Around Beijing

1. Haidian

Model robbed fake agent for revenge: claim

An angry model surnamed Ding allegedly robbed a man who posed as a talent agent to sleep with her, a court has heard in Haidian.

The woman, who is in her 20s, had sex with the victim, surnamed Xiao, in July last year after he promised to make her famous. However, after signing a contract, she discovered he was a conman, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Ding is alleged to have lured Xiao to a hotel room where she threatened to blackmail him for 100,000 yuan. When he refused, she robbed him of all his belongings, including three credit cards. A verdict is pending.

2. Dongcheng

Ticket giveaway as major snow festival winds down

Longtan Park International Ice Culture Festival, the largest event of its kind in southern Beijing, will draw to a close on Sunday.

More than 30,000 people have visited the park since the festival started on Dec 23, according to statistics, with the event proving a big hit with families. Free tickets for the 2012 festival are now being offered to visitors who purchase tickets this week.

3. Changping

Families flee blaze in extinguisher mix-up

Firefighters were called to a kitchen blaze on Monday at Tiantongyuan, one of the capital's largest residential communities, after none of the residents knew how to use a fire extinguisher.

Witnesses said the property owner was sleeping when she was disturbed by the sound of her faulty refrigerator catching on fire. She rushed to fetch an extinguisher from her neighbor but no one in either household knew how to use it. As the flames spread, the families were forced to flee and call emergency services.

Fire crews spent 10 minutes putting out the blaze.

4. Tongzhou

Flower shop sends wrong message on Valentine's

A florist shop in Tongzhou district landed in hot water on Valentine's Day when it wrote the wrong message on a bunch of flowers intended for a customer's girlfriend.

The accompanying card was meant to read: "I think of you not because I feel lonely"; However, the owners of the shop inserted the word "just" instead of "not".

The customer, a resident of Miyun county surnamed Guo, had ordered the bouquet as a Valentine's gift for his girlfriend, who lives in Tongzhou. He complained to the district industry and commerce bureau that the card had caused much upset.

Owners of the florist shop later apologized and refunded their 266-yuan cost of the flowers.

Construction starts on Tongzhou underground

Work on an underground space project in the center of Tongzhou's new town, one of the most ambitious of its kind, will begin in April.

According to the blueprints, the construction, which covers 2.1 million square meters, will be three or four floors deep, with the bottom story connected to subway stations. Almost all underground parking lots will be connected to save space for pedestrians above ground, while the top story will feature commercial facilities, such as a large shopping mall.

Changing temperatures impact lantern delight

Warming temperatures in the capital are expected to prevent the popular sight of xue da deng - snow falling on lanterns - during this year's Lantern Festival on Thursday.

Meteorologists forecast that the highest daytime temperatures will be 4 to 7 C during the next week, dropping to -3 to -6 C at night. Weather reports, meanwhile, predict a sunny outlook on Thursday.

Campaign spreads word on chronic diseases

A publicity campaign to raise awareness on preventing chronic diseases and treatments was launched on Tuesday.

Initiated by five departments, including the ministries of health and civil affairs, the campaign will first be promoted in Beijing, Wuhan, Nanjing, Fuzhou and Dalian between February and May.

There will be 19 lectures in each city, seating about 200 to 300 residents each. Doctors will also answer questions and provide medical advise, while free handbooks will be distributed among citizens.

Beijing singles looking for assets, not love: poll

Young Beijing singles are among the most materialistic when it comes to picking partners, according to a new survey.

A poll of 23- to 35-year-olds in 16 cities and regions across China on their attitude to love and marriage found 8.5 percent of Beijingers believe an apartment and a car is a must-have for prospective partners, higher than anywhere else, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Compared to other cities, residents in the capital also put stock more in incomes, height and appearance. The study was jointly conducted by jiayuan.com, a matchmaking website, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.