中国日报20120126

By CAO YIN AND ZHAO YINAN CHINA DAILY BEIJING — Energy giant ConocoPhillips said on Tues- day that it would pay 1 billion yuan ($158 million) to settle compensation claims aris- ing from the oil leaks from its Penglai 19-3 oilfi eld in Bohai Bay in June 2011. ConocoPhillips, China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), the Ministry of Agriculture and the govern- ments of Hebei and Liaon- ing, the two provinces most aff ected by the environmen- tal disaster, have reached an agreement on the compen- sation claims, the ministry’s website said. ConocoPhillips and the CNOOC will also pay 100 million yuan and 250 million yuan to restore the marine, especially fi shing, environment in the Bohai Bay and monitor the situation, the ministry said. The Hebei and Liaoning provincial governments will distribute the compensation among aff ected fi shermen. Some lawyers and industry insiders, however, said divid- ing the money among aff ected fi shermen is of crucial impor- tance. Zhao Jingwei, a lawyer from Yingke Law Firm that represents 107 fishermen from Hebei who fi led a law- suit against ConocoPhillips China in December, said he is worried that the fishermen might not get proper com- pensation. RECORD BOOKS JAPANESE KEI NISHIKORI ACHIEVES A MILESTONE. P12 AND HAPPILY EVER AFTER MORE COUPLES OPT FOR TRADITIONAL WEDDINGS. P9 CHINADAILY chinadaily.com.cn RMB ¥1.5THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012 HOLIDAY EDITION “Many people believe play- ing with a dragon brings good fortune,” Li says. “Chi- nese people have spread the ‘dragon cult’ across the whole world and made people outside China realize that the Chinese dragon, or long, is not the fi erce, fi re-breathing vile monster of the West.” It is a benevolent creature and legendary protec- tor of people. While the dragon boat race is held in early summer, or on the fi ft h day of the fi ft h lunar month, and dragon beard noo- dle is served in early spring, or on the second day of the sec- ond lunar month, the dragon dance is the most important event of the lunar new year. Across the world, Chinese communities celebrate Spring Festival, the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar, with fi recrackers, jiaozi (dumplings fi lled with meat and vegetables) and dragon and lion dance. So popular has dragon dance become among Chinese, both at home and abroad, that inter- national competitions, guided by well-compiled rulebooks, are now a regular affair. The winners get to win trophies, gold medals and great honors. One of the places to look for famous dragon dancers in Shanghai is 147 Donglin Street in Sanlin in the Pudong New Area. Th e place has an exhibi- tion of photographs, videos, trophies and certificates of dragon and lion dance cham- pions. Sanlin has won fame for dragon and lion dance perfor- mances. Its teams, comprising farmers from Sanlin, have per- formed at the opening ceremo- ny of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo, and the anniversary cel- ebrations to mark the return of Hong Kong and Macao to China. The township has hosted four international dragon and lion dance competitions, and its performers have won many international awards. “Dragon dance started in ancient times as part of the ceremony to pray for a good harvest and pros- perity, and gradually devel- oped into a celebration,” says Lu Dajie, head of the Dragon Lion Association of Shanghai. “Now it’s a form of entertain- ment enjoyed by Chinese all over the world, and a type of game recognized by the Olym- pic Council of Asia.” Lu, 63, has written some of the rules that are followed in international dragon dance competitions. Lu was born in a farmer’s family and, as a child, used to follow dragon dancers along the streets of Sanlin trying to imitate their moves and nuances along with other boys. The passion was to change