the Beijinger

What do fireworks, great action movies, fruit wrapped in baskets, fancy envelopes, new clothing and people getting fat have in common? You guessed it, they’re all things you see during Chinese New Year! As this year’s chunyun comes to a close, let’s take a minute and look back on some of the impressive figures that were rung up during the CNY period.

Non-stop gridlock, crowded subways and a dearth of cabs have got Beijing authorities scratching their heads for practical solutions – now comes news that salvation (or at least a partial solution) might come in the form of the “Young-Man JNP6250G.”

According to Chinatechgadget.com, the Zhejiang-manufactured bus measures 25 meters (as opposed to the standard 18-meters), has five doors, 40 seats and is capable of holding 300 passengers – making it about the size of a small commercial airliner.

When there’s no taxis in sight or no subway stop near your destination, hopping on a bus can make any journey around Beijing a little easier. However, the Chinese-only bus signs sometimes make this option impossible for expats.

However, Chinese search engine Baidu can give you a clear bus route to get from point A to point B. You don't need the ability to read or write Chinese – just a bit of common sense.

Disturbing news in the Chinese press has bar owners around Gulou (aka the Drum Tower) feeling nervous. Plans have been announced to “restore” the area around the tower to the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and build an underground “Beijing Time Cultural City,” comprising restaurants, parking spaces, and a museum about timekeeping technology.

Global Times China Publicly burns 5.2 million pirated DVD's and Books.

China's anti-piracy authorities organized public burnings of 5.2 million pirated books and compact discs Monday in several localities across China. The items were incinerated in Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Shanxi, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Sichuan provinces. As of December 31, 650,000 law enforcement personnel had been dispatched to examine producers and sellers of books, software and video products. Buy up, buy up fast!

Global Times 1 billion-euro 7 star hotel in Burj Dubai style for Beijing

Global Times reports today that the southern end of Nanluogu Xiang was the scene of a standoff last night between a clothing store owner and police, as the owner hunkered down in her shop demanding compensation for the impending demolition of her business.

The recent car regulations in Beijing have resulted in some interesting fallout that just proves bikes are best. It has been lottery overload with winners facing a ticking clock before their luck literally runs out. And expats are facing their own dilemma, outlined by Agenda.

Earlier this morning an escalator malfunction at Line 4’s Dongwuyuan [Beijing Zoo] Station left 28 hurt and one dead. Exact details about the breakdown are unknown but Exit A at the station has been temporarily shut down.

It’s very much a seller’s market for taxi drivers in Beijing these days — a dearth of vehicles, epic traffic jams and the cold weather have made catching a cab a free-for-all on the streets.

The problem has reached such epic proportions that now the Ministry of Transportation has been obliged to step in. China Daily reports on new rules aimed at preventing cabbies from arbitrarily refusing to pick up passengers:

For the full story on the new taxi regulations see agendabeijing.com.