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Thread: 2020 Year of the Rat

  1. #1
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    2020 Year of the Rat

    NEW ITEM: 2020 Year of the Rat T-shirts and Hoodies!



    T-SHIRT




    HOODY


    Gene Ching
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    Tea laisee for 2020

    New yum cha, butterfly themed HK$20, HK$50 notes to be released in time for lai see to insure widest circulation, HKMA says
    New notes to arrive on January 14, the same day customers can start exchanging notes for lai see
    The HK$20 notes will be themed around tea gatherings, while the HK$50 notes will feature butterflies
    Enoch Yiu
    Published: 8:00am, 2 Jan, 2020


    The new HK$20 and HK$50 notes are presented during a press conference by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Photo: Winson Wong

    The Hong Kong Monetary Authority will launch new HK$20 and HK$50 notes on January 14, the same day customers can start exchanging old notes for new currency in preparation for Lunar New Year, it said on Wednesday.
    The notes will be released by the city’s three note-issuing banks, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of China (Hong Kong).
    The HK$20 notes will be themed around yum cha, or tea gatherings, while the HK$50 notes will feature butterflies. Of the 2.36 billion banknotes in circulation in Hong Kong worth a combined HK$503.9 billion (US$64.5 billion), the HK$20 notes represent the highest share at 35.7 per cent, while the HK$50 dollar notes represent 10.4 per cent.
    “The HK$20 banknote is the most circulated banknote in Hong Kong, and is part of the lives of Hong Kong people. Similarly, yum cha is a favourite [activity], as many Hongkongers like to go and enjoy dim sum lunches and tea with their family and friends. This is why we picked yum cha as the theme for the HK$20 banknotes,” Edmond Lau, the HKMA’s senior executive director, said.
    “We chose to launch the new HK$20 and HK$50 banknotes on the same day the public can go to the banks to exchange notes for lai see money, as this is an effective way of widely circulating the new notes,” he added.
    Lai see money is handed out to children and young people who are unmarried during the Lunar New Year holiday, and cash – usually HK$20 and HK$50 notes – is preferred despite the growing popularity of digital payments. According to some estimates, at least HK$10 billion in lai see changes hands each Lunar New Year holiday.


    SCMP Graphics

    Every year, the city’s three note-issuing banks prepare on average 350 million notes – including 55 per cent newly printed notes – in all denominations for lai see, according to HKMA statistics. These banks have printed a combined 260 million of the new HK$20 notes and 85 million of the new HK$50 notes, which Lau said were sufficient to meet the public’s needs.
    The two new notes are the latest and last batch to be issued under the 2018 design series. The HKMA announced the designs of the new banknotes with the latest security features in 2018, but has launched them at different times.
    The HK$1,000 note that celebrates Hong Kong as a smart international financial centre was launched in December 2018, the HK$500 note that features the city’s natural beauty was introduced in February 2019, while the HK$100 note featuring Cantonese opera was launched in September last year.
    Lau said the more than 240 types of butterflies found in Hong Kong were the inspiration for the new HK$50 notes. While the HKMA decides on security features and sets the theme, the three note-issuing banks come up with the designs.
    Older notes will continue to be legal tender, Lau added.
    THREADS
    2020 Year of the Rat
    LaiSee
    Tea
    Gene Ching
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    IMAX 2020 CNY re-releases



    Five Chinese New Years to Release in IMAX

    Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan’s Leap, a film about the China’s national women’s volleyball team, has been set to hit over 660 IMAX theatres in China on January 25, 2020, the first day of the Chinese New Year, according to an official announcement released today. Along with the previously announced films including Detective Chinatown 3, Lost in Russia, The Rescue, Vanguard, there will be five Chinese films to be shown on IMAX screens during the lunar new year holiday. Among them, Detective China town 3 was entirely shot by ALEXA IMAX cameras. This makes Detective Chinatown 3 the fourth commercial film worldwide and the second in Asia that is shot by ALEXA IMAX. IMAX China also unveiled a special poster today, which features comics avatars of characters in the movies.
    I feel so behind. I've not seen any of these films.

