China finds 170 more tons of tainted milk powder
By CARA ANNA, Associated Press Writer

BEIJING

– The discovery has punched a 170-ton hole in China's promises to overhaul its food safety system. Officials say they've found yet another case where large amounts of tainted milk powder from the country's 2008 scandal that should have been destroyed were instead repackaged.

China ordered tens of thousands of milk products laced with an industrial chemical burned or buried after more than 300,000 children were sickened and at least six died from the contamination. But, crucially, the government did not carry out the eradication itself, and this month an emergency crackdown has made it clear that tons of compromised products are still on the market.

Tainted dairy has recently been found in China's largest city, Shanghai, and in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shandong, Liaoning, Guizhou, Jilin and Hebei. At least five companies are suspected of reselling tainted products that should have been destroyed, the Health Ministry said last week. The problem products uncovered in the 10-day emergency crackdown have so far been limited to the domestic market.

The campaign is set to end Wednesday, and it's not clear whether it will be extended. The country's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year, starts this weekend, and already some offices are closing and millions of people are going on vacation.

The Health Ministry has not commented since the crackdown began, and the China Dairy Association has remained quiet as well.

"The problem is, this is a product with a shelf life of several years. It's very important that the product is not left unattended," said Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO senior scientist on food safety based in Beijing. "There's always a risk it will find a way back into the system."

The latest discovery underscores the difficulties of policing China's smaller food producers, despite a sweeping new food safety law that took effect last summer and promised stricter quality controls after the 2008 scandal, which was China's worst food safety crisis in years.

In the wake of that crisis, China punished dozens of officials, dairy executives and farmers, even executing a dairy farmer and a milk salesman. But the government didn't destroy seized products itself. Instead, it issued guidelines on how to destroy them, suggesting they be burned in large-capacity incinerators or that small amounts be buried in landfills.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, however, the local government did take over disposal after one garbage company poured tainted milk into a city river.

China's new food safety law places even more responsibility on food producers to ensure their products are safe, including introducing tough new penalties for makers of unsafe products.

On Monday, with the announcement that more products contaminated by the industrial chemical melmine had been found, it appeared the new regulations had failed again. Officials issued a recall for more than 170 tons of milk powder tainted by the industrial chemical melamine and closed two dairy companies in the northern region of Ningxia, the China Daily newspaper reported.

The report said officials have already seized 72 tons of the powder but were still looking for the rest, which had been sold by the Ningxia Tiantian Dairy Co. Ltd. to five factories in the neighboring region of Inner Mongolia and the bustling southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian.

The report said the tainted powder should have been destroyed in the 2008 scandal, but that an unnamed company gave it to Ningxia Tiantian as a debt payment.

Zhao Shuming, secretary-general of the Ningxia Dairy Industry Association, told the China Daily that said Ningxia Tiantian appears to have been unaware the product contained melamine but should have known that the repackaging itself, which usually involves changing production and sell-by dates, was illegal.

Zhao told the paper that many small dairies, including Ningxia Tiantian, don't have the technology to even test for melamine. When watered-down milk is laced with the chemical, it appears to still be rich in protein in quality tests that measure nitrogen, found in both the melamine and protein.

"Flaws in the previous system led to the current chaos. What if companies with tainted milk also hold back their stocks for this round of checkups and reuse them later, just like what's happening now?" the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Zhao spoke more carefully Monday, telling the AP, "We have strict checks, and our client companies have strict checks, too."

Ningxia Tiantian has been shut down, and a second company, Ningxia Panda Dairy Co. Ltd., was also ordered closed because of ties to a Shanghai dairy found with tainted goods last year, the report said.

Online Chinese chat rooms were buzzing Monday over the latest tainted milk finding, with many asking "Why are these things happening again?"

But a large-scale drop in consumer confidence that happened in the 2008 scandal isn't likely this time, said Cindy Yang, a dairy analyst for the Netherlands-based Rabobank Group in Shanghai.

"These companies are quite small ones," she said Monday, adding that China's largest dairies put stricter safety measures in place after feeling the bite of bad publicity — and raised prices 20 to 30 percent to pay for the better quality.

"You can't say that because of these cases, there's no trust in the whole market," she said.

These photos, taken by photographer Han Meng, give us a startling look at what those who live well under the poverty line must do to ensure the safety of their children.

