China's Parliament in Session

China's parliament is made of two conferences, National People's Congress 全国人民代表大会 and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 中国人民政治协商会议.

The NPC consists of about 3,000 delegates and meets for about two weeks each year at the same time as the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, usually in the Spring. The combined sessions have been known as the two meetings.

The CPPCC is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China. The organization consists of delegates from a range of political parties and organizations, as well as independent members, in China. The proportion of representation of the various parties is determined by established convention, negotiated between the parties. Both conference meetings are always held in the People's Great Hall located next to the TianAnMen square.

These meeting sessions have become media events because it is at the plenary sessions that the
Chinese leadership produces work reports. In addition, during NPC sessions the Chinese leadership holds press conferences with foreign reporters, and this is one of the few opportunities Western reporters have of asking unscripted questions of the Chinese leadership.

Currently, the chairman of NPC is Wu Bangguo 吴邦国. The chairman of CPPCC is Jia Qinglin 贾庆林.

China's beautiful Paracel Islands 美丽的西沙群岛

西沙群岛，又称为帕拉塞尔群岛（Paracel Islands），是南中国海上的四大群岛之一，由永乐群岛和宣德群岛组成，海岸线长518公里。西沙群岛现由中华人民共和国控制，越南社会主义共和国宣称拥有其主权。

中华人民共和国国务院已批准海南省政府的提议，将现有的西沙群岛办事处升格，设立县级市“三沙市”，下辖西沙、中沙、南沙诸群岛。目前有关建市筹备工作正在进行。消息称，未来的三沙市的海域范围将逾200万平方公里，接近全国陆地面积（960万平方公里）的四分之一。

西沙群岛上有一处唐宋时期遗址、多处明清遗址、十四座明清古庙、大量清民国时期石碑，表明中国人自唐以来就开始在西沙群岛生活，是西南中沙群岛的主人。
1932年，西沙群岛被法国管辖，第二次世界大战后由中华民国政府接管。
1946年，中华民国海军陆战队驻防永兴岛。
1950年4～5月，中国人民解放军攻占海南岛时，永兴岛的驻军被中华民国政府遗忘了，直到三个月后永兴岛的驻军向中国人民解放军投降（当时称起义回归）。从此永兴岛一直由中华人民共和国海军驻防。
不过一直到1974年，由于弱小的海军战力、远距离部署能力与后勤保障能力，中华人民共和国军队并没有在西沙群岛各个主要岛礁布防。在1974年，南越西贡当局把西沙群岛划入南越领土，中国提出抗议。后来更爆发了中越西沙自卫反击战.

地理位置
* 北纬16.3°N、东经112.0°E。
* 位于海南岛东南面180多海里。
* 西面是永乐群岛：珊瑚、甘泉、金银、琛 航、晋卿以及广金等。
* 东面是宣德群岛：赵述岛、北岛、中岛、南岛、石岛、东岛和永兴岛7个主要岛屿等组成。
* 以及相对独立的中建岛、高尖石、盘石屿、玉琢礁、浪花礁和 北礁等。

西沙首府永兴岛面积约2.1平方公里，西沙群岛有22个岛屿、7个沙洲，还有10多个暗礁暗滩。陆地总面积约10平方公里.西沙建有军民两用机场（于1991年建成），拥有一条1,200公呎的飞机跑道，可起降波音737飞机。

2009, Chinese New Year, Year of Ox

2009 is the year of Earth Ox, and year 4706 in Chinese calendar.
2009 = 地牛
干支 = 己丑

The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

China welcomes 2009 new year ! 中国各地迎接2009新年

Chinese people welcome 2009 new year !
中国各地迎接2009新年.
After all the unfornate events in 2008, may the new year bring joy and
prosperity to China and to the world.
2009 will be the 60th year of the founding the People's Republic,
truly a landmark for China.
A great celebration will occur on October 1,2009.

2008 Sichuan Earthquake 汶川大地震

2008年回顾 汶川大地震 Sichuan earthquake

The nineteenth deadliest earthquake of all time, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake which measured at 8.0 Ms and 7.9 Mw occurred at 14:28:01.42 CST on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan province of China and by any name killed at least 69,000 less than three months before China hosted the world in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

告别多灾多难的2008年,天佑中华!

汶川大地震發生於北京時間2008年5月12日14时28分04.1秒（协调世界时5月12日06时28分04.1秒，震央位於中國四川省阿坝藏族羌族自治州汶川縣境内、四川省省会成都市西北偏西方向90千米处。根据中国地震局的数据，此次地震的面波震级达8.0Ms、矩震級達8.3Mw，破坏地区超过10 万平方公里。地震烈度可能達到11度根据美国地质调查局的数据，矩震级达到了7.9Mw。截至6月29日11时，死亡人数已超過69,188人，是中华人民共和国立國後破坏力最大的地震，亦是唐山大地震後傷亡最惨重的一次。地震後中國首次容許媒體24小時傳播災情，災情引起民間強烈迴響，全國以至全球紛紛捐款，軍方除了調動和平時代以來最龐大的隊伍救災外，國內外皆派出人道救援隊伍，大量志願者加入救災，累積捐款高達400億元。外界除了關注地震災情外，亦注視它如何改變中國社會的面貌。

The Great Wall of China 长城 長城

The Great Wall of China 长城 長城 is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks during the rule of successive dynasties. Several walls, referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC. The most famous is the wall built between 220–200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang; little of it remains; it was much farther north than the current wall, which was built during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall stretches over approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia, but stretches to over 6,700 km (4,160 miles) in total. At its peak, the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men. It has been estimated that somewhere in the range of 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China