Some China-related numbers you may have missed:
160,000: The number of people living in Huining County, in China’s Gansu province who are at serious risk as a seven-month long drought has caused a serious water shortage in the county.
$2.9m: The reported price that Yao Ming, the NBA All-Star and former Shanghai Shark, paid to acquire the sole ownership of his former Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) club. The Sharks have struggled both on and off the court since Yao left for the NBA in 2002, recently the club lost its primary sponsor, the Xiyang Group.
250 x 10,000km: The width and length of the area covering the Yangtze River valley where people will be able to observe the total eclipse in China on the morning of July 22.
5.2%: The year-on-year decline of China Life Insurance’s unaudited insurance premium income. The firm’s income dropped to US$25.3 billion in the first half of 2009 from US$26.7 billion in the first half of 2008.