Fallen Minister

(FAN RUJUN)

Liu Zhijun, former Minister of Railways, was placed under investigation due to "serious disciplinary violations," said a report from Xinhua News Agency that quoted the discipline watchdog of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on February 12. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the CPC did not give further details.

Liu, 58, was removed from the post of Party secretary of the ministry. Sheng Guangzu, the 62-year-old former chief of the General Administration of Customs, has been appointed to succeed Liu. Sheng said the ongoing investigation of Liu showed the resolve of the CPC to punish corrupt officials and pursue clean governance.

After assuming the post of minister of railways in 2003, Liu was responsible for the multi billion dollar investment in China's railway network and building high-speed lines.

Liu is the latest in a number of senior officials to be investigated during the country's battle against corruption. A total of 146,517 officials across China were punished for disciplinary violations in 2010, according to the CCDI. Among them, 5,098 were leading officials at the county level or above and 804 of them were prosecuted.

Ocean Manager

(CFP)

Liu Cigui, 56, has been appointed director and party secretary of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), replacing Sun Zhihui, who retired from the post.

Born in Fujian, a coastal province in southeast China, Liu once served as deputy secretary of the provincial Communist Youth League and as the top provincial official on marine matters. In 2000, Liu became party secretary and director of Fujian Provincial Department of Ocean and Fisheries. In 2007, he was appointed Party chief and Mayor of Xiamen in Fujian Province.

At a press conference, Liu spoke of his determination to devote himself to China's marine industry. "China's ocean has realized sustainable, healthy and orderly development during the past years. In the future, I will learn from experts, comrades around me and also veterans in the field. I will not let the public down," said Liu.

Statistics show the general output of China's ocean area was about 3.2 trillion yuan ($477.6 billion) in 2009, which accounted for 9.5 percent of China's GDP and 15.5 percent of GDP of China's coastal areas.

Micro-Blog Queen

(CFP)

Yao Chen, a famous Chinese actress, is believed to be the micro-blog queen in the country, with more than 5.9 million followers.

Yao, 32, was born in Fujian Province and graduated from Beijing Film Academy in 2003. Yao became nationally known after her performance in the comedy My Own Swordsman in 2005. In 2007, she played the leading role in Lurk, a TV series about espionage and gained further fame and popularity. These two sitcoms put Yao into sudden superstardom.

The actress won popularity also in the virtual world. She started micro-blogging in September 2009 and attracted the country's largest group of fans quickly due to her humorous articles, frankness and interaction.