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Pollution reading
March 30, 2012, Friday
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HANGZHOU'S PM2.5 air pollution reading on Monday stood at 89 micrograms per cubic meter, the Zhejiang Province Environmental Protection Bureau website said on Tuesday.
This was the first air pollution reading released since the bureau introduced the stricter PM2.5 measuring system last Friday.
A daily PM2.5 reading above 75 micrograms per cubic meter is considered polluted, based on national standards and World Health Organization guidelines.
The bureau attributes the pollution to two main factors: firstly, low humidity - which had dropped to around 20 percent; secondly, many residents went on drives over the weekend to enjoy the sunshine. Together with Monday's peak time traffic flow, this increased car exhaust fumes, a major source of particulate matter, said the bureau.
PM2.5 refers to dangerously small particles of less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. They are small enough to be inhaled and lodge deep within the lungs, causing long-term health damage. The PM2.5 gauge is considered stricter than the previous PM10 standard.
Airlines arrive
XIAOSHAN Airport is adding three airlines on routes to Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan for the summer and autumn peak season.
Every week there will be three flights between Hangzhou and Bali in Indonesia on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays operated by Batavia Air. Air Philippines will fly between Hangzhou and Kalibo in the Philippines on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
TransAsia Airways from Taiwan will fly the Hangzhou-Hualien route from April 20, once a week. Hualien thus becomes the fourth air destination on the island from Hangzhou, after Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung.
Flights to other destinations - including Amsterdam, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Macau and Bangkok - will become more frequent in order to meet customer demand.
Just the ticket
THE operator of the forthcoming Metro system in Hangzhou is inviting students from primary and high schools in the city to design Metro tickets especially for young people.
Candidates need to submit designs for both sides of the ticket, with a space on the front for a photograph. Each ticket is 85.6mm long and 54mm wide and the photograph should be 35mm long and 25mm wide.
Designs should be five times the size of the ticket - 428 mm long and 270 mm wide.
This is the second ticket competition organized by the Metro operator.
Metro Line 1 is set to go into operation in October.
Cabbie plays Cupid
A TAXI driver in Hangzhou has gained popularity, not for his driving skills, but another talent - helping men to win the hearts of women.
Yu Youfang, 47, greets customers with a smile and greetings, a rose-red cushion on each seat, skincare products so that Romeos will look their best, plus paper cups so that lovers can enjoy a romantic drink.
He started his taxi business last December and is almost fully booked every day, mainly due to his matchmaking popularity.
Yu's first success came in February when a young man said he was afraid that the girl he loved would refuse his gift.
The cabbie decided to help, and, acting as a courier, delivered the gift to the young woman.
Now his car serves as the perfect location for young men to confess their love to young women and, in the event of tiffs, Yu offers to act as a mediator.
To date, Yu has helped five young men with dating dilemmas.
Crane captured
HANGZHOU police caught a male red-crowned crane that had escaped from Hangzhou Safari Park in a village in Fuyang City in the early hours of last Sunday.
Officers in Xihu police station rushed to the village after receiving a call at around 2:30am.
"A 1.3-meter-tall bird stood beside the road," said policeman Liu Hua. "Then I discovered that it was a red-crowned crane, a first-grade protected species by the national government."
The crane was very agitated and attacked the police car with its long beak, said officers.
After two and a half hours, Liu and colleagues finally caught hold of the bird and returned it to the park.
A female red-crowned crane that also escaped is still at large.
This was the first air pollution reading released since the bureau introduced the stricter PM2.5 measuring system last Friday.
A daily PM2.5 reading above 75 micrograms per cubic meter is considered polluted, based on national standards and World Health Organization guidelines.
The bureau attributes the pollution to two main factors: firstly, low humidity - which had dropped to around 20 percent; secondly, many residents went on drives over the weekend to enjoy the sunshine. Together with Monday's peak time traffic flow, this increased car exhaust fumes, a major source of particulate matter, said the bureau.
PM2.5 refers to dangerously small particles of less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. They are small enough to be inhaled and lodge deep within the lungs, causing long-term health damage. The PM2.5 gauge is considered stricter than the previous PM10 standard.
Airlines arrive
XIAOSHAN Airport is adding three airlines on routes to Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan for the summer and autumn peak season.
Every week there will be three flights between Hangzhou and Bali in Indonesia on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays operated by Batavia Air. Air Philippines will fly between Hangzhou and Kalibo in the Philippines on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
TransAsia Airways from Taiwan will fly the Hangzhou-Hualien route from April 20, once a week. Hualien thus becomes the fourth air destination on the island from Hangzhou, after Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung.
Flights to other destinations - including Amsterdam, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Macau and Bangkok - will become more frequent in order to meet customer demand.
Just the ticket
THE operator of the forthcoming Metro system in Hangzhou is inviting students from primary and high schools in the city to design Metro tickets especially for young people.
Candidates need to submit designs for both sides of the ticket, with a space on the front for a photograph. Each ticket is 85.6mm long and 54mm wide and the photograph should be 35mm long and 25mm wide.
Designs should be five times the size of the ticket - 428 mm long and 270 mm wide.
This is the second ticket competition organized by the Metro operator.
Metro Line 1 is set to go into operation in October.
Cabbie plays Cupid
A TAXI driver in Hangzhou has gained popularity, not for his driving skills, but another talent - helping men to win the hearts of women.
Yu Youfang, 47, greets customers with a smile and greetings, a rose-red cushion on each seat, skincare products so that Romeos will look their best, plus paper cups so that lovers can enjoy a romantic drink.
He started his taxi business last December and is almost fully booked every day, mainly due to his matchmaking popularity.
Yu's first success came in February when a young man said he was afraid that the girl he loved would refuse his gift.
The cabbie decided to help, and, acting as a courier, delivered the gift to the young woman.
Now his car serves as the perfect location for young men to confess their love to young women and, in the event of tiffs, Yu offers to act as a mediator.
To date, Yu has helped five young men with dating dilemmas.
Crane captured
HANGZHOU police caught a male red-crowned crane that had escaped from Hangzhou Safari Park in a village in Fuyang City in the early hours of last Sunday.
Officers in Xihu police station rushed to the village after receiving a call at around 2:30am.
"A 1.3-meter-tall bird stood beside the road," said policeman Liu Hua. "Then I discovered that it was a red-crowned crane, a first-grade protected species by the national government."
The crane was very agitated and attacked the police car with its long beak, said officers.
After two and a half hours, Liu and colleagues finally caught hold of the bird and returned it to the park.
A female red-crowned crane that also escaped is still at large.
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