A man looks at oil-painted portraits of women exhibited in a shopping mall in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province on March 7, 2010, one day before International Women's Day. [Photo/CFP]

A contestant speaks during a beauty pageant held in a shopping mall in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning province, March 8, 2010. Forty over-weight women participated in the contest, showing off their talents of modeling, singing, as well as their confidence in their body-shape to the audience. [Photo/CFP]

A 93-year-old woman does a split at her house in Changzhi, a city in Shanxi province, on March 9. She stays healthy by exercising regularly every morning. [Photo/CFP]

A man carries luggage out of the railway station of Zhengzhou, north China's Henan province on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Wednesday was the last day of the nationwide railway travel peak of the Spring Festival, while the Zhengzhou station extended the festival transportation period until next Thursday due to high travel volume this week. [Photo/CFP]

Two pet dogs play on the ice in the Nanhu Lake Park in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin province, March 10, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

A booth is over-crowded by job-seeking university graduates at a job fair held in Wuhan University on March 13, 2010. Over 30,000 students swarmed to the fair, vying for about 10,000 job vacancies. [Photo/Xinhua]

Shanghai Expo giant pandas enjoy fresh bamboo shoots in Shanghai, east China, on March 10, 2010. Fresh bamboo shoots are offered for Shanghai Expo giant pandas from Wednesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

A boy carries tree seedlings to plant ahead of Arbor Day in Pingdingshan city, Henan province on March 11. This year's March 12 marks the 32nd Arbor Day. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 11th Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu (center), talks with members of the third session of the 11th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. [Photo/China Daily]

Premier Wen Jiabao smiles during a press conference Sunday after the closing meeting of the national legislature's annual session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing March 14, 2010. China's top legislature ends its annual session on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Police stand guard on the Chang'an Avenue in front of the Tian'anmen Square on Sunday, March 14, 2010. A new cold snap began to affect Beijing early Sunday, bringing sleet and light snow to the city, Beijing's third snowfall in March. [Photo/CFP]

Working staff of the Great Hall of the People hold umbrellas for deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) for the closing meeting of the NPC annual session in Beijing, March 14, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

A woman writes Chinese characters meaning "Spring Snow is Beautiful" in sleet in the Lugu residential area in Beijing, capital of China, March 14, 2010. A sleet storm hit Beijing Sunday morning. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presides over the closing meeting of the NPC annual session in Beijing, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

NPC deputies arrive at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to attend the closing meeting of the NPC annual session, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

NPC deputies arrive at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to attend the closing meeting of the NPC annual session, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

NPC deputies sing the national anthem at the closing meeting of the NPC annual session in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

The military band performs at the closing meeting of the NPC annual session in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

 

NPC deputies attend the closing meeting of the NPC annual session in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Journalists gather in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to cover the closing meeting of the NPC annual session, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will make institutional arrangements to turn the country into a "fair playing ground" for foreign investors and grant foreign enterprises "national treatment," said Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday.

China will make institutional arrangements to turn the country into a "fair playing ground" for foreign investors and grant foreign enterprises "national treatment," said Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday.

"We hopes US and Europe to recognize China's market economy status and lift ban on hi-tech exports."

Wen says he is a staunch advocate of free trade.

Wen says he is a staunch advocate of free trade.

"The issue of climate change concerns human survival, the interests of all countries, and equity and justice in our international communities."

Premier Wen Jiabao said Sunday that keeping the RMB exchange rate basically stable had played an important role in facilitating the recovery of the global economy from the worst financial crisis in decades.

Premier Wen Jiabao said Sunday that keeping the RMB exchange rate basically stable had played an important role in facilitating the recovery of the global economy from the worst financial crisis in decades.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao walks into the press conference room at the end of the parliament’s annual session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 14, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao waves hands to reporters at a news conference at the end of the Chinese parliament’s annual session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 14, 2010.[Photo/CFP]

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaks at a news conference at the end of the Chinese parliament’s annual session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 14, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concludes its annual session in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 13, 2010. Top Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang were present at the closing ceremony. The CPPCC session kicked off on March 3, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presides over the closing ceremony of the CPPCC annual session in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 13, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

The military band performs at the closing ceremony of the CPPCC annual session in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 13, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

CPPCC National Committee members sing the national anthem at the closing ceremony of the CPPCC annual session in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 13, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

CPPCC National Committee members walk out of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after the closing ceremony of the CPPCC annual session, March 13, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

CPPCC National Committee members wave to media in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after the closing ceremony of the CPPCC annual session, March 13, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

CPPCC National Committee members walk out of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after the closing ceremony of the CPPCC annual session, March 13, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

CPPCC National Committee members walk out of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after the closing ceremony of the CPPCC annual session, March 13, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

This series is about people living in Beijing's hutong, alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. Today, many hutong have been demolished to make room for skyscrapers.

Chen said he didn't understand hutong very well because he grew up in Gongzhufen in western Beijing, which was outside town in the 1980s. Inspired by a professional photographer, Chen decided to photograph people living in hutong to keep their memories alive.

"I don't have a specific direction when photographing hutong. Also because I am not good at communication, I just let people stand near their homes and allow them to decide their posture or expressions."

Twin brothers and their cousin in Dongjia Hutong of Baita Temple, Xicheng District of Beijing. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Lao Bai (Lao means old, Bai is his surname) is a resident in Chukuying Hutong in Xuanwu District of Beijing. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Lao Bai's great-granddaughter, in Chukuying Hutong. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Lao Bai's granddaughter (R) and great-granddaughter, in Chukuying Hutong. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Lao Zhao, a resident in Dazhiqiao Hutong, Xuanwu District of Beijing. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Another Lao Zhao, also a resident in Dazhiqiao Hutong. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Chen Si, who lives in a hutong near the back streets of Fayuan Temple in Xuanwu district of Beijing. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Chen Si and her friend, who live in a hutong near the back streets of Fayuan Temple. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old man sits on a stool in a hutong near Fayuan Temple, Xuanwu district of Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A dog curls up in a corner in a hutong near Fayuan Temple, Xuanwu district, in Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A woman poses at Fenfangliuli Hutong, Xuanwu district, in Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old woman who lives in Fenfangliuli Hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Two old women who live in Fenfangliuli Hutong. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old woman who lives in Fenfangliuli Hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old woman who lives in Fenfangliuli Hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old woman who lives in Fenfangliuli Hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

At Fenfangliuli Hutong in Xuanwu district of Beijing, the circled Chinese character on the wall reads "demolish", which means the houses of the hutong are about to be demolished and the residents to be relocated. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old woman who lives in Fenfangliuli Hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old man who lives in Fenfangliuli Hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Lao Li, who lives in a hutong near Guangminglou (bright building), Chongwen district, Beijing. [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An old man is reading by the water in Houhai, Western district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An antique store in Gongmenkou Si Tiao, Xicheng district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A peddler in Jias' hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Residents, Jias' hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Lao Shi in Hepingxiang hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A foreigner is taking photos of his baby in Nanluoguxiang hutong, Dongcheng district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Aunt Hu in Ping'anli, Xicheng district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

An older couple in Qingfeng hutong, Xicheng district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A cat in Qijing hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Another cat in Qijing hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A cat in Xiaochaye hutong, Xicheng district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A mother and her child in Shangxie hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Lao Yang in Xiyuanzi, Chongwen district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A mother and her child in Jiaochang Xiao Liu Tiao hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Yingtao (cherry) hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A man in the Zhaozhuizi hutong, Xuanwu district, Beijing [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

A locksmith surnamed Zhou [Photo/Chen Chuanping]

Foreign teachers and students from Shandong Vocational College of Science and Technology plant trees ahead of Arbor Day in Weifang city, Shandong province, March 11, 2010. This year marks the 32nd Arbor Day in China since it was introduced, which falls on March 12 every year. [Photo/Xinhua]

A boy plants a tree with his mother ahead of Arbor Day in Hefei city, Anhui province on March 11. [Photo/Xinhua]

People plant trees along a section of the Three Georges reservoir ahead of Arbor Day in Zigui county, Hubei province on March 11. [Photo/Xinhua]

A boy carries tree seedlings to plant ahead of Arbor Day in Pingdingshan city, Henan province on March 11. [Photo/Xinhua]

A blue sheet is used as a cover to hide anti-whaling New Zealander activist Pete Bethune of the hardline Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as he boards from whaling vessel Japan's Shonan Maru 2 (C) onto Japan's coastguard vessel (R) after being arrested at Tokyo bay March 12, 2010. Japan's coastguard on Friday arrested the anti-whaling activist who boarded the whaling vessel in the Antarctic following clashes between hunters and environmentalists, a spokesman said.[Agencies]

A blue sheet is used as a cover to hide anti-whaling New Zealander activist Pete Bethune of the hardline Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as he walks on whaling vessel Japan's Shonan Maru 2 to board Japan's coastguard vessel (unseen) after being arrested at Tokyo bay March 12, 2010. Japan's coastguard on Friday arrested the anti-whaling activist who boarded the whaling vessel in the Antarctic following clashes between hunters and environmentalists, a spokesman said.[Agencies]

Japan's whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2 (front), carrying anti-whaling New Zealander activist Pete Bethune of the hardline Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is escorted by a Japanese coastguard vessel as it approaches a pier at Tokyo bay March 12, 2010. Japan's coastguard on Friday arrested the anti-whaling activist who boarded the whaling vessel in the Antarctic following clashes between hunters and environmentalists, a spokesman said.[Agencies]

Protesters hold placards as they wait for the arrival of Japan's whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2, carrying anti-whaling New Zealander activist Pete Bethune of the hardline Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, at a pier at Tokyo bay in Tokyo March 12, 2010. Japan's coastguard on Friday arrested the anti-whaling activist who boarded the whaling vessel in the Antarctic following clashes between hunters and environmentalists, a spokesman said.[Agencies]

A protester holds a placard after the arrival of Japan's whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2, carrying anti-whaling New Zealander activist Pete Bethune of the hardline Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, at a pier at Tokyo bay in Tokyo March 12, 2010. Japan's coastguard on Friday arrested the anti-whaling activist who boarded the whaling vessel in the Antarctic following clashes between hunters and environmentalists, a spokesman said.[Agencies]

Delegates wearing traditional costumes arrive outside the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square to attend the fourth plenary meeting of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing March 11, 2010. [Photo/Agencies] 

A delegate wearing traditional costume arrives outside the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square to attend the fourth plenary meeting of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing March 11, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

A delegate wearing traditional costume arrives outside the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square to attend the fourth plenary meeting of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing March 11, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

A delegate wearing traditional costume arrives outside the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square to attend the fourth plenary meeting of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing March 11, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Lead singer of Free Design [Photo/Ma Tao]

Ma Tao, born in the suburbs of Beijing in 1988, is a student at Harbin Institute of Technology. When he was a freshman, he took photos everywhere with his Nokia N73 mobile phone. In his second year, he established a Rock'n' Roll club with his friends, and has been photographing the club and other school bands, with a new Nikon D80.

