Society

For centuries, Tianjin was an important northern port city — the main gateway to Beijing, about 120 kilometers away. By 1900, it was a shipping hub and popular colonial playground, and it was home to the Chinese emperor Puyi in the 1920s and 1930s.

But in the middle of the 20th century, when the Communist Party came to power, the city became an afterthought, overshadowed by the country’s nearby capital.

Today, Tianjin—China’s third largest city with a population of more than 10 million, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica—is a classic Chinese boomtown. Dozens of international companies have their China headquarters here, and while the city retains a gritty edge, signs of growth are everywhere.

Let’s be honest: You’re not going to find the same nightlife options here as in Beijing or Shanghai. After all, Tianjin is still finding its place in the new China. But it’s having a lot of fun in the process.

A wander through the colonial concessions is the best way to start a night in Tianjin. The city spent the early 20th century under foreign influence, and in the 1.3-square-kilometer European Concession called Wudadao (“Five Big Avenues”) just south of the city center, more than 2,000 villas remain. Some have been restored into bars, restaurants and shops.

Shenzhen Nanshan District sent nearly 100-person team to take down 200 Zijin farmers' house (they live in over 20 years) in the morning of 22nd Mar. 2011. Now all of Zijin farmers become homeless.

Part of farmers were notified at 17:00 21st Mar. Their house were broke down at 9:00 22nd Mar. That means there were only 16 hours left for them to work out relocation plan and take action of moving stuffs.

Urumqi bus hit a train at 9 AM Beijing Time.

Brake malfunction is suspected as the reason of the disaster which took 6 lives and cause 23 Injuries.

China’s agricultural problems, where a quickly growing and increasingly affluent population is putting pressure on food supplies, will eventually spill over to the U.S., says environmental and agriculture guru Lester Brown. With the U.S. the world’s largest grain producer and China the largest holder of U.S. debt, Lester asks, “with China now America’s banker, will America become China’s farmer?”

Thomas Malthus sparked one of the most heated debates in economics back in 1798 when he anonymously published his Essay on the Principle of Population in which he famously postulated that as population growth turned exponential and outstripped agricultural production, which grew at a linear rate, famine and poverty would lead to civil strife and war. In a teleconference on Wednesday, Lester Brown, head of the Earth Policy institute, echoes Malthus’ fears noting that the British economist “was right in the sense that we are having trouble feeding the world population.” Apocalyptically, he adds that he sees he sees “no prospect that we will be able to face rising demand.” (Read On The Verge Of A Global Food Crisis).

China, Brown explains, will put incredible strains on global grain markets and will force the American consumer to forget about cheap food. With news that China had quietly entered the U.S. grain market to buy corn in the last couple of weeks, a nightmare scenario is brewing up for both countries. The U.S., with grain production at around 400 million tons a year, is the world’s breadbasket, according to Brown, exporting more than Canada, Argentina, and Australia together, the next three largest exporters. China, with over $900 million in Treasuries, is the U.S.’ banker.