Using the street as his canvas, a one-legged man spent around six hours making a chalk drawing of Leonardo di Vinci's Mona Lisa on a hot summer day in Linyi, Shandong province, last week. Despite the temperature reaching 38 C, Cong Langui remained patient, making sure his artwork was as perfect as possible. He stood up every now and then to check his work from a distance, while pedestrians gathered to observe and make donations. The 55-year-old, who learned how to draw by reading books and watching videos, has been drawing replicas of Mona Lisa for more than 10 years. Cong said he enjoys drawing on the street, even though it usually takes several hours and the artwork disappears soon after it is completed. He had his left leg amputated when he was 16 years old due to a bone tumor. "I felt inferior after I had my leg amputated, but now I am positive and optimistic about my life." Cong defines himself as "a beggar who understands a little bit about art". "I don't need much money. People can watch me produce my artwork for free. Some people who are impressed by my drawings leave as much as 100 yuan ($15) as a donation," he said. Although physically challenged, Cong has produced artwork on the streets of several cities in China, including Xi'an in Shaanxi province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province. He also plans to leave his mark on the streets of Hong Kong and Taiwan. (China Daily 07/26/2017 page7) wellies and wristbandsrubber arm bandsthe wristband factorytrio spinners
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrives for her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, May 23, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] SEOUL - Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday appeared in a Seoul court for her first hearing over a set of corruption charges. Park, handcuffed and in a dark blue suit, appeared in the Seoul Central District Court for her trial on a total of 18 criminal charges including bribery, abuse of power, extortion and the leakage of government secrets. It was her first public appearance since she was taken into custody on March 31. The constitutional court upheld the bill to impeach Park on March 10. The first hearing began at about 10:00 am local time (0100 GMT) and was presided over by three judges, including the one who is in charge of the case of Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime confidante who is also in custody and is at the center of the corruption scandal. Park and Choi were identified by prosecutors as criminal accomplice. They were charged with taking bribes worth about 59.2 billion won (52 million US dollars) from large conglomerates including Samsung, Lotte and SK. Choi and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin also appeared at the court to stand trial together with Park. If convicted for the bribery charge, Park would face at least 10 years in prison. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de-facto leader of Samsung Group, has already stood trial as he was indicted in February.
