GZ Mayor Apologizes for Improper Construction Operation
Guangzhou mayor, Zhang Guangning, apologized to those who have been disturbed by the ongoing construction and renovation projects. Our journalist Wang Jianping has the details:A lot of construction projects, including the city-wide renovation of old houses and infrastructure are now underway ahead of the Guangzhou Asian Games. However, the government has received numerous complaints by the citizens, many of whom have been badly affected by these projects. Air and noise pollution are one problem, but also theft as the renovation of old houses has led to scaffolding being placed on many buildings, creating an easy access for thieves. Until now, the authorities had denied responsibility for this, but yesterday (January 28) Zhang Guangning apologized to citizens at a conference yesterday:

" The government should take the full responsibility for disturbing people's lives. The municipal government and myself are the first responsible and we feel deeply guilty and sorry. We apologize sincerely to the public"

Zhang pledged to improve and take effective measures to avoid that this happens again:
"We're not just saying "sorry". We should correct our mistakes in the coming days and improve our management. For the most urgent problems, we will take firm measures to ban it from happening again. "

China-Singapore Knowledge City project to starts construction in 2010
The Guangzhou Development District plans to complete the business negotiations for the China-Singapore "Knowledge City" project and start construction within the year. The district said that more efforts will be made to speed up legislative procedures for the project.

New Ferry opens
Beginning tomorrow (January 30), a new ferry route will open on the Pearl River running between Tianzi Wharf and Huangpu Military Academy. The route will be only open on weekends and public holidays so it's primarily aimed for tourists, allowing visitors to discover many scenic spots along the river including "The Memorial Museum of Sun Yatsen", "Xinghai Concert Hall" and many more.