China

• Most Topular Stories

• A Beautiful “Thin-Nosed” Woman’s visit to Kampot.

  Asian Ramblings

  admin

  20 May 2013 | 1:58 am

  I had a lovely weekend visit to Kampot with Khymer friends in Jan 2012. It is a beautiful riverside town with a more tranquil atmosphere, and I found it to be the perfect get-away from the chaotic fun of PP. My favourite thing to do in Kampot was to stroll along the river-front promenade and watch life on the river go by. The hazy Bokor Mountains were a romantic backdrop and I loved the beautiful flowering trees that lined the walkway and the waterfront road. We stayed at a lovely guest house near the Kampot river called Mea Culpa. As part of their restaurant they produced gourmet pizzas in…

• Neiman Marcus Rethinks Its China Strategy

  Red Luxury

  Red Luxury H

  22 May 2013 | 7:05 am

  Dallas-based luxury department store Neiman Marcus is reworking its China strategy. The company quietly moved into the Chinese market last year. With their recent launch of international shipping, Neiman Marcus will now be scaling back physical operations in China and shuttering the warehouse there, reports WSJ. According to Neiman Marcus spokeswoman Gabrielle Papp, the company [...]

• Small Hubei community has been free from fireworks for eight years (and loving it)

  Danwei

  Barry van Wyk

  22 May 2013 | 10:21 am

  For eight years already now, a small workers’ residential community in Jingzhou, Hubei province has “quietly” been living a revolution. In 2005, errant fireworks caused a fire on a balcony in this community, and drawing the (painfully obvious yet in China excruciatingly absent) conclusion that fireworks on the whole just isn’t worth it, decided to ban the stuff altogether. As the front page of the Jingzhou Evening News reports today, for the last eight years Beiling has been living in a near nirvana-like state of calm and serenity. So can we all Learn from Beiling?

• Torture methods at a Chinese gulag, or reeducation-through-labor camp, are exposed by Chinese media

  Ministry of Tofu 豆腐部

  Jing Gao

  9 Apr 2013 | 12:19 am

  Campaigns to abolish the oft-maligned reeducation-through-labor camp have been gathering steam on the Chinese social media in the past few years and even made their way into the agenda at China’s annual political meetings, for the reeduation system is often seen to be an extrajudicial punishment that have emboldened local authorities to jail and torture dissidents and petitioners without the law entering the equation. So far, these campaigns are yet to bear any fruit. But the good news for human rights activists in China is, the latest 20,000-word investigative story published in Lens…

• Join me in Seattle Tomorrow for a discussion! (Myanmar’s Health Infrastructure: The Evolving Context for Foreign Engagement)

  Asia Health Care Blog

  Benjamin

  21 May 2013 | 3:19 pm

  Dear AHCB reader, Please join me tomorrow in Seattle with the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) for an interactive roundtable breakfast discussing Myanmar’s health infrastructure. The rise of health on the government priority list is opening up new opportunities for foreign engagement. How is Myanmar’s openness making an impact on the health system? RSVP and comment at the following link. http://www.nbr.org/research/activity.aspx?id=9d11cac2-7910-4116-82c0-6335d852bcd1 The details from the NBR site are as follows: From 1962-2010, Myanmar was a closed country under military rule.

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  World | TIME.com

• IAEA Report: Iran Expands Nuclear Technology

  AP / George Jahn

  22 May 2013 | 3:20 pm

  (VIENNA) — The U.N. atomic agency on Wednesday detailed rapid Iranian progress in two programs that the West fears are geared toward making nuclear weapons, saying Tehran has upgraded its uranium enrichment facilities and advanced in building a plutonium-producing reactor. In a confidential report obtained by The Associated Press, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had installed close to 700 high-tech centrifuges used for uranium enrichment, which can produce the core of nuclear weapons. It also said Tehran had added hundreds of older-generation machines at its main…

• Iran’s Supreme Leader Tightens Grip After Disqualifying Two Top Presidential Candidates

  Karl Vick

  22 May 2013 | 3:18 pm

  For the cleric who runs Iran, there’s no such thing as a pleasant surprise, especially on election day. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not pleased when a librarian named Mohammad Khatami was swept into the president’s office in 1997, leading a wave of reformists who challenged the status quo in which Khamenei, as the unelected Supreme Leader of the Revolution, was most heavily invested. In every election cycle since, the self-appointed portion of Iran’s government has done all it can to winnow the choices placed before Iranian voters. On Tuesday, that system tightened the screen once…

• UK Officials: Radical Islam Drives London Attack

  Associated Press

  22 May 2013 | 1:24 pm

  (LONDON) — Two U.K. government officials say a brutal attack that left one man dead near a London military barracks appears to have been motivated by radical Islam. Two men apparently attacked another man near a London barracks Wednesday. Police said he died and the other two were shot by police and taken to separate hospitals. Two U.K. government officials who had been briefed said the attack seemed to have been ideologically motivated by radical Islam. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation. They said their…

• London Man Hacked to Death in Suspected Terrorist Attack

  Kharunya Paramaguru

  22 May 2013 | 1:20 pm

  A man has been killed in a violent attack in the south-east London area of Woolwich. Police arrived at the scene and shot the two assailants, who according to eyewitness accounts had a firearm. There have been unconfirmed suggestions, including from the local MP Nick Raynsford and French President Francois Hollande, that the victim, who was wearing a Help for Heroes t-shirt (a military charity for wounded British soldiers), was a soldier. Prime Minister David Cameron has not confirmed that the incident, which took place close to a primary school and an army barracks, is a terrorist attack,…

• UN: New Reports of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria

  AP / Edith M. Lederer

  22 May 2013 | 12:22 pm

  (UNITED NATIONS) — There are mounting reports of chemical weapons use as violence escalates in Syria, the U.N.’s top Mideast envoy said Wednesday. In response to these reports, Robert Serry told the Security Council that the United Nations is again urging the Syrian government to allow chemical weapons experts into the country immediately to investigate the allegations. The Syrian government asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack by rebels on March 19 on Khan al-Assal village in Aleppo, but insists that a probe be limited to that…

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  China Real Time Report

• After Cadmium Scare, Hong Kong Rice Worth Jail Risk?

  Te-Ping Chen

  22 May 2013 | 5:58 am

  Fears of cadmium-tainted rice are driving anxious shoppers in mainland China across the border to Hong Kong, which in recent years has become a prime destination not only for tourists stocking up on Gucci and Rolexes, but those making grocery runs as well.

• Tensions Flare in Taiwan-Philippines Dispute

  Jenny Hsu

  22 May 2013 | 3:53 am

  Taiwan’s public indignation against the Philippines is boiling over.

• Ai Weiwei Has a New Way to Irritate Authorities: Music

  Josh Chin

  22 May 2013 | 2:32 am

  A noted sculptor, activist, blogger and defiler of cultural symbols, Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has even been known to masquerade as a hair-stylist. To that list, you can now add rock star.

• Map: A Whirlwind Tour of Art Basel’s New Hong Kong Home

  WSJ Staff

  21 May 2013 | 9:33 pm

  Art Basel's first Hong Kong edition opens today with 245 galleries, half of which have spaces in Asia. Take an interactive tour of the fair's new home.

• Top China Stories from WSJ: India Trade, Obama and Xi Skip Pomp

  WSJ Staff

  21 May 2013 | 6:55 pm

  Two days of meetings between the U.S. and Chinese presidents in June will be notable for their absence of diplomatic pomp; Chinese Premier Li Keqiang expressed a willingness to help Indian companies access China's market.

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  Danwei

• Small Hubei community has been free from fireworks for eight years (and loving it)

  Barry van Wyk

  22 May 2013 | 10:21 am

  For eight years already now, a small workers’ residential community in Jingzhou, Hubei province has “quietly” been living a revolution. In 2005, errant fireworks caused a fire on a balcony in this community, and drawing the (painfully obvious yet in China excruciatingly absent) conclusion that fireworks on the whole just isn’t worth it, decided to ban the stuff altogether. As the front page of the Jingzhou Evening News reports today, for the last eight years Beiling has been living in a near nirvana-like state of calm and serenity. So can we all Learn from Beiling?

• Man finds his brother’s killer after 16 years

  Barry van Wyk

  21 May 2013 | 7:03 am

  Sometimes the wheels of justice turn slowly. And sometimes you have to make them turn yourself. The Guizhou Metropolis Daily today has a front page headline that reads “He’s lying!” (他在扯谎), which was the phrase uttered by a man who heard his brother’s murderer proclaim his innocence. For 16 long years, Yang Shunming has been looking for the man who killed his brother, and by something of a fluke, he found him sitting at another table at a society dinner. The man had a new name, a new job, and dark secret.  For the last sixteen years, Yang Shunming (杨顺明)…

• AQSIQ: Excessive lead detected in L’Occitane exfoliant

  Barry van Wyk

  17 May 2013 | 4:09 am

  This post is an extract from the Danwei Bulletin, a briefing of company and market news collected from the Chinese news and social media before the information appears in English language reporting and sent to premium subscribers of the FT’s China Confidential and Danwei. Please click here for more information. Chinese media last week reported that the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced that they had detected excessive amounts of lead in a foreign skin care product: “Almond Delicious Paste”, a skincare exfoliant product sold…

• Migrant workers forming “temporary couples” in the cities

  Barry van Wyk

  13 May 2013 | 10:30 am

  The millions of migrant workers in China have a tough life. Leaving their homes to find work and separated from their families almost all year round, they toil in the cities for little pay and reside in ramshackle lodgings. Yet this much we know about migrant workers, what we know less about is how these migrant workers deal with the loneliness and isolation of their long and difficult sojourns. After more than a month of research and interviews with migrant workers in the city of Ningbo, the Contemporary Gold (现代金报) newspaper from Zhejiang province today published a front page story…

• Whitening toothpaste safety scare

  Barry van Wyk

  10 May 2013 | 9:03 am

  This post is an extract from the Danwei Bulletin, a briefing of company and market news collected from the Chinese news and social media before the information appears in English language reporting and sent to premium subscribers of the FT’s China Confidential and Danwei. Please click here for more information. On May 2, Modern Life Daily 当代生活报 reported on a study of test results of whitening toothpaste from Guangxi University for Nationalities, located in Nanning. The study found that six brands of whitening toothpaste contained ‘carcinogenic sulfites’. In response, the…

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  China Law Blog

• Will the Real CIETAC Please Stand Up?

  Matthew Dresden

  21 May 2013 | 3:38 am

  For more than a year, the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), China’s dominant arbitral institution since its founding in 1956, has been fighting a noisy and public civil war. The resulting chaos shows no signs of ending, and any company considering arbitration in China and any company that has an existing contract with an arbitration clause should take notice. CIETAC, which is based in Beijing, has four Sub-Commissions within the PRC: Shanghai (known as CIETAC Shanghai), Shenzhen (known as CIETAC South China), Tianjin, and Chongqing. In early 2012,…

• How To Protect Your Trademark In China; How To Stop Your Distributer From “Stealing” Your Trademark

  Dan Harris

  20 May 2013 | 7:11 am

  As often as we write about the need to register your trademarks in China, we have never written about how common it is for your China distributer to take your trademark and of how easy it is to prevent that.  I thought of this last week after receiving yet another phone call where this had happened. The “this” is something along the lines of the following: US SME wants to sell its product in China. Oftentimes the US SME is already manufacturing its product in China and it sees the China market as yet another market where it can sell its product. US SME seeks out someone in China…

• How To Change Your WFOE Legal Representative. It Ain’t Easy….

  Dan Harris

  18 May 2013 | 11:58 pm

  Over the years my law firm has been called in a number of times to try to get rid of an out of control Legal Representative of a WOFE.  Typically, the company calling us thinks that it ought to be able to rid itself of its WFOE Legal Representative simply by issuing a resolution making it so. Wrong. The last time we executed a change of Legal Representative for a Beijing WFOE, we had to draft/provide the following: Amendment of the Articles of Association in Chinese. Four originals. Amendment of the Articles of Association in English.  For reference only. Application letter for commercial…

• What Is Right With China?

  Dan Harris

  17 May 2013 | 12:00 pm

  If you haven’t been reading ChinaFile’s twice weekly “Conversation,” you should be.  It basically consists of a bunch of knowledgeable China people getting together and discussing one (usually deep think) China issue. I particularly liked the most recent one, the topic of which was “China: What’s Going Right?”  This conversation was with Michael Zhao, James Fallows, Orville Schell and Jeremy Goldkorn. Zhao likes how China is spending money on scientific research.  Fallows is impressed by China’s “national movement and ambition.”…

• Doing Business In China. What’s Trust Got To Do With It?

  Dan Harris

  16 May 2013 | 9:04 pm

  A few weeks ago, I met with Scott Markman and John Yang of the Monogram Group, a Chicago advertising, branding, and market research company.  What differentiates the Monogram Group and what led to our meeting is their China practice, which they describe as follows: In 2007, Monogram established the first branding practice in the US dedicated to creating brands for Chinese companies in the US market. Our clients have ranged from large industrial to consumer product companies, and they include Goldwind Wind Turbines, Donghua Chain, Dongfeng Tractors, Wensli Silk, Asianbag Dashboard Mounts and…

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  All Roads Lead to China

• Learn to Adapt In China. It’s a Transferable Skill

  Rich

  20 May 2013 | 9:01 am

  Was speaking to a friend the other day about how China is a place where you can, and should, reinvent yourself on a regular basis. Something that the US Fed Chairman believes is something the future generation should grow used to as well. “During your working lives, you will have to reinvent yourselves many times,” he said. “Success and satisfaction will not come from mastering a fixed body of knowledge but from constant adaptation and creativity in a rapidly changing world.” I guess I found my transferable skill!

• Beijing International Airport Ranks 5th by Skytrax. HUH?

