Short Walk Signal Results in Death on the Crosswalk

Interesting optimization problem. Utilitarianism at its highest.

Translation: 男子在斑马线处被撞身亡 协管员称绿灯时间太短 from sina.com

Yesterday morning at the intersection of East Jiangbin Avenue and Kuaian Street in Fuzhou (福州), a SUV ran over a pedestrian while he was still traversing the crosswalk. The man died instantly. One traffic warden told the reporter that the zebra crossing spans 8 traffic lanes and requires 65 humans steps to cross. The green walk signal, however, only lasts about 13 seconds, enough for 30 steps.


Right now, all that remains to show an accident had occurred was a leather shoe and blood stains on the opposite sidewalk. "The collision happened on this crosswalk, but the man's body landed on the crosswalk on the opposite side." Weng Yibo believes that the man came from Kuaian Street and was crossing Jiangbin Avenue before the SUV hit him.

The police have not been able to identify the deceased person due to lack of personal identification documents.

Jiang Bin Avenue has 8 traffic lanes. Six are fast lanes, and the other two spares.

"The pedestrian signal is too short, only allowing people to cross half of the road." According to one traffic warden, adults walking under normal speed need 65 steps to go from one side of the road to the other. But due to limited time, they must take 30 steps and then jog the rest of the way to the median divider, where they wait for the next walk signal.

Chief Chen of Mawei District's police patrol team said that they have already gone through several rounds of discussion concerning the walk signal. Vehicle traffic volume exceeds pedestrian traffic volume, and a longer signal can lead to traffic jams on Jiangbin Avenue.

The case is still being processed.

Comments:

2010-12-12 14:54:59 Beijing Cellphone User

The main reason is that you can't tax pedestrians. So of course pedestrians get little time.

2010-12-12 15:27:27 Beijing 大虎

In other countries, cars are required to stop for pedestrians on the crosswalk.

2010-12-12 14:52:24 Suzhou, Jiangsu Cellphone User

I suspect that SUV driver was intentional. The collision happened at high velocity, not when he was accelerating from a stop. I don't think he slowed down at all!

2010-12-12 14:34:38 Hebei Cellphone User

I recall similar experiences. Bicyclist and pedestrians have no rights anymore....

2010-12-12 16:23:42 Suzhou, Jiangsu Cellphone User

Yea, all you think about is traffic jams, never people who must walk. A man has to die to catch your attention.

2010-12-12 18:09:53 Shanghai squll2001

For the sake of common people's safety, China should convert zebra crossings to bridges.

CCTV Exposes Shanda's Porn Novel Business

Translation: 盛大文学靠黄色小说牟利 遭央视曝光 from QQ.com

Yesterday, CCTV's consumer news show Consumer Advocate gave full coverage on Shanda Literature's (盛大文学) porn novel business, pointing to several literature websites under the Shanda brand as sources of internet porn. It revealed the deeply negative influence Shanda Literature has on morality and online culture. It further called upon Chinese internet regulatory departments to exert more control over internet publishing and to purify the online environment. Shanda began as a highly lucrative game operator for the Korean MMORPG game The Legend of Mir 2 and occupied news headlines when its CEO Chen Tianqiao (陈天桥) became the richest man in China mainland. CCTV's accusations, which were broadcast amidst the government's nation-wide special mission to halt dissemination of pornography via web and mobile channels, placed Shanda once again in the spotlight.



According to CCTV, the reporter found extensive pornographic, vulgar contents in novels published by Shanda Literature. Murder Under the Incest (Qidian.com), Top Laughing, Bottom Screaming¹, Let's Roll, Wifey (jjwxc.net), Vixen Lover of a Fickle CEO (hongxiu.com), Professional Escort, She Comes from the Brothel (rongshuxia.com), Having a Baby with His Homosexual Royal Highness (readnovel.com), and She Beds Three or Four Men (Rongshuxia.com)...many book titles in these Shanda websites are unsightly, and the writings are filled with more explicit sexual descriptions. To attract viewers, authors create sensational chapter titles such as "Caution: Concentrated Sexual Content," "Purely Flesh," "Two Men Giving Birth," "Conditioning," "Time Travel," "Girl Becomes Boy," "Multiple Party Relationships," "Sadism Masochism," and "Milk Production."

Shanda Literature mostly showcases paid-to-read content. Take Qidian as an example. Since the customers read 5 billion characters per day, and the website charges 2 cents RMB for every 1000 characters in these "VIP" novels, Qidian can make more than 10,000 yuan daily. Shanda has other plans to generate revenue, including translating MMORPG games into novels and vice versa, i. e. producing novel-related games, published materials, or videos. Shanda Literature has become the source for pornographic, violent, and vulgar internet novels, creating a giant money-making chain.

Shanda reaps huge profits by packaging porn books and selling them as "internet literature." Shanda has captured 90% of the online publishing business through various buyouts.in the past few years. According to Shanda's financial statements, 3Q revenue from its online game segment declined by about 14%, while its publishing business grew 136% with revenue reaching 300 million yuan. Literature is becoming the new support for Shanda's continued growth.



Why is a prestigious company like Shanda willing to sell porn novels and damage its reputation in the process of doing so?

Analyst Yang Qun who monitors the internet industry explained: "This is closely tied to the performance decline of Shanda's core gaming segment." Based on Shanda's November 30 earnings release for its third quarter, net profit from both Shanda Interactive and Shanda Games decreased. Operating profit dropped to 155 million yuan, and net profit was 99.3 million yuan. Compare to the previous month, net profit declined 41%. Year-on-year decline was 77%. Shanda Games reported a total revenue of 10.96 billion yuan, which signified a 14% year-over-year decline. It drew in 289 million yuan in net profit, representing a drop of 21% compared to the same time last year or a drop of 3.8% compared to the previous month.


Currently, Shanda's internet business can be divided into 3 segments: Shanda Games, Shanda Online, and others. The weakening of the gaming segment, which comprises Shanda's traditional core business, is directly reflected in Shanda's performance. Moreover, Shanda Online also experienced a 10% year-over-year slide in revenue, and its current assets fell 48.98%. Nevertheless, Shanda still have about 5.368 billion yuan in cash and cash equivalents.

This year, Netease surpassed Shanda to become the number two largest online game operator. In contrast, Shanda has not released any new products for some time. This void, combined with a overall gaming industry downturn, has caused Shanda to fall farther behind Netease.


In one of its latest investment reports, Goldman Sachs gave Shanda Games a "Neutral" rating and lowered stock target price 10.5% to only 6 USD. Morgan Stanley advised caution in buying the stock, as Shanda's new businesses have not fully developed. RBS outright downgraded Shanda Interactive from "Hold" to "Sell" and lowered the price target from 39 to 34 USD. Even Auriga USA, who had always been bullish on Shanda, lowered the target price by 10 USD, citing the "surprising" drop in profits as reason.



¹ Gay porn terminology

---

While Shanda undeniably publishes dubious contents, I think CCTV aired its criticisms more because internet publishing in China is barely regulated (relatively speaking). Unlike traditional publishing, where a manuscript must go through numerous checkpoints before it is printed and sold to customers, anybody with a computer and internet connection can publish on-line. Such "books" are only reviewed by unprofessional editors after the fact, if they are reviewed at all. Also, I believe these marginalized stories are implicitly encouraged because they attract readership.

To comprehend the effect of the title of this news article, imagine an hypothetical headline: "Google/Yahoo/Blizzard Dives into Porn-Making as Its Core Businesses Decline"

Post Claims Teacher Inaction While Classmates Beat Student to Death

Translate: 网帖称初中生被同学打死 校长老师围观未制止 from Sina

The boy's body

Several children told me that the teachers as well as students witnessed the violence, but no one did anything to stop the brutality. Eventually, my child was beaten to death next to the school front gate.

--Mother of the victim

"Ninth Grade Student Wang Zhenyu (王振雨) from Qipan Middle School in Xinyi, Jiangsu Killed" was one of the hot forum posts on November 21st. The post described a lethal beating that occurred on the evening of November 17th. When Wang Zhenyu tried to stop three fellow students from punching his head class teacher, the gang turned on him instead. One photo showed Wang's body covered by bruises from head-to-toe.

The Post

According to the post, Wang Zhenyu was a star pupil in Xinyi's Qipan Middle School (新沂市棋盘中学). "Wang got out of night class around 7PM on the evening of 17th. Just as he was leaving school to go home, three classmates stopped him at the gate and killed him. The 3 students then fled. Witnesses say that school principal Mr. Xu and three other teachers watched the entire beating from the school yard. They did nothing. The child might have survived if they acted, yet they all turned a blind eye. Principal and teachers, do you deserve the honor and respect that the society bestows on you? You are supposed to lead the students, guide them, and care for them. Where has your conscience gone?"

