The latest Houston news and Chinese community news http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston_chinese_community_news.htm 5/8/2008-- The Olympic flame scaled the highest point on Earth as Chinese mountaineers carried it to Mount Qomolangma on Thursday - in what is the high point of the relay. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-flame-world.htm 5/7/2008 VATICAN-- Pope Benedict XVI listened to Mozart's Requiem and Chinese folk song Jasmine, performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-artists-pope.htm 5/6/2008 TOKYO - China is to offer a pair of giant pandas to Japan for joint research. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-panda-japan-joint.htm 5/5/2008-- The Chinese lottery player who won the highest sports lottery, 82.34 million yuan (11.76 million US dollars), in China's lottery history collected his prize on Sunday under police guard. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mega-lottery-winner-china.htm Houston, TX-- For Memorial Day weekend only, The Warehouse Sale's Premium Denim Sale will be at the Westin Galleria Houston, by the Galleria mall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/warehouse-sale-houston-galleria.htm 5/2/2008 -- The Olympic torch will be carried through Macau on Saturday on its last stop outside China proper following a tortuous overseas leg that drew protests over Tibet and triggered retaliatory rallies by patriotic Chinese. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-torch-china.htm 5/1/2008 BEIJING -- China Thursday inaugurated one of the world's longest bridges, which will provide an important new route into Shanghai, Chinese media said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-largest-bridge.htm 4/30/2008 Houston —Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens has acquired 11 examples of rare 19th-century Texas-made furniture, a gift of Houston collector Williams James Hill http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-bend-houston-furniture.htm 4/30/2008 Taipei (CENS)--Foreign institutional investors believed Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. had won orders to make 25 million units of Apple's latest iPhone and would begin to ship the phones in June this year http://www.chinatownconnection.com/iphone-next-generation.htm 4/29/2008 BEIJING-- Beijing on Wednesday marks the 100-day countdown to the Olympics with songs, a mass run and even prayers, hoping to put behind it the tumultuous events of the past month http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-countdown-olympics.htm 4/28/2008 Houston—Audiences in Houston will have a fresh look at the radical London art scene when the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, presents END GAME – British Contemporary Art from the Chaney Family Collection http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-end-game.htm 4/25/2008 (Reuters)-- Japan called for calm but braced for trouble with tight security on Friday, as low-key protests began ahead of its leg of the Olympic torch relay, following emotional scenes at other venues around the world http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-torch-relay.htm 4/23/2008 HOUSTON – Fresh off the success of its Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park, the Art Colony Association is accepting artists’ applications for Bayou City Art Festival Downtown, set for October 18-19, 2008 http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-fall.htm 4/23/2008 Taipei (Reuters) - Taiwan President-elect Ma Ying-jeou said on Tuesday he plans to roll out lighter tax rates and simplify regulations for the island's technology companies to encourage more firms to invest at home. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-tech-investment.htm 4/22/2008-- The Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation (VAHF) is pleased to announce that it is hosting an evening of entertainment and remembrance entitled The Longing Heart on April 26, 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vietnamese-foundation-longing-heart.htm 4/21/2008 Houston, TX - Beginning on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, Cathay Pacific Airways will launch three weekly, all-cargo flights to Hong Kong from Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/cathay-pacific-houston-hongkong.htm 4/21/2008 (China Daily)-- Despite achievements in advancing human rights, the country does not ignore existing problems and pledges to solve them, a leading Chinese human rights expert said yesterday http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-human-rights-issues.htm 4/17/2008 Houston— Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, the American decorative arts center of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, continues a series of outdoor musical events with a performance by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chamber-orchestra-bayou-bend.htm 4/16/2008 Houston— Inspired by the possibilities of painting in nature, rather than in the studio, artists traveled to the rugged Forest of Fontainebleau near Paris from the early 1820s to the mid-1870s forging innovations in art that would resonate for generations to follow. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/forest-fontainebleau-houston-museum.htm 4/15/2008 (Taipei Times)-- Hong Kong’s tourism sector yesterday welcomed a proposal to grant Hong Kong visitors to Taiwan visa-free privileges and predicted that such a move would boost arrivals of tourists from the former British colony. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-taiwan.htm 4/14/2008-- A report from a China based research firm, Pearl Research has found that despite the iPhone not having been launched in the country - approximately 68% of the respondents have already heard of the phone. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-consumer-apple-iphone.htm 4/13/2008 BEIJING (LA Times) -- China's president met with the incoming vice president of Taiwan on Saturday, signaling a possible thaw in a frosty relationship between the rival governments that has lasted nearly six decades. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-taiwan-leaders-meet.htm 4/12/2008 Houston— Bill T. Jones, Colin Powell, Chris Rock, Toni Morrison, Al Sharpton, Richard Parsons, Lorna Simpson, and Thelma Golden are just a few of those whose faces are seen and voices heard in The Black List Project. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mfah-black-list-project.htm 4/10/2008 (China Daily)-- Up to 1,000 Chinese families will host foreign visitors to Beijing this summer as part of an Olympic Homestay program, the municipal tourism bureau said Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/families-foreign-visitors-beijing.htm 4/8/2008 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Officials say the planned closing ceremony for the Olympic torch at the San Francisco Bay waterfront is canceled and another one will take place at an undisclosed location. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-torch-ceremony-cancelled.htm 4/8/2008 HOUSTON – The Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park announced its Spring 2008 winners, with mixed media artist Joe DeCamillis of Birmingham, Alabama capturing Best of Show honors. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-art-festival-artists-award.htm 4/6/2008 Houston-- The weather was perfect for the 2008 Houston Japanese Festival. Tens of thousands of Houstonians came out to the beautiful Herman Park and the Japanese Garden to enjoy Japanese culture, food, and performances. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/2008-japanese-festival-houston.htm 4/3/2008-- China's ambassador to Britain has pulled out of running in this weekend's Olympic torch relay ceremony in the first indication that growing international concern at the country's recent actions in Tibet is starting to become a major source of embarrassment for Beijing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-ambassador-torch-relay.htm 4/2/2008 (Taipei Times)-- President-elect Ma Ying-jeou's office yesterday urged the state-run Taiwan Post Co to postpone plans to issue a set of memorial stamps celebrating Ma's inauguration on May 20. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-post-stamp.htm 4/1/2008 Houston, Texas-- Interview with Crystal Stewart, Miss Texas USA 2007, currently in Las Vegas competing for Miss USA 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/diane-yoo-crystal-stewart-interview.htm 3/31/2008-- Rising international rice prices are not a cause for major concern in China, Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rice-price-spike.htm 3/28/2008 Houston-- Tzu Chi Foundation's Recycle Program at Houston Chinatown Area – A Community Green Effort. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-tzu-chi-recycling.htm 3/26/2008 (Xinhua)-- Hong Kong Disneyland will soon put on its own version of the miniature show. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-disneyland.htm 3/26/2008 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may be linked to a softening of bones in a baby's skull, Japanese researchers report. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vitamin-d-baby-skull.htm 3/25/2008 WASHINGTON (AP)-- The Pentagon announced Tuesday that the United States mistakenly shipped to Taiwan four electrical fuses designed for use on intercontinental ballistic missiles, but has since recovered them. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/missle-taiwan.htm 3/24/2008 (China Daily)-- Chinese netizens including those studying overseas are fighting back to discredit often distorted, and sometimes dishonest, reports by Western media about the recent riots in Tibet. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/netizens-western-bias.htm 3/20/2008 WASHINGTON -- The State Department is advising Americans planning to attend the Olympic Games in Beijing to take care and be mindful that they could be under surveillance. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/us-warning-beijing-olympics.htm 3/19/2008 GENEVA –– Chinese and Indian carmakers struck a buoyant tone at the Geneva Auto Show Tuesday, fuelled by booming domestic demand but also with a cautious eye on established Western markets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-carmakers.htm 3/19/2008 Houston (AFP)-- Regular-season win leader Boston snapped the second-longest win streak in National Basketball Association history at 22 games here Tuesday with a 94-74 victory over the Houston Rockets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-win-streak.htm 3/17/2008 (Daily Times)-- A Chinese woman forced her boyfriend to have breast-reduction surgery because his man boobs made her look flat. Xiao Feng. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/man-breast-reductions.htm 3/16/2008 Houston-- From Bollywood to conjunto, flamenco to children’s choirs, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park will offer a variety of arts presentations for Festival-goers’ musical and dance entertainment. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-entertainment.htm 3/14/2008 (China Daily)-- About 200 Japanese students and their Chinese peers held a "communication day" in Beijing on Friday, to explore ways to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between youngsters from the two countries. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-japanese-student-trust.htm 3/13/2008-- Cyndi Wang (born on September 5, 1982 in Hsinchu, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese pop singer and actress. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-singer-cyndi-wang.htm 3/12/2008 Hong Kong - Almost four out of 10 young people in Hong Kong are unhappy, making them some of the most miserable in Asia, a survey published Thursday claimed. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-youths-miserable.htm 3/11/2008 (Xinhua)-- The basketball star Yao Ming topped the Forbes list of Chinese celebrities for the fifth time, staying top of this year's list which was unveiled Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-forbes-list.htm The Chinese put great importance on numbers in their lives. Feng Shui and numerology are closely related, and Chinese people believe that it is possible to change their lives by using numbers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/feng-shui-lucky-numbers.htm 3/7/2008-- U.S. consumers believe Chinese products have the second best value in the world, only after the American goods, a recently released survey shows. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/consumers-chinese-product.htm 3/6/2008 Houston, TX -- Middle Eastern carrier, Qatar Airways announced today it will begin operating three weekly nonstop flights between Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Qatar's Doha International Airport (DOH) starting on Monday, November 10, 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/qatar-houston-doha.htm 3/5/2008 (AFP) NEW YORK - THE number of billionaires in Asia jumped more than 30 per cent last year, with tycoons from India and China leading the charge, according to Forbes magazine's annual billionaires list. In total, this year saw 1,125 people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-billionaire.htm 3/4/2008 BEIJING - Chinese doctors are bracing for a hectic day on Aug. 8. It's an auspicious day, the long-awaited opening of the Beijing Games, and a day when many of their patients will demand cesarean sections to ensure a lucky birthday for their babies. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baby-boom-china.htm 3/3/2008-- Suzhou is well-known as "city of gardens in China", which tops all others in both the number and the artistry of gardens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-suzhou-garden.htm 2/28/2008 Houston — To address public safety issues in light of recent events and further enhance the security of Houston’s Southwest Chinatown, the Asian American Business Council (AABC), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development of the new Chinatown, will sponsor a Safety Education Seminar on March 15, 2008 at the Chinese Community Center. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/aabc-safety-seminar-houston.htm 2/27/2008 Houston—This spring season the house and grounds of Rienzi, the MFAH’s historic house museum nestled in the heart of the River Oaks community, will be teeming with activity. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spring-rienzi.htm 2/27/2008 BEIJING (China Daily) -- Yao Ming's season-ending injury has China thinking the once-unthinkable: The host nation's biggest, boldest and glitziest star might miss the Beijing Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-break-olympics.htm 2/26/2008 (Reuters) Beijing- Chinese scientists have expressed full confidence that the Olympic relay torch can scale Mount Everest without sputtering out, a newspaper said on Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-torch-everest.htm This spring, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, takes filmgoers around the world, from Houston’s own Riverside neighborhood to far-flung, exotic destinations outside of the United States. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-fine-arts-asian-cinema.htm 2/24/2008 Houston-- So which candidate best represent the Asian American Community. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-american-presidential-debate-houston.htm 2/23/2008 Sugar Land, TX-- This past Sunday, February 17th, the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra presented East Meets West, a concert celebrating a diversity of musical styles from different cultures. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/changlu-wu-pipa-music.htm 2/22/2008 (Xinhua)-- China's oldest folk library, Tianyige, resumed sinology classes after a 70-year interruption on Thursday in the eastern province of Zhejiang. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-library-confucius.htm 2/20/2008 Houston —Spring is the glory season for Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens, the 14-acre estate near River Oaks that is the American decorative arts center of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-bend-houston-spring.htm 2/20/2008 (China Daily)-- Big foreign labels such as Chanel and BMW continue to dominate as top brands for wealthy Chinese consumers, with their choices determined mainly by quality and environment factors, a recent survey has found. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rich-chinese-foreign-brands.htm 2/19/2008 (China Daily)-- San Diego-based consultancy group - Global Language Monitor claims Chinglish is adding the most spice to the alphabet soup of today's English. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinglish.htm 2/18/2008 (China Daily)-- A Chinese firm yesterday announced a plan to build a full-sized replica of Beijing's famed Yuanmingyuan Garden in Hengdian, Zhejiang province this year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-firm-ancient-garden.htm 2/15/2008 Taipei - As Chinese Valentine's Day approaches next week a survey released on Saturday said that most young lovers in Taiwan would like to celebrate the day by making love. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-lovers-nookie.htm 2/14/2008 LOS ANGELES — Bai Ling's good looks and eccentric outfits have frequently put her picture in celebrity magazines, but that doesn't mean she can take the magazines for free. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/actress-bai-ling.htm 2/13/2008-- The call came out of the blue. A public relations executive for a New York City television show was looking for a feng shui expert to work with a couple willing to undergo a feng shui makeover of their bedroom. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/feng-shui-makeover.htm 2/12/2008 BEIJING (China Daily)-- The start of China's post-Spring Festival travel peak proved a relatively smooth affair as no major traffic problems were reported on Tuesday at a time when millions were returning to their place of work. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/post-new-year-china-travel.htm 2/11/2008 A total of 668 Chinese tourists aboard the Rhapsody of the Sea enjoyed a warm welcome yesterday soon after the largest ocean liner in Asia berthed at the Keelung harbor in northern Taiwan at 11 a.m., marking a historic visit to the island by the largest-ever Chinese tourist group. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-chinese-tourist.htm 2/10/2008 Houston-- This year's Lunar New Year festivities celebrated the Year of the Rat. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-lunar-new-year-2008.htm 2/8/2008 BEIJING (Xinhua) -- Chinese mobile phone operators will benefit from the country's tradition of exchanging greetings during Lunar New Year as more than 17 billion text messages are expected to be sent during the holiday season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-text-message.htm "As this new year, the Year of the Rat, commences, I would like to salute the leaders and pioneers that have brought to our attention the history and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nancy-pelosi-chinese-new-year.htm 2/5/2008 HOUSTON − The Asia Society Texas Center is hosting its Annual Corporate Conference on Friday, February 15, 2008 with a gathering of some of the most powerful and influential Indonesian dignitaries ever to assemble in Houston in the last two decades. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asia-society-indonesia.htm 2/5/2008 (AP) BEIJING - Driven from her home by the bitter cold, Shi Ying was lucky to find a room at a hotel with a generator. But other residents of the central city of Chenzhou will ring in the Chinese New Year by candlelight. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-new-year-power-outage.htm 2/4/2008 (Courant.com)-- The Chinese New Year arrives Thursday, bringing another challenge to stamp designers. The lunar years in Asia are named for animals, and the one just ending was the Year of the Pig. Now designers must find more clever ways to create designs picturing attractive-looking rats. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-new-year-stamp.htm 2/1/2008 Houston, TX -- Just two months after inaugurating historical new service from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). http://www.chinatownconnection.com/emirates-bush-airport-houston.htm 1/31/2008 (Earthtimes.org) Taipei - Taiwan's National Palace Museum, which holds the world's largest collection of Chinese artifacts, will hold an exhibition in Austria in February. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-museum-austria.htm 1/30/2008 Beijing-- Beijing must make sure this summer's Olympic Games are environmentally friendly and untainted by corruption, China's top decision-making body, the Politburo, has said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-clean-green-games.htm 1/29/2008 (China Daily)-- With Spring Festival just around the corner, the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala is also stepping up preparations. The CCTV Spring Festival Gala preparatory committee conducted the first and second rehearsals of the gala respectively last Friday and last Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spring-festival-gala-2008.htm The assortments of Chinese tea that are made available are seriously extensive, and there are numerous distinct kinds that are grown throughout each of the Chinese dynasties in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-tea-history.htm 1/25/2008 (Daily Yomiuri Online)-- Taiwan's vice defense minister, Ko Chen-heng, expressed concern about China's recent expansion of submarine operations around Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-naval-taiwan.htm 1/24/2008 (The Age)-- Regularly drinking black tea could help prevent the onset of Parkinson's disease, a published study said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/black-tea-parkinson.htm 1/23/2008 (Xinhua) -- Chinese consumers have been spending a lot of money on Internet purchases. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet.htm 1/22/2008 (Variety) BEIJING -- The Motion Picture Association is teaming up with Chinese anti-piracy regs to launch the second annual nationwide anti-piracy video contest, which is aimed at raising awareness about piracy among China's 20 million university students. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-mpa-contest.htm 1/21/2008 (ChinatownConnection.com) - Many of you might be thinking, Houston has a Chinatown? Yes, Houston has a Chinatown, and it is not located in downtown Houston as suggested by some signs still point to downtown but located now in Southwest Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-wonders-chinatown.htm 1/21/2008 (Reuters) - Many Chinese celebrities have either changed their nationality or given their children a foreign nationality to skirt the one-child policy, state media said as it announced yet another crackdown. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-one-child.htm 1/20/2008 (IHT) Shanghai - After booming in recent years, China's own real estate market is finally beginning to feel the pinch from sagging demand and tighter controls. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-real-estate-cools.htm 1/17/2008 (Reuters) BEIJING - China said it would issue new rules cracking down on undesirable elements of online games amid fears of growing Internet addiction as the number of players soars, state media reported on Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-crackdown-online-games.htm 1/16/2008 (Chinatechnews)-- News from the China Internet Network Information Center is that by December 2007, Chinese mainland's Internet population had reached 210 million, which made China the second largest country in the world only next to the U.S. in terms of netizens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-mainland-internet-population.htm 1/15/2008 WASHINGTON—A traveling exhibition of extraordinary archaeological treasures from the National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul, will begin a 17-month tour of the United States in spring 2008. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ancient-afghan-treasures-museum-houston.htm 1/14/2008 (Xinhua)- The Chinese mainland and Taiwan will arrange 94 cross-Straits charter flights during the upcoming Spring Festival, China's General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) said in a circular released on its website here on Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-taiwan-flights-new-year.htm 1/12/2008 (BBC)-- Taiwan has begun voting to elect members of parliament in a contest seen as a barometer for the presidential election on 22 March. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-parliament.htm 1/10/2008-- BAIDU.COM will add video, travel and restaurant search functions on its Japanese site this month to gain more users in a market dominated by Yahoo and Google. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/baidu-japanese.htm 1/9/2008 Beijing-- Declaring war on the "white pollution" choking its cities, farms and waterways, China is banning free plastic shopping bags and calling for a return to the cloth bags of old — steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers on Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-shoppers-plastic-bag.htm 1/8/2008 HONG KONG -- Chinese video-sharing site Youku.com said Tuesday that it topped 100 million daily video views and 12 million daily users in December. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/youku-video-sharing.htm 1/7/2008 (Reuters)-- Chinese scientists have warned that climate change is hurting the most famous draw in the northern city of Harbin -- its annual ice sculpture contest. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-ice-festival-heat.htm 1/4/2008 BEIJING (UPI)-- Chinese in big cities are waiting longer to get married, with the average age for first-time brides and grooms rising two years in the past decade in Beijing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/urban-chinese-marry.htm 1/3/2008 Houston, TX - In a single eight hour shift the Intellibot IS800 scrubber can tidy-up roughly 70,000 square feet of floor space utilizing only one, 50 gallon tank of water. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/robotic-sweeper-iah-houston.htm 1/2/2008 BEIJING -- Chinese kung fu actor Jet Li made the most money in 2007 among China's entertainment elite, totaling some 465 million yuan, or around 62 million U.S. dollars. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jet-li-income.htm 1/1/2008 New Delhi-- China has reportedly become the country with the second largest population of billionaires in the world, just behind the US. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-billionaire.htm 12/26/2007 Houston—Tradition and modernist sensibility merge with poetic results in Where Clouds Disperse: Ink Paintings by Suh Se-ok, opening January 27, 2008 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-fine-arts-houston-korean.htm 12/27/2007 BEIJING (RIA Novosti) - A Chinese teenager was born with six fingers and toes on each hand and foot, China's Xinhua news agency said on Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-teenager-fingers-toes.htm 12/26/2007 — China hopes to grow its middle class to more than half of its population by the end of the next decade, a Communist Party planner said Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-middle-class.htm 12/23/2007-- China's shopping malls in late December leave little doubt that the country has been smitten by Christmas, if not in quite the way devout Christians might hope. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-christmas-shops.htm 12/18/2007 (China Daily)-- The value of the Chinese economy is overestimated by about 40%, according to a World Bank study on 146 national economies in 2005. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-economy-overheated.htm 12/17/2007 (China Daily)-- The methods used in the West to promote holidays and special events such as Christmas and Valentine's Day should be applied to traditional Chinese holidays, a survey has found. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-holidays-west.htm 12/14/2007 (Telegraph.co.uk) -- According to the Chinese calendar, 2007 was the year of the pig. According to technology experts, it was the year of Apple. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-blossom-window.htm 12/13/2007 BEIJING-- Chinese researchers, using an animal model, found consumption of green tea may help protect brain cells against Parkinson's disease. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/green-tea-parkinson.htm 12/13/2007 CHONGQING (Xinhua) -- China's first self-produced hybrid-power sedan, the Jiexun-HEV, rolled off the production line on Thursday at a Chang'an Automobile plant in Chongqing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-hybrid-sedan.htm 12/11/2007 BEIJING --Chinese traditional medicines do not contain banned substances, a Beijing Olympics medical official said Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-herbal-medicine-probe.htm 12/10/2007 Houston -- The Chinese Community Center is offering Pre-Holiday Shopping Tours to Houstonians this holiday season. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinatown-shopping-tour.htm 12/10/2007-- Wal-Mart will open its 100th store in China, the retailer announced yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/walmart-china.htm 12/7/2007 ZHENGZHOU (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have discovered nearly 1,000 tombs, some of which date back 2,200 years, in central China's Henan Province. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/imperial-tomb-china.htm 12/6/2007 Hong Kong - Coffee shops will double in number in Hong Kong over the next five years as office workers abandon green tea and jasmine tea for espressos and cappuccinos, a news report said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong-coffee-tea.htm 12/6/2007 -- New research from Taiwan suggests that antioxidants put a halt to fat cell formation, at least in a laboratory. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/antioxidants-fat-cell.htm 12/4/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Culture.tw, a brand new website portal offering Taiwan culture, has come into being. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-culture-portal.htm 12/3/2007 -- Airbus said it signed contracts yesterday to sell 160 commercial passenger jets to China in a deal worth around US$14.8 billion. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-airbus-boeing.htm 11/30/2007 Beijing - He once was one of China's richest and most politically connected businessmen, a real estate tycoon who had started out selling noodles. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-tycoon.htm 11/29/2007-- The Taiwan government sees massive growth in its solar energy industry, forecasting the total value to hit $12.5 billion in 2015. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-solar-energy.htm 11/28/2007-- A group of Chinese investors will invest more than $75 million in the country for the development of an island in Palawan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-island-retirement.htm 11/27/2007 LOS ANGELES - Chinese star Gong Li and John Cusack are set to feature in a new period drama set in Shanghai during World War II, entertainment industry press reported on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gong-li-cusak-shanghai.htm 11/26/2007-- Chinese internet users are more likely to depend on their online experiences, and see the web as a key to socializing and sharing opinions, than their U.S. counterparts, according to a study. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-web-addicts.htm 11/25/2007-- CHINA'S leaders celebrated the first images sent from the country's first lunar satellite today, saying the country was in the front ranks of global technological powers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-lunar-debut.htm 11/21/2007 MANILA, Philippines — Li Changqing, a Chinese journalist who was imprisoned for alerting the public to an outbreak of dengue fever before the authorities, has been awarded the 2008 Golden Pen of Freedom. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-journalist-golden-pen.htm 11/20/2007-Apple Inc's iPhone is unlikely to hit Chinese shelves soon because of technical and fee issues, industry executives said on Wednesday, a day after shares in the U.S. company shot up on hopes of a deal with China Mobile. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/iphone-china.htm 11/19/2007 BEIJING (AP) - A daredevil French climber nicknamed Spiderman scaled part of a mountain in southern China using only his bare hands. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spiderman-china-mountain.htm 11/15/2007 WASHINGTON -- A congressional advisory panel said Thursday that Chinese spying in America represents the greatest threat to U.S. technology. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-spying.htm 11/14/2007-- China Mobile is in talks with Apple on bringing the Apple iPhone in the Chinese market. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/apple-iphone-taiwan.htm 11/13/2007 BEIJING (AP) - More than 700 toy factories in booming southern China have been banned from exporting what they produce as part of a crackdown on shoddy products, the government said Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-crackdown-toy-factories.htm 11/12/2007-- Six Chinese, including two children, died from food poisoning after eating dumpling soup and two more remained seriously ill, local media reported yesterday, the latest example of food safety risks facing domestic consumers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bad-dumplings-death.htm 11/8/2007-- In China, Friday's NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets is expected to draw massive TV ratings. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-yi-basketball.htm 11/7/2007-- Chinese tourists are expected to gain access to the United States soon as the two countries are likely to reach an agreement to grant the US Authorized Destination Status by the end of this year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-us-travellers.htm 11/6/2007-- Chinese banks had issued more than 1.3 billion debit, credit and semi-credit cards by the end of September, roughly one for every person in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bank-cards.htm 11/5/2007 - The 8th China Arts Festival, the largest platform for Chinese performers to showcase their latest creations, opened Monday evening in central China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-national-arts-festival.htm 10/31/2007-- Lunar probe Chang'e I completed its fourth orbital transfer Wednesday afternoon, a critical step in the journey to the moon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-probe-moon.htm 10/30/2007-- The nomination of Gong Li, one of China's most famous actresses, in the country's "Green Chinese" awards in 2007 has drawn criticism. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gong-li-green-chinese.htm 10/29/2007-- The Taipei City Government held yesterday the preliminary round of a beef noodle cooking contest with 44 teams participating. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taipei-beef-noodle-festival.htm 10/24/2007-- "Chang'e", known as the legendary moon goddess in China for thousands of years, has been much talked about these days because of China's launch of its first moon probe"Change-1" on Wednesday evening. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chang-e-chinese.htm 10/23/2007-- China is the world’s biggest mobile market in both user numbers and handset manufacturing, the MII says. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-handset-users.htm 10/22/2007 BEIJING-- Anyone who has ever wondered what sound world champion Liu Xiang makes when he starts a high hurdles race will find out when Chinese composer Tan Dun’s music for the Beijing Olympics is unveiled next year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-composer-soundtrack.htm 10/19/2007-- As a part of the 2007 China-Japan Culture and Sports Exchange Year, the second Chinese Film Festival in Yokohama will be held in the central Japanese port city from Monday, according to organizer. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-film-festival-yokohoma.htm 10/17/2007-- The largest-ever Chinese Olympic contingent of 570 athletes will participate in next year's Beijing Games, sports chief Liu Peng said yesterday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-athletes-olympics.htm 10/17/2007-- A Chinese businessman confirmed to Xinhua on Tuesday that he has bought an artificial island in Dubai for 28 million U.S. dollars. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-island-dubai.htm 10/15/2007 HONG KONG—Kylie Minogue has recorded a duet with Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai that will be included in the Asian edition of the Australian pop diva's upcoming album. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/kylie-minogue-jolin-tsai.htm 10/12/2007 (AP)-- Beijing's air will be clean during the Beijing 2008 Olympics thanks to rules that will keep automobiles off the road during the games and the relocation of factories that cause smog, a top Chinese environmental researcher said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-air-clean-olympics.htm 10/12/2007-- Scientists have successfully completed the first sequence map of the diploid genome of an Asian individual. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-genome.htm 10/10/2007 BEIJING (UPI) -- China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said Wednesday that nearly 2,000 sexually suggestive TV and radio ads will no longer be broadcast. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-sexually-suggestive-ads.htm 10/9/2007-- The Chinese people led by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen succeeded in bringing to a close the Ching Dynasty on October 10, 1911. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-double-ten.htm 10/8/2007-- Chinese graduates are questioning the value of continuing their education for a master's degree. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-masters-degree.htm 10/6/2007 Houston – This fall, Houstonians can get a jump on the 2007-08 winter ski season and give a lift to the MD Anderson Rehabilitation Ski Trip for pediatric cancer patients during the Sun and Ski Sports Pre-Season SKI EXPO http://www.chinatownconnection.com/md-anderson-ski-expo.htm 10/4/2007 HONG KONG -- In the 1970s, Taiwan was the world's third-largest film production territory, making 200-300 films a year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-arthouse-mold.htm 10/3/2007 Houston-- The 2006 U.S. Census Population Estimate for Harris County including Houston is listed below http://www.chinatownconnection.com/harris-county-census.htm 10/2/2007-- For foreign news reporters in Hong Kong, a much- celebrated annual ritual is their Lunar New Year visit to a fung shui master. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/feng-shui-gains-ground.htm 10/1/2007 (MSN)-- The Geneva debut for Brilliance JinBei Automobile was, to be honest, a bit low key for what’s billed as the first Chinese automobile brand to conquer Europe. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-sports-car.htm 9/26/2007 HOUSTON – The Bayou City Art Festival Downtown will take to the streets of downtown Houston October 13-14. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-downtown.htm 9/25/2007-- China has 17 people named Chang E while 32,000 are named Wu Gang according to a survey by a service center in Beijing that offers information about domestic residents' identity card numbers, the Beijing Daily reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mid-autumn-festival.htm 9/24/2007 Beijing - Christian Science Monitor reports that the Chinese authorities are in the midst of an unusually harsh crackdown on the Internet, closing tens of thousands of websites that had allowed visitors to post their opinions, according to bloggers and Internet monitors in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-shutsdown-website.htm 9/21/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - The International Olympic Committee said Friday that negotiations between Taiwan and China on the torch relay route for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games are at a dead end, and the torch will not be coming to Taiwan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-torch-taiwan.htm 9/20/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Local consumers are unlikely to enjoy delicious hairy crabs from China, also known as Dazha crabs, during the Moon Festival on Sept. 25. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-hairy-crab.htm 9/19/2007 Houston- Touched by the city’s hospitality and the reception his photography exhibition received at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Chen Changfen decided the 70 images featured this summer in The Great Wall of China should stay at the MFAH. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chen-changfen-mfah.htm Travel Date: October 20th, 2007 Sat. ~ October 21st, 2007 Sun. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/rose-festival-tyler.htm 9/17/2007 BEIJING (AP) -- An Internet gaming addiction may have claimed a man's life. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-man-dies-gaming-binge.htm 9/14/2007 BEIJING- Houston Rocket Yao Ming slam dunked NBA legend Michael Jordan at a charity auction here, with a pair of the center's shoes fetching nearly 10 times more than a Chicago Bulls jersey. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-slam-dunk-mj.htm 9/13/2007 (AP)-- After a more than a decade of delays, China's tallest building is slicing through Shanghai's hazy, skyscraper-studded skyline a new trophy built by a Japanese property tycoon. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-skyscraper-rent.htm 9/12/2007 (CBS)-- Floating was just about the last thing on Janice Grillo's mind 11 days ago. That's when she had surgery to replace both her knees. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-chi-gong.htm 9/11/2007-- A grand show by college students in Beijing debuted Monday night to promote the Olympic Games to be held next August in this capital city. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-students-olympic-games.htm 9/10/2007 Taiwan (BBC)-- So it is something of a surprise to discover that there is still one place where people live - along Taiwan's sparsely-populated east coast. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-dark-village.htm 9/7/2007 PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A Chinese woman who miscarried twins after federal authorities hustled her into a van and took her to an airport to deport her will be allowed to stay in the United States, an immigration judge has ruled. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-immigrant-mother-asylum.htm 9/6/2007-- On June 23, 2001, Italian opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti - as part of the Three Tenors - lent the considerable weight of his powerful voice in support of Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-fans-mourn-pavarotti.htm 9/5/2007 Taiwan-- Taiwan News Quick Take at ChinatownConnection.com http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-news.htm 9/4/2007 Houston —A unique and powerful photographic and sound installation by Chinese artist Wang Wei currently featured in RED HOT—Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has been given to the museum by the Chaney Family Collection, Peter C. Marzio, MFAH director, announced today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/wang-wei-mfah.htm 9/3/2007 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The traditional Chinese arts of tai chi and qigong may help boost older adults' immune response to the flu vaccine, a preliminary study suggests. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-flu-shot.htm 8/30/2007 Venice (AFP) - Taiwan's Ang Lee, victorious in Venice two years ago with Brokeback Mountain, was back on Thursday, this time with erotic spy thriller Se, Jie. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ang-lee-lust-caution.htm Do you like sudoku games. I like it very much. But sometimes we're boring about some puzzles that we can't solve and no one can help us http://www.chinatownconnection.com/isudoku.htm 8/28/2007 (AP) BEIJING-- Police in China's capital said Tuesday they will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user's browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-virtual-web-patrol.htm 8/27/2007-- A Chinese girl has arrived in Beijing after running more than 3,550km (2,200 miles) from the southern province of Hainan in less than two months. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-girl-8.htm 8/24/2007-- When it comes to Chinese proverbs, Confucius quotes tend to be the most enlightening and entertaining. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/confucius-proverbs.htm 8/22/2007-- In an effort to boost defenses, Taiwan's Cabinet has announced an increase to its military spending. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/breast-bust.htm 8/22/2007-- In an effort to boost defenses, Taiwan's Cabinet has announced an increase to its military spending. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-military-spending.htm 8/21/2007 Houston —With the support of Target, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is enhancing its Family Day program beginning this fall by offering more activities, more time to participate, and free museum admission for everyone every first Sunday of the month. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/museum-fine-arts-houston-family-day.htm 8/21/2007 Tokyo (AFP)-- The head of China Airlines yesterday handed out apologies and cash to passengers who barely escaped a blaze that destroyed one of the Taiwanese carrier's planes on a runway in Japan. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-airline-inferno.htm 8/20/2007 Beijing (AP)-- A bridge being built as a tourist attraction in central China collapsed, killing at least 22 people and leaving 46 missing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bridge-collapse.htm 8/17/2007-- Beijing slammed Chinese instant noodle makers yesterday as being partly to blame for a surge in inflation, saying they illegally colluded to boost prices by up to 40 percent in a scheme that prompted a public outcry. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/noodle-inflation-china.htm 8/16/2007--Many Chinese use instant messenger tools such as MSN or QQ, listen to music on MP3 players and log on the Internet using ADSL - most without knowing the literal Chinese translation of the abbreviations. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/english-invades-chinese-language.htm 8/15/2007--Translation is not an art taught at Hogwarts - but impatient Harry Potter fans in the country posted the Chinese version of the last installment of the series online as fast as the Hogwarts Express. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/harry-potter-translations.htm 8/14/2007--Everybody today is talking all-natural. Everywhere you look you see ads and posters about eating, drinking and living more healthy...yet many fail in their efforts. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/healthy-life-green-tea.htm 8/13/2007 BEIJING (UPI) — Chinese President Hu Jintao has reportedly assured his military it will have higher budgets as the country enjoys double-digit economic growth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-defense-spending.htm 8/12/2007-- About 40 percent of the top students in college entrance examinations have chosen overseas universities for their postgraduate studies, according to a survey. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-students-study-abroad.htm 8/10/2007-- With its reputation as an industrial wasteland, it comes as a surprise to learn that Taiwan is also one of the greenest countries in Asia. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/green-taiwan.htm 8/9/2007 Houston—In what has become the first posthumous retrospective, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will present the complete works of the legendary Italian filmmaker, Michelangelo Antonioni, who died on July 30, 2007 at age 94. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/retrospective-museum-fine-arts-houston.htm 8/7/2007 Houston, TX-Ready to make a creative splash. The Bayou City Art Festival Downtown has announced the call for entries for its third annual Art on Water floating art competition on the City Hall Reflection Pool at Hermann Square. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-bayou-city-art-on-water.htm 8/7/2007-- Yao Ming married his longtime girlfriend at a hotel in his hometown of Shanghai. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-married.htm 8/6/2007-- Tourists fed up with the beach and not interested in golf or tennis are finding a new reason to travel - food. They are going great distances to sample local cheeses, pastries and exotic delicacies. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/top-cities-food-wine.htm 8/3/2007 BEIJING- Still a year away, the Beijing Olympics are poised to be the grandest Games of all. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-2008-olympics-games.htm 8/2/2007 BEIJING-- As US crude oil prices hit new highs near 80 dollars, traders have little reason to fear a slowdown in use from China, India and the Middle East, where cheap fuel is driving half the world’s demand growth. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/barrel-oil-china.htm 8/1/2007 HONG KONG - The official Chinese translation of the final Harry Potter book won't be out for nearly three months, but eager fans have posted their own translations online. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-harry-potter-translations.htm 7/31/2007-- The 2010 Shanghai World Expo, China's next global party after the Olympics, will be going live online. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shanghai-expo-online.htm SAUD BEACH, PHILIPPINES On the northwest coast of Luzon, little-known Saud Beach at Pagudpud is a 2km arc of blindingly pure sand bordered by the blue of the South China Sea. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/top-asian-beaches.htm 7/29/2007-- An English village will soon open its doors in Taipei City to offer children and adults alike an all-English environment. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taipei-english-village-project.htm 7/27/2007-- The organizers of the Venice Film Festival yesterday changed the country of origin for Taiwanese director Lee Ang's new film Se, jie. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ang-lee-film-festival.htm 7/26/2007-- Amid spiraling food costs, Chinese authorities are concerned about a sudden spike in the price of instant noodles – one of the nation's most popular dishes. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/instant-noodles-prices.htm 7/25/2007-- The Beijing Evening News prints one English sentence everyday following government’s order to tutor English to the millions of Chinese citizens. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-tutoring-english-newspaper.htm 7/24/2007 Houston —Opening July 22, 2007, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, RED HOT -- Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection, is a sweeping overview of the spectacular rise of Asian contemporary art over the past decade. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/red-hot-asian-art-houston.htm 7/24/2007 BEIJING (AP) - Coming soon to China: A taste of the taikonaut life. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-astronaut-food.htm 7/23/2007 Taipei, Taiwan-- Officials said that 1,865 discs for Sony and Nintendo consoles it seized last week could sell for NT$2.6 million on the Taiwanese market. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-pirated-wii-discs.htm 7/22/2007-- Taiwan plans to revise school textbooks to drop references that recognize Chinese historical figures, places and artifacts as national, an official said Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-china-textbooks.htm 7/20/2007-- Across the country, something strange is happening. Bookstores are opening for business at 7 o'clock this morning, two hours earlier than usual. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-harry-potter.htm 7/19/2007 BEIJING -- A freelance reporter for a Beijing television station has been detained for faking a hidden camera report about street vendors who used chemical-soaked cardboard to fill meat buns, local media said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-cardboard-buns.htm 7/18/2007-- The latest report from the China Internet Network Information Center shows that as of June 30, 2007, there were 162 million Internet users in China, which made the country rank second in the world next to the United States in terms of Internet population. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet-population.htm 7/17/2007 SHANGHAI, China (AP) — Nike is suing two Chinese shoemakers and the local operations of a French supermarket chain over alleged illegal copying of its Air Jordan logo, local media reported Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nike=china-air-jordan.htm 7/16/2007-- Taiwan's College of Marine Sciences has staged its degree ceremony - underwater. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/underwater-degree-ceremony.htm 7/13/2007 SHANGHAI: A 10-month-old girl survived an eight-story plunge after her drunken father apparently threw her out a window during an argument with his mother-in-law, the Shanghai Daily said on Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-baby-falls.htm 7/12/2007-- The NBA will embark on its biggest promotional event in China when it rolls out a two-on-two competition in 112 cities involving up to 35,000 players. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/nba-two-china.htm 7/12/2007 HANOI (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese people are top of the list when it comes to buying new technology after covering essential living expenses, according to the 1st Half 2007 Nielsen Global On-line Consumer Survey. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/vietnamese-tech-spending.htm 7/10/2007-- The empty lots, the tangle of highways above and below ground, and the power plant may not look like much. But everyone agrees it's prime real estate. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/land-squeeze-chinatowns.htm 7/9/2007-- Xiao Jinpeng, a 22 year-old Chinese man, has been killed by his Motorola mobile phone, the battery of which apparently exploded while in his chest pocket, causing rib fragments to pierce his heart. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/exploding-motorola-phone.htm Houston's Lee Golden Dragon Dance Troupe Wins Silver Trophy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-lee-golden-dragon-lion.htm 7/7/2007-- NTDTV's Chinese Classical Dance Competition's first round showcased a high-caliber field of contestants say competition judges. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-dance-competition.htm 7/6/2007-- Jamie Lynn Donzanti doesn't believe all that stuff about the number seven being lucky, so she's amused at network TV stories about so many couples getting married Saturday because the date is July 7, 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/couples-bet-seven.htm 7/5/2007-- Dell Inc., the world's second-largest computer maker, said Thursday it will soon start selling its laptops and desktops at Asian retail chains and stores. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/dell-computers-asian.htm 7/4/2007 BEIJING -- Villagers in central China dug up a ton of dinosaur bones and boiled them in soup or ground them into powder for traditional medicine, believing they were from flying dragons and had healing powers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-eat-dinosaur-bones.htm 7/3/2007 Houston-- A car in Houston, as well as most cities in the nation, is not strictly a mean of transportation; it is an investment purchase. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-cars.htm 7/2/2007 NEW YORK - The Yankees and Mariners have become the first major league teams to sign Chinese players, so could baseball's version of NBA superstar Yao Ming be on deck. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-baseball.htm 7/1/2007 HONG KONG - Edward Yang, who won best director in 2000 at the Cannes Film Festival and was known for his realistic portrayals of modern Taiwan, has died of complications from colon cancer, a film industry consultant said Sunday. He was 59. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwanese-director-yang.htm 6/29/2007 WASHINGTON -- The list of quality-compromised goods from China grew longer Thursday, as federal authorities slapped a highly unusual hold on shrimp and certain fish from that country after tests showed contamination from potentially harmful drugs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-seafood.htm 6/28/2007 HONG KONG/SINGAPORE-- The number of millionaires in Asia jumped last year, pushing their combined wealth up 10.5 percent to 8.4 trillion, but growth is expected to slow in line with a cooling global economy, a survey shows. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-millionaire-grow.htm 6/27/2007-- A UN agency says humanity will have to undergo a “revolution in thinking” to deal with a doubling of urban populations in Africa and Asia. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-double-population.htm 6/26/2007-- A 22-mile long bridge that its builders claim is the world's longest sea-crossing structure was formally linked-up Tuesday just south of the business hub of Shanghai. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-bridge.htm 6/26/2007 LOS ANGELES — Yi Jianlian (pronounced yee chon-len), the likely top-10 NBA draft pick from China, is billed as the next Yao Ming, but don't be fooled. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-nba-yi.htm 6/25/2007-- There's good news and bad news for Liz Donaldson and Duwayne Suprise on July 7, 2007. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/7-7-07.htm 6/24/2007 Hong Kong (dpa) - China's most famous sportsman, basketball star Yao Ming, is to marry his long-time girlfriend in August, a news report said Saturday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-ming-wedding.htm 6/21/2007 Beijing - No more brightly dyed hair, flashy jewelry or smoking in public for China's police while they're in uniform, state media reported Thursday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-cops-image-makeover.htm 6/21/2007 Bellaire, TX -- Free Child I.D. Kit Day will help kick off the National Night Out community crime prevention program Saturday, August 4, 9 a.m. to noon, at Community National Bank http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bellaire-child-id-kit-day.htm 6/20/2007-- China has started improving the road to Mount Everest on the Tibet side to make the trip to the world’s highest mountain easier for bearers of the Olympic flame, Xinhua news agency reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/mount-everest-highway-olympics.htm 6/19/2007 Houston-- Homes in River Oaks are among the most sought after homes in the city of Houston. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-river-oaks.htm 6/18/2007 BEIJING (AP) - China plans to develop a new generation of carrier rockets with a payload capacity large enough to launch a space station, state media reported Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-rockets.htm 6/16/2007 Sugar Land, TX-- The city of Sugar Land is located on the Gulf Coast of Texas. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/home-sugar-land-texas.htm 6/15/2007-- CHINA has censored part of the latest installment of hit Hollywood movie Pirates of the Caribbean for "vilifying and defacing the Chinese". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/pirates-caribbean-censor-china.htm 6/14/2007 BEIJING - Chinese health foods will no longer be allowed to make exaggerated claims about their effects or have names that are too long, too confusing or "feudal", according to new government rules. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-health-foods.htm 6/13/2007 HOUSTON (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq:MCBI) announced today that MetroBank, N.A., subsidiary of the Company, is introducing the Cash Manager Plus, an online cash management product for its Business Banking customers. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/metrobank-cash-manager-system.htm 6/12/2007 HOUSTON – The Art Colony Association, Inc., producer of Houston’s nationally Top 10-ranked Bayou City Art Festivals, has named Kimberly (Kim) A. Stoilis executive director. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/bayou-city-art-stoilis.htm 6/12/2007 BEIJING (AFP) - With more than a billion people now sharing just 100 surnames, Chinese authorities are considering a landmark move to try to end the confusion, state media reported Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-surname-shortage.htm 6/11/2007 China (Reuters)-- Guiyu is a modern day gold rush town. But instead of panning for gold, workers sift through piles of broken old computer parts, smelting down parts to extract valuable metals like gold and copper. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-e-waste.htm 6/10/2007 LONDON- Asian female-entrepreneurs are generating more wealth than women in any other region of the world, according to a new global survey of 600 wealthy people. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-women-wealth.htm 6/9/2007 TOKYO - A CHINESE man threw two plastic bottles at former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui as he was about to leave Japan on Saturday but both missed and Mr Lee was unhurt, airport police said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-lee-attach.htm 6/8/2007 TAIPEI - Notebook PC makers are stretching the boundaries of light-weight and low-cost computing, rolling out ever slimmer tablet PCs and mass market models costing as little as 200 dollars in their quest to find the next big thing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/laptop-size-price.htm 6/7/2007-- WANG Baoguan burned himself to death while being forcibly evicted from his Beijing home to make way for the city's construction project for the 2008 Olympic Games which China hopes will confirm its status as a global power. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-games-homeless.htm 6/7/2007 Taiwan (UPI)- A 5-year-old girl in Taiwan has died of injuries suffered by falling on a pair of chopsticks that punctured her throat and brain, it was reported Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/girl-fall-chopsticks.htm 6/4/2007 SHANGHAI- Chinese share prices tumbled 8.26 per cent Monday for the sharpest drop in more than three months on concerns the authorities will take more measures to cool a speculative frenzy, dealers said. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-stock-decline.htm 6/2/2007 Houston --“China is a hot spot for business and many Houston companies are doing business there, sending staff over for a week or a month, and some companies are opening offices there. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-community-center-business-china.htm 6/1/2007-- FLYING into Hong Kong is not nearly as exciting as it used to be when your flight took you through the frighteningly narrow corridor between the steel and glass towers of the Kowloon Peninsula to Kai Tak airport. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hong-kong.htm 5/31/2007 BEIJING (AP) - The first panda bred in captivity and released into the wild has died in China after less than a year - the apparent victim of a fall. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/panda-dies-china.htm 5/30/2007 SINGAPORE - AS MISS Japan walked away with the fabled Miss Universe crown, trouble stayed to afflict the famous pageant. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/miss-japan-mori.htm 5/29/2007 Houston-- The Houston CPA Society, a chapter of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, raised 292,475 dollars for accounting student scholarships. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-cpa-society-scholarship.htm 5/29/2007-- Chinese investors should be suspicious of phone calls, online messages and websites touting highly profitable stocks, the Ministry of Public Security warned on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-get-rich-scams.htm 5/29/2007 BEIJING - THE number of registered automobiles in the Chinese capital, rising by more that 1,000 a day, has surpassed three million, according to official media. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-cars.htm 5/25/2007 HOUSTON - The annual Memorial Day service will be held in Houston next Monday at 5 p.m. Guests are invited to Joel Pinson Square and will be greeted by patriotic music performed by the Houston High School band. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-memorial-day-services.htm 5/24/2007 TAIPEI, Taiwan-- The former president of Taiwan's respected National Palace Museum was arrested Thursday on suspicion of corruption. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-palace-museum-arrested.htm 5/23/2007 HONG KONG - Asian stock markets slipped on Thursday after former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned of a "dramatic contraction" in Chinese stocks, fanning concerns about China's red-hot markets. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-markets-greenspan.htm 5/22/2007 ILAN, Taiwan (AP) - Anti-aircraft missiles streaked across a hazy sky Wednesday as Taiwanese forces confronted a simulated invasion from rival China in the island's biggest military exercise of the year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-military-exercise.htm 5/21/2007 Washington, D.C.-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new consolidated Chinese-language Web site as part of its ongoing effort to provide environmental information in English, Spanish and Chinese. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/epa-chinese-website.htm 5/20/2007 Beijing (Xinhua)-- China was 'losing no time' in preparing its first lunar orbiter, Chang'e I, which will most likely be launched in the second half of 2007, a space official said here Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-lunar-probe.htm 5/18/2007 BEIJING- Chinese archaeologists studying ancient rock carvings say they have evidence that modern Chinese script is thousands of years older than previously thought. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-writing-old.htm 5/17/2007-- Chinese police have arrested a corpse trader who killed six women so he could sell their bodies for superstitious "weddings of the dead". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-wedding-of-the-dead.htm 5/16/2007 China (Associated Press)-- Disney's latest China strategy doesn't involve Mickey, Minnie or Goofy. It's all about an enchanted vegetable. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/disney-strike-magic-china.htm 5/15/2007 -- Taiwan Business Hotel Taiwan tycoon to build copy-cat Dubai sail-shaped hotel epa photo to be available Taipei. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-dubai-sail-shaped-hotel.htm 5/14/2007 (AP) BEIJING-A private businessman has been fined 600,000 yuan (US$78,000) for breaking China's strict one child policy, state media reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-one-child-policy.htm 5/13/2007-- Yao Ming couldn’t quite carry his Houston Rockets into the second round of the National Basketball Association playoffs, but the Chinese star plans to carry the 24 Hour Fitness chain into China when it opens its first workout club in Beijing in August. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/yao-fitness-clubs-china.htm 5/11/2007 BEIJING-- China’s April trade surplus more than doubled from March, the government said on Friday, as a purchasing mission on a US tour signed billion-dollar deals in a bid to narrow the yawning trade gap. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-trade-surplus-news.htm 5/10/2007 HONG KONG - Chow Yun-fat's last-minute pullout from John Woo's new Chinese historical epic, "Red Cliff," threatened to split up one of Hong Kong cinema's most famous partnerships. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/woo-chow-yun-fat.htm 5/9/2007-- International character sets such as Chinese and Arabic for domain names are still a year or more away, but one company has developed a workaround allowing Chinese users to send and receive emails in their own language. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinglish-launches-email.htm 5/8/2007 BEIJING (Reuters) - Pop culture offerings in China these days run the gamut from Hollywood blockbusters to domestic versions of "American Idol". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/anxiety-fuel-confucious-craze.htm 5/7/2007-- China is fast becoming the workshop of the world, renowned for its cheap labor and low-cost products. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/low-cost-china.htm 5/5/2007 Houston- Up 2-0 versus the Utah Jazz, most fans thought this year might be the year that the Houston Rockets make it out of the first round of the playoffs. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-rockets-game-7.htm 5/2/2007 Houston-- The 7th annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival will take place Saturday, May 5, 2007 at Allen's Landing. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-dragon-boat.htm 5/2/2007-- The race among the world's cities to build the ultimate record-busting, flat-out tallest skyscraper on the planet is fast and furious. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tallest-skyscraper-race.htm 5/1/2007 TOKYO-- Japan’s first “baby hatch”, where mothers can drop off babies they can’t care for, completed a test-run on Tuesday with a doll, clearing the way for the controversial facility to start operating in about a week. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-hospital-baby-hatch.htm 4/30/2007-- "I get it," the Western man says, speaking heavily accented Chinese. Surrounded by beautiful Chinese women in the video advertisement, he grins with self-satisfaction. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/outgoogling-google.htm 4/29/2007 BEIJING (UPI) -- The Chinese government is launching a new plan to curb the country's population growth, Russia's Interfax News Agency reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-population-growth-curb.htm 4/27/2007 LOS ANGELES-- Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese low-impact mind-body exercise, provided significant health benefits for U.S. adults suffering from tension headaches. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-headaches.htm 4/27/2007-- Chinese tourism authorities are seeking investment to build a novel concept attraction - the world's first "women's town". http://www.chinatownconnection.com/women-town-china.htm 4/26/2007 BEIJING -- In Chinese culture, it is often considered a blessing when it rains - but not on August 8 next year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympics-skies-clear.htm 4/24/2007-- The folks at Sony Pictures almost had a collective coronary today. The studio is denying a Reuters report out of Beijing that pirated DVDs of Spider-Man 3 are already showing up in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/spider-man-3.htm 4/23/2007-- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday launched a campaign to rid the country’s sprawling Internet of “unhealthy” content and make it a springboard for Communist Party doctrine, state television reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-censor-internet.htm 4/22/2007 SHANGHAI, China -- One experimental clean-energy car runs on natural gas. Another uses ethanol distilled from corn. A third has a zero-emissions electric motor powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-alternative-vehicles.htm 4/20/2007 -- Celebrating its 36th year, the 2007 Houston International Festival spotlights China from April 21-22 and 28-29 with art markets and craft demonstrations, interactive exhibits, the return of free Friday lunchtime concerts and plenty of food and fun for all. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinese-wonderland.htm 4/19/2007-- A Chinese couple sued Yahoo and its Chinese affiliates on Wednesday, alleging the internet firms provided information that helped the Chinese government prosecute the man for his internet writings. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-sue-yahoo.htm 4/17/2007-- Chinese weather experts claim to have triggered the first artificial snow showers by releasing tiny particles into clouds over the Tibetan plateau. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-artificial-snowfall.htm 4/17/2007-- All across America, no doubt, non-Korean Asian-Americans are now heaving a sigh of relief. "Asian," after all, was the four-alarm-fire word we saw throughout the day after the shootings that took the lives of 33 people at Virginia Tech. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/asian-massacre-virginia-tech.htm 4/16/2007 JAPAN – As reported by the Taipei Times: "The world's top casino operators are jockeying for a stake in a vast but untapped market as Japan moves closer to an overhaul of its strict gambling laws to lure rich Asian tourists and boost its economy. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-open-door-casinos.htm 4/15/2007 Houston-- This year's Houston Japanese Festival was a huge success. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-japanese-festival-sights-sounds.htm 4/15/2007 Beijing (Xinhua)-- Chinese nationals and foreigners living in China can now book more than seven million tickets available for the 2008 Olympic Games, the organizers said Sunday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-olympic-tickets.htm 4/14/2007-- President Chen Shui-bian yesterday urged the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's presidential hopefuls to stop trading verbal blows with one another. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taiwan-president-chen.htm 4/13/2007 BEIJING (UPI) -- China plans to have more than 500 indigenously-made high speed trains in operation by this year, averaging speeds of up to 155 mph. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-fast-trains.htm 4/12/2007-- GERMANY retained its place as the world's largest exporter in 2006, according to a World Trade Organisation report published today, but China is gaining rapidly and actually surpassed the second placed United States in the latter half of the year. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-no-1.htm 4/11/2007 -- Principal photography on the action epic “The Forbidden Kingdom” will begin on May 2 in China. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/forbidden-kingdom-chan-li.htm 4/9/2007-- You think TV is bad in America, and then you watch it someplace else. For all of its defects, American TV generally has high production values— attractive people to look at, sets and staging that don’t seem homemade—and it is often the place where new ideas get their start, just before they become worldwide clichés. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-reality-show.htm 4/8/2007 SHANGHAI -- Wu Meifen, 33, was seven months pregnant when she saw the short text message. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-women-divorce.htm 4/7/2007 BEIJING — Jackie Chan celebrated his 53rd birthday on Saturday by launching a Chinese TV competition aimed at finding new action talent. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/jackie-chan-kung-fu.htm 4/6/2007-China plans to build 12 new highways linking its northwestern Xinjiang region and Central Asia, state media reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-highway-central-asian.htm 4/5/2007- After years of staying slim on a humble diet of fish, vegetables and rice, Japanese are developing a sweet tooth. That's proving a business opportunity for Krispy Kreme and other chains from the U.S., a nation famous for knowing a thing or two about fattening food. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japan-fast-food-binge.htm 4/4/2007 Beijing - Chinese Internet users are turning to "online tombs" as an easier way to pay respects to deceased relatives and others during an annual festival to honor the dead, state media reported on Wednesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-internet-offerings-dead.htm 4/3/2007 Beijing - A Chinese woman survived a fall from a sixth-floor balcony after she landed on a large pile of excrement dug up by workers clearing a septic tank, state media said on Tuesday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/poo-saves-woman.htm 4/2/2007 HANGZHOU, China (Reuters Life) -- Restaurant chain Hooters Inc., famous for its spicy chicken wings and waitresses in skimpy orange runner shorts, will expand in China by opening two restaurants, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/hooters-china.htm 4/1/2007 -- Three decades ago, fresh from the refugee camp of Vietnam, I was first made acutely aware of my own Asian looks by a schoolyard bully in my junior high. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/china-rich-old.htm 3/30/2007 -- WHEN she reached 50, the retirement age for many women in China, Chen Rui, a career accountant, immediately did what millions of people of her generation have begun doing: She scrambled to find a new job. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/cosmetic-surgery-asians.htm 3/29/2007-- Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art, may give older adults' immune system a boost. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/tai-chi-immune-system.htm 3/28/2007 BEIJING-- The world's tallest man (7ft, 8.95in.), whose search for a bride covered the world, ended up marrying a woman from his home town nearly half his age and more than two feet shorter, Chinese media reported. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-tallest-man-bride.htm 3/27/2007- CHINESE investors are building a 21km concrete dragon to breathe fire into the tourism industry, but some experts have already branded it a cultural gaffe, a newspaper said today. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/concrete-dragon-tourism.htm 3/26/2007 Beijing - Panda breeders in the southern Chinese city of Chengdu are planning to produce souvenirs from panda excrement, the Chengdu Daily reported on Monday. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/paper-panda-poo.htm 3/25/2007 Chinanews, Shanghai - With the rapid economic development of China, more and more Chinese can afford traveling abroad. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/travel-beijingers-shanghainese.htm 3/23/2007 (AP)-- Scientists now think they know what's causing that pet food crisis: rat poison. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/pet-food-poison.htm 3/22/2007 BEIJING -- The Beijing weather bureau apologized to the public on Thursday for making incorrect temperature forecasts for three consecutive days and vowed to improve their accuracy for the 2008 Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-olympics-weather.htm 3/21/2007-- In health, if you're a fan of Chinese food a new study shows you may want to lay off the soy sauce. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-food-soy-sauce.htm 3/20/2007- In a newly released report, The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), the global conservation organization, listed 3 major China rivers are drying out and are threatening severe water shortages. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/drying-rivers-china.htm 3/19/2007 Newsweek - No task is too complex, no detail too small, for organizers of Beijing’s gala coming-out party, the 2008 Summer Olympics. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/olympic-flowers-china.htm 3/18/2007 PARIS — Maybe it simply feeds modern society's obsession with lists and rankings, but more than 2,000 years after ancient Greeks identified the Seven Wonders of the World, millions of people around the globe a