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[Photos] Explosion at Xiamen High-Rise Leaves Five Dead

Posted: 09/19/2014 2:48 pm

xiamen guotai tower explosion gas A gas explosion has claimed the lives of five people at a high-rise in downtown Xiamen, Fujian Province, reports the SCMP.

The explosion took place this morning at around 11:20 in a small eatery located on the first floor of the Guotai Tower.

The blast shook nearby buildings and covered roads in glass and debris. Four other stores are said to be destroyed as a result of the blast.

Ten victims are listed in serious condition, with around a dozen other people described as also being injured.

The cause of the explosion was first suspected to be a faulty gas line, but now confirmed by firefighters to have been from a gas tank. Some nine other gas tanks have been removed from the scene.xiamen guotai tower explosion gas xiamen guotai tower explosion gas xiamen guotai tower explosion gasxiamen guotai tower explosion gasxiamen guotai tower explosion gasxiamen guotai tower explosion gasxiamen guotai tower explosion gasxiamen guotai tower explosion gas Photos: Sina Guangdong, Yangtse Evening Report, China News Network

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University Student Dies in Freak Elevator Accident

Posted: 09/18/2014 5:54 pm

elevator accident fatality Xiamen [This article contains content that may be offensive to some readers]

An unidentified student is dead after an elevator crushed him at a campus building at Huaqiao University in Xiamen, Fujian Province, reports Sohu Video.

The accident happened on September 14, the first day of school. The student entered the elevator and it began to move, while the doors were open and he was only halfway inside. The elevator put enormous pressure on him for 35 minutes. Rescue workers say the student was dead when they arrived. It’s believed the elevator crushed the man’s lungs.

Related:

Photo: Sina Video

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More Taiwanese Gutter Oil Found In Shanghai, Xiamen, Wenzhou

Posted: 09/17/2014 10:00 am

The Taiwanese gutter oil scandal just keeps escalating as mainland cities, including Shanghai, Xiamen and Wenzhou, discover more and more food products containing tainted lard supplied by Taiwanese oil manufacturer, Chang Guann Co.

According to the Shanghai Food and Drugs Supervision Bureau, approximately 8,700 bags of food suspected of using the substandard oil were seized in Shanghai. In Xiamen, about 4.9 tons of food was suspected of containing the contaminated oil, said officials from the City’s Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po reported on September 14.

Of the 4.9 tons of food seized in Xiamen, 3.2 tons consisted of pork products and 1.7 tons were made up of butter biscuits. The two food manufacturers, Wei Chuan Food (味全) and Triko Foods Co Ltd (盛香珍食品), were found to be using tainted oil from Chang Guann.

Cream cookies…found to have used the tainted oil.

Wenzhou, in eastern China, also uncovered approximately 60 kg of food allegedly containing the tainted oil, which included noodles, beef and sunflower seed oil, the China Daily reported.

Since the gutter oil scandal first exploded in Taiwan in early September (when Chang Guann was found to be mixing lard oil with gutter oil collected from food waste or slaughterhouses and selling it as cooking oil), about 250 food products involving roughly 1,200 food companies and processors were found to have used oil supplied from the company.

In Hong Kong, cakes made from the gutter oil supplied by the Taiwanese firm were sold by 7-Eleven, Starbucks, Maxim, Café Express and Arome Bakery, to name a few. A comprehensive map of the stores, shops and restaurants suspected of using the substandard oil in Hong Kong can be found here by SCMP.

Photos: Central Television 

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German Citizen Sentenced to Death in China for Double Murder

Posted: 08/23/2014 9:31 pm

marco polo hotelThe German government has vowed to do “everything in its power” to prevent the death of a German national sentenced to death by a Chinese court. The sentence announced on August 20 by a Xiamen, Fujian court follows a 2011 conviction, in which the German citizen was found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend and her partner.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schäfer said Berlin is doing everything it can to stay the execution:

The German government categorically opposes all forms of capital punishment … and this of course applies all the more when German nationals are threatened abroad. Therefore, I can assure you that the federal government will do everything within its power with the aim that this sentence … if at all possible, is not carried out or that it is changed.

The death penalty was abolished in West Germany in 1949 and in East Germany in 1987.

Before the man can be put to death, the judgment must be confirmed by a higher court and then by China’s Supreme Court.

The convicted murderer has been identified as 36 year-old “Philipp B” from Teisendorf in Bavaria by the German press, but as “Phillip Martin” by What’s On Xiamen when the murders first took place.

Philipp B is guilty of murdering 29 year-old Venezuelan national “Jennifer M” and 39 year-old German national “Jörn-Christian H” with a hammer and knife in an alley near the Marco Polo Hotel in Xiamen at night on June 6, 2010.

Philipp B had studied sinology with his ex-girlfriend in Munich before they broke up in 2005. The victim went to study in Xiamen in 2006, and it is believed the killer stalked “Jennifer M” and followed her to Xiamen with the intention to commit murder.