  Rich

  8 May 2013 | 1:21 am

  Being recognized as having the world’s best airport, or one of, is something that countries take seriously.  for years, and likely for years to come, the main fight has been between Singapore an Hong Kong.  both of which have amazing airports.  Easy access to city, fast immigration, good food, shopping, stable wireless, and on time arrival/ takeoff. All things that I personally find to be of importance, and for me make for a great airport. So, when I saw Beijing Capital airport rank in 5th place and Shanghai Hongqiao at 19, I was left wondering.  Seriously… Beijing at #5? …

• Change Your Passwords. Change Them Often

  Rich

  6 May 2013 | 6:21 pm

  Just finished reading China’s Cyberspies Outwit Model for Bond’s Q , Bloomberg’s second piece on China and cyber security, and I was nearly dumbfounded by the fact that the firm at the center of the article didn’t understand (1) they were under threat and (2) did nothing to remove the threats when it was abundantily clear there was a problem. A few passages to pick out: QinetiQ treated a series of attacks over the next several months as isolated incidents. The hackers followed a more meticulous strategy: In the first 2 1/2 years, they gathered more than 13,000 internal…

• What’s Good For The Goose

  Rich

  25 Apr 2013 | 5:34 am

  According to the recent WSJ article, How to Predict the Next Big Bailout: Real estate agents who help Chinese investors buy homes abroad say they can guess which country is facing financial ruin by the level of restrictions attached to their investment immigration programs. That is, the easier it is for their clients to buy citizenship, the likelier it is for the country’s economy to tip over into crisis. Which is interesting as for years nearly every time China opened up a new market to the West, that is exactly what “we” said about China.  That it would only throw open a…

• Safety Vs. Price. Lessons from the Japanese in China

  Rich

  24 Apr 2013 | 2:31 am

  Some of the most difficult, and important, decisions a firm can make are about the balance between price and quality in China.  For many that I have worked with, there is an embedded trust gap in China, yet the pressure to drive costs is simply too powerful to overcome.  It is almost mind boggling at times, and the recent CNBC article Japanese Carmakers Turn to Chinese Parts for China Market I think does a great job of highlighting the struggle (and risk) to find that balance: A few relevant passages: Entering China a decade ago, Japan’s automakers relied heavily on parts from their…

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  China Herald

• Hershey joins chocolate war in China - Shaun Rein

  Fons Tuinstra

  21 May 2013 | 12:53 pm

  Shaun Rein US chocolate maker Hershey currently has two percent of the China market, and is small compared to bigger players like Mars and Nestle. Business analyst Shaun Rein explains at the Wall Street Journal the China premium chocolate market is growing 20% per year,  but domestic competition is making life tough. But Hershey wants a market share of 27% by 2017. Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form. +China Weekly Hangout  Many foreign firms in China fail, and…

• How personal is a PC in China? - Tricia Wang

  Fons Tuinstra

  21 May 2013 | 5:21 am

  Tricia Wang Personal space is scarce in China, reason why many Chinese see their PC and mobile devices as their most personal space, writes sociologist Tricia Wang in 88-bar.com. While other academics argue the PC is a shared object, Tricia Wang points at the many advertisements  selling PC's as a personal object. Tricia Wang:  I’ve seen people more attached to their computers and mobile phones because that is the ONLY space that they can claim is entirely theirs. Apartments are small, space is crowded, sometimes rooms have to be shared, in-laws come…

• Dealing with spitting Chinese - Zhang Lijia

  Fons Tuinstra

  18 May 2013 | 5:23 am

  Zhang Lijia China's top officials have asked their fellow citizens to behave when they travel and refrain from spitting and loud talking. Author Zhang Lijia puts spitting in a historical perspective, and believes bad habit decreased, and can disappear, she told BBC News. Zhang Lijia: Of course, there’s the force of habit. I actually much prefer my new neighbourhood of Wine God Village. The streets are full of life and energy; people are friendly. And it is authentic. Some of my neighbours have indeed brought their habits from their village where the social norms are looser. Another…

• What is China doing right? - Jeremy Goldkorn

  Fons Tuinstra

  18 May 2013 | 5:15 am

  Jeremy Goldkoen The indispensable Chinafile asked some of its authors to list what is going right in China, after many obvious stories about what is going wrong. Danwei-founder Jeremy Goldkorn submitted a pretty long list, and this is how it starts. Jeremy Goldkorn: I’ll answer this question with an off-the-cuff and very personal list. Some may say these points are not actually good things, or that China isn’t actually doing these things well, or that the outcomes will not be copacetic. One of the very negative things about China is that if you look deep enough into any feel-good story,…

• Changing trends on China's art market - Wei Gu

  Fons Tuinstra

  17 May 2013 | 6:50 am

  Wei Gu The China art market is maturing, as the Art Basel's first Hong Kong art show took off. WSJ wealth editor Wei Gu discusses with Kate Cary Evans, founder of Art Radar Asia, the latest trends in China's art, as prices are falling, opening up for more investors. Wei Gu is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.     Related articles What are Chinese tourists buying? - Wei Gu Guanxi dies or gets into prison; the Fredy Bush case - Wei Gu Chinese rich invest more…

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  ChinaTechNews.com

• China's Qihoo 360 Revenue Up 58.6% In Q1 2013

  ChinaTechNews.com Editor

  22 May 2013 | 9:45 am

  Chinese Internet company Qihoo 360 published its unaudited financial report for the first quarter of 2013, stating that by March 31, the company's operating revenue was USD109.9 million, a year-on-year increase of 58.6%; however, its net profit was USD5.6 million, a year-on-year decrease of 60%. The company said the decrease of net profit was mainly [...]

• Sony Mobile Chinese Head Resigns

  ChinaTechNews.com Editor

  21 May 2013 | 3:01 pm

  Magnus Ahlqvist, president for Sony Mobile Communications Greater China region, has reportedly resigned and the company is currently looking for his replacement. According to reports in Chinese local media, before finding a replacement, the role is temporarily manned by Zheng Shuren, vice president and head of the marketing unit. Ahlqvist, 39, started leading the Chinese [...]

• Japan's Gree Closes Chinese Social Gaming Office

  ChinaTechNews.com Editor

  20 May 2013 | 9:35 am

  Japanese social game giant Gree announced the future strategy for its overseas offices, and the company said it will close the office in China. Gree's offices in the United States and South Korea are having fast growth; however, all these overseas offices still made losses. Gree's Chinese office has now been shut, but the employees [...]

• Suning Opens Its First Electronics Store In Tibet

  ChinaTechNews.com Editor

  19 May 2013 | 4:02 pm

  Suning will open its first electronics chain store in the Tibetan city of Lhasa on May 25, 2013. With the opening of this store, Suning will become the first Chinese nationwide retail chain operator to enter this autonomous region in western China. As the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, Lhasa is called as the [...]

• China's Dangdang.com Net Revenue Up 23% With Continued Net Losses

  ChinaTechNews.com Editor

  17 May 2013 | 3:01 pm

  Chinese B2C e-commerce website Dangdang.com published its financial report for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013, stating that its total net operating revenue was CNY1.334 billion, a year-on-year increase of 23%; though it still reported net losses of CNY72.7 million. During the first quarter of 2013, Dangdang.com's total trade value was CNY1.86 billion, including [...]

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  Hao Hao Report - Popular China Stories

• Some Chinese tourists 'uncivilized,' says top official

  <a href="/users/heiney">2166</a>

  18 May 2013 | 1:31 am

  The dire manners and “uncivilized behavior” of some Chinese tourists abroad are harming the country’s image, said a top official who lamented their poor “quality and breeding”, according to state-run media. China Travel | 0 Comments

• Chinese Hospitals are Bullshit

  <a href="/users/kalanstar">21978</a>

  17 May 2013 | 11:34 am

  The latest from The Villain: China never misses an opportunity to dry-fuck it’s nationals and expats alike, and nowhere is this proverbial rape more evident than in the hospitals scattered over the face of this toxic wasteland. With over 1.3bn potential customers suffering the effects of a culture which feeds them a diet of encouraged chain smoking and binge drinking in addition to the poisoned food, fried in the finest gutter oil, the chances are, at some point, you’re going to need to visit a hospital. China Health | 0 Comments

• China threatens world health by unleashing waves of superbugs

  <a href="/users/kalanstar">21978</a>

  17 May 2013 | 11:24 am

  China's reckless use of antibiotics in the health system and agricultural production is unleashing an explosion of drug resistant superbugs that endanger global health, according to leading scientists. China Health | 0 Comments

• An apology that is 47 years late

  <a href="/users/offbeat-china">14167</a>

  17 May 2013 | 10:11 am

  Yesterday, on the 47th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution’s official starting date, a few apologies made by individuals who have made mistakes during that 10 years of madness went viral online, and ignited discussions of who should be responsible for all the chaos. General | 0 Comments

• Shenzhen nurse killed in horrific elevator accident

  <a href="/users/ryan">1</a>

  16 May 2013 | 12:10 pm

  A Shenzhen woman has died after she was trapped by elevator doors which then descended, slicing the woman in half, according to the Shenzhen Evening News. The victim, a 24 year old nurse surnamed Wang, was in the elevator in Changhong Tower in Shenzhen's Luohu district, when it stopped due to failure. Since the door was open the woman attempted to exit, only to be trapped when the elevator started moving again. The elevator fell at least three stories, killing Wang. China News | 1 Comments

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  China Digital Times (CDT)

• Carbon Cap Proposed, Trading Pilot Unveiled

  josh rudolph

  22 May 2013 | 3:17 pm

  China, whose 2011 per capita carbon emissions rose to match those of the EU, has proposed to enact a nationwide cap on carbon emissions by 2016. The Independent reports: The battle against global warming has received a transformational boost after China, the world’s biggest producer of carbon dioxide, proposed to set a cap on its greenhouse gas emissions for the first time. Under the proposal China, which is responsible for a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, would put a ceiling on greenhouse gas emissions from 2016, in a bid to curb what most scientists agree is the main…

• Pu Zhiqiang Is “Key Person,” Barred Hotel Entrance

  Anne Henochowicz

  22 May 2013 | 2:59 pm

  The story below is translated from a Yanzhao Metropolis Daily report. The story is currently unavailable on the newspaper’s website. Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang Says He Is a “Key Person,” Refused Admittance to Hotel Pu Zhiqiang’s identification information as it appeared on a terminal at the Rui’an Hotel in Beijing. (Pu Zhiqiang/Weibo) Last night, prominent lawyer Pu Zhiqiang posted on Weibo about a “rather shocking” event–he has been classified as a “key person” and barred entrance to a hotel in Beijing. The hotel states that it is simply…

• Party Progeny Rise to Top in Local Government

  Anne Henochowicz

  22 May 2013 | 1:58 pm

  Yuan Huizhong. (Weibo) The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. State Internet Information Office: Immediately delete contents which calls into question the appointment of the children of cadres to positions in local government, members of the so-called “governing second generation,” “governing third generation,” “red second generation, etc. (including news, blogs, forum posts, images, and video). Report on the progress of your work. (May 14, 2013) This directive could be in…

• Does the Great Firewall Shape China’s Internet Habits?

  josh rudolph

  22 May 2013 | 12:33 pm

  The complex technical and legislative framework to restrict and monitor information in cyberspace has been in the works since the Internet arrived in China in 1994, culminating in what is known globally as the “Great Firewall of China.” The infamous system brings together an array of censorship methods, and is currently thought to be the most sophisticated censorship network in the world. In a 2010 speech on Internet freedom, then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned of a spreading “information curtain” in which “viral videos and blog posts are…

• North Korea Sends Envoy to Beijing

  Sophie Beach

  22 May 2013 | 12:11 pm

  North Korea has sent a high-level envoy to Beijing in an apparent effort to patch up tense relations as international pressure mounts over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions. From the New York Times: The envoy, Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, who serves as director of the general political bureau of the North Korean People’s Army, met in Beijing with Wang Jiarui, the head of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party, said Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, in a report that gave no details of the talks. His trip is North Korea’s first serious dabbling in diplomacy…

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  Sinosplice » Life

• Interview by Furio

  John Pasden

  19 May 2013 | 11:48 pm

  Furio of the Sapore di Cina blog recently interviewed me about the Chinese Grammar Wiki and AllSet Learning in general. He had some great questions, and I really like how the interview turned out. Check it out: Interview with John Pasden, the founder of Sinosplice and AllSet Learning [also in Italian, in Spanish]. The interview includes a number of questions I’m frequently asked these days by foreigners in China. Here’s an example from the interview: You are married with a Chinese girl, have a daughter and opened a company in China. Do you ever think about going back to U.S.? Of…

• More “more”

  John Pasden

  12 May 2013 | 7:45 pm

  Photo by @biesnecker: The original character is, of course, (“more”). (Specifically, “50% more more.”)

• OF COURSE Radicals

  John Pasden

  9 May 2013 | 6:14 am

  Please excuse a short rant. Guys, you have to learn radicals if you want to learn to read Chinese characters. You have to. I bring this up because over and over again, I run into claims of a “secret” to or a “new method” for learning Chinese: radicals. Yes, it’s a bit of information you might not know when you first take an interest in Chinese, so it’s definitely worth stating explicitly to any new learner. But it’s not a “revolutionary way” to learn Chinese. It’s one of the fundamental building blocks of the Chinese written…

• Shanghai bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian

  John Pasden

  6 May 2013 | 5:30 pm

  There’s a lot of talk in the Shanghai Catholic Church about recently deceased bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian (). It’s kind of a shame, because he seems like a really interesting man, but I didn’t really hear much about him while he was still alive. Probably mostly my fault, but nothing to do now but educate myself. From the description of his recently published The Memoirs of Jin Luxian, Volume 1: Learning and Relearning 1916-1982: Jin Luxian is considered by many to be one of China’s most controversial religious figures. Educated by the Jesuits, he joined the Society of…

• Support Phonemica!

  John Pasden

  1 May 2013 | 6:00 pm

  My linguistically-inclined friends at Sinoglot have been quietly building out an amazing project called Phonemica. What’s Phonemica? Phonemica is a project to record spoken stories in every one of the thousands of varieties of Chinese in order to preserve both stories and language for future generations. We are a team of volunteers working within China and abroad. Our mission: Bringing the richness of oral Chinese to a wider audience, through the words of natural storytellers, from every corner of the world where Chinese is spoken. Phonemia is beautifully designed, has great audio…

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  TechNode

• Chinese MIIT Clears Policy on Mobile Virtual Network Operator

  Tracey Xiang

  20 May 2013 | 5:19 am

  As expected, Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced the policy on mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) on May 17. Qualified companies can apply for it by July 1, 2014 and a trial period will end by the end of 2015. A qualified applicant must be a company whose biggest share holder is a mainland private company and that more than 50% of it is held by private investors, or an overseas-listed mainland company whose shares held by foreign investors must be less than 10% and that the biggest share holder must be Chinese. MIIT requires telecom operators to…

• Airizu, the Samwer Brothers-backed Airbnb Clone,Has Reportedly Laid off 80% Employees, Funding Cut off

  Charlie Sheng

  20 May 2013 | 12:52 am

  It is reported that Airizu, founded in 2011 as one of the earliest Airbnb clones in China, is in a pickle now. It is said that Rocket Internet who takes controlling stake in it has cut off funding, and almost 80% of the Arizu team have been laid off. The remaining 30-staff team has been running without a CEO (former CEO Adrian LI had quit in last June). However, at the same time Airizu’s peer players impressed local investors. Mayi and Xiaozhu both announced raising $10m; Tujia has secured RMB400m; ChengToo’s A round funding has been in full swing; meanwhile with the backup of…

• Baidu Integrates PC & Mobile Advertising Systems

  Chelsea Dong

  17 May 2013 | 2:20 am

  Baidu will release the integrated advertising system for both PC and mobile search marketing this weekend so that customers only need to manage one account. Customers can put their ads on different screens as they wish. Bidding prices can be set different on the two platforms and customers can change the budget ratios between the two. Baidu also rolled out a package of tool for mobile search marketing, including tools for setting up mobile sites, online consulting, and app marketing, etc. According to Baidu, with regard to search behavior, users do searches on PC mostly at working hours.

• One Third of Sina Weibo’s Ad Revenue Generated from Mobile in Q1 2013

  Tracey Xiang

  17 May 2013 | 1:39 am

  As of Q1 2013 76.5% of Sina Weibo users logged in through mobile devices and 34% of ad revenue was from mobile, up from 25% quarter-over-quarter, disclosed Sina management on the earnings conference call today. Sina Weibo recorded $18.8 million in advertising and $11.1 million in value-added services; of the latter $2 million is from membership subscriptions and the rest from web games (or browser game), which is a 180% increase. Fensitong, or promoted feed ad program, now has over one thousand customers that have deposited money. Currently most customers that place budget on Weibo are…

• More Chinese Startups Are Moving to Second-tier Cities

  Tracey Xiang

  16 May 2013 | 8:01 am

  Chuangtouquan (ctquan), a startup investing network, released a report that shows second-tier Chinese cities are hosting more startups in terms of percentage. In 2011, 84% of Chinese startups were located in first-tier cities including Beijing, shanghai and Guangzhou. The rate decreased to 77% in 2012. Second-tier cities including Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Wuhan became the new startup scenes. It’s driven by no more than cost and talent, according to the report. 1 Costs. The average office space rental rate in the first-tier is 3.5 to 4 times of that in the second-tier and is…

• 

  The Peking Duck

• Hidden Harmonies

  Richard

  8 May 2013 | 11:13 am

  I’ve made it a point not to link to the Hidden Harmonies blog, let alone use it in a post title. As a rule, I refuse to read it to avoid a heightening of blood pressure. But this is one article you all have to see, even if it’s four days old already. (Link via James Fallows, who is as surprised as I am.) It begins, After living here for more than 9 months, I have come to a most repugnant conclusion. It pains me to even think about it for I am a Chinese person who has often defended the traditions, institutions, values and dignity of the Children of Heaven. But the truth is often…

• Back from China

  Richard

  4 May 2013 | 10:48 am

  I’m back home and never experienced jet lag like this, getting up at three in the afternoon. The total trip home, with layovers, was nearly 21 hours. My last days in China were spent in Beijing, and for all it’s flaws (air, traffic, the usual headaches) it remains my favorite place to be even though Shanghai wins in the aesthetic category, with its gorgeous, winding tree-lined streets and colonial architecture, at least in the French Concession area. I can see why so many people I know swear by Shanghai and say its their favorite place to live, even though they are totally wrong.

