The surface of Beijing is sinking into the ground at a rate of 10-20 millimeters per year, according to the monitoring of the Beijing Survey and Drawing Institute during the past 20 years.

The area east of Beijing has sunk more than 700 millimeters, and the southwest area more than 330 millimeters.

A team of runners coached by China's famous Ma Junren won the Beijing women's marathon. The Chinese team, which consisted of Jiang Bo, Dong Yanmei, Zhao Fengting, Ma Zaijie, Lan Lixin and Lin Na, set a record of 2 hours 11 minutes and 35 seconds over a distance of 42.195 kilometers. The previous record was 2:14:16 set in 1993 by the Chinese team, which included world champions Wang Junxia and Qu Yunxia. Japan passed Russia in the last kilometers to win the silver medal in 2:16:13, and Russia finished third in 2:17:26.

Peking University is celebrating its centenary anniversary on May 4. Set up by the government of the Qing Dynasty in 1898, Peking University was originally named Jing Shi Da Xue Tang. It has an important position in China's modern history. Many famous people such as Mao Zedong and Lu Xun had close relations with the university.

Today, people can find out things about the university through the Internet at http://www.pku100.org. They can also see the celebration and lectures on May 4 through the address.  

"The World's 100 Corporations of Excellence in China," a book compiled by the Propagating and Publishing Department of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Beijing Hanhai Economic and Cultural Exchange Centre, will debut later this year. Selected from Fortune's listing of the world's 500 largest multinationals, the 100 companies have all established branches or representative offices in China. Growth experiences and market performances of these world-renowned companies are recounted in the book.

After five years of renovation, the famous Juyongguan section of the Great Wall was scheduled to open to tourists at the end of March, China News Service reported. A total of 120 million yuan ($14.4 million) was spent on the renovation of 4,142-meter section of the Great Wall, which is 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing.

China Red Cross Needs More Support

The Red Cross Society of China is appealing for more support for the nation's charities.

Many rural people living below the "poverty line" still lack access to necessary medical care and medicines, said Gu Yingqi, vice president of the Society.

The number of farmers is decreasing in China. At the end of 1996, China had a population of 1.2 billion, of which 700 million live in the country. Currently 71 percent of the agricultural population still work on their land. The rural population has decreased 10 percent since 1979. The main reason for the decrease is the overflow of the agricultural population to big cities.

Poverty Line of Beijing

The "poverty line" of Beijing this year is an income of ?90 ($23) per month per person. The citizens of Beijing who live under the "poverty line" may apply for the relief.

According to a report by the Beijing Civil Administration, about 30,000 Beijingers live under the "poverty line," and 12,607 people have received the relief.

Nearly 20,000 Beijingers didn't apply for the relief. The main reason is that they are not clear about the policy.    

Compared with Chinese students, expatriate Students have more money, a large part of which goes to food. Their consumption is quite practical, said Ma Xiaoyan, student of Fudan University, who carried out an investigation among expatriate Students.

Among the expatriate students, 43 percent spend ?,000-?,000 per month, 47 percent of the students spend ?00-?,000 on food. Most of them pay less than $10 per day for the rent.

In China, 834 traffic accidents happened in which 202 people died and 521 were wounded per day on average last year, China Youth Daily reported.

A total of 73,861 people died and 200,000 were wounded in traffic accidents, causing a loss of ?.85 billion. Compared with 1996, the increasing rate slightly had slowed, said Jiang Bingjie, director of the Traffic Control Bureau.

The heavy study load is a major factor resulting in students' poor health, said Liao Wenke, an official of the Department for Health and Physical Culture under the State Education Commission (SEC).

Physical examinations proved that an average of 85 percent of students who apply for entrance exams to institutes of higher learning each year have sight problems.

The state conducts a national survey on students' health once every five years.