    THREADS
    2020 Year of the Rat
    Detective Chinatown 3
    Lost in Russia
    The Rescue
    Vanguard
    Gene Ching
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    rat shoes

    Nike's "Year of the Rat" Collection Celebrates Chinese New Year With Bold Patterns
    Nodding to the brand’s rich history in China by way of Yuxian paper-cutting-inspired graphics.
    Footwear
    Jan 6, 2020
    By Ross Dwyer



    2020 marks the Year of the Rat on the Chinese Zodiac calendar, so Nike and Jordan Brand are celebrating the rodent-centric festivities with a special capsule of shoes and apparel. Presenting silhouettes both classic and modern, the capsule uses colors and embellishments inspired by previous CNY packs and traditional Yuxian paper-cutting. This supplies a dual-pronged nod to the Swoosh and the Jumpman’s rich history in China.

    Both brands bring unique offerings to the table: Nike switches between sportswear and basketball with the Air Max 1, Air Force 1, Air Max 720 and two styles of Kyrie Irving‘s Kyrie 6 for men. Women recieve an Air Force 1 Shadow, Air Max 270 React, and new Joyride Run 2, while a unisex Air Max 90 finalizes the offerings, some of which are also available in kids sizes. Meanwhile, Jordan Brand’s entries consist of the Air Jordan 13 and Air Jordan 34.

    These 10 silhouettes are split between four Yuxian patterns, each of which nods to a different impactful moment in brand history — three of which are associated with China, one of which is not. Each shoe applies its patterns and graphics in a different fashion, ranging from debossed detailing on the uppers to printed graphics on the midsole and more. There’s also a full collection of apparel to accompany the footwear.



    Each pattern tells a unique tale. The first is centered around the Cortez, and nods to 1972 — the year that Nike was founded. The second pattern features a Nike Sportswear logo front and center in a medal along with a racing track and a koi fish. This is a tact acknowledgement of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where China earned its first-ever gold medal and Nike began a sponsorship with the Chinese track and field team. Next up is a pattern inspired by 1996, the year that saw the Air More Uptempo release and China’s basketball team make it the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. The final pattern acknowledges 2008, a watershed year that saw Beijing host the Olympic Games — at which Nike debuted the ultra-innovative Hyperdunk.

    Some silhouettes from the Nike and Jordan Brand “Year of the Rat” collection have already released, while the rest are slated to arrive on the Nike webstore over the course of January.
    'bold' or gaudy?
    Gene Ching
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    Celebrate the YEAR OF THE RAT with our New 2020 CNY line!

    Gene Ching
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    2020 CNY Henny

    Hennessy celebrates Lunar New Year and 150 years in China with Zhang Huan collaboration
    As the Year of the Rat nears, Zhang unveiled his artwork, Eaux-de-Vie, alongside Hennessy master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde at one of the distilleries outside Cognac in southwestern France
    Tracey Furniss
    Published: 4:00pm, 12 Jan, 2020


    Chinese artist Zhang Huan with his artwork Eaux-de-Vie. Photo: Hennessy

    Hennessy hosted a special event at its headquarters in Cognac, southwestern France, for the unveiling of Chinese artist Zhang Huan’s masterpiece Eaux-de-Vie in celebration of Lunar New Year 2020.
    Zhang, who also created a special Lunar New Year edition of the Hennessy collection bottle, was there to unveil his work of art alongside Hennessy master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde at one of the cognac-maker’s distilleries outside the main town.
    It is the first time Hennessy has collaborated with Zhang, commissioned to celebrate 150 years of Hennessy in China, and the start of a new cycle in the Chinese zodiac with the Year of the Rat.
    Capturing the spirit of Hennessy, the over five-metre-long artwork is a dreamscape inspired by Hennessy’s famous library of eaux-de-vie.
    The celebrations continued into the night at the Hennessy Château de Bagnolet with a special dinner of Chinese and French fusion dishes.
    The special Chinese New Year edition of the Hennessy collection by Zhang Huan is now available.
    There are several Rat commemorative liquors coming. It's a decent marketing ploy.
    Gene Ching
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    2020 Kung Fu Horoscopes



    See what your future holds for the Year of the Metal Rat with our Kung Fu Horoscopes!

