新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2015/03/31

 The Beijing Hour

 
Morning Edition
 
 
It's Paul James with you on this Tuesday, March 31, 2015.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Most of the Chinese nationals who had been living in war-torn Yemen have now been safely moved out of the country by Chinese naval 1 vessels 2.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with Australia's Governor General, suggesting a Chinese-Australian FTA may be a reality this year.
Marathon talks are continuing in Switzerland as the deadline to reach a preliminary Iranian nuclear deal is just hours away.
In business... Chinese authorities are lowering the downpayment thresholds for 2nd home purchases.
In Sports... Chinese snooker ace 3 Ding Junhui through to the next round of the China Open.
In Entertainment... Disney is reportedly working on a live-action version of Mulan.
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will have slight rain today with a high of 14 degrees Celsius 4.
Overnight temperatures should drop to 5.
Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 26 and a low of 17.
In Chongqing, also cloudy with a high of 30 and a low of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,
Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 38.
Kabul will have showers with a high of 18.
Over to North America,
New York will be rainy with a high of 10 degrees.
Washington will have showers with a high of 19 degrees.
Honolulu, also has showers, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will be overcast 5 with a high of 5 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be partly cloudy with a high of 27.
And Rio de Janeiro will have thundershowers with a high of 32 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China Withdrawing Nationals from Yemen
 
The Chinese government says it's managed to evacuate 6 virtually all off the Chinese nationals currently living in Yemen.
Some 570 Chinese nationals are either on their way or have arrived in Djibouti with the help of Chinese warships 7.
Three Chinese ships are ferrying the evacuees 8 to safety.
The Chinese naval vessels, which have been part of the anti-pirate coalition 9 off the Horn of Africa, were dispatched to Yemen a few days ago to help evacuate Chinese nationals from the war-torn country.
China's ambassador to Yemen is Tian Qi.
"The evacuation mission was urgent and had been left with little time. Chinese institutions were dispersed 10 at dozens of sites in Yemen. It was not easy to gather all the Chinese nationals to one place at a planned time. However, the Chinese Embassy in Yemen and Consulate 11 General in Aden overcame a string of difficulties, making thorough arrangements that made the evacuation safe, orderly and efficient,"
The Chinese Embassy in Yemen and the Consulate General office in Aden will continue to operate.
It's also promising 12 to stay in-contact with the 20 or so Chinese nationals who have decided 13 to remain behind in Yemen.
 
 
Airstrikes cause civilian 14 losses in Yemen
 
The Yemeni government is pointing the finger at Shiite Houthi fighters for an air strike on a camp for refugees in northern Yemen that has killed at least 40 people.
Yemeni foreign minister Riyadh Yaseen has made the suggestion while speaking in-exile from Saudi Arabia.
He has denied suggestions it was Saudi jets who fired on the refugee camp.
"This is really untrue, they are always trying to have what is called a human shield. Houthis they are going to places where there is some population or residential 15 houses and they are trying to put their weapons there."
Yemen's state news agency Saba, which is currently under the control of the Houthis, says the camp was hit by Saudi planes.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni government in-exile is accusing Iran of sending its elite 16 Revolutionary Guards troops into Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, supported by its Sunni Muslim allies in the region, began launching air strikes last week against the Houthis, which now control much of Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has full control of all of Yemen's sea ports.
The coalition forces are now said to be focusing on slowing down the Houthi march towards the southern Yemeni city of Aden.
 
 
Xi eyes China-Australia FTA this year
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Australia's Governor-General that his government expects to formalize a free trade agreement with Australia sometime this year.
Xi Jinping has met with Peter Cosgrove in Beijing, saying the FTA should help accelerate bilateral 17 economic cooperation between the two sides.
Cosgrove has been in China since last week on his first state visit.
As part of his time, he's attended the Bo'ao Forum 18 for Asia this past weekend.
Though officially the Queen of England's represenative to Australia as the Head of State, the Governor-General of Australia holds no tangible 19 political power.
 
