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5,000 People Have Died in Traffic Accidents This Year Alone in Guangdong

Posted: 12/1/2014 9:30 am

car accident guangdong

The roads of Guangdong remain a dangerous place as newly released provincial statistics show almost 5,000 people have lost their lives in traffic accidents so far this year.

As of November 25, there were 23,527 traffic accidents in Guangdong, resulting in 4,816 fatalities, 52 of which involved three or more fatalities, totalling 192 deaths.

Surprisingly, these numbers are actually an improvement over last year’s figures, representing a drop of 4.6 percent.

By way of comparison, the roads in Guangdong are safer than the roads in the United States on a per capita basis. California, a state almost as big as Guangdong but with approximately 60 million less people, had 3,081 traffic fatalities in 2009, almost twice that of Guangdong.

For National Traffic Safety Awareness Day, which takes place December 2, provincial police announced they will be focussing on speeding, overcrowding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, running red lights, occupying designated traffic lanes, and stopping inside pedestrian walkways.

The number of motorists in China continues to grow at an alarming rate, now exceeding 300 million.

Photo: wzauto

Haohao

Mickey Mouse and Barbie Made at Chinese Toy Factories with Long List of Labor Violations

Posted: 11/28/2014 9:16 am

optimus primes toysWith Christmas only a month away, it might be worth considering how many of the toys under the Christmas Tree this year were made. It turns out many popular toys manufactured in China including Optimus Prime, Mickey Mouse, and Barbie are among those made by workers who have had their rights taken away, according to China Labor Watch (CLW).

The independent labor watchdog released a 66 page report in which it detailed 20 labor violations committed by four Guangdong toy factories that manufacture toys for companies like Hasbro, Disney, Crayola, Mattel and Fisher-Price .

Through undercover probes and interviews with factory workers, the report accuses the factories of numerous labor violations including unpaid wages and overtime, poor workplace safety, hiring discrimination, abusive management, non-existent labor contracts, and lack of union representation.

CLW said no progress has been made since a similar report in 2007 which contained many of the same violations.

CLW points to the relationship toy companies have with their Chinese suppliers that puts toy factories and their workers at a disadvantage. This relationship is also said to absolve toy companies of any responsibility should something go wrong, even allowing them to appear to side with workers that have had their rights violated.

Photo: hc360

Haohao

Man Hijacks Zhongshan Public Bus at Knifepoint Causing Massive Collision

Posted: 11/22/2014 4:16 pm

zhongshan bus hijackA man hijacked a Zhongshan public bus at knifepoint, causing the moving bus to collide with some 20 vehicles along a city bridge. It happened on Friday around 3pm, closing down the entire Zhongshan Harbor Bridge was closed down in both directions.

Witnesses say a few of the dozen or so passengers on board the bus were injured.  Police were able to arrest the suspected hijacker.

The incident is currently under investigation.

zhongshan bus hijackzhongshan bus hijackzhongshan bus hijackzhongshan bus hijackzhongshan bus hijackPhotos: Sina Guangdong Report, Southern DailySina Pictures

 

Haohao

Guangdong Vows to Clean Up the Air

Posted: 11/21/2014 2:00 pm

smog guangdong air pollutionWith the exception of Guangzhou, the Pearl River Delta has some of the cleanest air in China, and it’s about to get even better as strict air quality regulations have been announced for 2017 through the “Guangdong Provincial Responsible Clean Air Verification Act”.

To ensure compliance, local officials will be fined and held accountable if the regulations are not met. For clarity, the following criteria must be met to be in compliance with the new regulations:

  • PM 2.5 2.5 levels in 2017 must be same as those in 2012;
  • Guangzhou, Foshan and Dongguan must reduce their PM 2.5 levels by 20 percent;
  • Shenzhen, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing must reduce their PM 2.5 emissions by 15 percent
  • Zhuhai and Huizhou must both have an annual PM 2.5 level of 35 milligram per square meter

Amid plans for a PRD mega-city, talk of reforming hukou restrictions upon migrant workers, and the strengthening of Guangdong factories through robotization, we’re waiting to see if the province’s growing urbanization will have an impact upon its air quality.

Photo: weather.com.cn

Haohao

STDs on the Rise in Guangdong with Seniors Particularly at Risk

Posted: 11/18/2014 9:21 am

Guangdong is known for its raunchy nightlife, KTV parlors and saunas, and now it looks like venues like these – some which provide sexual services – could be behind a sharp increase in the number of sexually transmitted diseases diagnosed in the province.

There are now 158,192 people in the province with an STD. The rates for syphilis and gonorrhea in Guangdong actually lead the country, according to figures released by the province’s Dermatosis Prevention and Curing Institute.

There were 10,000 cases of syphilis in Guangdong in 2013, outranking Zhejiang Province with the second highest infection rate. From 2002 to 2013 the province’s number of patients with syphilis and gonorrhea has continued to surpass national average, the report said. And many patients were in labor-intensive areas in the Pearl River Delta, it added, like Dongguan.

What is most interesting is who appears to be most at risk: senior citizens. While most cases are youngsters and middle-aged men, the sharpest increase is among the senior set, partly due to the fact that many lonely seniors tend to seek sexual services in low-end sexual venues often without protection, said Yang Bing, director of a medical institute.

From 2004 to 2013, the province reported more than 4,000 cases of third-phase syphilis with many being male senior citizens, according to Yang.

Photos: Economist 

 

Haohao

Guangdong Has The 2nd Largest Population of “Leftover Women” in China

Posted: 11/17/2014 9:15 am

A woman reads single men’s profiles posted on a dating board.

