Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

Snowden Says He Took No Secret Files to Russia – NYTimes.com He also asserted that he was able to protect the documents from China’s spies because he was familiar with that nation’s intelligence abilities, saying that as an N.S.A. contractor he had targeted Chinese operations and had taught a course on Chinese cybercounterintelligence…“There’s a zero percent chance the Russians or Chinese have received any documents,” he said…Mr. Snowden said he had never considered defecting while in Hong Kong, nor in Russia, where he has been permitted to stay for one year. He said he felt confident that he had secured the documents from Chinese spies, and that the N.S.A. knew he had done so. His last target while working as an agency contractor was China, he said, adding that he had had “access to every target, every active operation” mounted by the N.S.A. against the Chinese. “Full lists of them,” he said.

Abe to skip autumn Yasukuni Shrine visit – The Asahi Shimbun In lieu of attending the festival, however, Abe made a monetary offering for a “masakaki,” a ritual implement consisting of a potted “sakaki,” a low evergreen tree, which was presented to the shrine on Oct. 17. Shrine officials said they received 50,000 yen ($508) for the masakaki from the prime minister. Abe has said it was “extremely regrettable” that he was unable to visit Yasukuni during his first stint as prime minister. The shrine memorializes Japan’s war dead along with 14 Class-A war criminals. Visits by prime ministers and Cabinet ministers have triggered sharp criticism from China and South Korea, which consider the shrine a symbol of Japan’s militarist past.

Related:  拜鬼之举必须迎头喊打(钟声) 《 人民日报 》（ 2013年10月18日   03 版） Zhong Sheng not buying Abe’s “compromises” around the Yasukuni Shrine // 对日本在历史问题上开倒车保持强大压力，是对公理正义的捍卫，是对亚洲和世界和平负责. 17日，安倍晋三以“内阁总理大臣”之名向靖国神社献上供品。这已经是安倍晋三今年第三次曲线拜鬼。安倍晋三扬言“为国家战斗而牺牲的英灵表示崇敬”理所当然，同时又煞有介事地表示，因为参拜靖国神社已成为外交问题，他“不会说”是否将亲身前往。这番心虚的狡辩有什么意义呢？不管采取何种形式，对昔日战犯顶礼膜拜就是为军国主义招魂，就是对亚洲各国人民感情的严重伤害，就是对现有国际秩序的公然挑战。献供品和亲身前往参拜，性质是完全一样的，没有任何区别。安倍晋三热衷的“平衡”不过是廉价的把戏，十分猥琐。道理很简单，在大是大非问题上，根本就没有什么平衡的空间可言。

Beijing to reduce traffic during serious pollution – Xinhua | English.news.cn The Beijing Municipal Government will soon issue an emergency response program requiring alternate driving days for cars with even- and odd-numbered license plates in case of lingering smog, Xinhua has learned. When the city issues a red alert for air pollution, the system will be initiated to reduce pollution, according to the Beijing Municipal Heavy Air Pollution Emergency Response Program. Moreover, 30 percent of government cars of various levels will be halted, and schools in kindergartens, primary and high schools will be suspended during such polluted days, under the program.

Related: WHO agency: Air pollution causes cancer – Yahoo News The International Agency for Research on Cancer declared on Thursday that air pollution is a carcinogen, alongside known dangers such as asbestos, tobacco and ultraviolet radiation. The decision came after a consultation by an expert panel organized by IARC, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, which is based in Lyon, France.

Bird Flu’s Return in China Seen Sped by New Year Chicken – Bloomberg “We are just heading into re-emergence in November and December,” said Malik Peiris, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, who was part of an international team of flu scientists that assisted the Chinese government in April identify how people are catching the new virus. “It will of course peak at Chinese New Year because it’s the time of maximum poultry production.”…Chinese New Year is on Jan. 31 next year.