• In Hangzhou

  Richard

  24 Apr 2013 | 1:46 am

  I had originally planned to go to Chengdu but the plan was changed after the earthquake. I was in Nanjing for three days before arriving here, and it would have been great if there hadn’t been icy rain and raw weather for three days in a row. What can you do? For whatever reasons, I feel more relaxed in Hangzhou than any other place in China. It’s just so beautiful, a perfect place for drinking tea and just sitting back and enjoying the scenery. I was in Beijing and Shanghai for a week, and it was anything but relaxing, just one interview after another. (If you’d like to see…

• Back in the motherland

  Richard

  12 Apr 2013 | 5:43 pm

  I arrived in Beijing last night and will be in China for 17 days, if anyone wants to gt together. The itinerary will be Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. If my VPN keeps working I’ll try to make periodic updates. Nice to be here, pollution and traffic and all. Update: Forgot to add, Fuck the firewall. Nastier than ever.

• Adam Najberg’s Chongqing Burning

  Richard

  8 Apr 2013 | 12:07 pm

  I wanted to give a brief shout-out to a book I just finished and highly recommend. Chongqing Burning, a dark, intense novel about the meteoric rise and sudden collapse of Bo Xilai and his wife is a true page-turner. (The characters are renamed, but there’s no doubting who they are.) The main character, the chain-smoking, heavy-drinking David Northerly, is an old-school journalist feeling the pressures of an industry under siege. The book makes you appreciate what great journalism really is in an age of bloggers and “citizen journalists” armed only with a keyboard. With his…

• 

  China Hearsay

• An Interesting Byproduct of the Recent Apple Bashing in China

  Stan

  14 May 2013 | 5:03 am

  You recall the fun and games when the Chinese media went after Apple as part of the Consumer Day “celebrations,” right? CCTV led the charge, followed by various Op/Eds and in-depth reporting on the U.S. MNC’s product warranty policy. Whether Apple was in violation of the law or not, it certainly was slammed upside the head with a great deal of negative PR, which made fanboys around the world cry “Leave ‘em alone already!” When the perception is that Apple has been unfairly targeted, it means, among other things, that the next time someone criticizes Apple…

• ‘Meat Is Murder’ and Other Meat-related Crimes

  Stan

  6 May 2013 | 9:20 pm

  No one is talking about murder yet, but it’s just a matter of time. The latest food quality scandal in China is humming along steadily at the moment, with accusations flying, arrests being made, and protestations being hastily issued by restauranteurs and others in the food biz. All this turmoil just because mutton was replaced with rat and fox meat to save a few shekels? Apparently so. As of last month, we only had to worry about whether our lamb was being fried in “gutter oil,” but that’s now old news. These days, you need to worry about whether that…

• Lessons in US-China Diplomacy: Parsing the Special 301 Report

  Stan

  4 May 2013 | 7:35 pm

  The annual Special 301 Report on worldwide intellectual property protection was recently released by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. I always look forward to this, not only to see what the China section looks like to catch up on big-picture IP issues, but also to get a snapshot of the bilateral situation between the two countries. This year, it seems to me that the language shows just a bit of frustration on behalf of the USTR authors, which I find leaking out from between the lines. They tried very hard to be as diplomatic as possible, but perhaps just a little too much.

• PRC Official: IPR Reputation a Result of “Groundless Labeling”

  Stan

  3 May 2013 | 10:27 pm

  Um, wow, not sure where to start with this one. Look, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has consistently written for as long as I have that China’s IP situation is improving, that it isn’t as bad as most folks think, and that the stereotypes are generally unfair. But I also temper that with frequent acknowledgements of the many problems over here with the IP protection system. The situation downright sucks in some geographical areas and industry sectors, and depending on the product and type of IPR in question. When apologists fail to fess up to the problems,…

• A Writing Tip for Lawyers Doing Newsletters

  Stan

  30 Apr 2013 | 8:13 pm

  As someone who has been writing legal newsletters (or similar) for about 15 years, I speak with authority on this subject. I’ve also helped to train a boatload of lawyers with respect to drafting a variety of documents, both formal and informal. The problem is that most lawyers are wholly unfamiliar with the concept of “audience.” Let me use the example of acronyms, since this will help me get to the point that much faster. Say you’re a private practice lawyer writing a brief email to your client, specifically an in-house lawyer who specializes in PRC corporate law.

• 

  Global Voices » China

• How Social Commerce Tightens China's Grip on the Internet

  Andy Yee

  22 May 2013 | 5:11 am

  China’s biggest e-commerce firm Alibaba Group announced  on April 29, 2013 that it would acquire an 18 percent stake in Sina Weibo for 586 million US dollars, a deal that could reshape the country’s Internet landscape. Sina Weibo is China’s most popular Twitter-like microblogging platform with over 500 million user accounts, but it has yet to find a profitable business model. By connecting the millions of Weibo users to Alibaba, an e-commerce platform that handled more transactions than Amazon and eBay combined last year, the deal is widely heralded as a game changer that could…

• ‘Dumbass', Ai Weiwei's Latest Music Video

  Oiwan Lam

  22 May 2013 | 1:22 am

  Prominent Chinese Artist Activist Ai Weiwei has released a music video, “Dumbass”, which shows his solitary detention back in April 2011 when Chinese police arrested him for “tax evasion”. Song by Ai Weiwei with music by Zuoxiao Zuzhou. Cinematography by Christopher Doyle. (Explicit Lyrics) Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (1) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

• Cadmium-Laced Rice Found in China

  Abby

  21 May 2013 | 6:15 pm

  Rice contaminated with high levels of the toxic heavy metal cadmium, dubbed “cadmium rice,” is the latest food scandal in China to trigger public panic and anger among the country's consumers. The Guangzhou Food and Drug Administration revealed[zh] on May 16 that eight out of 18 rice samples tested in local markets contained excessive levels of cadmium. Most of the polluted rice comes from the southern province of Hunan, China’s top rice producing province. “Cadmium in rice usually comes from the soil where it grows, and the soil was polluted by mining and chemical…

• Gender Gap Widens in Chinese Cities

  Oiwan Lam

  20 May 2013 | 9:38 pm

  China Digital Times highlighted some discussion on gender gap in China. Even though the overall percentage of working women is not very low, as a result of urbanization, employment rate for working-age women in urban areas fell to a new low of 60.8 percent in 2010, down from 77.4 percent 20 years earlier. Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (1) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

• China: Online Social Management

  Oiwan Lam

  19 May 2013 | 11:55 pm

  David Bandurski from China Media Project explained the idea of “online social management”, a set of tactics to increase the capacity for channeling online public opinion, put forward by Fu Siming, a professor at the Central Party School. Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (1) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

• 

  元風俗嬢の風俗回顧録

• 崩れ出した関係

  admin

  17 May 2013 | 5:44 pm

  私の紹介で入店してくるアヤさんのために、ヘルスの基本道具セット（イソジン、グリンス、ローション、サンダル、髪留め）を可愛いピンク色のカゴに入れてプレゼントして、名刺も用意してあげました。…

• アヤさんにヘルス店を紹介

  admin

  11 May 2013 | 1:21 pm

  アヤさんはその後、吉原の高級ソープをクビになってしまい、私の働いている店を紹介してほしいと相談してきました。 その時、私が働いていたファッションヘルス『Ｂ』は、以前勤めていた『Ａ』から徒歩10分ほどの場所にありました。 新橋のはずれで魚屋の玄関先を地下におりた場所にあり、入口付近は少し生臭いものの、規模もシステムも『Ａ』とほとんど同じでした。…

• コウちゃんに風俗嬢ということがバレた！？

  admin

  6 May 2013 | 9:47 pm

  ホテルに入ったコウちゃんは頬を紅くして、恥ずかしそうにもじもじしてました。ペニスはピンク色で、うっすらと汗をかいて、小刻みに震える身体に私は舌を這わせて味わいました。童貞の匂いがプンプンとして、それはもう最高でした。…

• 錦糸町の深夜喫茶「ひとやすみ」の思い出

  admin

  30 Apr 2013 | 8:28 pm

  アヤさんのために私ができることは、そのころ同棲していたヒモの準一にイヤな顔をされながらも週に１～２回葵ちゃんを預かることと、アヤさんと出番が重なった日の仕事帰りに待ち合わせをして、始発電車が動き出すまで付き合って、一緒にご飯を食べることぐらいでした。…

• アヤさん一家

  admin

  25 Apr 2013 | 3:01 pm

  ヤクザもんの妻、アヤさん一家は住民票は宙に浮いたままなので、まともな部屋を借りることもできませんでした。さらに月に数十万円の病院代、貯えはほとんどゼロという、正真正銘のその日暮らしという状態でした。…

• 

  中外对话新鲜出炉

• 世界为何坐视气候变化

  马丁&bull;沃尔夫

  21 May 2013 | 2:48 am

  本月初，地球大气中二氧化碳浓度在过去450万年中首次超过400ppm，并且仍在以每年2ppm的速度增长。按照目前的趋势，本世纪末地球大气二氧化碳浓度就将达到800ppm。如此看来，之前就如何避免灾难性气候变化所进行的讨论不过都是些空话。…

• 水交易可能会让中国更加缺水

  德比卡 • 雷

  20 May 2013 | 2:38 am

  大规模的工程项目和严密的状态控制是中国发展模式的标志，这两大标志显然在该国的水务管理上也体现得非常明显。比如，除了正在进行的南水北调工程（造价620亿美元），中国政府又投资33.5亿美元建设多个海水淡化厂，目标是到2015年实现海水淡化220万立方米。2002年，中国试图实施取水许可证制度来遏制水源的过度抽取。…

• 新加坡治水对中国的启示

  塞西莉亚·托塔哈达, 阿希特·彼斯瓦斯

  16 May 2013 | 2:43 am

  早在40年前，新加坡领导人就意识到一个社会在污染环境中的生活成本要比在清洁环境中高得多。中国也能认识到这一点吗？当新加坡这个袖珍城市国家在1965年获得独立时，其在社会、经济、政治和环境等各方面的巨大限制，让许多外部人士都预言其未来会一片惨淡。…

• 小多边方式能否打破气候僵局？

  迪蒙斯·罗伯茨

  15 May 2013 | 1:21 am

  小布什政府期间，美国政府面临着采取气候行动的巨大压力，但是它将联合国渠道视为一条谈判的死胡同。比起在气候大会上与将近200个国家进行谈判，布什政府更青睐与小型国家集团达成的“小多边”或者说“诸边”解决方案。…

• 黑社会：“另类”新能源投资客

  谢丹, 王悦

  14 May 2013 | 2:39 am

  越来越多的“另类”投资者正在被新能源生意吸引而来，黑社会是其中的重要角色。 一个月前，2013年4月4日，意大利警方没收了商业大亨维托·尼卡斯特里价值15亿欧元的资产，其中包括至少43个风能和太阳能公司。 警方信息显示，维托·尼卡斯特里利用新能源投资为黑手党洗钱。 虽然全球可再生能源投资的主体是各国政府和私营部门，但是 “另类投资者”正在纷纷涌现。黑帮只是其中之一。 “”…

• 

  Shanghaied Weblog

• A Beached Elephant Seal

  Marc van der Chijs

  12 May 2013 | 9:41 pm

  One of the great things about living in Vancouver is that we are so close to nature and marine wildlife. Over the past weeks I have seen quite some seals on the small beach close to our house, and last week I even saw an orca (killer whale) while sitting on our terrace in the late afternoon. A few days ago I heard that an elephant seal had chosen Ambleside beach for its yearly moulting process, meaning that it sheds its fur and skin there during a one-month period. So when we were doing our Sunday afternoon shopping in Ambleside today, we decided to go for a walk on the beach to look at the…

• Grouse Grind

  Marc van der Chijs

  11 May 2013 | 11:13 pm

  The ski season in Vancouver is officially over, only in Whistler you can still ski. That means the trailrunning season has started, and today Vancouver’s most famous trail opened officially: The Grouse Grind. I heard a lot about it over the past months, so I really looked forward to doing the hike/run. During a recent business lunch someone mentioned that he was going to do the Grind and he invited me to join him. So this morning at 10 AM I was at the bottom of Grouse Mountain, ready for a good work out. The trail is only about 3 km, but the elevation gain is over 850 meters. Start of…

• BMO Vancouver Marathon 2013

  Marc van der Chijs

  5 May 2013 | 10:05 pm

  This morning I participated in the BMO Vancouver Marathon, my first race since arriving in Canada. Because I did not want to train for a full marathon I just did the half marathon (21.1 km), a distance that is doable without specific training if you are in decent shape and run regularly. It was a warm day in Vancouver, with clear blue skies and temperatures up to 25 Celsius, so I was happy that the race started at 7 AM already. My dad drove me to the start line (he did not join today) where we had a drink together, and then drove to the finish line in downtown Vancouver. At the start line I…

• Scheduling time

  Marc van der Chijs

  21 Apr 2013 | 11:07 pm

  One big thing that changed since I moved to Canada, is that I have a lot less time for reading news and writing blog posts. In China I used to stop doing emails and calls around 11 or 12 at night, have a glass of wine and start reading my RSS feeds or write a blog post. But in Canada I need to get up much earlier to get Scott ready for school (no nannies here!), so instead of going to bed at 1 or 2 AM I am normally in bed by midnight already. That means I need to rearrange my time schedule a bit if I want to write a blog post. I have at least 5 topics that I planned to write about, but it…

• Grey Sunday afternoon

  Marc van der Chijs

  7 Apr 2013 | 10:00 pm

  Vancouver this afternoon I signed up for the Vancouver half marathon that will take place in 4 weeks. I did not specifically train for it yet, because normally my shape should be good enough to run a half marathon. But just to make sure I decided to try a longer run this afternoon. The weather was grey with a bit of rain, perfect for a run! I drove to Park Royal, parked my car next to the Ambleside hockey fields and started my run through the Ambleside Park, over the Capilano River and on to the Lions Gate Bridge. There was a huge traffic jam on the bridge and just when I entered the sidewalk…

• 

  China Business Blog

• China Edge: Hospitality and Service for High Net Worth Chinese

  admin

  22 May 2013 | 10:32 am

  We are pleased to announce that we will be co-hosting, and speaking at, the China Edge Symposium: Hospitality and Service for High Net Worth Chinese, in London on 3 July in London. With the Chinese consumer being in the headlines almost every time a major brand issues its results, it is no wonder that luxury retail brands want to get a better understanding of how to attract, engage, serve…and sell to…Chinese buyers. The China Dividend: “Luxury fashion retailer Burberry posts 14% profits rise as Chinese sales surge” (Retail Week) “Armani…said revenue for…

• ChinaBlogTweets Twitter Updates for 19-05-2013

  admin

  19 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  RT @beyondbrics: US-China audit fight: Armageddon averted? http://t.co/2G13seCyut -> The China Business Blog Daily is out! http://t.co/pFZ4rq7M9Y ▸ Top stories today via @taniabranigan @CLP_editorial @niubi -> "China was our [UK's] fastest growing export market in absolute terms in 2012 (+13.5% relatively)"… http://t.co/ocoIRkGYuz -> RT @prchovanec: China threatens own trade action if EU opens telecoms case http://t.co/oQCCJ9Yeid -> Sichuan dam RT @CDT: China’s Tallest Dam Gets Environmental Green Light http://t.co/rKcfoNxcwW -> RT @stanyee: China…

• All-Consuming Urbanisation (& Tourism)

  admin

  12 May 2013 | 12:47 pm

  Urbanisation and consumption in China come together in this week’s post. The former is said by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to be an “irresistible force” and a key plank of China’s development plan. They note that: The “National Plan for Promoting Healthy Urbanisation (2011-2020) has been reportedly formulated. Under this, over 20 city clusters will be built across the country…It’s expected that comprehensive support measures for urbanisation reform, covering land, household registration and social, healthcare and education services, will also be introduced…