    Note that the initial predictions for the year and the first period were published in our WINTER 2020 issue, which hit newsstands in mid-November. Note that some of Master Sun's predictions are on point already.

    The three new period predictions are in our SPRING 2020, which is currently at press and will hit newsstands around Valentine's Day.

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    HK fireworks cancelled

    Hong Kong / Politics
    Hong Kong tourist arrivals drop 14 per cent year on year in 2019 amid anti-government protests

    Arrivals drop to 55.9 million in 2019 from 65.15 million the previous year, caused by 14.2 per cent decline in mainland Chinese tourists and fewer overnight visitors
    Lunar New Year fireworks show also cancelled amid safety fears, though light show at Victoria Harbour and performances in West Kowloon Cultural District stay on schedule
    SCMP
    Denise Tsang and Alvin Lum
    Published: 11:11am, 15 Jan, 2020


    The traditional fireworks for Lunar New Year will not be repeated in 2020, in another blow to the city’s events programme. Photo: Martin Chan

    The number of visitors to Hong Kong dropped by 14 per cent last year amid the ongoing protests roiling the city, tourism authorities revealed on Wednesday, as the government announced that the signature Lunar New Year fireworks show would be cancelled.
    In 2019, arrival figures dropped to 55.9 million from 65.15 million the year before, dragged down by a 14.2 per cent decline in mainland Chinese, who accounted for the bulk of visitors to the city, the Tourism Board said.
    Overnight visitors, who spend more, tumbled 18.8 per cent to 23.76 million.
    The news came as Hong Kong continues to be gripped by civil unrest, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill. The campaign has since morphed into a wider movement against the government and police, often ending in violent clashes between demonstrators and officers.


    The months-long anti-government protests have affected Hong Kong’s tourism sector badly. Photo: AFP

    “Hong Kong’s tourism industry has faced exceptional challenges over the past year, but I have every confidence in our resilience and appeal as a world-class travel destination,” board chairman Pang Yiu-kai said. “We are working tirelessly on a major global promotion that will rebuild the city’s image as a destination and help our tourism industry recover.”


    Secrets of Hong Kong’s pyrotechnic power

    He referred to the online platform called “Hong Kong is On”, which was launched early last month and provides more than 500 offers on flights, hotels, dining, retail and attractions.
    Despite its efforts to promote the city, the government chose to axe the signature fireworks at Victoria Harbour, which were scheduled for the second day of Lunar New Year celebrations on January 26, blaming the “current situation”.
    Tourism lawmaker Yiu Si-wing earlier said the government had safety concerns, as the protests engulfing the city showed little sign of abating.
    “When it comes to safety issues, the decisions are understandable.”
    The 20-minute-long fireworks have been at the heart of the Lunar New Year festival for years.
    The last time they were cancelled was in 2018 in the wake of a bus accident in Tai Po that claimed 19 lives and injured at least 60.
    Yiu said it was disappointing the fireworks had joined a growing list of axed events.


    Yiu Si-wing has confirmed the usual fireworks for Lunar New Year will not happen in 2020. Photo: SCMP
    The months-long protests prompted the city’s tourist arrivals to contract 39.1 per cent in the second half of the last year, offsetting the 13.9 per cent growth in the first half. More than 40 jurisdictions have issued travel warnings or advisories against heading to Hong Kong.
    Home affairs minister Lau Kong-wah attributed the government’s decision to drop the Lunar New Year fireworks to “the current situation”.
    “After careful assessment, we decided to cancel the fireworks based on public safety concerns,” the minister said on Wednesday.
    He added the light show at Victoria Harbour and performances in West Kowloon Cultural District would not be affected.
    Convenor of the pro-democracy camp Tanya Chan Suk-chong said she could not understand the logic behind the cancellation, saying it had dealt another blow to Hong Kong’s reputation.
    Referring to the strength of police firepower and proposals for more weaponry, she said: “I don’t understand why police have no confidence in ensuring public safety.”
    Chan said the administration lacked the will to properly govern the city, and urged Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to respond to the anti-government protesters’ five key demands.
    Pro-establishment lawmaker Lau Kwok-fun said the cancellation of the fireworks was disappointing but understandable.
    “Over the past seven months, some large-scale events have been cancelled amid protests,” Lau Kwok-fun said.
    “We hope the protests come to a complete stop. The government should also have more dialogue with the public.”
    Aside from the fireworks blow, it was previously announced the Lunar New Year celebration would be watered down, with a three-day carnival replacing the parade through southern Kowloon.
    The traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, were also cancelled due to safety concerns.
    This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: fireworks axed in new blow to tourism
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    Detective Chinatown 3 - Trailer