"20 minutes later, one kindhearted teacher called 120 because he noticed that Wang was in grave condition. Wang's family immediately rushed to the scene. Despite of multiple inquiries, the school [to date] still has not given any reply regarding Wang's murder. Where is justice? Do we have to swallow Wang's senseless death?"

The post provided the victim's family phone number. Shocked by the story, Netizens exclaimed: How could this have happened? Why isn't the school doing anything? How could the students dare to openly commit murder?

Wang's Mother

The reporter phoned the number in the post. The person who received this call said that her last name is Yang and she is the child's mother. Choking back tears, she told the reporter: "My son went to take the English exam on the 15th. Several kids wanted to turn in their tests early, but the teacher proctor wouldn't let them. My son asked them to stop when he saw that the gang began hitting the teacher. They took offense. On the evening of the 17th, those 3 kids sought my son out and proceeded to beat him. Several children said that teachers as well as students witnessed the violence, but no one did anything to stop the brutality. Eventually, my child was beaten to death next to the school front gate. When I arrived at the school, the school principal, teachers, and students were still standing there, just looking on. No one stepped forward to check on my son."　　

Mrs. Yang said that the school has been unresponsive ever since the lethal incident.



Mrs. Yang continued: "I learned from some student witnesses that the school doesn't let them talk about the incident. All I know so far is that the last name of those 3 kids is Shen. One even has the nickname "Mayor Shen." Every year, fellow students must give him presents on his lunar as well as solar calendar birthdays. Either that or they are beaten up. Mayor Shen makes 20,000 to 30,000 yuan at school alone. I also heard that this kid has [powerful] relatives in Beijing, and the family is well-connected with people 'up there.' We are desperate. Going online and seeking help is our last resort. But our article was deleted as soon as it was posted. Even our internet connection is down." The reporter researched for related posts, and, sure enough, the local discussion board has already removed the thread.

Mrs. Yang said that she just want an explanation, but there was nowhere for her to turn. Dissatisfied with the school's silence, the family have placed Wang's dead body in the school building lobby.

Police Department and Middle School

On the 21st, the reporter called Xinyi's police department and Qipan's school office. None of the calls were answered.

Soon after, the reporter discovered a news item on Xinyi's official city website. It was dated November 19th: "At 7:50PM on November 17th, Qipian Middle School students Shen Number 1, Shen Number 2, and Shen Number 3 engaged in a fight with victim student Wang outside of school. Wang was killed. The 3 students have been detained by the police. Further investigation and other related compensatory work are currently in full swing."

The most popular comments:

天边的闪电 from Changchun, Jilin 2010-11-23 10:32:17

If my kid were murdered and the court didn't order the death penalty, I would personally kill the murderers. If they were merely sent to prison, I would kill them after they got out!!!

悟禅室主人 from Ningbo, Zhejiang 2010-11-23 07:48:26

"Every year, fellow students must give him presents on his lunar as well as solar calendar birthdays. Either that or they got beaten up. Mayor Shen makes 20,000 to 30,000 yuan in school alone." Who created this venomous snake?

xajwdy52 from Hangzhou, Zhejiang 2010-11-23 10:41:09

Anybody believes that these 3 will become useful members of the society? They are a social danger if allowed to live. Those who agree vote me up.

chenmo from Suzhou, Jiangsu 2010-11-23 07:27:54

If I were the parent, none of those teachers and students who let my kid die would live out the year!

xinzhongderiyue1 from Xuzhou, Jiangsu 2010-11-23 08:12:01

I teach at Qipan Middle School, and I would like to clarify a few things:

(1) The student was killed on a street outside of school grounds after school dismissal (the cause of death was head trauma by a brick). The incident did not take place at school.

(2) The school director received a phone call after the incident had taken place, and within 2 minutes, he arrived on scene. He simultaneously notified the principal and vice principal, who came 5 minutes later.

(3) The school management and teachers sent the child to the county hospital as quickly as they could, but he died on the way.

(4) It was not true that the principal and teachers turned a blind eye. If so, they don't even deserve to be called human, let alone teachers. Anyone with a conscience would not have done this. Do not trust in rumors.

(5) Xinyi laws prohibit alcohol, disallowing alcohol purchase with public funds on any evening during the work week. How could the school principal have been drinking? This is utter slander.

(6) The three killers have been arrested and will be dealt with according to law.

The latest developments:

There is nothing complicated about this incident, and the school personnel did not engage in any of the aforementioned shocking behaviors. I think bystanders should try to keep a level-head. Do not believe the parents' one sided story so blindly.

We express our deepest condolences to the family, and such a tragedy hurts us all. The teachers especially do not wish to see something like this happen. We shall take this case as a warning sign and do a better job at educating and managing students. But, we ask the parents to please be more reasonable. They think the school is the only party they can get something out of, so they place the dead child in school. Since tomorrow is Monday, I don't even know if the students' classes can go on normally. I think the society should pay a little bit more attention to the school and to other students' right to receive an education. Try to put yourself in our shoes and in other parents' shoes.

gsh442300 from Shenzhen, Guangdong 2010-11-23 09:25:05

I believe this is the truth. Most people who replied are retards. Really, there are many adults nowadays like Wang's parents. They don't tolerate any loss and will do anything to get back at others, even when the other parties had no hand in their suffering. What do they care about justice and conscience, as long as they get what they want?

Anonymous from Beijing 2010-11-23 10:00:14

Those who believe in what you just said are the real trash and retards. Do you possess any humanity? -- If this were your kid, would you still say the same thing?

平静如水 3 from Shanghai 2010-11-23 11:13:25

The school cannot shrug off all responsibility.

But the main culprits are those 3 rascals and their parents. Don't be confused.

提交4 from Jinan, Shang 2010-11-23 11:16:46

Oh, so, blame the school for everything. How shameless you are.

hawk from Shanghai 2010-11-23 11:22:24

Of course the school is accountable. What is their job? Isn't educating students in their job description? These bullies did not appear out of nowhere. Do you dare to deny that the school royally messed up when teaching them? Don't you think the school is responsible when its students started killing people on campus? Teachers, on the whole, enjoy one of the highest salaries in the country. Shouldn't that money induce some sense of responsibility?

jeeney2010 from Beijing 2010-11-23 09:09:41

I believe this teacher, but that doesn't totally excuse the school. Because the students are all from this school, it should bear the most responsibility, followed by the parents. The case appears similar to Li Gang killing. But Li Gang's son did not intentionally kill, while these Shen children premeditated the murder. They all have this mentality that they can get away with whatever they do, like that palace eunuch's god-grandchild Chang Wei from the movie Hail the Judge, yet their crime is much more serious than in the Li Gang case. The teachers and students must have known what kind of people these kids were, because the extortion had gone on for some time. Why do the kids bother to attend school in the first place? Li Gang came out. I think the Shen god-granddaddy¹ should show his face too.

1123qs from Ningbo, Zhejiang 2010-11-23 09:01:16

Don't the teachers know they will be reprimanded for not doing anything? Of course they do.

But why didn't they? Because they are afraid of more terrible things happening to them. They did nothing out of self-preservation!

Many things have roots in the larger environment. Don't just criticize the teachers. There isn't a teacher in the world who doesn't like obedient good students!

wangxiong5566112 from Chongqing 2010-11-23 20:35:27

Some teachers are wolves wearing lamb skin!

qingp from Changsha, Hunan 2010-11-23 20:39:05

Don't be so harsh. The teachers have to eat, keep their job, and feed their families. What would they do if the school fired them? The politicians have too much power and too much money (can't compare with nouveau riche though). Too many wealthy people running around, and anything can be bought, including human life! What can a few teachers accomplish? The real issue here is that in this country money and status mean unlimited power!!!

Zhang Da from Beijing 2010-11-23 10:40:26

School has become another stratified society. Powerful parents produce bully children.

wruifeng from Beijing 2010-11-23 21:38:17

Don't rely on the society to give you any help. If you have any blood in you, find the 3 garbage specimens and exact blood revenge. This world has no justice!

¹ The Chinese word used here is 干爷爷. I know there is Godparent. What is the equivalent if the person belongs to grandparent's generation?

Important Announcement from Dalian University of Foreign Languages

This appeared on Shanghai Rexian (Shanghai Hotline), so I am assuming the article has been fact-checked.

Translation: (大连外国语学院的重要通知)

Important Announcement from Dalian University of Foreign Languages to Its Student Body

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is visiting our campus tomorrow. Due to security reasons, the school will implement martial law. There will be no classes on the day of the visit. The September 26th lessons (actually the 24th) are pushed back. Make-up sessions for morning classes will be scheduled for October 13th (Wednesday). Make-ups for afternoon classes will be held on October 20 (Wednesday).

