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The city has pledged to spare no efforts to improve the environment in time for World Expo 2010.
City officials made the announcement at the International Environmental Conference on World Expo 2010 yesterday, which is being attended by 300 environment experts from 14 countries and regions.
"World Expo 2010 is an opportunity to improve our environment," said Xu Zuxin, director of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau.
Experts said the city would focus on shifting to renewable energy sources to achieve more sustainable development.--9/30/2004
The shanghai Tourism Festival has helped stimulate consumer buying since it opened on September 18, the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission announced yesterday.
Catering business income increased 33 percent on September 19 - the night of the float parade. Meanwhile, turnover at most shopping malls on Huaihai Road has climbed 15 percent in the past week. Gross incomes of various businesses on Nanjing Road have increased 30 percent on average. Hotels and restaurants have said business has risen about 80 percent.--9/29/2004
About 20,000 local couples are planning to tie the knot during the upcoming National Day holiday, according to the Shanghai Wedding Trade Association.
"Businesses for the upcoming weeklong holiday are really booming," said Helen Huang, secretary-general of the association.She said so far about 10,000 couples have visited the association's 40-member companies, which occupy half of the wedding service market, to make wedding arrangements for the holiday week. "The number of customers for those seven days equals the total in a normal month, and far exceeds that in July and August," she added.
Traditionally, Chinese wedding is split into two parts. The first is an official process that includes the issuing of a marriage certificate showing that a couple is legally married, and then a banquet for friends and family that most people consider the true wedding.
The first batch of certified wedding professionals, including 17 masters of wedding ceremonies and three photographers, will begin to serve local couples from October 1, the association also said.
The professionals will be listed on the association's Website (www.wta.org.cn) for customers to choose.--9/28/2004
The Seventh National Tourism Kite Festival will be held at the Fengxian Bay Traveling Area during the upcoming National Day Holiday.
With 13.7-kilometer-long coastline, the tourist area in Fengxian District covers an area of 17.6 square kilometers. Facing the East China Sea, it is an ideal place for kite flying because of the abundant wind.
Every year at this time, thousands of visitors are attracted to the Fengxin Kite Flying Ground. The sky over the open area is always filled with various colorful kites with different designs.
Covering an area of more than 200,000 square meters, it is also the largest kite flying playground in southern China.
Kites were invented in China as long as 3,000 years ago. During that period of time, kites were made of bamboo frames and silk sails and bridles. Kites are also regarded as the pioneer object in the history of flight, far earlier than the first balloon flight appeared in 1783 and the Wright brothers' powered aircraft invented in 1903.--9/27/2004
Shanghai science and Technology Museum announced its opening hours for the weeklong National Day holiday. It will extend hours from 5pm to 8pm. Discount tickets - 40 yuan for adults and 30 yuan for students - are available after 4pm during the holiday. The museum will introduce special shows such as "Mythology and Speed" from Italy and a model competition for students. The museum has also renovated many displays.--9/26/2004
Shanghai International Performing Arts Fair is to be held from October 16 to 20 at Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center. As an important part of the sixth China Shanghai International Arts Festival, the fair has so far attracted 150 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions. The UK-China Performing Arts Forum will also be held during the fair.--9/24/2004
The Shanghai government has increased the budget for the World Expo 2010 by 5 billion yuan (US$602 million) due to the cost of relocating families from Expo sites and renovating old areas of the city being higher than expected.
The total budget for the event is now set at 30 billion yuan, a senior government official announced yesterday. The original budget for the event was drawn up in 2002 when the city was still bidding for the chance to host the Expo.
About 20 billion yuan will be spent on Expo-related land development, such as relocation of local families and businesses, and 10 billion yuan will go to the construction of Expo pavilions and their business operations.
Additionally, the central government will offer US$100 million as it promised previously to encourage developing countries to participate in the world fair.--9/22/2004
The weeklong holiday for National Day runs from October 1 to 7, including three public holidays. However, people will have to work the following weekend - October 9 and 10. Companies can arrange the holiday according to their situation, the General Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government announced yesterday.--9/21/2004
It's show time for Pudong New Area this year.In the first half of this year, Pudong has hosted 81 international conferences, including the World Poverty Conference and the conference of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Another 514 national conferences and exhibitions like the 14th East China Fair and the 14th China International Bicycle and Motor Fair, have also chosen the district as a hosting venue.
The total exhibition space used in the first six months of this year in Pudong soared to 970,000 square meters, up 200 percent year-on-year.
Exhibition renting space is expected to grow 90 percent in the year's second half.--9/20/2004
The Sixth Shanghai International Arts Festival will offer more than 20,000 preferential tickets starting tomorrow.Tickets will go on sale at 9am at the box offices of Shanghai Art Theater, Shanghai Circus World,Shanghai East Asia Exhibition Hall and Chongming Movie Theater.
Individuals are restricted to a maximum purchase of two tickets. The one-month festival opens on October 15.
