December 19, 2007
The First features “the largest observation wheel in the world” on its front page today. Major construction finished yesterday on the Tianjin Eye, which tops out at 35 floors, or 120 meter high. It is expected to open to public before August, 2008. The article calls it the highest in the world, but according to Wikipedia, the largest Ferris wheel in operation at present is in another Chinese city: Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. The Star of Nanchang stands 160 meter high.
The small photo at the top of the page shows the newly-unveiled mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Haibao (海宝, “the treasure of the sea”) is supposed to be inspired by the shape of the Chinese character 人, “person”. But many people don’t think so, and liken it to a condom or toothpaste instead. A large picture is available on Xinhua, and comments in Chinese can be found on Netease.
The top headline concerns the Beijing Bus Group’s new rules for student farecards. A student cardholder receives a 50% discount, so there have been many cases of people abusing the system. From now on, such cards must be applied for and recharged in groups, not individually.