Tag Archives: China

Imagine you’re waiting for a bus, or walking home from work, or just wasting some time between appointments, and you really fancy something to read. No problem if you’re in Shanghai, just look out for a red phone booth. 263 public telephone booths in … read more

While happy about the move to present maps and bus schedules in Braille at bus stops, advocates for the visually impaired are calling for more facilities to meet the needs of residents with sight loss.

A signboard in Braille at a bus stop in Beijing’s Xicheng district in July. [Photo by Wang Fei/China Daily]

The authorities placed 16 Braille signboards and 95 route maps in four areas across Beijing’s Xicheng district in 2015 as part of an effort to improve accessibility.

But people with visual disabilities, or who are engaged in related industries, said that they had heard little about it. And they suggested that Braille may not be the best way to help visually impaired passengers.

An employee at Xicheng’s housing commission, who was not named, told Beijing News that the four areas were chosen because research had shown those places had heavy demand for Braille, and that experts had been consulted to ensure the Braille translations were accurate.

Yan Xiaoqiang, who works at a school for the visually impaired in Beijing’s Haidian district, said that even with the signboards and maps in Braille, the passengers using them still had problems figuring out the bus they wanted to take.

Instead of Braille signboards and maps, Yan said, it would be more practical for bus stops to be equipped with audio speakers that announce where the next bus is heading.

“After all, hearing is the major source of information for us,” said Wang Hua, a massage therapist in his 30s who is currently seeking a job in Beijing.

Li Qingzhong, chairman of the China Blind Persons’ Association, said that easier and more practical things can be done to help visually impaired passengers, such as using signboards with larger characters, increasing the contrast of the characters and the background and lowering the height of signboards, noting that around 90 percent of the roughly 18 million visually impaired people in China can see to some degree.

Others interviewed suggested that rapidly changing technology is undercutting Braille, which was the only way for the group to access information in the past.

Li said that while many visually impaired people can read Braille today, knowing the language is no longer as important as it was two decades ago.

Wang, the massage therapist, said Braille is losing its appeal for the younger generation in the digital age.

“I’ve been learning Braille for some time but still cannot use it proficiently. It is rather complicated. I think the younger generation of visually impaired people is more reliant on voice-assisted apps, because they are super convenient,” Wang said.

In 2012, the central government implemented a regulation to guarantee construction of barrier-free public facilities.

“It’s good to see that laws and regulations are in place to ensure the rights of the disabled, but there’s still a long way to go before the policies translate into tangible, practical benefits for the group,” Li said.

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Technological achievements in China, such as big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, have laid a solid foundation for the transformation of Chinese media as the industry seeks better development amid a changing environment, media profes… read more

As soon as Hu Xiuping steps out of the taxi, a bag of dog food under her arm, hundreds of hungry mouths bark a chorus of greeting for the woman who saved their lives.

Hu Xiuping with her dogs at her farm. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/China Daily]

Over the past 18 years, 62-year-old Hu has rescued numerous lost, abandoned and injured dogs－even some that were on the verge of being butchered for meat.

She now lives with 560 of them on a grape farm in Hefei, Anhui province, but could not afford their upkeep, which stands at about 40,000 yuan ($5,990) a month, without a little help.

“Thanks to donations from across the country, I am able to keep them here, though sometimes there are still food shortages,” she said.

Though Hu seldom speaks of her own upbringing, the retired hospital accountant remembers the back story of almost every animal in her care.

Born into an impoverished rural family, Hu had a tough childhood. Her mother died when she was 6, to be replaced by a stepmother “who treated me badly”, she said. She would often sleep in the kitchen of her home with the family dog.

Even after moving to the big city, Hu still pined for canine companionship, and would provide food to the homeless dogs she saw around her neighborhood.

Her first rescue came in 1999, when she brought home a dog that had been badly injured after being hit by a car. “After that, I started bringing back more dogs－and also some cats－to my apartment, to protect them from danger,” she said.

Running an ad hoc animal shelter in her apartment building didn’t go down too well with the neighbors, however, and she was the subject of numerous complaints. So, after amassing 32 dogs and a handful of cats, Hu eventually moved to the countryside in 2006.

“You can’t say my neighbors had stony hearts, they had tolerated me and my animals for seven years,” she said.

In 2009, a group of animal welfare advocates rented a grape farm in Dawei township of the city’s Baohe district and offered it to Hu as a place to keep her dogs.

The township has hundreds of such farms and is a well known for grape growing.

“They thought we could grow grapes and keep dogs there at the same time, but we later found we couldn’t keep the business running with so many dogs,” Hu said.

Every time she spots a homeless dog, Hu brings it back to her farm, which has become something of a haven for castoff canines. Even the local police, who find it difficult to humanely deal with strays, have been known to approach Hu for help.

“The farm is firmly fenced-in and considered the best place for them. Dogs keep coming in, but we will not let them go out,” Hu said.

“People want to kill them and eat them, I don’t understand,” she said, pointing at two golden retrievers with tear in her eyes.

“At least I can be happy knowing there are caring and understanding people out there, who volunteer to join me in helping these lovely animals.”

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One of China’s most-wanted fugitives, suspected of smuggling ordinary goods valued at 438 million yuan ($65.7 million), was captured and returned from Indonesia to face trial, according to the General Administration of Customs on Sunday. Ji Wenhong … read more