Chinanews, Apr. 18 - In Mandarin, "Sleeping Buddha Temple" sounds similar to the English word "office." This has led to the belief that if one wants a white-collar office job, he should go to the Sleeping Buddha Temple and pray. Recently, the Sleeping Buddha Temple of the Beijing Botanical Garden has been flooded with ambitious college students in addition to those enjoying the spring blossoms.Last weekend, the Beijing Botanical Garden received tens of thousands of visitors, and the Sleeping Buddha Temple was bathed in the smoke of joss sticks and transformed into a sea of bobbing heads. Miss Wang, a philosophy major at a famous college in the Haidian District, seemed optimistic after praying to Buddha. She said that she would graduate this year, but her major has made it difficult to find a good job. She finally admitted that she did not believe in such superstitions, but nevertheless decided to follow her stubborn schoolmates.

Largest Vegetable Patch is New Scenic Spot

The famous Liumingying Ecological Farm which is located in Da Xing has received about one thousand visitors during the first three days of this May Day holidy. [Photo source: liuminying.com.cn] A vegetable patch 10 kilometers has been planted this May Day holiday in Da Xing, on the southern outskirts of Beijing. People in Da Xing have invested 20 million yuan in what will be Beijing's largest vegetable production base. It can produce 273 million kilograms of vegetables per year. It's not only a vegetable patch, but also a new scenic spot for people in the city to relax in.

MBA Graduate Earnings

The Chinese edition of Forbes magazine published the results of a four-year survey on April 11 that found MBA graduates appeared to receive a good return on their investment in education International MBA (BiMBA) graduates from Peking University earned the most among mainland MBA graduates: part-time graduates' annual income averaged 373,000 yuan (US$45,100); full-time graduates' 251,000 yuan (US$30,300).The survey included schools with MBA programs approved by the State Council's Office of Academic Degrees Committee, as well as the China Europe International School and BiMBA, both influential Sino-foreign cooperative projects. It covered 45 schools producing graduates since 2001 (Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business was not included because it did not produce any graduates in the first year) and identified the 15 part-time and 30 full-time MBA programs with the highest investment returns. BiMBA and China Europe International MBA had the highest returns on the Chinese mainland. Graduates' four-year investments of 517,000 yuan (US$62,500) and 437,000 yuan (US$52,800) saw a positive return in 1.7 and 1.4 years respectively.

New Buses to be Put into Use in Beijing

A four-day long event aimed at choosing the capital's new city buses opened it doors at the Beijing Conference Center Wednesday. 56 new bus models from 9 first-class vehicle manufacturers are participating in the bidding war. And it's well worth their while - More than 4000 new buses from the show will be contracted and put into use by the end of this year.A variety of buses are on display, ranging from luxurious to normal models. But what's more important is that all of them match the European emission standard EU3.And the buses are not only eco-friendly, they also have interesting designs. Some of the buses have chairs designed for babies. And some have chair-rests that send off special scents.Transportation experts from various departments are currently grading the buses. Representatives from the public are also offering suggestions and the final results will be released May 1.But the change is only the beginning of larger moves by the capital to update public transport from now until 2008, when an estimated 8000 new buses will be servicing passengers.

Photo Prize Provides Model Education

A Shenzhen woman who won 50,000 yuan (US$6,000) in a national photographic competition donated the prize money to the seven-year-old Tibetan girl featured in the winning photo.The Beijing Youth Daily reported on March 21 that Yuan Wenli had been reunited with Norzin Wangmo at a donation ceremony the previous day.It was held at Wangmo's new school in Hongyuan County, which is in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan Province.Yuan photographed the girl last July despite being unable to communicate with her because of language differences. It won her the prize in January this year, the Shenzhen Economic Daily first reported in early February.The picture was Yuan's first work of photographic art, named Huo ('puzzled' in Chinese), the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily said. The digital camera she used to take it had only been bought the day before her trip.