 
Chinese premier 20 urges U.S. to approve IMF quota 21 reform
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is calling on US lawmakers to approve long-awaited reforms to the International Monetary 23 Fund that would give China and other developing countries more sway in the organization.
Li Keqiang has made the call while meeting with U.S. Treasury 24 Secretary Jacob Lew in Beijing.
The meeting has also seen the Premier call for the US government to support the adoption 25 of the RMB in the IMF's basket of special drawing rights.
This is a basket of currencies the IMF uses to value the loans it gives to countries.
The premier has also petitioned Lew about relaxing US restrictions 26 on the export of high technology to China.
For his part, Jacob Lew says the US side will cooperate with the Asian Infrastructure 27 Investment Bank when it becomes operational.
However, he did not expand on what that cooperation may mean.
 
 
Russia, Finland and Egypt Apply to Join AIIB
 
Russia, Finland and Egypt have become the latest countries to apply to be founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The deadline for applying to be a founding member of the AIIB is today.
The bank now has 30 prospective 28 founding members, with Switzerland and Britain being formally accepted on Saturday.
Founding members have the right to help draft the bank's governance and operational rules.
Countries who join after the deadline will simply have voting rights, and less say in the rule-making process.
The AIIB is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.
 
 
China Regulates against Officials' Judicial 29 Meddling 30
 
Anchor
Chinese authorities are establishing a blacklist system to name and shame officials who interfere 31 in judicial cases.
CRI's Qizhi has more.
Reporter
Under the new rules, judicial personnel will have to keep detailed 32 records of officials to meet with them to discuss judicial cases, regardless of who is involved.
Judges, prosecutors 34 and police officers will also be blacklisted and punished if caught illegally intervening in investigations 36 or court cases.
The 13 new articles have been jointly-published by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.
Under the new provisions, officials will be sanctioned if they're found to be interceding 38 on behalf of litigants 39, asking personnel handling cases to meet with the litigants or their defense 40 teams privately 41, or make suggestions or directions on how the cases should be handled.
The rules are part of a broader legal reform package authorities began putting in-place in October.
Jiang Huiling is a senior judge with the Supreme 42 People's Court.
"It is a regulation to supervise officials and make them respect the judicial system and the legal process. It warns them not to put their hands into areas they're not supposed to be, which could hamper 43 the fairness of the judicial system."
Officials meddling in judicial cases has been a long-standing problem in China, with the interference often linked with nepotism 44 and bribery 45.
The new rules are expected to be more effective in stopping the interference, as they lay out more clear definitions and responsibilities.
The regulations will hold three different authorities accountable, namely judicial organizations, the CPC's political and legal affairs commission and the CPC's commission for discipline inspections 46.
Xiong Qiuhong is a jurist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"It is a balanced mechanism 47 to ensure the judicial personnel's work. On the one hand, it stipulates 48 that the judicial personnel are protected by the law and the Party. That helps to expel the personnel's fear of suffering from retaliation 49 from the investigated officials. On the other hand, the judicial personnel will be punished if they fail to record faithfully because of personal reasons."
Officials will also face party discipline or even criminal charges if they threaten or try to carry out retribution for court cases after-the-fact.
For CRI, I'm Qizhi.
 
 
Beijing Introduces New Air Pollution Response Program
 
Anchor
Beijing municipal authorities have revised the heavy air pollution response programs this week, introducing stricter rules to deal with polluting companies and heavy vehicles to try to limit air pollution.
CRI's Qian Shanming has more.
Reporter
The Beijing Municipal Heavy Air Pollution Emergency Response Program includes a four-tier color alert system.
A Red alert, the highest, will be issued for heavy pollution that is expected to last more than 3-days.
An air quality index of over 200 will be defined as "heavy pollution".
Orange and red alerts are to be issued 24-hours before heavy pollution days to give people in Beijing advanced warning.
Sun Feng with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center says issuing alerts before heavy pollution days should help authorities deal with air pollution.
"If we try to control air pollution before it happens, the accumulation of pollutants 52 may be reduced. Accordingly, air pollutant 51 concentrations will be much lower."
Authorities contend the move should help give government departments enough time to take emergency steps to limit heavy-pollution days.
Sun Feng says this will require more accuracy and promptness in predicting the air condition.
"That is to say, we have to make a very accurate prediction of the air quality in the coming week. We will refresh the data every day to guarantee the accuracy of the prediction of what the pollution is likely to be like. The data will then be reported to various environmental administration departments for further analysis and research."
A Red alert for air pollution will prompt an alternate-day driving system for odd- and even-numbered license 53 plate numbers.
At the same time, 30 percent of all municipal will also be pulled from the streets on an odd and even basis.
Liu Jianjun with Beijing Municipal Commission of Transportation says improvements to the public transport system will also be made, with additional buses put on the roads to meet people's public transport needs.
"It's estimated that the public transport system will have 2 million more passengers on an emergency day."
When an orange or red alert is issued, construction vehicles will be banned from the streets and construction sites will be shut down.
Heavy polluting factories will also be shut down or forced to limit their production, except those necessary to maintain the operation of the city.
Last year saw Beijing Municipal authorities issue 2 Orange alerts, 5-yellow alerts, 11-blue alerts, but no Red Alerts.
For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.
 
