Shanghai boosts jobless benefits

SHANGHAI: The unemployment allowance for residents has been raised to help the jobless cope as they look for new work, the municipal government has said. Starting this month, the maximum monthly unemployment allowance will be 600 yuan ($88), an increase of 50 yuan, while the minimum allowance the jobless can receive will be 435 yuan, a 20 yuan increase, the Shanghai municipal huma...

Second World Buddhist Forum closes with harmonious note

TAIPEI, April 1, (Xinhua) -- The Second World Buddhist Forum was wrapped up Wednesday in Taipei with messages of hope from leading Buddhist figures. "We are convinced the forum will enhance the communication and integration of the Buddhist community all over the world," Venerable Master Kok Kwong, president of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, said in a speech at the closing ceremony...

China Spring has Sprung

A Ming dynasty emperor once chose Beijing's picturesque Silver Mountain area as the location for his tomb, much to the ire of the locals. In an effort to prevent the tomb from being built, the residents renamed their villages with dark and scary names, such as Ghost and Blood, to scare the emperor away. Today, this large scenic spot, only about 30 km northeast of Changping district in ...

2009 Sino-French Cultural Spring is underway

Unveiled on March 27, the 2009 Sino-French Cultural Spring will last 100 days, including more than 100 events in 20 major cities across China. The Festival commemorates the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, and is sponsored by the French Embassy and the French Cultural Center in China. Since it was successfully launched in ...

Shenzhou VII is ready for the third manned spaceflight

China completed final inspection for the rocket and remote measurement system of its third manned spaceflight Shenzhou VII, paving the way for a possible liftoff on September 25 if weather permits. The mission, set to include the country's first ever spacewalk, is scheduled sometime between September 25 and September 30 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. Chinese astron...

A Bartian in Beijing:Immersed in Chinese culture

When Michel Duncan discovered that his employer would be involved in the recent Beijing Olympics, he took the baton and ran with it. For the past three months, the local resident has been immersed in a course on Chinese culture while working for Aramark, a U.S.-based catering company that prepared thousands of meals at the international competition. For Duncan, having the chance to experience ...

China exhibits 5,000 years of cultural treasures

When television viewers around the world tuned in to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics this month, they were presented with a carefully crafted tableau of Chinese history and culture. The message was clear: China - a harmonious civilization that once made great contributions to the world - is back, stronger than ever, and ready to help make the world a better place. China's eme...

Beijing hosts 6.5 million tourists during Olympics

Beijing recorded 6.52 million tourist arrivals, including 382,000 from abroad, during the Olympic Games, official figures showed on Tuesday. Scenic sites in the city reported total revenues of 162 million yuan (23 million U.S. dollars), according to the joint monitoring by the Beijing Statistics Bureau, the National Bureau of Statistics' Beijing survey team and the Beijing Tourism Bure...

China offers free education to migrant kids

BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- Children of migrant workers will have the same education opportunities as their urban counterparts before the end of this year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday. "The central government will allocate funds to local education departments sufficient to cover extra education expenses in accordance with the number of migrant children they accept," the min...

Beijing Olympics highlight Chinese values

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- From a cultural perspective, one outstanding achievement of the Beijing Olympics is that it highlighted the basic values of the Chinese people and demonstrated China's moral power, a leading Chinese-American philosopher said. "The concept of harmony is the core value of the Chinese culture from the very beginning and China's ultimate goal is to help build a world ...