Hao Hao ReportThe best China news and blog posts

In December 1997 Lijiang in Yunnan Province and Pingyao in Shanxi Province were both designated as World Culture Heritage sites by UNESCO. They became world heritage sites at the same time but they both have their own unique charm.
Lijiang is an old town which was built about 800 years ago in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province. Local Naxi people have kept their culture and traditions. In 2003, Naxi Dongba Literature Manuscript was recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2003.

Despite marked progress in recent years, the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases remains a major challenge for China - especially in Yunnan, which is just north of the Golden Triangle and where China's first AIDS case was discovered. In an effort to combat the disease and other problems such as malaria, the Chinese government cooperates with several international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) who work towards reducing the prevalence and spread of these illnesses.

I always thought it was quite neat that the famed "feathered dinosaur", what is thought to be a link between the ancient reptiles and modern birds, was discovered in Liaoning province - my old stomping grounds.

Turns out that the whole feather thing might be bunk.

From CBC:
A fossil thought to show feathers on a dinosaur in fact shows the remains of connective tissue, say scientists who have rebutted previous research that suggested an earlier link between dinosaurs and birds had been found.

Riots broke out recently in Southern China's Zhejiang province with students and citizens protesting the death of a local teacher. The teacher's death was labelled a suicide, but the protestors believe that it was foul play by her husband, and a police coverup to boot.

Additional information and Chinese news reports about the incident can be found at ESWN (http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20060826_2.htm).

Remember the Peking Man? Well, almost 80 years later and archaeologists in Henan Province have found a skull dating back to a time 80-100,000 years ago...

In Sichuan China, a doctor preformed an X-ray on a 90 year-old woman and found that she was carrying a dead fetus for 58 years.

The old lady named Wong, lives in Qing Sheng Province. In February this year, she hurt her back while she was trying to carry a bucket of water. The family took her to the hospital 2 months later for an X-ray. That’s when the doctors found out that there was a dead fetus in her uterus, though it was severely distorted.

When moving to southern China to avoid the cold harsh winters of the north east I never expected to find myself hugging a heater that ironically more resembles a fan and wondering why, after all these years, the south is so ill-fitted for their cold winters.

ByLinEd writes a good description of her trip to the Tiger Leaping Gorge and Lijiang in Yunnan Province, China.

The Shanghaiist examines the story of a giant fish found in southern China.