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A nearly 60-foot segment of an expressway in a rural area of southeastern China collapsed before dawn on Wednesday after days of heavy rain, killing 24 people and injuring 30 others. Photos released after the incident appeared to show that a landslide had begun under two lanes of an expressway that ran along the side of a hill. A wide, brown scar of mud ran down the side of the hill between bright green foliage, leaving a large gap in the expressway. Vehicles lay jumbled at the base of the hill below the hole, blackened and still smoking from a fire that had burned vigorously during the night, drawing a large number of fire trucks to the area. The state news media said that many of the survivors were seriously injured, with drivers and passengers alike suffering severe bone fractures and injuries to internal organs.

Organizations: Vehicles Locations: China

☆ Why Are China’s Nationalists Attacking the Country’s Heroes?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Joy Dong | Vivian Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To get the economy back on track, China is trying to champion its domestic companies and reassure entrepreneurs that it’s ready for business. Its efforts are running into a problem: an online army of Chinese nationalists who have taken it upon themselves to punish perceived insults to the country — including from some of China’s leading business figures. When fellow tycoons defended him, they were attacked as well, by users whose profiles featured photos of the Chinese flag. As the fervor spread, social media users also hounded Huawei, the crown jewel of China’s tech industry, accusing it of secretly admiring Japan. Others accused a prestigious university of being too cozy with the United States, and demanded the works of a Nobel-winning Chinese author be removed from circulation for purportedly smearing national heroes.

Persons: unpatriotic, tycoons Organizations: Huawei Locations: China, United States, Japan

☆ What China’s E.V. City Says About the State of the Economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Keith Bradsher | Joy Dong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ultramodern factories churn out electric cars and solar panels in Hefei, an industrial center in the heart of central China. Yet at Hefei’s market for construction materials, which fills 10 city blocks, local merchants are gloomy. Nowhere better showcases the opportunities and vulnerabilities of China’s economy than Hefei. Government-directed growth in industries like electric vehicles and solar panels has turned China into the world’s export superpower, making Hefei a model for other Chinese cities. But a nationwide decline in real estate has devastated the finances of millions of families and small businesses — including in Hefei.

Persons: Wu Junlin, “, ” Locations: Hefei, China, Government

They are using their savings to buy overseas apartments, stocks and insurance policies. Able to fly again to Tokyo, London and New York, Chinese travelers have bought apartments in Japan and poured money into accounts in the United States or Europe that pay higher interest than in China, where rates are low and falling. The outbound shift of money in part indicates unease inside China about the sputtering recovery after the pandemic as well as deeper problems, like an alarming slowdown in real estate, the main storehouse of wealth for families. In some cases, Chinese are improvising to get around China’s strict government controls on transferring money overseas. They have bought gold bars small enough to be scattered unobtrusively through carry-on luggage, as well as large stacks of foreign currency.

Persons: Xi Jinping Locations: Tokyo, London, New York, Japan, United States, Europe, China

Not long ago, Chinese propaganda was warning that American attempts at easing tensions were mere performance. The country’s leader, Xi Jinping, declared that the United States was engaged in a campaign of “all-around containment, encirclement and suppression,” in remarks broadcast across state media. Now, the tone used to discuss the United States has suddenly shifted. game,” the article continued, describing a visit by Mr. Xi to the United States in 2012. “Veterans visit Chinese cities, anticipating everlasting China-U.S. friendship,” one headline declared.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, “, ” Organizations: Xinhua, American Ballet Theater, Philadelphia Orchestra, Veterans Locations: United States, “, States, Iowa, China, Japan

A Washington state senator was arrested at a Hong Kong airport on charges of possessing a locally unregistered firearm, his office said on Monday. Jeff Wilson, a Republican who represents parts of southwestern Washington State, discovered the weapon on his flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong when he reached into his briefcase for a piece of gum, his office said in a statement. Baggage screeners in Portland, Ore., had failed to notice the unloaded pistol in his briefcase before he departed for his trip, letting it pass through airport security, according to his office. When he landed at Hong Kong International Airport, he told customs officials there about the gun. Mr. Wilson was arrested on Friday night, then released on bail on Sunday, his office said.

Persons: Jeff Wilson, Wilson Organizations: Republican, Hong Kong International Airport Locations: Washington, Hong Kong, Washington State, San Francisco, Portland ,

☆ For Single Women in China, Owning a Home Is a New Form of Resistance
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Joy Dong | More About Joy Dong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After she signed the contract for her new apartment in southern China, Guo Miaomiao, 32, ran through the mental list of what she would get to enjoy as a homeowner. And, most important, a way to defy expectations in China about the role that a woman should play in a marriage. “This gives me confidence that if I do get married, I won’t be afraid of anything. Even if I leave him, I can live independently.”Ms. Guo is one of a growing number of unmarried Chinese women buying property — a trend that strikes at one of Chinese society’s most deeply rooted gender norms. For centuries, men, no matter their income level, have been expected to own a home to be eligible for marriage.

Persons: Guo Miaomiao, “ I’ve, ”, Guo, Ms, “ Locations: China, Guangzhou

☆ Deaths of Seniors in Hospital Fire Point to China’s Elder Care Shortfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Vivian Wang | Joy Dong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — The hospital in southern Beijing advertised itself as specializing in vascular tumors, especially benign birthmarks that often appear in infants. The tragedy at Changfeng Hospital — the deadliest fire in China’s capital in more than two decades — has renewed scrutiny of a long-running problem. China’s population is rapidly aging, with 400 million people, nearly 30 percent of the population, expected to be over 60 by 2040. But medical resources have not kept up; there were only about eight million nursing home or elder care beds at the end of 2020, according to official statistics. The authorities have recognized the urgency of addressing the shortage, with Beijing’s latest five-year plan pledging to raise that number to nine million beds by 2025.

October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years. October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years. Zhang Guocheng, 91 Zhao Zisen, 90, developed China’s first practical optical fiber Tang Hongxiao, 91 The obituaries began accumulating. October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years. October 2022 Wang Linfang,92, molecular biologist Four members of China’s two most prestigious academic institutions died in October – in line with the average in recent years.

The economic pain has intensified the pressure to ease pandemic restrictions to salvage the flagging economy and restore some semblance of normal life. The current Covid outbreak, the most widespread since the start of the pandemic in 2020, has painted Xi Jinping, China’s president, into a corner. He has refused to budge on the government’s strict Covid approach. If he loosens restrictions and infections skyrocket, there is the risk of mass casualties and an overwhelmed health care system. But keeping the current policies in place and limiting infections with widespread lockdowns would inflict further damage to an already slowing economy.

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