The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Paul James with you this Tuesday, May 27, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
The Chinese government is refuting new Vietnamese claims to the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea.
New localized anti-terrorism groups are being established in different parts of this country.
Electoral officials in Ukraine have confirmed a candy magnate is going to be the country's next President.
In Business, the SME board in Shenzhen has celebrated its 10th birthday today.
In sports, Li Na has been given a bit of scare to open up her French Open campaign.
And in entertainment, a popular Chinese singer has been given significant jail time for drug use.
First, a check on what's happening on the weather front....
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 19 degrees. Sunny tomorrow with a high of 36.
Shanghai will also have clear skies throughout the night, with a low of 23. Another hot day forecast for Shanghai tomorrow, with highs of 34.
Chongqing is overcast this evening, with lows dipping down to around 20. Chongqing will be cloudy tomorrow as well, but with highs toward 30.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
A very hot day forecast for Islamabad, Pakistan tomorrow, with sunshine and a high of 37.
Kabul will be overcast, with highs around 30.
Down in Australia
Sydney will have sunshine tomorrow with a high of 23.
Canberra will be overcast, with highs of only 14.
Brisbane will also be overcast, but much warmer, with highs of 28.
And finally, Perth will also be overcast, with a high of 19.
Top News
China refutes Vietnamese comments on Xisha Islands
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a new statement, refuting comments from the Vietnamese government about China's sovergnty over the Xisha Islands.
Vietnamese authorities have issued a statement, claiming the islands are Vienamese territory.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang.
"Before the 1970s, Vietnam acknowledged and respected China's sovereignty over the islands. In 1956, the head of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry made it clear that Xisha Islands are Chinese territory. For a long period of time, in its official documents, maps and textbooks, the country admitted the Xisha Islands are part of China. "
Vietnam recognized China's control of the Xisha Islands until Vietnam was fully united, then backed away from the earlier statements in 1975.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government is expressing its disappointment with the sentences handed down this week to the first of some 700 people facing prosecution in connection with this month's anti-China riots.
The Foreign Ministry's Qin Gang.
"We have noticed that two people were sentenced in Vietnam, but we do not think the punishment is enough. We are urging Vietnam to conduct a thorough investigation into the riots, severely punish the criminals based on the law, while compensating affected people and companies for their losses."
At least 2 Chinese nationals were killed and over 100 others injured in the violence, which broke out in connection with a dispute over the sovergnty over the Xisha Islands.
Anti-terrorism leading groups being established nationwide in China
Anchor
New anti-terrorism working groups are being set up in different places across China as part of the government's new year-long crackdown on terrorism.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter
The localized anti-terrorism working groups are now being established on the provincial levels in places such as Guangdong, Yunnan and Jiangxi, among others.
This follows directives from the central government's anti-terrorism group, which was established last August.
Fu Xiaoqiang is with The China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
"At the bequest of the central government, local governments are being told to pay more attention to anti-terrorism work. At the district level, these groups will be helpful in implementing the central government's anti-terrorism policies. They will also help suppress potential terrorist activities."
There have been a number of deadly terrorist attacks which have hit different areas of China in recent months, including Urumqi, Kunming and Beijing.
Li Wei is also a professor from the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
"Given the current security situation, it's urgent we strengthen anti-terrorism campaigns across the country. Anti-terrorism programs should be highly visible, which people can see and count on. And if there's a terrorist incident, our counter-terrorism teams should be mobilized quickly to minimize injuries and deaths."
Large-scale anti-terrorism drills are already being carried out.
One held in Sichuan's capital Chengdu has seen a team of nearly 400 armed police officers, patrol officers and firefighters take part in drills.
The training has covered events including bombings, highjackings, arsons or other violent terrorist attacks.
Professor Fu Xiaoqiang says setting up more localized anti-terrorism working groups is the right way to go.
"Local anti-terrorism leading groups can help strengthen the coordination of anti-terrorism work on a national level. It will help with both intelligence gathering and emergency responses. Localized anti-terror groups will help push forward the national fight against terrorism."
The latest terrorist attack here in China saw attackers roll through an open-air market in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi in vehicles, plowing through crowds while throwing out explosives.
The attackers then blew up their vehicles.
In the end, 31 people were killed and over 90 others injured.