• ChinaBlogTweets Twitter Updates for 12-05-2013

  admin

  12 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  Urbanisation’s irresistible force | HKTDC http://t.co/mvadb9Tzjj via @sharethis -> RT @ReutersChina: #HK Q1 #GDP up 0.2 pct qtr/qtr on domestic demand -> RT @beyondbrics: China exports: doing the rounds http://t.co/cUTAIu6fic -> RT @BWassener: StanChart has cut #China economic growth f/t to 7.7% for '13 (from 8.3%), 7.5% for '14 (from 8.2%). -> The China Business Blog Daily is out! http://t.co/pFZ4rq7M9Y ▸ Top stories today via @techrice @sinotechian @davesgonechina -> Check out "China Edge: Service and Hospitality for High Net Worth Chinese" (London, 3…

• ChinaBlogTweets Twitter Updates for 05-05-2013

  admin

  5 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  RT @ChinaDailyEU: China Economy by Numbers: Find latest statistics data about China economy, major figures… http://t.co/tr2PdszsPU -> The China Business Blog Daily is out! http://t.co/pFZ4rq7M9Y ▸ Top stories today via @islandchic @red_luxury @CEIBS -> China's future: Xi Jinping and the Chinese dream @TheEconomist http://t.co/vh4vQWnDlo -> http://t.co/wjhRARVrhT Another bad food day. And the bottled water is a fail too (Chinese… -> The China Business Blog Daily is out! http://t.co/pFZ4rq7M9Y ▸ Top stories today via @danwashburn @sinosplice @niubi ->…

• 

  Lost Laowai

• China’s first-tier cities barely suitable for living, report says

  Lost Laowai

  21 May 2013 | 6:18 pm

  Beijing Morning by J Aaron Farr Despite a strong showing in the “Top 10 attractive cities to foreigners” list, a new report indicates that no Mainland first-tier cities are suitable for habitation. The report on China’s urban competitiveness, from Chinese think tank the National Academy of Economic Strategy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, states that the metropolises of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou all failed to rank as “habitable cities”; with Beijing dropping to 74th and 119th on the list for habitability and ecological environment. Hong Kong…

• Video: Epic Chinese scooter driving fail

  Ryan

  20 May 2013 | 8:46 pm

  Begin watching in the top right of the screen. I remember when I first purchased an e-bike 5 years or so ago, it had been a while since I’d been on any sort of bike, let alone a motorized one. There really is a certain amount of trial by fire when buying a bike in China, with most bike shops deep in urban centres; hell, most of China is an urban centre. So I do sympathize with this fellow to an extent … like for the first bump into a car. After that, why didn’t he just get off and walk it across the intersection? And for those without a VPN (thx Seraph): The post Video: Epic…

• Laowai in Guangzhou kick off event for lesbians in the city

  Lost Laowai

  15 May 2013 | 10:51 pm

  According to a post over at The Nanfang, Guangzhou is about to get a brand new event catering to the city’s LGBT community, specifically the ladies. Last month, 32-year-old English teacher Lisa and her friend Jamie were struck by the lack of venues at which lesbians can hang out. This particular discussion led to the conception of an event for lesbians which will be held at the Kiwi Lounge this coming Saturday, May 18. It will provide an opportunity for women to meet other women in a safe and fun environment. In Guangzhou, homosexual-friendly bars are mostly geared to men. 24 year-old…

• A look at yellow fever documentary ‘Seeking Asian Female’

  Ryan

  10 May 2013 | 11:38 pm

  Seeking Asian Female director Debbie Lam with her subjects Sandy and Steven.I was pretty eager to sit down and watch “Seeking Asian Female“, Debbie Lam’s new documentary exploring ‘Yellow Fever’. I’ve always been a bit skeptical about the whole Asian fetish thing, and, admittedly, a bit defensive about it — my wife is Asian and I’m Caucasian. I suppose the thing that gets my back up is the hinted presumption that all white people with Asian partners are somehow suffering from a fetish. Of course this is as silly as the spouses of all…

• Are you on the China ESL teacher blacklist?

  Lost Laowai

  9 May 2013 | 5:42 pm

  The ad-hoc grassroots organization, China Foreign Teacher’s Union, recently announced they had obtained a secretive ESL teachers blacklist used by various schools throughout China to keep tabs on teachers who become “problematic”. The list, sent to the group anonymously and entirely in Chinese, “contains the names of 796 teachers of which 673 are foreigners. 82% of the foreign teachers listed working in the Beijing and Shanghai Provinces [sic] with the balance scattered throughout China.” The list breaks the teachers into a number of different categories,…

• 

  China Post Online - Taiwan , News , Taiwan newspaper

• Bernanke poker-faced on Fed pullback in testimony

  22 May 2013 | 9:01 am

  (ChinaPost.com.tw) - The Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus is helping the U.S. economy recover but the central bank needs to see further signs of traction before taking its foot off the gas, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.

• MOJ turns down Manila's mutual legal assistance

  22 May 2013 | 9:01 am

  (ChinaPost.com.tw) - The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) yesterday said it has declined a Philippine request for bilateral judicial assistance for the time being, as the Philippine government still refuses to provide a video of the entire killing incident of a Taiwanese fisherman on May 9.

• Japan reaches historic low in April trade deficit

  22 May 2013 | 9:01 am

  (ChinaPost.com.tw) - Japan on Wednesday posted its worst April trade deficit as a weak yen ramped up import costs and helped extend the run of monthly shortfalls to the longest in more than three decades.

• Feud not between peoples: president

  22 May 2013 | 9:01 am

  (ChinaPost.com.tw) - President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that a row between Taiwan and the Philippines is not a dispute between the two countries' peoples but between the people of Taiwan and the Philippine government.

• PTS row 'worst' int'l scandal: Lung

  22 May 2013 | 9:01 am

  (ChinaPost.com.tw) - Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) yesterday said that the lack of Public Television Service Foundation (PTS) board member candidates that is preventing it from operating is the “biggest international scandal that Taiwan has ever had.”

• 

  Thomas Crampton

• Put down that phone!

  thomascrampton

  8 May 2013 | 9:19 am

  A great poster, among several others, by Brazilian artist Felipe Luchi as part of a campaign for Outside magazine. While I find the image oppressive on many levels – probably because I recognize my own character – the single person running away is a hint of optimism. Click on the image for a larger version.

• Converse: Creative use of search

  thomascrampton

  23 Apr 2013 | 2:00 am

  Realize this example is not new, but I do like the way Converse used search to create an engaging game. Converse Domaination from Ross Martin on Vimeo.

• Mandarin-speaking Digital Specialist? We are hiring!

  thomascrampton

  17 Jan 2013 | 9:47 pm

  We are keen to hire the best! Feel free to apply through LinkedIn or send an email with CV and cover letter to jason.fashade at ogilvy dot com. Details here: Who are we? Social@Ogilvy is a global, cross-discipline team of social experts from across all of Ogilvy’s businesses. We know there’s a new customer and stakeholder journey defined by the increasing impact our networks have on purchase decision and our behaviors. We design integrated social solutions that combine deep disciplines like CRM, PR and shopper marketing that are rooted in behavioral drivers. The role: Senior Regional…

• China’s Singles Day: Bigger than US Cyber Monday

  thomascrampton

  26 Nov 2012 | 10:24 am

  Today’s “Cyber Monday” sales in the United States have been hailed and a landmark moment in e-commerce, with online holiday sales expected to pass US$2 billion. This certainly seems impressive, until you see what happened this month in China already in relation to “Singles Day”. My colleague Michele Fan gathered some interesting facts and details about the event, which celebrates bachelorhood. Singles Day, a self-declared holiday on November 11, inspired 213 million netizens in China to spend US$3.1 billion online within 24-hours. Taobao and TMall, both owned by…

• Somewhat Embarrassing Video

  thomascrampton

  5 Sep 2012 | 8:48 pm

  Tomorrow we launch the first edition of Social Media Matters. I believe it will be Asia’s largest and highest level conference dedicated to social business in Asia. We have 400+ attendees and some amazing speakers from all major global, China and many regional platforms. Next Media kindly did this crazy video for the event. Now I know what I will look like at the age of 80!

• 

  Simpson's Paradox

• Anne Michaud’s ‘Girls and Monsters’

  Meg

  22 May 2013 | 12:15 pm

  I recently reviewed Anne Michaud’s ‘Girls and Monsters’ over on Yahoo: The strength of Anne Michaud’s Girls & Monsters comes from blending dark and disturbing monsters with relatable, honest teenage moments. The first story of Girls & Monsters involves a flesh-hungry mermaid, but the weirdness of the premise is mitigated with the detailed believability of an unrequited teenage crush in a tiny tourist town. A story about a giant spider is mixed with a long-distance crush and sibling conflict, which is all suitably awkward and teenage. The collection is finally…

• That Time Amy Poehler Told My Sister She’ll Cure Cancer

  Meg

  21 May 2013 | 12:23 pm

  My sister Bethie, a grad student at Columbia and the teller of my favorite joke ever, asked Amy Poehler if she’s going to cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. Here is the gif set going around Tumblr today: My sister is so awesome! (Amy Poehler is OK too.) Via We Will Predict Your Future! w/Amy Poehler! | The Chris Gethard Show. From the blog Simpson's Paradox, please comment here:That Time Amy Poehler Told My Sister She’ll Cure Cancer Tweet this!

• Movies & Manhattan

  Meg

  19 May 2013 | 8:26 pm

  Harold loves the old Incredible Hulk TV show. Last night, we watched an episode called Terror in Times Square, during which I ignored most of the plot to watch the lovely backgrounds of Manhattan. I liked trying to identify the locations. Is this 1970′s Park Ave in the low 30s? Or is it a movie set in a less-trafficked area, made up to look like Park and the low 30s? I watched the show, thinking happily about adventures in the city, but Harold empathized more with the crowd-induced Hulk rage. Tonight, we are watching The Amazing Spiderman, and Harold wants to know why, if Spiderman…

• Lili on thalo

  Meg

  17 May 2013 | 5:56 pm

  I often insist that game can be artistic, but rarely get to talk about why and how. I got the chance to discuss Lili, an iPad game I really like, for arts mag thalo. The island is full of strange characters for players to interact with and get to know. Early on, Lili discovers that friendly Construct Bellringer is not terribly bright, and the island’s evil mayor is a mustache-twirling villain. One Construct is a budding poet, and his verses are hilariously awful. The Spirits have a surprising amount of personality even in their one line of dialogue after victory or defeat, and Lili’s…

• ‘Electronic Games’ From The 1980′s

  Meg

  15 May 2013 | 8:26 pm

  Found a cache of Electronic Games magazines from the 1980s at a flea market. They were in surprisingly good condition and I’ve had a really great time reading through them. I wrote for Geek about what’s changed and what really hasn’t. A new games studio called “Electronic Arts” is featured for their innovative new workflow patterns… Although my Geek colleague Michael Westgarth has come up with the top five classic EA franchises, and I unashamedly love EA’s The Sims, their reputation has changed pretty drastically since this 1982 article. EA’s now also known for…

• 

  China Bystander

• Death Toll From Southern Rains Tops 50

  China Bystander

  20 May 2013 | 1:04 pm

  The death toll from the heavy rains lashing southern China has reached 53 with several other people reported missing. At least 22 of the deaths have been in Guangdong, the worst-affected province, state media report. Some reports put the death … Continue reading →

• China Granted Arctic Council Observer Status

  China Bystander

  15 May 2013 | 5:31 am

  Being granted observer status at the Arctic Council is a significant step forward for China’s trade and energy ambitions on the roof of the world. A northern route through the Arctic would lessen the costs and dangers of shipping Chinese … Continue reading →

• Fragile Industrial Output Tests China’s Policymakers’ Nerve

  China Bystander

  13 May 2013 | 5:46 am

  Economic activity remains weak in China. April’s industrial output was up 9.3% in April from March’s 8.9%, a seven-month low, but short of expectations of 9.5% growth. The recovery that started in the second half of last year is not … Continue reading →

• Baosteel Cuts Prices

  China Bystander

  8 May 2013 | 9:10 pm

  Baoshan Iron & Steel is cutting prices for its main steel products for the first time in nine months — a clear sign of falling demand in a sputtering economy. As China’s largest listed steelmaker where Baosteel leads others in … Continue reading →

• China’s Dodgy Trade Data

  China Bystander

  8 May 2013 | 4:04 am

  On the face of it, China’s April trade figures look healthy: exports were up 14.7% year-on-year; imports were up 16.8% on the same basis; the trade surplus was $18.2 billion. All three figures were better than forecast. And from there … Continue reading →

• 

  Mutant Palm

• Survey Says… “Oops”

  dgc

  19 May 2013 | 2:40 am

  Max Fisher at The Washington Post ran a blog post last week featuring a world map of “racial tolerance” based on data from the World Values Survey (WVS), and it didn’t take long before the collective peer review power of Tufts University and Reddit found at least two examples of “fat fingers” where a “no, I don’t mind living next to other races” was mistakenly swapped with a “yes, I’m totally racist when it comes to choosing neighbors” for Bangladesh and Hong Kong, thanks to mistranslation and poor survey design. Others…

• Happy China Internet Maintenance Day!

  dgc

  3 Jun 2009 | 11:22 pm

  中国网站维护日快乐! Truly, my new favorite Chinese holiday. The traditional way of celebrating offline involves umbrellas. It’s as if they’ve been watching Simpsons reruns in ZNH. And they’ve probably seen it in the dorms of Beida, or the equivalent, but it just doesn’t pack that same wallop it does for the overseas chattering dissident class, it seems. Still, taking away Twitter?Curtailing my ability, as one friend described, to find out instantaneously how many loads of laundry a former high school classmate just successfully washed? Fuck. That. Shit.

• CIRC 2009

  dgc

  26 May 2009 | 11:59 am

  I’ll be speaking, listening and blogging the 7th Annual Chinese Internet Research Conference in Philadelphia this Wednesday and Thursday (evenings in Beijing) over at the nested domains of http://2009.circ.asia/, which resolves to http://www.global.asc.upenn.edu/circ, where the blog is a wrapper around http://www.lokman.org/. In other words, you’ll find me, Lokman, Weiyu, Anne and Bill via any of those domains. Twitter tag is #circ09, and a live webcast will stream from http://www.ustream.tv/channel/circ2009. It’ll be interesting to see panels that sit Peking University…

• Chinese Al Jazeera? No Chance.

  dgc

  25 Mar 2009 | 11:51 pm

  Reading David Bandurski’s ever keen observations over at China Media Project in “As China shout its line on Tibet, is anybody listening?”, I got struck by deja vu all over again. Three times. First, there’s the endless drumbeat of the official line in Chinese media Bandurski illustrates thusly: In People’s Daily: “Treasuring the fruits of democratic reform: celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of millions of Tibetan serfs” In Guangming Daily: “Treasuring the fruits of democratic reform: celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of…

• Teacup Feet

  dgc

  18 Mar 2009 | 11:45 pm

  by otisarchives3 World War I era photo of Chinese woman’s feet from the Otis Historical Archives at the National Museum of Health & Medicine in Washington, D.C.