All students must follow the next two orders:

1. Campus shutdown commences at 8PM tonight. Those who want to go home must leave quickly (otherwise you won't be able to come in or get out)

2. Students should restrict their activities tomorrow to dormitories, the multi-purpose building, and the cafeteria. Do not go to the basketball court! The south stadium will be under martial law. Those who venture outside of the boundary will risk being shot to death on spot!

3. Do no hang blankets and clothes out to dry. Balconies must be neat and the doors locked tight. Pull up all curtains. Do not crowd onto the balconies to stare, as there will be snipers on the roof.

All students please take precautions.

-------

(Online discussions between Netizens seem to confirm it. For example, one student from adouban group mentioned

Actually we couldn't see anything. The school told us not to leave our dorms. We were not allowed to go to the classroom or to the track field. All sorts of lockdown...

There were supposedly snipers on the rooftops, who would open fire if we came out. So we spent the whole morning trying to locate them...

其实我们都看不见 学校要求不须出寝室楼 不许去教学楼 不许去操场 各种封锁...

据说有狙击手在楼顶 出去就shoot 我们找了一上午...

But yea, anyone personally knows anybody from that university?)

Tianya Reactions to Chinese Asylum Seekers's 2-day Rooftop Protest

Australia recently saw several waves of illegal immigrants promising suicides if they were not granted asylum. The latest group to threaten death was Chinese, prompting a "lively" discussion on the popular Tianya forum...

Translation: 9 Chinese Nationals Climb Rooftop in Sydney on Mid-Autumn Festival and Threaten to Jump

First post by sydneyaus

On September 22, 2010, 9 Chinese nationals climbed onto a rooftop in Sidney and claimed that they would jump.

The group of nine includes both men and women who are staying in Australia illegally on expired visas. The Australian government has sent them to detention center to await deportation.

Yesterday, these 9 people climbed onto a 1-story high rooftop. They claim that if sent home, they will be subjected to persecution and torture at the hands of Chinese government. If Australia does not give them the green card and allow them to stay in the country indefinitely, they shall collectively jump to their death the next day.

Among them was a 20-something pregnant woman. She had been in the detention center for more than 6 months and is now 2 months pregnant. She is leveraging her pregnancy in her request for permanennt resident status.

Comments which rapidly degenerated into name-calling and cussing:

鹤发童颜美少爷　2010-09-23　10:29:24　

This group seems to meet none of the immigration criteria.

I hope they won't come back.

Those who always blame the sky, the earth, and the government--governments on both sides at that--should set up their own nation.

　　

不醉醒　2010-09-23　10:58:17　

The rooftop has the same height as the utility poles, and the poles are only two-men tall. What kind of human being would climb a short two-story building to threaten suicide? This is shameful. China should refuse them entry back into the border.

　　　　

zhj_mv　2010-09-23　10:23:33　

How is that woman 2 months pregnant when she has been in the detention center for 6 months?

马甲123　2010-09-23　11:01:25

Conditions of their prison stay are quite lax. Both sexes are allowed to mingle. She made very good use of her time

sydneyaus　2010-09-23　11:02:25　

6 months detention. 2 months pregnancy.

There were more than 5000 so-called refugees at the detention center.

The community is co-ed and people can move about freely.

Sort of like house arrest. They just can't leave the detention center.

The woman started sleeping with a Chinese man, so she conceived.

最爱哈士奇　2010-09-23　11:12:08　

Despite of an uncertain future, she still remembered to continue the family line. You gotta respect her spirit.

DreamingKing1227　2010-09-23　13:08:17　

She should add one more statement: If I don't giver birth to my child here, China will force me to abort the fetus. Balabalabala.

The rooftop doesn't look too high. Little kids might get a broken bone or two. I hope they don't find out after making the jump that they can't even get a scratch. Then they might have to return to the rooftop and promise "We will jump again at 3:00 AM if you refuse our requests!"

坐火箭的猪胖胖　2010-09-23　10:53:17　

Good riddance. Jump, don't wait! We can't afford to lose more face. And is China as terrible as what they say? Persecuting them? What did they do?

番茄是　2010-09-23　11:00:42　

These things don't look like the type that China would persecute and toruture.

People who don't have what it takes will always be unsuccessful regardless of whether they are in China or Australia.

斜倚悠然　2010-09-23　10:59:17　

Correction--

Not everyone qualifies to be an asylee. Mostly people are illegal immigrations.

The conditions for becoming a refuge are strict. Since China is not afflicted by wars or catastrophes, it is hard to seek asylum.

As far as what people do to get green cards--these are not the worst. Some people will join Falun Gong so that they can stay in the U.S. once visas expire.

What they did isn't all that atrocious. After abandoning all they had in China, going through all this trouble to come to Australia, and then not be able to make money, they don't want to return for fear of neighbors' ridicule. To avoid losing face, they would rather die.

湖边的猫　2010-09-23　16:43:36　　　

Therefore they do their best to trash China. If they qualify for political asylum, they can get refugee visa. I mean, many foreigners already think Red China is evil; talking on the street lands you in jail or leads to death or something.

　　

I don't know how it is in Australia. But in Europe where I am staying, asylees must abide by all kinds of rules to receive sustenance. They regularly report [to the government] and once assigned a place, they can't easily go anywhere else. Once I met a man on the street who asked me to read a letter. It was a fine notice because he had traveled to another city for fun.

　　

I really don't understand people that go to strange places to receive the minimal subsistence while having to endure constant surveillance.

天神的眼泪　2010-09-23　10:38:37　

No wonder, Fujian people again. They come from Province of Illegal Immigration

何方妖涅　2010-09-23　11:10:54　

I also feel ashamed, but Fujian is not the only province to produce illegal immigrants.　

　

Fujianers want to go out only because many overseas Chinese are from here.

Not as many from other provinces go because there aren't anyone to care for them once they get to the other side.

I might not like Fujian, but I don't tolerate people criticizing her either.

外貌协会会长　2010-09-23　12:22:45　

This angers and amuses me at the same time.

Rooftops will be in high demand if the Australian government acquiesces to their requests.

Can they even die by jumping off an one-story building? At the worst, they can become crippled.

If they really wished to jump, why not seek out a skyscraper?

China is not at war, how can there be refugees?

And what could they have possibly done to deserve persecution?

Australia, let them jump. They can reincarnate as foreigners in the next life.

China doesn't want them back either.

出门探荷　2010-09-23　12:52:09　

They could be from the southeast coast region. Not sure about the province.

To them, deportation after they had borrowed money to leave China is a fate worse than death.

In those regions, people cannot lend you money to go to college but they can finance illegal immigration.

Those of you who surf the internet during work hours will never understand their predicament.

　　

漫天飞舞的滚滚　2010-09-23　12:52:41　

These people just want to be freeloaders in Australia, because China doesn't have the proper conditions for parasites.

Bad English, no work skills to speak off...

The government is obligated to take care of them once they receive green cards. They don't even have to work. What a fantastic plan.

Utterly unambitious 20 year olds. Wasted no time rolling in the haystack though.

Mkliuss　2010-09-23　13:43:36　

Australia should let them jump. They demand human rights? Well, you wanted to die, so we couldn't very well stop you or we would be neglecting your rights. Jump jump!

不再8了　2010-09-23　15:52:04　

Since they so badly want to be Australians, China should take back their Chinese citizenship.

白桦林的两个版本　2010-09-23　16:30:04　

Reading this post four hours later. They are still tarrying.

本后_啧啧啧　2010-09-23　16:55:17　

From Fujian...

One time when I was at the embassy for my visa, a student next to me had his application rejected all because his home town was in Fujian.

Why are these people bent on giving Fujian citizens trouble?

Just because they aren't making as much money, they resort to illegal immigration. Selfish bastards. Young, strong people can't make a living in China?

And they dared to talk about persecution. Even if the government doesn't do it, their hometown residents will kill them.

DONGXIE1　2010-09-23　20:54:16　

I believe that this news will only prove one thing, that is--Australian houses have really good rooftops, which can support the weight of 9 humans including a pregnant woman. These also are 9 fairly emotional individuals doing some stomping. Yet, the rooftop withstood all that.

I suggest Chinese buildings learn from their Australian counterparts.

丢失的酒瓶　2010-09-23　21:23:06　

I don't feel they caused Chinese to lose face. They only represent themselves, not me.

In contrast, the Chinese government caused us to lose face long ago. Like it would rather donate money to foreign countries than to its suffering citizens.

How nice it would be if 90% of Australians were Chinese.　　　　

