A time to remember and give thanks........

Nagano Earthquake - November 22, 2014

A strong 6.7 earthquake damaged homes and injured residents of Nagano Prefecture this weekend. The hardest-hit area appeared to be Hakuba, which hosted events in the 1998 Olympic games. 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/24/national/damage-worse-than-thought-in-nagano-earthquake/#.VHOGz4vF_a4

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/22/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/strong-quake-strikes-central-japans-nagano-city-27101019

Tai'erzhuang - Ancient Canal Town

Tai'erzhuang is renowned for its traditional architecture and water culture.

Located in Zaozhuang city of southwestern Shandong province, Tai'erzhuang has spectacular canal legacies, making it an important part of the application for the World Cultural Heritage list. The ancient town was established in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), however did not really come alive until the Jia Canal was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

For more details:
http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/english/tourism/2014-10/14/content_644578.htm

U.S./China - New, reciprocal 10-year visa policy for tourists and business travelers

Yesterday, the first group of 10-year China visas were issued.

Read on:

http://shanghaiist.com/2014/11/13/china-issues-first-ever-10-year-visas.php

http://thepointsguy.com/2014/11/china-to-start-issuing-10-year-visas/

Presidents Agree - New Visa Policy for China

China visa policy set to change from a year-at-a-time basis.  

Click on the links below for more information.

President Obama and President Xi Jinping
Kim Kyung-Hoon | Reuters

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/10/politics/visa-10-years-obama-announces/index.html
http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/11/news/economy/china-us-business-visa/index.html
http://online.wsj.com/articles/china-u-s-to-grant-each-others-citizens-longer-visas-1415617463
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102170430#.

President Obama in Beijing

President Obama is in Beijing attending the annual 

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (APEC).  

President Obama with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

More details:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/11/10/apec-beijing-obama/18786007/

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/10/363006417/two-striking-photos-from-todays-apec-meetings

China's plan to build the world's most secure computer network

China plans to build a long-distance computer network that will be unhackable.  

For details: 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11216766/China-builds-computer-network-impenetrable-to-hackers.html

Xinjiang High-Speed Rail Opens This Month in Northwest China

The line, which construction began in January 2010, is designed to support high-speed trains solely for transporting passengers at a top speed of 250 km/h.

For more information, click on the links that follow:

http://www.ibtimes.com/chinese-high-speed-railway-test-promises-fast-access-xinjiang-growth-stability-1596243

http://shanghaiist.com/2014/11/06/xinjiang-high-speed-railway.php

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-11/06/content_18878780.htm

APEC - BEIJING - NOV 2014

Read what China has done in preparation for APEC - click on the link for details:
http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/ahead-of-international-summit-china-orders-up-a-quiet-and-clean-beijing-616439

Aerial shot of the main venues in Beijing for APEC Nov 2014

Giant Panda - China's National Animal

Take a trip to the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding near Chengdu, and learn about its conservation efforts.

Click on the link for more details:  http://www.panda.org.cn/english/

Third Annual Surf Event returns to Hainan Island

The International Surf Association (ISA) will host the third annual Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival in China from November 23-28, 2014. Hainan Island, located in the South China Sea, is the ideal location for this surf event, which will bring in pro surf teams from around the world, as well as local Chinese surfers. Fernando Aguerre, President of ISA, called the event “the most important global surfing festival in 2014” and noted that China will “become the surfing capital of the world” during the event. Hainan’s tropical conditions, beautiful beaches, and surrounding hotels and restaurants have also helped to bring the event back for a third year. 
For more information, please click on the link that follows:

http://www.aspworldtour.com/posts/76055/surfing-world-to-focus-on-china-during-hainan-wanning-riyue-bay-intl-surfing-festival