齐心：忆仲勋——纪念习仲勋同志100周年诞辰  –党史频道-人民网 full page People’s Daily page 6 essay by Qi Xin on remembering her late husband, Xi Zhongxun

In China, Alzheimer’s Care Nearly Forgotten – Caixin That gnawing feeling of helplessness is shared by millions of Chinese across the country whose elderly relatives suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, an incurable form of dementia. They have to bear ever-weightier care-giving tasks as their loved ones’ mental faculties slowly diminish. Only a fraction of these patients receive professional health care in China. About 3,000 nursing home beds are available for dementia sufferers nationwide, according to reports released at an Alzheimer conference in Beijing in September, with even fewer set aside for the nation’s estimated 9.1 million diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

China set to announce reforms of creaking pension system: sources | Reuters The reforms, which may be announced as early as this month, could include merging separate state and private sector employee pension schemes, increasing coverage and broadening the range of assets pension funds are invested in to boost returns and improve efficiency, said sources with knowledge of the discussions.

How the Precious Orchid Got So Cheap – WSJ.com A custard-yellow orchid dubbed P. Golden Emperor ‘Sweet’ changed hands between Taiwan breeders in 1978 for $100,000. Now, orchids roll out of greenhouses in Taiwan and onto the shelves of retailers like Lowe’s for as little as $5.48. As with flat-panel TVs and laptops, the once-rare orchid has become a mass-market commodity. Orchids now are the best-selling potted flower in the U.S., with annual sales exceeding the poinsettia, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

China Hints at Effort to Export Cars to West – NYTimes.com Jeffrey J. Owens, chief technology officer and executive vice president of Delphi, the largest auto parts company headquartered in the United States, said in a separate interview that Chinese automakers were beginning to order parts for delivery three years from now that meet American and European regulatory standards. The orders tend to be for parts for midsize cars and sport utility vehicles, Mr. Owens said.

Iron Ore Futures Debut in Dalian as China Seeks Pricing Power – Bloomberg The market opens at 9 a.m. local time for seven monthly contracts for delivery from March to September 2014, according the bourse in the northeastern port city. The exchange, the nation’s third-largest by volume of futures, will use stockpiles of the steel-making feedstock at shipping terminals including Tianjin and Qingdao, as well as material held at some mills…Iron ore entered a bull market in July as users in China replenished stockpiles that shrank in March to the lowest level since 2009. Prices at Tianjin measured by The Steel Index Ltd. have rallied 21 percent from this year’s low on May 31 to $133.70 a ton Oct. 16.//so this rally started right as the bears were growling in ecstasy? how many funds stayed short iron ore and related instruments over the last 4 months on the China slowdown thesis, and how has their performance been?

China’s Dagong Cuts U.S. Credit Rating After Debt Limit Raised – Bloomberg Dagong, one of China’s four biggest credit rating companies, downgraded the local and foreign currency credit ratings of the U.S. to A- from A, maintaining a negative outlook, the company said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. That’s below Dagong’s rating of Botswana, which has a A rating, and puts the U.S. on par with Brazil.

Alibaba Forges Ahead with Bid to Transform Banking Industry – Caixin Jack Ma is turning his e-commerce giant into a big-time financial institution – in part by cozying up to traditional banks – but that also means meetings with regulators

IBM’s China-driven slump sparks executive shakeup | Reuters IBM Corp has reassigned the head of its growth markets unit, a source with knowledge of the move said, after a surprisingly steep drop in quarterly hardware sales in China prompted a 7 percent share slide on Thursday…Loughridge blamed much of the revenue decline on China, which accounts for about 5 percent of IBM’s business. About 40 percent of that business is hardware. He said the country was working on a nationwide economic reform plan ahead of a major government plenary session in November, which depressed sales.// great excuse…at least they didn’t blame “factions”…seriously, any chance Snowden’s revelation having an impact? Some bloggers are speculating, no evidence so far, doubt it would happen so fast

Can Wuhan, With Its Auto Factories, Become the Detroit of China? – China Real Time Report – WSJBut in its quest to become the Chinese auto capital, this city on the front line of China’s manic drive to rapid urbanization is also learning that the combination of too many cars and too many people can be toxic. “Congestion is everywhere. Subways and elevated highways are being built along the vital streets, narrowing the four-lane roads into two-lane ones, while electric bicyclists always intrude into the motorways,” said Li Fuyuan, a 33-year-old taxi driver in Wuhan. Even compared with other cities in the midst of their own construction boom such as Xian, the scale of building in Wuhan is staggering.

Beijing to Unveil New Policies to Shore up Foreign Trade -Caijing China has unveiled a couple of favorable policies since July to help Chinese trade companies ease pressures of rising costs and improving efficiency, said Shen Danyang, spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce. A plan to promote cross-border e-commerce has just been released, he said. More supporting efforts are on the way, according to Shen, including a comprehensive supporting package as well as measures to upgrade the industry’s growth momentum.