 
World's biggest solar plane lands in China
 
The sun-powered "Solar Impulse 2" has landed in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing.
The plane touched down safely earlier this morning after arriving on a flight from Myanmar.
"Solar Impulse 2" began its trip to China yesterday morning from the city of Mandalay in Myanmar on the third leg of its round-the-world journey.
Bertrand Piccard one of the pilots of the "Solar Impulse 2".
"There is a lot in front of us, a lot in front of us in term of flying the plane, and in term of meeting with people in different countries and promote our message about clean technology."
After its stopover in Chongqing, the plane will then fly to Nanjing to undergo maintenance before passing over the Pacific Ocean.
The plane had to remain in Myanmar for 10-days because of delays brought on by bad weather.
"Solar Impulse 2" started its journey in Abu Dhabi on March 9th.
It's expected to travel some 40-thousand kilometers without using any fossil fuels.
It is scheduled to stop in the US, Northern Africa or Southern Europe in coming months before returning to Abu Dhabi to complete its world tour.
The whole journey is expected to take over 5-months.
 
 
"Issues remain" at Iran nuclear talks as deadline nears
 
Last-ditch talks are still underway in Switzerland ahead of today's deadline for a preliminary deal on Iran's nuclear program.
Foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, have been meeting with their Iranian counterpart in the hopes of working out a breakthrough after almost 18 months of negotiations 54.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says all sides have made clear exactly what the sticking points are and how they see these obstacles be overcome.
As such, the Chinese foreign minister says they remain optimistic about a potential solution.
For his part, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says they're still working through various proposals.
"We are still not in the position to be able to say we are close to resolving the remaining issues, but we are hopeful and we'll continue the efforts."
Iran and the P5+1 have been working to try to break an impasse 55 in negotiations aimed at ensuring that Tehran cannot develop a nuclear bomb.
In exchange, the UN sanctions being imposed on Iran will be lifted.
At issue is which sanctions will be lifted, and how much work Iran will be able to do when it comes to nuclear development.
If a preliminary deal can be completed today, the technical details of a final deal have to be done by the end of June.
 
 
Japan, India Vow 56 to Strengthen Defence Ties
 
India's Defence Minister is touting 57 the importance of defence ties with Japan as part of an official visit to the country.
Manohar Parrikar has met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as part of his time in Tokyo.
The two countries signed the 'Tokyo Declaration' a year ago to strengthen military cooperation.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"The two countries share common interests, so strengthening the Japan-India relationship - especially in the areas of security - I believe will also deepen our strategic global partnership 58."
The two sides have been discussing a potential arms sale deal.
That deal will allow Japan to supply India with aircraft and other military hardware.
India's military has been long-dependent on arms sales through Russia to keep its military technology working.
However, much of India's military technology, particularly its airforce, is out-of-date, as much of it was purchased from the former Soviet 59 Union in the 1980's.
 
