SinoFears

A 串儿 bouquet, the way to show someone you really love them :))

情人节快乐 / Happy Valentine’s Day!

Source: Southern Capital News, February 10, 2018

"This is great, I can see what I look like and what expression I'm making. I can also choose which photo I want to be put onto my ID card." On February 9, at the ID card window located at the Shangyu District Civil Services Center Hall No. 2, Shangyu District resident Mr. Li happily had his photo taken and ID card created by the facial image information collection system. It was the first time that this "satisfaction photography" facial image information collection system had officially been put into use in Shaoxing. 

Man in Suzhou mistakenly thinks he won the national lottery, faints 

Source: Pengpai News, January 30, 2018

Source: Southern Capital Post, January 24, 2018

Yesterday, law enforcement officials in Changsha, Hunan Province, came across a fire that had been started by a street vendor's portable coal stove. They used water guns to put out the fire, amusing many passersby and making them into minor internet celebrities. Officials said that the stove had been dumped out onto the street without being properly extinguished, an action that was both dangerous and uncivilized. They hope that this incident reminds citizens of the importance of upholding laws and regulations.

Comments Yuedadani: I really hate those vendors who set up all over the street. If your home is anywhere near public resources, then you'll have vendors come ruin the area.The street in front of my house used to be wide and clean, but now it's been taken over by cart sellers and street vendors, who leave their trash everywhere. (16 likes)

Geihualovely: I still feel like this is disrespectful to the street stall vendors. (11 likes)

Woyouyimeiyuandatou: Alright, come on, why don't you tell us how we can solve this problem? (10 likes)

Tajiaoni Nikanqunli: Give us a solution that's "respectful." (4 likes)

Chang Yao: This just fixes the problem temporarily, it doesn't get to the root. These people are going to keep trying to make a living every day. (2 likes)

Surveillance camera footage shows five "tattooed males"  flip over a table and beat female owner of a restaurant in Jilin

Source: Pengpai News, January 24, 2018

Recently in Changchun, Jilin Province, located in northeastern China, five tattooed males entered a barbecue restaurant to have dinner. The surveillance camera in the restaurant shows them swearing and cursing throughout the meal. After they were done eating, these five men left. Later that evening, however, they returned and immediately flipped over a table, then went behind the counter and began to hit the female owner. The police are currently investigating the incident.

Comments Wo Jiao Liduanhu: these Northeastern dogs are the worst kinds of people. It's disgusting. (759 likes)

Wunai de ten: please don't blame our entire region. Most of us here in the northeast don't normally hit people, aside from women, the elderly, and cripples (laughing emoji). (560 likes)

28kLiaoning guy: These triad members do whatever they want and pay no attention to the law. They need to be severely punished. (184 likes)

            Yudiar yang: Re: These guys are local thugs. Real skilled triad members  wouldn't reduce themselves to behavior like this (laughing emoji). (34 likes)

Chinese company forced to remove pornographic and violent online videos featuring Barbie dolls and cartoons

Source: Finance Online, January 24, 2018

Source: Headline News, January 23

Read a report on the protest from South China Morning Post

Two days ago, several students from Hong Kong Baptist University failed the  Putonghua Proficiency Test, which tests students' abilities in standardized Mandarin. These students "occupied" the teachers' office and yelled a series of insults and veiled threats at the teacher. On January 22, a post on a Hong Kong social media site revealed that one of the students who participated in this "anti-Putonghua exam protest" had obtained an internship at a hospital in Guangzhou. The hospital has received complaints and said it is currently verifying whether or not this information is true.

Comments

Heshu de Zaohuopu: How shameful. (615 likes)

Zhanbu Shi Miya: He would be willing to come to the mainland to intern after that??? What you say can come back to get you。 （296 likes)

Translating a documentary that follows former Premier of the Republic of China (i.e. Taiwan) Hau Pei-tsun as he travels to old battlefields of the War of Resistance against Japan (produced by a mainland TV station, interestingly, albeit a southern one). This means I also got translate an old Chinese army song - pretty bleak! (see Hau singing it here around the 14:30 mark).

唱歌 Lyrics 犧牲已到最後關頭 We will sacrifice no longer 同胞被屠殺 土地被強佔 as our compatriots are killed and our land is occupied, 我們再也不能忍受 we can stand no more, 我們再也不能忍受 we can stand no more. 亡國的條件決不能接受 We will never let China be taken, 中國的領土一寸也不能失守 we won't give another inch. 同胞們 向前走 別退後 My compatriots, move forward and never retreat, 拿我們的血和肉 we will use our blood and sweat 去拼掉敵人的頭 to tear the enemy limb from limb. 犧牲已到最後關頭 We will sacrifice no longer, 犧牲已到最後關頭 We will sacrifice no longer.

