A Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference municipal committee member suggested that Chengdu should reduce ticket prices to local tourist attraction last month.

From the Chengdu Commercial Daily:

"I'm nearly 50 years old and a Chengdu resident and since taking my son to see Dufu's Thatched Cottage and Wuhou Temple in 1995, I've never been back. Admission to these attractions are too expensive for locals," a CPPCC member told the Chengdu Tourism Board.

Since the proclamation it's become a topic of hot debate on the Internet, with some saying that "ticket economics" keeps locals from visiting points of interest. Others chime in that any losses in profit resulting from lowering the fares will certainly be recouped by increasing numbers of visitors to the sites.

"This guy told me that he's been living in Chengdu dozens of years, but when visitors come and ask whether Jinsha Museum or Wuhou Temple are worth visiting, he doesn't know what to say!" exclaimed one of the many voices in online debates.

"I strongly support this! I've been a Chengdu resident for over 30 years!" said another who added that she had visited a few of the sites only once, when she was a child, and can no longer remember them.

"If we, as Chengdunese, haven't even been to Wuhou Temple, Dufu's Cottage, Jinsha Museum, and so forth, how can we pass on Chengdu's traditions?"

Chengdu has 27 "A-rated" tourism sites, and of those, 15 are free to visit. These include Sansheng Xiang, Luodai Old Town, Huanglong, Floraland, Ping Le Old Town, Hibiscus (Furong) Old Town, Agriculture Village, Jiezi Old Town, Lin Qiong Old Town, Peach Blossom Village, Cuihuli Village, Huilong Valley, Baita (White Pagoda) Lake, Hongshacun Flower Town, and Kuanzhai Xiangzi. Discounted fares apply to the other 12 for military personnel, senior citizens, and students.

Chengdu Government Vice Secretary and Bureau Chief of the Chengdu Tourism Board Deng Gongli said that entrance fees make up only 3 percent of total revenues generated in by tourism. He added that the gold and silver Panda Cards that were issued last year were "an exceptional measure," implemented as a means of thanking locals and visitors alike for their support during the Sichuan earthquake. "Currently, what we're discussing the most are the gold cards for foreigners in order to boost international travel to Chengdu, which will greatly help move Chengdu toward becoming an international city," he said.

But after hearing the complaints of city residents, the Chengdu Tourism Bureau is considering implementing an annual pass available to those with valid Chengdu identification cards.

At the behest of the Pengshan county government, residents--especially those from in Lianhua village--have begun scouring their homes for evidence of the tomb of Liu Bei, an emperor from the Three Kingdoms Period. This comes after last December's discovery of what may be the tomb of Cao Cao, another Three Kingdoms Period emperor, in Henan province. The tomb has created so much business for the village where it was unearthed that other villages are eager to emulate the discovery. Thirteen farmers recently asked the State Administration of Cultural Heritage to begin excavating a hill in Lianhua, where 80 percent of the residents have the same surname as Liu Bei. Of course the real question is: which one is the rightful heir to the throne?

A week ago Thursday, an army of train-ticket scalpers ambushed six police officers when the officers tried to search a bag belonging to a scalper in a small town in Wusheng county. One of the officers was hit on the head with a steel bar, which fractured his skull. Although railways began an ID-based ticket program this year for Spring Festival in order to prevent scalping, the system is still vulnerable to exploitation; in the scalper's bag, the police (who apparently won the battle, somehow) found 45 ID cards.

The production of bear bile--a substance sometimes used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, whose extraction involves carving permanent holes in the abdomens of enslaved Asian black bears and draining the bile from their gall bladders--has long been decried as an unnecessary cruelty as well as a danger to the people who use the bile as medicine. A recent campaign by Animals Asia's Chengdu Moon Bear Rescue Center has led to 33 Chengdu pharmacies placing stickers on their doors and counters advertising that they no longer sell medicine derived from bears. The campaigners bought any bile remaining in stock and burned it in front of the shops.

"Informants" have accused Sichuan Changhong Electric Co, Ltd. of submitting bogus financial reports for at least the past 12 years, including approximately 5 billion yuan in fake profit. It isn't clear whether or not these informants consist entirely of Fan Dejun, a former sales director for Changhong in Hunan province, who went to jail from 2000 to 2007 for misappropriation and embezzlement. Surprisingly, Sichuan Changhong, one of the country's top producers of television sets and other electronics, has denied any wrongdoing.

When Deng Xiaoye, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, died of a brain infection on Feb 16, her parents made the unusual choice of donating her corneas to the Red Cross Eye Bank of Sichuan. The Eye Bank was founded last March, but so far has only received 27 donations. On the other hand, more than 10,000 people require cornea transplants in Sichuan every year. What remains unexplained is why so few people sign up to donate their corneas.