The attack comes on the heels of deadly assaults by terrorists on train stations in Urumqi and Kunming, as well as a deadly vehicle attack on crowds in front of Tian'anmen Square in Beijing in October.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
China Publishes Report on US Surveillance on World
ANCHOR
A Chinese think tank has issued a new report, critical of the United States' intelligence gathering around the world.
The details from CRI's Xie Zhao.
REPORTER
The report, titled "The United States' Global Surveillance Record," says the US has taken advantage of its political, economic, military and technological strengths to spy without restraint on other countries, including its allies.
The report also contends US surveillance activities have gone "far beyond the legal rationale of 'anti-terrorism.'
Xu Longdi is a researcher of the China Institute of International Studies.
"The United States' massive surveillance on government leaders and individuals around the world is going really far beyond people's expectations. It weakens the strategic mutual trust between nations and breaks the privacy rights of individuals."
The report is focused on information revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about the so-called PRISM program.
An investigation carried out by various Chinese government departments has confirmed the secret surveillance targeted Chinese leaders, scientific research institutes, colleges and companies.
Xu Longdi again.
"Compared with other countries, the U.S has conducted unprecedented surveillance in terms of its degree and scope, covering political intelligence, economic information and military intelligence."
According to the report, US spying activities has included the collection of nearly 5 billion phone calls worldwide every day, along with hacking into Yahoo and Google data centers to collect information from hundreds of millions of account holders.
Li Xiaodong, executive director of the China Internet Network Information Center, says the internet hacking element of US spying goes against international norms.
"Countries with strong advantages on the Internet should be showing self-restraint and helping disadvantaged countries. Like traditional economic norms, a balance needs to be set up between national interests and security so there can be sustainable development."
The new report on US spying activities has been published by China's Internet Media Research Center.
For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao.
Chemical weapon inspectors kidnapped in Syria
A group of chemical weapons inspectors in Syria have reportedly been kidnapped.
Eleven members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have reportedly been snatched by unknown forces in central Syria.
So far no group has claimed responsibility.
But the Syrian government is pointing the finger at rebel groups in the region.
The OPCW has been overseeing the final destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles.
The organization has been trying to access the last of the chemical weapons stockpiles which have been stuck behind battle lines.
Bangkok residents have mixed feelings on military takeover
Thousands of Thai farmers have marched to an army base on the outskirts of Bangkok, showing their support for the current military government's decision to pay them for the previous civilian government's disasterous rice subsidy scheme.
General Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered the Thai Finance ministry to secure billions of dollars to pay out what the farmers are owed via the failed scheme.
The subsidy program collapsed amid wide-spread corruption and waste.
It cost Thailand its position as the world's largest rice exporter, as the high prices forced the government to stockpile rice supplies.
But the program itself was politically popular for now-ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Meanwhile, life on the streets of Bangkok remain calm, a day after General Prayuth received royal endorsement to take over as the leader of the military junta which will control Thailand in the interim.
Still, there are mixed reactions to the sudden takeover by the military.
"I don't really have much hope because, in the end, no coups in the past have succeeded in governing the country,"
"I do have faith in (Army chief) Prayuth Chan-ocha because at this minute, democracy was not able to move on from what we've seen. There's both the supporting and anti-coup protests. I wish the soldiers, those in power, will step in to help dissolve the conflict in Thailand."
Despite several military takeovers in Thailand over the years, the politically-powerful Thai army has always handed back control to civilian authorities.
Ukraine new president says no negotiation with armed opposition
Anchor
Electoral officials have confirmed candy tycoon Petro Poroshenko is going to be Ukraine's new President.
The results come amid continued fighting in the eastern regions of the country.
CRI's Ding lulu has more.
Reporter
Heavy fighting is reportedly taking place at the airport in the embattled eastern Ukranian city of Donestk.
Reports from the ground are suggesting fighter jets are involved in the clashes between Ukranian security forces and armed anti-government activists.
The fresh round of fighting comes with confirmation that confectionary tycoon Petro Poroshenko has won an outright victory in Sunday's presidential election.
The Ukrainian electoral commission has announced that the 48-year-old won in the first round.
Mykhaylo Okhendovsky is the chairman of central election commission.
