As temperatures rise， swans cluster on March 1 as they prepared to leave their winter habitat in Rongcheng， east China’s Shandong Province， to return to north China

The decline is a reflection of China’s successful efforts to curb an imbalance in the ratio， which reached a record high of 121.2 boys for every 100 girls in 2004， the commission said， adding that the imbalance remains problematic.

The figures for the previous three years were 119.45 in 2009， 117.94 in 2010 and 117.78 in 2011.

Private Orphanages

Currently 878 non-governmentaffiliated agencies are housing 9，394 orphans and abandoned babies across China， the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on March 1.

Of the total， 583 are run by religious groups， with the rest operated by individuals or other organizations， according to statistics released by the ministry. Figures released earlier this year by the ministry indicate that China is home to about 615，000 orphans. Only 109，000 of these orphans live in governmentfunded agencies， with the remainder in the custody of relatives or private orphanages.

The ministry is helping to include the orphans and abandoned babies in the country’s institutional protection mechanisms and improve the facilities of private orphanages， Zhan said. It also sends professional nursing personnel to work in private orphanages and foster homes to help train staff.

Geographic Census

China is set to launch its first national census of geographic conditions between 2013 and 2015， according to a cabinet decision published on March 5.

A State Council circular said that the census will target natural and cultural elements on the Earth’s surface within China’s territory.

Information will be collected on land features， vegetation， waters， deserts and bare areas， as well as transport grids， residential areas and facilities， the document said.

Preparations will be completed in the months before June， followed by a 24-month first phase process through June 2015， which will feature data collection and processing， field investigations and review.

In the second phase scheduled for July-December 2015， the tasks will be sorting， gathering and analysis of information， and forming a census report.

Food Poisoning

The Ministry of Health said on March 5 that 6，685 people suffered from food-borne illnesses in 2012， with 146 of the victims consequently dying， up 6.6 percent over the previous year.

Poisoning due to contact with toxic plants， animals and mushrooms resulted in the largest number of poisoning cases， as well as the greatest number of deaths， the ministry said.

Most poisoning cases and deaths occurred at home， the ministry said.

It has urged health departments at all levels to strengthen supervision and risk evaluations for foodborne illnesses while boosting their ability to cope with emergencies.

The ministry also called for intensified training regarding clinical treatment， epidemiology research and lab examinations.

Jumbo Jet

China’s first jumbo jet， C919， is expected to make its maiden flight in 2014 as planned， its chief designer told the Xinhua News Agency on March 4.

The design of C919’s airframe has been completed and the ground tests of the jet’s major equipment will start in 2013， said Wu Guanghui， Vice General Manager of the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China （COMAC）， the aircraft’s manufacturer.

The COMAC will complete a series of technical reviews and conduct over 40 wind tunnel tests in 2013，according to Wu.

Faster Network

A bus seat advertises availability of China Mobile’s fourthgeneration （4G） mobile network access in Hangzhou， east China’s Zhejiang Province.

China is expected to start licensing telecom operators to offer services on its 4G mobile phone network within 2013， Minister of Industry and Information Technology Miao Wei said on March 5.

China Mobile， the country’s largest mobile operator， employs time division long-term evolution technology， one of two international standards， for its 4G network. Its maximum Internet speed is up to 10 times faster than 3G.

The company started commercial trials of 4G services across Hangzhou and Wenzhou cities in Zhejiang in early February.