Today's Shanghai | News(2000)

September

Starting from October 1, Chinese nationwide will be celebrating the 51st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. There will be a seven-day long public holiday, which has been considered the perfect travel season.

The sightseeing tunnel in the Bund will be open to the public from October 1 to 10 during its trial operation.

Shanghai is planning to have its own version of Silicon Valley. It is set to establish at least 10 massive-scale production lines for integrated circuit, with production bases such as Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and Caohejing Hi-Tech Park.

After four years of efforts in curbing industrial pollution, the 3,702 factories that were formerly polluters have now passed the criteria in discharging pollutants.

In order to ease traffic and ensure the security of the public during the National Day holiday, a general examination will be carried out to test the mechanical condition of all the automotive vehicles in the city.

The city's total volume of retail sales increased by 10.9% in August compared with the same period last year to reach US$1.7 billion.

Shanghai's foreign trade volume was valued at US$34.6 billion from January through August, a rise of 51.63%, according to the latest statistics from the government authorities.

As of August, Shanghai's industrial sector generated products worth US$47.5 billion, up 14.5% over the same period last year. The sector earned profits of US$2.6 billion in the first 7 months.

Shanghai will encourage more start-ups of research and development centers and investment companies as a major step to map itself as a global investment hub.

Shanghai is planning to invite global consulting firms, investment banks and market researchers to take part in its efforts for the management and operation of some State-owned assets, especially non-performing loans, spreading throughout a wide range of industrial sectors.

This autumn, Shanghai is alive with artistic activities and events like Shanghai International TV Festival, Shanghai International Art Fair and Shanghai International Festival of Arts.

Two MD-90 airplanes manufactured in China, in cooperation with Boeing of the United States, were delivered recently to the North China Airline Co.

The Ministry of Public Security announced recently that beginning October 1, the police will replace their current uniforms, which were first worn in 1989, with new ones.

China's top financial authorities are intending to allow the Shanghai branches of the State-owned insurance enterprises to be fully independent insurers.

Firework groups from China, Japan, Portugal and France will set off fireworks in Century Park in Pudong, bringing dazzling light shows to Shanghai during the International Music Fireworks Festival.

Family members of a man who suddenly died two years ago while alone on his night shift are suing his company, claiming it is responsible for his death and demanding US$24,000 in compensation.

The Third China International Garden and Flower Fair is coming to Shanghai, and promises to bring with it a host of flowers that are not normally seen. The fair will be held at Century Park in Pudong from September 23 to October 22.

Suzhou Creek, which provides navigation, irrigation, industrial water and flood control in the city, will have the added benefit of beautiful scenery after a bridge rebuilding program is carried out.

Shanghai Counseling Center is seeing increasing numbers of people due to stress-related problems caused by the accelerated pace of everyday life.

Thanks to a US$80,000 donation from Project Hope, a US-based charity foundation, the first large-sized screening program in China for hearing defects for newly-born babies started recently in the city.

A flight from Air France with 191 passengers slid off the runway when it tried to take off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on the afternoon of September 14.

The 27th Olympic Games opened on September 15 in Sydney, Australia, the world's eyes are upon the city as an estimated 3 billion people will tune into the Games.

Poeple living in Shanghai will see a brighter city this year. The city government has listed the 24-hour lighted show-window as an important project of commerce this year.

Shanghai is stepping up efforts to get rid of the three-wheeled pedicabs that are doing business illegally or break relevant traffic rules.

Since Shanghai Bone Marrow Bank made its first successful bone marrow match for a young leukemia sufferer in 1996, the bank has matched the life-saving bone marrow for 13 blood disease sufferers.

Sales in the pedestrianized section of Nanjing Road rose 8.21% from January to August this year. According to a latest study, the bustling commercial street is attracting large numbers of visitors at home or abroad, with a record daily traffic of 3 million.

The recent changes of two bus routes between Pudong and Puxi should make life a lot easier for commuters who commute across the Huangpu River.

Shanghai Archives House is speeding up efforts to set up a complete section of personal archives of modern celebrities in the city.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the Municipal Public Health Bureau sampled 149 brands of mooncakes, locally produced or otherwise. About 87.9% of the sampled mooncakes reached the health standard.

More and more local residents are eating noodles which was previously thought to be the staple food for northerners. There are now about 2,000 noodle snack bars in Shanghai, with a daily supply of 500,000 bowls.

A website providing e-commerce solutions to China's small- and medium-sized enterprises has been recently launched. It can be visited at http://www.smeinchina.com.

The local government is now attaching great importance to the development of Songjiang Export Processing Zone which is one of the 15 pilot export processing zones approved by the central government.

The preparatory work for Shanghai Art Fair has been completed. As one of the major events during China Shanghai International Art Festival, the fair will showcase the major works of famous Chinese painters, such as Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, etc.

The Municipal Quality Inspection Bureau surveyed 8 major department stores in the city. Its result shows that the CSI (customer satisfaction index) in such stores approaches that in European countries and the US.

The automobile industry, which has long been regarded as Shanghai's pillar industry, is now being replaced by the information industry as the cornerstone of the city's industrial sector. The latter has been developing at an annual rate of more than 30% in output in the past three years.

The Third China International Garden and Flowers Fair will be held at Shanghai Pudong Century Park in September 23. The fair tickets can now be bought online at http://www.piao.com.cn.

Obtaining loans is no longer a complicated thing for university students. As new students arrived at universities in September, local banks had been offering on-campus services for undergraduates and postgraduates.

Pudong Software Park, located in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, is home to more than 300 software companies. It is expected to realize a total output of US$100 million this year.

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