This week General Motors announced that negotiations to sell Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong failed, and it will begin to "wind down" production of the iconic military-style vehicle.

Compiled by Isaac Myers

machu picchu bar owner zhou fei, 31

Chengdu native Zhou Fei started working in bars the moment he finished high school until finally he was able to open his own ("I always wanted to make Chengdu's real folk-music bar," he says). Named Machu Picchu after the historical site in South America, a place he once read about in a magazine, the five-year-old bar is co-run with Gijs from Holland. Zhou Fei also occasionally plays in Chengdu and elsewhere with the folk band Gao. But most importantly, Zhou Fei does what he wants, when he wants.

So it's been said that you don't really like to work, or even stand up to get customers drinks. In fact, you've been called the king of laziness …
OK. I will tell you. I'm at home. Why should I stress myself? This is a comfortable place, a place where I want to relax with my friends. We are not here to accomplish some great work or earn a lot of money. No. You've known me for five years. I've been lazy here—but I'm talking to friends, having conversations, blah blah blah for hours. This is life.

Don't you need to work before you can relax?
These two come together.

Relaxing is work?
To work is to relax.

So your work is to relax?
Look at me, we are here drinking, talking, singing. Isn't that relaxing?

So would you say you are a typical Chengdunese?
Yes.

What defines a typical Chengdunese?
What distinguishes them from people in other cities in China is they really understand life. They know what work is, what life is, what home is, what friends are. They need real things—I mean, today after work if they are tired most will not think about tomorrow. Tomorrow, I have to do this and that. After work I just want to relax, chat with my friends, play mahjong, drink tea, play cards. I just want to chill. So the next day they think, "Oh shit, today I still have so much work to do."

And what makes your bar special?
It has a home feeling to it. It's very free here; there is no boss, no waiter. You can make yourself at home.

If the bar gives me the feeling of being at home, I could also just go home, right?
Of course.

Then why should I come here?
This is a big home! There are lots of friends around, you can chat, listen to music, talk about whatever.

The bar is rather small ...
Yeah …

... and quite hard to find ...
Yeah …

... it doesn't look very special from the outside ...
Mmm, yes.

... so why do people come here?
The [real] Machu Picchu is also quite small and hard to find, but a lot of people want to go. Because it's mysterious. People want to find out what kind of place this is. Also, we have folk concerts.

How do people find out about the folk concerts?
Internet. And fliers. I go to many places to hand out fliers.

You go to many places?
Gijs does. I don't go to other bars these days.

What was the fewest people to ever come to your bar?
One or two a day.

And per week?
I don't know. Every day is a new day.

Is it true that sometimes customers help you?
Yeah. You know, just now I was drinking with friends inside. When they need alcohol, they just grab it themselves. They don't think it's to help me; for them, it's fun. We all have fun. They are enjoying it. They are not working.

During Spring Festival some of your friends cleaned out and remodeled the bar while you were traveling. How do you feel about this?
Very good. But you have to know they are happy doing this. They think it's cool.

Sometimes you also drink your customers' drinks? True?
Way too much. You know. It's a Chinese habit: "C'mon, Zhou Fei, let's drink together, chat. Sometimes I don't feel very well. I don't want to drink, but they are friends. so I say okay. Drinking is not a very nice thing. If you drink by yourself it's nice. But if somebody else forces you when you don't want to, you don't enjoy it. But I have to—this is my job.

So your job is drinking?
[Laughs.]

People say you constantly have new girlfriends.
Why don't you say a lot of girls have me as their boyfriend?

What do you still want to achieve in your life?
The life I want to live is a simple one. If today I want to do something, nobody tells me, "You can't do that." What I want is to do whatever I want.

Do you want to make Machu Picchu bigger?
Of course. But without the big hassle.

Are you planning to open Machu Picchus in other cities?
Not at the moment.

Like McDonald's, one in each city ...
I'm not a businessman.

Do you ever want to visit the real Machu Picchu?
Of course.

When?
I don't know. Maybe when I have money. It's quite a hassle for Chinese to go to other places. If you have a lot of money you can go.

Will you close Machu one day?
At the moment I quite like it. So it stays open. I don't know when I will not like it anymore. But if I don't like it anymore I don't want to run it.

Maybe you'll find a good job in an office?
I'm not an office worker. I feel that my life is about freedom. I don't want somebody to tell me, "Do this," "Hey, don't do that" and what time to come and what time to leave. Because of this I like Machu Picchu. I don't want others to tell me what to do. I do what I want.