• 

  Web2Asia

• Daily Digital Pulse of China : China E-Commerce, China Mobile

  7 May 2013 | 5:54 pm

  Jingdong Adds A Supermarket To Its E-commerce Offerings Jingdong (formely called 360Buy) is adding a supermarket channel to its e-commerce site, bringing more than 5,000 types of groceries, packaged foods, beverages and snacks. The good news for the customers is that they can buy a single item if they wish. Jingdong that switched to its current branding in March, is a direct challenge to Yihaodian, the country’s largest food-only specialist e-store, which is majority owned by American retailer Walmart. Source: techinasia.com Hugo Boss Goes Global With China-Centered Campaign Hugo Boss…

• Daily Digital Pulse of China : China E-Commerce, China Mobile, China Video

  6 May 2013 | 4:54 pm

  Mobile: Reducing The Risk Of "Showrooming" Mobile  can play a valuable role in reducing the risk of "showrooming", according to a new study based on responses from 38,000 people in 43 countries and released by TNS. “The impact of digital development, mobile Internet and online shopping are coming together in a way that is posing a very real threat to traditional bricks and mortar retailers. However, there is also opportunity to mitigate that risk for brands that get their customer engagement right,” Matthew Froggatt, Chief Development Officer at TNS, said. Among those who…

• Daily Digital Pulse of China : China E-Commerce, China Mobile, China Gaming, China Online Payment

  5 May 2013 | 5:14 pm

  What's Next For The Gaming Market In China? The future looks bright for the Chinese mobile gaming market with 20 billion yuan estimated turnover by 2015. No wonder that game developers and distributors in China are searching for ways to attract more people to download gaming apps. Statistics show that more than 32 percent of the total spent by a consumer on mobile devices is for gaming purposes. The results of a survey conducted by Flurry Analytics revealed that 24 percent of the consumers are using social networking apps.And since China has established a number of online payment services,…

• Daily Digital Pulse of China: China E-Commerce, China PC

  3 May 2013 | 2:56 am

  Alibaba.com Unveils "Buyer Community" Alibaba.com has unveiled a new section on its website called Buyer Community which is designed to serve as a knowledge base for the members who use the B2B website to source products. Vincent Wong, head of Buyer Service and Development for Alibaba.com, announced that “this is meant to be a resource for the members who may not know exactly what products they want or who may want to understand the market better before they buy”. The mini-site’s three subsections include: Discussion Forums, Site Resources and Trade Intelligence. Source:…

• Daily Digital Pulse of China: China E-Commerce, China Social Media

  1 May 2013 | 9:37 pm

  Alibaba’s Social Media Play – Experts’ Voice The news that Alibaba acquired the microblogging servive Weibo has risen interest for the international media. Leading voices from the Chinese e-commerce market explained for www.wwd.com how Alibaba’s move is going to influence the online shopping experience in China.  Franklin Yao, chief executive officer of SmithStreet, considers that this is a milestone for the Chinese consumers that might be able “to have an online shopping experience that feels like shopping in brick-and-mortar retail with…

• 

  Asia Sentinel: Alice Poon Blog

• A Story of White

  9 May 2013 | 4:05 pm

  White has always been my favorite color. White flowers seem to have a special power over me. Whenever I buy flowers, I would invariably pick up either white roses, or white orchids or white freesias. In many cultures the color white symbolizes purity, perfection and truth. In my own fantasyland, it is a color that speaks of liberty and versatility – it can be at once a non-color and a rainbow-color. No other color is more perfect.

• Original Sin of Chinese Capitalism

  23 Apr 2013 | 6:10 pm

  In a 2007 post, I shared my own observation on the irony of capitalism. If anything, the 2008 global financial debacle would seem to testify to a grain of truth in the ironic and disastrous outcome of American capitalism. But capitalism with Chinese characteristics (not in the specific sense of Yasheng Huang’s book) – in reality just a Western economic concept that has been grafted onto Chinese soil - appears to be even more egregious, owing probably to its putrid fusion with a deeply implanted class-discriminating and serf mind-set in the Chinese culture.

• Balzac's Miser

  11 Apr 2013 | 9:07 pm

  What is a miser? The dictionary says it means either one of two types of persons: (1) one who lives very meagerly in order to hoard money; or (2) a greedy or avaricious person. I’ve lately been reading Honore de Balzac’s famous novel Eugenie Grandet and am impressed by the 19th century French author’s perspicacious insight into the traits of misers.

• French Golden Oldie

  25 Mar 2013 | 7:15 pm

  “Autumn Leaves” is without question one of the much loved golden oldies of the 40s. Its original French version “Les Feuilles Mortes” sung by Yves Montand, in my opinion, surpasses any other version in poignancy, and it leaves a lingering after-taste. No doubt this is owed much to the heart-wrenching sentimental lyrics. Indeed, the French song was rendered from Jacques Prevert’s great poem of the same name.

• Outrage or Apathy?

  7 Mar 2013 | 5:40 pm

  While Hong Kong activists are busy talking about another “Occupy Central” movement – this time to be a better organized and better grounded one than the last, the passing away of Stephane Hessel (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/27/writer-activist-stephane-hessel-dies-aged-95), a much revered champion of human rights and author of Time for Outrage (Indignez-vous!), the very book that inspired “Occupy Wall Street”, went largely unnoticed in Hong Kong.

• 

  Silicon Dragon

• Nearly 20% on Forbes Ranking Of Top 100 VCs Do Deals in China

  13 May 2013 | 2:14 pm

  VC pro Hans Tung of Qiming with tech star David Li of YYThe impact of tech innovation in China can be seen in the just-released Forbes Midas listing of top venture investors.Of the 100 top tech investors on the list, 17 VCs are actively investing in the Chinese market or have made at least one deal in the Mainland. If you add in those who have overseen their firm’s strategy in China, the group expands to 19, including such notables as Jim Breyer of Accel and John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins.Next to the U.S., China soars on a breakdown of geographic markets on the…

• Why NYC Doesn't Have A Facebook

  7 Mar 2013 | 10:56 am

  NY-based venture maverick Jim RobinsonFor a well-rounded perspective on the New York City startup and venture investing scene, there’s few who could top James D. Robinson IV.The co-founder of one of the Big Apple‘s leading venture capital firms, RRE Ventures, Jim  has been investing for nearly 30 years and has backed dozens of startups in information technology, e-commerce, mobile and digital media. Now investing its fifth fund at $230 million, in 2012 RRE Ventures made seven venture deals and eight angel investments — and has even…

• Angel Investing: No More 'Stupid Money'

  4 Mar 2013 | 2:22 pm

  Angel Investing Matures From 'Stupid Money' And No 'Do Diligence'         Silicon Dragon AlleyAfter reporting from the startup hubs of Asia’s emerging markets for more than a decade, it’s refreshing to see innovation clusters forming closer to home.I’ve been spending some time interviewing angel investors and entrepreneurs in New York City, hanging out in neighborhood cafes in the Flatiron district and the former meat-packing area around Hudson Street.Brian Cohen, chairman of the New York Angels group and a lead…

• Predicing Top Trends for Startup Asia In 2013

  30 Dec 2012 | 11:28 am

  As we get ready to ring in the new year, here’s my top 10 predictions for Startup Asia in 2013 — with a decided Silicon Valley lens. In case you missed it, this forecast follows last week’s recap of the top 10 Startup Asia trends in 2012.Here goes:1. Silicon Valley will remain the global tech hub followed by China though innovation centers in clusters around the world will matter more. Think Indonesia, Brazil and Russia, and of course, the perennial, Israel. London too will help to jumpstart innovation again in Europe as Silicon Roundabout becomes a reality. Entrepreneurs from around…

• Top 10 Trends for Startup Asia in 2012

  30 Dec 2012 | 11:24 am

  As the 2012 calendar near a close in this Chinese Dragon year, it’s time to reflect on the top trends that defined the increasingly sophisticated Startup Asia scene over the past 12 months. Here’s a few observations here from my many journalistic travels and interviews in China and India during 2012. 1. The rise of the serial entrepreneur. Those who struck it rich with their first startups are now going back in for another try, this time with more cash of their own and with lessons learned. It’s a phenomenon that jumpstarted Silicon Valley and has now spread to Asia’s tech hotspots.2.

• 

  chinaSMACK

• Wrongly Convicted Men Compensated 1.1m RMB After 10 Years in Jail

  Fauna

  21 May 2013 | 7:00 pm

  From QQ: Zhejiang High Court Gives Wrongly Convicted Uncle and Nephew Over 1.1 Million Yuan Each in State Compensation 2013 May 17, the Zhejiang Province High People’s Court issued a state compensation judgment during the review of Zhang Hui and Zhang Gaoping’s previous convictions, overruling the previous decision and declaring them innocent, whereby Zhang Hui and Zhang Gaoping will each be paid 1,105,730.60 yuan, totaling 2,211,461.20 yuan. 2013 May 2, Zhang Hui and Zhang Gaoping requested state compensation from the Zhejiang Province High People’s Court after being…

• Desperate Chinese College Student Takes Doctor Hostage

  Peter Barefoot

  20 May 2013 | 10:48 pm

  From QQ: Wuhan University Student Takes Hostage Over Damages After Traffic Accident May 18, a freshman of a certain college in Wuhan surnamed Chen accidentally hit an 80-something-year-old lady while riding a bicycle. Then, because of issues over the medical expenses, he had a conflict with the old lady’s family where, in a moment of desperation, he took out a fruit knife and took a female doctor surnamed Duan hostage, requiring that he reach his intended destination before he would release her. 97 minutes after the Qingshan Public Security Sub-Bureau was notified, the hostage was…

• Son of Chinese Judge Hired Hit Men to Murder His Own Family

  Fauna

  19 May 2013 | 9:50 pm

  From Sina Weibo: @头条新闻: In the Henan province Zhoukou city judge Gao Tianfeng and daughter murder case, on the list of names given to the hired killers, which included the parents and the older sister, the offered price was 200,000 [RMB] per person. What was fortunate was that the mother happened to not be at home that day and escaped the calamity. What makes this a tragedy is that in order to protect her younger brother that day, the older sister reverse-locked him in a room [so the killers could not get in], not knowing even as she was murdered that the hired killers were employed…

• ‘Running Away’ by Zhou Bichang

  Rensi

  18 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  “Running Away” is included in 27-year-old mainland singer Zhou Bichang‘s latest album Unlock, released on May 16, 2013. At time of translation, this song has generated 38,355 listens on Xiami. Music Video: Composer: Frank Fossey Lyrics: Ge Dawei Arrangements: Liang Qiaobo Singer: Zhou Bichang Lyrics (Original Chinese, Pinyin Romanization, and English Translation): 外头阳光耀眼 wài tóu yáng guāng yào yǎn Outside the sunshine is shining 相机充饱了电 xiàng jī chōng bǎo le diàn The camera is fully charged 拒绝咖啡续杯 jù jué kā fēi xù bēi…

• Mechanic Test Driving Lamborghini Hits & Kills Scooter Rider

  Peter Barefoot

  17 May 2013 | 7:00 pm

  From NetEase: Kunming Mechanic Driving Unlicensed Lamborghini Hits and Kills 1 Person On the afternoon of May 13 at about 4:40pm, a yellow Lamborghini sports car without a license plate crashed respectively into a Hyundai SUV and a electric scooter in front of the Liujia Sub-District Office on Guannan Avenue in Kunming, causing the electric scooter rider to die instantly at the scene. According to traffic police, the perpetrator is not the owner of this Lamborghini but an employee of a repair shop and when the incident occurred, he happened to be test-driving the vehicle. According to a…

• 

  China Briefing News

• China’s New ‘Good Supply Practice of Pharmaceutical Products’ to Take Effect

  China Briefing

  22 May 2013 | 3:19 am

  China released the newly revised "Good Supply Practice of Pharmaceutical Products" on January 22, which is scheduled to take effect on June 1, 2013. Detailed information can be found here. Continue reading →

• SAT Clarifies Beneficial Ownership of Dividends under Tax Treaties

  China Briefing

  22 May 2013 | 2:30 am

  China's SAT releases Opinions in response to inquiries concerning beneficial ownership status under the dividends provision of the DTA between Mainland China and Hong Kong. Continue reading →

• China Releases Administrative Measures on Foreign Debt Registration

  China Briefing

  21 May 2013 | 2:16 am

  China released the “Circular on Administrative Measures for Foreign Debt Registration” on April 28, which came into effect on May 13, 2013. Detailed information can be found below. Continue reading →

• China Allows Private Equity Investment in Insurance Companies

  China Briefing

  20 May 2013 | 3:17 am

  China released the “Circular on Relevant Issues regarding the Investment and Shareholding of Limited Partnership Equity Investment Enterprises in Insurance Companies” on April 24, which allows the limited partnership equity investment enterprises to invest in the insurance companies. Detailed information can be found here. Continue reading →

• Tax Implications of a Service Permanent Establishment

  China Briefing

  20 May 2013 | 12:26 am

  By Eunice Ku and Shirley Zhang May 20 – With an increasing number of foreign enterprises starting to conduct business in China, tax liabilities resulting from business activities within the country are fast becoming an issue of key concern. If

• 

  ChinaTravel.net Features

• HK vs China: The Mainland Expat's guide to saving big in Hong Kong

  15 May 2013 | 3:35 pm

  Hong Kong is Asia's shopping paradise, a seaside port whose history revolves around international trade, and the economic gateway to Mainland. Naturally, this makes Hong Kong the economic gateway to the rest of the world for Mainlanders. Many foreigners come to China expecting it to house their favorite products at half the price (considering the majority are made here), but sadly, my naïve f ...

• Shanghai weekend getaways: book train tickets online in English

  25 Apr 2013 | 10:28 am

  For those of you in Shanghai that are stuck in your metropolitan bubble, train travel is the answer to see the many worthwhile sights nearby and expand your China experience. Train travel is an experience in of itself, but is often intimidating for many expats who can’t speak Mandarin because they are afraid their bumbling at the train station will result in a long line of impatient people y ...

• Wait—you haven't bought your F1 tickets yet?

  8 Apr 2013 | 2:48 pm

  One of the benefits of Shanghai's recently-built, modern F1 track, is that the various Grandstands were specifically designed with particular views in mind. Grandstand A was built in order to view the entiriety of the track, Lower Grandstand A for the pit lane, and Sub-Grandstand H and K were built with the view of the exciting straightaway in mind. Given the recent controversy with Vettel overtak ...

• Beijing's hidden treasures

  9 Jan 2013 | 5:55 pm

  The capital of China is a marvelous place for the history freaks among us. Just thinking about all the famous places in Beijing, like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square to name but a few, already makes our heart beat a little faster. Apart from these celebrated tourist spots, Beijing is home to a bunch of rather unknown treasures and with our tips and tricks, you are all set ...

• Where the people speak Sichuanese and the kids eat peppers as snacks

  24 Oct 2012 | 10:34 am

  In just five-days-time, we managed to explore most of the streets of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, stopped for afternoon tea at Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage, and, of course, paid a visit to our furry friends at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Though I left Chengdu satisfied that I had taken on and conquered a Chinese city completely unfamiliar to me, those fi ...

• 

  Xinjiang: Far West China

• Why You Should Visit Turpan, Xinjiang

  Josh

  22 May 2013 | 2:10 pm

  When it comes to traveling the Silk Road in China, there are usually three “must-see” cities: Kashgar, Dunhuang and Turpan. Each city offers a unique insight into the history of the Silk Road along with proper tourist amenities to make the trip fun. So why visit Turpan? I mean, let’s be honest: Turpan (also known as Tulufan in Chinese) is one of the lowest points in the world, so it’s insanely hot during the summer! Who in their right mind would brave extreme heat just to see a few old cities? Well, I did. And many others have done the same and been glad they went.