"Already at this point we can make a very important conclusion - there is no need for a second round of voting. The new president of Ukraine was elected on May 25th, 2014. After all the necessary legal procedures are completed, presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko will become the new president."
Authorities say with 70 percent of the vote counted, Poroshenko has over 53 percent of the vote, followed by ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko with 13 percent.
As the president-elect, Poroshenko has promised to quickly bring the crisis in his country to an end.
"Very soon we will see more effectiveness in the anti-terrorist operation. The anti-terrorist operation cannot and will not take two or three months, it should take hours."
Meanwhile, Poroshenko says Kiev will address the concerns of local in eastern regions and provide assurances on people' rights, including the use of the Russian language on an official level.
The largely Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence after Crimea joined Russia in March.
Previously, Kiev and Moscow blamed each other for the unrest in the regions.
On the relationship with Russia, Poroshenko expresses he will meet Russian leaders in the first half of June, adding that restoring stability in the eastern region will require Moscow's involvement.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia will respect the will of the Ukrainian people and is ready for talks with Poroshenko.
"We constantly call for real dialogue between those who hold power in Kiev and all Ukraine's regions. We are convinced that this is key to the resolution of the deepest crisis of the Ukrainian statehood that we have seen. As the president Putin said a few times, we are ready for dialogue with Kiev representatives, we are also ready for dialogue with Petro Poroshenko."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also says China respects the Ukrainian people's choice in the election and hopes that all sides can settle the crisis through political dialogue.
The election comes three months after former President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev amid street protests calling for closer ties with the EU.
The inauguration of the new Ukrainian president is expected in mid-June.
For CRI, I'm Ding Lulu.
Egyptians vote on last presidential poll day
Egyptians are casting their votes on the final day of the two-day presidential elections.
The vote is meant to fill the position left vacant after the ouster of Mohammed Morsi last year.
Ex-military chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who led Morsi's overthrow, is widely expected to win the election.
Sisi's supporters are casting him as the man who can end years of political turmoil and bring an end to the country's economic crisis.
"(I voted for Sisi) .. first of all for stability and security, and also he spoke about his program in specifics. And my opinion is that he has good ideas, regardless of what the circumstances may be."
"I hope that Sisi puts our young people to work, because we have children who graduate with no positions. We want to him open up the work opportunities and start projects for the young people, because people are fed up, to be honest, after those two leaders, Morsi and Mubarak, who finished off the country."
Egypt's economy has been crippled by the political instability and unrest which has been gripping the country since the fall of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.
Inmarsat "raw data" released for public consumption
British satellite firm Inmarsat has released its "raw data" used to determine the path of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The move comes amid mounting calls from the passengers' relatives for more transparency.
The information is now on the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation's website, including instructions on how to read the data.
Imarsat is the company which invented the data tracking software on the Rolls Royce engines.
Even though the plane had its transponder turned off, the Imarsat data was still being transmitted.
The data has led authorities to conclude MH370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean about 7-hours after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on an intended flight to Beijing.
The flight, with 239 passengers and crew onboard, disappeared on March 8th.
So far no trace of the plane has been discovered.
"Zongzi World Cup" for foreigners held in Guangzhou
Dozens of foreign people from as far away as Norway, Great Britain and the United States have taken part in a "Zongzi World Cup" competition in South China's Guangzhou city.
Zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling, is a traditional snack in China made to help celebrate the dragon boat festival.
Before the contest, the foreign participants underwent a quick training course.
Dong Heng is one of the trainers.
"When making Zongzi, the process of selecting the rice and leaves is very important, because the two are the main raw ingredients. In the Cantonese style of making Zongzi, we choose winter leaves and fresh bamboo leaves from Zhaoqing. Because both leaves are large and green, they excentuate the fragrance of the Zongzi."
For those who took part, the event is considered a chance to absorb some Chinese culture.
"Today is a great day for me. Participating in this cookery contest I can say it just became my habit…every Saturday someway in different classes and cooking Chinese..i can say after two years I can be a really really proficient Cinese kitchen."
This year's dragon boat festival falls on June 2nd.
Biz Reports
Chinese shares closed lower today, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down nearly as third of a percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index dipped by a fraction of a percent.
In Hong Kong, The benchmark Hang Seng Index ended almost flat.