自贸区虚拟地址注册虚热 上海大妈“团购”壳公司_财经频道_一财网 Shanghainese already finding the angles to profit from the FTZ…though not in ways that are good for reform/economy // 在上海某大型小区的社区公共健身设施旁，《第一财经日报》记者见到了正和邻居们在“健身”的周阿姨。知道是记者来采访，周阿姨的邻居都纷纷以玩笑的口吻改口叫她“周总”。退休职工周阿姨乐呵呵地解释，两天前，她和她的先生已经在上海自贸区里开始注册两家公司。大约一周以后，她和她的先生的确将分别成为两家自贸区内公司的法定代表人、总经理。

一线城市年内卖地3533亿 新华社——经济参考网 so far this year first tier cities have sold 353.3B RMB worth of land // 链家地产市场研究部张旭告诉《经济参考报》记者，一线城市土地市场成交火热主要因为，一方面，2013年以来宏观政策基调稳定，行业发展和房企预期逐渐稳定，房企投资意愿增加；另一方面，一线城市市场潜力仍然较大，从2012年至今房地产市场的复苏过程看，一线城市率先反弹，推动了土地市场回暖。

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Chinese Leader Gets a Cartoon Makeover – NYTimes.com That the video has stayed up for so long suggests official propaganda organs had a hand in its creation or have at least given it tacit approval. The short reflects official efforts to portray China’s leadership selection process as fair and orderly. Mr. Xi is shown with his smiling face attached to a cartoon body.

Online nationalism: Running dog eat dog | The Economist In recent weeks a bitter row at Anti-CNN.com (now known formally as April Media) has exposed a rift between the site’s founder, Rao Jin, and others who joined his cause. Former staff describe a business in trouble, with disappointing web traffic and little revenue. They claim that a big investor has pulled his support and that the site has run out of cash (though it remains online). Ten employees settled pay disputes in September. A company that once boasted more than two dozen workers and thousands of square feet of office space in Beijing is, they say, down to one office worker: the accountant. Mr Rao disputes this. // Did Eric X Li fund the site?

Xi Jinping, playing with fire – China Media Project The serious danger of this advocacy of the “Fengqiao experience” lies in how it confutes the first 30 years of CCP rule and the last 30 years of CCP rule, in how it ignores the facts of history, disregards logic, and shoves aside the very real pain the public feels over the Mao era — particularly those who suffered directly during that period.

China’s Ex-Premier Wen Jiabao Makes First Public Appearance Since Stepping Down – China Real Time Report – WSJ Mr. Wen’s brief remarks managed to reference one of China’s best-known liberal political leaders, Hu Yaobang, the deposed reformist party leader whose death in April 1989 triggered the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square that were ultimately crushed by the military. “Under the new circumstances, Comrade [Xi] Zhongxun earnestly implemented a series of important directives by the party center and Comrade [Deng] Xiaoping, and fully supported the work of comrade [Hu] Yaobang,” Mr. Wen said.

Is Social Media Censorship of a Deadly Flood Backfiring? | TLN To a growing number of angry Chinese netizens, Yuyao represents the collateral damage from the online crackdown. “During the recent flooding of Yuyao, as the people emptied the shelves in supermarkets, the local government was busy detaining rumormongers,” wrote a Weibo account affiliated with the influential liberal paper Southern Metropolis Daily. “Many Internet users fear that their posts would be treated as rumors if retweeted more than 500 times, so information about the disaster couldn’t be disseminated widely.” As the floods subside, Yuyao has become, as Pang writes, “an isolated island of information.”