his life. “I was an amateur cho- reographer and director of folk dance in the 1980s, when I combined dragon and lion dance in a formal dance show with drum and gong music.” So successful was the farmer- turned-choreographer’s com- position that he did further and in-depth research into folk dance to become a real expert in dragon and lion dance. SEE “SANLIN” PAGE 3 Contacts News: (86-10) 6491-8366 Subscription: (86) 400-699-0203 Advertisement: (86-10) 6491-8631 E-mail: editor@chinadaily.com.cn iPhone app: chinadaily.com.cn/iphone In this issue NATION ...................................................2 INTERNATIONAL ..................................4 PEOPLE..............................................5 IMAGE.................................................6 TREND.................................................8 BUSINESS LIFE ......................................9 READ................................................10 SPORTS.................................................11 国内统一编号:CN11-0091 国际标准编 号:ISSN0253-9543 邮发代号:1-3 A member of the Asia News Network I t is the symbol of the nation and of potent and auspicious powers. It has control over water, rainfall, hurricane and fl ood. It is also the symbol of good luck. Chinese people have revered it for thousands of years. And this is its year in the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Dragon. At the beginning of every Chinese lunar year, Chinese people both at home and abroad play with this mythical creature. Th ey carry it on bamboo sticks in parades on streets, carve its head on boats which they race on rivers, lakes and even seas, have named a type of noodle aft er its beard and perform a dance named aft er it. “A dragon has lots of auspicious meanings; it’s the harbinger of happiness and good fortune and has sublime connections to imperial power and Chinese nationality,” says Li Xu, director of Zhangjiang Museum and curator of a dragon theme show at Lifehub@ Jinqiao, a shopping mall in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area. © 2012 China Daily All Rights Reserved Vol. 32 — No.9899 ENTER THE DRAGON What is Spring Festival without a dragon and lion dance? To get a real feel of this fascinating art, visit Sanlin in Shanghai, writes Zhang Kun. SEE “BOHAI” PAGE 2 A foreign tourist and a local resident share a light moment at the Ditan Park Temple Fair in Beijing on Tuesday. CHEN XIAOGEN / FOR CHINA DAILY ConocoPhillips to pay $158 million damages for oil spill 25 / 31 25 / 31 26 / 31 26 / 31 24 / 34 24 / 34 24 / 33 24 / 33 16 / 30 16 / 30 7 / 20 7 / 20 - 1 / 6 - 1 / 6 13 / 15 14 / 17 13 / 25 14 / 26 8 / 12 11 / 14 23 / 30 23 / 30 24 / 29 24 / 29 - 1 / 7 3 / 10 5 / 10 9 / 16 -32 /-24 -32 /-24 0 / 7 0 / 8 THURSDAY FRIDAY -11 / 2 - 9 / 1 -20 /-11 -19 /-14 TRAVELER’S FORECAST Chengdu Urumqi Beijing Xining New Delhi Kathmandu Thimphu Yangon Singapore Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Bangkok Vientiane Ulaanbaatar Shanghai Bandar Seri Begawan Macao Hong Kong Guangzhou Manila Hanoi Taipei Seoul Pyongyang Tokyo Lhasa CHINA AMERICAS JANUARY 26-27THU - FRI LOW/HIGH TEMPERATURES, IN DEGREES CELSIUS, AND EXPECTED CONDITIONS C Cloudy D Drizzle Du Dust F Fog O Overcast R Rain Sh Shower S Sunny Sn Snow St Storm T Thunderstorms weather ASIA-PACIFIC-MIDDLE EAST EUROPE BuenosAires 22 / 31 S 22 / 32 S Chicago - 2 / 3 C - 7 /- 2 C Caracas 18 / 29 C 18 / 29 Sh Houston 7 / 14 Sh 3 / 11 R Las Vegas 7 / 10 S 7 / 10 S Los Angeles 10 / 14 S 10 / 14 S Mexico City 10 / 22 S 10 / 22 C New York 2 / 10 S 3 / 9 C Ottawa -10 / 4 S - 8 / 4 C Rio De Janeiro 25 / 29 C 24 / 29 C San Francisco 8 / 10 S 8 / 10 S Sao Paulo 22 / 28 C 20 / 28 C Vancouver 3 / 6 R 2 / 4 Sh Washington 1 / 8 C 3 / 8 R Athens 4 / 11 D 2 / 9 D Berlin 0 / 2 S 0 / 2 C Brussels 4 / 9 Sh 3 / 9 Sh Geneva 3 / 6 S 2 / 6 C Istanbul 1 / 8 D - 1 / 6 R/Sn London 0 / 10 D 1 / 10 C Madrid 