寒雪孤鸿　2010-09-24　00:31:32　

It only costs a few thousand Australian dollars to purchase refugee status from Falun Gong. In return, one can never go back to China. Normal people aren't willing to make this sacrifice.

These 9 who would rather lose face than paying that money are truly some fine specimens.

Although this is bad of me to say, Australia should make them permanent residents so that they won't come back and harm China.

verypink　2010-09-24　07:45:43　

Why do I think Australia did this one purpose?

Look at the rooftop. They cannot possibly die from falling. Put a few air cushions underneath, and let the police drag them down.

Instead, Australia invited every news station large and small, carrying tons of cameras.

They even provided the 9 with food and water...making sure they have a great time up there, lest they come down.

Soon the whole world will learn of China's persecution and that these people would rather jump off buildings than face it.

wjqsbd　2010-09-24　08:51:01　

I'd rather die than going back to China. I can well imagine the hell China is. Everybody on that rooftop is quite sensible.

渡潇湘过五湖　2010-09-24　09:21:07　

Look at all these replies

"We all await the moment when they jump. 56 minutes. Counting down!!!"

"Chomping on apple while waiting"

"Eating plum while waiting"

"Drinking tea while waiting. Die. Find a Australian family to be reborn into, then they will become Australian citizens"

"Eating beef jerky while waiting."

"Happily waiting"

"Putting both legs up on the desk and waiting."

"Hubby taking a bath first and I am cleaning the rooms. They will probably have jumped by the time we finish bathing and cleaning."

These people look like they can eat blood buns. Let's first not discuss whether those young men did right or wrong. The replies fully show the inferiority of our nation which hasn't made progress in the past 100 years or so. Don't forget, your lack of sympathy for others means that in the future you will be on the receiving end of such jeering.

讨厌死机　2010-09-24　09:38:12　

Jump, don't worry about the Chinese face which has been lost long time ago. It makes no difference if you lose it again, at least you are fighting for a better future. God gave us rights. Good luck to you all.

lookforgun　2010-09-24　09:38:57　

These materialistic, low quality, treasonous illegal immigrants from Fujian and other coastal areas is the main reason other countries look down on Chinese. These are the true scums. They are our shame!

关公面前玩小刀　2010-09-24　09:43:11　

At first I was going to say how unfortunate these people are to die in a foreign country. After reading post I kind of wilted.

sozj　2010-09-24　09:43:04　

The pressures and stress of living in China are too much. Social warefare is terrible. I feel numb watching those news day in and day out. The people who finally escaped, of course they will do everything possible to stay.

杜博简 2010-09-24　10:05:21　

This forum is crawling with retards, who have nothing better to do than to gossip. They can't even show some sympathy for their brothers and sisters. This is the typical Chinese slave mentality: even though they belong to the oppressed class whose interests are trampled, they still like to consider problems from rulers' standpoint. The concept of nation and ethnicity in this case is too limited. We need to take a humanitarian view when talking about the pursuit of happiness.

Why should we be doomed to servitude just because we are Chinese? Yes, the rich and powerful can legally sent their scions abroad to experience life in the abyss of misery called captialism , but is their money really clean? Why can't normal people fight for a better life? Is money that come from corruption or tax evasion any different than loot?

Illegal immigration is popular in Fujian because everybody who left China are able to improve their lives. So they would rather die in a foreign land than come home. Now who should be reflecting on this?

flw9804m　2010-09-24　10:37:45

Bro, I strongly support you. Those SBs aren't human. People are about to kill themselves, yet all the SBs can say are "die quickly, why haven't you died yet?" If this were their neighbors back in China, they probably would also say, "drop dead; don't taint our community reputation. You deserve to die. The important thing is I live well." A bunch of idiots. Worse than brutes.

DONGXIE1　2010-09-24　10:43:55　

Do you really think their shameful action is justified? Is it right to threaten suicide and lose face so that they can get green cards?

　　　　　　

China sucks, any country is 100% better than China, is this what you think?

Even if China were terrible and other countries more humanitarian, I have to point out again that tourist visas only require a few thousand yuan. Collect enough trip fare and you can all be on your way to the imaginary happy life.

flw9804m　2010-09-24　10:50:30　

Regardless, these are your country men. Though you would like to deny it, the same blood flows in our veins. They are just like you and me.

All other issues can be resolved, but life is too important. Netizens who goad people to jump are lower than animals. In this post, I have glimpsed into the dark psyche of many Chinese. What a group of SB idiots.

兰露雅　2010-09-24　11:09:01　

Just to be clear, they would rather die than be your country man. Calling you a peacock [narcissistic] insults the peacock's intelligence. Besides, I don't consider sell outs my compatriots.

fengleiiloveyou1　2010-09-24　11:31:05　

Sigh, I don't know what to say, but I want to leave China too. Housing prices are too high, wages too low, no security in life, kid tuitions too much. I am afraid to get sick, because I have no money to pay for doctors and medicines. I would willingly die if doing so can procure a better life for my children.

未央柳如眉　2010-09-24　11:41:45　

All you elitists quit jumping up and down. China is poor. There is a gap between China and Australia. But this does not justify their SB actions.

　　

Consider a poor family and a rich family. Some poor SB sneak into the rich people's house, see that a few lazy bums are having a good time, so they decide to squat. They demand that the rich people feed them for the rest of their lives; otherwise, they would hang themselves. This is some messed up logic!

　　

They are making us lose face big time. Die and be born elsewhere.

thisisengland　2010-09-25　07:19:56　

I live in England. You can't imagine how many Fujian illegal immigrants are here. Most of them have legal status--the asylum seekers. Even though China doesn't have war or turmoil, as long as Fujian people can get into England, toss away their visa, and tell the police that they want asylum, then they can't very easily be deported.

　　

Due to nature of my employment, I have come into contact with quite a few illegals. I was sympathetic at first. After a while, 9 out of 10 make me angry. They are exactly the ignorant and backward Chinese Lu Xun wrote about. They come here, receive government subsidies, live in government housing, or pay for housing with government money. They enjoy free medical care and are reguarly visited by social workers. However, they take all this for granted, and then, they find some way to work illegally.

　　

During the two years of my work, I have rarely met any grateful Fujian refugees.

　　

Countless Netizens before have urged us to have more sympathy. Some even talked about human rights. I totaly agree that every man has a right to pursue happiness, as long as he doesn't hurt others, complies with social norms, and abides by the bottom lies. The ones I have seen are focused solely on gold digging. They think getting higher education and learning English (even the most basic) are baloney. When others help them, it is because these people want to help them [so they owe the helpers nothing]. But as soon as a hurdle appears, they start cussing the awful British government and complain about England. Fuck, didn't you ask to come here first? You climbed mountains, crossed rivers, rode cars and boats, risked your lives, and paid tons of money to the snakeheads, because you thought all you had to do is show up in England and start harvesting money.

　　

So these men come from Fujian villages. Due to the current situation in China, local investments in education are lacking and some regions have not developed. Since birth, these people has had much fewer opportunies than children born in Beijing and Shanghai. Nevertheless, the lagging rural develpment isn't confined to Fujian. What about the northwest? What about poor provinces located inland? Fuqing Fujian is by no means the poorest. Should the poorer regions kill themselves too? The impressions I have of these refugees is that they don't care for education or living a better life via their own ability. Their concept for improving their lot in life is: instead of going to school unnecessarily, they should illegally enter another country while they are still young and make a few bucks, be it in U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, or Japan.

　　

I also believe that illegal immigation in Fuqing Fujian regions is not a problem to be solved in one day. A huge network has formed over time, consisting of contacts, snakeheads, and people to help them settle in after they arrive. The locals have many fixed ideas concerning all this.

　　

Thus, I firmly support Western nations' efforts to crack down illegal immigration. Tolerance in the past has made these "refugees" eager and fearless. If the governments don't mete out punishment and make a case, then they are indirectly encouraging human trafficking and transnational organized crime.

　

I don't have even a penny worth of sympathy for these 9.

Post-90s Girls Fight Over Boyfriend; Slap Each Other More than 50 Times

Chinese news can be totally whacky sometimes.

Translation: (两90后女生列车上为争抢男友 互抽耳光五十余下 from Yangtse Evening Post via Sohu news)

On the morning of September 1, a verbal argument between two post-90s¹ girls who were riding on the west Nanjing to Chengdu K722 train escalated into a fight. By the time security guard arrived on scene, they had already slapped each other more than 50 times.

Around 9AM when the train was heading towards Hefei, security guards on board received a report about two young women hitting each other in the hard seat section. Personnel who handled the case recall hearing loud slapping sounds while he was still far away from the particular carriage. At the scene, two fashionable-looking girls no more than 17 or 18 years old angrily stared at each other and ferociously smacked each other's face. Surrounding passengers appeared stupefied at the outbreak.