网若寒蝉与余姚哑铃 Luo Changping on the impact of Internet crackdown on flood relief efforts and aftermath in Yuyao // 【平之评】将天灾升级为人祸，是他们唯一的管理技巧；将人祸定性为天灾，是他们高明的粉饰手法。余·姚，依旧无法言说的故事。既然“一公两高”推行了如此严厉的治谣举措，为何现在又要成规模删帖，而不是实践自己设定的游戏规则？！ 这里所说的规则，就是法制。进一步遵守游戏规则，就是法治。换而言之，你定下来苛刻的规则，我愿意为我的言论承担罚则，这样就没有理由再实施删贴这样的行为了。制度的作用在于约束，也许并不完美，甚至并不天然保护弱者，但是它会给予弱者机会，同时也给强者机会。

China holds two bloggers as it expands crackdown on rumors | Reuters In Beijing, the capital, cartoonist Wang Liming was taken into custody at midnight on Wednesday and has not yet been freed, his friend, Wu Gan, told Reuters by telephone. Wu said police told Wang’s girlfriend they summoned him for forwarding a microblog post about a stranded mother holding a baby who had starved to death in the flood-hit eastern city of Yuyao.

贵阳837名大学生被借调参与拆违 兼职半天赚80元_网易新闻中心 837 school students forced to dress up as fake riot police to help in guiyang demolitions…local officials first denied it, have now been fired // 据新华社电 昨日，来自贵阳市政府的消息，贵阳市观山湖区委政法委书记、区控拆违指挥部指挥长刘光祥等干部，在没有充分核实有关问题的情况下发布不实消息，17日被免职。观山湖区控拆违指挥部相关负责人向公众致歉。 近日，有网帖称，贵阳市观山湖区拆违行动，强迫当地“贵阳贵航技工学院”学生穿上黑色特警服冒充特警参与强拆。观山湖区政法委调查称，12日参与拆违的人员，抽调的均为公务人员、周边区域安保公司的员工及拆违施工人员，没有学生参与，并由相关部门发布信息向社会进行了解释。

魏志刚被“调离” 中石油东南亚业务或“起火”_证券时报网 石油系统内部人士接受本报记者采访时透露，除了低品位油田承包、配额划拨等“高利润”业务外，海外项目中的物资采购、工程招标等环节则或将是中石油腐败窝案中的又一组关键词。 “海外项目收购中，有些油田区块可能品位、储量并不那么理想，但最终还是以高额的收购价将其收购，这中间就可能存在一定的问题。”上述石油系统人士说。

厦门城管执法被泼硫酸 18人受伤入院治疗_网易新闻中心 Chengguan in Xiamen get splashed w sulfuric acid

季建业被查始末：国庆后出访被叫停 南京强拆频遭质疑_资讯频道_凤凰网 in-depth look at the fall of Nanjing mayor Ji Jianye // 季建业，被当地居民称为“季挖挖”“满城挖”、“推土机市长”，接受组织调查，这不只是他个人的悲剧，而是再一次拷问领导干部的发展观、政绩观，以及如何构建权责相匹配的、对民敬畏的强有力监督机制。

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Lenovo Approaches BlackBerry – WSJ.com Should Lenovo follow through with a binding offer for BlackBerry—still a big if—the proposed deal would be certain to face government scrutiny in both Canada and the U.S. Bids for BlackBerry, which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, are expected to come in by Nov. 4, according to a person familiar with the matter. BlackBerry accounts for about 470,000 of the 600,000 mobile devices owned and issued by the Defense Department, according to a Pentagon spokesman. In all, more than a million BlackBerry devices were in use by U.S. federal and state employees as of the end of last year, according to the company. President Barack Obama is among those users. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. would likely review any proposed purchase of BlackBerry by Lenovo. Cfius, an interagency panel, focuses solely on national-security risks.

Charm of Chinese female navy soldiers – Xinhua Slideshow Are the high heels part of standard issue uniform?

Developing countries should gain more opportunities from cyberspace: Chinese official – Xinhua “We should attach great importance to and enhance capacity building in developing countries, narrow down the digital divide, and promote balanced progress in global informatization,” said Huang Huikang, legal advisor and Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law under Chinese Foreign Ministry…He emphasized China’s standpoint of building a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace, eliminating all forms of “hot war,” “cold war” or “cool war” from it. “International cyberspace governance must follow the principle of state sovereignty and non-interference in other’s internal affairs enshrined in the UN Charter,” said Huang, adding that China hopes the cyberspace can be a platform for various countries and peoples to carry out equal-footed exchanges and learn from each other.