The interview was originally published in CHENGDOO citylife, issue 25/ July 2009 ("Sichuan").

The century's longest total solar eclipse arrives Wednesday, and eclipse enthusiasts are voicing their anticipation.

Lasting a whopping 6 minutes and 39 seconds at its peak off the coast of Japan, the eclipse passes over Chengdu in the early morning on Wednesday with partial eclipse beginning at 8:07 a.m. and ending at 10:26 a.m.

For those looking for a reason to get out of the city, the eclipse's path will also pass over Le Shan, Neijiang, Zigong, and Chongqing as well as east-coast cities Wuhan, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai.

Apart from the three-minute period of total eclipse, viewers are advised to not look directly at the eclipse without special protection as the radiation can cause permanent retinal damage.

Solar eclipses (日食 or rìshí in Mandarin) take place approximately every 18 months, but only every 370 years on average at any given place on earth. The maximum duration of a total solar eclipse is 7 minutes and 31 seconds.

The earliest recorded solar eclipse was documented by the Chinese in what historians guess was 2134 B.C. As far back as the 6th century B.C., the ancient Chinese had a fundamental understanding of the phenomenon of solar eclipses as well as how to predict their occurrence. These early recordings have assisted modern-day organizations such as NASA in understanding earthly phenomena.

Ancient Chinese superstitions envision the eclipse as a dragon eating the sun and link total eclipses to natural disasters. To this end, China National Radio has reportedly received several calls from people in Wenchuan County asking if there would be another earthquake, and a popular article circulating on Chinese forums such as Tianya numerates disasters and tragedies that befell the nation in eclipse years.

CCTV reports that "the General Office of the State Council has urged relevant departments to make preparations to tackle any possible inconveniences or adverse effects caused by the eclipse." Such adverse effects range from transport and traffic mishaps, interruption in wireless services, animal panic, public aggression, a sudden drop in temperature, and weather disasters.

Local events
In Chengdu, the Jinsha Site Museum will hold an eclipse ceremony with CCTV broadcasting live, Sina reports, and Sichuan Airlines' Chengdu to Shanghai flight 3U8961 will chase the eclipse, providing passengers with a 31-minute view of the spectacle.

The Bookworm is organizing a bus to Luodai, departing from the Bookworm at 7 a.m. and transporting eclipse chasers to the foot of Luodai's miniature Great Wall, from whence minivans will be hired to take passengers to the top of the wall. The fee is RMB80 and reservations are required: E-mail peter [AT] chinabookworm [DOT] com or call 13671212235.

Sichuan Online prescribes the following locations in Chengdu for eclipse-viewing: Sichuan University, Wangjiang Park, Tianfu Square, the south plaza of the Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, or your own balcony. For an allegedly more clear view, it recommends heading to Meishan's Hongya Wawu Shan, Minjiang Bridge, or Dongpo Lake Plaza; Guang'an's Siyuan Square; Le Shan; E'mei Shan; Longquan; or Ziyang. Beware, however, of hoardes of like-minded eclipse-viewers who will turn out in the thousands to such sites. Hotels lying in the eclipse's path are reporting a steep increase in bookings for July 21 and 22.

Real-time broadcasts
But if weather forecasts prove true and views from all nearby locations are mired by rain and clouds, never fear: You can join the rest of the world in watching any of several real-time broadcasts of the eclipse via television, Internet, or mobile phone.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has set up stations in Chongqing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Shanghai to record the total eclipse while additional stations in Beijing, Kunming, Urumqi, Taipei, and Hong Kong to capture partial-eclipse images. That broadcast can be viewed online or via mobile between 7:30 and 11:30 a.m. on July 22.

Another real-time broadcast is being organized in Chongqing by a group of scholars and professionals from Madrid, Spain. That broadcast can be viewed here.

UPDATE The total eclipse will be visible from Chengdu from 9:11 to 9:14 a.m. More precisely, it will pass over Tianfu Guangchang from 9:11:11 to 9:14:24 and Sichuan University's west gate from 9:11:06 to 9:14:29.

The NASA Total Solar Eclipse of 2009 July 22 page contains a lot of data, including an interactive Google eclipse map as well as several live webcasts of the eclipse in addition to those listed above:
University of North Dakota
Live! Universe from Japan
Taiwan Webcast Group (requires a proxy)

Photo: Xinhua

Damage in Mianzhu from the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Photo by Leo Chen.

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan's Mianzhu at around 2 a.m. this morning follow days of heavy rainfall.