Japan's Nikkei rose today, extending gains into a fourth day as recent upbeat Chinese and U.S. data continued to lift investors' risk appetites.
The Nikkei added 0.2 percent, a fresh seven-week high.
Elsewhere in the region,
South Korea's KOSPI dropped more than half a percent.
Singapore's Straits Times closed down a third of a percent.
And finally, Australia's ASX ended flat.
China's SME board's 10th anniversary
Anchor:
China's SME board, a sub-index on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, designed for the listing of small and medium-sized enterprises, has marked the 10th anniversary of its launch today.
More than 700 companies with a combined market value nearly 4 trillion yuan are now listed on the SME.
The board's market capitalization now accounts for over 40 percent of the total market value of all the listed companies on the Shenzhen exchange.
For more on the SME board, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.
(Call-in with Gao Shang)
Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures, speaking with The Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham.
New targets for energy-saving and emission-reduction proposed
Chinese authorities have proposed new targets for energy-saving and emission-reductions for this year and next.
The new targets include energy consumption per unit of GDP down by some 4 percent, and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP down by over 3.5 percent annually.
Xu Shaoshi is with the National Development and Reform Commission.
"Last year we did a mid-term evaluation on the implementation of the "12th Five-Year" plan as to the energy saving and emission reduction aspects, but the results came out not ideal. For the first three years starting from 2011, the national energy intensity has dropped by 9 percent, Nitrogen oxide emissions have declined by 2 percent, and only 54 percent and 20 percent of the five-year mandates have been completed respectively. And those are far away from the 60 percent requirements of the goal."
Xu Shaoshi also says they're looking for new institutional solutions to better conserve energy.
"First, it is urgent to finish the assessment of the targets for carbon-saving. Secondly, the assessment results should be made good use of. Those results will be an important part of local governments' performance evaluation. And the results will be open to the public for scrutiny."
The State Council has also issued action plans for low-carbon development for this year and next.
ECB president warns Eurozone at risk of "negative spiral"
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi says the Eurozone is at risk of a "negative spiral."
Draghi has made the comments at an ECB forum in Portugal.
The ECB forum is designed to try to come up with answers as to how to recover from low inflation threatening the Eurozone.
The eurozone's economy has lost momentum so far this year, growing just 0.2 percent, much lower than what many economists had predicted.
Japan's net external assets hit record 3.19 tln USD at end of 2015
Net external assets held by Japan have hit a record 3.2-trillion U. S. dollars as of end of last year.
Japan's Finance Ministry says this is a nearly 10-percent increase from the previous year.
Japan has been the world's largest holder of overseas net assets for 23 consecutive years, ahead of both China and Germany.
Bitcoin exchange opening for business in Denmark
Denmark's first exchange for virtual currencies is scheduled to open next week.
The exchange will allow customers around the world to trade the computer-generated bitcoin and litecoin for Danish and Norwegian kroner, pounds, dollars and euros.
Bitcoin trading has been criticized for not only its volitility, but also that the virtual currency can be used to make illicit purchases.
Other digital exchanges have already collapsed or have been hacked, leading to security concerns about digital currencies.
Chinese regulators have decided not to allow this country's banking system to involve itself in digital currencies.
Foxconn to buy $390 million stake in Taiwan telecom operator in 4G push
Foxconn has announced its buying a stake in a major telecom provider on Taiwan.
The electronics manufacturer is going to spend around 390-million US dollars for a stake in Asia Pacific.
The move by Foxconn should allow it to expand its presence in the fledgling 4G market on Taiwan.
The deal comes as Foxconn continues branching out into new areas, including software and cloud computing, in addition to 4G services.
Foxconn already has the rights to one 4G license on Taiwan's 4G network, which is expected to be operational later this year.
Foxconn, a major employer here on the mainland, has made its name as the lead manufacturer of many of Apple's products.
Lloyds to launch TSB IPO
The UK's Lloyds Banking Group is going to list its internet banking unit on the London Stock Exchange later next month.
The move is part of a deal Lloyds entered into in 2009 to get a UK government bailout.
Its been ordered by the European Union to sell over 600 of its retail branches.
Lloyds, the 7th largest bank in Britian, is 25-percent owned by the U.K. government.