China’s Charm Offensive Signals a New Strategic Era in Southeast Asia | Center for Strategic and International Studies Developments in Asia over the past week show that the trade agenda will forge ahead, with or without the presence of a U.S. president. Negotiations for the 16-member RCEP are getting under way, while China has its own mechanisms for expanding commerce with major ASEAN economies. In this context, it becomes more necessary than ever for the United States and the other 11 negotiating parties of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to conclude their agreement by the year-end target and for Washington to deliver on its intention to make trade the building block of its engagement in Asia. // but hy would any country believe the TPP would be ratified by Congress? And so why would any politician in Asia push for politically difficult changes to qualify, only to see their efforts for naught when Congress gets involved?

希拉里揭露王立军叛逃内幕_美国_多维新闻网 Amb Locke proposed giving Wang Lijun asylum and allowing him to stay in the Chengdu consulate, but the White House rejected him? Duowei says this as fact…did I miss something?// 王立军进入领事馆具体时间是2012年2月6日晚上10时，并停留一夜。这期间，他向美国驻成都总领事何孟德（Peter Haymond）和另外两名领事说了情况。王立军反映的情况涉及到他的上司薄熙来的腐败，以及薄同黑社会勾结的问题，还谈到了中国警方镇压异议人士的问题…何孟德随后跟北京的美国驻华大使骆家辉联系，骆家辉马上同美国国务院高官联系，并建议给予王立军庇护并允许他待在领馆内。但是，白宫不批准骆家辉的提议，担心如果在领馆内窝藏一位中共高级官员，就会影响到美中关系，特别是考虑到再过几天时任中国国家副主席习近平要抵达美国进行访问。

Hey China, Stop Laughing at the U.S. – Bloomberg — Damian Ma That these structural economic reforms are deeply political will be no surprise to the Chinese leadership (nor should it surprise America’s). Like most entrenched political interests, those that have benefited tremendously from the current economic arrangement, such as state companies, will fight tooth and nail to prevent their interests from being hijacked by economic restructuring. Well beyond November, Chinese leaders will have to shape, mold and preserve the political consensus so that these foes don’t weaken the resolve to tackle the thorniest reforms. Schadenfreude is easy. Maneuvering and handling the internal politics of reform is hard. Democracy or not, China will need to display no less, and probably more, skill than the U.S. if its reforms are to succeed.

U.K. Pledge on Tibet Fostered China Deals, People’s Daily Says – Bloomberg A U.K. admission that it mishandled the issue of Tibet paved the way for economic and financial agreements this week, a People’s Daily commentary said. The U.K. also pledged to respect China’s sovereignty, reviving relations that had been at a low ebb during the past year, the Communist Party’s official newspaper said in a commentary by Zhong Sheng. The name is a homonym in Chinese for “voice of China.”

只靠商机当不了“驾驶员”(钟声) 《 人民日报 》（ 2013年10月17日   03 版） 中国奉行互利共赢开放战略，但是决不拿国家核心利益做交易，决不容忍他国随意损害中国的正当权益….中英关系在探索健康稳定发展方面迈出新的步伐。15日，第五次中英经济财金对话在北京举行。对话展示的合作氛围以及取得的59项互利共赢成果，令人印象深刻…这一积极进展，是以英方承认其在涉藏问题上的错误做法、明确做出尊重中国主权和领土完整的郑重承诺为前提的。否则，陷入长达一年低谷的中英关系不可能转寰，也无法展开务实合作。

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

Two retired officers indicted for helping Chinese intelligence – Taipei Times Chien Ching-kuo (錢經國), who retired from the navy in 2009, and Lu Chun-chun (盧俊均), who served at the Missile Command Center until 2005, were charged with violating the National Security Act (國家安全法) and Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).

 

TECH AND MEDIA

Pony Ma’s Closed Meeting: Never Too Late To Change | Huxiu.me “In recent years, as we are striving to create excellent products and increasingly engaging ourselves in mobile internet industry, I feel the same strong passion as I had fifteen years ago, since when we grew from a single product to a complete and prosperous business model.” Pony Ma, founder of Tencent, said at a closed meeting to his staff on October 10th…Tencent hired more than 1000 fresh graduates this year, with growth rate controlled within 10% compared with last year. This number will be held under 5% next year according to Ma. “I hope we can downsize our recruitment. As for employees, it’s not the more the better.” Ma said.