Chen Chuanliu is an unlicensed rickshaw driver in the city of Beijing who felt the most secure way to keep his two-year old son Lao Lu from being abducted is to chain him to a lamp post with a thick chain and padlock. A month prior his four-year old sister was abducted, a grim reminder of the prevalence of child abduction in China.

“My wife cannot take care of him and I have to work to support my family. So I chain him to a pole when I have a fare. I don’t even have a picture of my daughter to use for a missing-person poster. I cannot lose my son as well.”

Since Chuanliu is a migrant worker he is unable to receive help from the state and is thus unable to place his son in a child care facility while he works. The mother of the boy is unable to take care of him due to the fact that she is disabled and spends her days collecting trash on the side of the road.

Despite the man’s unique and seemingly dangerous approach toward child care, his love for his son is evident in his refusal to accept large sums of money in exchange for giving his boy up for adoption.

It is not known if charges have been filed by authorities, who were alerted by concerned passersby. They did, however, order the man to unchain the boy immediately.

China Is Not Just Like America in the 50s and Seven Other Common Beliefs That Aren't True

SHANGHAI --  As a public service, here's a thoroughly idiosyncratic, non-comprehensive list of the eight most common misunderstandings about China.

1. China is America in the 50's (or Japan in the 80's, or Mexico in the 90's, or...).

Everybody loves a good historic analogy, but China is too big, too complex, and too thoroughly integrated with the rest of the world. China's consumer culture is leapfrogging its own unique path.

2. China's public data are unreliable.
There have been tremendous strides recently in the quality of publicly available data, especially for urban demographics. Pay attention to the development plans of central and city governments. Their plans are clear and ambitious, if vague at times. I also recommend a visit to the Shanghai Museum of Urban Planning to anyone curious about population density, retail clusters, or transportation infrastructure.

3. China's internet is like the rest of the world.
As Google's drama has highlighted, China's internet is unique. 

Global big guys like eBay, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and yes, Google, are insignificant or non-existent here.

Want to utilize social networks for your brand? Spend a day learning QQ, and mastering its roster of functions not seen in the West. I have a soft spot for Douban, which acts as a sort of user-generated index to the global library of music and film.

Empowered by Douban, culturally-inclined youth are uncovering everything from punk classics to experimental Dutch cinema, and sharing them with their friends.

4. China's consumers are split between urban and rural.
Technically true. But most global brands are actually dealing with a limited part of China: the mega-urban and the merely urban. China's consumer market is overwhelmingly clustered in cities, many with populations of one million or more. Size isn't everything. The most relevant factor for marketers should be the city's access to a cultural center like Beijing or Chengdu. A mom living in a medium-size city two hours from Guangzhou is likely more sophisticated about brands than her counterpart living in the massively populated, but under-exposed, provincial capital city Zhengzhou.

5. China's regional differences are as big as Europe's.
I hear this one from very sophisticated people, keen to show their respect for the scale and scope of China. Their hearts are in the right place, but they overstate the case. There are certainly regional differences, but within a moderate range. All of China learns the same history, takes the same exams, speaks the same language (at school at least), and watches the same news programs. Climate is one big exception, and it does influence food, architecture, and even clothing.

6. There are big generation gaps between each decade.
Generation gaps are huge, and they crop up more than every decade. This is a logical result of fast economic growth. Changes in culture and technology result in wildly different formational environments. Today's 25-year-olds grew up watching glossy boy bands like Taiwan's F4. Meanwhile kids a mere five years younger watched gender-bending Li Yuchun (from Super Girl) and other courageous oddities of the Reality TV circuit. Is it any wonder they embrace a weirdness that baffles their elders?

7. China is rapidly westernizing.
Without a doubt China is modernizing--just look at all the KFCs. But can we call it westernizing if those KFCs sell congee for breakfast? While there is a notable increase in Western brands and lifestyle options, it is matched by a comparable increase in historic Chinese culture. Witness the renewed interest in pu'er tea collecting, learning calligraphy, and the resurrection of Imperial dishes. There is a strong argument that China is becoming more Chinese. There's one other often-overlooked influence: North Asia. Japan, the world's second biggest economy, sits off China's shore, and its cultural influence is at least as significant as that of the West. Sure, 18-year-olds in urban China are wearing American Nikes. But 15-year-old kids are reading Japanese manga and listening to Korean pop.