    Warner Bros. Pictures
    8.15M subscribers
    In the latest “Detective Chinatown” film from writer/director Chen Sicheng’s hit series, Chinatown detectives Tang Ren (Wang Baoqiang) and Qin Feng (Liu Haoran) head to Tokyo to join Japanese investigator Noda Hiroshi (Satoshi Tsumabuki) on a high-profile case involving the murder of a powerful businessman… and the prime suspect is the president of the lethal Black Dragon Gang. But they’re not the only ones taking on the challenge, as detectives from “CRIMASTER World Detective Rankings” also converge in Tokyo to help catch the killer. The main cast also includes Tony Jaa, Masami Nagasawa, Shota Sometami and Tadanobu Asano. In select theaters January 24!
    A U.S. limited-theatrical release for CNY. I may just have to check this out...

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    13th International Lion Dance Competition in Singapore's Chinatown

    Friday, January 17, 2020
    Highlights of 13th International Lion Dance Competition in Singapore's Chinatown
    Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-12 09:55:22|Editor: Xiaoxia
    SINGAPORE-LION DANCE COMPETITION-CHINESE NEW YEAR






    Lion dance performers compete in the 13th International Lion Dance Competition as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations held in Singapore's Chinatown, on Jan. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)
    At least they could tell us who won...

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    Remember our forum sponsor! MartialArtSmart

    MartialArtSmart will be rolling out some big sale items starting this week.

    How Lunar New Year became a shopping holiday for Western brands
    Gucci, Nike, and Sephora have released new merchandise for the Year of the Rat.
    By Terry Nguyenterry.nguyen@voxmedia.com Jan 20, 2020, 7:30am EST


    Brands like Gucci and Adidas Originals have partnered with Disney to release limited-edition capsule collections for Lunar New Year. Wang Gang/VCG/Getty Images

    This story is part of a group of stories called The Goods

    The stretch of time between end-of-year celebrations and Valentine’s Day is usually bleak. People are physically and financially drained from the holidays, and there’s not much to celebrate — a dry spell that has led brands to create a deluge of fake holidays like National Shortbread Day (January 6) and National Shop for Travel Day (January 14).

    Within the past decade, a spate of brands both luxury and affordable have adopted a new holiday into their calendars, one that’s already celebrated by more than a billion people annually: Lunar New Year. In the US, the holiday is generally referred to as Chinese New Year, but Lunar New Year seems like a more accurate description, given that the event is also observed by non-Chinese people.

    What is Lunar New Year?

    While Lunar New Year 2020 officially falls on January 25, the holiday is celebrated across multiple days and even weeks in places like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Under the Gregorian calendar used by most countries worldwide, the new year starts on January 1. Lunar New Year is the celebration under the lunisolar calendar — which is based on cycles of the moon — and typically falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice.

    The specific celebrations and formal dates encompassing the holiday vary by country and culture, but it’s an important day reserved for festivities to ring in the new year. Celebrants host elaborate meals with extended families, exchange money or gifts for good fortune, party in the streets, and set off fireworks. Lunar New Year in China, which is called the Spring Festival, has 15 days of festivities, South Korea’s Seollal celebration lasts 12 days, and Vietnam’s Tết Nguyên Đán is a week long.


    China has 15 days of festivities prepared for its Lunar New Year celebration, which is called the Spring Festival. Costfoto/Barcroft Media/Getty Images

    There are numerous other lunar calendar-based celebrations that fall later than January 25, usually during or after the spring equinox. For example, Losar, the Tibetan new year, begins on February 24, while Cambodia starts its new year celebration on April 14.

