Police forensic artist Lin Yuhui thought he had had his 15 minutes of fame last year when he demonstrated his skills on a popular TV show. However, Lin, 59, a police officer and forensic artist in Shandong province, generated interest again this week when he produced a sketch of the suspect in the disappearance of visiting Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying in the United States after an unofficial request. Lin said that as the father of a former overseas student, just like any other parent, he is concerned about the safety of children studying abroad. He was called on June 17 by Liu Shiquan, a visiting legal scholar in the US. Liu sent Lin the security video footage from where Zhang was last seen and asked him to try to sketch the suspect. I had no reason to refuse, Lin said, though he had never drawn a foreign suspect before. The process was difficult because the footage captured by security cameras was dark, with the suspect's face backlit and partly hidden by a car. The footage was obscure. I had to build up the image of the suspects face in my mind, he said. Lin started by drawing the suspect's eyes. He does not make drafts, and said that when drawing, he feels as if his hand almost moves automatically. I felt that he was quite stout with a short beard and square face, he said. After several days, despite the poor quality of the footage, Lin had created two images of the suspect, which were sent to police authorities in the US via Liu. The portraits drawn by Lin looked similar to the image of the suspect arrested by US police on June 30, according to US lawyer Wang Zhidong, who has been giving pro bono legal support to the Zhang family. After a photo of the suspect, Brendt Christensen, and Lin's work appeared online, many netizens commented on the similarities, but Lin said that US police had detained the suspect before his pictures arrived. The arrest was made based mainly on the phone records of the suspect, he said. My picture may help them confirm his identity. Forensic portraits are useful in tracking down criminals, but it is only one of many criminal investigation techniques, according to Lin, who plans to retire next year after working as a forensic artist for 14 years. My grandpa taught me how to draw and I have enjoyed drawing since my childhood, he said. When he was young, he was an editor of a local police magazine. He started to work at the provincial criminal investigation bureau in 2004, which is when he learned about the work of forensic artists. At that time, the bureau did not have a sketch artist, so Lin volunteered to take on the role and was approved. Lacking any professional training, he resorted to sketching people on the streets. A forensic portrait is quite different from a portrait by an artist, Lin said. An artist can copy the image of a person or exaggerate it, while a forensic artist has to sketch the main facial features of a suspect using whatever information is available. As one of the best in China, Lin has been admitted to the International Association for Identification, the world's oldest and largest forensic association. He said he hopes to contribute to international cooperation in criminal investigations in the future. Xinhua silicone bracelets cheapfestival wristbands for salethe wristband factoryblack rubber braceletscheap silicone wristbandsmotivational wristbands for athletesballer bands1 inch wide rubber bands
An arched steel structure is built on the Shenzhen-Maoming Railway to reduce noise. [Southcn.com] Sound level reduced to 50 decibels, similar to that of normal conversation Engineers and technicians working on the Shenzhen-Maoming Railway, an important transport link between the two coastal cities in Guangdong province, have finished construction of a fully enclosed noise barrier on a section running through an ecological scenic site. The 2,036-meter arched steel structure, with sound insulation and concrete acoustic boards, is just 800 meters from Birds' Paradise, a scenic and ecological attraction in Jiangmen, Guangdong. The attraction, which is covered by 400-year-old banyan trees, is home to more than 30,000 birds of over 40 varieties. The paradise became a popular site after celebrated Chinese writer Ba Jin penned The Birds' Paradise after he took in the lush scenery of the tree-covered island in the early 1930s. The noise barrier cost 180 million yuan ($27.5 million), according to Fifth Construction Ltd of China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group. It was the first of its kind in high-speed railway construction using technology for a fully enclosed sound barrier, it said. Construction was not allowed between March and July, which is often a breeding period for birds on the island, the builder said. The fully enclosed sound barrier will help reduce about 30 percent of traffic noise, a safe standard for the living and breeding environment of the birds, said Mo Yongchun, a manager with China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group. The 390-kilometer Shenzhen-Maoming Railway, which is designed for train speeds up to 200 kilometers per hour, is scheduled to open in mid-2018. According to Mo, the noise will be 76.5 decibels at a distance of 3.5 meters from the railway when a train passes - about the same as a car. It will be below 50 decibels at the Birds' Paradise, said Liu Zhenbiao, assistant chief engineer of the Bridge Design and Research Department of the China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group. That is about as loud as a normal conversation. The noise will pose no threat to the living conditions of birds, he said. According to Liu, the barrier is designed to stand up to the high winds of a typhoon. [email protected]