Band rehearsal [Photo/Ma Tao]

The lead singer runs across the empty auditorium one hour before the show to prepare for his performance. [Photo/Ma Tao]

The guitar player of the Fibbers is also the club's leader. He had a quarrel with his teachers before the show, but nothing else mattered when he played his guitar. [Photo/Ma Tao]

The bass player of the SPARKS entertains himself. [Photo/Ma Tao]

The guitar player. [Photo/Ma Tao]

The guitar player of the SPARKS. [Photo/Ma Tao]

The sound engineer of the show is also responsible for integrating the music of each band member. [Photo/Ma Tao]

A bass player who calls his bass his "wife". [Photo/Ma Tao]

Three band members are on stage for a show. [Photo/Ma Tao]

The guitar player of Free Design plays on stage. [Photo/Ma Tao]

Lead singer of Free Design [Photo/Ma Tao]

Lead singer of Free Design belts it out. [Photo/Ma Tao]

Lead singer of Free Design [Photo/Ma Tao]

Editor's Note:

They are nearly 100-million strong; they were born and grew up in the countryside, but they no longer share their parents' love for the land; they find their jobs in the cities, but they also find it hard to call them home; they are the so-called post-80s and post-90s generation, but they are different from their urban counterparts - they are migrant workers. A new generation of migrant workers, who are distinctive from their predecessors - their mothers and fathers: They have higher levels of education; they strive for better working conditions and wages; and they hope to be part of the city life. Still, they are migrant workers, unable to enjoy equal social rights as the urban residents. At least for now, as the central government signals changes at the ongoing annual National People's Congress, China's parliament.

In Jinjiang city, Fujian province, young workers can be found doing their jobs at manufacturing factories or just enjoying dorm life, talking with their friends, playing pool or exercising. They are also at a job market in Jinjian, eagerly perusing the fliers and seeking information. Others are found in Fuzhou city, capital of Fujian province.

A 17-year-old girl who was pulled alive with her elder brother early Friday from a landslide in northwest China, where they had been buried for 54 hours, died in hospital.

"The girl had a very weak pulse when she was taken to hospital. Emergency medical treatment failed after just a few minutes," said Wang Xiongwei, dean in the orthopedics department at Zizhou County Hospital.

Her brother, Cao Lele, was still under intensive care in the hospital, which is only a five-minute ride away from the landslide site, in Shuanghuyu Village, Zizhou County.

The doctor Wang said the brother was slightly injured, but suffering the effects of being buried for 54 hours in debris.

Rescue workers pull out Cao Lele, who was buried by a landslide for about 54 hours, in Shuanghuyu village, Shuanghuyu town, Zizhou county in northwest China’s Shaanxi province at 7:22 am on March 12, 2010. The severe landslide occurred about 1:30 am on March 10, and left 44 people in 25 houses buried under thick earth. The number of people killed in the landslide rose to 23 by Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Rescue workers pull out Cao Lele, who survived a landslide and was rescued Friday morning after 54 hours under the rubble in Shaanxi province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Medical care personnel examine Cao Lele, who survived a landslide after being buried for about 54 hours. [Photo/Xinhua]

Rescue workers carry landslide survivor Cao Lele on a stretcher in Shuanghuyu village, Shuanghuyu town, Zizhou county in northwest China’s Shaanxi province on March 12, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Rescue workers carry landslide survivor Cao Lele on a stretcher for medical attention at Shuanghuyu village, Shuanghuyu town, Zizhou county in northwest China’s Shaanxi province on March 12, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

China ranks No 2 on Forbes billionaires list

A total of 64 people from the Chinese mainland made the Forbes magazine list of the world's richest billionaires, moving up to take second place for the first time.

Here is Forbes ranking of the 20 richest people in the world:
* Carlos Slim (Mexico) - $53.5 billion, telecommunications
* Bill Gates (USA) - $53 billion, Microsoft
* Warren Buffett (USA) - $47 billion, Berkshire Hathaway
* Mukesh Ambani (India) - $29 billion, petrochemicals, oil and gas
* Lakshmi Mittal (India) - $28.7 billion, steel
* Larry Ellison (USA) - $28 billion, Oracle
* Bernard Arnault (France) - $27.5 billion, LVMH
* Eike Batista (Brazil) - $27 billion, mining, oil
* Amancio Ortega (Spain) - $25 billion, retail
* Karl Albrecht (Germany) - $23.5 billion, supermarkets
* Ingvar Kamprad & family (Sweden) - $23 billion, Ikea
* Christy Walton & family (USA) - $22.5 billion, Walmart
* Stefan Persson (Sweden) - $22.4 billion, Hennes & Mauritz
* Li Ka-shing (Hong Kong) - $21 billion, diversified
* Jim Walton (USA) - $20.7 billion, Walmart
* Alice Walton (USA) - $20.6 billion, Walmart
* Liliane Bettencourt (France) - $20 billion, L'Oreal
* S. Robson Walton (USA) - $19.8 billion, Walmart
* Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud (Saudi Arabia) - $19.4 billion, investments
* David Thomson & family (Canada) - $19 billion, news and information
The full Forbes ranking of the world's billionaires can be seen at www.forbes.com/billionaires.

Children dressed in panda outfits participate in the “Earth Hour” launching ceremony in Chengdu, capital of China's Southwest Sichuan province, on March 10, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

24 Kongming Lanterns were lighted at 8:30 pm on March 10 in Chengdu, capital of China's Southwest Sichuan province, during the launching ceremony of the "Earth Hour" event. Chengdu is the first city to join the international campaign on climate change, and the 24 Kongming Lanterns represent the Chengdu government’s good wishes for 24 hours of a low-carbon lifestyle.

Seven continents will join the campaign to call for action on climate change. In Asia, the pomp took place at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the world’s largest panda breeding facility.

"Earth Hour" is a global campaign organized by the World Wildlife Fund and is held on the last Saturday of March annually. It asks individuals, businessmen, communities, and governments to turn the lights out for one hour to reduce the amount of carbon emission. It aims to raise awareness of the climate change issue and the importance of low-carbon emission.

This year, "Earth Hour" will be from 8:30 to 9:30 pm on March 27.

Chengdu is the first city in China to hold a public event to join the "Earth Hour" campaign. [Photo/CFP]

The launching ceremony venue of "Earth Hour" in Chengdu, capital of China's Southwest Sichuan province, on March 10, 2010.[Photo/CFP]

Photographers line up against a wall in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 6 during the Chongqing delegation's discussion, where the media-savvy Party chief Bo Xilai appeared. [Photo/CFP]

Reporters work on their knees outside the meeting room to timely cover a press conference of the Third Session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on March 4 in Beijing. [Photo/CFP]

A foreign media cameraman's haircut features the insignia of the Communist Party of China as he works during a news conference for Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the Great Hall of the People on March 7 in Beijing. [Photo/CFP]

Zhang Quanling (R), a reporter with state broadcaster CCTV, prepares for her program in the broadcast room at the Great Hall of the People on March 10 in Beijing. [Photo/CFP]

Two journalists use the floor as their office to file news they have just gotten at a hotel in Beijing where some NPC deputies are staying. [Photo/CFP]

Photographers work in snow in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 8. [Photo/CFP]

A foreign media cameraman carries his equipment through Tiananmen Square to cover the opening of the Third Session of the National People's Congress on March 5. [Photo/CFP]

Photographers work in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 10. [Photo/CFP]

Media workers are busy covering a press conference in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 4. [Photo/CFP]

China Daily reporters are busy covering the two sessions in the broadcast room at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. [Photo/Chinadaily.com.cn]

Full coverage of two sessions

Comment

The Great Wall ruins of the ancient Chu state are seen in Yexian county, Pingdingshan, Central China's Henan province. The province's cultural heritage bureau said on March 8 that they have found what was called the "Father of Great Wall" – the Chu Great Wall – by using archaeological methods, revealing the missing wall's geographical position and extending directions for the first time. The bureau said the ruins of Chu Great Wall mostly belong to the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC to 476 BC) while some were built during the Warring States period (403 BC-221 BC), and they mainly lie in the province's southern cities of Pingdingshan, Nanyang, Zhumadian and Xinyang. [Photo/CFP]

Great Wall ruins of the ancient Chu state as seen in Yexian county in Pingdingshan, Central China's Henan province. [Photo/CFP]

Hui Shen, a CPPCC member and chairman of the Jiuhuashan Buddhist Association, demonstrates his kungfu calligraphy skills during a panel discussion on Wednesday. PHOTO BY TANG YANJUN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE

A deputy of Zhuang ethnic group to the Third Session of the National People's Congress (NPC) from southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region takes notes during a panel discussion on the work report of the Standing Committee of the NPC in Beijing, China, March 10, 2010. [Xinhua]

Qin Jianning, deputy of Zhuang ethnic group to the Third Session of the National People's Congress (NPC) from southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, speaks during a panel discussion on the work report of the Standing Committee of the NPC in Beijing, China, March 10, 2010. [Xinhua]

A deputy of minority ethnic group to the Third Session of the National People's Congress (NPC) from southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region attends a panel discussion on the work report of the Standing Committee of the NPC in Beijing, China, March 10, 2010. [Xinhua]

Huang Rumei (L) and Xiang Huiling, deputies of Zhuang ethnic group to the Third Session of the National People's Congress (NPC) from southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, take notes during a panel discussion on the work report of the Standing Committee of the NPC in Beijing, China, March 10, 2010. [Xinhua]

A model presents a creation by designers Junko Shimada and Francois Agostini as part of their Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection for Japanese fashion house Junko Shimada during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

A model presents a creation by fashion designer Shiatzy Chen as part of her Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

A model presents a creation by designers Junko Shimada and Francois Agostini as part of their Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection for Japanese fashion house Junko Shimada during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

Models present creations by fashion designer Shiatzy Chen as part of her Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

Designers Junko Shimada (5th L) and Francois Agostini (3rd R) appear with models at the end of their Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection for Japanese fashion house Junko Shimada during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

Models present creations by Italian designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli as part of their Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection for fashion house Valentino during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

A model presents a creation by Italian designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli as part of their Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection for fashion house Valentino during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

A model presents a creation by designers Junko Shimada and Francois Agostini as part of their Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's ready-to-wear fashion collection for Japanese fashion house Junko Shimada during Paris Fashion Week March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

Two brothers, Wang Kai and Wang Rui, take their mother in a homemade carriage to Fuzhou on March 2. Their 81-year-old mother, Wang Yuxia, sticks her head out the window to see the views in the capital city of Fujian province. [Zhu Xingxin / China Daily]

Two adult sons tour nation with mother in homemade carriage

FUZHOU: Wang Yuxia's husband once promised to take her to all the beautiful sights across the country. But when he suddenly died, it seemed her dream had died as well.

