Steel Declines

China imported less than 1 million tonnes of steel products in December 2008, the lowest monthly figure in seven years. The primary cause was the economic downturn and a resulting reduction in demand, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on February 7.

The drop in imports represents a drastic slump since mid-2008. A total of 15.43 million tonnes of steel products were imported last year, down 8.6 percent year on year.

A direct air route between central China’s Henan Province and Taiwan formally launched in Zhengzhou, provincial capital of Henan, on February 8.

The maiden flight, carrying more than 130 passengers, took off at about 8:10 a.m. from the Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou. The Zhengzhou-Taipei flight was operated by Shenzhen Airlines.

Giant pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan have attained celebrity status in Taiwan during this past Spring Festival period. Since their arrival, as gifts from the Chinese mainland, the pandas have reached a sort of superstar status on the island.

Taiwan residents are still lining up for a look at these fascinating and cherished mammals. The zoo allows roughly 20,000 people to visit Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan each day.

Chocolate Car

Two chocolate craftsmen in Shanghai fashioned a car from more than 200 kilograms of white chocolate on February 8. The creation was intended to celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day.

Monkey Rising

The population of a rare snub-nosed monkey species in a southwest China nature reserve has nearly tripled over the past 26 years, Xie Hongfang, chief of the reserve’s administration bureau, said on February 9.

The population of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys in the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve has expanded from 500 in 1983 to about 1,300 now. The more positive situation is attributed to the steady improvement in the ecological environment and a crackdown on poaching.

Tibet Capital

Beginning this year, the government of Tibet Autonomous Region will allocate 25 million yuan a year to the development of local cultural development, an official said on February 9.

Increased governmental investment was allocated to various projects, including maintaining ancient buildings, development of the Tibetan language, protection of ancient books and the establishment of performance groups.

Heritage Exhibition

A massive collection of folk arts and craftsmanship was displayed in Beijing as part of a huge exhibition of China’s intangible cultural heritage. The exhibition ran at Beijing’s Agricultural Exhibition Hall from February 9 through February 23.

The exhibition included 133 pieces of folk arts and crafts on the state and province-level intangible heritage lists. Admission to the exhibition was free.

CPI Static

In January, China’s consumer price index (CPI) rose only 1 percent year-on-year, the lowest in 30 months. And the other measure of inflation, the producer price index (PPI), dropped 3.3 percent. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released these figures on February 10.

Inflation was a major concern at the beginning of 2008. But the tightening of the monetary policy at the end of 2007 caused the CPI to start falling in May after it peaked at 8.7 percent in February 2008.

Forever Enthralled

Cast members of the Peking Opera-based film Forever Enthralled, including Zhang Ziyi, Chen Hong and Leon Lai, gathered at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival for a screening on February 10.

Forever Enthralled is the only Chinese-language competitor in the running for the Golden Bear award this year.

798 Exhibit

From January 4 to 13, the Tong Zhengang Contemporary Oil Painting and Sculpture Exhibition was held at the 798 Art Zone, Chaoyang District, Beijing.

Thirty-eight oil paintings and more than 100 sculptures were displayed at the exhibition.

Poultry Okay

There have been no reports of bird flu outbreak among poultry since January in the provinces where eight human infections were found, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) stated on February 5.

The conclusion was arrived at based on research into the overall epidemiological situation and investigations conducted last month, according to MOA. Experts from the ministry said the existence of the bird flu virus does not necessarily mean an outbreak among poultry.

Record Tourism

Beijing welcomed a record number of tourists and tourism revenue during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday.

On February 9, the municipal tourism authority stated that the capital city accommodated 3.24 million domestic tourists from January 25-31, up 20 percent over last year’s Spring Festival holiday, while gaining 2.155 billion yuan, up 32 percent.

Ship-Building Boost

On February 11, during an executive meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, China’s State Council officially adopted a stimulus plan aimed to boost the shipbuilding industry.

During the meeting, it was clearly understood that supporting shipbuilders also helps other sectors, including steel, chemicals, textiles, light industry, equipment manufacturing and information technology.