Ning Hao Road Movie ‘No Man Land’ to Screen After Lengthy Ban – The Hollywood Reporter No Man Land tells of the adventures that befall a man driving to the far west of China, but the film did not find a fan in censor Zhao Baohua, a member of the film review board of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, who found the movie trashy and disliked its depiction of “depraved” individuals.

How Wong Kar-Wai turned 22 seconds into an eternity / The Dissolve The shot lasts 22 seconds, and nothing whatsoever happens during that time. Cop 663 (Tony Leung) drinks a cup of coffee, and Faye (Faye Wong) watches him. That’s it. The coffee isn’t poisoned, and there’s no narrative value to be found elsewhere in the frame. The shot could be cut without impeding the story in any way. Nonetheless, it’s one of the most fervently romantic interludes of all time—22 seconds of pure rapture. As a demonstration of what movies at their best do that no other medium can, it’s hard to beat. From the very beginning of Chungking Express, Wong and his cinematographers—Andrew Lau and Christopher Doyle, the latter of whom has collaborated with Wong many times, and here, primarily worked on the film’s second story—find ways to visually represent temporal distortion.

Alibaba isn’t the Amazon of China – China Real Time Report – WSJ A comparison between the latest earnings from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and those from U.S. Internet companies offers some clues to understanding the Chinese e-commerce giant. Calling Alibaba China’s Amazon.com Inc.AMZN +1.33% is for the most part misleading, as the Chinese company’s business model is different from Amazon, eBay Inc.EBAY -0.83% or any other U.S. e-commerce competitors. In some ways, the Chinese company, which serves as an advertising platform for numerous entrepreneurs that rely heavily on Alibaba to generate traffic for their online retail operations, bears some similarities to Google Inc

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

北京600名高三学生圆明园举行成人礼_网易新闻 600 Beijing high school students have a joint 18th birthday event in YuanMing Yuan…slideshow

British man sentenced for bigamy in Guangzhou- China.org.cn The man, named Jerry, married his Chinese business partner (Luo Ting), and had two children, despite having a wife (Marry) and four children in the UK. The two were found guilty of bigamy at Yuexiu Court. (All the names are pseudonyms.) Jerry was sentenced to 5 months detention with a suspended sentence of 6 months and Luo was given 4 months with a suspended sentence of 5 months.

Students Compete to Meet Powerful Alumni – Economic Observer Online – In-depth and Independent When leaders make such visits, the students who get to meet them are primarily chosen by their political accomplishments. Zhang had been working for the Communist Party Youth League, was captain of a school sports team and also chair of a student entrepreneur association. Chen was class monitor, Communist Party branch secretary, Party building assistant in the graduate students’ office and also responsible for the anniversary celebration’s organization work.

Poly Culture Group plans Hong Kong IPO | South China Morning Post The Poly Culture Group, whose parent company is the Poly Group – one of the most important national industrial giants directly led by the State Council – China’s cabinet, plans to raise around US$100 million via an initial public offering of shares in Hong Kong, sources familiar with the situation say. If successful, Poly Culture would become the first major Chinese auction house to go public outside the mainland,

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

工信部奶业重组方案揭盖：只留50家配方奶粉企业_21世纪网 MIIT plan to clean up the daiy industry imminent // 核心提示：从2016年1月至2018年12月底，培育3-5家大型企业集团，前10家国内品牌企业市场集中度达到80%。企业总数再减少30家左右。国产品牌企业最终只剩50家左右。

 

BEIJING

北京一小区连续断水三天 居民夜晚堵路抗议_图片频道_财新网 community in Beijing without water for 3 days because property management owes 2.7m RMB, 100+ residents protest, block traffic…in Chaoyang District ..pictures// 10月16日，北京，因小区内已断水3天，朝阳区南十里居41号院泰华滨河苑小区的近百名业主，前往小区门口堵路。据了解，断水系因物业拖欠供电公司270万元电费，被供电公司断电，进而影响高层供水

韩娟狂想曲 / Ambrose-a-rama: Craggy Great Wall beautiful parts of wild Beijing…pics // With the long holiday week at the beginning of October, we had a few days to explore some Great Wall that we had never seen. One day we went to the place that I blogged about seeming haunted. The following day we were in another pass near there and near the Sancha of Peter Hessler fame. The pass at Wangquanyu was narrow, claustrophobic at its narrowest–again, like the previous day, so tight we wondered if they really needed a Wall to guard it.