China's foreign companies pay top salaries
New analysis from the National Bureau of Statistics is showing that people here in China who work for foreign-invested companies earned the highest sallaries last year.
Foreign companies are paying an average annual salary of some 61-thousand yuan or 10-thousand U.S. dollars, to their employees, topping all other types of companies.
State-owned companies are paying the second highest at 57-thousand yuan per year.
Companies with investments from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan rank third.
The NBS tracked 870-thousand companies in 16 different sectors as part of the survey.
The average salary of all the companies tracked is around 46-thousand yuan per year.
Headline News
China refutes Xisha Island claims by Vietnam
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a new statement, refuting comments from the Vietnamese government about China's sovergnty over the Xisha Islands.
Vietnamese authorities have stated another claim over the islands.
The Chinese side has since responded, noting the government of Vietnam has recognized China's sovergnty over the islands in the past.
Vietnam recognized China's control of the Xisha Islands until Vietnam was fully united, then backed away from the earlier statements in 1975.
Clash at Donetsk airport kills dozens: insurgents
Separatists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk say at least 30 of their fighters have been killed while trying to take over the airport.
Ukrainian government troops responded with air attacks as part of the fighting.
The Ukranian government is now claiming its in control of the airport.
Ukraine's new President Petro Poroshenko has vowed to continue what he calls "anti-terrorist operations" in the east.
Thai minister detained, blasting military takeover
Thai soldiers have detained a prominent minister in the ousted government who emerged from hiding to criticize last week's military takeover of the government.
Shortly before being detained, former education minister Chaturon Chaisang says the military's move will lead to a disaster for the country.
But he also said he had no intention of going underground or mobilizing resistance.
On Monday the military consolidated its legal hold on the country after receiving royal endorsement.
Indian, Pakistani PMs meet
India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held landmark talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his first day in office.
Indian media say Modi raised the issue of terrorism and the 2008 Mumbai attacks during the talks, which were previously assumed to be focused on economy and trade.
He reportedly told Sharif that "terror must stop" before the two countries can hold comprehensive talks on improving relations.
Sharif attended Modi's swearing-in on Monday, amid hopes of a thaw in relations between the rivals who have fought three wars since independence in 1947.
Indian Air Force MiG-21 jet crashes, kills pilot in Indian-controlled Kashmir
An Indian Air Force pilot is dead after his jet crashed while on patrol over Kashmir.
The status of the jet's co-pilot remains unclear at this point.
The Soviet-era MiG-21 went down about 50-kilometers south of the regional capital, Srinagar.
It's unclear what caused the jet to crash.
Accidents with India's MiG jets are not uncommon, as many of the jets still in service were delivered to the Indian Air Force in the 1980's, putting them at the end of their functional lives.
Security guard opens fire at Mumbai air force station, kills 2
There's been a mass shooting at an Indian Air Force base in Mumbai.
A security guard at the station opened fire on a number of his colleagues, killing two and wounding two others.
The guard then fled the base after the shooting.
He was later arrested by police.
The motivation behind the attack at the base remains unclear at this point.
Newspaper Picks
China News Service
"China's returned overseas students top 1.4 million"
Over 1.4 million Chinese overseas students returned to China after graduation in the past 35 years, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Tuesday.
The MOE cited figures that over 3.05 million people had pursued degrees in foreign countries from 1978, the beginning of China's opening-up policy, to the end of 2013.
Among the more than 1.6 million people who have not returned, 1.07 million are studying or doing research abroad.
Along with its rising strength and economic development, China's demand for talents is also on the rise, according to a statement issued by the MOE, and the number of students studying abroad and graduates returning to China will continue to grow rapidly.
----
Shanghai Daily
"160,000 old cars to be scrapped in Shanghai"
China is sending more than 5 million cars to the scrapheap this year as part of its efforts to clean up the country's air.
The move is included in a State Council document detailing emission reduction targets for a range of industries.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection said cars that fail to meet minimum National I emission standards accounted for 7.8 percent of cars on China's streets but generated more than 35 percent of the main air pollutants.
The cars to be taken off the roads include "yellow-label" vehicles and other old cars that fail to meet national emission standards.
The target for Beijing is 330,000 cars, and for Shanghai, 160,000.
More vehicles will be scrapped next year, including up to 5 million in the nation's economically developed regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions, according to the State Council's action plan.