Cyber love can bring joy, regret and grief

Students of a Ningbo university in east China's Zhejiang Province use the Internet for their study and spend their leisure time surfing the net in this December 24, 2004 photo. [newsphoto] These days, people can become infatuated or "in love" with someone they have never seen or heard. All it takes is a few "deep" online chats before romance is in the air. Welcome to the world of cyber love, which, though it sounds impossible, has been gaining popularity in recent years. The power of Internet has proved strong enough to bring together lovers who have few opportunities to meet in the real world because of distance or even financial barriers. "I found my soul mate online and I am the happiest that I've ever been," Zhang Yan, a girl in her early 20s from Shenzhen, said.

Busy schoolrun needs buses

Thousands of parents are stressed out about their children's transportation problems going back and forth to school in Beijing because of a lack of well-organized school buses and massive traffic jams.A recent survey of 570 parents showed that 97.5 per cent of them could make use of an official school bus. Parents waiting anxiously for their children at the Zhongguancun No 1 Primary School early this month were asked to take part in the survey. Another survey received similar feedback from parents whose children attend Zhongguancun No 3 Primary School. Serious traffic jams occur almost everyday at about 8 am and 4:30 pm at the junction where the two schools are located, just off the north Fourth Ring Road. Both schools are listed among the city's key schools.It is estimated that 1,300 motor vehicles line up in front of the two schools during rush hour everyday, four times more than the available parking spaces.

Home sweet hutong

I remember one day last summer taking a few twists and turns down different alleyways near Beijing's Yonghegong Lamasery in a deliberate attempt at getting lost. Walking down one nameless alleyway, I came upon a small group of people relaxing outside in the heat of Beijing's late summer. As I passed them, I gave a quick smile. They smiled back and asked me to stop and take a seat. The seats seemed an appropriate collection of chairs and stools dredged from those cast out from elsewhere - one an office chair with rolling wheels, another a simple wooden chair, and two stools that swayed when sat upon and stood a chance of collapsing at any moment. With a touch of courtesy, a man about 40 years old offered me the office chair, the choice seat of the group. We lightheartedly struggled a few minutes over who should take the seat.

Online carpooling service well received

A lady is waiting at a carpooling station in front of a residential quarter at Chaoyang District, Beijing. Drivers who live in this residential quarter are happy to take their neighbours to nearby bus stations free of charge. (Photo source: stardaily.com.cn)A web site has been set up to provide information about carpooling, with authorities worrying that it could be a bridge for illegal taxi services. The site, www.chexing.net, has six city branches including Shenzhen.The Southern Metropolitan News said as many as 90 messages were posted each day about carpooling information in Shenzhen. A person in charge of the Web site said posting messages was free of charge, but did not rule out the possibility of charging fees in the future, the newspaper reported. The number of car owners providing carpooling was about three times that of commuters asking for the service, the newspaper said.

Forget Trade, We Want Harry Potter, China's Teenagers Tells Brown

China's young elite at the Beijing Number Four Middle School told Brown that they wanted more Harry Potter memorabilia.It was billed as a chance for Gordon Brown to quiz China's young elite about what they wanted from the future. And he got his answer -- more Harry Potter memorabilia. In a lengthy question-and-answer session at the Beijing Number Four Middle School, Brown, currently on a three-day visit to China, chatted to around a dozen teenage pupils. Asked for their future ambitions, the answers were impressive -- one hoped to be a doctor, another a biologist, others plumping for business leader and journalist. However, when Brown asked what they wanted currently, the answer was more prosaic. "We don't have a Nimbus 2000 broomstick," complained 15-year-old Yin Yuxi, referring to the transport of choice for fictional boy wizard Harry Potter, the creation of British author Joanne "J. K." Rowling. Others chipped in, saying that little of the vast range of tie-in Harry Potter merchandise available to children in Britain was sold in China.

