China

Waltz the Weight Off

In an effort to reduce childhood obesity, compulsory waltzing will be added to the Chinese national curriculum in September, reports the Guardian Unlimited. Teachers will be expected to put hundreds of millions of students through their paces every day during break time routines. According to the Ministry of Education, the dances were designed to fit the physical and psychological needs of students at different ages and the routines will supplement rather than replace the already existing physical education classes. However, those adverse to the new plan are stirring up a public debate. “The dance plan makes no sense. Running and calisthenics are a more effective way to lose weight,” Ma Yanling, a teacher in Beijing, told the Guardian. Yet many believe that the dance will inspire the students to appreciate movement and physical activity in a way that the usual form of exercise cannot.

Brain Drain

According to a new study, seven out of every 10 students who leave China to study abroad never return to live in their homeland. This brain drain represents the biggest obstacle for China’s ability to innovate. Students who aren't returning choose to stay in wealthier nations where they can benefit from higher living standards and brighter career opportunities. Beijing and other cities are making efforts to reverse the trend by providing bigger incentives for returnees, such as exemption from the household registration system, higher salaries and promised places for their children at top universities.

Rough Seas

It’s rough seas for some pirates. Many of Hong Kong film star Chow Yun-Fat’s scenes in “Pirates of the Caribbean 3” have walked the plank before its Chinese mainland release. According to China’s film watchdog, the scenes contained too much violence and horror. While Chow’s Hollywood version performance lasts for nearly 30 minutes, the domestic version has been cut down to just under 10 minutes.

Beijing

One World, One Dessert

Quanjude, a Beijing roast duck chain, unveiled a range of Olympic dishes that will be added to their menu in time for the 2008 Games. Among the dishes are miniature Great Walls made of pumpkin and taros, cakes in the shape of the “Bird’s Nest” and statues of top world athletes made of fruits and vegetables. Baker Song Xiaoyan won the restaurant’s Olympic cooking contest with her “dragon whisker cake,” a fried pastry made of 4,096 threads of extra fine noodles held together with cream, chocolate and sugar.

Olympic English

Beijing’s ongoing battle to standardize and correct English-language signs before the 2008 Olympics is now focusing on the “WC.” By the end of the year, all public restrooms in the city will be called “toilets” instead of the “Victorian-era sounding” abbreviation for "water closet," the Beijing Morning Post reported in mid-June. Also high on the list of corrections to be made are the names of Chinese dishes that appear on menus. Hundreds of thousands of tourists, athletes and reporters will be faced with the likes of “ants climbing the tree” and “mixed elbow with garlic mud," as linguists were hired this year to translate such dishes into more understandable English, while still preserving the original meaning. Good luck!

Returned Treasures

Stolen from Beijing’s Yuanming Park (Old Summer Palace) during the Cultural Revolution, 10 priceless national culture treasures were returned to their rightful place conveniently before World Cultural Heritage Day. A pair of fish sculptures and eight white marble carvings are among the returned antiques that will be on display for tourists and locals at Yuanming Park this summer. Park statistics show that 1.5 million relics remain missing.

Jiangxi

A Frog a Day

If traditional medicine has failed to cure your ailments, try eating live tree frogs. Jiang Musheng, 66, of China’s southeast Jiangxi province, has been swallowing live tree frogs for 40 years, the Beijing News reported. After suffering frequent abdominal pains and coughing from the age of 26, Jiang followed the advice of Yang Dingcai, a village elder, who suggested the unusual remedy. Reportedly, Jiang’s stomach pains and coughing were completely gone after a month of eating the frogs. Live mice and baby rats were also added to Jiang’s diet over the years.