.

China won four more gold medals today, plus a silver and a bronze, but all the talk was about the medal that China was hoping to win more than any other – the men's 110 meter hurdles. As reported here and across global media, Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang has withdrawn from the event in which he won gold during the Athens games four years ago.

Injured Liu Xiang withdraws from Olympics

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:48:00 +0800

Editor's note: GoKunming will be crossposting content from our sister site China Sports Today throughout the Olympics.

For Chinese fans, they were, without a doubt, the three most anticipated events of the 2008 Olympics: the opening ceremony, Yao Ming and the men's basketball team's showdown with Team USA, and Liu Xiang's (刘翔) defense of his Olympic gold in the 110-meter hurdles.

Now the third one won't happen, as Liu—world record holder until a couple of months ago—withdrew from his preliminary heat this morning in the Bird's Nest. Liu showed up to the race, but he looked far from ready, grimacing and hobbling through warm-ups. He took his mark with the other competitors on the track. But after another runner false started, the injured hurdler tore off his numbers and turned to walk away from the race.

It was known that Liu spent the summer battling a bum hamstring. His coach, Sun Haiping, said in a news conference today that Liu also had a several years-old injury in to his achilles tendon that became more serious recently. Unable to hold back tears, Sun spoke of Liu's dedication to the sport and the pain he had struggled with in recent weeks. Asked whether Liu had known before today's event that he would not compete, the coach gave a rambling reply that ultimately didn't address the question. Sun had said three weeks ago that Liu was still not perfectly healthy but had run a strong 13.18.

The last time Liu raced was in late May at the Good Luck Beijing Athletics Open. He breezed to victory in an Olympic test event in the Bird's Nest. On June 2, Liu dropped out of the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, citing a tight hamstring. The following week, he was disqualified from the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon for a double false start.

The importance of Liu to these Olympics, Chinese sports in general and many Chinese people on a personal level cannot be overstated. He was the first Chinese male to win track and field gold. His face is ubiquitous on billboards and magazine covers from Beijing to Chengdu, and he is the country's top-earning athlete after Yao Ming.

Newspaper columnist Raymond Zhou of China Daily had compared Liu's run at gold to Barack Obama's run for the U.S. presidency. Zhou told China Sports Today before the games began, "We Chinese often convince ourselves that Chinese, and Asians in general, are not good at track and field. If Liu Xiang can consistently break that stereotype, it gives people hope that Asians can compete."

The pressure Liu was under was tremendous, and it can be seen in the reactions shown on TV today. Sun wasn't the only person shedding tears. CCTV showed shots of many in the crowd at the stadium who were visibly moved by Liu's collapse, and the state television station's commentators seemed to be barely containing their emotion when delivering the news.

The USA's Terrence Trammell was also sidelined by injury, leaving his fellow American David Oliver as the top challenger to the world record holder, Cuba's Dayron Robles.

Related:
Liu Xiang's record broken
Liu Xiang grounded again
Liu Xiang drops out of NY race

Image: hc360.com