Guangdong, the most populous Province in Southern China, is not only a draw for migrant workers; it also draws large numbers of single women. According to a list released by dating website, jiayuan.com., Guangdong has the second largest population of “leftover women” in China, second only to Beijing. Single women aged 27+ are generally considered to be ‘leftover women”, while men aged 30+ are considered “leftover men”.

The dating site attributed the high numbers of single women to the Cities’ work pressures, fast pace and lifestyle: about 80 percent reported that their life revolved around going to work and returning home. About 30 percent said they had no time for a relationship.

According to the report, Henan is home to the highest rate of bachelors, or “leftover men”, with 74 percent. The Yangcheng Evening News cited another report, indicating that “leftover” men and women invariably work as journalists, lawyers or public relations professionals. Journalists account for almost 20 percent of the China’s total leftover population, followed closely by lawyers at 18 percent, the report said. Among leftover men, computer techs are most likely to have a hard time finding a partner because, “they are introverted and socially awkward”.

Photos: China Daily 

 

Haohao

Even 99 iPhones Not Enough to Win One Woman’s Heart

Posted: 11/10/2014 9:30 am

Since the inception of Singles’ Day in China several years ago, millions of singles throughout the country celebrate the day by trying to woo that special someone. Yet one young Guangzhou resident chose a rather unique method to express his love in the lead up to November 11: iPhones, and lots of them.

There’s been no shortage of reports detailing extravagant Singles’ Day gifts such as a new car, or giant diamonds, but one Guangzhou programmer instead opted for 99 iPhone 6s. To his credit, he organized the phones in the shape of heart before proposing to his girlfriend in front of a sizeable crowd of friends and onlookers.

The phones reportedly cost the man over RMB 500,000 (about $82,000), or roughly the equivalent of two years’ salary, Tencent News reported. Sadly, the grand gesture was lost on the woman, who rejected his proposal.

Thankfully, demand for the new iPhone remains high in China, so he shouldn’t have too much trouble reselling them as one Weibo user suggested. Others simply dismissed the guy’s move as stupid. One user, 韵母和韵父, asked “How many kidneys did it take to buy those phones?” referring to earlier reports of a young man selling his own kidney to buy an iPhone. Another user wrote, ” 99 kidneys!”

For those who might be wondering how November 11th was chosen as Singles’ Day, the answer resides in the four lonely “1″s that form the date: 11/11.

 Photos: Weibo 

Haohao

Reversal: Beijing Skies Are “APEC Blue” While Guangzhou Suffers

Posted: 11/7/2014 9:00 am

Air pollution is always a hot topic in China, but particularly this week as world leaders gather in Beijing for the APEC summit. Photos on social media show glorious blue skies in Beijing, which have been cleared of dangerous PM 2.5 to impress foreign guests. Some online now describe the skies as “APEC blue”, with APEC standing for Air Pollution Effectively Controlled.

The same can’t be said for Guangzhou, however, which unfortunately doesn’t have any important people in town.

Just days after Guangzhou’s Mayor, Chen Jianhua, made a grand gesture to show his commitment to curbing the city’s air pollution, Guangzhou’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 192, just 9 points shy of the “Very Unhealthy” reading of 201 or higher.

Readings from 18 of the city’s monitoring stations showed it was a particularly smoggy day, with two of the readings collected from Lizhi Xicun and Zengceng Xintang showing 192, which fall in the “Unhealthy” range of 150 to 200, reported New Express Daily.

The readings prompted the city to issue an orange smog alert, just nine days after issuing the last heavy smog alert, the report said.

At this rate, Mayor Chen just might get his wish. For those of you who regularly take the bus, keep your eyes peeled on those particularly smoggy days; you may find yourself hobnobbing with the Mayor on your morning commute.

 Photos: New Express Daily 

Haohao

Guangdong Woman, with RMB 44 Billion, Named China’s Richest

Posted: 10/22/2014 8:55 am

Two Chinese women standing in front of a Cartier shop

Yang Huiyan, a 33 year-old woman from Shunde, Guangdong, was voted the richest woman in China for the fourth year in a row by Hurun Research Institute, reported Nandu. Hurun valued Yang’s net worth at a whopping RMB 44 billion ($7.2 billion).

A majority shareholder of her father’s real state company, Country Garden Holding, Yang has nabbed the title more than any other woman in the nine years Hurun has published the rich list. Most of the other women on the list come from the property and financial sectors, accounting for 28 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

Guangdong is home to four of the 50 women on the rich list, Hurun said. The list’s threshold is RMB 5 billion, a 36 percent increase over last year, while the median average wealth for all women on the list is RMB 10.9 billion, a 14 percent jump over the previous year.

While the wealth of China’s richest women is no doubt impressive, it’s still disproportionately lower than the wealth of their male counterparts. Hurun’s wealth threshold for men is RMB 20.5 billion and the median average was RMB 45 billion, more than four times that of women.

Shenzhen and Beijing remain the two most friendly cities for female entrepreneurs, each producing nine women on the list, followed closely by Shanghai.

The title of the country’s second richest woman went to Chan Liwa, president of Fu Wah International Group.

Photos: Red Luxury 

Haohao

Despite More Dengue Fever Cases, Infection Rate is in Decline

Posted: 10/14/2014 2:05 pm

mosquitoNew reported cases of Dengue fever are finally in decline in Guangdong after having reached epidemic levels earlier this year.

The Guangdong Health and Family Planning Bureau announced there have been 31,136 cases of Dengue fever this year in Guangdong. There were 910 new cases reported on October 12, the first decline since the first case of Dengue fever was reported back in June.

The Provincial Center for Disease Control said that though this is the high season, the rate of transmission has gone down. The center also said that as the seasons change and the temperature falls the epidemic will gradually subside.

Six people have died of the disease so far in Guangdong.

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Photo: baidu zhidao

Haohao
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