EXPAT PARADISE: Shanghai tops the list as the favorite city of expatriates on the Chinese mainland in 2013, beating over 29 others. The city has the highest recognition in terms of working and living environment, expat-friendly policies and administrative capacity, according to a survey released on November 6 (CHEN FEI)

Antarctica Station

China is planning the construction of a new research station in the south pole, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said on November 1.

Taishan Station, the fourth to be built by China in Antarctica, will be set up between the country's existing Zhongshan and Kunlun stations to provide logistical support, according to Qu Tanzhou, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Administration at the SOA.

A scientific expedition team would leave Shanghai on November 7 to carry out planning, including for the setting up of Taishan, a summer station that can be used from December to March. It will be used to study geology, glaciers, geomagnetism and the atmosphere in Antarctica.

Sickness Database

China has set up a database of acute altitude sickness that leads the world in terms of the number, variety and source distribution of samples, the Beijing-based PLA Daily reported on November 5.

The database was established by Xinqiao Hospital, affiliated to the Third Military Medical University in southwest China's Chongqing, said the media outlet for the Chinese army.

The 20,000-strong data set of bodily functions and blood samples was collected by more than 60 doctors and professors from the hospital, who had been monitoring people traveling from the Chengdu Plains to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in various vehicles since 2011.

It will facilitate research into dramatically reducing the morbidity and fatality of altitude sickness, according to the newspaper.

Haze on School Days

China may adopt a flexible working hours system and suspend school classes during high air pollution alerts, according to a government circular issued on November 6.

The circular was released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection as China faces growing pressure to curb air pollution, with heavy smog frequently smothering large cities.

The ministry urged every possible compulsory measure that could reduce emissions to be implemented when the highest alert of air pollution is issued. These measures include suspension or limiting of business production, restriction of vehicles allowed on the road, dust controls and a ban on outdoor barbecues.

Large-scale outdoor activities should also be canceled, and middle and primary schools, as well as kindergartens, should suspend classes, according to the document. Enterprises and institutions are also encouraged to adopt flexible working hours.

The circular also called for the setting of strict controls on coal-fired pollution while encouraging the use of natural gas.