Category Archives: China

China Exclusive: China ranks top in iOS downloads

China Exclusive: China ranks top in iOS downloads

Stockholm, June 2(Greenpost)– iOS quarterly downloads grew 30 percent between Q1 2014 and Q1 2015, meaning China surpassed the U.S. and is now the world leader in iOS downloads, according to App Annie, a mobile analytics company headquartered in San Francisco.

Danielle Levitas, senior vice president of App Annie, revealed the news at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Beijing on Wednesday.

Download growth translates into iOS App Store revenue gains. From Q1 2014 to Q1 2015, revenue in China grew 90 percent compared to 30 percent in the U.S. and 50 percent in Japan. “China grew more quickly to narrow that gap,” she said.

Earlier this week, Apple released its earnings report, announcing that international sales accounted for 69 percent of the revenue for the quarter, reflecting the high demand in emerging markets such as China for Apple products.

According to Levitas, Apple has dramatically expanded distribution in China. As of April 25, China has 19 Apple Stores across 10 cities, up from just 8 in only Beijing and Shanghai in October 2013.

China boasts the world’s most Internet and cell phone users. There were 649 million Internet users by the end of 2014, and some 557 million used cell phones to go online, official data showed.

“China, a mobile-first country, has seen smartphone exceed PC adoption,” Levitas added, “Chinese consumers want large-screen smartphones with longer battery life.”

Though app stores as a whole are marching forward, contrasts lie in different markets. Levitas highlighted that Android’s Google Play led the Apple’s iOS App Store in app downloads by nearly 70 percent in Q1 2015, while iOS maintained a strong monetization lead, generating close to 70 percent more revenue than Google Play in the same period.

“Emerging markets like Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, and Indonesia were the primary drive of Google Play’s growth,” she explained.

She also predicted that strong growth would continue across emerging markets, especially as Andriod phones below 200 U.S. dollars expand opportunity beyond mature markets.

In terms of categories, games dominated, followed by lifestyle and photo & video, while education is closing in. Education app downloads grew 25 percent on downloads and 35 percent on revenue between Q1 2014 and Q1 2015, according to Levitas.

In Q1 2015, education saw the second highest absolute revenue gain over Q4 2014, after games, ranking among the top five Google Play categories by quarterly revenue.

“It was boosted from language learning apps like Duolingo and Babbel, brain training apps like Lumosity, and MOOC platforms like iTunes U and TED,” she noted. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

China to roll out energy-saving photovoltaic-driven inverter air conditioners

China to roll out energy-saving photovoltaic-driven inverter air conditioners

Stockholm, June 2, (Greenpost) – China’s photovoltaic company Yingli Solar and the country’s leading home appliances manufacturer Gree Electric Appliances (000651.SZ) have inked a cooperation agreement on the promotion and application of photovoltaic-driven inverter central air conditioners across the world.

According to the agreement, Yingli Solar will provide solar power generating products and relevant technologies and solutions to Gree’s ‘photovoltaic-driven inverter centrifuges, ‘photovoltaic-driven inverter variable refrigerant volume’, and other photovoltaic-driven inverter central air conditioning systems. The product series are capable of using solar energy to lower investment costs and improve the utilization of solar energy.

The two sides will also share their channels to jointly promote the ‘photovoltaic-driven inverter central air conditioning’ product series across the globe, and Gree is to use its global marketing network to promote Yingli Solar’s distributed photovoltaic power generation system.

Zhang Zhe, general manager of Yingli Photovoltaic Power Investment Group, said the cooperation with Gree will open a new era for the collaboration between solar power generation and home appliances industries and it will help facilitate solar energy to enter more households.

