Today's Shanghai | News(1997)

1997---September

As the opening of the Eighth National Games is only 17 days away, Mayor Xu Kuangdi inspected the stadiums and other facilities. He also encouraged those athletes practicing in some stadiums to perform their best during the games.

People of all walks of life have been studying President Jiang Zeming's speech delivered at the opening of the 15th Congress in hopes that they can have a better understanding of the country's current situation and challenges as well.

As the city's population for people aged above 60 has reached 2,3 million, caring service for the elder is in great demand.

State=owned enterprises are racking their brains to find the best way out in the competitive business world. Some have succeeded in developing the so-called "management of diverse forms"; and many are learning others' experience .

In order to guarantee the smooth flow of traffic during the Eighth National Games, the city government will enforce traffic control in some parts of the city.

The International Model Contest of the Shanghai International Fashion Cultural Festival '97 was recently held.

Builders have completed a canal for the second phase of the tap water diversion project which costs as many as US$320 million on the upstream Huangpu River.

The newly established Shanghai International Medical Exchange Center is holding a training program for 63 doctors from all over the country to study the latest research on prostate cancer and anti-cancer genes in treating bladder problems.

Shanghai traffic authorities are planning more subway projects for the next three years to alleviate road congestion.

The Shanghai Public Quality Supervision Team was recently established to target shoddy goods and fake products of brand names.

The Japanese government approved a loan of US$330 million early this week o bankroll the purchasing of equipment for the Pudong International Airport which is currently under construction.

The 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China ends on September 18th. The ballots for the members of the central committee will be cast in the afternoon.

The 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the last such meeting in the 20th century, has put forward "Deng Xiaoping Theory" which will guide China in its modernisation drive.

"Networking" has been the latest hot word in Shanghai. To date, there have been established more than 30 computer networks on various fields and of different scope. Community-wide networks have proven itself useful among local residents.

More than 200,000 customers go to Shanghai New World daily. The shopping mall, located at Nanjing Road, had a total sales of US$0.15 billion during the first eight months this year.

Financially challenged students at Shanghai Jiaotong University now don't have to worry about their tight pocket any more. Because student loans under various names can be obtained after application.

As the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party is in full session, the CEOS of those companies listed in Shanghai Stock Exchange are studying the speech of President Jiang Zeming, and particularly on the part concerning state-owned companies.

September 16 is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. Many local families still honor the tradition of eating ducks stuffed with other ingredients and moon-cakes. This year local residents are still willing to stand in long queues buying brand-name moon-cakes such as Xinghua Lou.

Shanghai Guomai, the paging service provider, whose assets have increased 16 times over 5 years, is now providing paging service to more than one million beeper-carriers.

There appears a new craze for study in night schools. More and more junior high school graduates (after nines years of compulsory education), hoping to become more competitive in the job market, are now attending night classes to finish courses required for senior high school students.

Starting from October 1, China will reduce its import and export tariff to 17%, a decrease of 26%.

Party Secretary Huang Ju said when discussing President Jiang's opening speech among Shanghai delegates that Shanghai should attach great importance to two tasks in the days to come: to further develop Shanghai and to serve for the rest of the country.

The 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens on September 12th. More than two thousand delegates will attend the meeting.

The enrolment of college students has recently been finished. There will be about 22,710 freshmen at colleges and universities in Shanghai.

'97 Shanghai Tourist Festival, with its main attraction in Nanshi district, will consist of a variety of events and activities sponsored by various kinds of governmental organizations.

Shanghai Medical University has become the largest center in the country that can conduct telemedicine.

The municipality celebrated the 13th Teachers' Day by honoring dozens of teachers in the education circle that have been playing an important role in educating students.

Eastcom mobile-phone, produced in Hangzhou, has recently entered Shanghai market as the first domestic cellphone maker. It will compete with foreign telecom companies such as Motorola and Ericsson.

China's Third Furniture Exhibition was held on September 10 at Shanghai International Exhibition Center. About 400 furniture-makers from all over the world attended the fair.

Local companies are urged by the city government to export at least $4.65 billion worth of goods in the last quarter of this year.

Shanghai opened its fourth elevated highway on September 11 to smooth traffic from downtown areas to suburban areas.

Shanghai Vice-Mayor Zhao Qizheng met with Romanian President Emil Constantinescu on September 10 at the Jin Jiang Tower.

The city government reaffirmed its determination on September 9 to clean up the Suzhou Creek and bring fish back into it before 2010.

A recent survey shows that one in ten families in Shanghai owns a personal computer.

This year's September 10th is the thirteenth "Teachers' Day" in China. The education circle will hold a series of celebrations to honor excellent teachers. Some tertiary-industry businesses promise to provide convenience to teachers.

A report inspection on commodities conducted nationwide by the National Technical Inspection Bureau shows that 86.5% of products produced in Shanghai have reached national standards.

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank will help financially challenged students in the 40 colleges and universities in Shanghai to complete their studies through providing students loans.

The city's Statistics Bureau has recently released its latest stat on local residents' income and spending. It shows that from 1991 to 1996 the income per person reported an increase of 55.8%.

As there are only 40 days away from the opening of the Eighth National Games, city leaders met on September 2 to make sure that preparations will be completed in time.

Investment in housing in the city run overheated in the past three years, leaving 6.3 million square meters of buildings unoccupied.

Since 1992, about 120,000 rural residents around the city have moved to new urban districts. Of the 1.8 million suburban residents, about 35% used to be farmers.

More than 150 packaging companies from 17 countries and regions gathered in Shanghai for China Pack '97. The four-day expo began on September 2.

The Shanghai Trade Union has established a legal assistance center to help protect the right and interest of workers. The center will focus on labor disputes and trade union organizations.

Over the past seven years, Pudong New Area invested more than US$241 million in six key social projects focusing on education, public hygiene and sanitation, recreation and sports, community construction and social security.

Pudong Central Park, the largest park within Inner-ring road, has recently been completed and will soon open to public.

More than ten thousand volunteers took part in "Helping Kids Cross Streets" which took place on September 1, he first school day.

Patriotism education has become part of the school education. Primary and high schools across the city have opened such a course, and a compulsory one.

A recent survey on the saving habits of urban residents has revealed that 70 percent have bank deposits; 21 percent invest in bonds; 21 percent buy stock and 12 percent have insurance.

Pudong Customs reported rapid development in international trade and foreign investment in the past four years. Part of the reason is that several Fortune 500 companies have settled down in the area.

Jinmao Building, currently the tallest skyscraper in China, was roofed recently in Pudong New Area. The complex is scheduled to open 11 months later.

The air in Shanghai seems to be improving, however, exhaust from vehicles is still the main source of pollution, according to the city's Environmental Protection Bureau.

The World Bank will loan the city US$500,000 to help solve its garbage problems. Shanghai now produces 13,000 tons of solid waste per day.

Shanghai's economy has been growing at an annual rate of 14 percent since 1992, thanks to economic and ownership restructuring, said Mr. Huang Ju, the Party Secretary.

Shanghai is reporting big achievements in science research and cultivating a team of young and middle-aged researchers. The city now has a total number of 10,000 researchers, working in universities or research institutions.

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., the largest car maker in China, has started a sales campaign targeting on wealthy citizens and taxi companies.

The first day of this month witnessed the official launch of the city's international container transfer business. "The business will push forward the city's drive to become an international shipping center," Vice-Mayor Xie Keqiang said.

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