Cleaning up corruption in brilliant buildings
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SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's booming financial hub of Shanghai has ditched plans to build the world's tallest Ferris wheel and will build a skyscraper in its place, state media said.
The wheel would have stood about 656 feet (200 meters) high and have 36 cabins able to take more than 1,000 visitors at a time, Xinhua news agency said in a report seen on Friday.
It would have stripped the world's-tallest title from the 135-meter London Eye, and could have cost up to 800 million yuan ($103 million), Xinhua said.
But a Chinese Ferris wheel could still have its day in the sun, as a developer in China's landlocked eastern province of Jiangxi wants to register its 160-metre-high wheel as the world's tallest.
The Star of Nanchang, named after the provincial capital, opened for business last May, and cost 57 million yuan to build, Xinhua said.
The developer of that wheel said application procedures for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest wheel were underway, the report added.
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SHANGHAI (The Epoch Time) - The world's highest Ferris wheel "Shanghai Star", which was approved by the former Shanghai Major Chen Liangyu, has been officially withdrawn recently. The planned land was recovered and changed to "commercial office space". It will be the first time that Shanghai government recovers and resells a planned land.
According to the "Oriental Morning Post" on December 30, 2006, "Shanghai Hongkou District Pier East Block" quietly appeared on the official website of Shanghai Bureau of premises. It is just the land that was sold two years ago to the project of "Shanghai Star". Shanghai officials confirmed the withdrawal of the case.
Five years ago, Shanghai started its comprehensive development plan alongside Huangpoo River. "Shanghai Hongkou District Pier East Block" was approved to be used for the construction of a large Ferris wheel, "Shanghai Star". Once completed, it will become a new landmark of Shanghai. "Shanghai Star" is 200 meters high with the diameter of 170 meters. It will be the world's largest Ferris wheel lying over the "London Eye". This block has also been called the "Ferris wheel block".
According to reports, "Shanghai Star" has been accused as one of Chenââ¬â¢s personal "Vanity projects." Now, many people have applauded to the withdrawal.
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SHANGHAI (Xinhua) - Chen Liangyu (???), now former party secretary of Shanghai, was downed today for his involvement in the pension funds scandal. According to information available out of a recent investigation, Chen helped some businessmen and his aides and their families in lining their pockets in the misuse of social security funds.
Due to the "grave discipline breaching" and "serious political implications," Chen was stripped of his membership to the Central Committee's Political Bureau and helmsmanship of China's largest city.
The central government says the crackdown on Chen demonstrates the firm decisiveness in fighting corruption.
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Chen Liangyu's Photo:
There are still many "Vanity projects" in Chinese cities, which drew the artifical prosperity and caused a heavy financial burden. The arrest of Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu and the investigation of another 50 senior officials shows China is getting serious about corruption.
PS: "The Epoch Time" is an official website of Falun Gong. It seems that they also admit China's party can win applause from the people.
_________________________________
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's booming financial hub of Shanghai has ditched plans to build the world's tallest Ferris wheel and will build a skyscraper in its place, state media said.
The wheel would have stood about 656 feet (200 meters) high and have 36 cabins able to take more than 1,000 visitors at a time, Xinhua news agency said in a report seen on Friday.
It would have stripped the world's-tallest title from the 135-meter London Eye, and could have cost up to 800 million yuan ($103 million), Xinhua said.
But a Chinese Ferris wheel could still have its day in the sun, as a developer in China's landlocked eastern province of Jiangxi wants to register its 160-metre-high wheel as the world's tallest.
The Star of Nanchang, named after the provincial capital, opened for business last May, and cost 57 million yuan to build, Xinhua said.
The developer of that wheel said application procedures for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest wheel were underway, the report added.
=============
SHANGHAI (The Epoch Time) - The world's highest Ferris wheel "Shanghai Star", which was approved by the former Shanghai Major Chen Liangyu, has been officially withdrawn recently. The planned land was recovered and changed to "commercial office space". It will be the first time that Shanghai government recovers and resells a planned land.
According to the "Oriental Morning Post" on December 30, 2006, "Shanghai Hongkou District Pier East Block" quietly appeared on the official website of Shanghai Bureau of premises. It is just the land that was sold two years ago to the project of "Shanghai Star". Shanghai officials confirmed the withdrawal of the case.
Five years ago, Shanghai started its comprehensive development plan alongside Huangpoo River. "Shanghai Hongkou District Pier East Block" was approved to be used for the construction of a large Ferris wheel, "Shanghai Star". Once completed, it will become a new landmark of Shanghai. "Shanghai Star" is 200 meters high with the diameter of 170 meters. It will be the world's largest Ferris wheel lying over the "London Eye". This block has also been called the "Ferris wheel block".
According to reports, "Shanghai Star" has been accused as one of Chenââ¬â¢s personal "Vanity projects." Now, many people have applauded to the withdrawal.
==============
SHANGHAI (Xinhua) - Chen Liangyu (???), now former party secretary of Shanghai, was downed today for his involvement in the pension funds scandal. According to information available out of a recent investigation, Chen helped some businessmen and his aides and their families in lining their pockets in the misuse of social security funds.
Due to the "grave discipline breaching" and "serious political implications," Chen was stripped of his membership to the Central Committee's Political Bureau and helmsmanship of China's largest city.
The central government says the crackdown on Chen demonstrates the firm decisiveness in fighting corruption.
________________________________
Chen Liangyu's Photo:
There are still many "Vanity projects" in Chinese cities, which drew the artifical prosperity and caused a heavy financial burden. The arrest of Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu and the investigation of another 50 senior officials shows China is getting serious about corruption.
PS: "The Epoch Time" is an official website of Falun Gong. It seems that they also admit China's party can win applause from the people.