Source Xinhua

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

China Focus: Belt and Road Initiative facilitates more opening-up China

China Focus: Belt and Road Initiative facilitates more opening-up China

STOCKHOLM, June 2(Greenpost) — After decades of rapid growth, China is trying to further opening up and integrate into the global economy using  its Belt and Road Initiative.
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recently finished state visit to neighboring Pakistan, an estimated 50 billion U.S. dollars worth of contracts were signed on road, railway and energy projects.
The contracts are a small step of the initiative’s greater ambition to better link China to the world.
The “Belt and Road” refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, mainly international trade and infrastructure projects, proposed by Xi when he visited Central Asia and Southeast Asia in September and October 2013.
On March 28, China unveiled an overall action plan for the initiative in order to accelerate implementation. The plan noted it is open to all countries and organizations to seek common prosperity.
The initiative will focus on transport, energy and communication infrastructure, and cooperation on investment, trade, industrial division, financing, education, tourism and technology.
The initiative shows China’s effort to adapt to a changing world and push forward globalization through a new round of comprehensive opening up, said Li Xiangyang, president of the National Institute of International Strategy under Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Hans-Paul Burkner, chairman of the Boston Consulting Group, said the initiative will be crucial in further developing globalization and will benefit China and other countries.
China has been opening up for more than 30 years. It has transformed into market-oriented economy and attracted investment from developed economies such as the United States, the European Union and Japan.
Already the world’s second largest economy, China is seeking to further open through cooperation with developing countries and emerging economies, both at the core of the Belt and Road Initiative.
“The programs of development will be open and inclusive, not exclusive. They will be a real chorus comprising all countries along the routes, not a solo for China itself,” Xi said on March 28 when addressing the 2015 Boao Forum for Asia in south China’s island province of Hainan.
The strategy covers countries and regions with a total population of 4.4 billion and a total economic volume of 21 trillion U.S. dollars, 63 percent and 29 percent respectively of the world’s total.
Burkner believes the initiative will help China create big markets along the routes, which means more opportunities to spread manufacturing and production around the region and for individuals and companies to participate in the world economy.
“China is devoting itself to build a community of common destiny with Asian countries and even rest of the world via platforms like the initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road fund,” said Zhai Kun, a professor of international relations at Peking University.  Enditem  source Xinhua
Xuefei Chen Axelsson editor

China Headlines: China launches three more free trade zones

BEIJING, Apr. 21 (Xinhua) –Three new free trade zones (FTZ) began official operation on Tuesday as China seeks to draw more international commerce.
The new zones were established 18 months after the first FTZ was unveiled in the financial hub Shanghai, which was designed to help streamline the overloaded administrative approval system and encourage innovation and internationalization.
Officials expect the new FTZs in Tianjin, Guangdong and Fujian will boost economic reform, promote trade and facilitate investment in new areas as the world’s second largest economy moves away from an unsustainable export-dependent model.
Provincial-level officials attended the launching ceremony at the three zones Tuesday, when dozens of business licenses were ceremonially granted to registered enterprises.
Some businesses have already experienced the increased efficiency of working in the new zones.
Liu Qiya, the chief financial official with Tuwei Tongli Electrical Technology based in Xiamen, an open coastal city of Fujian, said his company was granted an operational license for the zone just three days after the application was submitted. The same procedure in other parts of the province could take weeks.
Antonio Fossanti, CEO of the Italian RDS, said the reason his retail company chose to operate in the Tianjin zone is the one-stop solution of problems concerning policy, customs, trade and marketing.
According to a detailed plan released on Monday, the new zones will be based on the Shanghai FTZ but catered to utilize their geographical locations.
By its first anniversary, the Shanghai zone had seen nearly 12,000 registered enterprises lured by a better trade and investment environment.
The Tianjin zone aims to better integrate the northern municipality with Beijing and Hebei Province. It will prioritize modern service industries, including shipping, culture and equipment manufacturing.
The Guangdong zone will deepen economic cooperation between the mainland and neighboring special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macao. It will have three bases in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai.
The Fujian zone will focus on developing economic cooperation between the mainland and Taiwan. It will cover three areas in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Pingtan, a new industrial park targeting investment from Taiwan.
The Shanghai zone, which has been more than quadrupled in size since it was established, will continue to strive for “the greatest openness” to facilitate investment and trade with currency convertibility and a sound legal environment. It will also further open its service and manufacturing industries.
All zones must adhere to the negative list, which details 122 prohibited or restricted areas for foreign investment, ranging from Internet news services, production of radio and television programs to non-ferrous metal mining. This number has been reduced from 139.
Foreign investors will be subject to the same rules and regulations for new investment as domestic firms.
Experts believe that these fresh zones are strategically important for the “belt and road” initiative, which aims to better connect Asia, Europe and Africa, as a way to boost investment and consumption.
Shao Yu, Shanghai-based chief economist of the Orient Securities Co.,Ltd., said the four FTZs will be crucial “supporting points” for the belt and road initiative.
“More opening-up moves are needed in regions such as southwestern Yunnan and Tibet for the new strategic layout,” he said.
Wang Shouwen, assistant minister of commerce, said the new zones will not just copy the Shanghai zone but also break fresh ground in areas such as investment administration, trade regulation and financial systems.
The replication of successful reform measures is a common strategy in the reform and opening-up drive. The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, founded in 1980, has been rolled out along the entire east coast over the past three decades.
That zone allowed foreign investment to develop the manufacturing industry, a driving force behind the economic boom of previous decades.
FTZ fever has caught the attention of officials across the country, with many pushing for their regions to be included in the next batch of FTZs.
However, observers warn that the central government must ensure that the FTZs are used to pioneer reform measures, and that their policies are correctly implemented.
Foreign business groups have said that the Shanghai zone brought improvements but they expected “more tangible benefits” of financial reforms, such as full convertibility of the yuan. Enditem

 

Chinese cities less smoggy in March

Chinese cities less smoggy in MarchStockholm, June 2, (Greenpost)   — Chinese cities reported more days with sound air quality on average in March compared with a year ago, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Wednesday.