It turned out that the two girls were traveling with another boy, who was fiddling with his cellphone throughout this fight, and they had been in arguments ever since the trio embarked on train in Nanjing. At first they were only bickering in low voices. Suddenly, one of the girls extracted several debit cards from her purse, saying to the boy: "My cards have 50,000 yuan." Not to be outdone, the other girl took out hers and declared, "I have 70,000 yuan. Be my boyfriend." This verbal exchange immediately drew other passengers' attention. The boy sat silent, looking a little resigned. The two females then launched a contest. They bragged about family backgrounds first. Next they began to compare clothing, watches, and shoes. The losing side got angry and slapped her opponent. The other girl immediately requited the favor.

During questioning, the three told the police that they live in Nanjing and were classmates in one of the high schools there. The two girls are Xiao Xiao and Min Jia; the boy is Zi Xuan. At only 18 years of age, they are recently graduated from high school. Both Xiao Xiao and Min Jia come from well-off families. Zi Xuan is not rich but does well in school and is handsome. Although he gained the favor of Xiao Xiao and Min Jia, Zi Xuan had always declined their attentions. After graduation, Zi Xuan was admitted into a Hefei university with high marks. Xiao Xiao and Min Jia also applied for schools in Hefei and were accepted. As soon as they learned that Zi Xuan was going to Hefei by train, they each bought a ticket and managed to switch seats with other people to sit by Zi Xuan's side.

The trio got off the train at Hefei station. Police noticed that the girls still closely trailed the boy after they disembarked.

Most popular omments:

回着头 2010-09-01 16:37:09

One word, cheap.

Two words, very cheap.

Three words, truly very cheap.

Netizen from Dalian 2010-09-02 03:45:23143879513

This is one difficult choice facing a boy who just reached adulthood. He cannot just look at the amount of money on the debit cards. I believe it is more important to compare total family assets, if the girls are only child (preferable), and whether their parents have properties or work as government officials. Make a decision only after full consideration. Once the choice is made, get her pregnant. At least now marriage is permitted in college. Make sure the relationship can't be undone, and then plan his next step accordingly.

Netizen from Jiangsu 2010-09-01 17:37:03

Lucky boy. Let's hope he won't become a womanizer. He needs to either clearly choose one or refuse both.

james0007 2010-09-01 17:49:30

Do you think you are Qiong Yao writing romance novels? Get some journalistic ethics, please.

Netizen from Wenzhou, Zhejiang 2010-09-01 17:37:16

I didn't even know people like this existed! I learned something new!

¹ It means people born in during 1990-1999 period.

A Lesson in Dishonesty

Translation: (From Zheng Yuanjie's microblog)

A true story that took place in one of Beijing's key elementary schools: the class head master asked students to anonymously write down their opinions of her, promising no retaliation regardless of the content. Two children voiced negative opinions. The head master was enraged. She demanded that whoever wrote these negative comments to surrender and confess. The class fell silent. Sneeringly, the teacher proceeded to read the eulogies. Once she finished reading, the writer had to come up to claim ownership. Thus, she was able to screen her pupils one by one, in the manner of the movie The Message. Finally the two culprits were caught. This marked the beginning of their hellish fates. They might be better off dead.

The tweet has been re-posted numerous times on Chinese websites, newspapers, and forums. As someone so eloquently put it, the teacher was too good in that she managed to decimate the only two honest kids in her class. The deed must be recognized.

P.S. Have been adapting to some recent major life changes. Will try to update more regularly now..

High School Seniors Compete in Children Swim Meets to Raise Gaokao Scores

Translation: 浙江多名高三生参加小学生游泳赛获高考加分

"It is obvious from the results and rules of the 2010 Zhejiang Province 30th Spring Festival Cup for Children that they [the high school students] are just in the competition to receive national second-level athlete certification," said Mr. Lin from Hangzhou, who provided evidence for this year's gaokao fraud in Zhejiang.

Since Zhejiang appears reluctant to penalize the 63 students who received extra points on gaokao for dubious athletic merits, Mr. Lin felt obligated to do something: "My conscience and social responsibility demand that I speak up. Only then can more Zhejiang gaokao fraud cases be exposed."

Mr Lin stated his opinion to China Youth Daily: "I am not without ability and connections to make my son national second-level athlete and get extra gaokao points. In fact, I had to repeatedly decline offers from kind friends, school officials and teachers. I do not wish my son to raise his gaokao score in such a way."


In the 2010 Zhejiang Spring Festival Cup, the age groups are 14 (born 1996), 13, 12, 11, and 10 and younger (those born 2000 or later). Participants are forbidden to compete outside his/her group.

Yet, 2010 names list published by Zhejiang Ministry of Education reveals the following: Chen from Ningbo Yinzhou High School (鄞州中学), Ying from Yinzhou Wuxiang High School (鄞州五乡中学), Jia from Ningbo No. 2 High school, Zheng from Hangzhou No. 9 High School, Liu from Westlake Advanced High School (西湖高级中学), Zhao from Jinhua Pujiang High School (金华市浦江中学), Ou from Wenzhou No. 51 High School and several others all entered the 2010 Spring Festival Cup Winter Swim Competition for Children, and subsequently got 20 additional points on the national college entrance exam.

"Most high school seniors were born in 1991 or 1992. That poses an obvious problem because the 2010 Spring Festival Cup required participants to be born in the 1996 to 2000 time frame." Mr. Lin said, "These twelfth grade 'big brothers' and 'big sisters' are competing with junior high school and elementary school children. What a grand joke. The whole process is an outright fraud to fake gaokao scores."

Additionally, China Youth Daily discovered that 4 other students (Ji, Yu from Jiaxing Pinghu High School, Lu from Pinghu Danghu Advanced High School, and Zhu from Hangzhou No. 2 High School) improved their exam scores by entering or placing first in the 2009 championship game. Chen from Ningbo High School participated in the 2008 championship swim competition.

China Youth Daily reporter verified that both 2008 and 2009 required athletes to be at most 14 and forbade competition outside one's own age group. The five students just mentioned are far older, and, without exception, they registered for swim competitions a few months prior to gaokao.


China Youth Daily reporter was unable to find these older students' registration forms. Netizen"feiyang" who is acquainted with the situation told the reporter: "Those gaokao students pertain to a special group that 'hitch rides' to competitions."

The reporter found some clues in the competition rules: qualified athletes may apply ahead of time as long as they pay 100 yuan per category or 150 for all around at registration. They must produce their resident identity cards at the competition. And students who register through this venue should make a note in their paperwork.

To give more examples of how the fraud machine is run, during the 2010 Spring Festival Cup, Jia swam alone during the Female 50 m Butterfly. Ou only competed with one other child during 50 m Backstroke. High school seniors Liu and Zheng were the only two people to show up at 100 m Freestyle. Chen in Male 50 meter Breaststroke and Ying in 50 m Butterfly each competed with two other kids. At the most, Zhao during 50 m Backstroke saw 5 competitors.


Ou from Wenzhou No. 51 High School completed her 50 meter in 43.60 seconds. This was slower than the 42.42 second performance by fellow athlete, a 14 year old girl finishing last during 50 m backstroke (all around group) and was thus disqualified.


According to the October 1, 2005 national standards concerning athlete skill levels, to apply for any swimming recognition or to qualify as national second-level athletes, a person must have competed in city-wide and more advanced official swim events. The person must also meet certain performance standards. Ou fell short of the national time of 38.50 by 5.10 seconds. But in the 2010 Spring Festival Cup results published by Zhejiang Sports Administration, her time was listed as 34.7 seconds.

"With no competition, it is dubious how motivated these high school students were to perform. People don't even bother modify the times, and this remission is what exposed them." Mr. Lin pointed out.


The 100 or 150 yuan registration fees are only tip of the iceberg. One coach who had contacted Mr. Lin various times said: "Your son just has to go through a little training and participate in one competition. You can even hire another person to swim for him. We merely need some record of time to apply for national second-level athlete status. The total cost is around 20,000 yuan."

"Athleticism fraud in gaokao is tightly associated with special interests. The waters are just too deep." Mr. Lin has high hopes that the government together with public criticism will make the testing environment more just and fair.

Millionaire Aids Capture of Robbers With Personal Helicopter

Translation: 遭抢包富豪动用私人直升机追贼, originally from Guangzhou Daily

Mr. Liu in Sichuan, May 2008

Mr. Liu's helicopter

Yesterday evening around 6 PM, Mr. Liu drove by Changping Town Tian Village (常平镇田美村) in his Porsche. His son and an plane pilot were the two other passengers on the car. When Mr. Liu witnessed two men on a motorcycle snatching a pedestrian's bag, he immediately revved up the engine and gave chase.

