News Links - 2/10/09

[dleedlee]

Feng Xiaogang to start shooting Earthquake/Aftershock based on the Tangshan earthquake

http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2009-02/1 ... 793230.htm

Brigitte Lin
Kenneth Pai/Bai Xianyong's thought on best story for actress

http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2009-02-10/09132369264.shtml

South Korea
Independent Film 'Old Partner' Sets Box Office Record
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/Independ ... 25709.html
Farmer and Ox Tale a Smash Hit Film in Seoul
In the Year of the Ox, Koreans mourn the death of a farmer's 'Old Partner'
http://english.ohmynews.com/ArticleView ... &back_url=

Berlinale Says 'Happy Birthday' to Zhang Ziyi
http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/02/10/1261s451949.htm
Zhang Ziyi in Berlin for 30th birthday


http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2009-02/1 ... 791213.htm

Shu Qi goes to Thailand to see the White Dragon King and get love forecast



http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/h/p/2009-02-10 ... 9138.shtml

Trip to Nepal ends in Hong Kong hospital for Hins Cheung, Vivian Chow and Charlene Choi

http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2009-02/1 ... 793385.htm
Vivian Chow and Ah Sa went to Nepal to visit the poor could have caught the cholera virus infection
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/Vivian-C ... 25753.html
http://ent.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/nw/show. ... 277/1.html

Asian stars to converge in HK for entertainment expo
Tony Leung expo ambassador
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ ... 75/1/.html

The price Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists are getting paid is exposed
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/The-pric ... 25807.html

CCTV blamed for Beijing blaze
http://app2.rthk.org.hk/pda/news/content.php?id=558602
Witness: Top of Beijing luxury hotel 'exploding'
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/0 ... index.html
New CCTV headquarters in Beijing up in flames... stray fireworks to blame?
http://shanghaiist.com/2009/02/09/new_c ... ing_up.php
Beijing CCTV Building On Fire, News Censored
http://www.chinasmack.com/pictures/beij ... #more-5069
Fire rages at Beijing luxury hotel after fireworks
Co-Designed by Ole Scheeren, Maggie Cheung's boyfriend
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090209/ap_ ... hUQrtvaA8F

CCTV Fire: Funny Photoshops By Chinese Netizens
http://www.chinasmack.com/pictures/cctv ... #more-5108
In photos: 'China Hotel Fire'
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/ ... ire?page=1
Hotel adjacent to Beijing's new CCTV headquarters on fire
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009 ... 458680.htm
Fire Engulfs Beijing Hotel Complex
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/world ... ng.html?hp

Delays block China's giant water scheme
A multi-billion-dollar project to divert water from southern China to the arid north is already four years behind schedule
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7864390.stm

[Brian Thibodeau]

Fire Engulfs Beijing Hotel Complex
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/world ... ng.html?hp

According to this, witnesses say it took about 20 minutes for the fire to spread from the lower floors to the entire building! Thank god the place wasn't occupied. Shame about the government crackdown-as-usual on reportage, for all the good it does.

[dleedlee]

Fire Engulfs Beijing Hotel Complex
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/world ... ng.html?hp

According to this, witnesses say it took about 20 minutes for the fire to spread from the lower floors to the entire building! Thank god the place wasn't occupied.

Yes, but in the Chinasmack report there were workers in the building. Still, it could have been a lot worse fatality-wise. One always has to wonder about Chinese building materials and standards, even though it was foreign designed. 40 stories to go up so fast is mind boggling.

Some netizens said witnesses originally could see some flashlights shining out of the windows of the CCTV building trying to get help. However, as the fire burned, there were fewer and fewer flashlights. In the end, there were no more flashlights.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Yes, but in the Chinasmack report there were workers in the building. Still, it could have been a lot worse fatality-wise. One always has to wonder about Chinese building materials and standards, even though it was foreign designed. 40 stories to go up so fast is mind boggling.

Some netizens said witnesses originally could see some flashlights shining out of the windows of the CCTV building trying to get help. However, as the fire burned, there were fewer and fewer flashlights. In the end, there were no more flashlights.

You have to wonder if building materials will come into play at some point. Even assuming this building didn't have its sprinkler system up and running just yet (since no one had "moved in", so to speak), it still seems odd that the place wasn't designed in a way that potential fires could be contained to a minimal number of floors, or that flames would develop slowly enough for firefighters to gain some control. Who knows, maybe it was designed that way, but the materials didn't quite conform to the designs. It should be interesting to see what comes out in the investigation, assuming it gets shared. Godzilla might end up being the preferable culprit after all . . .

[dleedlee]

Chinese broadcaster sorry for deadly hotel fire
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/0 ... index.html

CCTV apologizes for great loss and traffic congestion caused by lethal blaze
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009- ... 794964.htm

Beijing Fire Control Bureau has confirmed that a senior official of the office of the CCTV new headquarters construction project hired people, without any reference to superiors, to illegally set off fireworks, which caused the fire, according to the statement.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Beijing Fire Control Bureau has confirmed that a senior official of the office of the CCTV new headquarters construction project hired people, without any reference to superiors, to illegally set off fireworks, which caused the fire, according to the statement.

If there's one person on earth you don't wanna be right now . . .