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In a monthly report, the ministry said the 74 cities under its watch reported air pollution on 28.9 percent of the days last month, down from 37.7 percent in March 2013.
Though Beijing and its 12 neighboring cities in north China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region also saw a slight increase in days of sound air quality, the proportion of their smoggy days more than doubled the country’s average.
The chief pollutant in the region was PM2.5, followed by PM10.
The ministry said seven of the 10 Chinese cities reporting the worst air quality last month were in Hebei Province, which neighbors Beijing. The other three cities were Zhengzhou, Jinan and Shenyang.
China began to include PM2.5, a key indicator of air pollution, and ozone in its new air quality standard in 2013.

It was obviously felt that after APEC in last November was held in Beijing, the air quality has been improved somewhat with the great determination from the top level. But it is still a long way to go to get the air quality really good for breathing.

Enditem  Source Xinhua

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Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

A boat holding 458 people sank in the Yangtze River in China

Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Stockholm, June 2, (Greenpost)–A boat holding 458 people sank in the Yantze River in China, according to China News Agency.

Eleven people have been rescued and the others are still missing.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang went to the site where the accident took place.

It was reported that a man who swam out three hours after the boat sank and rang to the authorities.  The authorities received the message around midnight.

Nanjing monitoring center said when the boat set off there was no

dangerous signal.

It was said that the boat encountered strong wind of 12 class and a tornado took place when the boat arrived at Hubei territory.

People say there were a few small boats sinking there before.

But the strong storm made the boat sank just within two minutes.

The water there was tested as 15 meters deep.

The Three Gorges Committee decided to slow down the water speed flushing down the river bed so that the rescue work became

easier.

It was discovered that the age of the people in the boat ranges from

45 to 76 years old. They were organized by Xiyanghong or Sunset Elderly organization.

 

Court details voice recognition patent case involving Apple

Court details voice recognition patent case involving Apple

Stockholm June 2, (Greenpost)–  — Beijing Higher People’s Court explained why it asked a Chinese government agency to review a company’s voice recognition patent validity, which has a dispute with Apple Inc  on April 22.
On Tuesday, the court ruled in favor of Apple for a patent case. It said the voice recognition patent of Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology Co. Ltd. should be declared invalid and asked the Patent Review Committee under the State Intellectual Property Office to review it.
Jiao Yan, chief judge in this case, told Xinhua that Zhizhen’s patent specification did not explain all technologies used in the invention. According to China’s patent law, specification should allow common technical personnel in related fields to practice the technologies easily.
Meanwhile, Jiao said the patent claims failed to clearly define the limits of exactly what the patent does, and does not, cover.
Apple declined to comment on the court judgement on Wednesday.
The court decision was made after Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court ruled last July against Apple.
The dispute between Apple and Zhizhen dates back to June 2012, when Zhizhen, developer of speech recognition technology Xiao i Robot, filed a case against Apple for alleged infringement of intellectual property rights, claiming that Siri technology violates its patent for “a type of instant messaging chat robot system.”
Xiao i Robot, which began in 2003 as a chat bot for MSN, Yahoo Messenger and other chat programs, has expanded to iOS and Android, where it bears a striking similarity to Siri.
Siri, on the other hand, made its debut with the release of the iPhone 4S in 2011. It was first developed in 2007 by Siri Inc., a start-up company acquired by Apple in 2010.
No verdict was given after trials at Shanghai courts.
At the same time, Apple applied to the Patent Review Committee to invalidate the Xiao i Robot patent. When the committee supported Xiao i Robot, the U.S.-based tech giant followed the administrative appeals process.  Enditem   Source Xinhua

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

China releases wanted list for worldwide fugitive hunt

 

China releases wanted list for worldwide fugitive hunt

Stockholm, June 2,  (Greenpost) — Interpol’s National Central Bureau of China has released a wanted list of 100 persons worldwide as the country intensifies hunt for economic fugitives.