So it was up to her sons to carry out their father's promise.

Realizing their 81-year-old mother gets carsick easily and they cannot afford to travel luxuriously, they built a three-wheeled carriage to take her around the country - powered only by their own feet and the determination to express love.

"We are not doing this for money or fame. We are just spreading the virtue of filial piety," said Wang Kai, 59.

"Compared to what our mother has done for us, what we give in return is never enough," he added.

During their first trip in 2007, they spent 265 days traveling across 25 provinces and two municipalities before arriving in Hong Kong.

This time, in 165 days, the two brothers have hauled the carriage more than 4,500 km from Heilongjiang province in the northeast to Fujian province in the southeast.

Their target destination is Taiwan.

"Our biggest dream is to carry our mother around the island," Wang Kai said.

The carriage, built for 5,000 yuan ($730), is fitted with three beds, windows and heat-retaining panels to make mom comfortable.

The brothers named it "Thanksgiving" to express gratitude for their mother's love.

Wang Yuxia can usually be seen enjoying the sights through the windows.

"My sons have been taking good care of me on the way," she said, and the warmth of the carriage has prevented her from catching cold.

She is happy to have seen more than 100 tourist attractions so far.

"I'm very moved by what they've done. I can't thank them enough," she said.

On the road, Wang Kai pulls the carriage from the front while younger brother Wang Rui, 57, pushes it from behind.

So far, they have worn out six pairs of shoes.

"I can walk 107 steps every minute and 10 hours every day, which means 65,000 steps or about 40 km a day," said Wang Rui.

That is almost the distance of an Olympic marathon.

The brothers' love for their mother has moved thousands of people.

In September last year, the Taiwan Sleep Disorders Association, a non-governmental organization, invited them to tell their story.

And on March 3 this year, the brothers were invited to conduct a class on filial piety at Fuzhou University.

They have already spent half of the 40,000 yuan they put together before setting out on their journey.

Supporters and admirers have been providing clothes, food, drinks and other daily necessities.

"The brothers are doing whatever they can to make their mother happy and I must do something for them," said Zhuo Feng, a resident in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, who bought the brothers new shoes and their mother new clothes.

A number of businessmen who were moved by the Wang brothers' filial act also offered them money, but the brothers said they will not accept any cash for their undertaking.

In a letter written to his wife, Wang Rui said it is the love of their mother that has helped them conquer all difficulties.

"Making our mother happy is priceless," he said.

During their first trip to Hong Kong, the brothers decorated the roof of their carriage with four dragons to symbolize their Chinese heritage. These were later changed to doves of peace to express their desire for peaceful ties across the Taiwan Straits.

They have been in Fujian nearly a month now, waiting for authorities to approve their travel to Taiwan.

Wang Kai said all they know about Taiwan is from books, which say Ali Mountain and Sun Moon Lake are beautiful. The island's fruits are also famous, he said.

On Aug 8 last year, when the brothers heard about the earthquake hitting Taiwan, they immediately donated 1,000 yuan to the Red Cross Society of China to help quake victims.

"People across the Straits are one family," Wang Rui said.

"We are just helping our brothers and sisters in our way."

(From left to right) CPPCC members Zhang Haidi, Zhou Hanmin, Wan Gang and Wan Jifei prepare for an Expo-related press conference in Beijing on Monday. [Yang Shizhong / China Daily]

'Easy visa policy' pledged to make event accessible to foreigners

BEIJING: Foreign visitors can expect convenient visa applications when they come to China for the Shanghai World Expo this year, organizers of the upcoming event pledged on Monday.

"The policy of making it convenient for overseas and foreign tourists to visit the Expo is already in place," Zhou Hanmin, deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee, said on the sidelines of the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, China's top political advisory body.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given us great support and already notified Chinese embassies and consulates across the world to adopt an easy visa policy during the period," Zhou said.

The Shanghai Expo is expected to draw a record 70 million visitors from home and abroad during the exhibition period from May 1 to Oct 31. About 5 percent or more of the visitors will come from abroad, according to official estimates.

A total of 550,000 hotel beds will also be available in Shanghai and extra Expo visitors to the metropolis can book in hotels in nearby cities of the Yangtze River Delta, Zhou said.

Visa applications remain a major concern for many foreign tourists keen to visit the Expo, as they fear there will be visa restrictions imposed for security reasons, just as the Chinese authorities did during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

In the run-up to the Beijing Games, hotel operators in the capital and foreign businessmen said Chinese visa restrictions were bad for business at a time when it was supposed to be a busy tourist season leading up to the sporting event.

The New York Times reported in June 2008 that many hotels in Beijing were struggling to find guests and that people scheduled to travel there for seminars and conferences canceled their plans. The number of foreign tourists visiting Beijing fell sharply by 14 percent in May that year, according to the city's statistics bureau.

Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng also confirmed on Monday that foreigners "would not face any obstacle" in visa applications and that the city is well prepared to offer them foreign language guidance on maps, phone calls and volunteer services.

Construction workers are seen at the UK Pavilion in the Shanghai World Expo site in Shanghai March 8, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

But Han also raised concerns over the potential surge in Shanghai's hotel prices. He said the government will seek to contain the increase.

Wan Jifei, executive director of the Shanghai World Expo Executive Committee and a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, said the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo, scheduled for the night of April 30, will be staged on the Huangpu River, which will be dotted with fireworks and laser performances.

"While it cannot be compared to the scale of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, it has its own characteristics," he said.

Wan did not provide further details of the ceremony, which he said would be attended by 100 heads of state.

According to statistics from the organizing committee, 192 countries and 52 international organizations have confirmed their participation in the global exhibition that traditionally showcases the latest advances in architecture, engineering and technologies worldwide.

Yang Jia is elected as a model for Chinese working women for 2009 by the All-China Women’s Federation on March 3.[Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Professor struggles against disability to achieve success and help others

BEIJING: When she was younger, English professor Yang Jia dreamed of being like characters in the books she read.

She imagined herself as the strong-willed and independent Jane Eyre, who struggles to be her own individual, or as the rich and beautiful Tonia Tumanova from the Russian novel How the Steel was Tempered.

Instead, Yang said, she ended up more like the blind characters in those same books - Jane Eyre's love Mr. Rochester, or Pavel Korchagin, the hero who fought against his disability to achieve success.

Yet the comparison with these characters is more than merely literary.

At 29, Yang was diagnosed with macular degeneration, which first blurred her vision and then led to her ultimate blindness.

"Going blind was the watershed of my life. My focus shifted from outrunning others before turning 29 to transcending my own limits after it."

And like those two strong-willed characters, Yang fought the odds to rise from her sudden blindness to became a well-respected social activist.

Yang, now 47, won admission to Zhengzhou University when she was 15. She was called a genius by her peers and topped her class every year in university.

After three years of teaching at her alma mater following graduation, Yang proceeded to her master's degree at the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

On the train for Beijing, Yang felt like the character Jack from the blockbuster movie Titanic, boarding a luxury liner, ready to embrace a brave new life, yet never expecting it to founder.

Everything was smooth sailing, but just like the Titanic, trouble comes swiftly - not only was she going blind, but her once-loving husband asked for a divorce and took away their only child.

"I gradually restored my composure in the long and painful wait for blindness. I decided to face the music and meet the challenge," Yang said.

She teaches as well as she did before, if not better. She is not able to read books any more, but she can still listen to them using specialized software. She has even compiled a textbook for the graduate English reading course.

She usually arrives at the classroom in advance to get settled into the environment, measuring the blackboard with her shoulder and marking the electronic teaching equipment with stickers.

In 2000, Yang won the opportunity to study at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a year later became the first blind Master in Public Administration graduate in Harvard's history.

David Gergen, professor of public service at Harvard, signed his book as a present to her with the words: "Jia, you taught us more."

Yang likes traveling. "I cannot see, but I can listen, smell and feel," she said.

She recalled the flaming azaleas in full bloom when climbing Yuelu Mountain with her father as a child. She talked about the pine trees she smelled on the Great Wall, the grandeur of the cathedral she felt and the prayers of followers she heard in Mexico City.

"The way you learn about things is not important, whether with your eyes, ears or fingers. What matters is whether you put your heart into it."

As vice-chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Yang is happy to have the chance to contribute to promoting international exchanges for the cause of disabled people and making the cause of disabled people in China known to the world.

At her insistence, Chinese was adopted as one of the committee's working languages in 2008.

Yang is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. One of her proposals, for this year's ongoing session, is to build an online forum for the disadvantaged, including the disabled and the elderly.

"With the forum, the disadvantaged can express what they need and want. It can also be a platform for them to exchange ideas, enlarge their social circle and solve daily problems," Yang said.

"There is always hope, as long as you don't give up," she said in her characteristic resolute voice.

The fleet deployed its first anti-pirate operation on Saturday night and arrived at the Strait of Malacca the next morning. It is expected to reach the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.

This is the fifth flotilla of Chinese ships sent on an overseas peacekeeping mission.

It contains naval ships, helicopters and about 800 navy personnel.

The naval forces will be on escort duties in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia. They will be stationed there for four months.

Besides peacekeeping duties, the Chinese navy will also conduct humanitarian rescue operations and exchanges with foreign navies.