    It’s likely that the growth of Asian immigrant populations in the US, especially those of Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese descent, has contributed to the overall popularity and cultural awareness of Lunar New Year. The largest celebrations from these communities typically occur in urban centers like Los Angeles, New York City, or San Francisco.

    Lunar New Year is a holiday steeped in tradition. It’s also an occasion to spend.

    As with most holidays, Lunar New Year has become an opportunity for retailers to sell shoes, jackets, or handbags on the premise of being culturally observant. While there are various other lunar-based celebrations in the months that follow, Western companies have notably latched onto Lunar New Year, given the scale of its celebration.

    Well-known Western brands like Apple, Gucci, Nike, and Sephora have launched new advertising campaigns and capsule collections overseas, primarily aimed at Chinese customers, but these activities have also bled into the American market. Malls, shopping centers, and entertainment venues in major US cities are hosting attractions tied to Lunar New Year. Despite the financial gains made from it, however, Lunar New Year is not yet a federal holiday.

    The commodification of major holidays and events is nothing new. Brands have long had a corporate incentive to pander to customers by aligning themselves with certain political and social goals. Yet there’s a stark disconnect that emerges when brands try to commercialize a holiday, especially one tied to cultures that celebrate it abroad like Lunar New Year.

    DESPITE THE FINANCIAL GAINS MADE FROM IT, HOWEVER, LUNAR NEW YEAR IS NOT YET A FEDERAL HOLIDAY
    “There’s this flattening of the world taking place in regards to marketing trends and themes,” Deb Gabor, a brands expert and CEO of Sol Marketing, told Vox. “It mostly started with the luxury brands, but we’re seeing more and more mainstream brands doing this,” like Sephora and online beauty companies.

    Lunar New Year appears to be yet another branded holiday where products are marketed with culturally specific colors, themes, and motifs — with the intention of courting an Asian market that holds significant spending power. Brands, especially luxury retailers, are actively chasing China, which will be the world’s largest apparel market by 2030. The “Lunar New Year effect,” as Gabor called it, is reflected in how American retailers are participating in Chinese shopping events, like Singles Day.

    According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, Chinese consumers in 2019 spent $149 billion across the week-long Chinese New Year holiday. China is also a hot spot for luxury retailers, spending about $7 billion each year on brand-name goods, according to McKinsey.

    Every year, retailers have the opportunity to create new merchandise that correlates with the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, which symbolizes a given year. A person’s zodiac sign depends on their birth year, and even American consumers have a semblance of knowledge of the zodiac, if not their affiliated animal. Given our collective enthusiasm at identifying ourselves through unscientific, ambiguous ways, brands are relying on zodiac imagery to sell their products.
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
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    Continued from previous post

    Brian Suda

    @briansuda
    sees what you’re up to Apple. Alot of the emoji engraving options also match the Chinese Zodiac animals so you can engrave the year of your birth.


    2
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    2020 is the Year of the Rat, which might not be the cutest animal on earth, but that hasn’t stopped fashion retailers and makeup brands from releasing rat-related merchandise: Gucci and Adidas Originals have both partnered with Disney on capsule collections that feature Mickey Mouse, arguably the most famous rodent in the world.

    Rag & Bone has a pizza rat sweater, and Moschino released products with its Mickey Rat logo (which looks like Mickey Mouse but with a long jagged snout). Other retailers have opted to use more traditional motifs, like Nike, which has a series of subtly intricate shoe designs inspired by traditional Chinese paper cutting.

    Despite their best efforts, Western companies haven’t escaped the inevitable criticism (mostly by Western consumers) that they’re commodifying a cultural holiday for their bottom line. In addition to Lunar New Year, brands have also capitalized on China’s Mid-Autumn Festival and the Muslim holiday Ramadan.

    In a 2015 piece for Racked, Fareeha Molvi wrote about the slow commercialization of Ramadan, and about grappling with how her culture “could be the next lucrative frontier,” like other holidays before it. “At its core, Ramadan is about doing more with less. Literally, you’re asked to do more good deeds while physically consuming less,” she wrote.