----
The Independent
"Vince Cable says UK should send 80,000 pupils a year to China"
Only 5,400 UK students spent time studying in China last year, compared with 100,000 mainland Chinese students who travel to the UK each year, according to government figures.
British politician Vince Cable – who acknowledged that a lack of language skills was making the problem worse – made his appeal while visiting Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou.
"The global centre of gravity is shifting eastwards to major economic powerhouses like China," he said.
Mr Cable added: "New independent research shows that a lack of language skills in the UK is costing our economy about ?48bn. The shortage of Mandarin speakers is part of the problem. I don't want young British people to get left behind."
Earlier this year the education minister Liz Truss suggested that Chinese teachers were "more effective" than their British counterparts and their methods must be implemented in schools across the UK.
----
Yahoo News
"New York supermarket combines gym with groceries"
A Hannaford supermarket in New York has a small gym located just past the pharmacy counter.
The gym has treadmills, stationary bicycles, various other cardio machines, even a state-of-the-art Zumba room with a shiny wooden floor. And best of all — it's free.
The idea grew out of a meeting last summer between Hannaford, the local YMCA and the health care provider Capital District Physicians' Health Plan. All said their goal was to come up with something to improve the area's health while also being convenient, accessible and free.
Store manager Dave Farrell, said gym goers don't have to shop in the store — they just fill out paperwork on the first visit and are given fobs to swipe when they stop by.
The center also has a personal trainer provided by the YMCA, a health care associate from CDPHP to answer questions and enroll new customers, and a Hannaford-registered dietitian to offer advice on healthy eating.
Special Reports
Chinglish Goes Viral
Anchor
A new series of so-called Chinglish words and phrases have made it into the online "urban dictionary."
CRI's Sam Duckett has more.
Report
The 2013 Chinese buzzword "no zuo no die" has also been included in the online urban dictionary with the explanation, "this phrase is of Chinglish origin." The expression means if you don't do stupid things, they won't come back to haunt you"
Submissions by users are approved by volunteer editors, and new words or phrases can only be published with approval from more than half of the editors. Other Chinglish words or phrases in the dictionary include "gelivable" (awesome or amazing), "people mountain people sea" (very crowded) as well as several other Chinese expressions.
Zhang Meilan is a Chinese Language and Literature professor at Tsinghua University. She discussed her views of Chinglish.
"Chinglish can not be described as something good or something bad. Chinglish is storage of a mixture of languages. As Experts in the field of linguistics, we use Chinglish when researching about the development of languages. The increasing amount of foreigners that travel China for business or for educational purposes also means that Chinglish still has a distinctive purpose."
The Urban Dictionary is a Web-based dictionary that contains more than seven million definitions. Submissions are regulated by volunteer editors and rated by site visitors. The Urban Dictionary offers literal definitions and descriptions of international urban terms. Each definition is automatically accepted or rejected based on the number of "Publish" or "Don't Publish" votes it receives by editors. Editors are comprised of public volunteers. There are no criteria that editors have to follow in approving or rejecting definitions.
The Urban Dictionary website was founded in 1999 by Aaron Peckham. Peckham created the site during his freshman year at California Plytechnic State University. Peckam is not the first person to create an internet hit during his time at University, Google and Facebook were originally made by a pair of Stanford students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. The popular search Engine Yahoo was also made by two Stanford students, Jerry Yang and David Filo.
The expression Chinglish maybe alien to many foreign readers of urban literature but the popular Chinese term has been around since the 16th centaury when British traders reached Macao and Guangzhou. The expression partially died out in the late 19th century when Chinese missionary schools began teaching Standard English.
Chinglish was originally seen as a problem in China after the country was selected to host the 2008 Olympics. Chinese officials made a big leap to correct public signs that used Chinglish. During the last 10 years the standards of English in China have increased dramatically and Chinese citizens now feel comfortable with using Chinglish terms and understand the humor behind them.
Zhang Meilan discussed the history of Chinglish
At first, Chinglish was not only found in Guangzhou. Originally Chinglish was also not a pure mix of English and Chinese. Chinglish started off as a mixture of Portuguese and Chinese. After Shanghai was established as the economic and financial center for China, Shanghai also became a major port of Chinglish. As China became more open,Chinglish started rise in popularity in other parts of China. Chinglish can often be heard at the Huiming Street in Xi'an and at the Silk Market in Beijing.
