The Nanjinger

Author: admin6

  • Nanjing and Ma’anshan – closer than close

    Nanjing and Ma’anshan – closer than close

    Regarded as a bathhouse town, Ma’anshan is a close neighbour to Nanjing but one that is little known to many expats. New links between the two cities promise to help change that and improve cross border ties between Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

    Agreements signed on 14th December between the cities of Ma’anshan and Nanjing shall improve communication links, promote tourism as well as provide cross-city nursing services for the elderly.

    According to the agreement, another highway between Nanjing and Ma’anshan shall be constructed; a connection of the Mapu Highway in Ma’anshan and the S304 in Jiangsu. The Mapu Highway opened to traffic on 1st July 2011, while work on the S304 extension shall commence in the first half of 2012.

    Nursing services for the elderly in both Nanjing and Ma’anshan are also set to receive a shot in the arm. Privately run nursing homes shall receive government subsidies and local old age people in both cities can look forward to equal treatment in the future.

    The two cities have in addition agreed on future plans for cross-promotion of the tourist industry.

    While remaining cities in different provinces, Ma’anshan and Nanjing have for some time enjoyed very close links. Nanjing city buses run to Ma’anshan while Nanjing Lukou International Airport is only some 40 km distant. There is even occasional talk that Ma’anshan may ultimately become an additional county of Nanjing, a move that would greatly simplify procedures between the two cities but one that is politically daunting to say the least.

    As a prefecture-level city in Anhui province, Ma’anshan is home to sulfur and limestone mines, plus chemical and cement factories, but despite also being a home of steel production, thanks to government environmental initiatives the city has gained recognition as one of the “Ten Green Cities of China”. With a per capital GDP of US$7,118 Ma’anshan is home to a little less than 1.5 million people.

  • End of the Santana nigh as VW opens 500th store in Nanjing

    Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co Ltd, a joint venture between Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp and the German Volkswagen AG, recently held its opening ceremony for VW’s 500th franchised store in China, and it was right here in Nanjing.

    Jia Mingdi, GM of the firm’s sales division said, “The JV’s dealer network is expected to have 581 outlets by the end of this year”, adding that the seven millionth vehicle produced by the JV will roll off the assembly line this month.

    Industry analysts are saying that this is just the start and we may expect to soon see more variations of recently introduced new models that have been a hit with the Chinese auto-buyer. The Lavida has already proved to be a popular car since its launch; the model was developed independently by Shanghai-VW and is only available in the Chinese market. Initial engines were 1.6L and 2.0L but the company later introduced a 1.4TSI model that was priced below the VW Golf that shared the same engine.

    With other models, the Tiguan has a high level of sales since its launch in China over a year ago; now VW are preparing to update the Chinese version with a minor facelift and a smaller 1.4TSI engine. The company is also expecting great things of its Polo model; the little hatchback is so popular that it is planned to follow up with a new saloon version in the next few months. However, the big ticket item for the near future will surely be the Polo GTI; the ultimate hot hatch expected to be launched later this year.

    Last but not least, it has been confirmed that the Santana will be terminated in 2012 (Hallelujah), but according to a recent report in auto.sohu.com the NF version will continue to be produced until 2020.

  • Cars for Nanjing Metro Lines 3 and 10 to be built at home

    Cars for Nanjing Metro Lines 3 and 10 to be built at home

    As one of the manufacturing divisions of CSR (China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corporation Limited), Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Works won the ¥3.13 billion order on 27th July. The contract calls for the production of a total of 402 metro cars for Nanjing Lines 3 and 10 to be completed in time for when the city hosts the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

    Line 3 will see 46 six-car trains with lightweight welded aluminium alloy bodyshells running along its track while the 21 six-car trains destined for Line 10 will have a ‘more mature’ riveted body structure, and incorporate energy-saving features including LED lighting. Deliveries are schedule to begin in March and May 2013, for Line 3 and 10 respectively.

    Until its opening as a independent line the following year, the 14.4km long Line 10 shall first operate as an extension to Line 1, terminating at Andemen in the south with its northern end in the town of Jiangpu in Pukou District through a tunnel under the Yangtze River. The new north-south Line 3 shall be 40km in length with 28 stations, running from its northern terminus at Linyang Railway station in Pukou District to its southern end at Jiyin Avenue in Jiangning District.

    Nanjing’s ambitious plans for its metro network call for 600km of track comprising 17 lines by 2050. Click [here] for a fascinating map of Nanjing’s future metro system on Wikipedia.

  • Beijing-Shanghai trains recalled by manufacturer

    “China will unswervingly continue its development of high-speed railways”, announced China’s State Council after news quickly spread Friday of the latest upset in the country’s ongoing troubles over its prestigious high speed train network.