Realizing that someone was determined to be a "busybody," the robbers accelerated to attempt escape. Due to concerns for the safety of many pedestrians, Mr. Liu refrained from extreme motions. Three kilometers down the road, the two vehicles found themselves in an area with less people. The Porsche finally ran the motorcycle down.



The two robbers immediately split up, abandoning their motorcycle. Mr. Liu got off the car and went after the driver, while his son and the pilot tried to catch the bag snatcher. The second robber was caught near a hill.


Meanwhile, the just-arrived policemen and citizens joined Mr. Liu in the chase. When they were about to make a capture, the robber jumped into a big pond.

Later during the news interview, Mr. Liu said that he shouted at the robber and told him to come out of the pond. The robber would not. Mr. Liu then remembered his personal helicopter and requested police permission to use it.

"I piloted the helicopter close to the water surface. The strong winds could create waves which hopefully would force the robber to leave the water." Mr. Liu recalled. The robber stubbornly refused to come ashore even as he choked on the helicopter-induced waves and had to cover his mouth with clothes. Finally Mr. Liu found a 6--meter long pole. He flew over the pond once again and used the pole to herd the man to solid ground.

However, the robber somehow wrested the pole from Mr. Liu and attacked the helicopter with it. Mr. Liu was afraid of damage, so he finally gave up on the helicopter idea.

By this time, he had already spent more than 20 minutes in standoff against the robber.



Though the helicopter could not do the job, Mr. Liu still didn't give up. He brought out his private motorboat. By this time, a boat sent by the Changping Police Department had also arrived, along with more local law enforcement officers and firefighters.

After some discussion, the police decided on double envelopment. Experts maneuvered the boats to surround the robber. They called the man to surrender while seeking opportunities to capture him. The criminal turned to be a good swimmer and an elusive catch.

The police was afraid of accidents that could result from a forceful capture. So they bided their time. After an hour-long stalemate, the police special task force spotted a chance and caught the robber at 9PM.


Mr. Liu owns several hotels in Changping Town. He is also the first person in Dongguan to obtain the license to operate a delta-wing aircraft. Mr. Liu personally owns 2 helicopters, and the roof tops of his hotels have helipads.

Mr. Liu enthusiastically participate in activities to improve public welfare. In the aftermath of 2008 Sichuan earthquake, he served on the frontline of disaster relief as the Vice President of Changping Chamber of Commerce. He also mobilized fellows members of the Chamber of Commerce to donate to the quake-hit areas.

Stock Prices Fall 16% Due to Media Revelation of Carcinogenic Substances in Bawang Shampoos

Translation of 媒体曝霸王洗发水含致癌物质 股价大跌16%

According to Hong Kong news reports, three products from B&W International Holdings Limited have been found by Hong Kong notary agency to contain dioxane, a chemical classified by the U.S. as carcinogen (The names of these shampoos are 中草药洗发露, 首乌黑亮洗发露, and 追风中草药洗发水, in case anyone uses the products). As of July 14, 11:53 am, the negative news have caused a 16.16% plunge in Bawang stock share price to 4.93 Hong Kong dollars. Bawang CEO Wan Yuhua (万玉华) responded by saying that most other shampoos on the market likewise contain the chemical. She stressed that dioxane in low levels is harmless to the human body.

Bank of American and Merrill Lynch issued a research report on the incident. If the media accusations pertaining to dioxane are true, then sales of all Bawang products and even the brand image will be negative affected. Today Bawang has to face the backlash from the market.

• ESWN also has an entry on this, explaining the details regarding dioxane: Jackie Chan Is A Mass Murderer?
  

• Danwei.org talks about all the celebrities who have endorsed Bawang in the past, and the legal repercussions that such endorsements can bring.

Part of a July 16 report 冯海宁：霸王“致癌门”更是“检验门”

Only a few Shenzhen stores have decided to pull Bawang shampoos off the shelves. Bawang claimed in a overbearing statement that there will be no recalls or returned products. Despite of Bawang's vigorous denials of its shampoos being carcinogenic and that most stores continue to keep them in stock, the public is not buying the claims. According to poll results from a portal website, 60% of the netizens believe that Bawang shampoos cause cancer, and 70% say they will stop buying the products.

It is obvious at this point that Bawang will try to obtain exonerating chemical test results from a third party.

More CEOs Drawn into Tang Jun's Fake Academic Credentials Scandal

Translation: 唐骏“学历门”事件升级 牵出一群造假老总, originally from Yangcheng Evening Post (羊城晚报)

Tang Jun, former president of Microsoft China (Source)

Tang Jun (唐骏), former president of Microsoft China and current CEO of Newhuadu Industrial Group (新华都), has been facing a string of accusatory claims that he falsified his Ph.D. credentials. The accusations came from Fang Zhouzi (方舟子), a popular science writer who is known for combating academic misconduct, and caused a huge stir on the internet. The event further escalated yesterday when Tang Jun acquiesced to an interview by CNR, during which he openly responded to doubts and questions for the first time. However, as late as last night, Fang Zhouzi and others continued to examine Tang's academic records. An alleged Tang's school roster also began circulating, and it shows that many more Chinese public figures graduated from the dubious Pacific Western University. Their educational backgrounds are likewise suspicious.

Doubt 1: Is his doctoral degree real?

The whole controversy started on July 1st, when Fang Zhouzi wrote on his sina microblog that Tang Jun never obtained any degree from California Institute of Technology (as was supposedly written in Tang's book My Success Could Be Duplicated). "I could not find Tang Jun among the list of graduates from CIT's computer science department. Nor was there anyone whose last name was Tang. U.S. Ph.D. dissertation databases do not contain his thesis either."

After a few days of silence, Tang Jun told the CNR reporters that "I never said I graduated from CIT with a Ph.D, but I had done a bit of research there. I do have a doctoral degree, just not from CIT."

Where, then, did Tang Jun get his Ph.D.? Tang claims that he was in a Ph.D. program in Japan for five years, only to abandon everything and head to the U.S. right before his defense. "I ended up at a private university called Pacific Western (PWU), did some research, and got my degree. I have diploma to prove it."

Doubt 2: PWU is not a real university?

Tang Jun claims that PWU is an accredited university. Can he tell us who his thesis adviser was, what his research topic was, and where it was published? --Fang Zhouzi

Fang Zhouzi relentlessly pursued the subject concerning Tang's PWU degree. According to one of his microblog updates yesterday: "Tang said that he graduated from PWU, but this is a notorious university known for selling diplomas for money. It first registered in Hawaii, but never received any accreditation from relevant U.S. agencies. Due to repeated scams, PWU was sued by the State of Hawaiian and was forcefully disbanded." Fang Zhouzi pointed to a survey by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which listed the prices of PWU diplomas as follows: bachelor's, $2,295; master's, $2,395; doctor's, $2,595, all of which must be one time payments. "What's the difference between Tang's purchased 'doctoral degree' and a fake degree? Neither is recognized by society or any institution. The person cannot legally claim that he has a doctorate."

Doubt 3: Fabricated patents

I invented this thing. I produced all the original data, software, and hardware. Why can't I say it is mine? --Tang Jun

Additionally, Fang Zhouzi cast doubt on the two patents that Tang claimed to own. One was for a camera that produces photo stickers and the other for a karakoke rating machine. "First, all relevant English documentation declare that the camera was invented during 1994-1995 period by a 30 year old Japanese woman named Sasaki Miho. Second, the patent for the karaoke rating machine was filed by Pawate, and later by Tanaka and Wakamoto. Tang does not have any patents under his name."

Tang Jun responded by saying "I came up with the camera prototype" but that he sold the prototype to a Japanese company. "I never said I filed the patent application, but the prototype was created by me. And this is always what I say during my speeches." As for the karaoke invention, Tang explained, "I got the technology and the design ideas while in school. Then I put together the first model. At the time, I was negotiating with a Korean company through an intermediate company, eventually filing for patent through this Korean company. I believe I have an claim to the patent over its entirety."

Tang Jun's scandal implicates Shanda

The statements Tang Jun made about his Japan sojourn during the CNR interview meant he never obtained his degree in Japan.

This portion of the interview led the public to question Shanda's 2004 prospectus for NASDAQ. Tang Jun was the CEO of Web Development Division at Shanghai Shanda (盛大) from 2004 to 2008. On his microblog, Fang Zhouzi pasted an excerpt from Shanda's prospectus, "Mr. Tang holds a doctorate degree in electrical engineering from University of Pacific Western, a doctorate degree in electronics from Nagoya University, Japan."

"Tang Jun claims that because he felt regret for not receiving a degree in Japan, he wanted to get a degree from an American university. But Shanda wrote in its prospectus that Tang Jun graduated from Nagoya with a Ph.D. This is supplying stockholders with false information." Fang Zhouzi said.