I caught up with several foreign students in Beijing to hear some of the Chinglish they have witnessed during their time here.
"A chinglish phrase I have heard before is good good study, day day up. The harder you study more you can improve your English. Just the fact that it makes no grammatical sense is really funny. "
"Dangerous road kids caring, I guess it means be careful of the kids on the street."
"It makes sense, but it is an unusual way of expressing that thing. Like don't step on the grass, tiny grass is sleeping. I think it means that the grass was just planted."
Chinglish is an ever growing phenomenon and in the future their may be a people mountain people sea of foreigners using hop Chinese/English expressions.
BACK ANCHOR: CRI's Sam Duckett.
Sports
Li Na loses first round of French Open
In tennis,
2nd seeded Chinese ace Li Na has found herself losing the first round at her French Open campaign this afternoon at Roland Garros.
21-year old Kristina Mladenovic, currently ranked 103rd in the world, has won 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.
The only other time Li Na took on Mladenovic was at the French Open 4-years ago, when Li Na won 7-5, 6-3.
In other action on the women's side today, 4th seeded Simona Halep made quick work of Russian Alisa Kleybanova, 6-love, 6-2.
27th seeded Russian Svetlana Kunetzova is also through to round-2 with a straight-sets victory over a Georgian qualifier.
Later tonight its Chinese doubles specialist Peng Shuai back in action against 15th seeded American Sloane Stephens.
Last night, it was big names, including Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all registering first round victories.
But there was a major upset though.
Third seeded Stanislas Wawrinka has been bounced from the tournament by Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Many had been tapping Wawrinka as one of the top choices to go deep at Roland Garros.
However, he could never find his footing against the Spaniard, going down to Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-love.
Heat beat Pacers to get 3-1 lead
In the NBA playoffs,
The defending champion Miami Heat have taken a 3-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference final after downing the Indiana Pacers 102-90 this morning.
The Heat are now just one win away from making their fourth straight NBA Finals appearance.
LeBron James had a big day, scoring 32 and adding 10-rebounds for the double-double.
Paul George led the Pacers with 23 points.
The Pacers will look to avoid being eliminated when they host the Heat in Game-5 Thursday morning, Beijing Time.
---
Tomorrow morning, the San Antonio Spurs will also look to take a 3-1 series lead as they take on the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
Tip-off for that game is 9am Beijing time.
Los Angeles beat Chicago 5-2 for 3-1 series lead
From the National Hockey League playoffs,
The Los Angeles Kings downed the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 this morning at home at the Staples Center to take a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
The victory marks the continuation of a three-game offensive by the lowest-scoring NHL team to reach the post-season.
The Kings opened up with 4-straight goals before Brandon Saad finally tallied for Chicago in the 2nd period to break Johnathan Quick's shutout bid.
Jake Muzzin, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams all had 2-point nights for LA.
The Kings will now look to book their ticket into the Stanley Cup finals in Game-5 in Chicago on Thursday morning, Beijing Time.
---
The Kings will be looking to potentially join the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals if the Rangers can get past Montreal tomorrow morning.
The Rangers head into Montreal holding a 3-1 series lead, and can head to the finals with a win tomorrow.
Puck drop in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final is 8am Beijing time tomorrow.
---
Some off-ice NHL news,
The Washington Capitals have dealt with their front-office and coaching situation.
The club has promoted assistant GM Brian MacLellan to the General Manager's office.
The Caps have also announced they've hired Barry Trotz to take over as the new head coach.
Trotz, who was let go by the Nashville Predators earlier this season, takes over from Adam Oates, who was let go by Washington after the club failed to make the playoffs this year.
Australia WORLD CUP SQUAD cut
Australia has trimmed down its final roster for this year's World Cup in Brazil.
Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglou.
"Players being so close to getting on the plane to the World Cup and being part of, it is not the best news to deliver but to their credit the three players have taken it professionally and understand that I'm sure their opportunities will come again. So, the three players missing out are Curtis Good, Adam Sarota and Josh Brillante."
Curtis Good has been sidelined all year with a hip injury, while Adam Sarota is still recovering from knee surgery.