About 70 percent of the festival's 68 programs are on the preferential ticket list. Ticket prices range from 10 yuan (US$1.21) to 100 yuan. Discounts are available, in some cases up to 75 percent off the original price.--9/18/2004
City gears up for National Day celebrations(9/17)--Workers sew the national flags at the Shanghai Flag and Canopy Factory yesterday. According to factory officials, demand for the flags has increased in the past few weeks as the city prepares for the 55th anniversary celebrations of National Day on October 1.--9/17/2004
A series of international conferences will be held in the city this autumn, Jiao Yang, the municipal government's spokeswoman, revealed yesterday. The seventh ministerial meeting of the International Forum for Cultural Policy will be held from October 14 to 16. The 15th Conference on the Electric Power Supply Industry, the largest professional conference in Asia Pacific, is scheduled from October 18 to 22. The 22nd Congress of International Association of Universities of the Third Age will be held from October 12 to 15. The 2004 World Engineers Convention will be hosted on November 3.--9/16/2004
The city will boast 150 museums and nine state-of-the-art theaters by 2010 when World Expo is held, officials announced yesterday at a working conference on Shanghai's cultural evelopment. More cinemas, libraries and sculptures are also on the development blueprint, they said. By the end of last year, there were 35 public libraries, 64 museums and 60 cinemas in the city.
According to the plan, the number of digital cinemas will increase from eight to 100 while at least 100 sculptures will be erected citywide.
In addition, districts with a population of more than 500,000 will have one library no smaller than 5,000 square meters as well as a 3,000-square-meter library. Some 200 community cultural and entertainment centers will also be built by 2010.--9/15/2004
The Fifth China Tourism Broadcasting Network Annual Meeting will take place from September 17 to 21 in Shanghai. A competition will be held on tourism broadcasting program innovation. Anchors from 16 provincial and city radio stations will present at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Shanghai Tourism Festival on September 19. It will be a live broadcast.--9/15/2004
A record number of overseas troupes and performers will participate in the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the organizing committee said yesterday.
According to officials, festivities displaying traditional culture will be held in more innovative and vivid ways, revealing the essence of Chinese thoughts.
The Mardi Gras Carnival and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses - two well-known US festivals - will highlight, for the first time, the opening ceremony parade on September 18.
There will also be dozens of festivities and performances from countries including Brazil, Italy, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.--9/11/2004
The "French Culture Year in Shanghai" will kick off on October 15 as part of the Sino-France Cultural Year Exchange Program.
Scheduled to run until next July, the Shanghai program will launch more than 50 cultural projects.
Claude Hudelot, cultural consul of the French Consulate General in Shanghai, said yesterday the program features the best and the most representative French art, music, fashion and architecture.
Twelve of the projects, mainly concerts and dance programs, will be featured at the upcoming Sixth Shanghai International Arts Festival, which will also start on October 15. --9/10/2004
A national microelectronics industry base was unveiled on September 8 in Shanghai, with vice mayors Zhou Yupeng and Yangxiong attending the opening ceremony. The base is in Jidian Port of Zhangjiang High Technology Industry Park.
By the end of 2005, Shanghai's output in the microelectronics industry is expected to jump fourfold to 40 billion yuan (US$4.82 billion), the officials revealed yesterday.--9/9/2004
The Shanghai Blood Center is calling on local expatriates to donate blood as the city often lacks RH-negative blood, which is very rare among Asians but a little more common among Westerners.
Only three in every 1,000 eastern Asians have this type of blood, but about 15 percent of Caucasians have RH-negative blood.
"We hope more foreigners can donate such blood to add to our storage. Local patients need their help," said Xie Yunzheng, director of the blood center's social service department.
"Besides, Shanghai will host Formula 1 China Grand Prix on September 24 to 26. The donation is also likely to help injured drivers," Xie added.--9/8/2004
A magnificent festival to electronic toy fans in Shanghai the "No.2 China Entertainment Expo & Conference" will be held through October 5th to 7th. This exhibition sponsored by the State Press and Publication Administration and the Ministry of Science and Technology has till now attracted more than 130 top entertainment software manufacturers from home and abroad, by which it is hopeful to become the world's third biggest electronic toy exhibition after the "E3" in America and the Tokyo electronic toy exhibition.--9/7/2004
Shanghai has fulfilled its promise of no power cuts this summer, with most power restriction measures lifted this month.
There were 24 days this summer with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, more than double the normal numbers; local power load hits new records for five times, with the highest load reaching 15.01 million kilowatts, up 1.39 million kw from a year earlier; local power grids exceeded its limits to 1.14 million kw, one million more than expected; during peak period, daily power break-downs surpassed 2,000.
Despite a tough power shortage in the city, no power cut-offs have been implemented this summer except for sudden disasters.
During peak load times, nearly 7,000 local enterprises re-organized their work schedules to relieve the power shortage; landscaping lights were turned off and air-conditioner temperatures in office buildings and shopping malls were required to be no lower than 26 degrees Celsius.--9/6/2004
Floats from home and abroad will parade in the city's nine districts and the Chongming County for 18 days from September 19.
Besides those from France, Japan, and Thailand, a float made in the United States will travel to Shanghai for the first time in the 15-year history of the float parade, which has always been one of the grandest events in the Shanghai Tourism Festival.
Under the theme of "A World Festival," the 24 floats will display about 30 festivities with unique characteristics, such as the US Mardi Gras Carnival, the Masskara Festival in the Philippines, the Kunchi Matsuri Nagasaki Festival of Japan, and the China Fishing Festival.--9/3/2004
Yesterday, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science announced the commencement of the first batch of nine projects specifically for the 2010 World Expo.
The nine projects, awaiting government approval, involve the designs of the expo sites; prompt weather forecasts during the expo period; and food safety concerns.
The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science jointly invested 15 million yuan (US$1.8 million) in the nine projects, with the local researchers responsible.
Such special projects for the World Expo will be launched every year, with highly-qualified personnel to be introduced from other cities and provinces.--9/1/2004
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