Around the nation: Chinese DIY inventor searches for investors to help finish submarine

SHAANXI DIY submariner eyes funds Shenmu county inventor Du Xiutang, 53, who has spent 300,000 yuan building his own submarine, is looking for new investors, news website Hsw.cn reports. Du has always been fascinated by machinery and technology, but had to quit his second-year studies at secondary school and start work as a farmer when his family could not pay his fees. Since 2005 he has studied submarine design by himself. He was granted three national patents after inventing a submarine hydraulic drainage system and steering propulsion technology, Hsw.cn reported. But he said that as he was 200,000 yuan in debt, he needed new investors to help him complete his sub. Truck fire investigated A large semi-trailer truck burst into flames at about 9pm on Sunday in Xianyang, Shaanxi province, the Shaanxi Broadcasting Corporation reports. Firefighters battled to contain the blaze. It is not known if there were any casualties, and the cause of the fire is still being investigated. FUJIAN Blast risk after confusion Police and firefighters were able to avert a blast at a Xiamen factory at noon on Sunday despite first being sent to the wrong factory 3km away, Xinhua reports. A fire started at a food plant with many flammable oxygen and acetylene tanks. But a caller mixed up the pronunciation of the words “hu” and “fu”, so sent emergency services to a different place. The firefighters saw smoke in the distance and arrived in time at the right factory. Highway pedestrian killed A pedestrian died instantly at about 2pm yesterday after being hit by a car while trying to cross the busy Shenhai Expressway bridge in Xiamen, China News Service reports. The car driver said he had no time to brake to avoid hitting the man. GUANGDONG Rafter set to drift again A man, aged 41, from Zhuhai, plans to become the first man to drift down the Yellow River in a raft, the Modern Express reports. The adventurer has spent the past eight years travelling on mainland waterways in a rubber raft, including 64 days last year on the Pearl River. He plans to set off on his 10-month trip along the Yellow River on May 1. Lives of 89 dogs saved Animal rights activists helped to rescue 89 dogs that were due to be slaughtered in Shenzhen, China.org.cn reports. The activists staged a 36-hour sit-in to secure the release of the dogs, which were to have been killed for their meat at a slaughterhouse that reportedly had no permit for such work. HEILONGJIANG Motor home from home An elderly retired couple from Harbin, in Heilongjiang province, have spent more than 11 years travelling the country in a custom-built 1.2 million yuan (HK$1.5 million) motor home, news website Youth.cn reports. Han Shigui and Shi Shuzhi started their travels in 2003 and have stayed in more than 50 places. Hainan province was their favourite destination, they said. Homeless man assaulted Two drunk men from Harbin allegedly beat up a homeless man to “release tension”, the Modern Express newspaper reports. The victim, Li Yongwu, who was found by police covered in blood and unable to walk, was taken to hospital, but later disappeared. Li was sleeping in a small room with ATM machines at a China Merchants Bank branch when he was attacked. The suspects, who were arrested, reportedly told police they did not know Li. They decided to attack him while they were drunk to help them release tension, the report said. INNER MONGOLIA Blind masseur honoured A blind man has been honoured by Inner Mongolian officials after helping almost 2,000 disabled people find jobs, news portal Nmgcb.com.cn reports. Feng Fa, from Chifeng, who lost his sight when he was in the fifth grade, opened his own massage parlour in 1996. He later opened a massage school to train other disabled and unemployed workers for free. In the past decade, Feng has taught more than 2,000 students, most of whom have found work or started their own businesses. Boost for entrepreneurs In an effort to promote entrepreneurship, university graduates in the region are being offered loans of up to 500,000 yuan (HK$631,000) to help them to set up their own businesses, Xinhua reports. Authorities in Inner Mongolia have also held classes on entrepreneurship, business management training, analysis and research. Budding university entrepreneurs have also been offered advice on project development and risk assessment, according to the report. LIAONING Drug gang suspects held Police have detained 28 suspected drug dealers in northeast China’s Liaoning province, Xinhua reports. Investigations began in November when police began tracking the movements of the alleged gang in Dandong. They allegedly bought drugs in Heilongjiang and Guangdong provinces. Police then reportedly seized 5kg of methamphetamine, which was linked to the gang, in Shenzhen on January 13. Cheering fans go silent Basketball fans cheered so much for home side Liaoning during game six of the Chinese Basketball Association finals on Sunday that they litreally lost their voices, news website Hilizi.com reports. Defending champions Beijing retained their title with a 106-98 win for an unbeatable 4-2 lead in the best-of-seven contest. In the last five minutes, as Liaoning’s chances faded, home fans made themselves hoarse shouting, “I love Liaoning!” while the game announcer lost his voice after continuously shouting “Liaoning, add oil!”. YUNNAN Insecticide ‘murder’ arrest A woman from Fuyuan county has been arrested on suspicion of murder after reportedly pouring insecticide down her seven-year-old stepson’s throat, the Yunnan Daily reports. The boy died soon afterwards. She had reportedly been due to finalise her divorce from her second husband that day, but became angry after he rang to tell her he could not attend. Hotel price cap The Yunnan government has put a price cap on hotel room charges in the province to help the many refugees arriving from neighbouring Myanmar, the Beijing Youth Daily reports. About 60,000 Myanmar residents have fled across the border into China over the past two weeks since fighting increased between the Myanmese military and rebel forces. Room prices have risen sharply to 200 yuan per night. ZHEJIANG ‘Masked’ woman held A woman aged 34 allegedly used five fake WeChat social media accounts – including one suggesting she was a beautiful 20-something policewoman – to obtain money from a would-be suitor, the Modern Gold Express reports. She was detained by police after she wore a mask to meet the suitor and refused to remove it. Factory collapse search Rescue workers are searching for two people who are believed to be trapped under rubble after a factory collapsed without warning yesterday in Ningbo, China News Service reports, One person was rescued after the collapse, which is now being investigated by officials.