A Chinese navy soldier stands guard aboard a ship.[Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese naval fleet sailed into the Strait of Malacca on Sunday, three days after its departure from China's island province of Hainan on an escort mission against piracy off Somalia. [Photo/Xinhua]

A Chinese navy soldier stands guard aboard a ship.[Photo/Xinhua]

Children stand around a multi-functional robot called "Haibao" during an animation exhibition in Shanghai on March 7, 2010. A total of 37 Haibao robots will serve the visitor of Shanghai World Expo in May. [Photo/Xinhua]

Special coverage: World Expo 2010 Related readings:  Chinese FM says World Expo a diplomacy priority  2,000 women soldiers pledge security at World Expo  100 state leaders to attend Expo opening  HK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo nears completion

Besides dancing and singing, the 1.55-meter tall robots, shaped after the Expo mascot Haibao, could "communicate" with visitors in six languages and take photos for them, said Chu Jian, vice president of Zhejiang University, a key designer of the robots.

The robots have touch screens on their chests to answer inquiries on road, public service and Expo information, Chu added.

The Haibao robots will be placed in Shanghai's two international airports and at the entrances of some major Expo venues, he said.

This is the first extensive application of robots on a public event in China, according to a statement of the Expo Bureau.

Children stand around a multi-functional robot called "Haibao" during an animation exhibition in Shanghai on March 7, 2010. A total of 37 Haibao robots will serve the visitor of Shanghai World Expo in May. [Photo/Xinhua]

Zhang Zhengxiang highlights the need to protect the environment surrounding Dianchi Lake by displaying specimens of butterfl ies indigenous to the area on the awards ceremony of the TV show People Who Warm the Chinese Heart broadcast on CCTV on Feb 11.[Deng Jia/For China Daily]

One man slowly winning battle against industrial pollution

KUNMING, Yunnan province: Every day before sunrise, Zhang Zhengxiang leaves home to walk along Dianchi Lake, one of the major attractions in Yunnan province.

The 62-year-old retired farmer carries a camera, tripod and telescope to record the pollution encroaching on the country's sixth-largest freshwater lake.

During weekends, Zhang collates his observations and sends letters to the local government, informing them of the growing pollution.

He has been doing this for 30 years.

"I grew up by the lake and its marine life. I won't allow anyone to pollute it," Zhang said.

Zhang was orphaned when he was seven. He lived alone in the forests near Dianchi for seven years, in what he called a paradise of trees for his bed, with fruit and fish for food. At 14, he headed for Fushan village near the lake and became a fisherman.

"I can still remember those happy times. No one could stop singing at the sight of beautiful Dianchi," he said.

Dianchi Lake, located in the provincial capital of Kunming, was once regarded as the "pearl" of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau with its crystal-clear waters.

But things started to change in 1992, when investors flooded to the area for the rich mineral resources underground. They brought noisy steam shovels and towering cranes to the tranquil lakeside.

"The lake became covered with meter-deep blue algae and dead fish. Dianchi could become a cesspool in 10 years," Zhang said.

Zhang did not return to the forest. He decided to stay and fight the pollution brought by the development.

Zhang's nightmare began when villagers busily began selling their land, which was rich in phosphate, to the mine owners.

But Zhang knew selling land near the lake meant polluting the freshwater body and losing the town. So he asked villagers to stop selling their land.

Zhang went to villagers' homes to introduce the idea of environmental protection. He told them if they did not protect Dianchi, a slew of environmental problems such as mudflows and landslides would destroy their homes.

But the investors' thundering machines drowned out his voice and the lure of economic benefit buried people's conscience, he said.

Almost one-third of the economic output of Yunnan - a largely impoverished province with a population of 44.5 million - is concentrated in the drainage area of Dianchi, provincial authorities said.

Zhang's passion to protect the beautiful attraction initially branded him a troublemaker in the eyes of some people, including rogue factory bosses, illegal quarry owners and timber thieves. They threatened Zhang with violence and he had to send his wife and daughters away for safety.

Zhang became the lone fighter against what he saw as profit-driven groups. His only weapons were his pen and camera.

Taking notes on the deterioration of the lake and shooting photos became his main activity every day. He sent thousands of letters, at least every week, to the local environmental protection bureau.

His efforts slowly began to pay off.

In 1998, the local government shut down six mines near Dianchi because of his warnings.

In 2003, 56 large and medium-sized mines, chemical factories, and fertilizer and lime plants were closed.

Since 2008, the local government has invested about 12 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) to clean up the lake. But the water is not expected to recover its former sheen until 2020, by which time authorities would have spent more than 100 billion yuan to clean up the pollution, said Li Kunmin, director of the city's Dianchi Lake management bureau.

Before the first wastewater plant was built in 1990, Kunming used to pump 90 percent of its wastewater directly into the lake. Between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, water quality deteriorated from Grade 3 (safe to drink) to below Grade 5 (too dangerous for human contact).

"More people understand and support what I am doing. Even some mine owners have changed their attitude," Zhang said.

In June 2004, the Dianchi Lake management bureau employed Zhang at 600 yuan a month to observe the pollution in the lake.

A year later, Zhang was selected as one of 10 outstanding grassroots environmental activists. In 2007, he became a member of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences.

Last year, he was selected as one of the 20 people who have warmed Chinese hearts.

Zhang said he would like to continue working with the local government to protect Dianchi and show his appreciation for what the government has done to improve water in the lake.

"As a grassroots environmental activist, I hope I can help the government do better to protect Dianchi," Zhang said.

"I no longer want to fight alone."

HARBIN: Hu Xiuhua has been teaching students in her village for 20 years, but the most important lesson may be her personal example of guts and grit.

Hu Xiuhua, a disabled teacher, is escorted by her students at Jianshe Elementary School, Jianshe village of Heilongjiang province.[Li Anna/For China Daily]

Diagnosed with a progressive hip disease that has forced her to teach first on crutches and eventually from a wheelchair, Hu has never allowed the illness to interfere with her students' education.

Each day, Hu struggles to the front of a classroom in Jianshe Elementary School, in Jianshe village of Heilongjiang province, and through it all has never thought of giving up her beloved career.

During the early stages of her illness, doctors said it would cost up to 80,000 yuan ($11,800) to repair her hip bone.

"It was impossible for my family to come up with that kind of money. I kept taking medication to deal with the disease," Hu said. "But those medicines don't work anymore so I just take painkillers instead."

Hu, 46, teaches about 20 classes a week, including math and Chinese. To avoid causing others any trouble, she never drinks liquids during the day so that she does not have to drag her body to the restroom.

She also takes stacks of assignments home to work on after a full day in school. Whenever she has a fever, she conducts make-up classes while receiving intravenous injections.

One of Hu's former students, Wang Liyan, who now works in Shanghai, remembers how Hu used to walk with extreme difficulty.

"She once spent an entire day during the weekend making up lessons by conducting a class at home. She even cooked for us," Wang said.

Leng Yanlin, the principal of Jianshe Elementary School, said Hu would not let the disease stop her from teaching her students.

"When I first saw her going to work on crutches, I told her to take a break and the school would still pay her wages," Leng said. "She cried when she heard that and said: 'Don't worry about me. My legs hurt but I can still think clearly. I can still hold classes.' "

Pointing to an old leather chair, Leng said: "She had been giving classes by leaning on that chair for the past few years. It's been worn out."

Last year, the county government donated a wheelchair, and her old chair has been kept as a memorial of sorts.

"She shows great affection for her students and becomes a dynamic person every time she leads a class," Leng said.

Hu has two daughters - one in college and the other, who at one point dropped out of school to help support her family, is now back in middle school.

Liang Yue, the younger one, saw her mother working on crutches when she was about 3 years old. She later worked in a barber shop without letting her parents know in order to earn money for her mother's medical treatment.

Liang Zhengquan, Hu's husband, said of his daughter: "We persuaded countless other kids who had dropped out of school to return to classes over the last several years, but we didn't know our own daughter had dropped out for nearly half a year."

"I was really sad about that," he said.

Asked why she dropped out of school, Liang Yue replied: "My father doesn't have a permanent job and my mother's health is bad. My sister is in college in another city. It was clear to me that I had to earn money to help my family."

She has returned to school but is lagging behind others and cannot keep up with classes, Hu said.

"We've spoken with our daughter about continuing her studies."

Hu's family now stays in a rented apartment because their original home, an old grass cottage, has fallen apart. The couple also want to live near their daughter's middle school.

The family survives mostly on Hu's wages, with a little additional income - 3,000 yuan a year - from crops planted by her husband.

In recent years they have found the cost of their daughters' education and Hu's medical expenses increasingly challenging.

"I find odd jobs for more income and borrow money from relatives, but it's really hard," her husband said.

Yet Hu's efforts to surmount these difficulties have proven to be a source of inspiration.

Last year, she was singled out for an annual accolade that honors people in Harbin for their character.

"As long as I can support my body, I will not leave my students," Hu said.

A 93-year-old woman does a split at her house in Changzhi, a city in Shanxi province, on March 9. She stays healthy by exercising regularly every morning. [Photo/CFP]

A 93-year-old woman does the splits at her house in Changzhi, a city in Shanxi province, on March 9. She stays healthy by exercising regularly every morning. [Photo/CFP]

A 93-year-old woman does the splits at her house in Changzhi, a city in Shanxi province, on March 9. She stays healthy by exercising regularly every morning. [Photo/CFP]

A 93-year-old woman does the splits at her house in Changzhi city, in Shanxi province, on March 9. She stays healthy by exercising regularly every morning. [Photo/CFP]

People are silhouetted against the skyline as they fly a kite during sunset in Berlin, March 9, 2010. [Photo/Agencies] 

Students of Chile's University build a refugee camp near Constitucion, south of Santiago, March 9, 2010. The February 27 quake and the giant waves destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, wrecked bridges and roads and cracked modern buildings in half in the capital, Santiago.[Agencies]

Students of Chile's University build a refugee camp near Constitucion, south of Santiago, March 9, 2010. The February 27 quake and the giant waves destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, wrecked bridges and roads and cracked modern buildings in half in the capital, Santiago.[Agencies]

Students of Chile's University build a refugee camp near Constitucion, south of Santiago, March 9, 2010. The February 27 quake and the giant waves destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, wrecked bridges and roads and cracked modern buildings in half in the capital, Santiago.[Agencies]

A Chinese air force plane takes off for a mission to bomb the floating ice that jams a section of the Yellow River, the second longest in China, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, March 9, 2010. Six air force planes dropped 48 bombs during a firing trial to blast apart ice flow, Xinhua reported. [Photo/Xinhua] 

