Briefs

An Italian missionary built the modest prayer hall in Xuanwumen in 1605, and a German missionary later organized his congregation to build Nantang (South Cathedral).

The church has been destroyed and rebuilt many times since then. It has waited almost 100 years for the latest restoration.

Beijing Municipal Government has installed new waterproofing, fireproofing, central heating, wall decorations, stained glass and a brand new cross.

Beijing Comes to London

Bedecked in giant pictures of the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and giant pandas, 700 buses are out on London's streets promoting Beijing tourism, according to Beijing Morning Post.

The double-deckers represent Beijing Tourism Administration's first European promotion.

The number of overseas tourists in Beijing this year reached 2.3 million in October, up 14 percent over the same period last year. Continental Europe is next year's target.

Farewell, Flipper

There are now less than 100 white-fin dolphins left in the Yangtze River and that number appears to be declining, according to a China Central TV report cited in Beijing Youth Daily.

Monitors sighted only five white-fin dolphins along the Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and Shanghai stretches of the river in a national agriculture and local fishery survey Nov 1-6.

The same survey found seven in 1998 and 21 in 1997, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

Yu Daoping, an expert at the Tongling White-Fin Dolphin Research Institute blamed the river's heavily polluted water for dwindling fish stocks, according to the Shanghai-based Liberation Daily.

No more than 200 kilometers of the Yangtze remains capable of supporting white-fin dolphins, a National Treasure of China--according to the official China Daily.

Citizens Watch Session

For the first time, citizens were allowed to attend a meeting of the 11th Standing Committee of the Beijing People's Congress, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The 20 spectators --including workers, farmers, scientists and pensioners --were not allowed to speak at the 14th session held in the congress building of the Jinduyuan Hotel on the Second Ring Road, next to the Gloria Plaza.

They were allowed to submit written comments afterward.

"Now ordinary citizens have an important channel to understand social trends and the will of the people, and can go a further step by participating in the construction and management of the city," said the first attendee, Qu Yuqing. Only Beijing citizens can attend.

To attend, citizens go to the general office of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and make an appointment for an available session as space is limited to 20. They must bring their national identity card.

Tour Routes Open

The "Love the Country, Roam around the City" bus and boat tour company has added four group tour sightseeing routes, according to Beijing Youth Daily. Group bookings must be made of no less than 40 and only in advance.

Route 1: Changan Avenue --Ping'an Avenue --Tian'anmen Rostrum. Tourists can mount the rostrum and see historic antiques. 38 yuan including admission to rostrum.
No.2: Changan Avenue --Ping'an Avenue --Tian'anmen flag-raising ceremony. 25 yuan.
No.3: Changan Avenue --Silver Mountain. On the top of the mountain is a forest with a pagoda tucked inside. This area has been designated a state-level scenic spot. 80 yuan.
No.4: Changan Avenue --Ping'an Avenue --Chaoyang Park. Chaoyang Park is a newly opened park consisting of three areas: catering and recreation, an amusement area and leisure and sightseeing. 35 yuan.
There is a Chinese language information number: 8425-8990/ 91/92/93/95/96/97.

Lucky Autonomous Region

The big blue Beijing National Day parade float has been bought by a Xinjiang native for 340,000 yuan --and he plans to take it home.

"I didn't want to see it get bought by foreigners," Aihemaiti Tiemuer, a representative of Urumqi-based Xinjiang Royal Economy and Trade Company, revealed to Beijing Economic Daily.

Tiemuer, who hopes to promote high technology enterprise in his native autonomous region, is now the inalienable owner of a "Beijing Electron Positron Collider"

"I want to run it back to Xinjiang and let people along the roadside share in the joy," he said.

The marine blue float, symbolizing high technology and employing a Zhongguancun metallic sculpture swirl motif, was one of two floats snatched from the greedy grasp of disappointed foreigners at a recent auction in Jingrui Plaza.

Spoilt Brats

Chinese parents are the most generous in the world, according to an October survey of more than 13 countries vaguely reported in Life Times.

MasterCard surveyors interviewed 5,453 people from places including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Japan and Singapore, and found more than 50 percent of mainland Chinese parents gave their children about 50 yuan pocket money per week.

In "Asia," the article alleged, 34 percent of parents "rarely" give pocket money. Of parents from Australia, 50 percent were similarly stingy and New Zealanders 45 percent. In Japan, India and Korea, the article alleged, more than 50 percent of parents insist their sons and daughters cannot receive any money at all until they are 18.

Chinese parents have greater confidence in their children's ability to control money by themselves. In most Chinese parents' opinion, their children can deal with their own money when 17 years old.

Graduate Granny

Wang Wenhua, 70, enrolled as China's oldest student, studying a master's degree in enterprise management at the Foreign Economics and Trade University, according to Beijing Morning Post.

"I study not for the diploma,?said the former director of Beijing Forklift Factory. "I just want to know more about the current market economy and the approaching 21st century"

University authorities were so impressed they returned her tuition fee.

"It's amazing," said Hu Tieli, a 24-year-old classmate of Wang, "She's old enough to be our granny."

Walt Week

A Hong Kong official urged China to grant mainland tourists weekly visit visas, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

After Hong Kong and Walt Disney had struck its Disneyland deal last month, Tang Ying-yen, a non-official member of the executive council, said he hoped the central government would relax restrictions on exit and entry formalities in support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

When Disneyland opens in 2005, calculated on the base of today's price, the admission ticket will be over HK$300.

The amusement park anticipates 5 million annual visitors during the first year, increasing to exceed 10 million after several years.

Riviera Opens Phase 4

Beijing Riviera celebrated the launch of its Phase IV villas recently. The 447 new villas come in six different styles, 64 townhouses and 124 service apartments have been completed.

The 167-hectare Beijing Riviera boasts 80 percent landscaping that includes meadowlands, orchards, flowerbeds, lakes, parks and a central garden.

The 6,000 square-meter Beijing Riviera Country Club includes Chinese-Western restaurants, Japanese Teppan Yaki, bars, supermarket, four tennis courts, a squash court, a basketball court, gymnasium, sauna, outdoor and indoor swimming pools. A golf driving range is scheduled for completion by next June.