0 / 14 C 0 / 13 C Moscow -18 /-16 S -18 /-16 S Paris 3 / 10 S 2 / 10 C Rome 4 / 10 S 4 / 10 S Vienna 1 / 3 S 1 / 3 S CHINA AFRICA -10 /- 3 -10 /- 3 Cairo 9 / 18 C 8 / 17 C CapeTown 19 / 27 S 19 / 28 S Johannesburg 14 / 31 S 14 / 30 C Lagos 25 / 33 Sh 25 / 33 C Nairobi 14 / 30 C 14 / 30 C Abu Dhabi 7 / 20 D 9 / 22 D Bangkok 24 / 33 C 24 / 33 C Colombo 21 / 31 C 21 / 31 C Dubai 15 / 20 S 15 / 20 C Hanoi 12 / 15 C 12 / 15 C Islamabad 5 / 18 S 5 / 18 S Jakarta 25 / 31 T 25 / 31 T Karachi 9 / 21 C 9 / 21 S Kuala Lumpur 24 / 34 Sh 24 / 34 D Manila 23 / 30 C 23 / 30 C Mumbai 16 / 30 S 16 / 30 S New Delhi 7 / 20 S 7 / 20 S Pyongyang -13 /- 7 S -13 /- 7 C Riyadh 4 / 16 S 5 / 16 S Seoul -10 /- 3 S -10 /- 3 C Singapore 26 / 31 Sh 26 / 31 Sh Sydney 19 / 24 T 19 / 24 Sh Teheran - 2 / 7 C - 2 / 7 C Tokyo - 1 / 6 C - 1 / 6 C Wellington 14 / 17 D 13 / 17 Sh Yangon 16 / 30 S 16 / 30 S Beijing -11 / 2 S - 9 / 1 C Changchun -21 /-11 S -21 /-12 S Changsha 1 / 6 O 4 / 6 O Chongqing 5 / 10 O 6 / 10 O Dalian - 7 /- 1 C - 8 /- 4 C Fuzhou 4 / 9 Sh 7 / 14 Sh Guangzhou 5 / 10 O 9 / 16 O Guilin 2 / 6 O 4 / 6 O Guiyang - 2 / 3 O 1 / 4 D Haikou 11 / 16 D 14 / 21 C Hangzhou - 2 / 7 C - 1 / 6 C Harbin -24 /-13 S -25 /-14 C Hefei - 3 / 8 S 1 / 8 C Hohhot -17 /- 7 S -17 /- 6 S Hongkong 8 / 12 O 11 / 14 O Jinan - 3 / 6 S - 4 / 4 S Kunming 1 / 17 S 1 / 17 S Lanzhou -15 /- 4 S -14 /- 3 S Lhasa - 6 / 10 S - 6 / 9 S Lijiang 1 / 13 S 0 / 14 S Macao 6 / 11 O 8 / 13 O Nanchang - 2 / 7 C 1 / 5 O Nanjing - 4 / 6 S 0 / 6 C Nanning 6 / 10 D 6 / 12 O Qingdao - 3 / 4 C - 1 / 4 C Sanya 17 / 24 C 18 / 26 C Shanghai - 1 / 7 S 3 / 10 C Shenyang -21 /- 6 C -21 /- 8 C Shenzhen 6 / 13 C 10 / 18 C Shijiazhuang - 5 / 6 S - 6 / 3 S Suzhou - 2 / 6 S 1 / 7 C Taipei 13 / 15 O 14 / 17 O Taiyuan -13 / 1 S -11 / 2 S Tianjin - 9 / 4 C - 9 / 1 C Urumqi -20 /-11 S -19 /-14 C Wuhan - 4 / 7 C 1 / 5 C Xiamen 7 / 14 C 9 / 17 C Xi’an - 6 / 3 C - 5 / 3 C Xining -17 / 2 S -18 / 0 S Yantai - 6 / 4 S - 3 / 3 S Yinchuan -16 /- 3 S -15 /- 4 S Zhengzhou - 5 / 6 S - 4 / 5 C Zhuhai 7 / 11 O 9 / 14 O 2 holidaynation C H I N A D A I L Y T H U R S D A Y, J A N U A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 2 Demand for organic food sprouts up at Spring Festival By AN BAIJIE AND WANG QINGYUN CHINA DAILY BEIJING / RIZHAO, Shan- dong — Organic food products have become popular New Year gift s as the Chinese are paying more attention to health and food safety. On Friday in a Wumart supermarket in Beijing’s Cha- oyang district, Han Yuying, a 53-year-old worker at a nursing home, was trying to select a box full of eggs that, according to the label, were laid mostly by chick- ens that had dined on natural feed containing no additives. “I want to send some eggs to my sisters as a Spring Festival gift,” Han said. “These boxed eggs are indicative of quality.” Th e 60-egged box Han bought cost 55.8 yuan ($8.80). That’s a higher price than is found at farmers markets, where an egg can oft en be had for 0.7 yuan. In a booth at an Ito Yokado supermarket also in the Chaoy- ang district, a box containing 4 kilograms of organic pork was going for 1,288 yuan. A salesman said the box was put on sale for the Spring Festi- val and that it has proved popu- lar among customers. “A man just ordered three boxes,” he said. Zhang Qiang, manager of Lianshan Black Pigs Farm in Wulian county, Shandong prov- ince, which has more than 500 pigs raised on natural foods, said the demand for organic pork rapidly increases around the time of Spring Festival. Th at recurring trend has caused the company’s supply of products to run short this year. “Organic pork has been cho- sen as a Spring Festival gift for many large companies, State- owned institutes and some gov- ernment organizations,” Zhang said. “Most of the pork is sold to big cities such as Qingdao and Jinan (both in Shandong).” Ordinary pork goes for about 