Page Four - The China Daily offers true stories of daily life in China

I guess this will have to do until I join thedoll on a future Chinese hejira.

Every day, The China Daily - the government owned-and-run English language newspaper - publishes about two dozen tales, gathered from newspapers all over China.

To read it regularly,

1) go to the paper's website [www.chinadaily.com.cn]

2) click E-Paper (top right)

3) click on "Home News" (on the left)

4) scroll down to "Home Scene" on the lower left

5) click on one of the five geographic areas (North, South, East, West, and Central)

Hey - it's not as hard as it sounds.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Trust me.

I'm a doctor.

Aren't I? But I digress.

Here's today's news from the South.
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Wasp sting woman burns down garden

A woman seeking revenge after being stung by a wasp tracked down its nest and set it alight.

Unfortunately a strong wind whipped up the flames which spread out of control and engulfed her entire garden, reports the Bagui Metropolis News.

The woman had been gardening when the errant insect stung her on the bottom.

Firemen eventually brought the blaze in Hepu, of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, under control.

Rubbish clearance reaps valuable reward

A valuable fungus has been found growing on a pile of rubbish by an abandoned pond.

It was discovered by a security guard in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou as he cleared away the rubbish, reports the Southern Metropolis News.

The plant has powerful medicinal qualities and in bygone times was credited with miraculous powers and considered a potent symbol of good luck.

The size of a large fan, the fungus is rarely found in the hot, wet climate of Guangzhou.

Devoted husband of sleeping beauty

A 90-year-old man whose wife falls into a coma-like slumber each year reads poetry to his "sleeping beauty" every day until she wakes.

Romantic works written by ancient poets are his favourites, reports the Southern Metropolis News.

The old lady was stricken a decade ago by the strange illness which causes her to fall asleep for one or two months each year at home in Liwan District of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

Doctors say it is a symptom of a brain disorder or psychological problem, which could be cured with appropriate treatment.

Immigrant city woes spell unhappiness

A survey has revealed that 90,000 youngsters in the booming economic hub of Shenzhen are unhappy, reports the Guangzhou Daily.

Pressure to perform well academically, coupled with the difficulties of being an only child, invariably of migrant parents, are all combining to make life a misery for many.

The survey was conducted by Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, a former psychiatric hospital.

With a history of only two decades, the young city has the largest migrant population in the province.

Doctors warned that moving home, changing schools and a general indifference among residents have contributed to a sense of solitude and melancholy among young people.
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How do you say "Boing Boing" in Chinese?