Nanjing news

Invoice season brings stress to the workplace

It happens at this time every year: when end-of-year bonuses get handed out, white collar employees need to cough up the exact amount of their bonuses in invoices in order to avoid tax deductions.

Longhu reporters spoke to the harried 'Mr. Hui', a real estate worker who does not have enough receipts to avoid the taxman. Thus, he is stressed, and doing everything in his power to score invoices: blagging them off of friends, trawling QQ, and even lifting his son's English school receipts.

While citizens like Mr. Hui suffer stress during bonus season, others suffer shame: in some cases, secret romances get found out when a woman and a man hand in fa piaos too much alike (for example, regarding hotel invoices).

Not only will this set the office rumor mill abuzz, it also gives accountants a real thrill to learn more details, via extra-diligent scrutiny of the lovers' receipts.

– original article

Drunk man lured out of river with free drink offer

On the evening of Jan. 25, a drunken man fell into a river in the Pukou District but was rescued when locals coaxed him out of the river with an offer of free drinks.

...the water was only knee deep, but it was fetid and cold...At 11pm that night, a group of workers discovered that a man had fallen into the river. They called out to him, but he ignored them. According to one of the witnesses, the water was only knee deep, but it was fetid and cold. The group worried for the man's safety and called  the police.

When the police arrived the man refused to budge, but confessed that he has drank heavily that night because he was "in a bad mood". Finally, one of the onlookers tried a ploy, offering the man a free drink if he came out of the water. That did it. The man waded towards the embankment and placed his hand out for officers to pull him out. The cops did so, and then called the man's friends to collect him.

When his friends arrived, the drunk man was miffed, as his promised drinks were never served.

– original story

Fake booze factory busted using pesticides

A fake rice wine distillery in the south Nanjing suburbs was raided on Jan. 19, where officers discovered two bottles of pesticides that were being added to the wines for 'flavoring'.

Inside the den, officers found a room with 6 workers, bottling equipment, and a number of Maotai (rice wine) empty bottles. Even more distrubring was their discoverey of two pesticide bottles, one full, one empty.

After grilling the workers, one of them confessed, telling officers that Maotai has a unique flavor that can only be mimicked through the use of pesticide flavoring.

The case is currently being processed.

– original story

Unpaid worker threatens to jump, cops coax him down

An Anhui native working in Nanjing casued a scene on the afternoon of Jan. 25, threatening to jump from the roof of a 7-storey building over unpaid wages while his wife and child watched in anguish from the street below.

According to the story, the man was employed as a truck driver for a construction company at a salary of 3,000RMB per month. However, he had not been paid anything for the past three months. With Spring Festival aproaching, his family had run out of money. Struggling with hardship and getting pressured by his wife, he decided to try an extreme action.

Fortunately, the police coaxed him down. A few hours later, they arranged for the man's company to fork over 4,000RMB (6,000RMB is still owed to him). The case is currently being processed.

– original story

Newsstand owner's 1912 info board a hit with tourists

At the intersection of Changjiang Road and Zhongshan Road, a citizen has garnered attention by setting up an information board for tourists.

Tang Yong, a 29-year-old newsstand operator, cooked up the idea 3 months ago. After fielding the same questions over and over again, he decided to write up instructions to help people easily find important buildings in the area (Presidential Palace, 1912, and so on). Two Longhu journalists visited the kiosk on Jan. 25 and learned that Tang Yong's efforts have been warmly received. These days, he sees his information service as an important part of his life's work.

As the reporters conducted the interview, two visitors appeared, bought a newspaper, and then asked directions to the Culture and Arts Center. Tang Yong simply smiled and pointed to his info board. Later, he told the reporters: "The information will improve step-by-step, and I am sure it will become an important feature of this newsstand."

– original article

White collars work as street vendors – for fun

Longhu reports that in recent years, white collar workers are getting more focused on improving the quality of their leisure time. Sitting at home every evening watching US dramas on TV offers no creativity. Going to KTV is too formulaic. So, a growing number of white collars are taking to the streets as vendors, for sake of having fun.

One example: Chen Jiyuan, 30-year-old chemical engineer, had a desire to express his artistic side. Thus, he set up a street stall, selling old t-shirts and broken umbrellas that he turned into works of art. To his surprise, females of all ages flocked to his stall, many treating him like a celebrity because of his artistic talent.

Another man nicknamed 'Pharoah' earns 4,000 with commission as a sales man, but he nearly doubles that amount selling socks in his spare time. "Every day, I 'practice' my hobby for 2-3 hours. As long as people stop to pick at the socks, I can convince them to buy."

Pharoah also told reporters that he has learned a great deal from his hobby. For example, he learned that "location is very important for good sales. One good place is near the crowded tunnel in Xinjiekou. The lights are red for a long time, so many people must wait. There, I can make 100RMB very quickly sometimes."

– original story

Thief demands compensation for injuries, court rejects

A man who stole a scooter battery and then suffered injuries when he was run down has attempted to sue the person who injured him and the Internet Cafe where the incident took place, only to have the case thrown out in court.

In April 2008, Zhao Yu and a companion pinched an electric vehicle battery outside of the Xiangtou Internet Cafe. Local cizens who witnessed the crime sounded the alarm. Zhao Yu attempted to escape on his motorcycle.

Then, a man named Zhang Ji gave chase in his car, resulting in a car accident in which Zhao Yu suffered serious intestinal ruptures.

In the complaint filed in court, Zhao Yu stated: "If I was not chased, I would not have gotten hurt. Thieves also have a right to life and health." The Internet Cafe was also named in the suit – by failing to maintain order, their negligence made it possible for Zhang Ji to misbehave, which led to the accident.

The total amount of the lawsuit was 15 million RMB. The court rejected the claim, and no charges were filed against Zhang Ji, who was instead hailed as a hero.


– original story

Parents want heat for their kids, school refuses

A number of schools in Nanjing without air conditioners has resulted in a lot of sick children and many frustrated parents.

...the best solution is for the children to toughen up by being more active...The Nanchang Road Primary School Parents' Committee claims that since winter started, 48 sick days have been logged, mainly because the school does not have any heating facilities. Parents have agreed to pool their money together to buy air conditioning units for the school, but so far, their offer has not been accepted. 

According to the Principal of the school, it is very difficult to install air conditioning units, because the building is too old. Further, accepting money from parents in such a manner is not appropriate. Finally, all schools have a number of poor students as well, and their parents cannot afford to chip in. Because of all of these issues, the best solution is for the children to toughen up by being more active.

– original story