25 yuan a kg, while the organic pork at his farm sells for closer to 100 yuan a kg, Zhang said. Besides organic pork, organic vegetables have become one of the most popular Spring Festi- val gift s. Jin Weiran, general man- ager of Rizhao Yuli Vegetable Co, which has produced and traded organic vegetables for more than three years, said sales of organic vegetable have picked up in recent weeks. “People are paying more attention to the safety of food nowadays, especially in 2011, when a great number of scan- dals about substandard food were exposed by the news media,” he said. Jin said the company’s organic vegetables are mainly transported to Hong Kong and sold to supermarkets there. But at Spring Festival time, more of his customers tend to come from the mainland. “More people buy a package of organic vegetables, which costs about 200 yuan, for their friends as the Spring Festival gift s,” he said. “And the demand has surpassed our capacity for production. Healthy foods are more welcome than traditional gifts such as wines and ciga- rettes.” The prices of organic veg- etables are usually three to four times greater than those of ordi- nary vegetables, Jin said. “Th e price of organic pump- kins is about 18 yuan a kilo- gram, and regular pumpkins cost only 6 yuan a kilogram,” he said. “Even though the prices are far more expensive, organic vegetables usually sell out in a short time.” Fan Zhihong, an assistant professor at China Agricultur- al University’s college of food science and nutritional engi- neering, said she believes the increasing popularity of organ- ic food during Spring Festival shows that people want to eat healthier. “Giving organic food — a box containing diff erent kinds of cereals, for instance — may also serve as a reminder of the importance of having a healthy diet,” Fan said. “But when it comes to nutri- tion, there is no evidence to sug- gest that organic food is more nutritional than ordinary food. … Giving these sorts of pres- ents is more of a way of showing your tastes and expressing your respect toward the recipient.” By WU YIYAO CHINA DAILY SHANGHAI — Banking and fi nancial services were the only industries to report an obvious decrease in year-end bonuses this year compared with last. In its latest quarterly report, released ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Hudson human resources company said that only 20 percent of banking and fi nancial services employ- ers said they would off er any bonuses worth 20 percent of workers’ annual income or higher, compared with 39 per- cent in the fi rst quarter of 2011. Twelve percent of employers in the banking and financial services said they will not con- sider giving bonuses in 2012. Th e survey interviewed about 1,800 employers in December across major industries, includ- ing manufacturing, consumer and financial services, on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Singapore. Its fi ndings echo the not-so- thriving fi nancial markets and the spillover from the European debt crisis, and an uncertain future for the market, said Bi Lin, general manager of Hud- son’s Shanghai offi ce. Cai Yu, 29, an account manager, said his employer, a securities company in Beijing, handled only one initial public off ering in 2011. “In fact, I’ve had nothing to do since the fourth quarter of 2011 — there is no business in the industry, and I did not expect any bonus. In fact, the human resources department did not even mention this to us, which is unusual in our com- pany,” Cai said. Cai said he is upset that there was no bonus for this Spring Festival, but given that the mar- ket is so weak, he and his col- leagues understand it. An insider of a human resources department at a State-owned bank in Shang- hai said tightening personnel budgets is an important cost- control strategy. “We may reduce costs in var- ious ways, for