As a member of a troupe of traveling actors in Changchun, Jilin province, Yang Fan is well-known and many young girls are attracted to him.

"I began courting my new girlfriend a few weeks ago, having met her at one of my shows. But we have to date secretly as I dare not pay a formal visit to her parents.

"I lost my first girlfriend who is 1.65 m tall a year ago the next day after meeting her parents," Yang said.

Police have posted a 50,000-yuan (US$6,849) reward for information leading to the arrest of a Northwest China bank clerk who embezzled an "extremely large" sum of public funds.

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) have issued a class B warrant for Bai Jie, 38, who is wanted in connection with the "misappropriation of public funds".

Ma Hongjiang, Huang Jianyong and Ma Jianyong are also wanted on class B warrants for the "illegal assimilation of public deposits", or using money from individuals to engage in financial activities when it should have been banked.

Their alleged activities were said to have affected more than 1,100 people and involved more than 50 million yuan (US$6.85 million). During his visits, Wen had talks with some truck drivers, passengers and staff of the Zhuozhou Service Zone of the Beijing-Shijiazhuang Expressway, 60 kilometers southwest of the national capital, and the Beijing West Railway Station, one of the most bustling traffic hubs in the country.

The premier, who is also member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, thanked the drivers and highway and railway workers for their hard work during the season.

The State Council has decided to exempt all the tolls for vegetable-loading trucks when they go by the "Green Channel" highways linking to major cities, to curb market fluctuation, he said.