Shanda has not responded as of the time of this report.

PWU scandal involves many

Just when Fang Zhou was posing questions about Tang's academic credentials, Chairman (surname Yu 禹) of the Board of Directors at some Beijing investment twittered: exposing the falsehood behind one's credentials destroys one's livelihood; it is a "mean-spirited act." Yu's message was very sympathetic towards Tang Jun. Netizens soon discovered that PWU also figures prominently in this Chairman Yu's vitae.

The scandal then took a turn for the dramatic. A netizen somehow obtained a directory of all those who graduated from PWU's business school with a Ph.D. On this list, Yangcheng Evening News reporter saw many CEOs, presidents, senior directors, seniors directors of publishing agencies, as well as directors of research institutions. Some netizens thought this to be amusing, [for, by attracting attention to himself,] Dr. Yu managed to expose all his fellow schoolmates. The reporter is currently verifying the authenticity of this list.

---

If you can access this LinkedIn page, it confirms that Tang Jun was not being forthright when he told the reporter "I never said I graduated from CIT with a Ph.D, but I had done a bit of research there. I do have a doctoral degree, just not from CIT." (unless this was a profile set up by someone else in Tang's name)

---

Related Post

Why Diploma Fraud Won't Be the End of Tang Jun?

SARFT Spokesperson Calls for a Stop to Sister Phoenix and Other Vulgarities

Translation: 广电总局发言人：凤姐等低俗文化应坚决叫停

Zhu Hong (朱虹), director and spokesperson of the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT), visited at Huazhong Normal University a few days ago to head a special topic seminar for teachers as well as students. In this "The Responsibilities of Media" seminar, Zhu Hong said that all vulgar TV programs must end.

Zhu Hong defined how TV programming should be. One type leads to correct high culture. An example would be Chinese Inspiring China (感动中国), a 7-year old "spiritual" CCTV show that yearly compiles a list of 10 Chinese citizens who have touched the heart of China. The other type comprises all the popular shows, like Xiao Shenyang's performances. Outside of this scope, "Sister Phoenix" (or Sister Feng) and other instances of vulgar culture should be resolutely halted to prevent further spread in society. Zhu Hong admits that many problems exist in TV programming presently, one of which is rampant cloning. He used Super Girl and Liu Chen's magic shows to illustrate the point: as soon as one show becomes a hit, other stations fall over themselves copying and emulating. The audience soon tire of watching the same thing.

Zhu Hong also commented on the now quite popular dating shows. Born out of the society's needs, they had positive meaning in the early days. As time went on, however, such shows digressed. One must be vigilant and guard against such deterioration. TV stations should not promote materialism or expose details of private lives just to attract viewers.

When the discussion turn to regulation and censorship, Zhu Hong pointed out that every country has its own department doing the same thing but perhaps in a different manner. The government must be proactive, because if left unchecked, negative culture factors will eventually cause the situations to go out of hand.

Southeast University Admits Jiangsu Student for Writing Gaokao Essay in Classical Chinese

This boy took a risk on his college entrance exam and it paid off.
Jiangsu's essay prompt this year is "Green Life" (绿色生活)

Translation: 东南大学预录用文言文写作文考生(组图). Originally from Yangtze Evening Post （扬子晚报)

Vice President, deputy secretary Liu Bo (刘波) gives the admission notice to Wang Yunfei (王云飞). Photo by Shi Jutao (时巨涛)

A copy of Wang's essay (Click to enlarge)

11 a.m. yesterday in the Rugao High (如皋中学) conference room, Wang Bugao (王步高), expert in Classical Chinese and Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Southeast University, printed "Wang Yunfei" on an early admission notice. The notice was then personally handed over to Wang Yunfei by Liu Bo herself, who holds positions of deputy secretary and vice president. Wang Yufei is the first student to be admitted by Southeast University (东南大学) where he will be studying civil engineering.

Deputy secretary visits Rugao to "grab" the special talent

Wang Yunfei who was born and raised in the rural part of Jiangsu suddenly found him the center of spotlight when his college entrance exam essay appeared in the news. The essay, written in piantiwen, has even classical Chinese experts singing high praises. Ever since our newspaper ran the June 26 article about his composition, Wang Yunfei has been continuously receiving media requests for interviews. He was stopped by yet another group of reporters when he came back to the Rugao campus yesterday morning. When asked "what do you most want to do right now," he answered, "Sleep. I am so tired."

The media is not the only group to extend the olive branch to Wang. Many universities have offered him admission. In the end, Southeast University won.

Vice President Liu Bo said that their interest was greatly piqued by the Yangtze Evening Post piece about a Classical Chinese gaokao essay, but it was not until the 26th that they learned the student's identity. It so happened that he is from Rugao High School, the first high school outside of Nanjing to become affiliated with Southeast. Making the university even more anxious to admit this student is the fact that Wang Yunfei plans to major in engineering, and the institution has some very strong engineering programs. Once Southeast verified with the provincial testing agency that Wang Yunfei indeed wrote the excellent essay, Deputy Director Feng Jianming (冯建明) reported the student's information to recruitment and began contacting Wang Yunfei. Southeast eventually decided to early-admit Wang Yunfei into its prestigious civil engineering department and completed all requisite paperwork within a day. "We didn't recruit a student. We got a talent." Feng Jianming declared with satisfaction.

Beida loses out

The reporter discovered that Beijing University (abbr Beida. It is China's equivalent of Harvard) recruiters were also quite interested in Wang. Unfortunately they lost this talent to Southeast who managed to be a step ahead. Besides, Wang is stubborn. Once set on his course, he cannot be swayed. "I made a verbal promise to Southeast. A man should have integrity, and my dreams remain unchanged. I must study engineering, so Southeast is a good choice."

Science and engineering students also need culture

Professor of Chinese Language and Literature Wang Bugao accompanied Southeast administrators to Rugao. He was very impressed with Wang's work. Not only was the central idea sound, but also writing a pensive essay about the man-caused destruction to nature in an hour and half, using classical Chinese, is no small feat. The piece was well-organized and the transitions were smooth. "It is very precious coming from a high school student, because most Beida and Tsinghua students have not reached this level." Said Professor Wang.

Wang Yunfei scored 384 on his gaokao. Southeast made an exception admitting him. "Our university has always been partial to students with unique talents. And we are committed to providing them with a good environment." Liu Bo claimed. In fact, Southeast has had a long relationship with traditional Chinese culture, because it is the only "institution for higher-education to be built in palaces." Its campus sits directly on top of palace grounds that served six dynasties. Both Yongle Encyclopedia (永乐大典) and Zhaoming Wenxuan (昭明文选) were compiled here. It once was the site for the Imperial College (国子监) and has been a place of scholarly learning for more than 639 years. "Students who are accomplished in traditional Chinese culture should be sought out by schools." Liu Bo believed.

Liu further explained that the sentiments expressed in Wang's essay, concerns over mankind's relationship with the environment and its humanitarian implications, are much desired qualities in science and engineering people. She hoped that Wang Yunfei will participate in poetry clubs or even establish literature clubs of his own in college.

• Reporter's note
  

From "Death of Chitu" to "Classical Chinese Wizard"

Today's piece puts the perfect punctuation mark to our "Classical Chinese Wizard" series. I am sincerely glad for Wang Yunfei. The string of developments reminds one of the 2001 gaokao essay "Death of Chitu （赤兔之死）," and I too started that news coverage. The two compositions are similar: the former written in ancient vernacular and the latter in parallel prose style. The two sets of news reports also echo one another. We provided the first spark to what were to become unstoppable wildfires that ultimately changed the gaokao fate of two pupils.

Some people likened the young students to Ma Nuo (马诺), attributing their sudden celebrity status to media hype and manipulation. The writer does not deny the power of internet and tradition media, but there are more behind their rise to fame.

Both ancient vernacular and parallel prose style are forms of writing increasing distant from our world. In addition to curiosity, the public's heightened attention to "Death of Chitu" to "Classical Chinese Wizard" came as a result of amazement and admiration--we recognize its beauty even though we are unable to write in such a way. Don't be misled by arguments like "propagandizing these essay means a call to return to the old ways." We do not advocate the restoration of the ancient ways. Even the public has no such intention. Instead people's interest stems from their attachment to and longing for traditions and classics. A nation with a long history cannot be without a love for the classical. So public interest should not be belittled by the comparison to Ma Nuo's case.

---

Just to clarify, writing in any forms of old Chinese is not the foolproof way to a high score. A couple of years ago, one essay in oracle bone script received a 6 (out of 60).

