Miss China beauty pageant
 

Beauty queen Guan Qi wears her crown after becoming the new Miss China September 21, 2003. The 21-year-old from Jilin Province in Northeast China took part in the finals of the beauty pageant in Sanya, Hainan Province. Guan will represent China now in the Miss World pageant finals to be held in Sanya in December.

Beauty queen Guan Qi (centre), and runner-up Song Bingjie (right), second runner-up Liu Lina pose for a photo.

Guan Qi is crowned by last year's Miss China Wu Yingna.

Beauty queen Guan Qi in Miss China beauty contest.

72nd anniversary of Japanese invasion to China
 

Students hold a banner that reads "Remembering History and Treasuring Peace" in front of the Museum of the Anti-Japanese War in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, September 18, 2003. Today is the 72nd anniversary of the "September 18th Incident," when Japanese troops launched a sudden attack on the Chinese army in Shenyang.

On the evening 10:20 of September 18, 1931, the Japanese Kanto Army blew up the Liutiaohu Railway of the South Manchuria Railway in Shenyang, northen China, yet they fabricated that Chinese army did it. Under this excuse, they cannoned Beidaying Battalion of the Northeast Army of Kuomintang, and attacked Shenyang, launched the "Huanggutun Incident" which shocked China and the whole world. This is the historical "9.18 Incident", which resulted in Japan's massive invasion in Northeastern China and later the whole country in 1937.

Broken Calendar Monument for "9.18 Incident" built in 1991 in Shenyang.

Chinese civilians killed by Japanese soldiers in "9.18 Incident".

Billy, #4 won so tell #12 I'd love to console her.;)

As for 9-18, the Japanese have a habit of sneak attacks. They did it to the Russians and to the US also.:(

Billy, you post such interesting pictures and I love reading your commentary. I know you have said before that you have difficulty with the English language and I think you do very well with it, but I often find myself giggling at your words. Most of the time I can understand what you're trying to say. I am NOT making fun of you at all, but just letting you know I really enjoy reading and seeing your posts. In this thread I had to laugh at the "underware show". These may not be your words, but they struck me as funny. I also got a laugh from the "Frontier guards...demonstrating their comprehensive skills of shooting, hunting and arresting criminals". Once again I don't know if these are your words, but I wish we could "hunt" and "shoot" criminals here in the USA. It might reduce the paperwork associated with just "arresting" them like we're supposed to do;) .

Well, with the "undies shows", beauty pagents, and Pandas, it sure does look like East has finally met West.:)

Sometimes not mine
 

Sometimes I post it my own words, others I copy from the China English newspaper. I don't have time enough to write becasue I surf Internet in cyber cafe. I can not waste too much time in it.

Strong earthquake in Japan
 

Workers clear debris at Kushiro Airport terminal on the northern main island of Hokkaido, Japan after it was shaken by powerful earthquakes September 26, 2003. A series of earthquakes jolted Hokkaido early on Friday, injuring more than 230 people, causing widespread damage and blackouts and prompting officials to issue tidal wave warnings.

Books are scattered across the floor at a bookshop after strong quakes in Obihiro, northern Japan, September 26, 2003. A series of powerful earthquakes jolted the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido early on Friday, injuring more than 160 people, causing widespread damage and blackouts and prompting officials to issue tidal wave warnings.

Black smoke billows out of an oil storage facility at a refinery in Tomakomai on the northern main island of Hokkaido, Japan after powerful earthquakes hit the island September 26, 2003. The quakes injured more than 160 people, caused widespread damage and blackouts and prompted officials to issue tidal wave warnings.

Japanese firemen extinguish a blaze at an oil facility after a series of powerful earthquakes in Tomakomai, the city of northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, September 26, 2003. Japan's Meteorogical Agency measured the initial quake at 8.0 on the Richter scale -- powerful enough to cause significant damage -- and it warned residents of aftershocks.