Rural youths face marital difficulties

Rural youths face marital difficulties
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-06 16:11:32







Chinanews, Taiyuan, August 6 – Nowadays, more and more rural youths in China have chosen to work in cities as migrant workers. Life in the cities has brought a great shock to the traditional view on marriage. Besides, the problem of husbands and wives living apart in two different places has also caused many troubles. Thus many of them have started to think about their marriage over again.

Take a small city in north China as an example, where 50% of divorce cases involve rural couples (most of them being migrant workers), averaging 2,500 every year.

Most migrant workers return to their hometowns only on the Spring-Festival holidays, and that is the only time for them to think about love affairs: dating and marriage. Many of them get married in a rush, and then leave their spouses to work in the cities. The next time they can see each other is probably the next Spring Festival.

Many young girls in rural areas are no longer content with the life there. Instead, they wish to start careers of their own in cities. In fact, quite a large number of them got married with men from cities.

With great gender imbalance in rural areas, young men there find it even more difficult to find wives. Local governments should take immediate action to solve the marriage problem in rural areas, before it starts to affect social stability.

Lovers nearly suffocated in order to win underwater kissing contest

Lovers nearly suffocated in order to win underwater kissing contest
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-06 16:56:35







Chinanews, Guangzhou, Aug 6 – On August 1, an underwater kissing competition was held in a swimming pool in Shunde city, Guangdong. During the competition, a pair of lovers nearly suffocated because they stayed under the water too long.

“We came to rescue them just in time. If we had come 10 seconds later, they might have died in water,” rescuers working at the swimming pool said, the Guangzhou Daily reported.

In order to win the 9,800-yuan top prize for the winner, the two lovers stayed for more than 50 seconds under the water. Seeing that they hadn't emerged after that long, rescuers jumped into the water to pull them up from the water. When the lovers were brought above the water, the man opened his mouth widely, gasping for breath. The woman's eyes remained closed, her head bent and she had only a faint breath. Rescuers had to help her to her feet.

“We saw from the edge of the swimming pool that the couple did not look as strong as they first dived into water. Before, they held each other tightly. However, later, they were somewhat drifted by the waves in the pool. I looked at my watch and noticed that the lovers had stayed in water for 50 seconds! We thought the couple might die from suffocating. So we jumped into the water and pulled them up, ” Mr. Liang, a rescuer at the swimming pool, later told this reporter.

Four pairs of lovers joined the underwater kissing competition that day. One couple remained in water for only 16 seconds before they showed up. Another two pairs stayed in water for 30 seconds. It was really a hard job for them to do! The two lovers who had stayed in water for 50 seconds thus created a record of kissing for the longest time under water, Mr. Liang said.

Young women make money by chatting with older people

Young women make money by chatting with older people
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-06 17:48:34







Chinanews, Xi'an, Aug 6 – A group of young women in Xi'an recently found a new way of making money – chatting with older people. They can spend some time talking with the old people to help them kill the time and in return, they will charge a small sum of money for their work, Sanqin Daily reported.

Last week, this reporter went to the Huancheng Park in Xi'an to have a look. When he arrived at the gate at five o'clock in the afternoon, he saw some middle-aged or old people laughing and talking with some young ladies over a cup of tea. It seemed that they were having a good time together.

Some other young women were walking among the crowd, with a handbag in hand. “Ten yuan for a one-hour chat. You might pay me more or less, depending on your mood today,” the young women said.

This reporter saw that some old people were bargaining with the women about the service fee.

Mr. Li was a regular visitor to the park. He told this reporter that he lived in the Danni'er Community Center in Xi'an. Every afternoon, he comes to the park to look for someone who can chat with him. After the chat, he will pay the person a sum of money.

“This year, I am turning 78. My wife passed away years ago and my children are always too busy to stay with me. I often feel lonely at home. So I want to find someone to chat with me. I don't mind paying a little money for the fun I get from the chat,” Mr. Li told this reporter.

　A young lady also went to the park regularly. “Usually, I arrive here at three o'clock in the afternoon and chat with old people until late in the evening. I charge some money for chatting with them. I have earned much money by doing so.”

Unemployment to remain a headache in China

Unemployment to remain a headache in China
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-07 16:16:30







Chinanews, Beijing, August 7 – According to a report by the People's Daily Overseas Edition, unemployment might remain a headache in China in the next 15 years, as the demand for jobs has been greatly underestimated.

Some people say that China will face labor shortage by 2009. However, statistics show that there is still a large surplus labor force of at least 120 million people in the rural areas, while many laid-off workers and college graduates in cities are badly in need of jobs. In fact, nearly 12 million Chinese might not find jobs every year.

