Construction in Progress

Illustration by Bryan Tan

Beijing, like most of China, is one huge construction zone. But, as the 2008 Olympic Games approaches, builders in Beijing are especially anxious to complete their projects as quickly as possible, with many working around the clock.

Xinhua reports that the Beijing government is attempting to curb noise pollution from 24-hour construction sites that keep residents up all night. Building firms here are working at break-neck speed to meet a deadline for all construction work to stop by the end of next year to reduce dust pollution in the city ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Starting from next year the city government will fine construction firms 200,000 yuan (25,000 dollars) for working overnight without a special permit, the official news agency said Tuesday.

Regulations taking effect from the end of this year will target noise from traffic, night clubs, homes and restaurants, Dong Jinhu, an official with the Beijing Bureau of Environmental Protection, was quoted as saying.

12:01 AM PDT Permalink |

Chinese in (South) Korea

South Korea hosts some 20,000 permanent residents of Chinese ancestry, almost all of them from Taiwan.

Many of the children of Chinese ancestry attend Chinese schools. There are 26 elementary Chinese schools with a total of 1,794 pupils and four schools that combine middle and high school courses, with a total of 983 students.

Because these schools are not officially recognised, their pupils must pass state examinations to move to Korean schools or to enter higher educational institutions.

Some Korean parents send children to Chinese schools to give them a head start in Mandarin in hopes of improving their career prospects.

06:26 AM PDT Permalink |

The Box

Illustration by Bryan Tan

A sea-going container, loaded on a flatbed truck, rolling down the highway. The sight is so familiar that we barely notice it when we pass it on the road.

Containerization, which was first put into use in 1956, was created as a way to move freight seamlessly from trains to trucks to ships, with minimum time and labor. It has grown in importance since then. Hong Kong, the world's largest container port in terms of throughput, handled a total of 21,932,000 TEUs (the equivalent of a twenty-foot container) in 2004 (source: Hong Kong Government, Census and Statistics Department.)

If you are interested in the history and growth of this metal box that we can't live without today, read the Box (see below), a new book on the container.

The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, by Marc Levinson (Princeton University Press, 2006) .

07:26 AM PDT Permalink |

Egg Tarts

Illustration by Bryan Tan

It's a relatively simple looking pastry - egg custard in a shell - but connoisseurs come long distances to taste them. The former (and last) British governor of Hong Kong, Mr. Chris Patten, is known for his penchant for the dessert and his favorite is at the Tai Cheong Bakery on Lyndhurst Terrace in Hong Kong. The tarts sold at this particular bakery have become known as "Fei-Paang egg tarts" (or Fat Patten's Egg Tart - "Fat Patten" is the governor's nickname in Cantonese.)

Macau has its own egg tart. Basically, it's a traditional Hong Kong-style egg tart, topped with a layer of caramelized sugar (crème brûlée fans, take note!) Steven K. Bailey, author of the upcoming book Strolling in Macau recommends Lord Stow's Bakery on Coloane's other largo - the Portuguese endowed Macau with a profundity of town squares (Lord Stow's Bakery is on President A. R. Eanes Square in Coloane village. Phone: 882534. Email: eggtarts@lords.com.) Based on the Portuguese pasteis de nata, the tarts come filled with a mix of cream and egg yolk in a crisp pastry crust.

12:33 AM PDT Permalink |

Riding the Double Decker in Hong Kong

Illustration by Bryan Tan

"...pick up the number six bus from the Central Bus Terminal for a scenic ride along the southern coast to Stanley, one of the Island's loveliest seaside villages. Yes, it's crammed with tourists, but it's worth the short trek; at the daily market you'll find throngs of people haggling over faux Rolex watches, bootleg CDs, Doc Martens, Tin-Tin T-shirts. Stanley's umbrella-covered crooked lanes are full of bargains."

-- From Stopping Over in Hong Kong by Laura Locke. more...

Note: The best seat is at the front of the bus, on the upper deck. From the left, you can see the Victoria harbour while cruising on the North side of the island. Once you cross the gap and are on the South side of the island, the view is better on the right hand side.

