Female Pilots

On April 2, China’s first class of female jet fighter pilots graduated from the Third Army Aviation Institute of China. They were conferred the rank of lieutenant on the same day. The 16 pilots, ranging in age from 21 to 24, graduated after 44 months of training. They will take part in the National Day parade to be held in October to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Women’s Curling

China won its first-ever women’s world curling title in Gangneung, South Korea, on March 29. The team defeated the two-time world and 2006 Olympic champions from Sweden to capture the championship.

It marks the first time an Asian country, in women’s or men’s play, has won the world championship.

58 Percent

Mobile phone operator China Unicom on March 31 reported a 58-percent rise in 2008 profit, boosted by one-time gains from the sale of its Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless unit to China Telecom.

As part of the country’s telecom restructuring, last year, China Unicom took over China Netcom and sold one of its mobile operations to China Telecom.

Fuel Hike

China raised its benchmark retail prices for gasoline and diesel by 290 yuan per ton and 180 yuan per ton, respectively, as of midnight March 24.

It is the second oil price adjustment this year. China cut benchmark pump prices for gasoline and diesel by 2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, on January 14.

Compassionate Letters

This May, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Wenchuan Earthquake, Beijing artist Zhu Yongling and his friends will carry seven porcelain jars to the epicenter in Wenchuan County, and there they will be buried. The jars hold the ashes of burned letters collected via the Internet to commemorate those who lost their lives. More than 210,000 words are represented by the ashes.

Confucius Commemorated

On April 4, at the Confucius Temple in Qufu, east China’s Shandong Province, thousands from China and beyond took part in the ceremony to commemorate Confucius, a great thinker, philosopher, and educator of ancient China. The grand spring ceremony commemorates Confucius in his birthplace, Qufu, during the tomb-sweeping holiday, this year from April 4 to 6.

Going Dark

About 20 Chinese cities joined a worldwide relay on the night of March 28 when they switched off the lights of major buildings for one hour to highlight concerns about climate change.

Tens of thousands of Chinese either turned off lights and appliances at home or joined outdoor activities such as candle-lit dinners and star-gazing parties, to show their support.