Tag Archives: China

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Never dated and don’t want to get married

Not every person wants to get married — indeed for some Shanghai singletons, it’s the last thing they want.

More than 57 percent of unmarried respondents to a survey in Shanghai said they had never dated, and 13 percent said they wanted to keep their single status forever.

The IT industry had the largest percentage of single men, 16.74 percent, said the survey by recruitment website Zhaopin.com, which was published yesterday. The survey interviewed 3,502 singles in Shanghai.

Most single male respondents in the IT industry ticked the box that “they don’t grasp the skills of how to catch the hearts of women.”

Many high-earning single women in the finance industry tagged themselves as “extremely difficult to be pleased and demanding.”

Although 13 percent of respondents said they just wanted stay single, nearly 40 percent expressed an eagerness to bid farewell to their single status.

Wang Yuru, deputy director of the Shanghai Psychological Counseling Association, said “some singles do not view marriage as an important thing in life and some forsake marriage because they don’t want a child.”

Jessy Chen, a 34-year-old human resources worker, said she did not mind whether or not she found a partner.

“If I can meet my Mr Right, I will marry, but if I don’t meet anyone who suits me, I will keep single for the rest of my life.”

Chen has never dated and spends her spare time traveling, meeting friends and shopping.

Looks, character, and moral quality were the top three criteria for single respondents on what they want from potential sweethearts, accounting for 24.7, 22.3 and 22 percent respectively, according to the survey.

In total, 12 percent of those surveyed believed the reason for their single status was because they were “ugly,” while 24 percent of men among them still demanded any girlfriend should have a beautiful face.

In total, 25 percent of singles born after 1990 said they put looks first, while 30 percent born after 1970 and 1980 gave moral quality the top priority.

More than 40 percent of single men said they had been put under pressure to marry by their parents, while 36 percent of women said they had the same experience.

The survey was released before qixi — the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar that is also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, which falls on August 28 this year.

Meanwhile, a report by China’s biggest dating website jiayuan.com revealed some qixi “nightmares” for singletons.

Top of the list was meeting their ex on the street accompanied by their current boyfriend or girlfriend, being pressured to find a partner by their parents, and being surrounded by lovebirds during qixi.

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East Asia

Chinese scientists supercharge virus to kill cancer cells

Chinese scientists have found a compound that appears to enhance the ability of a virus to target and kill liver cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. The discovery offers new hope for treating the world’s second-most common form of cancer, according to a study published on Wednesday.

A therapy using viruses that selectively kill cancer cells－called oncolytic viruses－is rapidly progressing through clinical evaluation, but the therapeutic efficacy in humans has been less than expected in preclinical studies, the study said. It was published in the US journal Science Translational Medicine.

Oncolytic virotherapy involving the M1 virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that mainly causes mild illnesses in horses, is believed to have potential for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer.

In order to boost the virus’s antitumor effects, Yan Guangmei, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, together with colleagues, screened 350 small molecules to identify compounds that can enhance viral killing of cultured HCC cells.

The researchers found that Eeyarestatin I－an inhibitor of the protein VCP, which may help trigger cell malignancy－increased the potency of the M1 virus by as much as 3,600-fold against the HCC cells.

The dual regimen had no effect on noncancerous cells, they said.

In multiple mouse models of HCC, a combination of M1 and Eeyarestatin I was found to shrink tumors and significantly prolong survival.

Researchers further demonstrated that the combination was safe and well-tolerated in monkeys.

“We can describe the M1 oncolytic virus as a guided missile that automatically targets tumor cells, and the addition of the VCP inhibitor is just like binding the missile to powerful explosives with the ability for auto-selection,” Yan said.

“The outcome is evident with such a strong combination,” he said.

Yan said the team plans to submit a clinical trial application for the combination therapy strategy in 2018.

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East Asia

17 killed, damage widespread in wake of Typhoon Hato

Relief workers on Thursday began the arduous task of recovery in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao after Hato — the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year — made landfall on Wednesday, causing 17 deaths and major damage.

The Macao government stepped up its post-typhoon relief work on Thursday after Typhoon Hato left eight people dead and over 150 injured and cut power and water supplies to some parts of the special administrative region.

Two transformer stations in Zhuhai, which were damaged and cut power to Macao about noon on Wednesday, resumed operation about 9 pm on Thursday. Backup facilities were used during the repair process, according to China Southern Power Grid Co.

Macao Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on apologized for insufficient actions taken by the Macao government in response to the typhoon. He and 14 other senior officials of the Macao government, expressed condolences to the victims and their families. The government will offer a total of 1.35 billion MOP ($167 million) for emergency relief to those who were affected by the disaster.

Meanwhile, Fong Soi-kun, the SAR’s Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau director, resigned on Thursday.

In Hong Kong, the airport operated overnight to ease air traffic to and from Hong Kong after Hato forced the cancellation of 480 flights on Wednesday. Hong Kong’s Airport Authority estimated that it would have to handle more than 1,200 flights on Thursday alone.

Guangdong Party chief Hu Chunhua visited a hospital, a village, a residential community and a water plant in Zhuhai on Thursday, urging all agencies and businesses to make greater efforts to safeguard people’s lives and property and to bring life and production back to normal.

There were touching moments in some areas struck by Hato, as professional rescuers were joined by volunteers in rescuing and relief efforts.

Ten military divers sent by a brigade of the Southern Theater Command rescued on Wednesday three people trapped in underground garages submerged by muddy seawater in residential complexes in Zhuhai, the People’s Liberation Army Daily reported.

Twelve SWAT police officers and an armored vehicle were dispatched Wednesday morning to bring back more than 80 people who were unable to move in fierce winds or unable to get out from the bus as their vehicles were stranded by fallen electrical cables and poles and capsized trucks on Zhuhai Bridge.

Food deliverer Yuan Zuzhuo and two of his colleagues helped clear fallen trees in roads, as soldiers, police officers, urban managers and sanitation workers cleaned up roads blocked by fallen trees and items blown from buildings and structures.

A store owner surnamed Yuan in Jida, Zhuhai, handed out 20,000 steamed buns free to local residents before dinnertime on Wednesday. “We found most supermarkets, stores and markets were closed. There was no power or water supply. We thought that many people would not have enough food. They don’t cost much but can fill the stomach,” he said.

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East Asia