Emperor Cuckoo: Human interest in China

Recently, a reporter covering the news in Heilongjiang province, Shuangyashan city, discovered that because large-scale dairy product businesses have a monopoly on the price of fresh milk, the price of milk in this area is persistently low, and many small dairy farms are unable to make ends meet, and are forced to "chop up the cow" (kill the cow or sell its meat). People who raise cows say that these days a half kilo of milk isn't worth as much as a bottle of mineral water.  Experts believe that to achieve healthy sustainable development, the nation must break the monopolistic hold of a few large-scale dairy product enterprises, this would quickly bring about change and improvement.
记者近日在黑龙江省双鸭山市采访发现，由于大型乳品企业垄断区域鲜奶收购，这一地区生鲜奶收购价持续在低位徘徊，导致很多奶户入不敷出，被迫“砍牛”（杀牛或卖牛）。有养牛户表示，现在当地一斤奶价钱卖不过一瓶矿泉水。有关专家认为，要实现健康可持续发展，我国奶业急需打破少数大企业地域垄断发展模式，尽快实现转型升级。
Jìzhě jìnrì zài Hēilóng Jiāng shěng Shuāngyāshān shì cạ̌ifǎng fāxiàn, yóuyú dàxíng rǔpǐn qǐyè lǒngduàn qūyù xiānnǎi shōugòu, zhè yīdìqū shēng xiānnǎi shōugòujià chíxù zài dī wèi páihuái, dǎozhì hěn duō nǎi hù rùbùfūchū, bèipò “kǎn niú” (shā niú huò mài niú). Yǒu yǎng niú hù biǎoshì, xiànzài dāngdì yī jīn nǎi jiàqian màibuguò yī píng kuàngquánshuǐ. Yǒuguān zhuānjiā rènwéi, yào shíxiàn jiànkāng kěchíxù fāzhǎn, wǒguó nǎi yè jíxū dǎpò shǎoshù dà qǐyè dìyù lǒngduàn fāzhǎn móshì, jǐnkuài shíxiàn zhuǎnxíng shēngjí.
　
When milk isn't as good as water, cows are killed and tears flow.
We know about the monopolies, who can we ask to make this right?
Comment: Lao Song　
　　
牛奶不如水，杀牛也洒泪。
已知垄断过，改错可问谁？
点评 老宋
Niúnǎi bùrú shuǐ, shā niú yě sǎlèi.
Yǐzhī lǒngduànguo, gǎicuò kě wèn sheí?
Diǎn píng Lǎo Sòng

Source: 《每日新报》2012-04-09 第A2版: 画里有话(图) online

The deceased completely merge into nature
逝者完全融入自然  Shìzhě wánquán róngrù zìrán

Yesterday afternoon, at the Yong'an public cemetery (Tianjin), a number of people were gathered, and with soothing music in the background, one hundred deceased were buried, completely free of charge, in an environmentally-sound burial ceremony.  According to reports, since March 2010, when the free burial area opened, about 1100 deceased have been buried.  "This kind of burial protects the environment and conserves land, but also is a challenge to people's traditional concepts."  Zhang Xin, deputy director of China's Funeral and Burial Association, said that people need to accept and participate in "green burials," so the Association has to show its benefits, and that it is a better choice.
     A "green" casket will completely decompose in three months.
昨天上午，永安公墓内人头攒动，舒缓的音乐中，百名逝者落葬全免费环保墓区仪式正式举行。据了解，2010年3月开辟全免费墓区以来，截至目前，有1100位逝者落葬。“这种殡葬方式既环保又节省土地，但也较大地挑战了人们的传统观念。”中国殡葬协会公墓工作委员会副主任张昕表示，绿色殡葬需要市民的认可和参与，更需要殡葬从业人员提供有益的、更多方式的选择。
　　 环保骨灰盒仨月就降解。
Zuótiān shàngwǔ, Yǒng'ān Gōngmù nèiren tóu zǎn dòng, shūhuǎn de yīnyuè zhōng, bǎi míng shìzhě luò zàng quán miǎnfèi huán-bǎo mù qū yíshì zhèngshì jǔxíng. Jù liǎojiě, 2010 nián 3 yuè kāipì quán miǎnfèi mù qū yǐlái, jiézhì mùqián, yǒu 1100 wèi shìzhě luò zàng. “Zhèi zhǒng bìnzàng fāngshì jì huán-bǎo yòu jiéshěng tǔdì, dàn yě jiào dàdì tiǎozhànle rénmen de chuántǒng guānniàn.” Zhōngguó Bìnzàng Xiéhuì Gōngmù Gōngzuò Wěiyuánhuì fùzhǔrèn Zhāng Xīn biǎoshì, lǜsè bìnzàng xūyào shìmín de rènkě hé cānyù, gèng xūyào bìnzàng cóngyè rényuán tígōng yǒuyì de, gèngduō fāngshì de xuǎnzé.
　　Huán-bǎo gǔhuīhé sā yuè jiù jiàngjiě.

