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GUANGDONG
The long run home
A man has run 350km from Shenzhen to his hometown, Shantou , to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family, the Southern Metropolis News reports. Cai Jianping, a 23-year-old marathon fan, completed the journey in five days. He said the idea came to his mind about a month ago, so he decided to give himself a challenge. During the run he set out at 6am each day and would stay on the road until dusk, spending the night in hotels. Cai said one of the highlights of the trip was the encouragement he received from strangers along the way.
Woman blackmailer
Shenzhen police have arrested a woman who blackmailed more than 10 men by threatening to tell police they had raped her, the Southern Metropolis News reports. The woman went on dates with the men and had slept with them, then accused them of rape in an attempt to obtain compensation. But a police investigation found the woman had called the police 257 times in two years, all related to sexual assaults.
 
BEIJING
Green light for micro parks
The capital is to get 60 more "pocket" parks by October, the Beijing Daily reports. The mini-parks, none larger than 10,000 square metres, will be built in or near residential areas. The city started a pilot scheme to build smaller parks last year, and decided to expand the project to a total area of 40 hectares.
Driver's big gamble
A driver for the general manager of a fund management company has been jailed for five years and 10 months after he stole 230,000 yuan (HK$290,000)from his boss and lost it all gambling in Macau, the Beijing Times reports. The manager handed his bank card and a USB key to the driver to give to the financial department. Instead, the driver kept the card and withdrew the money.
 
HENAN
Hogs wiped out in blaze
About 150 hogs died in a farm blaze in Nanzhao county, Nanyang , on Sunday, causing losses of more than 200,000 yuan, the Dahe Daily reports. Twenty barns, covering 1,000 square metres, were engulfed in flames that killed all the livestock before firefighters arrived. The fire department was investigating the cause of the fire, while the county government said it would provide financial assistance to the farmer.
Oldest couple again
A man and his wife in Yuzhou have been named the nation's oldest couple for the third year running, Eastday.com reports. The husband, 109, and 108-year-old wife have been married for 90 years - longer than most people live. They have more than 70 descendents. Doctors said they were both in good health.
 
HUBEI
Good hand nearly cost leg
A man in Wuhan nearly lost his leg after playing mahjong non-stop for 24 hours, the Wuhan Evening News reports. He felt severe pain in his left leg when he stood up from the mahjong table. By the time he arrived at hospital, his leg was completely swollen and had turned blue. Doctor found that veins in his left leg was blocked by thrombi from sitting still for a long time, and was in danger of necrosis. Only prompt treatment saved his leg.
Absent-minded mum
A woman left her 10-year-old son at a highway toll station to chase for her luggage that she had left on a bus, the Wuhan Evening News reports. She took another bus and caught up with her luggage at a service area, only to realise she had forgotten at which toll station she had left her son. She called police for help and finally found the boy in bushes near the station.
 
HUNAN
Self service flight
A woman brought a hot meal in a rice cooker on board a flight to Changsha to visit her daughter for the Lunar New Year, Voc.com.cn reports. The woman, travelling with her granddaughter, worried that the food at restaurants or on the plane was not hygienic and could make her granddaughter sick. She bought a small rice cooker for the trip and prepared rice and eggs before the flight.
Slap on wrist for official
The former deputy head of Hengdong county, where 92 children have been found with excessive amounts of lead in their blood, has been handed a demerit - or an administrative black mark - for failing to keep polluting factories in check during his term, The Beijing News reports. A local official said earlier that "chewing pencils could also lead to elevated blood lead levels," which was false, as pencils are made with graphite, not the heaver toxic metal.
 
JIANGSU
Five litres of his finest
A passenger in Nanjing was stopped from boarding a train carrying five litres of urine, People.com.cn reports. The man, in his 40s, carried the samples in water bottles. He said he was taking it to a hospital in Shanghai after his doctor had asked him to bring a specimen.
What does this button do?
A 13-year-old boy brought a metro train to a halt in Wuxi after he pressed the emergency stop button out of curiosity, the Wuxi Daily reports. The train stopped for a minute to check for problems before being cleared by the control centre to move on. The boy said he had also pressed emergency buttons in lifts and buses.
 
SHANGHAI
Bonus dispute turns ugly
A worker who accused his supervisor of cutting his annual bonus due to his "disagreeable" looks received such strong support on social media that he got his bonus back plus a transfer to another department, Eastday.com reports. The supervisor had told colleague that she "felt like throwing up whenever I see him," the report said. The worker said his annual bonus had been over 100,000 yuan in the past five years, but was cut to 30,000 yuan this year after the supervisor took over.
More wildlife for zoo
The Shanghai Zoo had to call in police on Monday to quell a dispute with a group of elderly who refused to lower the music while dancing next to a reptile and amphibian enclosures early in the morning, the Shanghai Daily reports. Zoo staff said the loud music disturbed the animals and insisted the dancers stay 10 metres from the cages. Some dancers smashed sign boards as the dispute heated up. "The animals enjoy the music and watch us dance," a woman dancer said. The resident python was probably unperturbed, as snakes do not have ears.
 
ZHEJIANG
Shop, in the name of love
A cashier at a supermarket in Wenzhou embezzled 2.4 million yuan from her company to please her young lover, the Today Morning Express reports. The 28-year-old married woman met her boy in 2010 - when he was not yet 18. He tried to end the affair two years later, but she begged him to stay. She rented a flat for him, bought a car, and paid for his travelling expenses - while earning 4,000 yuan a month. She changed bills paid by cash to bank card payments and kept the cash, until her boss found out and reported her.
Toddler's lock-in
Firefighters in Lanxi rescued a three-year-old boy who locked himself in at home, Cztv.com reports. He locked the front door inside after his grandmother took out the rubbish. Firefighters climbed a ladder to the third-floor flat and entered through a window.


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Lunar New Year

Around the nation: Man runs 350km home for Lunar New Year

Cai Jianping, pictured at this year's Dapeng marathon in Shenzhen, took five days to run nearly 350km to his hometown, Shantou, for the Lunar New Year holiday. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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Also: Man's leg nearly rots after 24-hour mahjong binge; Shanghai zoo staff in tense stand-off with elderly dancers in reptile enclosure


Around the nation: Man runs 350km home for Lunar New Year

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Also: Man's leg nearly rots after 24-hour mahjong binge; Shanghai zoo staff in tense stand-off with elderly dancers in reptile enclosure

Also: Man's leg nearly rots after 24-hour mahjong binge; Shanghai zoo staff in tense stand-off with elderly dancers in reptile enclosure