The Socceroos still need to pare down their roster to 23, meaning 4 more cuts are still going to be needed.
---
Still in Football news from the English Premiership,
Liverpool has signed manager Brendan Rodgers to a new long-term contract.
Rogers has been in charge of the squad since the summer of 2012 after Kenny Dalglish was fired.
This season he led Liverpool to the brink of victory in the Premiership, only to fall short with a couple of late-season upsets.
However, Liverpool will return to Champions League play after a 4-year absence.
Entertainment
Singer Li Daimo gets 9 months' imprisonment for drug use
Popular Chinese singer Li Daimo has been handed a 9-month jail sentence for drug use.
He was arrested after police raided his rental apartment in Beijing's Sanlitun area in mid-March during a party.
Many of the people at the party, including Li Daimo, were found to have been using methamphetamines.
Li pled guilty to the charges.
Li Daimo rose to fame on the singing competition show "The Voice of China" in 2012.
Rolling Stones resume world tour after death of Jagger's girlfriend
The Rolling Stones have re-launched their world tour with a high-energy show in Norway.
The concert is the restart of the tour which was suspended in March after the death of Mick Jagger's girlfriend, fashion designer L'Wren Scott.
Jagger made no mention of Scott during the Oslo concert.
The band postponed their Australian and New Zealand tour dates following her sudden death in March.
The Australian and New Zealand concerts have been rescheduled for October and November.
Paul McCartney gets back to health, leaves Japan
Former Beatle Paul McCartney has left Japan after recovering from an illness that forced him to cancel his Asian leg of his 'Out There!' world tour.
McCartney called off his sold-out Japan tour last week after falling ill with a virul infection.
He was also scheduled to perform in Seoul tomorrow, which would have been his first concert in South Korea.
But that show has also been cancelled.
McCartney is due to begin the US leg of his tour on June 14th.
Queen to release new album with unreleased Freddie Mercury songs
A new album from storied British rock band Queen is on its way.
Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed in an interview with the BBC that the band will be releasing a new collection later this year.
He says the new album will feature previously unrealsed songs from late-singer Freddie Mercury.
Brian May also says they're planning to call the album "Queen Forever."
Queen is preparing to the road for its first full North American concert tour in nearly a decade in June.
Pharrell Williams pays homage to women in art show
Musician Pharrell Williams has made himself the curator of new art exhibition entitled "Girl."
The exhibition showcases over 40 works by mostly female artists.
The show has opened in Paris today.
Pharrell says the event, which shares the title with his last album and new fragrance, pays homage to women.
"Just like my album, what I tried to do, is offer many different facets of my appreciation for women. And that's what this exhibition does. It houses many different perspectives, many different facets, and the expression of what we feel about women."
The exhibition "GIRL" will be open in Paris until June 25th.
Bryan Singer back for X-Men: Apocalypse
Director Bryan Singer is returning to direct the next installment of the "X-Men" franchise.
This, despite Singer being tied up in a pair of sexual abuse lawsuits.
He has denied the allegations against him.
The follow-up film, titled "X-Men: Apocalypse," is said to focus primarily on the younger generation of superheroes but will also feature the old characters like Sir Ian McKellen's Magneto.
"X-Men: Apocalypse" is set for release in May of 2016.
11 Chinese cinemas punished for box office fraud
11 cinemas across China are being punished for box office fraud.
The theatres have been forced to suspend their business for not reporting profits from movie tickets sold off the books.
The multiplex's are in the city of Shanghai, as well as in the provinces of Anhui, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Henan and Guangdong.
The names of the offending cinemas have also been released to the public.
This is a departure from what took place back in February, when 15 cinemas were punished for similar activities. But their names were not released.
Total box office incomes in Chinese cinemas exceeded 21 billion yuan last year.
However, industry observers say the real figures are much higher, since they suspect that a sizable portion of those profits go unreported.
A quick recap of the headlines before we go.
The Chinese government is refuting new Vietnamese claims to the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea.
New localized anti-terrorism groups are being established in different parts of this country.
Electoral officials in Ukraine have confirmed a candy magnate is going to be the country's next President.
In Business, the SME board in Shenzhen has celebrated its 10th birthday today.
This is Paul James in Beijing, hoping you'll join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window on the world together. |