Fire forces evacuation

A grassland fire in Heilongjiang province forced the evacuation of 465 residents on Sunday, local firefighting authorities said.

Local watchmen spotted the fire at 11:48 am after a malfunctioning tractor reportedly ignited crops on a farm in Hongxing district in the city of Yichun. The fire, fanned by dry and windy weather, quickly grew to more than 8 square km as of noon, forcing the evacuation of local farmers, firefighters said.

More than 1,500 soldiers and firefighters have been dispatched to bring the fire under control.

GUANGDONG

Pioneer's home new tourist site

Authorities in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, will invest up to 13 billion yuan ($2 billion) to develop Cuiheng village, hometown of Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of modern China, into an international tourist site over the next three years.

The site will have several sections showcasing Sun's life before the 1911 Revolution, as well as recreational facilities. A new economic zone will be established near the village to foster cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, local authorities said.

The local government launched activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution on Sunday.

JILIN

Group tour to DPRK launched

Jilin province has launched a group tour that will allow tourists to travel around the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) by train, local authorities said on Sunday.

A group of 103 Chinese tourists have already arrived in the DPRK city of Namyang, which is separated from Tumen, a city east of Jilin, by a river, according to the Tumen city government.

The train tour, the first of its kind offered by Jilin, is part of the province's efforts to promote cultural exchanges with the DPRK.

BEIJING

Audit of leading steel producers

The National Audit Office (NAO) said on Sunday that it is auditing the top three steel producers to ensure that they have implemented an industry restructuring plan issued in 2009.

The three enterprises are the Baosteel Group Corp, the Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corp and the Angang Steel Co.

The auditors will check how well the companies have implemented the plan and what problems they have encountered, Wei Qiang, head of the NAO's Enterprise Audit Department, said.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 10/10/2011 page2)