Monday was a sunny day in Xi'an, a city in western China which is world famous for its terro-cotta warriors. On a crowded street in Baqiao District in northern Xi'an, a middle-aged woman, Wang Bohu, in not-so-elegant clothes, pulled a donkey dragging not a cart, but a minibus.

Above the shining label "Chang'an Star" were two big Chinese characters, "Puo Lu," meaning "poor donkey."

Wang, a resident of Xi'an, complained about her Chang'an Star minibus, produced in Xi'an, that she bought at RMB65,000 (about US$8,000), which means a lot to her. The minibus, which fell below her expectations, was of poor quality and repaired more than 50 times within one year. All the fittings, except the engine and body, were replaced. Wang spent nearly 10,000 yuan on the minibus, which still won't start.

Out of anger, Wang finally decided to parade her "Puo Lu".

(People's Daily   July 22, 2003)