Surveillance camera catches doctor taking bribes in examination room

Source: Pengpai News, January 16, 2018

A doctor at the Tongxiang First People's Hospital in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, was recently reported for accepting bribes from pharmaceutical representatives. The hospital confirmed the report, saying that the offending doctor had already been reported to relevant departments, who were currently handling the case.

Comments: Zhangxiaoxiaojian (286 likes): There are very few doctors who don't take bribes.

24KChunhenanren (335 likes): Whoever says a doctor isn't good is just causing trouble for the medical system. That's the person who should be detained.

TuiteiZhiguodiyiren (189 likes): Whatever you do, they're watching :)

Source: Guangdong Higher Education Breaking News, January 9, 2018 (repost)

Guangdong has recently been experiencing a cold front, and students in unheated classrooms throughout the province have been shivering through classes and exams. As a result, students at the Xinhua College of Sun Yat-sen University recently decided to drape themselves in blankets in order to attend class. These students were later punished by the instructor and by administrative officials at the University.

Comments: Shuibuzhao Xiedao Shi Zhuangbi (39 likes): This guy was all my classmates talked about today. We found out later from a staff member that he was severely disciplined by the school. Even though the entire class had to stay late to attend a meeting and write a self-criticism, I was told that none of them blamed him. Instead, they all said that he should've used a better camera to take the photos :)

     monyhemomo (6 likes) Re: Why would he be disciplined?? What if his family couldn't afford winter clothing???

Kunkun Ai Miaomiao (11 likes): He did what I've been wanting to do all winter :))

WeChat post of the day: Chinese pessimism

Source: Southern Metropolis Daily, December 30, 2017

The compound called "chlorpheniramine" is a common ingredient in many cold medicines. It is used to treat symptoms such as inflammation, skin and mucous membrane allergies in the nose; watering eyes; sneezing; and runny nose. Recently, the China Food and Drug Administration issued a notice calling for the Syndy Pharamaceutical Corporation to immediately suspend the use of "chlorpheniramine" in all manufactured drugs. A specialist from the Guangdong Pharmaceutical University told Southern Metropolis Daily that "chlorpheniramine" was commonly used in the drug manufacturing process; it's a compound that is necessary for the synthesis of certain drugs. During the synthesis process, an intermediate substance derived from it, chlorobenzene, needs it to complete synthesis and preparation. The notice released by the China Food and Drug Administration States that the quality standards used during the manufacturing process in this industry were unclear, so the administration had no way of judging whether or not the chlorobenzene purchased from external suppliers had indicators that complied with mandatory standards. They also had no way of knowing whether or not this would affect the results of the manufactured medicine. All of these factors could possibly pose a threat to users' health.

Comments Wentingjiang mua (25 likes): It's still always better than Chinese medicine. Side effects of Chinese medicine: unknown. Contraindications:  unknown.

Source: Bojack Horseman Weibo account (unofficial)

Source: Brita website (China)

How to distinguish between real and fake when purchasing a Brita filter?

1. Look at the packaging and label This is a comparison between a real German Brita filter and a fake one; both of these were sold over the counter. Brita maintains strict control over its products, so as a result, there are very few versions with German text. Those real filters that are sold are quite expensive. These two versions both claim to be produced in Germany, but note that the packaging and quality of the print on the label is different.

Front of fake product: The fake version has more blue, the text and the photo are somewhat purple, the photo is fuzzy and the packaging material itself feels soft. The seals on the box are also very easy to open.

Front of real product: The box feels very hard, and the quality of the print is high, so the image is completely clear.

Back of fake product: The box is very simple and plain. It is missing the perforated tear strip, making more difficult to open.

Back of real product: The box has a perforated tear strip, making it easy to open. The box features a user-friendly design.

Real individual filter packaging: The packaging on fake filters features an image with darker shading at the bottom, and the image is blurrier.

Fake individual filter packaging: The shading on the image is very clear. New packaging will also feature images with uniform clarity.

Fake filter: Look at the filter screen: with fake filters, you won't be able to see the interior materials.

Source: Shaoxing Bagua, December 8, 2017

Yesterday, a public restroom located on South Ring Road, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, introduced its new toilet paper distribution machine. According to reports, this is the first public restroom in Zhejiang Province to install a machine like this. If visitors need toilet paper, they not only have to have to have their face digitally scanned, but there will also be a limit on the amount of paper they can take: 70 cm. 