A Chinese air force plane takes off for a mission to bomb the floating ice that jams a section of the Yellow River, the second longest in China, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, March 9, 2010. Six air force planes dropped 48 bombs during a firing trial to blast apart ice flow, Xinhua reported. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese air force planes fly over the floating ice that jams a section of the Yellow River, the second longest in China, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, March 9, 2010. Six air force planes dropped 48 bombs during a firing trial to blast apart ice flow, Xinhua reported. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese air force planes fly over the floating ice that jams a section of the Yellow River, the second longest in China, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, March 9, 2010. Six air force planes dropped 48 bombs during a firing trial to blast apart ice flow, Xinhua reported. [Photo/Xinhua]

A view of the floating ice that jams a section of the Yellow River, the second longest in China, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, March 9, 2010. Six air force planes dropped 48 bombs during a firing trial to blast apart ice flow, Xinhua reported. [Photo/Xinhua]

A view of the floating ice that jams a section of the Yellow River, the second longest in China, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, March 9, 2010. Six air force planes dropped 48 bombs during a firing trial to blast apart ice flow, Xinhua reported. [Photo/Xinhua]

A US marine (R) and a South Korean marine rappel down during a joint US-South Korean military drills in Pohang, about 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Seoul, March 9, 2010. The annual Key Resolve/Foal Eagle drills run from March 8-18 and involve more than 38,000 troops from the two countries. [Agencies]

US marines (L) and South Korean marines have a knee-wrestling match during their joint military drills in Pohang, about 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Seoul March 9, 2010.[Agencies]

US marines and South Korean marines participate in a joint US-South Korean military drills in Pohang, about 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Seoul March 9, 2010.[Agencies]

A US marine yawns during a joint US-South Korean military drills in Pohang, about 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Seoul March 9, 2010.[Agencies]

US marines and South Korean marines participate in a joint US-South Korean military drills in Pohang, about 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Seoul March 9, 2010.[Agencies]

A US marine checks his rifle during a joint US-South Korean military drills in Pohang, about 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Seoul March 9, 2010. [Agencies]

Workers begin putting up the symbol for the Paralympics over the Olympic rings on display at the international airport in Vancouver, British Columbia, March 8, 2010. The Vancouver 2010 Parlympic Winter Games begin March 12. [Agencies]

Workers begin putting up the symbol for the Paralympics over the Olympic rings on display at the international airport in Vancouver, British Columbia, March 8, 2010. The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games begin March 12. [Agencies]

Mao Fengmei (L), party secretary of Dalishu village in Fengcheng, in northeast China's Liaoning province, urges the government to make it easier for farmers to get bank loans during discussion of the Liaoning delegation, March 8, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Mao Fengmei, party secretary of Dalishu village in Fengcheng, northeast China's Liaoning province, and a deputy to the National People's Congress, has devoted himself to fighting for more benefits for millions of Chinese farmers, and his efforts have not been slowed even by his cancer.

Mao became the party secretary of Dalishu village in 1980, when he was 30 years old. Under his leadership, the once-poor village's current average annual per capita income is more than 10,000 yuan and its total assets have topped 300 million yuan.

Special Coverage: NPC & CPPCC Annual Sessions Related readings:  Post-80s girl becomes NPC delegate  A glance at a 20-something deputy of the NPC  Deputies from different walks of life  Slideshow: NPC deputies arrive in Beijing

In 1993, he became a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), and he has made about 200 proposals concerning farmers' benefits since then. His first proposal was that electricity price in the countryside was too high and should be lowered.

In 1998, he said at the annual session that the country should call off taxes on special agricultural products, which could hinder rural economic restructuring.

In 2009, he brought an ear of corn to the meeting room of the annual session and urged the government to increase grain procurement prices in order to encourage farmers to grow crops.

Most of his proposals have been adopted by the government.

However, few people know that this strong man is suffering from colon cancer. He received surgery at the end of 2009 and has received four rounds of chemotherapy since January.

People who knew about his illness thought he would not appear at this year's annual session, but he made it and continues to fight for a better life for farmers.

"The central government has been paying great attention to issues of agriculture, farmer and rural area in recent years, but there are still a lot of problems that need to be noted and solved," Xinhua said, quoting Mao's remarks on February 1, when he was lying in a hospital.

"As a deputy from the rural area's grassroots, I need to make it to Beijing and speak for us farmers as long as my body will let me," Mao said.

Among his proposals this year was that the government should support farmers to get bank loans for development and that the high interest rates should be lowered in rural areas.

Mao Fengmei, party secretary of Dalishu village in Fengcheng, in northeast China's Liaoning province, and a deputy to the NPC, prepares his proposals for this year's annual session while being treated in a hospital in Liaoning, February 1, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Mao Fengmei (L), party secretary of Dalishu village in Fengcheng, in northeast China's Liaoning province, and a deputy to the NPC, seeks opinions from villagers who are visiting him in a hospital in Liaoning, February 1, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Mao Fengmei, party secretary of Dalishu village in Fengcheng, in northeast China's Liaoning province, and a deputy to the NPC, discusses the village's development with his colleagues, February 4, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Mao Fengmei (L), party secretary of Dalishu village in Fengcheng, in northeast China's Liaoning province, and a deputy to the NPC, is approached by a woman at the airport before flying to Beijing on March 3. She has come to him to discuss a particular problem. [Photo/Xinhua]

Yang Jia is elected as a model for Chinese working women for 2009 by the All-China Women’s Federation on March 3.[Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Professor struggles against disability to achieve success and help others

BEIJING: When she was younger, English professor Yang Jia dreamed of being like characters in the books she read.

She imagined herself as the strong-willed and independent Jane Eyre, who struggles to be her own individual, or as the rich and beautiful Tonia Tumanova from the Russian novel How the Steel was Tempered.

Instead, Yang said, she ended up more like the blind characters in those same books - Jane Eyre's love Mr. Rochester, or Pavel Korchagin, the hero who fought against his disability to achieve success.

Yet the comparison with these characters is more than merely literary.

At 29, Yang was diagnosed with macular degeneration, which first blurred her vision and then led to her ultimate blindness.

"Going blind was the watershed of my life. My focus shifted from outrunning others before turning 29 to transcending my own limits after it."

And like those two strong-willed characters, Yang fought the odds to rise from her sudden blindness to became a well-respected social activist.

Yang, now 47, won admission to Zhengzhou University when she was 15. She was called a genius by her peers and topped her class every year in university.

After three years of teaching at her alma mater following graduation, Yang proceeded to her master's degree at the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

On the train for Beijing, Yang felt like the character Jack from the blockbuster movie Titanic, boarding a luxury liner, ready to embrace a brave new life, yet never expecting it to founder.

Everything was smooth sailing, but just like the Titanic, trouble comes swiftly - not only was she going blind, but her once-loving husband asked for a divorce and took away their only child.

"I gradually restored my composure in the long and painful wait for blindness. I decided to face the music and meet the challenge," Yang said.

She teaches as well as she did before, if not better. She is not able to read books any more, but she can still listen to them using specialized software. She has even compiled a textbook for the graduate English reading course.

She usually arrives at the classroom in advance to get settled into the environment, measuring the blackboard with her shoulder and marking the electronic teaching equipment with stickers.

In 2000, Yang won the opportunity to study at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a year later became the first blind Master in Public Administration graduate in Harvard's history.

David Gergen, professor of public service at Harvard, signed his book as a present to her with the words: "Jia, you taught us more."

Yang likes traveling. "I cannot see, but I can listen, smell and feel," she said.

She recalled the flaming azaleas in full bloom when climbing Yuelu Mountain with her father as a child. She talked about the pine trees she smelled on the Great Wall, the grandeur of the cathedral she felt and the prayers of followers she heard in Mexico City.

"The way you learn about things is not important, whether with your eyes, ears or fingers. What matters is whether you put your heart into it."

As vice-chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Yang is happy to have the chance to contribute to promoting international exchanges for the cause of disabled people and making the cause of disabled people in China known to the world.

At her insistence, Chinese was adopted as one of the committee's working languages in 2008.

Yang is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. One of her proposals, for this year's ongoing session, is to build an online forum for the disadvantaged, including the disabled and the elderly.

"With the forum, the disadvantaged can express what they need and want. It can also be a platform for them to exchange ideas, enlarge their social circle and solve daily problems," Yang said.

"There is always hope, as long as you don't give up," she said in her characteristic resolute voice.

A girl is seen through glass covered by snow in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, March 7, 2010. [Photo/CFP] 

Participants attend an obesity competition for female to celebrate the International Women's Day at a shopping mall in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 8, 2010. Monday marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. [Photo/Agencies] 

Participants attend an obesity competition for female to celebrate the International Women's Day at a shopping mall in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 8, 2010. Monday marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. [Photo/CFP]

A participant attends an obesity competition for female to celebrate the International Women's Day at a shopping mall in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 8, 2010. Monday marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.[Photo/Agencies]

A participant attends an obesity competition for female to celebrate the International Women's Day at a shopping mall in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 8, 2010. Monday marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. [Photo/CFP]

A participant attends an obesity competition for female to celebrate the International Women's Day at a shopping mall in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 8, 2010. Monday marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. [Photo/CFP]

Participants attend an obesity competition for female to celebrate the International Women's Day at a shopping mall in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 8, 2010. Monday marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. [Photo/CFP]

Participants attend an obesity competition for female to celebrate the International Women's Day at a shopping mall in Shenyang, Liaoning province March 8, 2010. Monday marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. [Photo/CFP]

An excavator works at a demolished construction site in Tianjin municipality March 8, 2010.  China will face considerable pressures caused by housing price rises in the next 20 years as hefty demands for housing will persist amid the nation's accelerated urbanization and industrialization, a senior official said on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]   

A construction worker pushes a cart in a financial district in Shanghai March 8, 2010. China will face considerable pressures caused by housing price rises in the next 20 years as hefty demands for housing will persist amid the nation's accelerated urbanization and industrialization, a senior official said on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]

People are seen in a financial district in Shanghai March 8, 2010. China will face considerable pressures caused by housing price rises in the next 20 years as hefty demands for housing will persist amid the nation's accelerated urbanization and industrialization, a senior official said on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]

A construction worker is seen in a financial district in Shanghai March 8, 2010.  China will face considerable pressures caused by housing price rises in the next 20 years as hefty demands for housing will persist amid the nation's accelerated urbanization and industrialization, a senior official said on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies] 

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Dancers from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform during their show called "My Dream" at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman March 8, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

On Dec 26, 2009, when I came to Yang Laojia's shanty house, I met his son Laixi, who cried all around the yard: "Father is sick, father is sick!"