The baby boom in the 1960s and 1970s has guaranteed China an abundant labor force, as able-bodied working people have long taken up 65% of its population. During the 11th Five-Year Plan Period (2006 - 2010), more than 20 million young people will enter the labor market, while some 4 million laid-off workers also need jobs.

If China can maintain its rapid economic growth of 8% or 9% every year, it will be able to provide 8 or 9 million new job vacancies. Even added to the posts released by retirees, there will only be some 12 million jobs available every year, which is still far from enough.

Enterprise retirees to enjoy pension hike

Enterprise retirees to enjoy pension hike
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 14:33:43







Chinanews, Beijing, August 4 – The State Council of China has decided to continually raise the pension of enterprise retirees in the next three years, to ease social polarization.

Currently, there are 40 million enterprise retirees in China, who have contributed their youth to the construction of the country. So it is the responsibility of the government to guarantee their old age life. Thus China has started the pension hike in 2005, and the policy has been widely acclaimed. Now the State Council requires related government departments and enterprises to carry out the policy before the end of August.

Pension hike this time will mainly cover high technicians and those who retired early and receive relatively lower pensions.

Forest fires break out in north China

Forest fires break out in north China
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 15:02:15
(Source: Xinhua)






HOHHOT, Aug. 4 -- Hundreds of armed policemen and firefighters are struggling to control fires in virgin forests in north China's Inner Mongolia, said local forestry authorities on Friday.

Three fires had been detected by satellite data in the virgin forests north of the Greater Hinggan Mountain in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the region's meteorological administration said.

Two fires, one covering 2.87 square kilometers and the other 0.66 sq km, were near Ergune City, the administration said.

Another fire was in a virgin forest north of Genhe City.

Local forestry departments have confirmed that hundreds of people have been mobilized to fight the fires.

The cause of the fires remains unclear.

12 killed in tidal current in Zhejiang

12 killed in tidal current in Zhejiang
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 15:19:00
(Source: Life)






HANGZHOU, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers salvaged four more corpses from the Qiantang River in east China's Zhejiang Province early on Saturday, bringing the death toll in the rising tide on the same river on Thursday to 12.

The newly found remains were salvaged from the water area one to five km downstream the place where the tidal current first rose and swept away more than 30 people who were either swimming in the river or strolling around on the embankment, said Qi Yong, a leading maritime squad officer with Hangzhou City Public Security Department.

The drowned consisted of six males and six females. It will take some time to ascertain whether the newly found four remains were counted as missing, said Qi.

Xie Liewei, deputy magistrate of Jianggan District in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, said the number of the drowned might keep going up as the rescue operation continued.

Xie said the public security units were checking the figures as many people at the site had come alone or without telling others of their whereabouts. All the dead and the missing were believed to be Chinese.

An office has been set up to register more reports from family members.

Twenty-two people were rescued after the tidal bore swept away dozens of 30 people who were either swimming in the river or walking along a T-shaped levee near the mouth of the Qiantang River on the outskirts of Hangzhou.

The tides on the Qiantang are a peculiar phenomenon and always attract spectators. Scientists say that the trumpet-shaped mouth of the Qiantang River helps form the tidal change, which can be as high as 3.5 meters.

The tragedy occurred on Thursday afternoon when the tide was moving at a normal speed of 15 km per hour, which appeared "mild" from a distance, said Zhou Guangming, a tide expert.

However, its power reached up to four to seven tons per cubic meter when it rushed into the trumpet-shaped levee.

Most of the victims and the missing were from other parts of China as local residents were usually aware of the danger and never risked their lives in the river, said Zhou.

Experts attribute the formation of powerful tidal currents in the river in recent years to the accumulation of silt washed down in the Yangtze River, the change of the water course, the strong wind that always accompanies the tide and floods upstream.

The worst tidal accident occurred on Oct. 3, 1993, when the tidewater swept 86 people from the levee, leaving 19 dead, 40 missing and 27 injured.

The local government has hired a group of local people to patrol the river and warn people of the danger of incoming tides.

Ren Baojin, an elderly man who worked for about ten years as a "tide shouter", said he and his colleagues shouted out when the tide was approaching, but many people, especially those from other regions, often ignored the warning.

The local government has ordered round-the-clock patrols along the river and reinforcement of supervision at dangerous sites. Warning signs will be erected to keep people away. It was also suggested that all the levees along the river should be closed, said public security bureau officials.