Wholly foreign owned enterprise in china

CHENGDU, China — Ever since Deng Xiaoping signaled in 1978 that it was fine to get rich, much of China has seemed hell-bent on that goal. But some local governments would like those who succeed not to lord it over others, at least when it comes to paying final respects. As of last month, in the cemeteries of this hilly megalopolis in south central China, modest burial sites are in. Fancy tombs are out. And in some places, so are fancy funerals. Plots for ashes are limited to 1.5 square meters, about 4 feet by 4 feet. Tombstones are supposed to be no higher than 100 centimeters, or 39 inches, although it is not clear that limit will be enforced. Sellers of oversize plots have been warned of severe fines, as much as 300 times the plot’s price. “Ordinary people who walk by and see these lavish tombs might not be able to keep their emotions in balance,” said Zheng Wenzhong, as he visited the relatively modest resting place of a relative at The Temple of the Lighted Lamp … [Read more...] about China Curbs Fancy Tombs That Irk Poor

In 2015, when Shangqiu, a municipality in central China about the size of Kentucky, laid out a plan for the next two decades, it positioned itself as a transportation hub with a sprawling network of railways, highways and river shipping routes. By the end of 2020, Shangqiu had built 114 miles of high-speed rail, and today several national railways make stops in the city. By 2025, Shangqiu expects the coverage of its highway network to have increased by 87 percent. The city is building its first two airports, three new highways and enough parking space for 20,000 additional slots. The infrastructure splurge is far from over. On Feb. 23, the Shangqiu Communist Party secretary reiterated the city’s vision as a logistics power when celebrating a new partnership with a state-owned investment firm, which could help Shangqiu borrow money for even more projects. That morning, the city’s bus operator announced that it would have to suspend services because of financial difficulties. … [Read more...] about China’s Cities Are Buried in Debt, but They Keep Shoveling It On

The talk of Wall Street over the last week may have been Shanghai’s plunging stock market, but many blocks farther uptown, where commuter traffic gives way to verdant sidewalks, a different set of numbers related to China was making news. As it entered its final week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring Costume Institute show, “ China: Through the Looking Glass, ” was attaining blockbuster status. As of last Friday morning, 735,000 people had attended the show, with a week to go before its close on Sept. 7, including a final Friday and Saturday with viewing hours extended until midnight. That has already made it the most-visited Costume Institute show in the museum’s history, displacing “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” which pulled in 661,509 attendees, as well as elevating it to No. 7 — and climbing — on the museum’s top-10 most popular list, on a par with other 700,000-plus-visitor shows such as the “Mona Lisa” (1963), “Origins of Impressionism” (1995) and “Picasso in the … [Read more...] about Exhibition on China and Fashion Proves Golden for Met

China Live and its landlord are engaged in a longstanding, multimillion-dollar dispute that spans numerous lawsuits, according to a report by the San Francisco Business Times. The threat of eviction looms over the large food hall at 644 Broadway in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood — though recent developments may have staved off a more immediate exit. As first reported by the San Francisco Business Times , in January, 644 Broadway LLC — managed by Cypress Properties Group — sued China Live, alleging the restaurant owes $4.2 million in back rent dating back to October 2021. As part of its unlawful detainer suit, 644 Broadway LLC alleged that China Live received millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans but did not use those loans "for the specific purpose of assisting with the payment of rent." Just two months later, on March 17, the eviction suit was "voluntarily" dismissed by 644 Broadway LLC, according to the San Francisco Chronicle . An attorney … [Read more...] about San Francisco’s China Live embroiled in ugly legal fight with landlord

The rush toward a cashless society has hit the most basic of government transactions — entry fees into national parks. On May 26, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state will be the latest park to stop accepting cash at the entry booth. (RELATED: SUZANNE DOWNING: Biden’s Interior Secretary Dishes Out Icy Revenge On Alaskans) Instead, visitors will be required to pay with credit or debit cards to enter what is a taxpayer-supported recreation area meant for hiking, biking, climbing, camping, exploring and sightseeing. The park management has, in its wisdom, decided that it’s not worth it to collect actual money, a marked change in the relationship between the people and the agencies that oversee the land owned collectively by the people. In 2022, Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan went to a plastic-only payment system. Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming … [Read more...] about SUZANNE DOWNING: We’ve Entered An Era When The US Gov’t Won’t Even Take Its Own Money

BEIJING — Somewhere in the next world, the spirit of Zhao Wen’s brother has struck it rich. On Wednesday night, the eve of the annual “tomb sweeping” festival known as Qingming , Ms. Zhao, 51, set alight wads of fake Chinese renminbi and American dollars in a street just off a major thoroughfare here in the capital. She also burned ceremonial checks, which her brother could deposit in heaven’s bank. In case he got bored with the immortal realm, she had thrown in a passport for easy interdimensional travel. “This saves me a lot of trouble,” she said, poking at the flames with a stick. “They probably have the same system as we have on Earth, so now he can buy whatever he wants.” Qingming, which was observed on Thursday, is an age-old festival in which the living pay respect to their dearly departed ancestors — and in-laws — by tidying graves and burning paper offerings so that the spirits can afford the good afterlife. Banned by the victorious Communist Party in 1949 for its … [Read more...] about Festival’s Resurgence Has Chinese Sending Manna to the Heavens