 
Parliament Dissolved before British General Election
 
Britain's election campaign has officially kicked off, with Prime Minister David Cameron visiting the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
The royal audience has followed on the heels of parliament being dissolved ahead of the May 7th vote.
Cameron's visit to the Queen is a courtesy, rather than a necessity.
The election is the first time the historic practice of prime ministers asking the monarch 60 to dissolve parliament has not been required.
Cameron has since launched the campaigning, suggesting the British people will have to choose between his Conservative Party and what he calls the economic chaos 61 of the opposition 62 Labour Party.
"The next prime minister walking through that door will be me or Ed Miliband. You can choose an economy that grows, that creates jobs, that generates the money to ensure a properly-funded and improving National Health Service, a government that will cut taxes for 30 million hard-working people, and a country that is safe and secure. Or you can choose the economic chaos of Ed Miliband."
At the same time, Miliband has begun launching attacks on Cameron's record with the European Union, accusing him of playing political games with Britain's membership in the bloc 63.
Early polling has suggested the race could be tight, though Cameron's Conservatives do maintain a slight advantage at the moment.
 
 
Prosecutor 33: Lubitz' motive 64 for crash not clear
 
German prosecutors say the co-pilot accused of intentionally 65 crashing a Germanwings flight last week into the French Alps was treated for suicidal tendencies before getting his pilot's license.
Authorities say Andreas Lubitz was being treated up until his death for an unspecified illnesses which resulted in him being told by his doctors he should be taking time off work.
Christoph Kumpa is a spokesperson for the Duesseldorf prosecutors' office.
"The co-pilot was, several years ago and before he got his pilot's license, for a longer period treated for suicidal tendencies. Since then, and until the end, there were further doctor's visits with sick notes, but there were no more diagnoses of suicidal tendencies or aggressive behavior."
Authorities have yet to come up with a possible motive.
Lubitz enrolled 66 in training with Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, in 2008 and became a pilot in 2013.
Unverified reports suggest he was diagnosed with a serious depressive episode in 2009 and received treatment for a year and a half.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stocks
 
Anchor
First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.
Reporter
U.S stock rose sharply on Monday amid upbeat economic data and optimistic sentiment from overseas stock markets.
Data released on Monday suggests the U.S. Pending 67 Home Sales Index rose over 3-percent in February, hitting its highest level since June 2013.
The U.S. Commerce Department says personal income levels have increased by 0.4 percent in February from the previous month, beating market expectations.
Consumer spending, which contributes to over two-thirds of the U.S. economy, also rose to nearly 12 billion dollars through February.
Meanwhile, the US market rally was also driven by comments from China's central-bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan, who has gone on-record saying there is "more room" for Chinese authorities to ease its policies if the economy stays soft.
At close,
The Dow Jones gained 1.5 percent.
The S&P 500 jumped 1.2 percent.
The Nasdaq Composite Index also gained some 1.2 percent.
Meanwhile in Europe, shares there closed sharply higher as well, boosted by Zhou Xiaochuan's comments, on top of a slide in the euro and a round of solid economic data.
This was enough to outweigh 68 ongoing 69 concerns over Greece's struggle to reach a reform agreement with international lenders before it runs out of money.
At the closing bell,
The UK's FTSE 100 gained 0.5 percent.
While Germany's DAX turned up 1.8 percent.
Finally France's CAC 40 advanced 1 percent.
 
 
Downpayment ratio for second home drops to 40 percent
 
Chinese authorities are lowering the required downpayment for second home purchases to 40-percent from 60-percent to prop-up the housing market.
The minimum downpayment ratio for first-time home buyers who use the government's housing fund is also being reduced from 30-percent to 20-percent.
At the same time, if buyers use the housing fund, the ratio for a second home purchase will remain at 30 percent, provided all their loans are paid off on the first house.
For more on the move, we're joined now live by Gao Shang, analyst 70 with Beijing-based Guantong Futures 71.
1 Chinese authorities have also announced sales of homes purchased over two years ago will be exempt 72 from a tax of 5.6 percent on the current and original price difference. How much will these measures influence the property market downturn?
2 How much of a safe bet is the Chinese property market right now?
3 How much does the fluxuation economic areas, such as the housing market, affect other markets, including the stock market and other areas?
Back Anchor
Gao Shang, analyst with Beijing-based Guantong Futures.
 
 
CPIC's profit rises significantly on life premiums 73
 
China Pacific Insurance has announced a 20-percent rise in net profit through last year.
The Chinese insurer is crediting the profit increase to bigger life insurance premiums and investment returns.
The company says it did have to pay out more claims in property and casualty insurance last year.
As China's third-biggest life insurer, China Pacifics' life insurance unit grew 4-percent year on year, netting nearly 16-billion US dollars in profits.
 
