Chutian Metropolis Daily
November 27, 2008

Mainland China's first commercial horse race since 1949 will debut in Wuhan's newly renovated Orient Lucky City racecourse on Saturday.

Horse racing, which will be held twice a week, is seen by many as the prelude to legalized gambling, although the word "lottery" has been carefully substituted for "gambling" in references to the racecourse. "Two days from now, high-level officials from the General Administration of Sports will witness the biggest event in China's horse racing history," Wuhan's Chutian Metropolis Daily reports.

Also:

● China's central bank announced a 1.08 percent cut in the interest rate, the largest rate reduction in a decade.

● Wuhan's Changjiang tunnel, the first tunnel across the Yangtze River, will open to traffic on December 28, ahead of the other two such tunnels in Nanjing and Shanghai.

● Senior high enrollment in Wuhan has been declining as a result of the demographic impact of the country's population policy as well as a new policy which encourages students to go to vocational schools by offering an annual subsidy of 1,500 yuan. The report predicts that by 2010, the enrolment shortfall at some schools will force them to shut down.

● A local government official was quoted as saying that there are 4,000 unlicensed taxis in Wuhan, compared with 12,000 legal ones. These "black taxis" were one of the main complaints legitimate drivers voiced during taxi strikes that took place in several cities earlier this year.