China Spring Festival 2013 Holiday Travel Rush Starts

EFT Report, Beijing: The most important Chinese holiday, Spring Festival 2013 will begin from Feb. 10, 2013. The Ministry of Railways forecast the 40-day holiday travel rush, which starts on Jan. 26, will last until March 6.

The Spring Festival, the most important occasion for a family reunion for the Chinese people, falls on the first day of the first month of traditional Chinese lunar calendar, or Feb. 10 this year. The number of passengers would reach 3.407 billion person-time during the Spring Festival 2013 travel, an 8.6% increase year on year. Airlines in China have arranged 25,000 more flights for the passengers. The flights are mainly added in tourist cities and cities with a great number of migrant workers.

China Spring Festival 2013 Travel Rush

The tickets for the upcoming Spring Festival rush period can be purchased at ticket offices and agencies since Jan. 9.

The Chinese New Year is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals with a one week public holiday.

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Li Na Beat Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 to Reach Australian Open Women Final

EFT Report, Melbourne: 2011 runner-up China’s Li Na thrashed Russian world number two Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour 33 minutes on January 24, 2013 to reach her second Australian Open’s women final.

The 30-year-old Chinese will meet the winner of the second semi-final match between world number one and defending champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and American 19-year-old Sloane Stephens, who defeated Serena Williams in the Quarters.

Li Na is the first tennis player from China to win a singles Grand Slam, wining the 2011 French Open title.

Li Na Beat Sharapova 6-2, 6-2

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World's Longest High-Speed Rail Line Debuts in China

The world's longest high-speed rail line, which spans over half of China, began operational on Dec. 26, 2012.

Two trains departed from stations in Beijing and Guangzhou at 9 am and 10 am, respectively, to mark the opening of the 2,298-km line.

Running at an average speed of 300 km per hour, the new route cuts the travel time between Beijing and the southern metropolis from more than 20 hours to around eight.

A total of 155 pairs of trains will run on the new line each day, and alternative schedules have been made for weekends and peak travel times.

With the opening of the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed line, China now has more than 9,300 km of high-speed railways in operation.

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Beijing Book Fair 2013 From Jan. 1; Over 650 Publishers to Participate

The 2013 Beijing Book Fair will open on Jan. 11, 2013 featuring 500,000 books by over 650 publishers, including more than 60 overseas publishers including from India.

More than 3,500 book stores and government procurement agencies from both home and abroad will also attend the fair.

Nearly 40 purchasers are from outside the Chinese mainland, including the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, Canada, India, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The fair will be staged in an exhibition venue of 50,410 square meters in the China International Exhibition Center.

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Twilight Star Elizabeth Reaser Flashes Her Bare Asset

Just days after Anne Hathaway was photographed exiting her car in a "compromising" position, Twilight star Elizabeth Reaser, who plays the matriarch in the hit series "Twilight," followed suit.

Wearing a sequined mini-dress during a press conference for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" in Hong Kong, the actress accidentally showed a little too much, and was embarrassed, but quickly laughed it off.

The 37 year old star, who plays Esme Cullen in "Twilight," appeared at the event with co-star Jamie Campbell-Bower.

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Chinese Yao Defen, World’s Tallest Woman, Dies

Yao Defen, who stood at a gigantic 7 feet 8 inches (2.36m) and was regarded as the world tallest woman, has died on November 13 due to a tumor on her pituitary gland in her home town of Zhucheng, eastern China at the age of 40, news report from China said.

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China’s Broad Group to Build World's Tallest Skyscraper 'Sky City' in 90 Days

Chinese construction company Broad Group is all set to build the world's tallest skyscraper named ‘Sky City’ that will have 220-floors standing at an incredible 2,749ft in just three months in Changsha, south-east China. Sky City will be a mini town with hotels, hospitals, 5 schools and office space and will be home to over 17,400 people when completed.

Sky City is expected to cost £400 million but is still waiting for the final approval from the Chinese government. The project is expected to start by this December end and completed by April 2013.

When completed, Sky City will be 32ft taller than the current world tallest building Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which has 163 floors.

Broad Group will employ 3,000 workers for the project.

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EPL: West Ham to Bid for Unsettled Shanghai Striker Anelka

In a shocking event that will rock the footballing world, newly promoted EPL side West Ham United FC are already in talks to sign Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua striker Nicolas Anelka.

The 33-year-old French striker left Chelsea FC to join the Chinese side after falling out with the Stamford Bridge management early this January.

Anelka, who has a lucrative £250,000-a-week with Shanghai Shenhua, has played under current Hammers boss Sam Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers (2006-2008).

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China's Mo Yan Wins 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature

Chinese writer Mo Yan won the 2012 Nobel prize for literature on Oct. 11, 2012 for works which combine "hallucinatory realism" with folk tales, history and contemporary life grounded in his native land.

The prize, awarded by the Swedish Academy, is worth 8 million crowns.

Mo, who grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in the northeast of China and whose parents were farmers, sets his works mainly in China.