8. Chinese youth are divided into tribes.
There is a kernel of truth here, and young people are segmenting themselves at ever-earlier ages. But these tribes look different from their Western counterparts. In the West we can use magazine, music, and brand affiliations as shorthand to describe a group. These don't quite work in China, what with print media being relatively small and the music scene so confused by piracy. Brand preference can be descriptive in big cities, but in the rest of the country brand differentiation is more blurred. So what does that leave? Celebrity preference can be useful. Choice of hobbies, including membership in online clubs, says a lot about a person. But there is a lot of fluidity and change.

A reminder: we enter the Year of the Tiger on Feb. 14. Have a wild tigerful Valentine's Day and best wishes for the New Year.

 

via adage.com

The annual Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) travel season officially began on January 30. According to the information disclosed by the Ministry of Railways 2010 Spring Festival travel season is from January 30 to March 10, about 40 days, 15 days before the New Year, and 25 days after the New Year. According to an authoritative forecast, Spring Festival travel season this year expects 2.5 billion passengers.

 

 

“Desire to go home, difficult to get a ticket”

At 3 pm on January 20, 2010, the Shanghai Railway Station already started to have presale tickets for the first day of the Spring Festival travel season January 30. Shanghai Station Norton Square opens 200 windows selling tickets at the same time.

 

January 20, 2010 afternoon, at the Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center, the temporary railway ticket booth, a migrant young man from Guangxi province named Liang Xiangui sleeps soundly on the railing of a long ticket line.

 

January 21, Passengers in Shenzhen North Railway Station to buy train tickets from the real-name system (a system first time used in China which requires passengers to give real name to purchase the train tickets and boarding the train with their IDs)

 

January 21, 2010, Mr. Liu from Fuyang bought a train ticket from the real-name system, because he used first generation ID card, the ticket shows his ID number but not his name.

 

January 21, at the Tianjin train station presale ticket booth, a student got her ticket to go home.

 

January 20, Chengdu train station,  a university student is saying hello to her friend.

 

1/21, passengers are getting ready to board the train at Shenyang North Station.

 

January 24, 2010 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, the railway station reached peak Spring Festival season early, migrant workers from Gansu with children are waiting to return home.
In 2010 Spring Festival travel season, we hope to show more care to "children going home" this somewhat helpless groups. Spring Festival travel season, please let the children to go first.

 

1/20/2009, Dongguan train station, a little traveler is boarding.

 

January 21, 2010, on the second of Shanghai Spring Festival train ticket pre-sale,  a father with his daughter are dragging luggage and getting ready to board the train.

 

January 17, 2010, Shanghai South Railway Station Square, a child is playing.

 

January 26, 2010, Qingdao railway station where the passenger gathers, although the national Spring Festival travel season has not officially began yet, people have already stepped on the Spring Festival journey.

 

January 30 is the first day of Spring Festival travel season in 2010.
Staffs are checking passengers’ documents and tickets. On the first day of Spring Festival travel season, Guangzhou train with the pilot real-name system does not appear to have expected long lines.  Operation of the railway station is stable and smooth.

 

January 30, Anhui, Hefei railway station, the passengers are boarding the train.

 

January 30 is the first day of Spring Festival travel season  in 2010.
Zhengzhou Railway Bureau has developed several sets of the spring program in response to peak traffic periods before and after the festival.

 

January 30 is the first day of Spring Festival in 2010.
In Urumqi West Railway Station, passengers are prepared to board the train from the Urumqi to Chengdu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 30, passengers are waiting at the Beijing West Railway Station.

January 30, passengers at Wuchang Railway Station.

 

January 30 is the first day of Spring Festival travel season in 2010.
Harbin Railway Station smoothly handled over 70,000 passengers, an increase of about 2,000 people the previous day.

 

January 30 is the first day of Spring Festival travel season in 2010.
Nanjing Railway passenger traffic is surging, the station fully mobilizes all sectors into the spring transportation work. In 2010 Spring Festival period, the Nanjing Railway Station is expected to send more than 2.3 million passengers, an increase of 0.8%.

 

Open and in operation for at least one month, Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed EMUs from Wuhan to Guangzhou from the will in crease its number from 23 pairs to 29 pairs, in order to ease the the Spring Festival passenger flow.

 

January 30, a passenger is carrying a suitcase walking in the Guangzhou Railway Station Square.

 

January 30, Harbin Railway Station, a little passengers look out the window.

January 30, during the Spring Festival travel season, Nanning Railway Bureau, Nanning Railway Station is expected to send more than 930,000 passengers on their trips, on average 23,000 travelers a day and 43,000 on the peak day.