• A Guide: Traveling to the Urumqi Airport

  Josh

  30 Apr 2013 | 8:05 pm

  For most travelers, flying into Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (乌鲁木齐地窝铺国际机场) marks their first step into the Xinjiang province. The Urumqi airport is the primary transportation hub and one of only two airports in Xinjiang that offer international flights (Kashgar is the other). In the hopes of making things as easy for you – the traveler – as possible, below I’ve tried to answer the top 4 question I receive about Urumqi flights in Xinjiang. If you have any additional questions, please put them in the comments section and I’ll keep this…

• Doors of Xinjiang: Photo Journal

  Josh

  25 Apr 2013 | 5:35 am

  When your home is made of mud-brick, sometimes it’s hard to decorate. At least, that’s my theory when it comes to Uyghur homes in Xinjiang, China. It’s for that reason (I believe) that the locals in almost every town along the ancient Silk Road put a lot of time and thought into their doors. That’s right. Their doors. Perhaps you’ve noticed it during your own travels to Xinjiang, but I’ll admit that their beauty completely escaped me for the first couple years I traveled the region. But once I noticed one, I couldn’t stop looking for cool doors. Below…

• The Furthest Point from Any Ocean: Center of Asia

  Josh

  23 Apr 2013 | 5:15 am

  Go where no ocean has ever gone before. Xinjiang is known for some crazy things, but only one odd fact has landed the Chinese province in the Guinness Book of World Records: Xinjiang is home to the geographic center of Asia. It’s the point furthest from the sea than anywhere else in the world. Think about that for a moment. Xinjiang – a land that China is investing millions over the next decade to become an Asian trade hub – is further from a sea port than any other location in the world. To commemorate this achievement, a monument park has been erected 25 kilometers…

• A View of “Sinkiang” in 1943 from Life Magazine

  Josh

  18 Apr 2013 | 5:24 am

  Last week a good friend and fellow Xinjiang-enthusiast loaned me a copy of LIFE magazine dated December 13, 1943. I get excited about these type of things (it’s weird, I know) and even after a quick glance I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. On the cover, as you can see here, a Hui man labeled as a “Citizen of Sinkiang” stares at the reader with a youthful expression of confidence and curiosity. Forget World War II…what they heck does LIFE have to say about the far reaches of China? Written by Theodore H. White and beautifully photographed by William…

• 

  Tai Shan

• Upcoming May Events

  sbryant

  3 May 2013 | 10:28 pm

  Friday May 10, 6.30pm 5月10日，周五，晚上6：30 M Wine Talk: Chile, Where the Old World Meets the New World DRINK. TALK. THINK. 米氏葡萄酒讲堂：智利，旧世界与新世界葡萄酒 RMB 138, includes a wine tasting RMB 138, 包含葡萄酒品鉴 This month, we explore the wines of Chile, discovering the elements that make Chilean wine so loved around the world.  ASC’s wine expert, Mila Dorosh, leads the presentation and tasting. 本月，我们为您推荐的是智利葡萄酒，智利葡萄酒为世界所爱的各种秘密。ASC精品酒业葡萄酒专家，Mila Dorosh…

• M Literary Residency in Shanghai

  sbryant

  10 Apr 2013 | 8:12 am

  The M Writer’s Residencies 2014-15: Applications for the 2014-15 M Writer’s Residencies are now open. The Programme funds three-month residencies in Bangalore and Shanghai for writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry or dramatic prose. (The residency in India is at Sangam House, which can also be applied to separately www.sangamhouse.org ) An Application Form and Residency Guidelines are attached and further information can be found at the links below. Applications close on June 1, 2013. The M Writer’s Residencies have been established to disseminate a broader knowledge of…

• Tea Magazine

  sbryant

  6 Apr 2013 | 12:14 am

  I received this call for submissions in an email, and thought it might be of interest to some readers here: Tea Magazine is a lifestyle publication celebrating tea and tea culture. It exists to encourage people to drink fine tea. Online and in print it articulates a forward-looking vision of nourishing, healthy, modern tea. TEA’s content educates and excites enthusiasts.  It offers new energy, new direction – with opportunities for tea  enthusiasts young and old to share their discoveries. Pays up to $200 for articles. No word count.  

• Coming up in April

  sbryant

  2 Apr 2013 | 12:16 am

  This month’s events at M on the Bund… Friday April 5, 6:30pm 4月5日，周五，下午6：30 M Wine Talk: Argentina~More Than Malbec DRINK. TALK. THINK. RMB 138, includes wine tasting RMB 88, 包含红酒品鉴 For details, click here. Sunday April 14, 4pm 4月14日，周日，下午4点 M Literary Salon: David Christian: Big History: Maps of Time from the Big Bang to Today 米氏文学沙龙： 大卫·克里斯汀：宏观历史： 从宇宙大爆炸到当今社会的纵观图 RMB 75, includes a drink, RMB 20, students RMB 75，包含一份饮料， RMB 20，学生 For…

• Suzhou Bookworm

  sbryant

  1 Apr 2013 | 1:29 am

  Tonight, there is Chinese Corner at the Suzhou Bookworm, starting at 7pm.  It’s a good chance to brush up your Chinese. Here’s what’s coming up for the rest of the week: EVENTS   Tuesday, April 2nd, 8:30pm Comedy Open Mic Hosted by Kungfu Komedy. All welcome to listen to both our amateur and professional comedians. We also welcome you to take to the stage yourself and earn a free drink.   Wednesday, April 3rd, 8:30pm Open Mic   Thursday, April 4th, 8:30pm Quiz Saturday, April 6th, 9:00pm Live music  

• 

  Uploads by Steven Weathers

• Steven Weathers + WIX Promote Yourself

  25 Apr 2013 | 11:57 pm

  Steven Weathers + WIX Promote Yourself TV Presenter in China, Steven Weathers, found that promoting his career with a web site created on WIX.com accelerated his career and opportunities. From: Steven Weathers Views: 103 0 ratings Time: 01:00 More in People & Blogs

• 《咖啡周》Cafe Zhou: a mini-series in Chinese & English

  9 Sep 2011 | 7:32 pm

  《咖啡周》Cafe Zhou: a mini-series in Chinese & English Follow the adventures of Selena Zhou and her cousin, Tony, who live in Shanghai alongside close friends, Kevin, Julie, and Ice Cream. Learn easy phrases in Mandarin and discover quirky differences between Chinese and Western culture. From: Steven Weathers Views: 177 4 ratings Time: 01:00 More in Entertainment

• 

  Asian Ramblings

• A Beautiful “Thin-Nosed” Woman’s visit to Kampot.

  admin

  20 May 2013 | 1:58 am

  I had a lovely weekend visit to Kampot with Khymer friends in Jan 2012. It is a beautiful riverside town with a more tranquil atmosphere, and I found it to be the perfect get-away from the chaotic fun of PP. My favourite thing to do in Kampot was to stroll along the river-front promenade and watch life on the river go by. The hazy Bokor Mountains were a romantic backdrop and I loved the beautiful flowering trees that lined the walkway and the waterfront road. We stayed at a lovely guest house near the Kampot river called Mea Culpa. As part of their restaurant they produced gourmet pizzas in…

• 6 Things to Do on a Singapore Stopover

  admin

  5 Apr 2013 | 7:56 am

  1. Go to Little India for great food. Be warned that Singapore hotel costs are more similar to Western prices than typical South East Asia prices so you’ll need to hunt around for budget options. At least you can eat cheaply well on a budget in Singapore. The food in Singapore’s Little India is cheap and delicious. There are several vegetarian only restaurants which are very, very good. Indian food in Kuala Lumpur isn’t as good as here in Singapore so get your fill here. 2. Get a hotel with a nice pool. If you’re not on a super tight budget, it’s worth…

• Perhentian Islands, Malaysia, Photo Essay

  admin

  5 Apr 2013 | 7:36 am

  The Perhentian Islands are hands down the best beaches in Malaysia and better than the beaches on most of the east coast of Thailand to the north. They are at their best late April through the end of August. For several months the boats to the islands are stopped due to the bad monsoon. These photos are of Perhentian Besar, the big island. This is the walk from the last guest house down to the camping beach and shark point. You can pitch a tent at camping beeach for around $5. There are police/military divers sometimes down in this area. This photo is talking a water taxi over to the other…

• 10 China Travel Tips

  admin

  26 Feb 2013 | 2:35 pm

  1. Allow for culture shock. China tends to challenge travelers more than almost any other country. Steph from 20yearshence.com writes about she and her partner Tony experienced “moments that were depressing and sometimes even downright gross, and honestly, if there was one watch-word for our time in the country, it was probably frustration….. we had to admit that China had been a letdown in nearly every arena.” 2. Consider staying in hostels.  If you’re a budget to mid range traveler and don’t speak Chinese, hostel staff (and your fellow travelers) can be some…

• 6 Best Things to Do in Phnom Penh

  admin

  25 Feb 2013 | 9:08 pm

  1. The Central Market is the must-see for any visitor. This beautiful yellow art deco building was built in 1937 and restored to its full glory just a few years ago. The four wings and central dome contain hundreds of stalls selling jewellery, clothing, shoes, souvenirs, books, food etc. I love to visit it because I adore its architecture, both inside and out. Another popular market is the Russian Market. 2. Tuol Sleng Museum. Cambodia’s recent history is dominated by the appalling reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. The cities were emptied of people who were forced into the…

• 

  China Private Equity

• Blackstone Leads Latest Chinese Privatization Bid — New York Times article

  admin

  21 May 2013 | 7:41 pm

  www.chinafirstcapital.com/blog MAY 21, 2013, 7:07 AM Blackstone Leads Latest Chinese Privatization Bid ByNEIL GOUGH A fund run by the Blackstone Group is leading a $662.3 million bid for a technology outsourcing firm based in China, the latest example of a modest boom among buyout shops backing the privatization of Chinese companies listed in the United States. A consortium backed by a private equity fund of Blackstone that includes the Chinese company’s management said on Monday that it would offer $7.50 a share to acquire Pactera Technology International, which is based in Beijing and…

• CITIC Capital’s Take Private Deal for AsiaInfo-Linkage: Is This The Chinese Way to Do an LBO?

  admin

  16 May 2013 | 3:55 pm

  www.chinafirstcapital.com/blog Are we seeing the birth of “Leveraged Buyouts With Chinese Characteristics”? Or just some of the craziest, riskiest and unlikeliest buyout deals in worldwide history? That’s the question posed by the announcement this week that China buyout PE firm CITIC Capital Partners is leading the “take private” deal of NASDAQ-listed AsiaInfo-Linkage Inc., a Chinese software and telecommunications services that company whose shares have halved in value from over $20 during the last two years. CITIC Capital first disclosed in January 2012 its…

• China’s IPO Drought Spurring Interest In M&A — FinanceAsia Article

  admin

  14 May 2013 | 4:24 pm

  www.chinafirstcapital.com/blog   With slim hope of exiting through a lucrative public listing, Chinese entrepreneurs and their investors are considering sales. By Nick Ferguson | 7 May 2013 Keywords: private equity | china first capital | hsbc | china | ipos China’s huge backlog of initial public offerings is creating an exit crisis for maturing private equity funds — and an opportunity for international investors interested in buying something other than a bit of a state-owned enterprise. For China’s entrepreneurs, the dream of earning a rich valuation through an IPO is over, but…

• China private equity bitten again by Fang — Financial Times article

  admin

  10 May 2013 | 4:17 am

  www.chinafirstcapital.com/blog   By Simon Rabinovitch in Beijing Financier Fang Fenglei is betting on private equity recovery China’s unruly markets have vanquished many a savvy investor, but if one man knows how to play them it is Fang Fenglei. From the establishment of the country’s first investment bank in 1995 to the complex partnership that brought Goldman Sachs into China in 2004 and the launch from scratch of a $2.5bn private equity fund in 2007, Mr Fang has been at the nexus of some of the biggest Chinese deals of the past two decades. Even his abrupt decision in 2010 to…

• Anti-Dumping or Blatant US Protectionism? How the US Tried and Failed to Destroy a Great Chinese Entrepreneur

  admin

  6 May 2013 | 5:48 am

  www.chinafirstcapital.com/blog Reckless or evil? You decide. In July 2009, the US Department of Commerce started an anti-dumping investigation of the “narrow woven ribbon with woven selvedge” industry. Never heard of it?  It’s the colored ribbon Americans use primarily in gift-wrapping. It’s not a particularly big industry, probably less than $500 million a year in retail sales in the US. But, adding ribbon to gift-wrapped packages is a staple of American culture. The major store chains like Target, Wal-Mart, Michael’s and Costco all stock a wide variety of…

• 

  China Internet Watch

• Chinese Mobile Internet Market Trend in 2013

  Nick Zhou

  20 May 2013 | 7:23 pm

  Sun Peilin, an analyst in EnfoDesk  recently pointed out that the market size of Chinese mobile internet reached 158.8 billion yuan by the end of 2012, with 750 billion users.According to EnfoDesk, there are several reasons for the slight decline of the growth rate this year:Large base of the market size has some impact on the growth rateThe difficulty of payment for mobile game, reading and music is the main cause of the declineThe cooperation of mobile e-business and mobile advertising platform has confronted with advertising fee problem.Two major factors  of the phenomenon that the…

• Top 3 Video Networks in China: Youku, TENCENT and LETV

  Nick Zhou

  19 May 2013 | 7:44 pm

  According to the data from comScore, Letv’s number of unique viewers in February is about 100 million, making it the third largets video network behind Youku and Tencent.In March 2013, Youku, Tencent and LETV remained the top three video networks. LETV, many people outside China may not be familiar with, is a public listed company on Shenzhen Stock Exchange, focusing on wide variety of drama series and movies.Also read: China’s Top 2 Video Portals YouKu and Tudou to Combine

• Almost Half of China Smartphone Traffic from Android Devices

  CIW Team Staff

  16 May 2013 | 11:01 pm

  According to The State of Mobile Benchmark report released by Adobe in April, almost half of China mobile internet visits are from Android devices, compared to slightly over one third from iOS devices.Also read: Over Half of Total iOS Devices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang & Jiangsu

• Who Has Most Number of China Mobile Users?

  Nick Zhou

  16 May 2013 | 1:16 am

  Zhou Hongyi, the CEO of Qihoo 360, had ever said that Jack Ma, CEO of Tencent, has successfully got the first ticket on the train of China mobile internet. However, Ma added that it was just a standing-only one. Well, who is the most promising on mobile internet in China?Seen from the chart above, it is obvious that three apps developed by Tencent rank at the first, second and fifth respectively in terms of total number of app downloads. Sina Weibo has a total number of 500 million users, 75% of whom has used mobile client to log in.Tencent and Sina are very promising players on China mobile…

• Over Half of The Top 15 Social Media Sites From China

  Nick Zhou

  15 May 2013 | 5:47 am

  According to GlobalWebIndex, over half  of the top 15 social media sites in the world are from China.Also read: Social Media Has Greater Influence on Chinese Purchasing Decisions

• 

  China Hope Live

• Living in China? What do you do about food safety/pollution?

  Joel 大江

  20 May 2013 | 6:57 am

  Just now I opened my latest ZGBriefs China news digest and found: “Rat meat and Chinese food safety” and “20 million taps (and not a drop to drink)”. Right as I sat to down to write this post I also checked my Weixin ( – a Chinese social media thing). At the top of my feed was a post about someone encountering “gutter oil” at lunch. Gutter oil comes from the kitchen slop that restaurants dump down the nearest manhole. Some enterprising (desperate?) soul scoops it out and skims off the oil, which he sells to restaurants and street vendors. I’ve…

• Springtime neighbourhood taiji lessons 太极拳

  Joel 大江

  28 Apr 2013 | 1:23 am

  Saw this on the walk to work (I live and work in the same neighbourhood). These guys are out most mornings. Kicking myself for not having my real camera on hand and having to take these with my phone. Chinese shadow boxing is actually called (tài jí quán). More like this here: [Photo Gallery:] Daily tai-chi & morning exercise in Yonghe, Taipei, Taiwan

• Our neighbourhood’s anti-Japanese restaurant

  Joel 大江

  21 Apr 2013 | 9:20 pm

  I ducked my head in this restaurant to see if they served dog. Turns out they don’t serve Japanese. And they totally weren’t seeing the slogan possibility with serving dog but not Japanese. Anyway: “Diaoyu Islands are inherently China’s territory, this restaurant will not receive Japanese people!” ，！ Interestingly enough, the restaurant right next door is also very patriotic, with “Comrade Mao Zedong” posters on the wall. For more about popular Chinese hatred for Japan: Japanese apologies “Japanese and dog no nearing” Why they hate the Japanese Anti-Japan…

• Don’t eat dog? We sure missed that memo… [Updated]

  Joel 大江

  16 Apr 2013 | 2:05 am

  When we were beginner language students I translated a dog restaurant menu just for fun. Now this week in Beijing they’re telling people to stop eating dogs. A friend posted this photo yesterday: “Please refuse to eat dog meat! There’s all different kinds of food, but ‘friends’ are extremely precious.” – The Beijing Loving Animals Foundation ！，“” – >

• Chengguan cracksdown on vegetables and chickens, ignores panties

  Joel 大江

  12 Apr 2013 | 2:20 am

  I know everyone wants to talk about North Korea’s nukes and bird flu, but here’s the big news from our neighbourhood today: a legion of chengguan showed up to crackdown on vegetable gardens and backyard chicken coups, as was warned about in notices stuck on all the gates a few days ago. My hunch is the neighbourhood management saw an opportunity in the bird flu situation and took it. The story is this was a village ten years ago and the villagers were compensated with apartment square meterage matching that of their village homes, end result being that this neighbuorhood has a…

• 

  ChinaHush

• China’s "Naked Marriage" prove not all brides demand premarital payout

  Melissa Schneider

  17 May 2013 | 11:54 am

  Photo of popular Chinese TV series ‘Naked Wedding’ (literal translation is Naked Marriage Era) aiming at the concerning social trend of ‘naked marriage’ in China. Media stories about Chinese marriage trends read like an endless refrain on the subject of materialism. In last few years, reports by NPR, the Telegraph, theNational, and the New York Times have focused on the enormous financial transactions that precede the nuptials of China’s younger, materialistic generation and keep its poor men single. Tales of staggering dowries and “bride prices” depict couples who marry for…

• Macau, Las Vegas of the East

  Pamela Stewart

  16 May 2013 | 9:41 am

  Earlier this year, it was revealed that Macau casino revenues hit a record $38 Billion in 2012. In December alone, Macau properties took in a record $3.5 Billion. These massive revenues reinforce the fact that Macau is not just the Las Vegas of the East but rather it is the new world leader in casinos gambling. At present, there are 33 casinos in Macau. Twenty-three of these properties are on the Macau Peninsula and the other 10 are on Taipa Island. Up until 2002, the government held a monopoly on the casino industry and did not allow outside casino corporations the right to built a casino…

• Liu Bolin, the invisible man

  Key

  14 May 2013 | 9:29 am

  From Crane.tv: The Chinese artist whose ability to blend into the background has become a powerful mode of social commentary.   I use each work to respond to my encounters. More are focused on China and concerns that arise from its development. To be an individual means the relationship you have with your surroundings. You are not consciously allowing your surroundings to swallow you up. Or to be an individual, let’s ay you live to be 100. But in history you were just a dot. How do you make your mark?  