Philipp B’s lawyer Chen Liqun said no decision has been made yet regarding a possible appeal. If the man is executed, he would be the first German national put to death since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Photo: Hotel Ungou

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Shenzhen-Xiamen high speed rail to launch this month

Posted: 12/4/2013 7:00 am

The Nanfang has been getting emails from people in the Pearl River Delta excited about the upcoming launch of the Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed rail, so we’re pleased today to have a formal launch date: December 26.

Six trains began running along the line on Sunday (December 1) as part of the testing phase, and it was a success:

Train No. D2316 started from the Shenzhen North Railway Station at 10:15 am. Running through 7 stations at a speed of 200 km per hour, it took 3 hours and 52 minutes for the train to cover the 502.4 km distance from Shenzhen to Xiamen.

Already airlines are feeling the heat. Fares have been reduced from Hong Kong to Xiamen — all the way to RMB420 — to compete against the new line.

The Nanfang reported earlier that tickets on the new line will be only RMB160 for economy class, and RMB190 for first class, much cheaper than usual routes on high-speed rail. This makes a weekend trip that much easier.

 

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Shenzhen to Xiamen high-speed rail ticket prices announced

Posted: 08/16/2013 11:37 am

We told you earlier this year that the next leg of the nation’s high-speed rail network is set to open, connecting Shenzhen with the scenic port city of Xiamen.

The original plan was to have the three-hour journey open in September this year, but it appears that’s been pushed back a few months.  Most of the track has been laid, and testing and commissioning is expected to be complete by the end of this year. Passenger operations will begin early next year.

Xiamen will only be 3 hours away

The ticket prices have also finally been revealed: it will cost RMB160 for a second-class trip between Shenzhen and Xiamen, and RMB190 for a first-class ticket.

It currently takes 14 hours by train to travel to Xiamen, so this will save a lot of time. It will also probably take another bite out of struggling airline companies.

(Image: Carelong.cn)

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Jieyang becomes third airport in Guangdong to offer flights to Taiwan

Posted: 07/9/2013 4:38 pm

There are now three airports in Guangdong from which you can fly to Taiwan.

The maiden flight from Taichung to Jieyang Chaoshan Airport took off on July 6, Guangzhou Daily reports. Jieyang follows Guangzhou and Shenzhen in being able to offer flights to Taiwan and the flight takes just 1 hour.

There will be flights from Taichung to Jieyang Chaoshan every 6 days courtesy of Mandarin Airlines. The planes will hold 104 people, single tickets will cost 1500 RMB including taxes and round trip tickets cost 1960 RMB including taxes.

The flight captain, Lin Changhui, said Taichung is located centrally in Taiwan and offers easy access to most of the island’s popular tourist destinations.

Before this route opened, travellers between the two cities would have to change at either Hong Kong or Xiamen.

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Train arriving soon: Shenzhen to Xiamen’s sandy beaches in just 3 hours

Posted: 02/22/2013 2:10 pm

A weekend getaway to sand and sea (and maybe sunshine) without having to fight queues at airport security will soon be possible.

A new coast-to-coast high-speed rail link shuttling passengers between Shenzhen and Xiamen in Fujian province in just three hours will launch this coming September.

The new 20-stop route will skirt along several major cities along the way, including Huizhou. The line will be a big boost to for travellers.  Shenzhen is a go-to destination for business while Xiamen is popular for its sandy beaches and surrounding views. It’s often seen as an alternative to the hotspot of Hainan Island.

All of this will be possible when trains begin departing from Shenzhen North Station, slashing the existing train time from a whopping 15 hours.

Life of Guangzhou believes the price of a first class ticket between Shenzhen North and Xiamen will be 190 yuan and a standard class fare will be 160 yuan one-way.

In the battle for passengers between airlines and railways (as we reported a few days ago), this new front will put pressure on Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern and it’s subsidiary Xiamen Air, who all fly out of Bao’an Airport. Prices could well be set for a downward trend.

The latest check on September one-way airfares with eLong.com show tickets selling for 550 yuan before taxes and other fees.

Here is the station list calling at:
Guangdong province (广东省)
Shenzhen North (圳北站) – Pingshan (坪山) – Huizhou South (惠南)- Huizhou East (惠东) – Houmen (鲘门) – Shanwei (汕尾) – Lufeng (陆丰) – Kuitan (葵潭) – Puning (普宁) – Chaoyang (潮阳) – Chaoshan (潮汕) – Raoping (饶平)

Fujian province (福建省)
Zhaoan (诏安) – Yunxiao (云霄) – Zhangpu (漳浦) – Yangkui (杨奎) – Zhangzhou South (漳州南) – Jiaomei (角美) – Qianchang (前场) – Xiamen North (厦门北).

Station list: Life of Guangzhou

Image: Danny Lee

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