A Whole New World

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Blow or not, it's a problem



Picture taken during May holiday shows how China's Golden May Travel Week has been boosting national ecomony for years. This annual nation-wide activity proven more efficient than annual Government's rate-raising policy toward soft-landing, mainly targets industrial investments and housing market.
Nevertheless, nation-wide discussion on whether or not to cancel May Holiday instead of three-paid-days which you can use whenever you want, is still pending.

To make things worse, another fresh discussion raised by Wuhan (captial of Hubei province) city's deputy mayor criticizing downstream city Nanjing blocks their golden water-way (Yangzi River) by its Nanjing No.1 Bridge. Only ships under three thousands capacity can pass through No.1's 24m height space, while many jetties been built these years ready for five-thousand class ocean cargo ships, allocated along upstream cities, are now anchoring smallest scale of the ocean's. Be noted that those cities are found near bottoms of China's GDP contributer lists. Nanjing is blamed for its utilizing man-made barricade transfering cargoes lifted at its docks, making huge profits. (parts of which i believe has been feeding into its two metros, haha...)


Disputes on local TV programe shows the debates might be serious than expected. Opposition say the Chinese people, especially those grown up with No.1 bridge, will be feeling discouraged if the bridge is demolished, and the upcoming shipping of ten-thousand tons cargoes will sure pose threats to cities' fragile environment.

After wiped off slaver both from oposite and his as well, pro-blow parties simply quoted ex-presidents' saying: "progress with time", smashing anti's Spiritual Bridge, which is hardly to withstand the statistics indicating Yangzi river's traffic is only 1/6 as that of the Rhine's, whose water,at the same time, is 1/6 of Yangzi. "Let's see...", pro said at last.

Forum titled "Development on Golden-Way Yangzi Channel", which was held in January this year at Shanghai, to my opinion, probably ignited the fuel. Likely to trump the then-upcoming spring festival, mayor of Chongqi implied the Nanjing No.1 bridge, as well as Wuhai's Yanzi Bridge, which are considered obstructing the Chongqing's economic booming, are all to be demolished!
And upstream cities like Hubei and Anhui province are more likely to donate 5 million yuan respectively, as needed for the demolishing. (I don't quite understand why not to air-strike by practice? like in film "True Lines". Pre-commissioning is also important, you know.)



At the meeting, Nanjing's deputy mayor retorted, smilingly, that for the sake of profits bridge made, it won't be blew off in 50 years, stating that its patriotism symbolic meaning still remains. (o.O)

Some text messages from TV screens send by audiences.

--- Blow off Nanjing Bridge to pass through ten-thousand tons ship , then, do we need to blow off "Run-Yang" bridge for the one hundred thousand tons flagship?
(The bridge was open to traffic last year, connectiong Yangzhou, hometown of ex-president, and Zhengjiang. Its name "Run-Yang" whose character Run means profit, moisten, Yang stands for Yangzhou. The name for this bridge once was "Zheng-Yang", was abandoned, due to the pronunciation for character '镇', sounding exactly same as the another character '震'or'振', which means shock.)

--- What about demolish the Forbidden City for economy?

Blow or not, it's a problem.