"Photography is not my career but a profession I am clinging to", said the photographer Peng Guoxing, also named Furongwang (Lotus King) .

"I want to record, present and spread the veiled and ignored reality surrounding us with my camera, and I wish our society can become truer in the shadow of my photography."

He is vice president of the Art Photography Association of Central China's Hunan province, and has won the award for Best Documentary Photographer of Hunan in 2008-2009.

He concentrates on the fields of humanity and culture photography, editing photos, innovative commercial photography, graphic design, and portraits.

Following are photos selected from his works titled "Yang Laojia and His son Yang Laixi," which portrays a sick father and his son.

On Dec 26, 2009, when I came to Yang Laojia's shanty house, I met his son Laixi, who cried all around the yard: "Father is sick, father is sick!"

Yang Laojia holds his son's hand and says that he just caught a cold because this year is colder than previous years.

Neighbors try to persuade Yang Laojia to send his little son to a good family, but he responds only with his silence.

An old neighborhood woman, Wang, says: "Yang Laojia's health cannot sustain a long life."

Laixi is playing with his best mate, a black dog he named Wangwang who lives in the courtyard of his neighborhood.

While the old woman Wang washes Laixi's hands, she says: "Laixi, you should grow up quickly." Sitting nearby, Yang Laojia coughs nonstop.

Laixi looks very exhausted when a neighbor comes to help wash his face. Yang Laojia holds his son's hand and says: "I will cook for you now."

Yang Laojia holds Laixi's hand tightly when he hears that their neighborhood is about to be removed.

A group of folk artists covered in mud in accordance with a Chinese folk figure - child of Godess Nv Wa (a Goddess who makes humans from clay in ancient Chinese myths) - gather at a local temple fair to sell handicrafts on the International Women's Day in Junxian county, north China's Henan province, on March 8, 2010.[Photo/CFP]

A clay-man sell his handmade tigers to villagers at a temple fair to mark International Women's Day in Junxian county, north China's Henan province, on March 8, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

A group of folk artists dressed in mud gather at a local temple fair on the International Women's Day, in Junxian county, north China's Henan province, on March 8, 2010.[Photo/CFP]

Folk artists give live demonstrations of clay-sculpting at a local temple fair on the International Women's Day in Junxian county, north China's Henan province, on March 8, 2010.[Photo/CFP]

 

Wen Huazhi is one of the few delegates of National People’s Congress who was born in 1980s. She is known for her heroic behavior during a car accident that happened in Yanan, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province. On April 28, 2005, a driver of a large van suddenly changed its route to overtake the other vehicle, which led to a head-on collision with a bus loaded with a team of tourists with Wen as the tour guide. Six people were killed and fourteen others seriously injured. Although badly injured, Wang asked rescuers to save the others first, saying “I am the guide; I can take care of myself, please save the tourists first!” But a lack of timely treatment forced Wen to lose her left leg. Wen now studies tourism management in Xiangtan University in Central China’s Hunan province.

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at a statue displayed at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi poses with a statue displayed at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

 

Wen Huazhi is one of the few delegates of National People’s Congress who was born in 1980s. She is known for her heroic behavior during a car accident that happened in Yanan, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province. On April 28, 2005, a driver of a large van suddenly changed its route to overtake the other vehicle, which led to a head-on collision with a bus loaded with a team of tourists with Wen as the tour guide. Six people were killed and fourteen others seriously injured. Although badly injured, Wang asked rescuers to save the others first, saying “I am the guide; I can take care of myself, please save the tourists first!” But a lack of timely treatment forced Wen to lose her left leg. Wen now studies tourism management in Xiangtan University in Central China’s Hunan province.

Wen Huazhi looks at a statue displayed at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi poses with a statue displayed at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen Huazhi looks at the display at the Capital Museum in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the standing committee of the Tibet autonomous regional people's congress, speaks at a press conference on the sidelines of an ongoing session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua] 

Nur Berkri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regional government, speaks at a press conference on the sidelines of an ongoing session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Reporters raise hands to ask questions at a press conference on the sidelines of an ongoing session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, in Beijing, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

People watch as a participant jumps on a snowmobile during the festival of extreme sports "The Winter Circle 2010" in the centre of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, March 7, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]  

Spectators watch a car fly through a burning ring during the festival of extreme sports "Winter Circle 2010" in the centre of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, March 7, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Chinese paramilitary policemen examine the crash site of a cargo truck carrying boxes of watermelons in Baoshan, South China's Yunnan province, March 7, 2010. The truck driver lost control due to brake failure, struck the barrier for road construction, and slammed into the barracks at the border checkpoint, killing two policemen and the driver. A passenger in the truck and eight policemen also got injured. [Photo/Xinhua] 

Chinese paramilitary policemen examine the crash site of a cargo truck carrying boxes of watermelons in Baoshan, South China's Yunnan province, March 7, 2010. The truck driver lost control due to brake failure, struck the barrier for road construction, and slammed into the barracks at the border checkpoint, killing two policemen and the driver. A passenger in the truck and eight policemen also got injured. [Photo/Xinhua]

Two injured paramilitary policemen during a truck crash accident receive treatment at a hospital in Baoshan, South China's Yunnan province, March 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

A farmer carries a umbrella and bowls as he walks past his crops in the outskirts of Shanghai March 6, 2010. Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday called for intensified and consistent efforts to reduce poverty in China's poor areas. Wen made the urge when he joined a panel discussion with deputies to the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) from southwest China's Guizhou Province. [Photo/Agencies]  

A farmer carries a bucket as he walks past his crops in the outskirts of Shanghai March 6, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

A farmer carries a bag of radish beside his crops in the outskirts of Shanghai March 6, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for a news conference during the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress, March 7, 2010. Yang called on some foreign countries to stop looking at China through "colored spectacles" and expressed his hope that the world would keep an objective view of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

Candidate students perform body movements during an admission review by the Dancing School of Shandong University of Arts in Jinan, East China's Shandong province, February 27, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

A performer sprays molten iron at 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 degrees Fahrenheit) against a cold concrete wall to form sparks-like fireworks to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Nuanquan town of Yuxian county, Hebei province, February 27, 2010. For over 300 years, the village has performed this tradition during the Lantern Festival on the last day of the Chinese New Year. [Photo/Agencies]

A performer pauses as she prepares for a folk art performance celebrating the Lantern Festival, on the last day of Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, in Yuxian county, Hebei province, February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

A farmer stands in front of a wall of job offers in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

A member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) cries as she listens to the singing of a young man who lives in an "ant tribe" suburb of Beijing, March 2, 2010. "Ant tribe" refers to college graduates crammed into neighborhoods of cheap apartments - intelligent, ambitious, yet anonymous and underpaid. [Photo/CFP]

A paramilitary policeman stops a toddler from crossing into a restricted area at Tiananmen Square, opposite to the Great Hall of the People, the venue of the National People's Congress or parliament, in Beijing March 3, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Olympic gold medalist Liu Xiang runs from reporters after the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, March 3, 2010. Liu also is a member of the conference's national committee. [Photo/CFP]

A child waits while her parents search at a demolished residential site for steel to recycle in downtown Shanghai March 4, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Hostesses pose in front of the Great Hall of the People prior to the opening ceremony of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing March 5, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Delegates from ethnic groups wearing traditional costumes during the opening ceremony for the National People's Congress (NPC), on March 5, 2010 and on the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 3, 2010 in Beijing. [Photo/Agencies]

A cat looks through a makeshift gate with written couplets at a partially demolished neighborhood in Beijing March 6, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Visitors play on the beach in Qionghai, South China's Hainan province, March 6, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Finalists of the "Miss Russia" beauty contest perform in Luxury Village in Barvikha, outside Moscow, March 6, 2010. Winner Irina Antonenko, 18, will represent Russia at the "Miss World" contest this year. [Agencies]

Participants of the "Miss Russia" beauty contest wear swimsuits as they perform in Luxury Village in Barvikha, outside Moscow, March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

Irina Antonenko,18, takes part in the "Miss Russia" beauty contest in Luxury Village in Barvikha, outside Moscow, March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

Miss Russia 2009 Sofia Rudyeva (L) crowns her successor Irina Antonenko,18, during the "Miss Russia" beauty contest in Luxury Village, in Barvikha outside Moscow March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

Irina Antonenko, 18, adjusts a crown after winning the "Miss Russia" beauty contest in Luxury Village, in Barvikha outside Moscow March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

Irina Antonenko, 18, poses after winning the "Miss Russia" beauty contest in Luxury Village, in Barvikha outside Moscow March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L, front) receives Hada from a Tibetan deputy when joining a panel discussion with deputies to the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) from west China's Tibet autonomous region, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Xinhua]

Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping (L, front) joins a panel discussion with deputies to the Third Session of the 11th NPC from east China's Zhejiang province, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Xinhua]

Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang (L, front) joins a panel discussion with deputies to the Third Session of the 11th NPC from northeast China's Liaoning province, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Xinhua]

He Guoqiang (L, front), member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, joins a panel discussion with deputies to the Third Session of the 11th NPC from central China's Hunan province, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Xinhua]

Zhou Yongkang (R), member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, joins a panel discussion with deputies to the Third Session of the 11th NPC from northeast China's Heilongjiang province, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Xinhua]

People wear costumes during the Naked Pig Skiing Carnival, Changchun,Jilin province, March 6, 2010.[Photo/Titan24.com]

More than 1,000 skiers joined the party, wearing underpants and bikinis or costuming as Avatar, Kungfu Panda to ski. The skiers also performed single-line skiing and snowboarding on a frozen pool.

"It is my first time to play in this kind of carnival and it is really entertaining," said Shen Lidong, a skier who dressed up as Hua Mulan, a Chinese heroine who joined an all-male army in place of her father.

"I think it's funny to wear like Mulan and the dress made everybody laugh," he added.

The tourists reveled with beer, BBQ and snow disco after skiing.

Naked Pig Skiing Carnival was originated in the Crested Butte Mountain Resort of Colorado, the United States. The skiers ski as spring comes, wearing bizarre dresses or swimming suits and even naked, giving a send-off to the skiing.