 
Alibaba, BMG sign deal to distribute music
 
Alibaba has signed a music distribution deal with music company BMG in its bid to become a bigger player in the digital media sector 74.
Under the agreement Alibaba will get the copyright to some 2.5 million songs.
Financial terms of the deal haven't been revealed.
The move is part of Alibaba's bid to become an online-media powerhouse, including the distribution of music, film and television.
At the same time, the agreement should allow BMG a chance to boost its presence in China.
In November, the German music firm hooked up with independent Chinese music company 'Giant Jump' to manage its publishing and recording 75 rights.
 
 
Dida eyes Uber alliance on carpooling
 
Chinese carpooling app Dida Pinche has entered into talks with US-based Uber to help expand its market share.
Tencent-backed Didi and Alibaba's Kuaidi currently control 99-percent of China's mobile taxi hailing market.
Details of any agreement between Dida and Uber have not been disclosed.
Dida's services match drivers and passengers, making the cost roughly half that of a taxi.
The company is currently seeking a third round of investment.
 
 
PV capacity expansion to be restricted
 
Chinese authorities have announced plans to restrict Photovoltaic manufacturing here in China.
Industrial authorities say they're tightening 76 controls over developing new projects.
At the same time, authorities overseeing the solar power panel industry are demanding PV producers replace their old machinery 77 with more advanced and environment-friendly ones.
The new regulations also require PV makers 22 to spend over 3-percent of their daily revenues on technological 78 research and upgrades.
China overtook Germany to become the world's largest solar PV producer in 2004.
However, the industry has been struggling with over-capasity amid a downturn in solar-power generation.
The high-cost of PV production, on top of depressed 79 fossil-fuel prices, have been blamed for the downturn.
 
 
Yuan drops to 7th place among world's payment currencies: SWIFT
 
A new report from SWIFT suggests the renminbi has dropped to 7th place among the world's payments currencies through February.
The yuan has been used in around 1.8 percent of all global payments through Feburary.
This is down from over 2-percent in January.
The Swiss franc and the Canadian dollar surpassed the Chinese currency last month.
SWIFT attributes the slowdown in the global use of the Renminbi to a "seasonal 80 effect" of the Chinese New Year .
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China Withdrawing Nationals from Yemen
 
The Chinese government says it's managed to evacuate virtually all off the Chinese nationals currently living in Yemen.
Some 570 Chinese nationals are either on their way or have arrived in Djibouti with the help of Chinese warships.
The Chinese Embassy in Yemen and the Consulate General office in Aden will continue to operate.
It's also promising to stay in-contact with the 20 or so Chinese nationals who have decided to remain behind in Yemen.
 
 
Xi eyes China-Australia FTA this year
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Australia's Governor-General that his government expects to formalize a free trade agreement with Australia sometime this year.
Xi Jinping has met with Peter Cosgrove in Beijing, saying the FTA should help accelerate bilateral economic cooperation between the two sides.
Cosgrove has been in China since last week on his first state visit.
As part of his time, he's attended the Bo'ao Forum for Asia this past weekend.
Though officially the Queen of England's represenative to Australia as the Head of State, the Governor-General of Australia holds no tangible political power.
 
 
Russia, Finland and Egypt Apply to Join AIIB
 
Russia, Finland and Egypt have become the latest countries to apply to be founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The deadline for applying to be a founding member of the AIIB is today.
The bank now has 30 prospective founding members, with Switzerland and Britain being formally accepted on Saturday.
Founding members have the right to help draft the bank's governance and operational rules.
Countries who join after the deadline will simply have voting rights, and less say in the rule-making process.
The AIIB is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.
 
 
Early results show a "close" Nigeria election
 
Early results which have been released from Nigeria's election show the race for President remains 81 'too close to call' between incumbent 82 President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-military chief Muhammadu Buhari.
With eight states and the capital Abuja declared, Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party has a lead of only around 20-thousand votes.
Final results of the closely contested poll are due later on this Tuesday.
The People's Democratic Party has dominated Nigerian politics since 1999.
However, the Boko Haram insurgency 83 has helped Muhammadu Buhari in the lead-up to the election, as he campaigned heavily on a security platform.
 