Source: 《城市快报》2012-04-05 第 05 版“两年1100人全免费绿色安葬” online

Sky-high price for "Panda tea" ... Is it hype or is it actually effective?
天价“熊猫茶” 炒作还是确有其效? 
Tiān jià “Xióngmāo chá” chǎozuò háishi què yǒu qí xiào?

March 27, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, An Yanshi, the creator of "Panda tea," formally has begun marketing tea leaves made from plants grown in the organic wastes of pandas, and the sales price has reached 220,000 yuan per jin [$35,000 per half-kilo, or about one pound] --
3月27日，四川省成都市，安琰石所创始的“熊猫茶”正式上市销售，该茶叶由熊猫粪便种植培育，售价高达22万元一斤—--
3 yuè 27 rì, Sìchuān shěng Chéngdū shì, An Yǎnshí suǒ chuàngshǐ de “Xióngmāo chá” zhèngshì shàngshì xiāoshòu, gāi cháyè yóu xióngmāo fènbiàn zhòngzhí péiyù, shòujià gāodá 22 wàn yuán yī jīn—--

Photo: An Yanshi demonstrates his skills pouring tea 
安琰石在表演茶艺  Ān Yǎnshí zài biạ̌oyǎn chá yì 

Recently on the internet, "Panda tea," a kind of "Pure Brightness" tea [traditionally, tea leaves picked on certain days at the very beginning of Spring, before the "Tomb-sweeping" celebration in China when ancestors are remembered and honored], has stirred up a lot of discussion.  The inventor An Yanshi has said publicly that Panda tea is made from the organic waste of pandas, and he relies on "intuition" for his belief that the tea prevents cancer ...
最近，网上有种名为“熊猫茶”的明前茶遭到众多网友热议。开发者安琰石公开表示，熊猫茶是由熊猫的粪便培育而成的，他“凭直觉”认为其具有抗癌功效。。。
Zuìjìn, wǎng shàng yọ̌uzhǒng míngwéi “Xióngmāo chá” de míngqián chá zāodào zhòngduō wǎngyǒu rè yì. Kāifāzhě An Yǎnshí gōngkāi biǎoshì, Xióngmāo chá shì yóu xióngmāo de fènbiàn péiyù ér chéng de, tā “píng zhíjué” rènwéi qí jùyǒu kàng'ái gōngxiào...

A jin of Panda tea sells for the sky-high price of 220,000 yuan, and he will apply for the Guiness Book of World records; part of the profits will be donated to environmental protection agencies. If you calculate three grams of tea leaves per cup of tea, that's about 1,000 yuan per cup of tea ($160.00).  But some experts believe the claim [that the tea prevents cancer] is debatable, and that hyping the precious reputation of "national treasures" is not desirable.
熊猫茶每斤更是卖到了近22万元的天价，还将申请吉尼斯世界纪录，把部分利润捐给环保志愿者联盟。按每次放3克茶叶计算，一杯茶的成本也已过千元。不过专家认为，这种说法目前尚无依据，利用“国宝”名声炒作的做法不太可取。
Xióngmāo chá měi jīn gèng shì mài dàoliǎo jìn 22 wàn yuán de tiān jià, hái jiāng shēnqǐng jí ní sī shìjiè jìlù, bǎ bùfen lìrùn juāngěi huán-bǎo zhìyuàn zhě liánméng. Àn měi cì fàng 3 kè cháyè jìsuàn, yī bēi chá de chéngběn yě yǐguò qiān yuán. Buguò zhuānjiā rènwéi, zhèizhǒng shuōfa mùqián shàng wú yījù, lìyòng “guóbǎo” míngshēng chǎozuò de zuòfǎ bụ̀tài kẹ̌qǔ.

Source: 《中老年时报 》2012-03-30 第01版: 天价“熊猫茶” 炒作还是确有其效?  online