    54 of the bullet trains that operate on the Beijing-Shanghai high speed line, that also stop at our very own newly opened Nanjing South Railway Station, have been recalled by train manufacturer China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Ltd.

    The recall comes in the wake of last month’s crash near Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, that killed 40 people resulting in ongoing public outcry. Problems have persisted elsewhere with spokesman Tan Xiaofeng claiming that the Beijing-Shanghai line had suffered “frequent quality problems” due to components from American, European and domestic suppliers.

    As part of efforts to quell a restless and concerned public, in recent days the authorities have also imposed a moratorium on new rail projects and ordered reductions in speed across the high speed network. In addition to the recall, production has been halted of the CRH380BL that operates between China’s two principal cities.

    However, as is often the case when China faces a national tragedy, the only truly viable public policy remains the official government line. Tan added, “When problems occur, we don’t wish to hide them,” he said. “We put life before everything else.”

  • Ozzies to design Nanjing’s Historic Zone

    An Australian team of architects and landscape planners has beaten fierce competition from all over the world to land the design project for Nanjing’s Historic Zone. Melbourne based Architects CK Designworks and sustainability and landscape planners, ERM, won the bid in competition with teams from England, Singapore, Taiwan and China.

    The 40 sq.km project forms part of the UNESCO world heritage area and it is hoped that it be entirely free of private vehicles, instead employing alternative forms of mass tourist transport coupled with major car, bus and high-speed rail interchanges. Assisting the Australians with economic and demographic research are Nanjing University

  • July 20/21 – Mickey Mouse comes to Nanjing!

    Just when you were thinking that it was not such a good idea after all to stay in Nanjing for our annual Summer Festival of Soaking Wet, your courage is to be rewarded with a fun activity for all the family, hosted by none other than Mickey Mouse.

    Join Mickey and his friends Donald Duck, Minnie, Goofy, Aladdin and the Little Mermaid for a Disney Live! presentation:- Mickey’s Music Festival at the Great Hall of the People in Nanjing on 20th and 21st July. Hear and see the famous characters perform many of Disney’s greatest hits in this singing medley that features three shows each day, at 1pm, 4pm and 7.30pm. Tickets are priced from

  • Fancy pork tonight? Bring your credit card

    Inflation in China in June 2011 rose to its highest level in three years. The big culprits:- pigs, or more specifically the price of pork which has climbed to a record high of more than

  • Suning – biting off more than they can chew?

    Suning – biting off more than they can chew?

    Suning is the pride of Nanjing’s home grown success stories. The home appliance chain is the largest in China and after a recent bout of openings brought its store tally to 1,380 nationwide.

    With their domination of the domestic market virtually complete, Suning on Sunday in Nanjing announced ambitious plans to enter more foreign markets. To date, the company’s expansion away from the mainland has been limited to 32 stores in Hong Kong and Japan. Also on the agenda are plans to increase online sales. The first quarter of 2011 saw Suning reel in

  • Tainted pork discovered on our very own doorstep

    The tainted pork meat scandal has hit close to home with the arrest of ten people, including four government employees and six butchers, in Nanjing on 15th June.

    Nanjing city procuratorate revealed that the government staff, including three officials, were representatives of Jianye District trade bureau, health inspection station and veterinary station. All were accused of neglect of duty. The six butchers, all from Xingwang Slaughterhouse, were accused of selling poisonous food, having knowingly participated in feeding chemical additives to the livestock and in the sale of the involved animals.

    Tainted pork has become the latest food safety scandal to shock China after a March television expos

  • Thinking of divorce? First enter the ‘Buffer Zone’…

    Around 5,000 divorces take place in China each day, producing a total of approximately 1.8 million for 2010. The figures have been growing at over 10% annually; a consequence of China’s economic transition that has the authorities concerned.

    Jianye district in Nanjing has announced its plan to introduce so called “buffer zones” throughout its marriage (and divorce) registration offices. Its purpose is to reduce the number of divorces brought about by rash, abrupt decision making. The “buffer zone” is a room decorated in a style intended to calm would be divorcees; on the walls are painted slogans to evoke pleasant memories of family life and to encourage the couple to face life’s challenges together.

    It is reported that the pilot scheme has already helped to save over 100 marriages, an encouraging 15-20% of those who originally sought a divorce.

    Since its market-oriented economic reform started in 1978, China’s divorce rate has exploded. The country’s Crude Divorce Rate (number of divorces per 1,000 population) was just 0.33 in 1979. In 2009 it grew to three times higher than the rate in 2001 and five times more than that at the beginning of China