November 5, 2007
Zhengzhou Evening News is owned by the Zhengzhou Daily Newspaper Group and is published out of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province.
Today’s lead headline announces a traffic prohibition against motorcycles. According the article, all privately-owned motorcycles are banned from driving in the downtown area. Violators may have their license revoked and may be fined up to 1,500 yuan. Whether the rules apply to electric motorbikes is still under discussion, a police official said.
The front page photo shows team members from Henan Jianye celebrating victory. They beat Changchun Yatai 3:2 in the 28th match of the China Premier League yesterday to ensure their league membership next year.
Other headlines:
- Zhengzhou Train Station to build two new exits for those passengers who want take taxis.
Headline writers often strive for a poetic effect by writing couplets with an equal number of syllables in each line. The headline here is written in this format, but it is followed by a subhead that is jarringly colloquial (even though it has the same number of characters);
- A bar street is being planned on the banks of the Jinshui River;
- The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published a benchmark of white collar wages in several cities. To be called “white collar” in Zhengzhou requires a salary of 2,880 yuan (US$386) per month. In Beijing, white collars make 5000 yuan (US$675), in Shanghai, 5350 yuan, in Guangzhou, 4750 yuan, and in Xi’an, 2080 yuan. (More info at China Daily.) UPDATE: This story has been debunked.