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CHONGQING
Welfare corrupted
A total of 561 public servants in the municipal government’s social welfare sector were investigated last year, Xinhua reports. More than half were found to have taken bribes, with more than 120 cases involving amounts of more than 500,000 yuan (HK$632,000). They took bribes from real estate developers, embezzled financial subsidies meant for farmers, and even tapped into the farmers’ medical insurances.
Flooded by fake calls
The municipal police hotline received 1.78 million fake or irrelevant calls last year, which drained public resources and affected those who really needed help, Xinhua reports. But current penalties have not deterred such callers. A man who falsely reported a terrorist attack last year received the heaviest punishment so far, which saw him jailed for 10 days and fined just 500 yuan.
 
GANSU
Corn thieves caught
Four people were arrested in Lingtai county, Pingliang, last week for stealing from farmers’ corn fields, the Western Economic Daily reports. Police said the gang had stolen over four tonnes of corn worth about 4,000 yuan since last month.
‘Holed up’ by traffic
Three vehicles – including a bus full of students – fell into a sinkhole on a highway in Lanzhou on Friday, Xinhua reports. Chaos ensued, but there were no casualties, traffic authorities said. The hole – about five metres wide, 20 metres long and two metres deep – could have been caused by a leaking pipeline.
 
GUIZHOU
Checks for fireworks
Checkpoints will be set up on provincial highways this month to cut circulation of illegal fireworks before the Lunar New Year, China News Service reports. Guizhou is one of the country’s biggest fireworks producers with many underground workshops that churn out low-quality, high-risk fireworks. Those caught illegally carrying fireworks face jail time.
Highway heroes
A Zunyi farmer and his daughter risked their lives by standing in the middle of a highway to stop a fully loaded bus from falling into a hole last week, Guizhou Business News reports. The driver applied the brakes upon seeing the pair, who were waving and running against high-speed traffic. The bus stopped just three metres before the hole, which had been caused by a landslide.
 
HUNAN
Blade-runner arrested
A man was arrested in Mayang county, Huaihua, on Friday for trying to take 26 butcher’s knives onboard a train, the Xiaoxiang Morning Post reports. The man said he was an ironsmith delivering goods to his customers before the pig slaughtering season. Police said he would be jailed for five days and fined 200 yuan for violating safety rules.
Lost goods given away
A Changsha man has demanded 2,000 yuan compensation from a bus driver over a missing bag containing an iPhone 6 box, Voc.com.cn reports. The man said the box did not contain an iPhone but had its charger and warranty papers. The driver said he did find a bag with some women’s clothes and an empty iPhone box, but gave it two young women who were looking for missing items at the bus company’s headquarters. The company said the driver would be held partially responsible as he did not ask the women what they were looking for.
 
INNER MONGOLIA
DNA identifies rapist
A man was arrested in Baotou last week for taking part in gang-raping a woman last year and subsequently impregnating her, Baotou Evening News reports. Police had earlier arrested three others involved, but their DNA did not match that of the child. The fourth man arrested has been confirmed to be the baby’s father.
Bogus bills cheap but good
Circulation of fake 10-yuan banknotes in Chifeng increased more than sevenfold last year from the year before, Hongshan Evening News reports. The local government said most people paid little attention to the authenticity of the notes because of their small value, thus allowing their circulation to increase. Some people were caught using the bogus bills for change and most could not detect them because of their high quality.
 
SHAANXI
Told off for hair wash
A public servant in Fengxiang county, Baoji, received an official warning on Saturday for using the office for a hair wash, Hsw.cn reports. A Weibo user said he saw the forestry bureau official washing hair in office during working hours on Friday. The county government said the official was warned and told to make a formal apology after the Weibo post was confirmed to be true. The official’s gender was not specified.
What a ‘fine’ teacher
A high school student was fined 2,000 yuan last week by his teacher who caught him smoking in the school toilet twice, Hsw.cn reports. The teacher said he had reached an agreement with all his students’ parents to discipline them by imposing financial penalties for misbehaviour. Smoking carried a 1,000 yuan fine and being late for school came with a 100 yuan penalty. The school said the teacher had collected more than 10,000 yuan from his disciplinary method and that it would make him return the money to the students’ parents immediately.
 
SICHUAN
Window dressing
Drawings on dirt-caked car windows by an old man in Chengdu have been lauded by mainland internet users, Chengdu Economic Daily reports. The 67-year-old retired high school teacher’s sketches, mostly of young women in ancient costumes, have gone viral with hundreds of thousands shares on social media platforms. The man said he received professional training when he was younger but gave up painting because of his poor eyesight. Some of his neighbours reportedly left their cars unwashed for months so that he would draw on them.
Early education
A Chengdu doctor has sparked controversy by using sausages to teach his young daughter the basics of anatomy, China News Service reports. The doctor taught the Primary Two girl the different parts and functions of the human gut by sticking tags all over the sausages, which he hung on his balcony in an arrangement similar to that of human intestines. His method of education found support among some, but others argued it was too extreme.
 
YUNNAN
Bitter news for sugar cane
Areas of Yunnan’s sugar cane plantations shrank for the first time last year because of the poor business environment, Xinhua reports. Provincial agricultural authorities said some 360,000 hectares were planted with sugar cane last year – 1.1 per cent lower than the year before. Farmers blamed the decline on falling sugar prices, which had caused losses to many sugar refineries. With limited cash flow, some refineries failed to pay farmers for their cane, which in turn hurt farmers’ incentive to expand their plantations.
Drug traffickers’ rides
Anti-narcotics law enforcers in Puer arrested three drug traffickers and seized more than 100kg of the drug Ice last week, Xinhua reports. The authorities have increased inspections at highway checkpoints near the border as they expect drug trafficking activities to rise over the Lunar New Year. The traffickers used various modes of transport, including shuttle buses, motorcycles and cargo trucks, to carry their loot.
 


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China society

Around the nation: retiree leaves traditional Chinese drawings on dirt-caked car windows

Just one of the many sketches of young women in ancient Chinese costumes done by the retired high school teacher in Chengdu, Sichuan. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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China Insider

Also, teacher comes up with costly fines for his misbehaving pupils, and doctor starts his daughter early on learning about the human anatomy...using sausages


New | Around the nation: retiree leaves traditional Chinese drawings on dirt-caked car windows

Also, teacher comes up with costly fines for his misbehaving pupils, and doctor starts his daughter early on learning about the human anatomy...using sausages