Trending: Man opens rail station with his own house key

An abandoned smokestack is turned into a giant thermometer, the world's most expensive house goes on sale and a reporter falls into a well.

Smokestack turned into giant thermometer

An abandoned smokestack was renovated and turned into an outdoor thermometer, standing 68 meters, in Liuba county, Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The thermometer costing 430,000 yuan ($69,856) was financed by the Liuba county government. The builder, who won a bidding process, wanted to utilize wasted resources and help inform local residents of the temperature.

The huge thermometer was labeled the biggest in Shaanxi, but not the largest in the country. Shanghai holds the record for a 165-meter thermometer, also once an abandoned smokestack.

World's most expensive house on sale in Hong Kong

A luxury house, which is going on sale in Hong Kong at the price of HK$819.1 million ($105.65 million), or $243,000 per sq meter, is expected to become the most expensive home in the world if a deal is made.

The house, often called the No 1 house in the city's high-end Victoria's Peak neighborhood, is among 12 homes newly placed on the market by Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong's largest developer. Of the houses for sale, the cheapest is priced at HK$393.4 million.

The No 1 covers a livable area of 433 sq m and includes a 416 sq m garden and a private swimming pool.

Reporter discovers poor well covers

A female reporter working on a story about poorly made well lids confirmed her story Friday, after falling into a hole underneath a lid she was standing on.

The incident came after news of an agricultural project worth millions of yuan in Haikou, capital city of Hainan province, using bamboo prods as part of the materials in making well lids.

The lids, reportedly costing nearly 10,000 yuan ($1624), cover numerous man-holes to used to store underground water in case of floods.

Man opens rail station with his own house key

A man was arrested for opening a gate at Beijing South Railway station with his own house key and letting passengers enter the station illegally, Beijing Times reported on Friday.

The man, surnamed Tang, apparently discovered in July one of the entry locks at the station was similar to his home's and that he could open it.

Three women paid Tang 150 yuan ($24) to let them into the station on Aug 1, bypassing the security check.

Officials sacked during TV broadcast

A TV show broadcast in Hunan province where two officials were fired on-air was suspected of being a publicity stunt, but the station said it was real, Beijing News reported on Friday.

During the broadcast on Tuesday about the government of Hengyang, Hunan province, the mayor fired two local officials. Some experts have questioned whether the dismissals complied with organizational procedures.