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Laura Zhou

JIANGXI
No heating in class
A teacher at a rural primary school outside Nanchang has to make fires from kindling to keep his pupils warm in class, the China Youth Daily reports. The primary school is located in the mountains, about 22km from the nearest township, and has only eight pupils and two teachers. There is no electric heating in the school because the local power grid is not robust enough.
Accusation led to suicide
A woman in Lianhua county near Nanchang committed suicide after her husband accused her of having an affair, China.com.cn reports. Her husband became suspicious after seeing a text message on her mobile phone and questioned the woman over it. The wife became angry and swallowed pesticide after quarrelling with her husband. Police are investigating the case.
 
BEIJING
Imposter gets 11 years
A man in his 20s has been jailed for 11 years at the No2 People's Intermediate Court for swindling 1 million yuan (HK$1.25 million), the Beijing Times reports. The man pretended to be an official with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Communist Party's graft-buster, and the grandson of a national leader. He defrauded a Korean woman, promising to sell her crude oil at a discount. The woman even introduced her daughter to the man for a date.
Subterranean eviction
Beijing authorities have expelled more than 120,000 people who had been living in disused air raid shelters since 2011, citing security reasons, The Beijing News reports. The shelters, part of an extensive network of caverns built during the Cold war in the 1960s, were being illegally occupied for housing or commercial uses. The city government decided to evict the people and turn the shelters into parking stations or entertainment venues.
 
CHONGQING
Sick of blind dates
A 28-year-old woman has undergone psychological counselling following her dismal experiences of more than 20 matchmaking dates, the Chongqing Evening News reports. On most occasions she became physically ill with dizziness and vomited when pressed to attend such events. The report described her as an attractive, young woman with a decent job, but her family and relatives were worried she would not find a proper husband when she gets older.
Too shamed to return
A 33-year-old man working in Chongqing has not returned home or contacted his parents for 15 years because he was unable to find a job, the Chongqing Evening News reports. All the while his parents had no idea of his whereabouts. Even his household registration, or hukou, was revoked for being absent for too long. The family were reunited recently after local police notified his parents after he applied for a new ID card.
 
HUBEI
Crime didn't pay
Police in Wuhan have arrested a woman suspected of embezzling 800,000 yuan of public funds in 1998, the Wuhan Morning Post reports. The suspect had been on the run for 16 years. She allegedly stole the money while working as an accountant at a local bank between 1994 and 1998. She left her job abruptly in January, 1999, and had since been hiding in other provinces. At times she had to make do by begging or collecting garbage.
Dancing the blues away
A 57-year-old woman spent 18,000 yuan of her savings to organise a dancing party in a public square in central Wuhan last week to relieve her grief over the loss of her 29-year-old son, the Chutian Metropolis Daily  reports. She became a "square dancer" - mostly elderly women dancing in public spaces - in 2009, but has spent more time and money on the hobby after her son committed suicide last year. She decided to host the party to attract more dancers.
 
JIANGSU
Seasoning's greetings
Residents of Zhenjiang bought more than 60 tonnes of soy sauce in less than 10 hours on Saturday as part of a local tradition to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the China News Service reports. One resident purchased 350kg alone. A local provider said the company prepared about 400 tonnes of the condiment this year, and was expecting more than 20,000 buyers during the seven-day sales period. Residents say the freshly made sauce is cheaper and more delicious.
False witness
Police in Nanjing have arrested a car driver following a hit-and-run incident, the Modern Express Daily reports. The driver fled the scene after hitting a motorcyclist, but he later returned as a witness, telling police the motorcyclist was driving too fast and fell off his machine himself in a bid to cover up the accident. The motorcyclist was treated at hospital. Surveillance video proved the driver's testimony was fabricated.
 
LIAONING
Left speechless
A 36-year-old woman working for a company in Shenyang suddenly lost her ability to speak after she was passed over for an award for the most hard-working employee, the Huashang Morning Post reports. Her worried husband took her to a medical examination, which found nothing physically wrong with her brain. A psychiatrist said the woman had become too depressed to talk. Her condition improved a little after her boss gave her the prize after learning what had happened.
Rail crossing escape
Drivers miraculously escaped injury when an overloaded truck crashed into a freight train in Chaoyang , Xinhua reports. The truck was carrying 150 tonnes of iron ore, though it was designed to carry only 34 tonnes of goods. Eleven carriages of the freight overturned as a result of the collision. The truck driver lost control and ran through a red light at the safety crossing.
 
YUNNAN
Grave robbers in a hole
Three Kunming locals have stood trial for digging up 31 graves, the Chuncheng Evening News  reports. Another man from Guizhou remains at large. The group believed they were digging ancient graves outside Yuxi , but they found only one silver bracelet among the graves. No verdict was given.
Taking ruse a bit far
Police in Songming county have arrested two men for extortion and impersonating police officers, the Chuncheng Evening News reports. The pair, aged 18 and 23, bought fake police badges and batons online. They targeted drug users and prostitutes, threatening to arrest them if they failed to pay "fines" of several thousand yuan. They still claimed to be policemen when intercepted by real police.
 
ZHEJIANG
Fireworks ban enforced
A man in Dongyang was detained for eight days and fined 200 yuan for violating a new local ban against fireworks, Chinanews.com reports. The city banned the sale and use of fireworks starting this year to battle against air pollution. The man, who set off firecrackers in front of his house, was taken away by police on Friday. Local environmental protection authorities called on residents to replace real fireworks with electric ones during the Lunar New Year holidays.
Couple sold newborn girl
A local court in Taizhou has handed a couple suspended five-year jail terms for selling their newborn daughter, the Qianjiang Evening News  reports. They were also fined 20,000 yuan. The couple already had a son and a daughter, and expected their third child to be a son. So they decided to give the baby girl to another couple in the city, but demanded 50,000 yuan payment. The couple said they did not understand why it was illegal to sell their daughter.


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China society

Around the nation: Teacher lights fires to keep pupils warm in freezing classrooms

A teacher lights a fire of kindling to keep his pupils warm at their school in the mountains of Jiangxi. The local power grid is not strong enough to support electric heating at the school. Photo: SCMP

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China

Also: One woman relieves grief with dancing; another loses ability to speak after being overlooked for work award


A teacher at a rural primary school outside Nanchang has to make fires from kindling to keep his pupils warm in class, the China Youth Daily reports. The primary school is located in the mountains, about 22km from the nearest township, and has only eight pupils and two teachers. There is no electric heating in the school because the local power grid is not robust enough.


Around the nation: Teacher lights fires to keep pupils warm in freezing classrooms

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Also: One woman relieves grief with dancing; another loses ability to speak after being overlooked for work award

Also: One woman relieves grief with dancing; another loses ability to speak after being overlooked for work award