People have fun during the Naked Pig Skiing Carnival at the Lotus Mountains ski resort of Changchun, northeast China's Jilin province, March 6, 2010.[Photo/Titan24.com]

A half-naked skiing fan fell during Naked Pig Skiing Carnival at the Lotus Mountains ski resort of Changchun, northeast China's Jilin province, March 6, 2010.[Photo/Titan24.com]

A man colored himself as Avatar during the Naked Pig Skiing Carnival in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin province, March 6, 2010.[Photo/Titan24.com]

People ski in a line during the Naked Pig Skiing Carnival at the Lotus Mountains ski resort of Changchun, Jilin province, March 6, 2010.[Photo/Titan24.com]

Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce, and Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China hold a press conference on China's economy on the sidelines of the annual session of the parliament in Beijing. [Photo/Agencies]

China's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan (R) speaks at a news conference during China's annual session of parliament, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. The People's Bank of China will actively adapt its policies to changing circumstances to strike the right balance between promoting growth and containing inflation, Zhou said on Saturday. [Agencies]

China's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan answers a question at a news conference during China's annual session of parliament, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming (C) listens to a question at a news conference during China's annual session of parliament, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. It may take two to three years for China's exports to recover to their level attained before the global financial crisis struck in 2008, Chen said on Saturday. [Agencies]

China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming answers a question at a news conference during China's annual session of parliament, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

China's Finance Minister Xie Xuren answers a question at a news conference during China's annual session of parliament, in Beijing, March 6, 2010. [Agencies]

China's modernization drive and economic reform could risk a failure without political restructuring as the nation's ongoing reforms were across-the-board, said Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday.

Wen, while delivering a government work report to the annual parliament session, said that the government would create conditions for the people to criticize and supervise the government, and let news media fully play their oversight role so as to put the authorities under sunlight.

Full coverage

A combination image shows delegates from ethnic minority groups wearing traditional costumes during the opening ceremony for the National People's Congress (NPC), on March 5, 2010 and on the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 3, 2010 in Beijing. All of China's 55 minority groups are represented at the meeting, from Mongolians and Koreans to the Muslim Uighurs and shamanistic Oroqen, and almost all come dressed in traditional clothing. China's parliament, the National People's Congress, opened its annual session on Friday, with China's Premier Wen Jiabao giving his work report and spelling out broad policy goals for 2010. [Photo/Agencies] 

DPRK leader Kim Jong-il (front) visits the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex in Chongjin, north Hamgyong province, northeast of Pyongyang, in this picture released by the KCNA news agency March 5, 2010. Kim urged to speed up the modernization and numerical control of the production, Xinhua reported.[Photo/Agencies] 

DPRK leader Kim Jong-il (front) visits the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex in Chongjin, north Hamgyong province, northeast of Pyongyang, in this picture released by the  KCNA news agency March 5, 2010. Kim urged to speed up the modernization and numerical control of the production, Xinhua reported.[Photo/Agencies]

DPRK leader Kim Jong-il (front) visits the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex in Chongjin, north Hamgyong province, northeast of Pyongyang, in this picture released by the KCNA news agency March 5, 2010.Kim urged to speed up the modernization and numerical control of the production, Xinhua reported. [Photo/Agencies]

This photo shows the remote-sensing satellite "Yaogan IX" was put into orbit by a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province at 12:55 pm Friday. China has successfully put the satellite into orbit, according to a statement from the center on March 5, 2010.[Photo/Xinhua]

Related story: China launches new remote-sensing satellite

This photo shows the remote-sensing satellite "Yaogan IX" was put into orbit by a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province at 12:55 pm Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

This photo shows the remote-sensing satellite "Yaogan IX" was put into orbit by a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province at 12:55 pm Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

This photo shows the remote-sensing satellite "Yaogan IX" was put into orbit by a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province at 12:55 pm Friday.[Photo/Xinhua]

The NPC deputies from China's ethnic groups arrive at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, March 5, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Su Mingfang, an NPC deputy from south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, prepares his proposals on March 4, 2010. He is planning to make suggestions about developing border tourism and ocean industries, and protecting the culture of the Jing ethnic group. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chen Fei (right), a peasant NPC deputy from Zhu'an village in Yongjia county, in east China's Zhejiang province, hands out free vegetable baskets in a market in Beijing, March 4, 2010. Chen brought with him more than 50 vegetable baskets and hundreds of paper materials to hand out in Beijing's vegetable markets to promote a low-carbon lifestyle. [Photo/CFP]

Zhao Zhiquan, a deputy to the NPC and chairman of a pharmaceutical firm in east China's Shandong province, peels a banana for an older woman, March 2, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Zhou Meng, a deputy to the NPC and party secretary of Ji'an city in east China's Jiangxi province, fills in a questionnaire about carbon footprints, March 4, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xia Zhining, assistant to the president of Chongqing University, fills in a questionnaire about carbon footprints, March 4, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese words on a bag made of environmentally friendly materials read: "Refuse white pollution, for the future of the children." Attendees to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) were each given such a bag to carry meeting materials on Thursday. A low-carbon economy is a major topic at this year's two sessions of the National People's Congress and CPPCC. [Photo/CFP]

A big touch-screen at Beijing Friendship Hotel, where some of this year's CPPCC attendees are staying, allows them to read the day's newspapers and look for session materials by simply touching the screen. The screens were set up to reduce the use of paper materials to stress a low-carbon economy. [Photo/CFP]

Air hostess hopefuls wait for their face-to-face interview in Qingdao, Shangdong province, on March 4. The recruitment fair, hosted by Hainan Airways, attracted more than 600 candidates. [Photo/CFP]

Two women prepare for their interview for air hostesses in Qingdao, Shandong province, on March 4. The recruitment fair, hosted by Hainan Airways, attracted more than 600 participants. [Photo/CFP]

More than 600 women showed up to take part in face-to-face interviews for air hostesses in Qingdao, Shangdong province, on March 4. The recruitment event was hosted by Hainan Airways. [Photo/CFP]

Women take part in a face-to-face interview for air hostess in Qingdao, Shangdong province, on March 4. The recruitment fair, hosted by Hainan Airways, attracted more than 600 participants. [Photo/CFP]

A woman checks her makeup before her interview for air hostess in Qingdao, Shandong province, on March 4. She was among more than 600 hopefuls at the recruitment fair hosted by Hainan Airways.[Photo/CFP]

Foot massage can be unbelievably cheap, but only in a copycat style in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Residents sit in rows to receive a hot spring massage at Suxin village of Beipei district in Chongqing on March 3, 2010. After a hot spring was exploited in Suxin Village, local villagers started to rent stools to customers for a copycat foot massage by two yuan (29 US cents) per time. [Photo/CFP]

Foot massage can be unbelievably cheap, but only in a copycat style in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Residents sit in rows to receive a hot spring massage at Suxin village of Beipei district in Chongqing on March 3, 2010. After a hot spring was exploited in Suxin Village, local villagers started to rent stools to customers for a copycat foot massage by two yuan (29 US cents) per time.[Photo/CFP]

Foot massage can be unbelievably cheap, but only in a copycat style in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Residents sit in rows to receive a hot spring massage at Suxin village of Beipei district in Chongqing on March 3, 2010. After a hot spring was exploited in Suxin Village, local villagers started to rent stools to customers for a copycat foot massage by two yuan (29 US cents) per time. [Photo/CFP]

Foot massage can be unbelievably cheap, but only in a copycat style in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Residents sit in rows to receive a hot spring massage at Suxin village of Beipei district in Chongqing on March 3, 2010. After a hot spring was exploited in Suxin Village, local villagers started to rent stools to customers for a copycat foot massage by two yuan (29 US cents) per time. [Photo/CFP]

Plastic stools are arranged in rows for people who come to the newly developed hot spring to enjoy the foot massage at Suxin village in southwest China. [Photo/CFP]

Related Reading: Magnitude 6.7 quake hits Taiwan: USGS

A house is damaged by a quake that hit Shanlin Township, Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan, March 4, 2010. [Xinhua]

Related Reading: Magnitude 6.7 quake hits Taiwan: USGS

A camera shot shows the ceiling falling when the earthquake hits. [Xinhua]

Related Reading:Magnitude 6.7 quake hits Taiwan: USGS

A TV shot shows the chaos inside an elevator when the earthquake hits. [Xinhua]

Related Reading: Magnitude 6.7 quake hits Taiwan: USGS

Map of China's Taiwan. [sbsm.gov.cn]

Related Reading: Magnitude 6.7 quake hits Taiwan: USGS

A monkey plays in snowfall at a zoo in Huaibi, East China's Anhui province, March 2, 2010. [Photo/CFP] 

Full Coverage of 'Two Sessions'

Ethnic minority delegates walk out of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing at the end of the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 3, 2010. Founded in 1949, the CPPCC consists of elite members of the Chinese society who are willing to serve the think tank for the government and for the country's legislative and judicial organs. [Photo/Agencies]  

Ethnic minority delegates stand at the entrance to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing ahead of the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at March 3, 2010. The annual sessions of China's top political advisory body and top legislature, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the National People's Congress, are to open respectively on Wednesday and Friday.[Photo/Agencies]

A photographer attempts to take a picture of an ethnic minority delegate before the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing March 3, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ethnic minority delegates walk out of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing at the end of the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 3, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

An ethnic minority delegate takes a picture on Tiananmen Square at the end of the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing March 3, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing March 3, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Ugandan military personnel search for bodies after a landslide in Bududa village, 367 km (228 miles) east of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010. The landslide in eastern Uganda has killed at least 80 people and villagers are digging with bare hands and simple tools in the hope of finding survivors, a government minister and Ugandan media said on Tuesday.[Agencies]

Related story: Uganda landslides kill 86; 250 missing

Villagers search for bodies of family members after a landslide in Bududa village, 367 km (228 miles), east of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010.[Agencies]

Relatives stand next to the remains of a victim of a landslide in Bududa, 367 km (228 miles) east of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010.[Agencies]

A carcass of a cow lies trapped under mud after a landslide in Bududa, 367 km (228 miles) east of Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010.[Agencies]

Bodies of children killed during a landslide lie next to each other in Bududa, 367 km (228 miles) east of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010.[Agencies]

An aerial view shows people searching for the bodies their relatives after a landslide in Bududa, 367 km (228 miles) east of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010.[Agencies]

Related readings:  Secondhand smoke damages arteries in teens: study  Secondhand smoke raises TB risk: study  Smoke ban 'mission impossible'  Even third-hand smoke carries carcinogens: study

Albert Whittamore blamed his youthful smoking habit for the lung disease.