Yesterday afternoon, one of our reporters visited the public restroom to try it out. When no one is in the immediate vicinity of the machine, it sits in rest mode. When our reporter approached it from the front, however, the camera detected her, and the machine made an announcement: "Please stand in the yellow identification area." Our reporter then stood in the marked off yellow area, removed her glasses and faced the machine. About three seconds later, the machine automatically distributed 70cm of toilet paper. If you scan your face again, however, can you get more paper? Our reporter tried it and discovered that the answer was no. Two minutes after she first tried the machine, she stood in the identification area again and attempted to get more paper. The machine scanned her face and made the following announcement: "You've already used this service. Please try again later." The employee on site explained that since the machine scanned her face and recognized that she was the same person, she would have to wait 10 minutes before she could get more paper. This design is intended to prevent people from taking too much toilet paper.

Each machine can distribute up to 200 meters of toilet paper. When it is close to running out, the machine reminds an employee that it needs to be changed.

Why was this toilet paper distribution machine installed? Zhou Xiaolong, the vice general manager of the Yuecheng District Huanjing Group Co., Ltd. said that Shanxing is a very popular tourist destination, and it receives a large amount of visitors, both domestic and foreign. This means that they are always thinking about how the "satisfaction level" of tourists can be improved. "providing free toilet paper to visitors is a wonderful idea," Zhou said. "It also makes life more convenient for local residents, but there are many challenges you face when trying to do something like this." After researching the issue, Zhou's company discovered that a paper distribution machine that used facial recognition technology would be a good solution. It could prevent people from taking too much paper and creating waste. In addition, this distribution machine is not connected to the internet, so people don't have to worry about their personal information being stolen.

This facial scanning toilet paper machine is clearly the result of wasteful and disorderly use of paper in the past. It's too bad, however, that this is happening at a time when many large and mid-sized cities have now begun to provide toilet paper at public restrooms, which means that the sprouts of a more honest society have begun to emerge.  We believe that with the further development of the market economy, the belief in the value of contracts and agreements will gradually become more popular.  At the same time, members of society will begin to realize that the provision of free goods to the public represents a kind of trust in the honesty of society, and living up to this sense of trust will create a better society in which fewer safeguards are needed.

Source: Southern Metropolis Daily, December 4, 2017

When it gets cold, there's nothing more satisfying than hot pot.

For a girl named Zhang in her 20s who loved to eat spicy hot pot, however, this satisfying dish recently turned dangerous.

Zhang works at a bank in Kunming, Yunnan Province. She is notorious for loving to go out for hot pot with her friends, and she used to eat it at least three times a week. When eating, she loved to take a bite as soon as her food was cooked. The food was still very hot and often burned the back of her throat, but she continued to eat this way.

Earlier this year, Zhang began to occasionally experience a choking feeling. At first, she only felt it when she drank water. The problem slowly got worse, however, and she began to feel it whenever she ate anything.

Despite this, Zhang continued to eat hot pot several times a week.

By July, the problem had become very serious. Every time she finished a meal, she would begin feeling like she was choking and had to throw up. The upper part of her stomach would also swell and become very painful.

Zhang thought she simply had an upset stomach and took some medicine from her local pharmacy, but it didn't have any effect. In October, she couldn't eat anything without throwing it back up, and she finally went to the Gastroenterology & GI Surgery Department of the Yunnan University Hospital.

The doctor there, Zeng Yujian, told her that a hernia had developed in her esophagus, and that as a result, part of her stomach had expanded into her chest cavity.

Dr. Zeng performed a series of tests on Zhang including an endoscopy and esophageal manometry, which confirmed that she had a hernia. This hernia had created a hole nearly 4 cm long in her esophagus, causing part of her stomach to expand into her chest.

Zhang felt like she led a fairly healthy lifestyle, and in addition to going out for hot pot 3-5 times per week, she didn't have any other bad habits. She often went to the gym, and she rarely stayed up late, so how could she have developed a hernia?

Dr. Zeng told her that it did not develop because she loved to eat hot pot, but rather because she ate her food when the temperature was too hot. It was this hot food that caused the hernia. According to Dr. Zeng, eating hot food long-term can irritate of the esophageal mucosa, which can lead to chronic esophagitis. This causes frequent vomiting, which creates pressure in the abdomen and causes the hole in the esophagus to further expand. This means that the stomach will eventually begin pushing up through this hole into the chest cavity.

After hearing this, what hot pot-lover wouldn't begin to tremble?

Fortunately for Zhang, Dr. Zeng was able to perform a minimally invasive surgery and repair this "keyhole-sized hole" in her esophagus.

Two weeks later, Zhang was again able to swallow food, and the choking symptoms had also disappeared.