Around the nation: Camel rakes in the bucks
PUBLISHED : Friday, 12 December, 2014, 10:14pm
UPDATED : Friday, 12 December, 2014, 10:14pm
A couple makes 100,000 yuan a year from charging tourists for taking photos with their camel. Photo: SCMP Pictures
BEIJING
Driver’s fatal error
A driver hit and killed a woman after he accidentally stepped on his car’s accelerator instead of its brake, The Beijing Times reports. The man was backing up his SUV near Lianhuachi West Road on Thursday night when he suddenly accelerated and hit the woman passer-by. She was rushed to hospital but died of a ruptured liver and excessive bleeding.
Trading in culture
The China Beijing International Cultural & Creative Industry Expo opened on Thursday, China News Service reports. The event – hosted by the culture ministry, the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and the Beijing government – promotes cultural trade and innovation.
CHONGQING
Woman’s donations stolen
A Chongqing woman who received donations after being seriously injured in an attack by a jealous colleague, has had the money stolen by her boyfriend, the Legal Daily reports. The woman made headlines in July after her colleague – who suspected her of fooling around with her boyfriend – mutilated her breasts. Her plight won sympathy across the nation, and donations poured for her. But her boyfriend absconded with the money.
Finder, not keeper
A man who found 10,000 yuan (HK$12,600) at a bank counter turned the money in to police without hesitation, Xinhua reports. The money belonged to a 70-year-old woman from Jiangbei district, who had withdrawn 30,000 yuan from her bank account but accidentally took only 20,000 yuan, leaving the remainder behind. She returned to the bank soon after, but the money was gone. She called the police only to find out that the honest man had already turned in the money.
GUANGDONG
Comb killer jailed
A Dongguan court has sentenced a woman to 12 years’ jail for stabbing her boyfriend to death with a comb, the Yangcheng Evening News reports. The woman had been fighting with her drunk boyfriend on January 8 when she took a plastic comb from her dresser and stabbed the man in the chest. Her boyfriend died of an aortic rupture.
Teen mum kills baby
A 19-year-old girl from Huizhou city has been arrested for infanticide, Xinhua reports. The teenager had given birth to the baby girl in a factory dormitory in April, but killed the newborn because she was not mentally prepared to be a mother. The case is ongoing.
HENAN
Ancient tombs uncovered
More than 50 ancient tombs dating back to the Han (206BC-AD220), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties – together with over 200 pieces of potteries and ironware – have been unearthed at a gas pipeline construction site in Jiaozuo city, Henan, Gmw.cn reports. Archaeologists said the discovery would help shed light on ancient people’s lifestyles and customs in the region.
From abbot to professor
Henan University has sparked controversy online over its move to hire an abbot as an honorary professor, The Beijing News reports. The university’s dean of philosophy and public administration, Zhang Xiangdong, said the abbot would teach the religion, philosophy and history of temples, but internet users questioned the unorthodox practice of hiring a “religious” teacher.
HUBEI
School on shaky ground
Authorities in Wuhan have shut down a construction project near a high school campus after a photo of pupils wearing security helmets in class sparked an outcry, the Yangtse River Daily reports. The pupils complained that the school building often shook when workers at the site 20 metres away started digging. The project to build two skyscrapers was temporarily suspended.
Chopsticks stuck in neck
A 12-year-old boy from Hanchuan city has survived an operation to remove a pair of steel chopsticks from his neck, Cnhubei.com reports. The boy was leaving the school cafeteria, carrying a lunch box and a pair of chopsticks, when a scooter hit him, causing the chopsticks to pierce his neck. The utensils did not damage any major arteries and doctors removed them successfully.
JIANGSU
Camel rakes in the bucks
A couple who charges tourists for taking photos with their camel, makes 100,000 yuan a year from their business, the Nanjing Morning Post reports. They have visited eight provinces, charging 10 yuan for each picture with the animal. The couple liked their business not just for the good money but also for the chance to travel.
Massacre ‘unforgettable’
Scholars are continuing to advance their research into the Nanking Massacre to “promote world peace”, Xinhua reports ahead of the event’s 77th anniversary today. “Sins can be forgiven but history cannot be forgotten,” a researcher said about the 1937 mass slaying of Chinese civilians by Japanese forces in Nanjing. Tensions rise between China and Japan each year whenever the anniversary of the bloody massacre comes around.
JILIN
Seizure after scolding
A Jilin bus driver passed out after a passenger scolded him for more than 13 minutes, the New Culture View reports. He had accidentally closed the bus door before an 80-year-old woman could get on the bus, and when he reopened the door for her, she began yelling loudly at him. He did not respond and suffered a seizure after putting up with about 13 minutes of intense verbal abuse.
Partners in tourism
The Jilin Tourism Bureau is working with the Fujian Tourism Bureau in Xiamen to expand their tourism activities and destinations, Fjsen.com reports. They two bureaus will integrate their online and offline systems to jointly explore the untapped tourism market.
SHANGHAI
Hotel for the elderly
A three-star hotel in Shanghai has been converted into an elderly-care home, the Shanghai Daily reports. The Honye Hotel received financial support from the local government for redevelopment when the hospitality sector slowed and there was a shortage of elderly-care homes. The Honye Senior Home has 10 nurses for its more than 70 residents, who each pay up to 6,000 yuan a month.
Man dumps baby in hotel
Shanghai police are looking for a man who abandoned his 10-month-old baby in a hotel this week, the Shanghai Daily reports. The man checked into a hotel on Tuesday and left without the child the next morning. Hotel cleaning staff found the baby in the room and notified the police. The police, who retrieved CCTV footage of the man and his hotel check-in information, have returned the infant to the man’s parents.