 
NSA shooting leaves one dead at gate
 
One person has been killed and another wounded after a shooting at a gate to the US National Security Agency headquarters near Washington, DC.
The shooting took place after a vehicle refused to follow the commands of the guards and charged a police vehicle blocking the road.
NSA officers then fired on the vehicle.
Reports say the men inside the vehicle were dressed as women.
One of people in the vehicle died at the scene, while the other is in hospital.
The FBI says its initial investigation 35 suggests the incident is not related to terrorism.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Football not to replace other sports
Summary
China's sports minister has gone on-record saying football should not take the place of other sports at school.
The minister says all sports should be fully 50 developed.
The comments come amid reports a number of schools have stopped programs for other sports in order to promote soccer.
This follows the government's move to bring in a national football reform plan.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Online transaction standards
Summary
The Chinese government is drafting a new set of technical standards to better regulate e-commerce transactions and customer reviews of products and services.
This is part of the bid to tackle fake products sold online.
Authorities are also working on technical standards to crack-down on e-commerce fraud.
XIAOXIANG MORNING POST
Headline
Power leader being probed
Summary
Provincial 84 authorities in Guangdong have revealed Qi Dacai, a senior executive with China Southern Power Grid 85, is under investigation for suspected serious violations 86 of discipline.
China Southern Power Grid is one of China's two national power grid operators.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Bus firms subsidized
Summary
A new report by the Shanghai Finance Bureau says most of the revenue generated from the city's car plate auctions 88 has been used to subsidize public bus companies.
4-billion yuan from the auctions last year has been given to the bus operators as subsidies 89.
The rest has been invested in infrastructure and senior citizen discounts.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Guide dogs run marathon
Summary
An International Marathon has been held in Henan's capital Zhengzhou.
Among those taking part, guide dogs, who helped lead visually-impaired competitors through the marathon.
The marathon, the 9th of its kind, attracted 49-thousand runners from 29 countries and regions.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Ocean park construction begins
Summary
Construction of an Ocean theme park has begun in Shanghai's Pudong New Area.
The new resort will only be a 25-minute drive from the Disney Resort.
The ocean park is scheduled to open in 2017.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
KG Art- Fine Chinese paintings to go under the hammer
 
Anchor
A number of modern Chinese paintings are set to go under the hammer in Hong Kong next month.
The details from CRI's Niu Honglin.
Reporter
More than 300 paintings by modern Chinese artists, estimated at over 23 million US dollars will be auctioned 90 by Sotheby's in Hong Kong next month.
Highlights include two splashed-ink-and-colour paintings, blossoming Lotus and Ancient Temple in the Mist; both were painted by well-known Chinese artist Zhang Daqian.
Blossoming Lotus, completed in 1965, belongs to the early period of Zhang's series of splashed-ink-and-colour paintings and is expected to achieve a sale price of between 1.3 - 1.9 million dollars.
Zhang Daqian's unique technique echoes Western models of abstractionism.
The artist adopted a bold expressionism in which he covered the large part of paper with dark green lotus leaves and placed the white lotus flowers around the leaves.
It makes a great contrast and a strong visual impact, says CK Cheung, Asia Head of Chinese Paintings at Sotheby's.
"We can see that the effect of splashed ink dispersing 91 on paper is very natural, and the light and dense 92 feeling is very spontaneous, he had fully considered the impact of the type of paper."
This is the first time the painting will be shown to the public. It was a gift from Zhang to US-based friends who were also Sichuan natives.
Another painting, Ancient Temple in the Mist, was finished in 1978 and shows a mountainous scene, with a temple peaking out of thick fog.
CK Cheung again points out that Zhang fully considered the impact of the type of paper on the effect of painting.
"Because the paper is coarse, that's why the color seems quite dry after it was applied 93 on paper. When he picked the theme of mountains and water, the rugged 94 and rocky mountains match perfectly 95 with the effect that was shown by the texture 96 of the paper."
Ancient Temple in the Mist is expected to reach of sale price of between USD $2.3 - 3.2 million.
Another painting by Zhang, "Riding in the Autumn Countryside" is also valuable as it shows his use of traditional fine brushwork, known as the gongbi technique.
Other artists on show include Li Yanshan, whose works are rarely exhibited.
His work, Bamboo and Rock, features a motif 97 of China's most famous flora 98 and is expected to sell for between USD $32,000 - 45,000.
The auction 87 will take place in Hong Kong on 6 April.
The public exhibition is to be held on 2-5 April at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Ding Junhui reaches next stage of China Open
 