Mianzhu was one of the areas hardest hit by last May 12's 8.0 quake. No casualties have been reported from this latest tremor, although three houses collapsed, and damage to roads and power and phone lines has disrupted transport and service. Reuters India reported that nearly 9,000 houses were damaged.

The shaking ranks among the 10 strongest tremors felt in Sichuan since the May 12 quake last year. Since that quake, a total of 57,083 tremors have been recorded in the region, 299 measuring above 4.0.

State media is reporting the quake's magnitude as 5.6 and warning that aftershocks may follow.

The last tremor of this magnitude to hit the region occurred on December 9, 2008.

Tuesday's quake was felt in Chengdu, about 85 kilometers from the epicenter.

UPDATE
Xinhua is reporting eight injuries in this morning's quake as well as an additional 5.0 jolt at 3:22 p.m. Tuesday. The epicenter was on the border of Mianzhu and Shifang cities. Residents of Chengdu reported feeling the shaking as well.

Three tremors measuring below 4.0 were recorded in the 13 hours that elapsed between the two moderate quakes.

As summer holidays approach, SQR is preparing to launch an activity-based summer-camp program.

The program, dubbed SAME, aims to keep young, displaced quake victims occupied while school is out. Camp activities will revolve around sports, arts, music, and English-language learning.

To facilitate the camps, SQR is seeking volunteers who can commit to at least one week of camp leadership. Modules will be planned out for volunteers to follow.

Those with teaching experience who are interested in helping develop the camp curriculum and training volunteers are also welcome.

From their website:



From June to mid-August, SQR will hold seven five-day (Monday to Friday) camp sessions. The first session begins this coming Monday, June 29.

Transportation to and from the site, basic accommodation, and meals will be provided by SQR.

Interested parties should e-mail volunteer [AT] sichuan-quake-relief [DOT] org or call 13671212235.

Sichuan Quake Relief came together immediately after the May 12, 2008 8.0-magnitutde earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 and displaced millions more. Since that time it has focused on bringing aid in the form of supplies and activities to quake areas that are overlooked by other aid organizations.

During the Zebra Music Festival we had the chance to talk with Hightone drummer Dominique Peter and guitarist Julien Oresta. Hightone is a Lyon, France-based dub band, and although their following in China is small, their name is well-established in electronic-music circles. Having just arrived on the afternoon of their gig to find that their keyboard was broken, the other members were busy trying to figure out a solution for the evening's performance, which would put a close to the three-day festival.

Julien Oresta, aka "Aku Fen." Photo by Leo Chen.

You've been to China, but is this your first time to Chengdu?
Last time when we toured we wanted to see more of China, but it wasn't possible due the tight tour schedule. So I came with my girlfriend for one month and had a really nice time.

How is playing in China different from playing in Europe?
Well things here just started, and we could feel that. But Hightone always gives 100 percent—that is our level. Unfortunately we didn't really have the time to check the sound system fully.

Do people here know your music?
Only in the Hemp House.

What do you think about the festival?
It's fun. It's OK.

How did you guys come together to form a band?
We went to school together in Lyon when we were young, like 20 years ago. We were like 13. We are the same guys from the very beginning.

A lot of bands would have broken up in that time. How have you stayed together?
Maybe because we developed slowly with good people, and we a created a label, "Jarring Effects." We worked in the indie way, we are people that produce the music we love. We are all friends. It was like that, but with a major label would not have been the right thing, it's not the way of Hightone. There is a lot of political elements in the life of Hightone that helped to support and continue the project ... we have some problems but it's OK.

Do you live together?
No.

Wild guess: You started out playing rock?
We played rock, punk, and post-rock. In the UK there was a connection between the punk and reggae music at the beginning of the '80s. Time after time we listened to the first reggae record, after that the first dub record, and finally we started to play electronic dub and move dub to another direction. We did our first maxi in '98, in 2000 our first album, but it was like 1996 that we started to create Hightone.

Dominique Peter aka "Selekta Dino." Photo by Leo Chen

You're often credited as being France's first dub band.
At the beginning we were thinking we were the first and only. At the same time there were two other bands—Improvisator Dub from Bordeaux, and Kaly Live Dub [both on Jarring Effects], but we were the first band to do dub with instruments and live. The English did some dub, but using machines, you know. They produced in the studio and after that they directly plugged into the sound system. We just discovered this band, Revolutionary Dubwires [UK dub formation that started in 1991] which played in the mid 90s. But in France we were first.

You call your style 'dub'n'bass' and you've stuck to that for a long time. Where is your music headed these days?
Typically we are free in music and it's always electronic dub, because we want to do this. But we love dubstep, drum'n'bass, jungle. We love the history of electronic music. So we are open to the music. Maybe dubstep is the last big influence for electronic music.

