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China Braced For Surname Reform
Beijing (RIA Novosti) Jun 15, 2007 The Chinese Public Security Ministry has proposed changing the system of naming newborns in an effort to end confusion caused by a large number of identical surnames, the local media reported Wednesday. Currently, married people in China do not change their surname and newborns can take either of their parents' name, although it is traditional to adopt the father's surname. But this is causing real problems for China because there are only 1,600 surnames in use in a country with a population of 1.3 billion, and 85% of Chinese only use 100 of these. Ninety-two million people have Lee as their last name, and 88 million Chang. The Public Security Ministry has repeatedly expressed concern about the situation, since repeated surnames are a nuisance to the government and citizens. Under the new proposals, parents will be able to register their babies by combining their names. The project is being considered by local authorities. Related Links Chinese Public Security Ministry China News from SinoDaily.com
Chinese City Panics Over Undrinkable Water Supply
Beijing (AFP) May 31, 2007Authorities in a major Chinese city issued emergency orders Thursday to stem panic water-buying after heavy pollution in a lake contaminated drinking supplies for millions of people. The Wuxi city government said it was doing everything it could to rid the Taihu lake of a huge algae bloom that was triggered by the pollution, but in the meantime drastic measures were needed to supply residents with water. |
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