The natural growth rate of the registered population in Shanghai has been negative for 17 years, reports Xinmin Evening News. The birth rate is 0.83, far below the widely recognized standard of 2.1. The youth population declines and the elderly increase. The burden for tax payers and social security escalate, which affects the sustainable development of the city. Director of Shanghai Municipal Population and Family Planning Commission Meng Yankun suggested that the government encourage families that are qualified to have a second child to have the second baby and raise the birth rate.
Older women dating younger men
Bachelor's Day is coming. According to an investigation, love between younger men and older women is becoming increasingly more acceptable among singles in China, but the age gap should be within five years, reports the Guangzhou Daily. A marriage expert said the trend of romance between younger men and older women just started in China. Only 20 percent of the couples end up married. Since the standard age for men to get married is older than women, romance between younger men and older women could solve the unmarried, single-woman dilemma.
CCTV host makes less than 6,000 yuan
Zhao Pu, host of CCTV's Morning News, revealed his monthly salary to be less than 6,000 yuan on his microblog, the Beijing Times reports. Zhao said he was responding to rumors that CCTV hosts made more than 200,000 yuan a month, but many people still are suspicious, saying it is impossible to live in Beijing on 6,000 yuan a month.
Seat choice available on bullet trains
Railway authorities have clarified earlier reports that travelers will soon be able to choose their seat assignments on trains, Beijing Daily reports. Train passengers will only be able to choose their seats on trains on a few high-speed trains and will not be able to check remaining available tickets, as was previously reported.
Miner gets dirty lungs washed
51-year-old coal miner Long Huaiwen underwent a lung lavage in Xinjiang Occupational Disease Hospital on October 18, which generated 48 bottles of black water, Yaxin.com reports. The lung lavage took about three and a half hours, and used 12,000 ml of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). He has worked as a miner for 16 years.