'Yunnan Naked Girl' trying to marry dwarf entertainer
It may be true love, or it may be shallow opportunism, but the internet phenomenon known as 'Yunnan Naked Girl' (云南裸女) is courting 1.2 meter tall entertainer Qiu Yupei (邱宇培), who works at a karaoke bar in Hefei, Anhui province.

On October 11, Qiu, who performs under the name Beibei, posted an online ad for a wife. His conditions: she must be 40 centimeters taller than him, less than 28 years old and a university graduate. In return for marriage, Qiu offered his wit, stable income and private estate.

Chuxiong native Peng Chunping (彭春平), better known as 'Yunnan Naked Girl' responded to the ad with a marriage proposal of her own. Peng is 1.6 meters tall and 21 years old but does not have a university degree.

"I truly love Beibei. Ever since I saw the advertisement, I've decided to live with him ever after," Peng told the Chinese-language Information Times.

Peng first gained notoriety in China in July by posting naked photos of herself online in what she said was an attempt to find her mother, who she says left her after a failed suicide attempt by Peng. She has yet to find her mother.

Qiu's agent has reportedly expressed interest in Peng's marriage proposal.

Report: 90% of Kunming's timber imports illegal
A new report by campaign group Global Witness states that although trade between Myanmar and China in illegal timber has declined significantly since 2005, there is still substantial traffic of illegal timber from Myanmar into Yunnan province.

The report, entitled 'A Disharmonious Trade', is based upon field research in Myanmar's Kachin State, Yunnan, and China's coastal region between 2005 and 2009. The report states that in 2008, Kunming customs processed 270,000 cubic meters of logs and 170,000 cubic meters of sawn timber, 90 percent of which was illegal.

According to the report, timber is often transported into Yunnan at night, "official checkpoints avoided and documentation routinely falsified. In some instances, local enforcement agencies have turned a blind eye to smuggling; sources claim that corruption and bribery are rife."

The report recommends that Yunnan strengthen awareness of and compliance with the May 2006 'Interim Measures to Manage Timber and Mineral Cooperation between Myanmar and Yunnan Province'. It also recommends that Myanmar's ruling junta work toward stopping illegal logging and timber trafficking.

Xishan district to target spitting, littering
Starting today, Kunming's Xishan district will begin a new campaign in which district hygiene department employees will patrol the streets looking for spitters, litterers and others who infringe upon general cleanliness.

People caught in the act of spitting, littering, dumping dirty water, painting graffiti, posting ads without authorization, walking on grass will be subject to fines ranging from 100 to 500 yuan.

Qiu Yupei/Peng Chunping image: aikanwo.cn

India's national government has decided not to go forward with plans to rebuild the Stilwell Road connecting northeast India's Assam State with Yunnan in China, according to a BBC report.

The decision follows a continuing impasse regarding the long-disputed border shared by China and India. Recent talks between the two countries ended with no resolution of border issues and a promise to talk more in the future.

The Stilwell Road is a former World War II supply route built in 1944 under the supervision of US General 'Vinegar' Joe Stilwell. The 1,700-kilometer (1,000-mile) road once connected Kunming with the city of Ledo in Assam state, with most of the road passing through northern Myanmar's Kachin state.

Several prominent officials in Assam state had been pressing for the reopening of the Stilwell Road in recent years, which they had viewed as being a potential source of economic growth which could stabilize India's occasionally restive northeast.

In 2006, more than 10,000 demonstrators demanded that the government reopen the road. Some analysts have estimated that as much as one-fifth of bilateral trade between China and India could pass through a revived Stilwell Road.

In addition to New Delhi's reluctance to reopen the Stilwell Road, the government of Myanmar has been cool to the idea of an international highway passing through Kachin state, much of which is controlled by the Kachin Independence Army, which has had a ceasefire with Myanmar's ruling junta since 1994.

The Chinese portion of the road, which heads westward from Kunming, has been completed for several years. Progress in Myanmar, where more than half of the road is located, has been slow. In 2007, India became the last of the three countries to start work on the road.

The Indian government's reversal of its decision to rebuild the Stilwell Road suggests that despite recent diplomatic breakthroughs between the two Asian powers, there are concerns bubbling beneath the surface. These concerns are likely to include Indian worries about China diverting the Brahmaputra River, Chinese involvement in the arms trade around Assam and China's stance toward Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing calls 'South Tibet'.

Nazeeb Arif, a native of Assam state and former secretary-general of the Indian Chamber of Commerce who is a major proponent of rebuilding the Stilwell Road, told the BBC that trade with China would be a boon to the region's economy, which lags behind much of the rest of the country:


Although New Delhi's unwillingness to rebuild its portion of the Stilwell Road is a major setback to pan-Asian transport integration, China will likely continue to increase its connectivity with the rest of South Asia, especially Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Earlier this week, the Nepalese government recently approved the launch of direct flights between Kathmandu and Kunming. The thrice-weekly flights will be plied by China Eastern Airlines and will make Kunming the third mainland city after Beijing and Guangzhou to have direct air links with the Nepalese capital.

At least 50 teenagers from Shanxi province in northern China have been kidnapped since August in a scheme in which youths coming to Yunnan have been abducted and held for ransom in northern Myanmar's Kachin State.

Chinese media is reporting that a growing number of teenagers from the city of Yuncheng (运城) have been disappearing after telling their parents that they were going to Yunnan for employment or to visit friends. The Shanghai Daily reports:


Yuncheng police said they suspect the kidnappers may include illegal immigrants from Yuncheng to Myanmar.