On the list are officials and state organ functionaries allegedly involved in key corruption crimes based on ample evidence and on Interpol’s Red Notice for international arrest, said a statement released Wednesday by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).       The list, publicized on the CCDI website (www.ccdi.gov.cn), is complete with the suspects’ photos, ID and visa numbers, possible flight destinations and the crimes they allegedly committed.
“Via Interpol and other channels, China has requested law enforcement organs in related countries strengthen cooperation and help bring these suspects back to justice,” it said.
The move was part of the “Sky Net” anti-corruption campaign that aims to repatriate Chinese suspected of official or economic corruption. Sky Net combines government, the Communist Party, the central bank and diplomatic services.
According to the CCDI, those on Wednesday’s list were only a fraction of the country’s targets, and future suspects escaping overseas will receive the same treatment on a case-by-case, person-by-person basis.
“With intensified effort, a ‘sky net’ is being weaved. We will strengthen law enforcement cooperation with other countries and mobilize various resources to make these fugitives unwelcome guests and finally bring them back to justice,” the statement said.  Enditem  Source Xinhua

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

谈读书

陈雪霏

今天下雨,是在家里耐心读书的好机会。女儿也全神贯注地看她的动画片儿,互不打扰。除了必要的满足“妈妈我饿”的食欲以外,可以真正花点儿时间把未看完的书看完。

我看的书名是《费曼的彩虹》作者是伦纳德·姆沃迪瑙,物理学家,

美国物理学家、作家、编剧、加州理工学院教授。伦纳德·姆沃迪瑙出生于芝加哥,父母都是犹太人大屠杀的幸存者。 27岁获得物理博伯克利理论士学位,毕业后在加州理工学院做研究。31岁裸辞,带着自己写的一个剧本和6000美金只身前往洛杉矶。

他参与写过剧本《星际旅行》。在《费曼的彩虹》一书中,他描述了他在赌博期间如何在选择研究课题方面的挣扎,以及费曼教授是如何通过简单对话却给予他极大的学术和人生的启迪的一本书。

书中描述物理学博士比医学博士要智商高25%。在费曼的启发下,他也开发了自己的写作兴趣和心理学方面的能力。

书写得非常幽默风趣,让人一口气可以读下去。可以说读书是一种享受。

读完了这本书,也让我想起国际台的同事朋友姜鲲多年从事时政报道,现在却在主持一个节目《读书》,而且自己真的去当教授,教年轻人新知识,让他们认真读书,真可以说是有远见卓识,也是非常值得称赞的举动。

永别了,布鲁斯音乐之王B.B. (King)金

北欧绿色邮报记者陈雪霏报道:美国著名布鲁斯音乐之王B.B.金27日在美国孟菲斯城举行葬礼,他的大群粉丝向他道别。他为布鲁斯音乐留下了巨大的文化遗产。

 

 

金是5月14日去世的。享年89岁。 他于1925年出生在密西西比。1949年录制发行第一张唱片。他是吉他手,词曲作者和演唱者。

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记者之所以在北欧也要为B.B.king写上一笔是因为1994年的5月13日那次采访。

 

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1994年春夏之交,北京亮马大厦的硬石餐厅开业,除了把猫王的像嵌在玻璃窗上以外,他们还专门邀请了B.B.King 来华进行一晚上的独唱音乐会。

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那时我们的办公地点和宿舍还在复兴门附近。即使那样,到亮马大厦也觉得很远。但是,当时像这种令人激动的活动并不多。我是通过北京电视台的英国专家罗文知道这个消息的。于是赶去参加新闻发布会。

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新闻发布会完了,我听说我们可以得到一张票。但是,要得到这张票,必须第二天下午来取。而演出是在晚上8点以后。于是,为了看这场演出,我跑了三趟亮马大厦。

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其实,我只是听说他是布鲁斯之王,但什么是布鲁斯音乐,我并不知道。只是觉得当时在京的外国记者都趋之若鹜地要看他。我问他和迈克尔.杰克逊比谁更有名,当然杰克逊更有名气,但他们是不同时代的人,也是不同的风格。

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晚上八点,当我赶到硬石餐厅的时候,里边已经挤满了人。人们手里拿着酒杯或酒瓶子,还没有high,但我真不知道这个演唱会居然搞到第二天早上。

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新加坡公关公司举办的活动,著名电视主持人大卫吴主持,还请到了著名歌星影星四大天王之一的刘德华,看当时还真年轻啊!还有篮球明星,我不记得了。

 

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搞笑之后,B.B.King开唱。他的吉他名字叫露西娅,为了纪念一个酒吧的女郎。据金自己回忆,那是他唱歌的一个晚上,两个酒鬼听完歌喝高了,就去争酒吧里的一个女服务员,而那个女人的名字就叫露西娅。

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开发布会的时候,金还带了一些他的吉他的小玩具,给大家分享。那时觉得很宝贵。