Regarding Wang's 384 score. At first I though he did badly on all the other parts of his exam because normally the total is 750. Here is what one commenter on sina has to say:

Ever since the gaokao reform, Jiangsu's total score dropped to 480. This year a student wanting to go into science or engineering only needs to have 355 to be admitted into one of the national key universities. Wang's mark surpassed that line by 29. The admission requirement in Southeast is predicted to be 391.

Earthquake Drill? Or Show?

Translation: 灾难教育严重缺乏 学校“逃生演练”像演戏 via China Youth Daily

After attending a school earthquake drill, "old bathroom", a Kunming middle school student, unhappily wrote on his QQ blog: " 'Since the cadres are here, use this escape route.' Was it a drill or a show?" He continued:

Today is May 12th. Our school was selected for an earthquake drill demonstration. The experience was classic, truly classic! Spectacular, quite spectacular! And unique, extremely unique!

As soon as the siren sounded, we stupidly rushed out of the classroom and ran towards the nearest stairs. When we got there, I felt confused, because one student donning a red hat was blocking the way. He said: Classmates, the stairwell is off limit. Take this escape route instead.

Bewildered, we walked toward the direction he pointed out, though it was already packed with people. We thought that maybe the first staircase had been assigned to another class. Because of the crowded condition of this current route, it took us nearly 10 minutes to descend from fourth floor to the lobby. Once in the lobby we noticed that except for two, six other stairways stood completely empty. I was baffled.

Finally we reached the ground level. The next step should be running to an open area as fast as possible, but another red-hat student stopped us and indicated the direction behind him. With confusion we did as we were told--going through several buildings, even risking one that was six-storied [and would have been dangerous in the event of a real earthquake], so that we can gather on the alleged wide open space on the other side. Not to the soccer field that can easily accommodate all teachers and students but toward the front gate. There were so many people that some almost were trampled.

After that we had to perform the drill a second time. It was then I finally understood why. Apparently several cadres, laughing and talking, had gathered around the two stairwells for an inspection visit, while the rest of the cadres were at the front gate. To cooperate, we must leave 6 staircases empty, waste 10 minutes descending the stairs, avoid open space, and brave the risk of a stampede in order to assemble at the front gate. This is our preparation for a future possible earthquake. With this type of drill, the death rate will definitely be much higher. What's more, we have to spend yet another weekend doing a formal practice drill so that more senior officials can inspect us.

Are we doing a drill or acting? Are we students or actors?

When the reporter showed this blog entry to Yunnan Technical Association for Emergency Rescue (云南省应急救援科学技术学会), the experts immediately praised the student's acute observation. Hou Zhaomin (侯昭敏), principal engineer at the association, consultant for the One Fundation Rescue League, and team leader for Yunnan Huofeng Rescue team, said: "This entry reflects the common problems in schools: insufficient understanding of crisis management and a lack of emphasis, so that the drills are only completed perfunctorily without regard to effectiveness."

One of out every two students has received injuries

Crises at primary and secondary schools are mainly of two types. First category comprises natural catastrophes like fires, earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and mudslides. The second category includes man-caused accidents due to inferior public sanitation, health and hygiene, disease prevention, health-care, and engineering quality.

In a 2006 report published by Ministry of Education, trend analysis reveals that drowning, traffic accidents, stampede, carbon monoxide poisoning, collapsed buildings, and other events account for 59% of the safety accidents taking place in primary and secondary schools. Fighting, campus violence, suicide and building fires account for 31%. The remaining 10% are due to flood, tornado, earthquake, hail, storms, and other natural disasters.

72.3% of the safety accidents take place in the countryside and 27.7% in the cities. In rural areas, the number of accidents, casualties, and fatalities are clearly higher than city statistics by a factor of 2.9, 3.9, and 4.2, respectively. 43.8% of the accidents occur in primary schools, 34.8% in junior high, and 9.8% in high school, indicating that younger students are more prone to misadventures. The increase in campus violence cannot be overlooked, as 25% of safety accidents in schools involves kidnapping, explosions, stabbing, arson, sexual assaults, and fighting, resulting in 65% injury rate. Holiday periods correspond to more occurrences, or about 36% of safety accidents. Most happen in school, and the rest on roads going to and leaving from school, by the rivers and reservoirs, or in areas surrounding school. The mishaps occur primarily because teachers and students lack awareness, obvious flaws and deficiencies exist in safety management, and rural schools have inadequate infrastructure.

"According to one national survey, student casualties are as high as 50%, which means that one out of every two students has sustained injuries at some level. There are 0.22 billion students in China. Approximately 0.1 billion have come to harm." A person at Yunnan Technical Association for Emergency Rescue explained, "Due to its special geographical environment, Yunnan is a disaster-prone region. In addition, old school buildings, poor management and other human factors lead to even more accidents and injuries among students. Disasters surround us and danger is ever present. All accidents and disasters have the potential to harm lives while simultaneously waste social resources, thus severely impeding socioeconomic development.

Most drills are incomplete

Unfortunately, worries of the experts and the oft-occurring accidents stand in stark contrast to inferior school crisis management.

In March 2006, the National Academy of Education surveyed 200 schools in different locations regarding the current state of their crisis management. More than half of the respondents said that inadequate laws and regulations pose the biggest challenge to crisis management in schools.

The government enacted a law in September 2002 to deal with student accidents, signaling the regulatory bodies' growing concern over the situation. However, the legislation had not been very effective, and the schools must rely on mediators and upper managers, rather than the law, to handle school crises.

As the experts at Yunnan Technical Association for Emergency Rescue pointed out, the problem arises because public emergency contingency plans fail to include schools as a research and discussion topic. As a result, the provincial educational administrations cannot categorize and manage campus crises, create appropriate mechanisms, or systematize and standardize crisis management.

"Undeniably, schools attach great importance to student safety, but they all neglect educating students in relevant issues. Most school have not even started work in safety-related education." Said Hou Zhaomin.

Hou Zhaomin notices the absence of disaster education in many places. Schools only pay lip-service to "Guidelines for Public Safety Education in Primary and Secondary Schools," often just doing an one-time exercise that can be shown off to the supervisors. There is no established system for disaster prevention and evacuation drills. Most teachers and students have not undergone professional, regular training or drills, so they lack relevant common knowledge in disaster preparedness and self-help. Many schools that have begun these drills treat them as a formality and only go as far as organizing the escape. Once disaster hits, even if it were a fire in broad daylight, panic and competition to escape cause a large number of unnecessary casualties.

Moreover, urban campuses are besieged by tall buildings and heavy traffic. There are not enough open areas where an exodus of people can go to in a short time. A majority can only stay on campus track fields, where the gathering of large crowds can pose new safety risks.

When commenting on the Kunming school earthquake drill, Hou Zhaomin believes that it should proceed in stages. Choose teachers and students to oversee different tasks so that when necessary, they can organize and direct evacuation. "Escape planning and professionalism are crucial. Drills are meant to train survival instincts. Only when people have the instincts in place can they escape."

Current safety management depends on announcements from above

Currently, each nation has established their own mode of crisis management according to their internal environment.

In U.S., almost every state has specialized organizations that conduct crisis management research, provide information to in-state policy-making bodies, compile citizen guides to disaster preparedness, and train disaster management personnel.

Japan spends a great deal of effort to raise survival awareness and improve survival skills among its students. Frequent earthquakes in the country has prompted the development of a fairly complete early warning system and effective public earthquake education. Each year students participate in drills. Beginning in kindergarten, children are taken to simulation devices where knowledge of escape and disaster prevention is inculcated in children at an early age. Near windows and doors of every house are mineral water, crackers, flashlights and first aid kits. Even the latest video games test for people's reaction under strong quakes.

Experts at Yunnan Technical Association for Emergency Rescue say that compared to those countries, crisis management in China mostly depends on notices and documents coming from above, on teachers' personal safety awareness and on their sense of responsibility. Necessary disaster prevention knowledge is lacking.

"In December 2009, a stampede inside one Hunan school points to the lack of disaster preparedness in most school officials, teachers, and students. Yet during May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, some 2000 people were able to evacuate from Sangzao Middle school in just 1 minute and 36 seconds, creating a 0-casualty miracle. In the face of sudden catastrophe, unprepared schools will be far less able to protect lives as those which are ready."

During the third meeting of the Yunnan Tenth CPPCC session which convened in January this year, Geng Jia (耿嘉) and other Yunnan members of the CPPCC National Committee submitted a proposal to establish a school emergency rescue system and to improve crisis management. "Good habits of obeying safety rules can only be acquired through long-term scientific training." The proposal stated, "Because school safety directly affects students and teachers, and the safety of each concerns several families, it is a topic which the society deems important. Safety management and the ability of schools to respond during crises will have an impact on the credibility of schools and government, even impacting social stability."