Beijing bites

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-30 11:42

Family members of painter Bai Chongran put on makeup before a family Peking opera show at a theater in Haidian district on Saturday. This is the fifth consecutive year that the family of 20 has staged the performance.

Divorces due to Internet gaming

About 20 percent of young couples have split up because the husbands are addicted to Internet gaming, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

A divorce court in Haidian district disclosed that couples born after the 1980s accounted for half of the more than 100 divorce cases it has handled over the past two years. Some 20 percent of these young couples parted hands because the husbands were addicted to Internet gaming. They didn't help with housework and in serious cases, even lost their jobs.

The paper said couples in their 20's often depended on their parents to finance their flats. As such, the court has had difficulties solving financial disputes during divorce cases.

Auction for condoms cancelled

A total of 5,000 condoms, which were supposed to go under the hammer at last Sunday's auction of Olympic-themed artifacts, were withdrawn at the last minute.

The collector of the condoms changed his mind and decided to donate them to the people in need, according to Guo Lei, secretary-general of the Sport Collection of China Collector Association, which is hosting the auction at China International Exhibition Center.

The condoms were placed at clinics for free in the Olympic village for athletes and delegation members during 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Another 65 items were sold for over 3.5 million yuan.

Beijing has more men

The city's male population far surpasses the female among migrant residents, with a ratio of 110 men to 100 women, according to the latest report from the Beijing municipal commission of population and family planning.

The commission said the gender imbalance is caused by the illegal practice of sex selection during pregnancy and that some mothers choose to abort after finding out the fetus is female.

Officials also warn if the trend continues, Beijing may have more single men among the city's 20 million population in the next 20 years.

Ju'er hutong gets revamp

The local authorities have added public gyms and reading rooms to the famous Ju'er hutong after soliciting the opinion of local residents, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Officials from the community said they would continue to exercise more democracy whenever it involves public opinion from local residents.

Many foreigners live in Beijing-style courtyard houses in the neighborhood.

The place is within walking distance from Beijing's hottest bar districts, Houhai and Nanluoguxiang.

First micro-loan company for farmers

Beijing has set up a micro-loan company for farmers and small businesses, the first of its kind in the city, according to the Mirror Evening News.

With a registered capital of 100 million yuan, the company is jointed owned by several village organizations in Fengtai district.

It will provide loans that don't exceed 3 million each.

The firm is predicted to become a rural bank if it proves itself profitable within two years.

Woman gives birth at public toilet

An 18-year-old woman gave birth to a baby girl in a public toilet in Fengtai district on Friday morning, the Beijing News reported yesterday.

After being taken to the Friendship Hospital by ambulance, the mother was discharged from the hospital and the child was kept on for monitoring, the report said. Doctors say the baby girl was six to seven months old and weighed 2.5 kg when born.

Relatives on the mother's side later took the baby home after doctors announced it was in a stable condition, the report said.