12:03 AM PDT Permalink |

Leading Indicator

More than one in four Japanese women drinks alcohol on a near daily basis, a figure that has grown steadily over the past years, according to a recently released survey. Twenty-eight percent of Japanese women say they drink at least five times a week, six points higher than when the survey was first taken in 1998. Another 34 percent of women drink at least twice a week. More than half of the women say they drink to get rid of stress, with relaxing given as the second top reason. Having fun with friends comes behind that, although it is a more popular option among younger women. Beer is the most popular drink. The survey by Japan's second largest brewer Kirin was of 12,000 women aged 20 or over.

08:17 PM PDT Permalink |

This from the CDC on the Avian Flu

This Fact Sheet alerts Americans to the occurrence of Influenza A H5N1 (avian influenza strain) in Asia. A number of countries have reported avian influenza, commonly referred to as "bird flu". The H5N1 strain of influenza causes severe disease in fowl. In addition, Thailand and Vietnam have reported a number of bird-to-human transmissions of the avian flu, thought to have been caused by individuals' contact with infected poultry populations. While there are reported deaths from the avian influenza virus, there have been no documented human-to-human transmissions of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are concerned about the potential for human-to-human transmission of this highly dangerous flu strain and are working closely with other partners in an effort to address the outbreak.

At this time, CDC and the WHO have not issued any travel alerts or advisories for avian flu-infected areas. However, CDC advises travelers to countries in Asia with documented H5N1 outbreaks to avoid poultry farms, contact with animals in live food markets, and any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals. CDC advises travelers to clean their hands often with soap and water or waterless alcohol-based hand-rubs to help prevent disease transmission. In addition, as a precaution, all foods from poultry, including eggs, should be thoroughly cooked. CDC further advises travelers with a febrile respiratory illness returning from countries affected by H5N1 virus (bird flu) to seek prompt medical attention.

The WHO does not at present conclude that any processed poultry products (whole refrigerated or frozen carcasses and products derived from these) or eggs pose a risk to public health.

Americans who are planning travel to a country that has reported the virus or who are concerned about the Avian flu are advised to monitor the CDC and the WHO web sites, for the latest information.

Additional country information can be obtained from the Department of State's Consular Information Sheets at http://travel.state.gov and from the Department of State's toll-free number, 1-888-407-4747, or if calling from overseas, 317-472-2328.

CDC Contact Information: Public Inquiries: English (888) 246-2675 Spanish (888) 246-2857 TTY (866) 874-2646 Mon-Fri 8am-11pm EST Sat-Sun 10am-8pm EST Address: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333 USA (404) 639-3311 WHO Liaison Office in Washington, DC Contact Information: Telephone: (202) 331-9081 Facsimile: (202) 331-9097 Address: WHO Liaison Office 1775 K Street, N.W., Suite 430 Washington, D.C. 20006 USA September 2004


11:39 PM PDT Permalink |

Asia's Population

In 2000, there were 3.36 billion people in Asia, over half of the total world population (6,079,006,982)

China - 1,266,483,000
India - 1,013,615,000
Indonesia - 218,506,000
Pakistan - 142,069,000
Bangladesh - 132,094,000
Japan - 126,918,000
Vietnam - 71,502,000
Philippines - 64,264,000
Thailand - 60,881,000
Myanmar - 49,209,000
Korea - 46,997,000
Nepal - 24,240,000
Korea DPR - 24,060,000
Afghanistan - 23,193,000
Malaysia - 22,203,000
Sri Lanka - 19,935,000
Australia - 19,304,000
Cambodia - 10,701,000
Laos - 4,925,000
Papua New Guinea - 4,554,000
New Zealand - 3,595,000
Singapore - 3,276,000
Mongolia - 2,374,000
Bhutan - 1,679,000
East Timor - 922,000
Fiji - 809,000
Taiwan - 764,000
Macau - 444,000
Brunei - 337,000
Maldives - 282,000

07:53 AM PST Permalink |