Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Oct 21

Irene Li, Associate Editor | Oct 21, 2023 11:39 am | Add a comment | 232 reads

Beijing Plans to Expand Nursery Services by 2025: By the year 2025, Beijing has set a goal to establish a minimum of one nursery in every subdistrict of its urban core, reports Beijing Daily. These nurseries will provide crucial support to parents who find themselves preoccupied with work and other responsibilities.

The initiative has already kicked off with the inauguration of the first such facility in the Liuliqiao Subdistrict of Fengtai district. This nursery offers a range of services including full-day, half-day, and temporary childcare, as well as hosting parent-child activities over the weekends.

In 2022, Beijing saw the establishment of 600 institutions offering nursery services. The local health commission has observed a robust demand for more such facilities in proximity to residential communities or workplaces. The commission further stated that these cost-effective and convenient nursery services are set to expand their reach, catering to the needs of more families in the city.

Beijing-based Langdi Pharmaceuticals Fined for Substandard Supplements: Beijing-based Langdi Pharmaceuticals has been fined RMB 134 million and has been asked to halt products for 30 days following the discovery of substandard calcium supplements, reports China Daily. The Beijing Administration for Market Regulation enacted the penalty after 32 batches of the company's calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 granules and tablets, produced between February 2021 and November 2022, failed to meet vitamin D3 content standards.

The subpar supplements were identified during a routine audit earlier this year. At the time, nearly a million packets of the product were already sold, with over 54,000 packets recalled and confiscated by Jul 20. The punishment included confiscation of around 6 million yuan in sales revenue and a fine of approximately 20 times the revenue.

Beijing Unveils Ancient Stone Grenades Discovered at Badaling Great Wall: Chinese archaeologists have unearthed 59 ancient stone grenades at the Badaling Great Wall, according to a report from Arkeonews. The grenades were discovered in a Western section of the Wall, suggesting a weapons warehouse once stood there, the first such storehouse found along the Great Wall.

Historian Ma Lüwei explained that the stone bombs, typically filled with gunpowder through a central hole, were a primary defense tool against invasions during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). These easily manufactured weapons were thrown down at invaders from the Great Wall and were able to cause significant damage according to historians.