The designers of a popular interactive program that lets netizens create pictures of themselves in People's Liberation Army uniforms have shot down a rumor that the program is an internet fraud. People's Daily, which created the program, shared it through WeChat on Sunday to coincide with the parade marking the 90th anniversary of the PLA, which falls on Tuesday. After scanning a QR code, users need only upload a headshot photo and select the period in which they want to "serve" before receiving a composite that appears to show them in uniform. The activity quickly became a hit, with countless people sharing the self-portraits with friends on WeChat and other social media. "I'm now an experienced soldier that was involved in both the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49)," Lei Jun, founder of smartphone maker Xiaomi, wrote on Sina Weibo as he posted a set of pictures of himself in PLA uniforms from those periods. But within hours of the program's release, a rumor began to circulate online that it was a scam designed to steal personal data connected to servers in Canada. People's Daily issued a statement on Monday that said the program "is not internet fraud" and that no private information will be divulged through its use. The newspaper also said it had contacted the police for help in finding the source of the rumor. Yet many were undeterred. "I was a soldier when I was young, but I have few military uniform photos left, which is a pity," an 82-year-old Beijinger told Beijing Morning Post. He provided only his surname, Chen. He said his children made pictures of him in uniform by using the People's Daily program. "I look so old in the new picture. But I am so happy that our country is growing stronger," he said. Wang Keju contributed to this story. hen fest wristbandscustom made rubber braceletspersonalized rubber bracelets24 hour wristbands coupon code
WANG WENJIN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE More than 80 people with the surname Zhang traveled from Taiwan to Xiamen, Fujian, in August to discover their roots. People are studying their family trees and age-old stories in the hope of reconnecting with long-lost relatives. Zhang Yi reports from Xiamen, Fujian. On June 9, Huang Ching-hsiung woke at about 3 am in his hotel bed in Xiamen, Fujian province. He was too excited to sleep. At daybreak, he was one of a group of 11 members of his family that set out to visit Pujin, a village two hours from downtown Xiamen by road. The settlement has the same name as Huang's home village in Lugang town, Changhua, Taiwan, and most of the residents are named Huang. The Huangs on Taiwan are direct descendents of settlers who arrived on the island centuries ago. Several batches of Fujian residents moved to Taiwan during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in the hope of making their fortunes, and those who were members of the same family banded together as they fought to make new lives. They named the places they settled after their hometowns and retained the customs they had brought from the mainland. Roughly 80 percent of Taiwan residents share blood ties with people from Fujian. About 110 settlements on either side of the Taiwan Straits that share the same village and family names have established official exchange programs, according to the Fujian-Taiwan Compatriots' Association. In the 1980s, the descendants of those early settlers started visiting the mainland to discover their roots, inspired by family histories passed down through generations. Place your feet on the land our ancestors came from, Huang's father told him, shortly before he died 12 years ago.