Ding Junhui has beaten his first round elimination 99 jinx at the China Open.
Ding finally progressed through the first round after bowing out at the first hurdle 100 at six ranking tournaments in a row.
He had a 3-0 lead before Marcus Campbell took one frame back 77-34. Both players suffered a long-lasting fifth frame until Ding established the 4-1 lead, hitting a 50 and a 58 break respectively to win 108-16 in the sixth one.
Meanwhile, former world champion Neil Robertson lost his match sending him home from the tournament early.
Robertson was 4-2 ahead before his Thai opponent Dechawat Poomjaeng managed back two frames including a 74-point shot. Robertson once again missed a key long-shot black to see Poomjaeng snatch back the victory at 69-64 in the last frame.
 
 
Dongfeng race team assessing damage to mast
 
The crew of Dongfeng Race Team, joint 37 leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race were able to fully assess the damage to their mast and mainsail yesterday.
The team were forced to suspend racing 101 in the fifth leg of the competition when their mast broke in the middle of the Southern Ocean.
The incident came at the worst time for the Chinese boat, 240 nautical 102 miles from Cape 103 Horn in southern Chile, one of the most remote places on earth.
The breakage in the top section of the mast means that the team cannot properly manoeuvre 104 the boat. No members of the nine-strong crew on board were injured.
The team originally announced that they would have to quit the leg but now they are investigating whether they can continue after making repairs in Ushuaia, Argentina.
 
 
Tiger Woods drops outside of top 100 rankings
 
Tiger Woods has dropped outside the top 100 in the world golf rankings for the first time since 1996.
The 39-year-old former world number one and 14-times major champion, who has not played since pulling out of the Farmer's Open in early February due to back problems, has slipped to 104th in the rankings.
Woods's last major title was the 2008 U.S. Open but he won five PGA Tour events in 2013 and topped the rankings in May 2014 before suffering injury problems and a loss of form.
Woods hopes to return to play in next week's U.S. Masters, the first major of the year.　
--------------
Paul Casey has a place in the Masters after returning to the world’s top 50.
The world number 48 has seen a resurgence 105 in form during the past year that has seen the three-time Ryder Cup player win in the Netherlands last September, as well as post a brace 106 of top-three finishes on the PGA Tour during the early months of 2015.
The Englishman has a decent Masters record with four top 20 finishes from seven starts.
 
 
Williams sisters through to quarter finals of Miami Open
 
In tennis,
Both Serena and Venus Williams have advanced to the quarter finals of the Miami Open, the sisters each cruising to a straight-set triumph.
World number one Serena Williams is seeking a third consecutive 107 Miami trophy 108 beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-3 while 16th seeded elder sister Venus defeated fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
Between them, the sisters have won the Miami singles title 10 times.
In the men's draw, Japan's Kei Nishikori took just over an hour to defeat Serbia's Viktor Troicki 6-2 6-2 to secure a fourth round berth 109.
---------------------
And in some off court news,
Venus Williams who has boycotted 110 Indian Wells since 2001 has said she may follow younger sister Serena's lead and return to the event next year.
Serena competed in the tournament earlier this month for the first time since a 2001 final that was marred 111 by the behavior of spectators who booed and heckled the American and her family. Serena has welcomed the notion of her sister heading back to the California tournament.
 
