The big pic 238 days before the 2008 Olympics on the first page of the Wanbao, or Beijing Evening News, deals with our previous bit about Beijing being smack on 40° north. Nope, Tian'anmen's not there, but the botanical gardens is. It'll be interesting to see if this remains the first and only such monument; plans are afloat for a second one. Yours truly floats an idea of a 40° Nth Ring Road on the line, but then again, the maths don't work out great.

By the way -- a little annoying (?) ad: the Beijingology wiki has started collecting bits and pieces about Chinese newspapers. We've started with two standards-based entries about the Beijing Daily and the Wanbao, so if you want to learn more about these papers, feel free to do so.

Safely back in the realms of the Wanbao, the big headliner is good news for those of us on four wheels -- insurance is about to get cheaper, with the mandatory insurance now saving you CNY 100. Don't delay in extending your insurance policy, though: a crash without your insurance means you are wholly at fault, even if it was some great big truck plunging into your car's derriére.

Other headliners:

• Page 2 has it that buses will run through the night come the Olympics, and that the price of car license plates will remain the same. Also included is a fantastic map of the Daxing Subway Line.

• El Cheapo houses in China's silicon valley? That's what page 3 has in mind. Zhongguancun is creating "affordable housing" -- cheap, at around CNY 5,000 per square meter.

• In a rush for your passport? If it's really urgent (like going abroad to attend a funeral, or rushing back to your overseas uni right before registration), you'll get your passport back in 5 working days. This, BTW, applies to PRC citizens only; if you don't play by the rules, you'll get fined CNY 5,000 tops. Ow. Details on page 5.

• A free Subway Line 13? Nope, but they're redoing the AFC (automatic fare collection) system at Xizhimen station. They'll be back next February, though, and there are interim systems in place already -- so sorry folks, no free subways for you!

The weather: a good mix of sun and clouds (ladies and gents, this is getting boring, let's face it), -6°C to 5°C, not a lot of wind, and that kind of stuff. Enjoy.