100 Chinese cities lift 10-year firework ban

Fireworks light up the sky over Victoria harbour in Hong Kong. More than 100 Chinese cities have lifted a 10-year ban on fireworks for the Lunar New Year holidays, China's most important holiday. [AFP]Over 100 Chinese cities have lifted a 10-year ban on fireworks for the Lunar New Year holidays, China's most important holiday. More than 200 cities banned fireworks -- considered dangerous, noisy and polluting -- in 1995, ending the cacophony that traditionally erupted nationwide at midnight on Lunar New Year's Eve. But 106 have lifted the ban to bring more "atmosphere" to the holiday, the state's Southern Daily said Friday. Fireworks were widely used on New Year's Day on Wednesday and intermittently during the week-long holiday in major cities like Nanjing, Jinan, Beijing, Taiyuan and Lanzhou, the report said. In Beijing nearly 300 people were injured and one killed in fireworks accidents alone Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, state press reports said. Setting off fireworks is a long-standing tradition in China during the Lunar New Year holiday and based on the belief that the noise keeps evil spirits from passing over into the new year.

Temple fairs hot in Beijing

A Chinese performer performs lion dance at a temple fair in Beijing February 9, 2005. Life in the bustling Chinese capital slows down as people continue to enjoy their annual week-long Spring Festival holiday, welcoming the Year of the Rooster. [newsphoto] Annual temple fairs are reigniting the atmosphere of spring festival in Beijing, residents are rambling in cheer and harmony. The temple fair is a traditional activity during the spring festival which mainly consists of culture show, performances, folk acrobatics and food. Visitors can also pray for peace and happiness in the new year by burning incense.The temple fair in Beijing is divided into different aspects, culture fair at the Summer Palace, a folk-custom fair, a sports fair in Longtanhu Park, and even a foreign fair.

Temple Fair Gets On Spring Festival Wagon

As Spring Festival approaches many fairs will be held around Beijing which combine local and foreign culture and add to the festival atmosphere of the season. The Summer Palace will hold an imperial temple fair, while the Temple of Earth has built a special street for young lovers to celebrate the festival together. If you love animals, you can attend a pet show in the Chinapet Park in the Asian Games Village. You can also go to the Chaoyang Park to watch a Spectacular Parades and many other shows performed by some foreign artists. Any one of these fairs will give you an unforgettable experience of the Chinese New Year. Most of the temple fairs will start from the February 8th - the Chinese Spring festival Eve - and last for about one week till the Lantern Festival.

Lucky Rooster Year beckons

A girl looks at dough figurines at a temple fair in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province February 1, 2005. Various kinds of folk performances attract many people. Temple fair is an important part of Spring Festival celebrations for Chinese people, although it doesn't have to be at temples. People across China, who often consider their country to be shaped like a rooster, are greeting the most lucky and auspicious animal sign this Spring Festival, or the first day of the "Year of the Rooster."The word for "rooster" has the same pronunciation as "luck" in Chinese language and is the 10th in a 12-year rotation on the Chinese lunar calendar that begins with rat and ends with pig. In honor of the incoming lunar new year, the Beijing-based People's Bank of China has issued commemorative coins engraved with new-born chicks. Shanghai saw a two-story-high cock built from 10,000 soda cans. A zoo in southern Shenzhen even held a show displaying more than 1,000 rare pheasants.

A coffee war heats up in China

As in many other markets, Seattle-based Starbucks is the industry Goliath who claims to be the first to introduce the so-called "coffee culture" to fashionable crowds in major Chinese cities.Now, Starbucks' dominance is under challenge by many new comers, including Blenz Coffee from Vancouver, McCafe, an up-market coffee shop from fast food king McDonalds and a host of other foreign and domestic coffee houses. Those who used to complain it was impossible to get a cup of good coffee anywhere in China may soon be spoiled by the number of coffee choices. Just take a look at Oriental Plaza in Beijing. The premium shopping centre is home to three Starbucks Coffee shops, one Blenz Coffee store, one McCafe outlet, and a slew of Hong Kong-style bistros serving coffee alongside Chinese and Western dishes.