• Discussion over French Brands after the Return of Two Zodiac Heads

  Key

  10 May 2013 | 12:13 pm

  The following is a guest post by Philip via MarketingToChina.com, edited by Key   Last week, François-Henri Pinault, the head of the French luxury group Kering, returned two Zodiac sculptures of animal heads toward the Chinese people as a gift. In fact, Pinault, as well as the head of the French businessmen delegation and French President François Hollande who came to China during the same time. And the return of the Zodiac heads seems to arouse Chinese people’s sensitive patriotic nerve and thus caused an interesting reaction to made-in-France on Weibo and BBS such as Tianya. Rabbit…

• Punks in China

  Key

  7 May 2013 | 10:02 am

  When the Sex Pistols appeared on the BBC singing "God Save the Queen," China was still in the grips of the Cultural Revolution – most music was banned, and Mao ruled supreme. It would take another two decades before punk arrived in Beijing. It began in basements, brothels and back alleys; any DIY venue that would allow for the alien genre. The earliest bands such as Underbaby and P.K. 14 were a motley crew of rebellious teens who, like the Sex Pistols before them, could barely play their instruments and hated the local metal scene. Their sound was unmistakably Chinese. In the…

• 

  China Quality Control

• New Resource: Alibaba Buyer Community

  James

  9 May 2013 | 9:13 am

  Alibaba has been bringing together buyers and suppliers all over the globe for almost 15 years. Already an excellent resource for those involved in overseas manufacturing, Alibaba has now added a brand new area of their website aimed at buyers: The Buyer Community. This new portal is packed with information about the latest e-commerce and international trade best practices, tips on how to network with other businesses, and guidance on how to effectively leverage Alibaba’s products and services, The Buyer Community features: Discussion Forums This is where buyers can share their knowledge of…

• Infographic: How Much To Inspect (Product Inspection in China)

  Andrew

  7 May 2013 | 6:28 am

  One question that comes up often when performing inspection of goods in Chinese factories, is HOW MUCH product to inspect, meaning the sample size that the inspector will physically check during the inspection. How to make this decision is highlighted in this infographic, courtesy of InTouch Quality. Here’s another cool infographic on “When to Inspect” How much to inspect – product inspection in china The post Infographic: How Much To Inspect (Product Inspection in China) appeared first on China Quality Control.

• 2nd Factory Disaster in Bangladesh in 6 months – What it Means for US Importers

  Andrew

  26 Apr 2013 | 8:30 am

  On Wednesday the world saw another terrible factory disaster in Bangladesh.  Over 200 people have died, and many others have been seriously injured.  The question looming is: what does this mean for US importers and retailers? This disaster comes less than 6 months after a terrible fire in a factory in Bangladesh; one that was, like the one indicated inWednesday’s tradgedy, producing for major retailers such as Wal-Mart. Already, Wal-Mart and other major US retailers are very tuned-in to the issue of social compliance in the 3rd world countries that they are producing in.  Wal-Mart,…

• Container Loading Monitoring in China – 5 Situations When You Should Use This Service

  Andrew

  14 Apr 2013 | 11:35 pm

  Container Loading Monitoring in China Container Loading Monitoring is a service offered by service companies to monitor the loading of merchandise or industrial goods into shipping containers, generally prior to the container being sealed and delivered to the port for export. Container Loading Monitoring may also extend to include further monitoring of the transportation of the goods, such as accompanying the goods by truck to the port of export, and may include monitoring the placement of goods and/or the container containing them, onto a ship. Container Loading Monitoring is a service that…

• How Sophisticated is Your Factory’s Laboratory?

  Steve

  28 Mar 2013 | 5:35 am

  Chinese factories run the gamut in terms of sophistication. Some have labs filled with high-tech gadgets and the technical know-how to make proper use of them. These suppliers understandably knock the socks off anyone that is fortunate enough to step foot inside their facilities. However, the majority of suppliers can leave you kicking yourself for not remembering to bring your own ruler. Chinese suppliers vary widely in the sophistication of their product testing equipment, technicians, and frequency of testing. Since most of the readers on this blog are not working with suppliers like…

• 

  East Asia & Pacific on the rise

• Beyond the wire: connecting Tonga

  Tom Perry

  16 May 2013 | 2:46 am

  Billboards announcing the arrival of high-speed broadband internet being installed in downtown Nukua'lofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. Hoko (‘connect’ in Tongan) is the current buzzword on the streets of the Kingdom of Tonga. With May 17th recognized around the world as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa is a hive of activity as telecommunications providers set up their activities to mark the day.  The billboards have gone up, teenagers have been lining up at auditions to become the new public face of the marketing campaign…

• Welcoming mobile phones and internet to the Solomon Islands

  Alison Ofotalau

  15 May 2013 | 9:07 pm

  54 in every 100 Solomon Islander now has access to some form of modern telecommunication. Recently my 10 year old son invited me to be friends with him on Facebook. “Hi mum I’m here too, can we be friends?” was the message I got. I was shocked and worried at the same time, and my initial reaction was fear of the perceived harm social media could do to a person as young as he.   We finally agreed that his father would have access to his Facebook account to monitor his online activities until he reaches 18. But the moment he gets or posts something inappropriate, the deal is off.

• การปฏิรูปด้านบรรษัทภิบาลส่งผลให้เกิดประโยชน์หลายประการในประเทศไทย

  David Robinett

  13 May 2013 | 9:46 pm

  Available in english ประเทศไทยถือเป็นผู้นำด้านบรรษัทภิบาลในอาเซียนและกลุ่มประเทศเศรษฐกิจใหม่อย่างชัดเจน อย่างไรก็ตาม จากรายงานการประเมินการปฏิบัติตามมาตรฐานสากลด้านบรรษัทภิบาลปี 2556 (Corporate Governance Report on Standards and Codes – ROSC)…

• Improving access to water services in Metro Manila through an output-based approach

  Ana Silvia Aguilera

  18 Apr 2013 | 2:28 pm

  Video Platform Video Management Video Solutions Video Player Last month, during a visit to the Philippines I had the opportunity to meet some of the 28,000 families* whose lives have been changed by the Manila Water Supply Pilot Project. We visited Southville in Barangay San Isidro in the Rodriguez Municipality.  This neighborhood was built from a government-financed housing project that resettled about 10,000 poor households. They used to be informal settlers, some living along the Manggahan floodway or Pasig River that were affected by the flood caused by typhoon Ondoy (International…

• On Thai New Year, a reflection on making roads safer for everyone

  Sutayut Osornprasop

  11 Apr 2013 | 12:52 am

  Photo by echo0101 through a Creative Commons license Most of the world celebrates New Year with fireworks. In Thailand we welcome the New Year, in April, with water. During “Songkran” (Thai New Year)we pour scented water on the hands of our elders as a show of respect and to receive their blessings.  It’s also a very festive celebration that’s marked by entertainment, water fights that spill into the streets, and a huge amount of people travelling by road to spend the holidays with their families and friends. When things get out of hand, the situation becomes a recipe for…

• 

  GoChengdoo

• Southwest China's first modern tramway to operate in Chengdu suburb

  21 May 2013 | 1:55 am

  Construction on southwest China's first modern tramway is scheduled to start next month. The 20.24km track will be laid along main roads in Chengdu's Xinjin County, southwest of Shuangliu County, where it will run in the center dividing lanes. There will be 19 stations along this line, and passenger volume is expected to be between 3,000 and 7,000 people hourly. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2014, and a total of six tram lines, with a total of 86 kilometers, are expected to be running in Xinjin by 2030. A tramway was selected to meet the city's transit needs rather…

• Shooting Stars: Big Dreams From Chengdu To The World

  20 May 2013 | 9:15 am

  Shanghainese model Zhang Wen for H&M. I first met Kyle (Feng Jiaqi) in 2005, shortly after I'd arrived in Chengdu. There were a few local rock bands playing at the Shamrock, and being in my early 20s and fancying going out to a rock show as an opportunity to dress up, I was wearing my finest torn fishnet stockings and leather and lip ring, and he tapped me on the shoulder and complimented my clothes. I would find out that he was an English major at the Chengdu University of Information Technology who happened to be really into music and clothes, at the time and on the weekends he would come…

• What's on Chengdu May 17-19

  15 May 2013 | 7:55 pm

  FRIDAY | MAY 17 youku Li Daiguo @ Machu Picchu Experimental world/folk. Starts at 9 p.m. youku Mosaic @ Little Bar Chengdu dance rock. RMB60 (students RMB50). Starts at 8 p.m. Red Water @ Hemp House Funk rock. After party with DJ Cvalda. RMB40 (incl. 1 gin tonic). Starts at 9 p.m. SATURDAY | MAY 18 Xi Meng @ Machu Picchu Chinese folk/ rock. RMB40 (pre-sale RMB30). Starts at 9 p.m. Bloom Party @ Morning Bar with DJs Yang Bing, Kaize, Ewan & XiaoLong. RMB30. Starts at 2 p.m. OCC - Out of Countrol @ Little Bar Beijing rock. RMB40. Starts at 8 p.m. TA5TY! & Disco Death @ Hemp House with DJs Loco,…

• Sticky Business: Kendoka in Chengdu

  14 May 2013 | 9:45 am

  The first time Elizabeth Bergen-Bartel's father put on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai for his daughter to watch, he unknowingly set into motion a series of events that would lead the lively blonde from Arlington, Virginia, all the way to a kendo dojo in Chengdu, China. From this tentative, film-inspired interest in martial arts, Bergen-Bartel began her kendo practice at the age of 14, and through this practice, she met the man she would later marry, a Chengdunese martial-arts practitioner who was studying at the same university as Bergen-Bartel. In 2003, the couple decided to move to Chengdu…

• Faces of Bangladesh

  13 May 2013 | 10:55 pm

  After living in China for six years I thought I fully understood the meaning of words like "crowded," "dusty," "noisy," and "chaotic." As it turned out, I couldn't have been more wrong—Bangladesh makes China look deserted! With 160 million people crammed into an area a third the size of Sichuan, it is the most densely populated large country in the world. It is intense, it is messy, it is unique. One of my friends told me that he had heard stories of people going to Bangladesh and then getting back on the plane out the very same day. I can believe it. I landed in Dhaka, paid 50 USD for a…

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  Quality inspection and sourcing advice in China & Asia

• Preserving a brand’s reputation when manufacturing in low-cost countries

  Renaud Anjoran

  22 May 2013 | 5:10 am

  How can a brand protect its image, and at the same time place production in countries like Bangladesh, India, or China? Many people would say “it’s impossible to lower risks to zero” and they would be right. But how to reduce risks to a level close to zero? I found a good set of recommendations in Garment factory collapse could leave reputations in tatters; seven steps to protect brand names (h/t to Collective Responsibility). Unfortunately, it does cost money. Here are seven steps that brand names and large retailers should try to follow: 1. If the workplace health,…

• 5 building blocks for developing good Chinese suppliers

  Renaud Anjoran

  13 May 2013 | 3:53 am

  Last week, I was happy to moderate a seminar organized in Shenzhen by the European Chamber. The three speakers, who were kind enough to come and expose their supplier development programs, represented very diverse organizations: A retailer (Kingfisher, with more than 1,000 stores, mostly in Europe); An industrial organization (Altra Industrial Motion); A high-tech company in the security field (Oberthur). After looking at my notes, I noticed that a supplier development program follows logical steps: I am going to describe each of these building blocks. 1. Selecting suppliers that can…

• The regained interest in china manufacturing

  Renaud Anjoran

  12 May 2013 | 9:00 pm

  Looking back over the past few years, several trends have come and gone. One of them is the interest of most importers in moving production out of China. 2009 to 2011: low-cost Asia was fashionable The context was clear: prices of made-in-China goods were increasing by 15-30% a year, and the future was not pretty. The demographics (less young Chinese), the central government’s five-year plan, and the rise in the RMB/USD rate, all promised further cost increases. Importers were advised to focus on strategies such as: China + 1: developing production in another country, and slowly…

• China sourcing: do not focus on the supplier’s FOB price

  Renaud Anjoran

  8 May 2013 | 1:00 am

  I often tell importers not to focus too much on the factory-gate price when selecting a supplier. There are so many other elements to take into account! Recently I had the chance to attend a presentation (in a FCCIHK seminar) that emphasized this point. The speaker was Michael Mayringer, director of global supply chain, Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), Powertrain division. His company’s changes in purchasing strategy nicely illustrate three levels of sophistication: Level 1: re-active purchasing price analysis Until about 10 years ago, BRP’s “cost reduction…

• Interacting with Chinese manufacturers

  Renaud Anjoran

  5 May 2013 | 8:48 pm

  Here is my roundup of good articles that were published recently. Choosing A China OEM Manufacturer: A Practical Guide Steve Dickinson suggests some non-conventional ways to spot fake factories (trying to put up a show and impress naive buyers) and inadequate factories (trying to appear better than they really are). These are good tips. As a complement, you can read an article I wrote before on the same subject. Importing from China: Ways to Assure a Smooth Order Jacob Yount gives us a list of routines that will help eliminate a lot of hiccups in the importing process: Educate the supplier…

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  Joop.in

• Sanoma moved during weekend

  Joop Dorresteijn

  19 May 2013 | 12:52 pm

  The sanoma Amsterdam branch moved to Hoofddorp last weekend. From now on we will work at the beautiful headquarters.

• Achieving 5GHz in Ubuntu with Airport Express and 802.11d

  Joop Dorresteijn

  19 May 2013 | 12:52 pm

  At home in The Netherlands, I still use an Apple Airport Express bought in South Korea. Last week, I was tinkering around in the Airport Utility settings and realized I could crank up the AE to 5 GHz and Wi-Fi link speed went from 54 Mbit/s to 300 Mbit/s. I noticed the difference immediately. However, one day later I couldn’t get back on my network and I saw this message in my Snow Leopard console: 802.11d country code set to 'NL'. Supported channels 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 100 104 108 112 116 120 124 128 132 136 140 Oh dear, the channel which I was using (161)…

• moving away from Google, a top 15.

  Joop Dorresteijn

  12 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  Exactly two months ago, Google announced that they were ending Google Reader on July first. Google reader is a service which aggregates content from various websites served by web feeds. For me, it’s my news feed to stay up to date with the people back in Asia and the IT industry. Could they be closing Reader because the free service is still driving more traffic than Google+? Anyway, since that sudden decision of Google, people seem to be taking stock of the company and started to be reserved about trusting their services, like Jeff Hunsberger: When Google announced that they were…

• Who can do groceries in Holland?

