Today in China

A new 14 channel package is available in France since Monday through internet thanks to the telecom operator Free. Previously, ony two channels were available: a news channel in mandarin and the international channel CCTV-9. In this new package, there will be:
- CCTV-9
- CCTV-Spanish/French
- CCTV-Opera
- CCTV-Entertainment
- China Movie Channel
- Beijing TV
- Shanghai TV
- Guandong TV
- Jiangsu TV
- Fujian TV
- Hunan TV
- Shanxi TV
- Phoenix InfoNews
- Pacvia TV

The main target audience is of course the important Chinese Community in France; but one noticeable channel in the package is the French/Spanish channel that, so far, was only available in some countries in Africa and South America.

The objective of CCTV is to further broadcast this package in 6 other european countries within a year.

Source:
Chine Informations

Thanks to Emilie, we now have a nice video of our second scuba-diving at Beijing Blue zoo… It seems that you can see JJ and me around 2′45! ^_^

Thanks to Chris, we now have some more videos of ‘Le diner de Connes‘ on YouTube! Read the rest of this story to watch them!!!

I’m not sure I’ll tell you in which video you can see me…

By the way, let me remind you that we collected almost 10,000 euros for an association taking care of orphans! ^_^

(more…)

I started to maintain a list of cool games on Today in China because there really are some good free online games around. You may check the list. You’ll find only cool games and well… also some really cool games.

The coolest game in the list so far is Flow, where you take control of a strange creature and make it evolve in a lively aquatic world.

Enjoy!

Links:
Today in China
The list of games

Last Monday evening at 8, the Beijing Buffalo were playing their third game for the Red Ball Football Club’s ‘Kick back in August’, a 5-a-side Soccer Challenge with a main prize of 5,000 RMB in cash!

Well… since we lost the first two games, the main prize will not be ours but anyway, as Pierre de Coubertin said, the most important is not winning but taking part!

Anyway, I want to take this opportunity to welcome three new ‘real’ members of the Beijing Buffalos: Govinda, Nikola, John and Marc! With a special mention to Govinda who is… bouhouhouuuuu… leaving Beijing.

Govinda is leaving Beijing…

Thanks to Emilie for the video!

Info about the Red Ball Club:
Dongzhimenwai Dajie
Dong Fang Yin Zuo, on 2nd Ring, at Dongzhimen Wai exit
东直门桥东南角东直门南大街4号
Tel. 6417-7786

It all started like an hoax with an SMS on our Mobile Phones over the weekend. But now it seems really serious! It has been reported twice on China Daily! 70 people have been diagnosed as suffering from Guangzhou Angiostrongylus Meningitis!

Do not eat snails in Beijing! Well, in fact, if they are boiled correctly there should be no problem and - according to the Beijing Bureau of Health - all the 70 cases of Guangzhou Angiostrongylus Meningitis are all coming from the Shuguo Yanyi Restaurant that improperly cooked the Amazonian snails.

Anyway, I don’t think I will eat this kind of snails anytime soon…

Source:
China Daily - 2006 08 22

Today, I would like to introduce to you 林熙 (LinXi), a raising star in China. Her two Music Videos are now available on YouTube.

You may directly check her YouTube Channel from where you have access to the two videos or directly run them from my blog!

Go On My Way

_____

斗牛场 / Dou Niu Chang

Yeah! 5 years ago - on the 17th of August 2006 - I arrived in China, expecting to stay here for just 2 years before moving elsewhere… and I’m still around and probably for at least 2 or 3 more years!

5 years… Here come the TOP 10 changes that I noticed:

[1] I’m not sure if there are less taxis than five years ago but there are much more private cars. Five years ago, the roads in Beijing were red because of the color of the Beijing Cabs. Today, a lot of people buy their own car. The direct consequences are a taxi fare that went from 1.2RMB to 2.0RMB and a much worse traffic.

[2] Talking about traffic, the city evolved a lot to compensate the growing number of cars. Lots of roads have been widened from 2 lanes to 4 or 6. And Beijing has now a fifth and a sixth ring road!

[3] I also remember going out for lunch with my colleagues for a mere 10RMB or 1EUR. Now, you’d better count twice as much, something like 25RMB. Today, we went to a Sichuan Food Restaurant for 30RMB.

[4] There are much more bars and discos. When I arrived in China, THE Bar Street was Sanlitun (三立屯) and you could hardly find any bar outside of this area. Now, we have bars all over the place with Houhai (后海), Gongti (共体) but also the West of Beijing in the Universities District as Hot Spot.

[5] More than half the old Beijing Hutong (胡同) were destroyed and it continues… Lots of them were destroyed but some are getting renewed. The problem for the people who used to live there is that the rents increased and only the wealthy ones may stay. The others are relocated in huge dormitory cities in the suburbs.

[6] Two new lines of subway are in service. The first allow you to reach the North of Beijing from both DongZhiMen (东直门) and XiZhiMen (西直门). The second one is an extension of the horizontal line, going further east from SiHui (四惠). However, the line that we are all waiting is still missing, the one going from DongZhiMen (东直门) to the airport!

[7] This one might be the most noticeable change for someone coming back to Beijing after a few years. There are much more skyscrapers than before. Most of these buildings are apartments compounds, especially in the east side of Beijing where you have the embassies and foreign companies. As an example, the tower where I live is a new tower of 26 floors. Ermmmmm… well… Of course you have no 4, 13, 14 nor 24 because of some superstition based on the pronunciation of the number 4 (四, similar pronunciation as the death 死) and therefore, my tower only has 22 floors.

[8] Am I still in China? Besides the fact that Beijingers are now used to foreigners and stopped staring at them in the street, in some part of the city and especially in some bars and restaurant there are so many foreigners that one may have difficulties to remember that they are in China.

[9] Thanks of course to the government triggered artificial rains but also to the trees and flowers that are planted on the side of the roads, Beijing gets greener and greener. This morning on my way to the office, I even had the surprise to feel the scent of the grass freshly cut.

[10] Last but not least, since May 2005, we finally have a decent choice of Belgian Beers in Beijing, with the Beer Mania!

Anything I missed?

Have a look at this video, it might be the singer you will listen to in all cabs around China after she wins the Super Girl Contest this year!

Any comment?

Some people stayed enough time in Beijing to remember the Havana Cafe, which was located near the North Gate of GongTi a few years ago. It was THE Latin dancing bar of Beijing! And then… it disappeared.

We then discovered the Latinos at the South Gate of Chao Yang Park. That area was really crowded on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with the Rock’n'Roll Disco but also smaller Chinese bars like the Fever Bar. Latinos became the reference in Salsa, Mambo, Bachata, Merengue, etc. with its lively band. And then again, for some obscure reason… it disappeared.

But I just read somewhere that the Latinos was coming back! I had a look on the Internet and… BINGO!!! The new L A T I N O S will be located at NanXinCang (behind the new Poly Plaza) and will consist of 2 floors with Latin-American excitement!

The ground floor will provide a bar and restaurant while the dance floor will be upstairs with a band of 9 people from Colombia and Venezuela.

And the opening is for… This Friday the 18th of August!

Link
Latinos Official Website
Map to go to the Latinos Club