    When companies try to co-opt a cultural holiday for material gain, they risk subverting or even trivializing the tradition behind the event. Despite Lunar New Year’s deep-seated traditions, it has devolved into somewhat of a consumerist holiday: It’s tradition for people to buy loved ones gifts or exchange money (which encourages spending), and it’s even considered good fortune to ring in the new year with new stuff.

    For the most part, Asian consumers abroad don’t appear to take issue with the cultural marketing. Nike and Apple have received praise for releasing poignant ads that focus on family and tradition. However, foreign customers are quick to notice failed marketing ploys and point out where brands have erred. For example, Burberry’s Chinese New Year campaign in 2019 featured stoic, heavily stylized family portraits, which Chinese netizens found creepy and tone-deaf.



    Amid tensions between China and the US over trade and geopolitics, however, Chinese shoppers might not be as receptive to Western brands’ Lunar New Year efforts. They’ve become especially wary of American companies and critical of international retailers overall, according to a Wall Street Journal piece on how America is losing the Chinese customer.

    “This past Christmas is a good indication that [retailers] don’t have much up their sleeves besides promotions and discounts,” Gabor said. In a way, Lunar New Year has been a saving grace for some retailers, another opportunity to get more customers to buy.

    That might change in the future, as surveys show how Chinese shoppers prefer to buy from domestic brands, partly for patriotism’s sake. On Singles Day, the country’s largest shopping holiday, up to 78 percent of respondents surveyed said the trade war would affect their purchase of American brands. It doesn’t help that a string of missteps in 2019, which left companies scrambling to scrap together corporate apologies, has soured China’s perception towards Western brands.

    It was just in 2018 that a Chinese fast-fashion company had to set up shop in London to gain appeal in Beijing. The opposite effect might be taking place now. Analysts predict that Chinese shoppers alone are expected to spend as much as $156 billion on new year festivities. Still, it’s uncertain whether it’ll benefit the bottom line of Western companies.
    I'll be posting the MartialArtSmart CNY sales across our social media and on our forum announcements.
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    The kicker here? CNY

    Combine CNY migration with a highly transmutable new disease and it's a 'perfect storm' for the transmission of the coronavirus.

    It's Year of the Rat. Remember what rats did during the Black Plague?

    China confirms 139 new cases of SARS-like mystery virus as CNY approaches
    The world's largest human migration will see millions travel out of the epicenter city of Wuhan
    by Alex Linder January 21, 2020 in News



    Just ahead of the height of the Spring Festival travel season in China, reports of pneumonia caused by a mysterious new strain of coronavirus are beginning to spread across the country.

    Thus far, all those infected with the virus spent time in Wuhan, a mega-city in central China that also serves as one of the country’s main transportation hubs. The outbreak began in December but concerns have now been heightened with Chinese authorities reporting a significant increase in the number of people affected.

    Health officials in Wuhan announced on Monday they identified 136 new cases of the virus over the weekend, bringing the total number of those infected in the city all the way up to 199.

    Of the new patients, 33 are reported to be in serious condition while three have been classified as critical with one of those patients dying. This brings the number of the dead from the virus up to three. The first, a 69-year-old man, died last Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, authorities in Beijing have reported two cases of pneumonia patients with the virus while those in Shenzhen have reported one. All three of these individuals are said to have arrived from Wuhan.

    Likewise, two cases have been reported in Thailand, one in Japan, and one in South Korea with all the infected travelers having originated from Wuhan.



    Authorities have pinpointed Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market as the possible epicenter of the outbreak. The market has been shut down for disinfection.

    Thus far, the virus has not been proved to transmit via human-to-human contact, though Chinese authorities have said that they can not rule out the possibility. For its part, the WHO has said that human-to-human transmission is likely considering other coronavirus outbreaks like SARS, which wreaked havoc in southern China in 2002/2003, killing at least 774.

    The response to that catastrophic outbreak was hindered by an attempted government cover-up. Already, experts have accused China of grossly underestimating the number of people infected by this new virus, projecting that there may well be more than 1,700 infections in Wuhan.

    China has insisted that the new virus is controllable. Infrared thermometers have been installed at airports, train stations, and bus stations across the city. Of course, this comes weeks after the virus first appeared.
    Gene Ching
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    The Year of the Rat

    Gene Ching
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