Rare teas more than 50 years old up for auction; rare oolong expected to sell for $137,000

From Hong Kong:

The city's first tea auction expects to pull in up to HK$10 million [$1,289,970 USD]  as mainlanders drive up the prices, with one box of tea leaves expected to fetch HK$1 million [$129,001 USD].
Fortune Auctioneers will auction more than 190 lots of tea, teapots and utensils from private collections from Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing and Guangdong.
Tea expert and auction planner Vincent Chu Ying-wah said the "Sensation of Tea" auction would be the first in the city to sell exclusively tea and tea-related items.
"We have had a tea-drinking tradition for a really long time, just like the French drink wine," he said. "Chinese people have got wealthy and tea is a necessary thing [for us]. This is why the price of tea still keeps going up."
He said he hoped it would be the first of many such auctions.
The prize lot is a 20kg box of narcissus oolong tea bearing the Wu-Yi brand which has been valued at nearly HK$1 million. The tea was exported to Singapore in the 1960s and passed through many hands before being brought back to Hong Kong by a local collector who bought it from a Malaysian-Chinese tea connoisseur from Penang.
Also going under the hammer is a 350 gram cake of pu'er tea manufactured at the highly reputed Menghai Tea Factory in Yunnan province and valued at HK$500,000.
The auction will be held at The Park Lane hotel on November 23 and will be open to the public. A preview will run from November 19 to 22.

Source: South China Morning Post

Model uses fake photos in on-line ad for wife (Video)

A male model who went online to find a wife has been outed by netizens as using doctored photos to depict himself in his post.

In a post last week to Wiebo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Liang 'Laurence' Chao described himself as a 30 year-old with an annual income of 700,000 yuan, or about $115,000 USD, seeking a wife under 30. He added that the lucky woman would receive a monthly spending allowance of 10,000 yuan, or about $1,650 USD. The post included multiple photos of him wearing fashionable clothing in various countries.

He has received many messages from prospective brides, but it was soon discovered that his photos were fake. Somehow netizens found out that the photos were taken from fashion magazines, with Liang's head photoshopped onto bodies of western models, including one of a Black model baring a washboard stomach -- the racial difference disguised by converting the photo to black and white.

Although Liang has not admitted or denied the accusations of photoshopping, he did write a new post in which he said rather than spending time learning how to edit photos commenters should instead take advantage of being able to do it.

Some believe Liang knew he would be found out and posted the photos anyway in order to attract attention.

Doves Released for Wedding Promptly Captured and Eaten by Residents of Chinese Town

Stomachs win out over sentiments.

A Chinese news site is reporting that on November 13 wedding photographers intending to take pictures of loving couples surrounded by doves had their plans disrupted by some hungry citizens in the town of Hefei. It seems nearly 100 white doves were purchased and released on the ironically named Swan Lake, in order to create a magical background for wedding photograps. However, the majority of the birds were quickly snapped up by locals, leaving only a few to serve as photo props. A resident explained, “This is an edible dove; it can be eaten."

Bogus boyfriends for rent to please parents

In China:

Clean-cut, bespectacled and financially secure Matthew Fan, 27, started to “rent” himself out as a fake boyfriend two years ago. He’s single.

“I wanted to earn some pocket money when I had just graduated from university and started to work,” says the Chongqing native who works full-time as an accounts manager. “This rental business isn’t bad, especially during the Chinese Lunar New Year when there are family reunions.”

Fan might not be handsome, but he’s attractive enough and he’s definitely reassuring to anxious parents who want their daughters to demonstrate they have a viable marriage prospect, a steady boyfriend. Fan, and advertises online — charges 800 yuan (US$131) per day in China and 1,500 yuan per day in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. There’s a three-day minimum and his employer pays transport, accommodation, dining and other fees.

“I only rent my time, not my body — you know what I mean,” Fan says. He has a girlfriend who doesn’t know about his moonlighting.

Type the keyword rent boy/girlfriend on Taobao.com, China’s largest online shopping website, and more than 250 search results pop up. They provide a range of services and prices range from 500 yuan to 8,000 yuan per day, or around 50 yuan an hour on average. Services include accompanying clients back home to see their parents, chatting with parents, attending social gatherings, going shopping and taking part in various other activities.

'Flying excrement' has Pudong residents fuming about the mess

Great headline from China:

RESIDENTS in a community along the flight path of planes near Shanghai Pudong International Airport have complained about “flying excrement” making a mess in their neighborhood.

A resident of Luchaogang Community surnamed Zhou said feces were often found splattered on cars or laundry hanging out to dry. Some people were even hit by “flying excrement” when walking in the area, making them feel “grossed out,” Zhou added.

Residents said they suspected some planes had septic tank leaks as many jets pass over the community.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport officials said yesterday that they will investigate the complaints.

 FYI: What happens when you flush a plane toilet? Are the contents jettisoned during the flight?