Mo is best known in the West for "Red Sorghum," which portrayed the hardships endured by farmers in the early years of communist rule. His titles also include "Big Breasts and Wide Hips" and "The Republic of Wine."

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Chinese Club Shanghai Shenhua to Lure Chelsea’s Lampard With £250K Pay-a-Week

Chinese Club Shanghai Shenhua is all set to offer Chelsea’s midfielder Frank Lampard, who will be a free agent next summer, a £250,000 a week contract to come play in the Chinese Super League.

The 34-year-old English playmaker has spent 11 years at Stamford Bridge and his current contract expires this coming summer.

According to Reports, MLS’s LA Galaxy is also monitoring Lampard situation, as they want him to be the eventual successor of 38-year-old David Beckham.

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Roger Federer Gets Death Threat

Tennis ace and World No. 1 Roger Federer, who is currently in China for the Shanghai Masters, security has been stepped-up after getting a death threat.

An unknown blogger under the name 'Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07' posted, "On October 6, I plan to assassinate Federer for the purpose of tennis extermination," on a Federer fan site along with a gruesome image of a decapitated Federer. Shanghai police said the threat is being investigated.

The 31-year-old Swiss player will take on Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters on October 7.

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17th Busan Film Fest Kicks off; Over 300 Films to be Screened

The 17th edition of Busan International Film Festival kicked off in style with a glamorous red carpet ceremony in South Korea's southern port city of Busan. The 10-day film fest will feature 304 movies from 75 countries.

Many international stars were seen at the opening ceremony on Oct. 4, 2012 at one of the largest cinematic events in Asia.

Chinese actresses Cecelia Cheung and Tang Wei made an appearance.

The star-studded cast of Hong Kong police thriller "Cold War," including Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai, also walked the red carpet.

The competition section offers two prizes of $30,000.

This year's line-up includes "Comrade Kim Goes Flying," a romantic comedy shot in North Korea, and six classic Afghan movies saved from the Taliban by the Afghanistan National Film Archive.

The event will close with the world premiere of "Television," a satirical drama directed by Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.

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EKEN Unveils Budget Android Tablets in India at Rs 6,900

Hong Kong based Tablet PC maker EKEN Electronics launched its Android tablets in India on Oct. 4, 2012. EKEN unveiled its Android tablets under the brand name of ’EKEN Leopard’ with a price range of Rs 6,900–11,999.

The company has tied up with Kerala based Aldous Glare Trade & Exports (AGTE) for an exclusive national distribution of entire range of EKEN tablets in India.

EKEN Leopard Tablet PCs are Android tablets which support Google play store, which has five lakh plus applications suitable for all the needs of the customers. All models come with eight GB internal storage.

EKEN has a 1.3 mega pixel front camera for video calling.

It has 7 inch, 8 inch, 9.7 inch size and 3G and GPS models are available. The tablet has 1080P HD video play back capabilities, while it gets data support through Wi-Fi and 3G dongle. EKEN tablets support 32 GB of additional memory with the onboard SD card slot for expansion. It comes in sleek and slim design and weighs only 230 grams.

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Chinese Firm Huawei to Invest $2 Billion in Britain

China's telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies has planned to invest 1.3 billion British pounds ($2 billion) to expand its operation in Britain in the next five years and the move is expected to create up to 700 new jobs.

Huawei's Chief Executive Ren Zhengfei revealed the investment plan on Sept. 11 when he met British Prime Minister David Cameron.

He said that Britain is an open market, which welcomes overseas investment.

He said Britain is "one of the most important European markets in which Huawei has invested".

Prime Minister Cameron said the investment demonstrated that Britain is "open for business."

"I want to see more companies to invest in the UK as we work to achieve sustainable and balanced growth within our economy," Cameron said.

"The British government values the important relationship with China, both countries have much to offer each other and the business environment we are creating in the UK allows us to maximize this potential."

Huawei, founded in 1987, is the world's second-largest telecom equipment maker. It employs over 800 people in Britain.

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Huawei to Invest $150-Million in Bangalore R&D Centre

Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei will invest $150 million in its research and development (R&D) centre coming up in Bangalore.

The centre, being built over one million sq feet can seat about 4,000 people, according to the company whose revenues were at $32 billion in 2011.

Huawei officials did not give out specific hiring plans, but said that they would pick up telecom engineers and networking specialists whenever there was a need. The development centre will cater to Huawei’s enterprise, telecom operators and cellphone business segments. Scott Sykes, Vice-President, Corporate Media Affairs, Huawei Technologies, told Business Line: “We see demand coming from 4G rollout in India, and the centre will work on our NextGen smartphone handsets.”

Last year, Huawei started making smartphones and, according to company officials, has sold 60 million smartphones till date. The India centre will work on technologies that can increase battery life in smartphones. This is because the battery life of most handsets in the market last not more than a day.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, Huawei launched its slimmest smartphone at 6.68mm weighing about 110 gm.

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Lenovo Launches New Generation Laptops in New York

Chinese PC giant Lenovo has unveiled a new generation of light-weight ThinkPads at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In an event to celebrate its 20th anniversary since its founding, Lenovo showcased the ThinkPad X 1 Carbon, which weighs less than three pounds.