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我当然不能白看,我还要写报道,报道需要音响,所以我就用日本D5大录音机和手榴弹一样的大话筒录音响。也许是我录的时间长了。他的经纪人走到我的面前非常严肃而且感觉很凶地让我把磁带交出来。我不知如何是好,只好交出去了磁带。身边的中国日报专家马克说,真是无耻。但已经交出去了,我只好找他们的公关人员交涉。公关说,等第二天再说吧。

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等到演出完了已经天亮。乘公共汽车回办公室写稿。好在我还有一盒磁带,足够扒下一个效果来,尽管他演了四五个小时,我的报道只有两分半钟,无伤大雅。只是受到这样的非礼感觉很不应该。不过后来也才明白,他可能是怕我录好了拿出去卖钱。这是金钱社会的想法。那时我们的脑子里社会主义成分还是很重的。除了自己听听,根本不会外传。当然,我那两盘磁带再也没有要回来。

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那时,我刚刚从新闻班出来当记者,采访经验还不是很丰富。仿佛激动的生活才刚刚开始。

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但是,那一夜,也算知道了什么叫大牌歌星。一年以后,我居然到澳洲做了半年的音乐节目制作和写串词等工作,每天听很多优美的歌曲。也算为我的流行歌曲知识扫了一点儿盲。

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B.B.金曾经在美国军队里服役,服役之后,他在田纳西州的孟菲斯开始了音乐生涯,做主持人。每年进行300多场演出,他的第一首榜首歌曲是《你知道我爱你》You know I love you. 田纳西州有很好听的乡村歌曲,他的风格也是摇滚,流行和乡村音乐特点都有。

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他的合作者有Eric Clapton, Elton John, Sherryl Crow等。在这些商业合作中,取得了不少经济效益。1969年的唱片The thrill is gone《激情不再》(https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=97&v=4fk2prKnYnI)获得极大成功。1979年他成为第一个布鲁斯音乐人到前苏联去演唱。1987年被收入美国摇滚明星名录。他在2006年获得格莱美奖,当年也获得布什总统发的总统自由勋章。2009年再获格莱美奖,到2012年他获得了15次格莱美奖。当年还到白宫为奥巴马演唱,Sweet Home Chicago, 《甜美的家乡芝加哥》。

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据报道,B.B.金70岁以前平均每年演出250场。80岁以后,演出次数就少多了。但是,他依然可以说是演到最后,2014年他演出后,人们说他得了帕金森。后来,他又摔倒了。2015年5月14日,他是在拉斯维加斯的医院里睡去的。他将在5月30日被运到密西西比去安葬。他有一个女儿。

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图文    陈雪霏

B.B.金的一生是真正地演唱的一生,留下了无法估量的文化遗产。

祝老人家一路走好。

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1994年5月13日记者与B.B. King在北京亮马大厦硬石餐厅新闻

发布会后合影留念。

 

 

 

瑞典北极光令人震撼

瑞典北极光令人震撼

greenPosted by chenxuefei Thu, May 28, 2015 20:38:55
北欧绿色邮报报道(记者陈雪霏)--今年是北极光频发的年份。3月17日,记者正好在看极光最好的位置,基律纳。

瑞典太空研究所所长亲切地接受了记者的采访。他认为,无论如何,人类对太空的认识还是非常有限的,因此需要进一步深入研究观察。他的研究所地理位置优越,正好处在人烟极其稀少的地方。这里天空中的各种现象观察清楚,发射卫星也容易。因此这里也是卫星发射试验基地。
针对天气极光现象,他说虽然现在是太阳活动频率下降的时候,但是,也有可能发生极光,而且各种色彩都不同。不过,一般美的东西,往往是有毒的。因此需要认真研究。下面就请欣赏极光吧!

 

河北石家庄中雅房地产代表团访问瑞典

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北欧绿色邮报报道(记者陈雪霏)--河北省石家庄中雅房地产代表团11月6日访问了瑞典最宜居的城市恩雪平。

此间,李立景等三名代表团成员听取了恩雪平市政水务官员哈尔贝

的介绍。恩雪平号称是瑞典最中心的城市,尽管只有4万人,但她

周围却是首都斯德哥尔摩,乌普萨拉和维斯特罗斯。周边聚集着瑞典60%的人口的大公司,因此,这里的地理位置十分优越。

恩雪平以其优美的环境和合理的布局,成为舒适的宜居城市。

他们用天然的方法治理雨水污染的办法事半功倍,一次投资,一劳永逸。处理后的水如图所示非常清凉。

市中心的小花园使这个小城市显得非常漂亮。IMG_5182

 

图文  陈雪霏 2014-11-6 恩雪平水公园。