2010 China Yushu earthquake 玉树地震

The 2010 Yushu (玉树藏族自治州, 中国青海省下辖的一个自治州) earthquake struck on April 14, 2010, and registered a magnitude of 7.1. It originated in Yushu, Qinghai province on Tibetan plateau, China, at 7:49 am local time. According to the Xinhua News Agency, more than 1,484 people have been confirmed dead, 312 missing, and 12,088 injured of which 1,394 are severely injured. The epicenter was located in Rima village (日玛村/日麻村), Upper Laxiu township (上拉秀乡) of Yushu County, in remote and rugged terrain, near the border of Tibet Autonomous Region. The epicenter is about 30 km from Gyegu town, the seat of Yushu County, and about 240 km from Qamdo. The epicenter was in a sparsely populated area on the Tibetan plateau that is regularly hit by earthquakes.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao urged all-out efforts to help rescue those affected by the earthquake and Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has been sent to the region. Many countries and organizations around the world sent condolences and pledged assistance if necessary. Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Yushu on April 15 to lead rescue work, and postponed his trip to southeast Asia.

Beijing welcomes the New Year 2010 with heavy snow

China’s capital got off to a slow start in the new year, with the first snowstorm of 2010 and seriously subfreezing temperatures bringing the city to a halt after the long holiday weekend.

A day after Beijing experienced its biggest snowfall in 60 years, a similarly historic cold front swept into the city. Temperatures were forecast to drop to as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) Monday and schools remained closed, giving students an extra bit of winter holiday. Beijing has mobilized a sizable army of 300,000 workers to clear the snow, China Daily reports, though it appeared that few cars were willing to brave the city's icy streets Monday.

Transportation in northern China faced disruptions as well, with road closures and airports shut down. At Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok airport Sunday, this reporter was among the thousands of Beijing-bound passengers waiting for bi-hourly updates on the grim situation at the capital’s airport, where only one of three runways was operational and more than 90% of flights were cancelled or delayed, according to China Daily.

The current conditions make the big storms of November seem like a dress rehearsal, and this time around, no one has mentioned government-sanctioned weather manipulation.

北京迎来新年的降雪。图为雪中的故宫银装素裹。

China as portrayed in 18th and 19th century western magazines

Colorful pictures of Qing China in 18th and 19th century settings



京城西边的城门-阜成门或德胜门刊印年代1796年 作者威廉•亚历山大 出处《英使谒见乾隆纪实》



进出城门的车水马龙 刊印年代1894年 出处《伦敦新闻画报》



华洋杂陈街景1 刊印年代1880年 作者M.莫林出处《世界画报》



女孩子的学堂作者SEM 出处《伦敦新闻画报》



码头市场刊印年代1843年 作者托马斯•阿罗姆出处《图解中华帝国——社会建筑风俗》



北海湖中景象刊印年代1796年 作者威廉•亚历山大 出处《英使谒见乾隆纪实》



冰上童趣与北京出租车刊印年代1861年 出处《伦敦新闻画报》



在北京南郊的赛马场2 刊印年代1867年 出处《伦敦新闻画报》

Beijing receives the earliest snowfall in 22 years

BEIJING — Government scientists in Beijing have been pilloried for inducing a recent heavy snow fall that jammed traffic, delayed air travel and left city residents shivering, state media said Wednesday.

Sunday's snowfall dropped more than 16 million tonnes of snow on the Chinese capital, blanketing a city where winter heating services have yet to be switched on and leading to howls of public protest, the China Daily reported.

The Weather Modification Office shot massive amounts of chemicals into clouds over the city the night before to provoke the snowfall, which it said was needed due to a lingering drought in the region, the paper said.

Heating in most Beijing buildings was due to be turned on November 15, but city officials were forced to move the timetable forward and were working Wednesday to bring buildings onstream ahead of schedule.

"This arbitrary government decision had disregarded the interests of the people... we should (have) considered the potential hazards of cloud seeding," said one commentary carried in the paper.

Sunday's snowfall, the earliest to hit the capital in 22 years, delayed 200 flights stranding thousands of passengers, led to traffic accidents and disrupted electrical services dozens of times, it added.

"(This) shows there is a lot of room to improve the national weather manipulation warning system for the public," the paper quoted Chen Zhenlin, spokesman of the China Meteorological Administration, as saying.

Chinese meteorologists have for years sought to make rain to reduce an ongoing drought.

But ahead of the massive celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of communist rule in China on October 1, cloud dispersal chemicals were used in the Beijing area to ward off unwanted rain clouds.

People's Republic of China marks 60th anniversary with grand parade and celebration

BEIJING — The colorful military parade held on China's 60th anniversary of communist rule Thursday was a show of strength by a nation that has rarely been more confident, analysts say.

China used the celebration to showcase its first military parade in a decade with an arsenal of fighter jets, tanks, ballistic missiles and armored personnel carriers. The choreographed display included 100,000 marchers, 80,000 children, 8,000 military servicemembers and 151 planes.

President Hu Jintao, who is also head of the military and ruling Communist Party, told the watching nation that the Chinese people were "full of confidence" about the future.

"Today, a socialist China geared to modernization, the world and the future has stood rock-firm in the east of the world," he said.

After the parade, a pageant highlighted China's dramatic achievements in recent years. Floats depicted sending men into space and the country's transportation network that will carry 565 million people over the next eight days of the public holiday, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

The celebration marks the day in 1949 when Chairman Mao Zedong's revolution overthrew Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists, establishing the People's Republic of China and one-party communist rule. In the decades since, the nation has grown into the world's third-largest economy and a global power.

People's Republic of China prepares its 60th anniversary

Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
Now Chinese people welcome and prepare the incoming the nation's 60th anniversary.


A man rides a bicycle past the National Unity Poles, which have been named and decorated for October's 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square September 17, 2009.


A Chinese military tank heads towards Tiananmen Square where a rehearsal for China's 60th anniversary will be held in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. Authorities shut down a major part of central Beijing to conduct the rehearsal for the parade.


Chinese military vehicles are parked on Changan Ave. near Tiananmen Square during a rehearsal for a ceremony marking China's 60th anniversary in Beijing, China, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009.


Participants rehearse on one of the National Day floats in Beijing on September 16, 2009.


Workers sew Chinese national flags at a factory on the outskirts of Beijing, September 4, 2009. Demand for the flags is increasing as people prepare for the 60th anniversary celebration.


Participants stand in form in a boulevard leading to Tiananmen Square in Beijing during a rehearsal for the 60th anniversary parade August 29, 2009.


A couple take wedding pictures in front of the Tiananmen Gate on September 8, 2009 in Beijing, China. Many people are expected to hold their wedding on National Day.


Chinese hairdresser Huang Xin works on his latest art piece, a replica of The National museum of China, made from human hair, at his barbershop in Beijing September 9, 2009. Huang uses human hair to make replicas of iconic Chinese buildings and items, such as the Tiananmen gate and The Great Hall of The People, since early 2008.


Pupils create the national flag on a canvas by using their hands dipped in red paint at a primary school in Jinan, Shandong province September 14, 2009.


People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers perform a dance featuring Long March during a rehearsal of a musical drama entitled "The Road of Revival" at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing September 14, 2009.


Chinese military singers take part in a chorus performance of patriotic songs involving 10,000 participants held at a gym inBeijing, China, Wednesday Aug. 26, 2009.


A couple kiss as workers test the lights at the Great Hall of the People at the Tiananmen Square on September 8, 2009 in Beijing, China.