The computer, which will go on market later this month, also features an eight-hour-long battery life and 3G mobile broadband technology.

Headquartered in Beijing and North Carolina, Lenovo has a revenue of about $30 billion and runs business in 160 countries.

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Citigroup Launches Investment Banking JV With China’s Orient Securities

Citigroup Inc. has finally gained access to China's fast-growing capital market with the launch of an investment banking joint venture in the country on Monday, Aug. 6, 2012.

The joint venture with Shanghai-based Orient Securities Co. will allow the US bank to engage in equity and debt securities underwriting in mainland China, Citigroup said in a statement.

Citi Orient Securities Co. has a registered capital of 800 million yuan (US$126 million), with Citigroup holding a 33.3% share in the venture, the regulatory ceiling for a foreign firm's stake in investment banking business in China.

Stephen Bird, chief executive of Citi Asia Pacific, said the joint venture aims to be a leading investment bank in China, capitalizing on Orient Securities' deep local network as well as Citi's global network and client base.

The move is a major step forward for Citigroup in China, one of the most important markets for the US bank as it aims to keep pace with global rivals such as UBS AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, which have set up similar investment banking ventures in China in the past few years.

Orient Securities, established in 1998, operates about 60 securities branches and is indirectly owned by the Shanghai government. Its businesses include securities underwriting, brokerage services, securities trading, asset management and commodities futures in China.

Data from Securities Association of China show that Orient Securities ranks 12th in China's securities industry in terms of assets.

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Olympic Badminton: Saina Loses to Wang Yihan in Semis

India's Saina Nehwal went down to world champion Wang Yihan of China in the women's singles semi-finals of the London Olympics badminton event in London on Aug. 3, 2012.

Saina, the first Indian shuttler to reach the Olympics semi-finals, lost 13–21, 13–21 at the Wembley Arena.

The fourth seed will now play for the bronze medal on Aug. 4 against the other losing semi-finalist.

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China's Lu Breaks Weightlifting Records, Lifts Olympic Gold

China's Lu Xiaojun broke two of his own world records as he took the Olympic gold in the men's 77 kg weightlifting category in London.

Lu Xiaojun headed the field with a world record total of 379 kg, one more than his previous world best, and Aug. 3 set a separate world record of 175 kg in the snatch part of the event, beating his own record of 174 kg.

He achieved the overall record with a clean and jerk lift of 204 kg, which he managed on his last lift despite sinking into a squat with the massive weight above his head before completing the lift.

His compatriot Lu Haoije managed a total of 360 kg to give China a one-two finish, despite injuring his left arm during the competition.

Bronze went to Cuba's Ivan Cambar Rodriguez, who managed a total of 349 kg before watching his two main rivals for third place failing to make their lifts.

Thailand's Chatuphum Chinnawong twice managed to lift the 195 kg weight he needed for bronze above his head in the clean and jerk, but failed to manage a legal lift, while Egyptian lifter Ibrahim Ramadan Ibrahim's failure at 197 kg was enough to guarantee Cambar Rodriguez a bronze.

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Olympic Gymnastics: China Win Gold, Japan Silver

A dazzling all-round performance led by Zou Kai powered defending champions China to the team gold in the artistic gymnastics in London at the Olympics on July 31, 2012.

China won with 275.997 points. In a controversial decision, Japan won the silver in a dramatic last-ditch appeal on 271.952 points while Great Britain took bronze with 271.711.

China went into the last rotation nearly three points ahead, and strong pommel horse routines from Chen Yibing, Guo Weiyang and Zhang Chenglong dispelled any doubts about them.

Zou, 2008 Beijing Olympics champion in the floor and the horizontal bar, put in near flawless performances on the same apparatus to put his team firmly on course to victory.

But the main drama of the evening came on the final rotation, when Japan only needed two average scores on the pommel horse for silver.

After one gymnast slipped, Kohei Uchimura fell on the dismount to allow — initially — the British into second and Ukraine into third.

The Japanese, led by brothers Yusuke and Kazuhito Tanaka, headed the competition early on before China clicked into gear.

Max Whitlock, Daniel Purvis and Kristian Thomas put Britain in a position for silver with scores of 15.166, 15.533 and 15.433 scores on the floor.

They thought they had the bronze in the bag when it turned out they had outscored Ukraine, who hit 15.33, 15.233 and 15.433 through Oleg Stepko, Mykola Kuksenkov and Igor Radivilov.

But the judges took their time in scoring Uchimura, after which it emerged Britain had done enough for silver.

Later the Japanese coaching staff appealed, arguing Uchimura had been penalized incorrectly for failing to dismount entirely, rather than a poor dismount. The judges agreed, returning the 0.5 points the Japanese needed for second place, pushing Britain for the bronze and Ukraine off the podium.

For obvious reasons, the Ukrainians weren't happy.

The British, meanwhile, were ecstatic with winning a medal, even though it was relegated to bronze at the death.

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