HISTORY MAKER Chinese tennis ace Li Na holds the runner-up plate at the awards ceremony of the Australia Open in Melbourne on January 29. Although she lost to Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the title match, Li is the first Chinese to advance to a Grand Slam singles final (MENG YONGMIN)
Warriors to Land
Eighteen life-sized Chinese terracotta warriors, as well as 232 other artifacts, will be on display at an exhibition titled "The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army" in Canada this summer
Lingering Drought
Water supplies to nearly 1 million people would dry up if a drought in east China's Shandong Province lasts until the end of March, disaster prevention officials warned on January 27
more>>
BREAKTHROUGH
Workers use a robot to weld a tube in a nuclear power station in Ningde, Fujian Province, on January 25. It’s the technology’s first use in China (WEI PEIQUAN)
ORIENTAL MELODY
Musicians from Shanghai perform traditional Chinese folk music at a concert in Paris on January 27 (GAO JING)
   
Halved Tariffs
On January 27, China halved the import duty on electronic products, including computers and digital cameras, to 10 percent, said a statement on the Ministry of Finance's website.

The new rate means the tax on an iPad, a popular purchase with Chinese tourists returning from abroad, will be reduced from 1,000 yuan ($152) to 500 yuan ($76)
Property Tax Piloted
Chongqing and Shanghai kicked off the long-awaited trial property taxation on January 28.

The moves came after the State Council, China's cabinet, announced new measures to cool off the red-hot housing market on January 26, including higher down payments, home purchasing restrictions in more cities, and annual price control targets for newly-built homes
  • ANCIENT ROCK CARVINGS DISPLAYED ABROAD
    A visitor appreciates an ancient Chinese rock carving of the Buddha at the National Museum Cardiff in the UK. The figures from Dazu, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, are on display at the museum from January 26 to April 3. This is the first exhibition of the Dazu works abroad.

    Dazu rock carvings date back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Altogether, 50,000 ancient Buddhist statues have been discovered in 75 different caves there, one of the largest such clusters in the world.

    In 1999, Dazu Rock Carvings were inscribed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List (XINHUA)
  • EGYPT
    People take to the streets on January 28 in Cairo, where violent clashes broke out between protestors and police during massive anti-government demonstrations (CAI YANG)
  • ETHIOPIA
    Visitors study posters at the new African Union conference center in Addis Ababa on January 28. The Chinese-built project will be completed by the end of the year (YANG CHUN)
  • THE UNITED STATES
    Children have fun in New York after heavy snow fell on January 27. The city experienced the snowiest January in its history (XINHUA/AFP)
  • AUSTRALIA
    Two Melbourne residents celebrate the Australia Day on January 26 (XINHUA)
  • JAPAN
    Officers disinfect a poultry farm on January 26 in Toyohashi, where chickens suspected of being infected with bird flu were found (XINHUA/AFP)
  • BRITAIN
    Visiting Chinese scholars celebrate the Spring Festival—the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year that fell on February 3 this year—with a performance in Oxford on January 28 (ZENG YI)
About BEIJINGREVIEW | About beijingreview.com | Rss Feeds | Contact us | Advertising | Subscribe & Service | Make Beijing Review your homepage
Copyright Beijing Review All right reserved