 
NBA preview
 
In the NBA this morning.
The Milwaukee Bucks 112 take on Atlanta Hawks 113
Phoenix 114 Suns play the Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz take on the Minnesota Timberwolves
Sacramento Kings play the Memphis Grizzlies 115
Houston Rockets take on the Toronto Raptors
And the Charlotte Hornets play the Boston Celtics
 
 
Nico Rosberg frustrated 116 at third place finish
 
Mercedes Formula One driver Nico Rosberg has spoken out about his frustration 117 at finishing third in Malaysia.
Alarms sounded at world champions Mercedes after Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel beat them fair and square, taking top spot on the podium ahead of second placed Lewis Hamilton.
Sepang did not go to plan for the Mercedes team, with Ferrari and Vettel claiming their first wins since 2013 while Mercedes struggled on the softer medium-compound tyres and made strategic errors.
Rosberg on the troubles he faced in Malaysia.
"Everything went wrong starting from the beginning being stuck behind Lewis in the pit lane, that was planned and for us it was the strategy at that point in time, we thought, but to just be stuck there and the time was just ticking and they couldn't let me out because there was so many cars coming so I was just stuck there with a red light. Not a great moment for me, quite tough to digest,"
The next grand prix will take place in Shanghai on April 10 – April 12.
 
 
Stoke City to make HKFC sevens debut 118
 
Stoke City will make their debut at the HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens in Hong Kong. This brings the number of English Premier League clubs taking part at the Hong Kong football club to five.
West Ham will compete for the first time since 2012 while five-time champions Aston Villa 119 and former winners Newcastle and Leicester City will return.
Four of the last five editions of the seven-a-side tournament were won by premiership clubs including Newcastle and Manchester City. With English clubs winning 10 of the 15 editions of the tournament since it started in 1999.
The tournament will take place between May 29th and the 31st.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Disney Developing Live-Action 'Mulan'
 
On the heels of the success of Disney's live-action film "Cinderella," the studio is said to be considering another live-action retelling: "Mulan."
"Mulan" was one of Disney's most popular animated 120 films.
"Mulan" follows the Chinese legend of female warrior 121 Hua Mulan, who disguises herself as a man so she can take her father's place in the army and go to war.
It earned over 300-million US dollars worldwide, as well as Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations 122.
The 1998 film was also made into direct-to-DVD sequel, "Mulan II" in 2005.
Disney is also making a live-action retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," "The Jungle Book" and a sequel to "Alice in Wonderland."
 
 
Trailer of US Version of Journey to the West Released
 
AMC has released a first look promo for its new TV series- "Into the Badlands."
This is the US version of the classic Chinese tale "Journey to the West."
Daniel Wu plays the lead role in the kungfu drama.
He plays a warrior named 'Sunny' who escorts a little boy to find Shangri La, or the ultimate place of bliss 123.
Daniel Wu is also the executive producer and action director.
The series is set to be aired this fall on AMC.
 
 
iheart Radio Awards Held in Hot Atmosphere
 
Record-breaking heat and new albums have been the talk of the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles.
American music stars have been walking the red carpet in temperatures reaching the high 20's.
Musician Adam lambert is one of those who admits he should have adjusted his wardrobe.
"I decided to wear leather pants to stay cool today. I don't know what I was thinking. I was thinking fashion, not comfort. Kind of the story of my life."
There is a lot of anticipation 124 about Lambert's new single "Ghost Town," which is his first project in nearly 2-years.
"The full album is called 'Original High.' It comes out this summer. It's definitely upbeat. It's pop, it's electronic, it's house. There's a little R and B flavor on there."
This year marks the second edition of the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
The first event last year was considered a huge success, with many of music's top artists turning out for the event.
 
 
'Interstellar' wins best film at Empire Awards
 
Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" has been the big winner from the Jameson Empire Awards, which are voted for by readers of Empire magazine.
"Interstellar" has taken the awards for 'best director' and 'best film.'
Christopher Nolan has also been honored with the Empire Inspiration award.
The cast of HBO's "Game of Thrones" received the Empire Hero Award in celebration of the popularity of the series.
The Empire Legend honor went to Ralph Fiennes.
Andy Serkis picked up the 'best actor' award for his role as Caesar in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes".
Best actress went to "Gone Girl" star Rosamund Pike.
"Kingsman: The Secret Service" has taken the award for 'best British film.'
 
 
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick look at the headlines before we go...
Most of the Chinese nationals who had been living in war-torn Yemen have now been safely moved out of the country by Chinese naval vessels.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with Australia's Governor General, suggesting a Chinese-Australian FTA may be a reality this year.
Marathon talks are continuing in Switzerland as the deadline to reach a preliminary Iranian nuclear deal is just hours away.
In business... Chinese authorities are lowering the downpayment thresholds for 2nd home purchases.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.