example, lower- ing the cost of incentive trips for outstanding employees. In the past, it might have been a trip overseas, but this year we’re considering giving a trip to a neighboring province,” the insider said. Employees might complain, but the company would try to compensate by expanding how many days the trip is and buy- ing employees gift s. But there are always lucky exceptions when it comes to year-end bonuses. “My year-end bonus was about 30,000 yuan ($4,750) last year and it went up to 50,000 yuan this year. But considering the surging CPI and my bet- ter performance this year, the boost is not very much. Still, I can’t complain. It’s already a good amount compared with what most of my friends in other industries get,” said Li Yang, a wealth manager at a State-owned bank in Shanghai. Money remains a powerful incentive for employees, espe- cially newly recruited talent, according to the survey. “In the past, I would have said the balance between work and life counts for more than money, but this year I think cash gives me more of a sense of security,” said Chen Qilong, 38, manager of a telecom ser- vice fi rm. Up to 53 percent of surveyed employers said they will use cash to keep the loyalties of employees and to attract newly recruited members. About 30 percent off ered a work-and-life balance and 13 percent share- holding opportunities. Year of Dragon eats up annual bonuses Learning to refuse toasts in the season of ganbei By ZHOU HUIYING AND MA ZHENHUAN CHINA DAILY HARBIN — With people loading up on food and drink for family gatherings and par- ties during Spring Festival, some worry that “the ganbei culture” and heavy drinking at banquets will ruin their holi- days and health. Li Li, 36, from Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongji- ang province, said she oft en feels pressured at business banquets to drink too much with friends and clients and the problem get worse during the holidays. “Repeatedly, and I mean repeatedly, clients come to me proposing toasts, and they won’t stop until I’m drunk,” she complained. “Unfortu- nately, in our culture, you just don’t turn down a toast — people would feel humiliated and consider your rejection a put-down. But it seriously hurts my health.” She was lucky enough to hear about courses on practi- cal non-drinking, focusing on drinking etiquette, and more important, how to avoid get- ting drunk at banquets. Aft er- ward, she learned that she was not the only one. “I often have to attend parties that require a lot of drinks. However I’m not good with alcohol. To stay healthy, I came up with a series of strategies that allow me to dodge the endless toasts without embarrass- ing the people who propose them,” said Xiu Weiliang, the principal of Harbin Weiliang Institute of Interpersonal Relation, who is the tutor and speaker of the “drinking strategy” course. Th e course, launched three years ago, has had more than 200 graduates, most of them entrepreneurs and private business owners. Chen Bin, a 48-year-old manager of a local construc- tion company, said he had gained a lot from the course. “It’s not good for your health to drink more than you can take, especially for people my age. I learned in the course how to avoid drinking the liquor poured in my glass in an easy-going way with a joke or excuse,” he said. “For instance, I’ll say I shouldn’t drink because I’m driving or joke that my wife gets bad-tempered if I come home drunk. “In certain cases when you just have to drink, you can propose a toast, take a small sip, and spit it out into the refreshing towels on the table, or into the cup of tea you’re drinking,” he added. Qian Ziliang contributed to this story. A farmer in Zouping county in East China’s Shandong province picks organic tomatoes. DONG NAIDE / FOR CHINA DAILY “Since the agreement has been reached through private negotiations, the met