He said before he died at age 85 in February that he wanted the sign to serve as a warning to young people about the dangers of tobacco smoking.

The sign was designed to look like the health warning on a packet of cigarettes.

The printed placard at his grave will be left in place for a week.

The hearse carrying his body through the town of Dover 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of London had several of the printed signs displayed in the windows.

Migrant workers receive free condoms and booklets from staff of the local family planning office at a railway station in Shangqiu city, Henan province on March 3. The move is aimed at introducing family planning and contraceptive knowledge to locals. [Photo/CFP]

Migrant workers receive free condoms and booklets from staff of the local family planning office at a railway station in Shangqiu city, Henan province on March 3. The move is aimed at introducing family planning and contraceptive knowledge to locals. [Photo/CFP]

Migrant workers receive free condoms and booklets from staff of the local family planning office at a railway station in Shangqiu city, Henan province on March 3. The move is aimed at introducing family planning and contraceptive knowledge to locals. [Photo/CFP]

Cityscape of Cape Town in South Africa a venue of the 2010 World Cup, February 17, 2010. [Agencies]

Cityscape of Durban in South Africa a venue of the 2010 World Cup, February 15, 2010. [Agencies]

Cityscape of Bloemfontein in South Africa, a venue of the 2010 World Cup, February 18, 2010. [Agencies]

An aerial view of the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg February 18, 2010. [Agencies]

An aerial view of the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg February 18, 2010. [Agencies]

An aerial view of the Coca-Cola Park stadium, the former Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg February 18, 2010. [Agencies]

An aerial view of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban February 15, 2010. [Agencies]

An aerial view of the Free State stadium in Mangaung/Bloemfontein February 18, 2010. [Agencies]

A worker of the women's federation communicates with a lawyer in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, March 2, 2010. Shenyang's first webcam legal aid platform was launched on Tuesday in the city's Shenhe district. It will provide women with free legal consultation through "face-to-face" communication with lawyers. Lawyers can transit relevant legal documents to the aid seekers as well as tell them through the video chat whether their evidentiary materials are useful. [Photo/CFP]

A woman asks a lawyer questions about her labor contract through the webcam legal aid platform in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, March 2, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer takes a question during his keynote address at the Search Marketing Expo in Santa Clara, California March 2, 2010. In an appearance Tuesday at a search engine conference, Ballmer said Microsoft believes Google Inc. has done a number of things to gain an unfair advantage in the Internet's lucrative search advertising market. [Photo/Agencies]

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer takes a question during his keynote address at the Search Marketing Expo in Santa Clara, California March 2, 2010. In an appearance Tuesday at a search engine conference, Ballmer said Microsoft believes Google Inc. has done a number of things to gain an unfair advantage in the Internet's lucrative search advertising market. [Photo/Agencies]

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gestures during his keynote address at the Search Marketing Expo in Santa Clara, California March 2, 2010.In an appearance Tuesday at a search engine conference, Ballmer said Microsoft believes Google Inc. has done a number of things to gain an unfair advantage in the Internet's lucrative search advertising market. [Photo/Agencies]

Artists perform over a Mercedes SLS AMG at the exhibition stand of Mercedes-Benz during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010. [Agencies] 

A Bugatti Veyron roadster car is displayed on the exhibition stand of Bugatti during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010.[Agencies]

The new Volvo S60 car is unveiled by Volvo Car Corp. President & CEO Stephen Odell on the exhibition stand of Volvo during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010.[Agencies]

Chairman of the supervisory board Wolfgang Porsche (L) and CEO Michael Macht of German car manufacturer Porsche shake hands beside a Porsche 918 Spyder car during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010. [Agencies]

A model poses in a new Renault Wind roadster car during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010.[Agencies]

The new Citroen Survolt concept car is displayed on the exhibition stand of Citroen during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010.[Agencies]

The new Aston Martin Cygnet car is displayed on the exhibition stand of Aston Martin during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010.[Agencies]

A Porsche Cayenne S 3.0 V6 Hybrid car of German car manufacturer Porsche is shown during the first media day of the 80th Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo in Geneva March 2, 2010.[Agencies]

Cover Story: Hope reborn in Sichuan   Leave Your Comment Here 

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Mujica sworn in as president of Uruguay 

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica (R) addresses the crowd next to a signer for the hearing impaired after receiving the presidential sash from outgoing President Tabare Vazquez in Montevideo March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica (L) receives the presidential sash from outgoing President Tabare Vazquez in Montevideo March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica applauds after receiving the presidential sash from outgoing President Tabare Vazquez (not seen) in Montevideo March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica (R) walks to hug his wife and Uruguay's President of the Senate Lucia Topolansky after Mujica received the presidential sash from outgoing President Tabare Vazquez in Montevideo March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Newly sworn-in President of Uruguay Jose Mujica (R) and Vice President Danilo Astori wave to the crowd after their inaugurations in Montevideo March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Newly sworn-in President of Uruguay Jose Mujica (C) gets a hug from Vice President-elect Danilo Astori as Mujica's wife and President of Uruguay's Senate Lucia Topolansky (L) applauds during Mujica's inauguration ceremony in Montevideo March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

A SWAT policeman stands guard on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue, March 1, 2010. Beijing has intensified police numbers to ensure public safety during the upcoming annual plenary sessions of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and China's National People's Congress, which are set to start on March 3 and March 5 respectively. [Photo/CFP]

SWAT policemen on duty on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

A new state-of-the-art baggage security check is seen at the east door of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 1, 2010. The equipment model is ready for use during the upcoming annual plenary sessions. [Photo/CFP]

Celebrating her 100th birthday, Xie Shunhua (L) and her 101-year-old husband receive people's best wishes at a party in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. Born in Shanghai, Xie now lives at the old folks' home in Changsha with her husband. Except for a little inconvenience with walking, the couple is very healthy. [Photo/CFP]

People give their wishes to Xie Shunhua and her 101-year-old husband on her 100th birthday party in Changsha old people's apartment, central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Xie blows out birthday candles on her 100th birthday party in Changsha old people's apartment, central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

People help Xie cut the cake on her 100th birthday party in Changsha old people's apartment, central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Xie feeds her husband cake on her 100th birthday party in Changsha old people's apartment, central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Xie talks to her husband on her 100th birthday party in Changsha old people's apartment, central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Xie laughs with a bunch of flowers in her arms on her 100th birthday party in Changsha old people's apartment, central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Xie laughs together with a woman on her 100th birthday party in Changsha old people's apartment, central China's Hunan province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda attends a news conference in Beijing, March 1, 2010. Toyoda on Monday offered a sincere apology to Chinese consumers over its massive global recall, which has had limited impact in the Chinese market. [Agencies]

Toyota chief says 'sorry' in damage-control visit

"The incident had caused worries to Chinese consumers," Toyoda told a packed news conference. "I hereby express my sincere apologies for these worries."

Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda attends a news conference in Beijing, March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Toyota chief says 'sorry' in damage-control visit

"The incident had caused worries to Chinese consumers," Toyoda told a packed news conference. "I hereby express my sincere apologies for these worries."

Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda bows during a news conference in Beijing, March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Toyota chief says 'sorry' in damage-control visit

"The incident had caused worries to Chinese consumers," Toyoda told a packed news conference. "I hereby express my sincere apologies for these worries."

Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda (C) speaks at a news conference in Beijing, March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Toyota chief says 'sorry' in damage-control visit

"The incident had caused worries to Chinese consumers," Toyoda told a packed news conference. "I hereby express my sincere apologies for these worries."

Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda attends a news conference in Beijing March 1, 2010. [Agencies]

Toyota chief says 'sorry' in damage-control visit

"The incident had caused worries to Chinese consumers," Toyoda told a packed news conference. "I hereby express my sincere apologies for these worries."

Twelve female broadcasters for a local radio station wear masks and carry banners during an activity to promote the no-smoking awareness in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP] 

Twelve female broadcasters for a local radio station wear masks and carry banners during an activity to promote the no-smoking awareness in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Twelve female broadcasters for a local radio station wear masks and carry banners during an activity to promote the no-smoking awareness in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, March 1, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

State-run China Central Television said the giant panda had apparently descended from the mountains in a region of Southwest China’s Sichuan province and was spotted in a field before its discovery inside the pig pen, chewing on bones and spitting out the meat.

[Photo/Chengdu Business Daily]

While it is classified as a carnivore, the giant panda’s diet consists primarily of bamboo, though it also eats honey, eggs, fish, oranges and bananas when they are available. Scientists believe there are around 1,600 giant pandas living in the wild in China, mostly in the mountains of the southwest.

Rescuers install equipment to discharge water flooding a coal mine in Wuhai city of north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on March 1, 2010. Thirty-one miners remained trapped and 46 were saved after the accident.[Photo/Xinhua]

Related story: One dead, 31 trapped in north China coal mine flood

Ambulances are ready for the rescue after a coal mine was flooded in Wuhai city of north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on March 1, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

A photo shows the scene of an accident where 31 miners are trapped under a flooded coal mine in Wuhai city of north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on March 1, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Workers prepare cable for the equipment installed to discharge water flooding a coal mine in Wuhai city of north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on March 1, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Coal miners wait to rescue the trapped miners after an accident happened in a coal mine in Wuhai city of north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on March 1, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

A rescuer walks by the entrance of the coal mine where 31 miners are still trapped after water flooded the mine in Wuhai city of north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on March 1, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Former Canadian speedskater Catriona Le May Doan holds aloft an Olympic torch during the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Grand view of the closing ceremony of Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Game, February 28. 2010.[Photo/Xinhua]

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper waves during the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) lower the Olympic Flat at the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Gordon Campbell, the Premier of British Columbia, waves a Canadian flag during the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Gold medalist Petter Northug of Norway (C), silver medlaist Axel Teichmann of Germany (L) and bronze medalist Johan Olsson of Sweden pose with their medals during the medal ceremony for the men's 50k cross country mass start classic at the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Athletes parade around the Olympic cauldron during the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

The Russian flag flies next to the Greek flag during the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28,2010.[Photo/Agencies]

The Russian flag is raised by members of the RCMP during the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]