 

January 30, the first day of Spring Festival travel season in 2010, Chengdu Railway Police Department held a "Chengdu police are around you" event, warning the travelers to be on high alert for thief and fake tickets etc. in order to promote travel safety.

Chengdu Railway Police Department SWAT Team, patrolling with dogs

 

January 30, Anhui, Hefei railway station, the passengers are boarding.

 

January 30, in Beijing Liuliqiao long-distance  bus station, guide workers are distributing free napkins to the travelers.

January 30, in Beijing Liuliqiao long-distance bus station, passengers is boarding a bus to go to Zhangjiakou, Hebei.

 

January 30, in Beijing Liuliqiao long-distance bus station, passengers are boarding.

January 30 , the first day of Spring Festival travel season in 2010, Fuzhou Railway Station opens a total of 24 ticket windows, 10 automatic ticket vending machines, 40 ticket booth outside of the station, in addition, five new EMU ticket window and four telephone booking windows to facilitate travelers during the Spring Festival.

 

January 30, a little passenger at Bengbu train station looks out a windows on the train.

 

Bengbu railway policemen helps left-behind children in rural areas to reunite with their migrant worker parents who are unable to return home because of work.  providing green path-way for left-behind children to board them as soon as possible.

 

 

January 30, Nanjing Railway Station, travelers line up at the temporary ticketing booth.

 

North Square of Beijing West Railway Station

 

January 29, Shanghai Railway Station, the train passengers are waiting to take off.

 

January 29, Shanghai Railway Station, a passenger is smoking on the platform. According to the prediction of relevant departments in Shanghai, the peak will occur around February 10.

 

Early hours of January 30, passengers at Beijing West Railway Station are ready to board.  40-day Spring Festival travel season is expected to send 210 million passengers, an increase of 18.2 million passengers, an increase of 9.5%, 5.25 million passengers daily.

January 30, the nation’s first trip to implement real-name system,  #L7688 at 0:26 departs from the Guangzhou Railway Station.

 

January 30, passengers at the Hefei Railway Station.  Hefei station Spring Festival security work starts early, by deploying additional police force to crack down on ticket scalpers, maintaining order, and to ensure a smooth traveling.

 

January 30, 2010, a child let by his parents is going home from the Hefei Railway Station. 

 

Early hours of January 30, passengers are waiting in the Harbin railway station waiting room.

 

At 3 PM on January 20, 2010, Shanghai Railway Station North Square, 200 hypermarkets ticket window is  officially open for presale tickets of EMUs train as early as 21 days, other train tickets for 11 days.

January 21, 2010, Shenzhen, people who buy ticket for others must bring ids and take care of the 100 yuan bills.

 

A little boy looks outside in the crowded train .

 

A small boy was elevated on the shoulders of their parents to avoid being injured.

 

A little girl is watched her father eating instant noodles, drooling.

 

A little kid is doing homework in the waiting room of the train station.

 

A mother drags her a spoiled child waling by the train.

passengers on a crowded  train are squeezed into the  the glass door.

 

January 29 afternoon, 2 PM, waiting in Guangzhou Pazhou at a off-site point of junction of Hunan Shaoyang,  travelers Tang Yuan (third left) who is the first to use the  real-name system for ticket validated.

January 28, before the ticket windows are open, the police came to photograph the people for records.  Recently, in order to prevent ticket brokers reselling tickets in short supply, the Shanghai Railway Police put a number of measures to restrict ticket selling.

 

January 30, the Guangzhou train started real-name system, passengers only need to scan ID cards and tickets in the verification device, a computer will be able to show the information.

January 30, Changsha railway station, big bags and small bags

 

Passengers are ready to board a train from Fuzhou to Chongqing.

 

January 30, Beijing West Railway Station Square, a Chinese migrant worker is carrying a huge bag to return home.

 

January 30, a youth in the Beijing Railway Station ticket hall, looking at the  ticket Bulletin Board.

January 30,  Hubei Yichang Railway Station, passengers on the train are having lunch.

 

January 30, several passengers are sleeping in Xi’an Railway Station waiting room.

 

The photo shows a man calls his girlfriend and reminds her to take care of  the luggage.

 

The photo shows the railway station in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, passengers with luggage ready to take the train to return home, to celebrate the Year of the Tiger Chinese New Year.

January 30, Guiyang Railway Station