Do you make enough money to survive as a band?
We make enough money, but it's not a lot. It's never enough. [Laughs.]

Even though you're an "underground" band, this tour was supported by the French government, right?
Yes we get some money, but don't forget, we also pay tax—a lot. Well, it's better than touring somebody like Celine Dion around.

What's your next project?
Dub Box. It's for vinyl, it's a mix album, but it's already sold out. Dubinvader is the next. There is one track on the [remix album] Zentone called "Dubinvader." These were the two last projects. But I think your question was actually about the new album. After the tour we will sit down and make one, next year.

With all that producing and touring you still find time to run Jarring Effects?
Less and less, because Hightone takes most of my time. I help [with the label], but not full time.

Is it more difficult to make money with releases considering the decrease of CD sales?
We are a little bit famous in France, so it's OK. But it's more and more difficult for fresh artists to continue. They are less likely to take financial risks.

So have sales dropped?
On the web it's growing slowly, but CD sales are less. We have to find a new solution to fight against the new laws in France against file-sharing.

But in China everybody does it. You don't hunt people who copy your music.
No, no, we don't do this. We want to find a new solution. For me it's the web industry who must give some money to the artist.

Hightone closed out the final night of the Zebra Music Festival. Photo by Dan Sandoval.

Last question: Why are you guys last on?
We don't know. We just arrived and have to go on next... .

This interview was originally published in CHENGDOO citylife, issue 23, "streets."

Nude bathhouse reopens
The Hongya Nude Bathhouse (洪雅裸体浴场) opened last week amid controversy after it was shut down seven years ago by local authorities.

Now it has the support of Yuping Mountain Scenic area's general manager Li Jun.

According to Xinhua, the bathing house's proprietors "wished to allow tourists the pleasure of intimate contact with nature."

Yuping Mountain Scenic Area is located in Hongya County's Mei Shan city (眉山市洪雅县玉屏山). Hongya County is southwest of Chengdu, between Ya'an and Le'Shan.

Quake-damaged Sanxing Dui relics get makeover
A team of experts has begun the process of restoring relics, some up to 3,000 years old, unearthed at the Sanxing Dui site. Fifty pottery pieces were damaged in the earthquake, and restoration is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Sanxing Dui is currently being considered for a place on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Bazhong bus drivers strike for reduced hours
None of the 100 buses in Bazhong's fleet made its usual 6:40 a.m. departure last Wednesday as drivers organized to protest long hours and low pay.

After the municipal government agreed to meet with drivers later that morning, the drivers resumed service by 7:30. Authorities promised to issue a statement by June 20. The drivers demanded a reduction of hours to their 13-hour workday and an increase to their RMB 1,500 to 1,800 monthly salary, as well as complete safety inspections of all the buses.

Bazhong, a city of 200,000, lies northeast of Chengdu, between Guangyuan and Dazhou.

More buzz about Tengzhong-Hummer deal
While Tengzhong has submitted its purchase plan for governmental review and says the Hummer deal will be closed by the third quarter of this year, reports that question Tengzhong's ability to pay the vehicle giant's bills are slowly creeping out, and the overall tone of this article is skeptical.

Bus fire provokes bus safety overhaul
In the aftermath of the bus fire earlier this month, buses citywide are undergoing a massive safety overhaul, which includes a guaranteed number of emergency exits, movable windows, the inclusion of seven security hammers, and an emergency button to manually open automatic doors. A fleet of 1,000 new buses will be deployed onto Chengdu's roads by September. In northern Shenyang, all buses are being equipped with fire extinguishers.

Chengdu to host first international solar energy fair
The Chengdu Municipal Government has commissioned a French solar-energy organization to stage the world's first international solar-energy fair from September 4 to 6 and a new energy fair on September 4 and 5. Sponsored by associations from China, Germany, Japan, and the U.N., the combined events are expected to attract around 10,000 visitors from 20 countries.

Sichuan mining tycoon saves woman in the Jinjiang River
An anonymous rescuer who dove into the waters of the Jinjiang River to save a woman who had fallen in turned out to be Sichuan Mining Company, Ltd.'s chairman Liu Yunxin. The incident happened June 12, near Wuhouci's boat building. Liu had been doing his morning exercises when he heard the woman's screams, dove in, and left the scene before anybody could identify him.

New swine-flu cases reported
China's tally for swine-flu cases was at 382 as of yesterday, according to the World Health Organization. Of these, at least 10 were reported in Sichuan.