  Joop Dorresteijn

  12 May 2013 | 1:43 am

  A female minister in the Netherlands got a lot of press yesterday after saying women in The Netherlands are too dependend on their husbands. One in five Dutch women work more than 35 hours a week. A foreigner observed the following: Dutch markets and town squares are busy at midday because Dutch stores still close at 6 or 8 pm, often by law. This is one reason why women are less likely to work full-time: who would do the shopping, and when? Let’s just calm down and do groceries together at 7pm, makes it more fun anyways. ☆ Why Dutch women don’t work longer hours - the economist

• Silicon Valley Startup Machine

  Joop Dorresteijn

  9 May 2013 | 1:43 am

  The state of silicon valley today in a nutshell: The general public doesn’t understand start-ups at all, Paul Buchheit said. They’re mystified how a company with no revenue can be worth a billion dollars. It’s because of this power law: If a company has a 1 percent chance of being a hundred-billion-dollar company, then it’s worth about a billion dollars. Imagine an assembly line where Facebooks and Googles come along every few years. You can either pick that cookie off the assembly line or not. If you pick it off, it’s market price, which varies. But if you don’t pick it off,…

• 

  MyBrownBaby

• Black Children and Disability: When Race and Stigma Collide, A Black Mom Goes Hard For Her Baby

  Denene@MyBrownBaby

  21 May 2013 | 9:01 pm

  By TARICE L.S. GRAY I entered parenthood fully embracing the idealism that can be associated with uncertainty. I believed my daughter would be different in the exceptional kind of way. Before she... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Beyonce’s Second Pregnancy: Advice For Dealing With Baby No. 2, From A Mom Who’s Been There

  Denene@MyBrownBaby

  20 May 2013 | 9:14 pm

  Before I hip Beyonce to the second baby game, I need my second baby, my little Lila, to know this one true thing: she was wanted, made from love and the product of lots of plotting and planning and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• President Obama’s Morehouse Speech: Encouraging Class Of 2013 To Be Great Black Men, Fathers

  Denene@MyBrownBaby

  20 May 2013 | 6:51 am

  I have to be honest: as much as I adore President Obama, I tend to watch his speeches in front of African Americans with baited breath, waiting for the moment when the beautiful words I expect him to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Kicking My Bad Habits: How I Got Fit. Plus: Join Me Today For a GoogleChat W/ MomsRising!

  Denene@MyBrownBaby

  16 May 2013 | 9:01 pm

  I was tired all the time, my energy was crap, the scale was showing numbers I’d never seen before and my pants—well, they were starting to scream, “Now you know you’re just one more pasta bowl from... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• After Teen Arrested for Science Experiment, Florida Officials Dismiss Charges

  Denene@MyBrownBaby

  15 May 2013 | 9:28 pm

  By NICK CHILES Apparently there are some grownups in Polk County, Florida, who have some sense. We just got word that Kiera Wilmot, the 16-year-old who was arrested and dragged from the school in... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 

  Speaking of China

• Saluting Blogs Written By Asian Men

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  20 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  (Screenshot from http://www.angryasianman.com/) Since it’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month here in the US, I didn’t want to miss this chance to give a shout out to blogs I follow and link to written by Asian men. Since this is by no means an exhaustive list — and I’m always looking for more great reads — please comment in on your favorites so I can add them to my reader! 8Asians. This group blog focused on Asian issues, culture and politics is edited by Asian women (the editor-in-chief is also named Jocelyn — woo-hoo!), but has a lot of Asian…

• Ask the Yangxifu: Chinese-American Woman Seeking Boyfriend/Husband in China

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  17 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  Michelle Guo (photo from http://itsmichelleguo.wordpress.com/about/) For this week’s Ask the Yangxifu column — which features a question from a Chinese-American woman — I decided to turn to Michelle Guo (who was featured in the post I ran a couple of weeks ago called Double Happiness: How One Chinese American Woman Married a Chinese National) for answers. She blogs about expat life in Beijing and social media tips at her site. Thanks to Michelle for stepping in to answer this question! —– E asks: I’m a 2nd generation Chinese-American, and I’d like to…

• Why Aren’t We Talking More About The Rarity of AMWF?

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  13 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  (Screenshot from http://theyreallsobeautiful.com/) Last month, commentator Eugene Tsui posed this fascinating question in a post on They’re All So Beautiful (the companion website to the documentary Seeking Asian Female): I don’t see the question posed, of why there are so few Chinese men, with “white” women? This is left out? What do the Chinese women have to say about that? And what do “white” men, who are married to Chinese women, have to say about that? I don’t hear their opinions about Chinese men with white women? Of course, when he says “This is left out?” he’s…

• Fenshou: “I Hope He Can Forgive Me”

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  10 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  (photo by Ognid via Flickr.com) “Jane” (not her real name) wrote that she hopes this one Chinese man will forgive her for her mistakes and missteps. And while I feel she’s very hard on herself, her story might give you a different insight into why some cross-cultural relationships in China don’t work out. —– I first met Tony at a party. It was a language exchange party with native Chinese and native Finnish speakers. I was neither, being an English girl. Tony was from Jilin. Before I continue I feel it necessary to explain that I suffer from social anxiety,…

• Foreigners Who Think They’re Entitled To Date The Hottest Chinese?

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  6 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  If you couldn’t get a “Brad Pitt” to date you in your home country, why do you think you somehow deserve nothing less than his standard of men because you’re in China? (photo by Juanky Pamies Alcubilla via Flickr) Recently, a reader wrote the following to me: I remember when I was back in [city in China] I was with a large group of Westerners for our orientation and a lot of us got to talking about potentially starting relationships in China. There was one American girl, who was very pleasant but kind of heavyset and nothing special to look at, who said she…

• 

  Hidden Harmonies China Blog

• Opinion: Free the Lewchew Islands from Japan

  James Carroll

  22 May 2013 | 3:21 pm

  On May 8, Japan’s government lodged a “strong protest” with the Chinese government over an article that had run in the People’s Daily in which two academics questioned the basis of Japan’s sovereignty over the Lewchew 琉球 (in Japanese, Ryukyu) islands. The Chinese side of course rejected the protest, and opinion columnists the world over have been weighing in. The current press furor has produced exciting developments in Lewchew’s main island of Okinawa, where in May 15 two professors have founded the “Association of Comprehensive Studies for…

• Tsung Tsung is why I am bullish on China

  YinYang

  20 May 2013 | 11:09 pm

  Video below was taken about a year ago, then 5-year old Tsung Tsung exhibiting what a piano prodigy he was. This is obviously raw talent and true passion. It would have been a shame for not Tsung Tsung’s parents affording him the piano and the lessons. Tsung Tsung is another example of why I am bullish on China. The hundreds of millions of Chinese finally moving out of the farms, away from playing in the dirt, are finally getting a chance to unleash their potential. That’s all due to stable development. When James Fallows told the Anglophone media that the Chinese have no dream,…

• Opinion: Why There Is So Much Pro-War Reporting in the West? A Comment on Bloggers, Tyranny, and the Fourth Estate

  Allen

  19 May 2013 | 8:46 am

  Once in a while one runs into articles that seem to fly against convention wisdom, that seem to tear at the veil of world injustice, that seem to open one’s eyes to provide insight into the causes of so many of today’s ills. This article titled Why There is So Much Pro-War Reporting from “the Big Picture” blog is one of them. In reading this article, I note how the article also parallel a lot of what Norm Chomsky (Manufacturing Consent) and David Swanson (War is a Lie) have written about pro war sentiments.  Yet, I still feel that this article is flawed in so many…

• Psychological projection and the western mind

  melektaus

  12 May 2013 | 6:44 am

  There is an interesting phenomenon known to psychologists as projection. I quote at length from wiki’s entry on the topic. Psychological projection was first conceptualized by Sigmund Freud as a defence mechanism in which a person unconsciously rejects his or her own unacceptable attributes by ascribing them to objects or persons in the outside world instead. Thus, projection involves projecting[clarification needed negative qualities onto others, and is a common psychological process.[1][2] Theoretically, projection and the related projective identification reduces anxiety by…

• On June 4th, Reactions to “What’s wrong with China?” and other bits

  YinYang

  7 May 2013 | 10:32 pm

  With June 4th right around the corner, the Western press will likely try to milk it, though each year with decreasing column space. In anticipation of that, we remind our readers the narrative perpetrated in the West is not the truth. 龙信明 draws from public materials and shows us what the real truth is, in English, “Let’s Talk About Tiananmen Square, 1989,” and in Chinese, “且谈1989年的天安门事件.” For new visitors to Hidden Harmonies, I highly recommend a visit to our “Featured Posts” section (the right third of the blog main screen). There…

• 

  Shanghai > articles

• Shanghai Fight Night Match-ups

  katvelayo

  22 May 2013 | 1:31 am

  Date: May 22nd 2013 4:26p.m. Contributed by: katvelayo

• Shanghai Goes Green at Lifestyle Hub Eco Village

  stefo

  22 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  Date: May 22nd 2013 12:40p.m. Contributed by: stefo

• Milkshake Shop Popping Up

  geofferson

  21 May 2013 | 11:17 pm

  Date: May 22nd 2013 2:17p.m. Contributed by: geofferson

• Postcards in Song

  katvelayo

  21 May 2013 | 10:48 pm

  Date: May 22nd 2013 1:48p.m. Contributed by: katvelayo

• Escape Shanghai: The Beautiful Mountains of Fujian

  21 May 2013 | 10:04 pm

  Date: May 22nd 2013 12:22p.m.

• 

  Red Luxury

• Neiman Marcus Rethinks Its China Strategy

  Red Luxury H

  22 May 2013 | 7:05 am

  Dallas-based luxury department store Neiman Marcus is reworking its China strategy. The company quietly moved into the Chinese market last year. With their recent launch of international shipping, Neiman Marcus will now be scaling back physical operations in China and shuttering the warehouse there, reports WSJ. According to Neiman Marcus spokeswoman Gabrielle Papp, the company [...]

• Tissot and Longines Sell Well, Robust Demand for Mid-Priced Brands in China

  Amy

  21 May 2013 | 10:44 am

  Swatch Group, the world’s biggest watchmaker, sees double-digit sales growth, powered by its mid-priced brands, in China this year. The company grew by 12.2 percent (currency constant) in watches and jewelry in 2012, compared to 9 percent at rival Richemont. With many renowned brands in Swatch’s portfolio, stronger growth came from the mid- and entry-price [...]

• Niche Luxury Brands Moving In On China

  Red Luxury H

  20 May 2013 | 8:41 am

  Some big-name luxury brands may be down, but others — niche luxury brands — are on the way up in China. Red flags went up when Louis Vuitton sales started to lag. However, Givenchy – LVMH’s lesser-known brand famous for dressing Audrey Hepburn – is picking up steam in the meantime, says China Daily. The [...]

• 

  Bikedan in Asia

• Guest writer: Ed Cork’s account of Yellow Mountain

  Bikedan

  25 Apr 2013 | 8:01 am

  Race report- Huangshan Mountain bike festival 80Km race; March 14, 2013. Ed Cork Now in its eighth year, the Huangshan Mountain Bike Festival in Yixian, Anhui continues to grow in popularity. A combination of stunning scenery and a varied and often challenging course ensures that this event attracts China’s top riding talent and makes it ‘the’ event in the Chinese amateur XC racing calendar. The event features 20Km and 40Km races, and in 2012 a 60Km marathon was added that was bumped up to a full 80Km for the 2013 edition.   For those unfamiliar with the race, the…

• 2013 AMD Tour of East Taiwan

  Bikedan

  20 Apr 2013 | 8:15 am

  This is my first post of 2013, but its not because I have nothing to write about, its more that I have been busy with other projects that my blog-site has been neglected so far this 2013. Since I am doing some coverage for the Tour of East Taiwan, I thought I should start with my blog to post some reactions from a couple of the riders that raced today. The first rider is Dave Christensen, a very strong American rider who is currently racing for DirectAsia.com and featured in the front group of today’s 127km stage from Hualian to Taidong. Dave Christensen early in the stage The second…

• 2012 ADC Tour de Vietnam

  Bikedan

  16 Dec 2012 | 1:06 am

  The 2012 ADC Tour de Vietnam, a 800km stage race, kicks off tomorrow with 21 teams represented to battle it out on parcours that most likely suit sprinters. Vietnam is no stranger to hosting international cycling races, having been organizing them for years and have a flourishing local cycling community (eight local teams are represented), however this is the first time that the Tour de Vietnam is UCI 2.2 sanctioned and is part of the UCI Asia Tour. Cam Whiting from CyclingIQ has put together a comprehensive preview of the race.  Some other blog coverage includes one from Jordan Mathes and…

• China: Thousand Island 160km Road Race

  Bikedan

  2 Nov 2012 | 1:54 am

  Last week the much awaited event of the year in China was staged and for the first time in 2012, the course was raced around the circumference of the Thousand Island Lake (dotted with thousands of small islands!). This made for a much more challenging race, both physical and technical skills. In almost three years of racing in China, this race has to rank as one of the best one-day amateur events that I have participated. The stature of the race means that all the best amateur riders from all over China, including some top amateur teams from Hong Kong (Neilpryde Cyclones and Team…

• Philippines: Tour of Matabungkay 2012

  Bikedan

  25 Oct 2012 | 1:41 am

  Right outside the Matabungkay Beach Resort there are opportunities to go boat riding The 2012 Edition of the Matabungkay Tour was the most competitive yet and had the biggest numbers of cyclists participating in its nine year history. For the Matabungkay Beach Resort, this is the most awaited event of the year and good booster of tourism to the region. Because of the recognized tourism benefits, the Department of Tourism from the Southern Tagalog Region has partnered with the event; not only it is generating significant domestic visitors but also witnessed a three-fold increase in…

• 

  The Bergstrom Group

• Consumers Report: How To Tell Fake vs. Real Wine

  Bergstrom Trends

  6 May 2013 | 6:05 pm

  Taxi ads in Shanghai have recently been promoting the difference between real and fake wines (a mounting problem in China?).

• Youth-Led Sichuan Earthquake Relief 2013

  Bergstrom Trends

  4 May 2013 | 6:01 pm

  The 2008 Sichuan earthquake was the starting point for today's confident youth activism efforts so we were especially excited to see a group of youth hit the streets of Chengdu recently. Inviting the public to support earthquake relief, the informal group requested monetary donations and provided blank postcards so that people could write words of encouragement to those affected.

• Importing UK Homemaker Culture to China

  Bergstrom Trends

  24 Apr 2013 | 12:44 am

  Cath Kidston entered China’s market recently with a unique offering for local xiao qing xin fans (小清新 or little freshness, for more: Haier Looks to Connect Style and the Environment). DIY would be part of the lifestyle and emerging housewife culture.

• Top 10 Retail Priorities: 2013 Edition

  Bergstrom Trends

  24 Apr 2013 | 12:18 am

  We have been tracking the key factors youth consider when buying in a store since 2008 (check out our 2008 results in Women’s Wear Daily and 2010 results in AdAge). We have been able to encapsulate on point priorities and mark fluctuations during this time. In 2008, youth were risk takers, eager and willing to travel and branch out to discover new brands. In 2010, consumers had already moved on from retail tourists to efficiency enthusiasts. No longer willing to travel, youth looked for convenient, tried and true options.

• The Rise (and Fail) of Luxury Brands Online

  Bergstrom Trends

  23 Apr 2013 | 8:48 pm

  According to L2’s report on fashion brands’ digital performance in China last year, independent B2C has increased its share from 6% in 2011 to 22% in 2012 in online apparel spend. Despite the growth however, not one brand from L2's study earned the “genius” rank yet, indicating a slow execution across the board in digital performance (site, social media, mobile, and digital marketing).

• 

  East Asia Student

• 蘇軾 戲子由 translation: Teasing Zi You, by Su Shi

  Hugh Grigg (葛修远)

  20 May 2013 | 12:34 pm

  This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 戲子由 (Xì Zǐyóu), ‘Teasing Zi You’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì). If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page. Xì Zǐyóu [game] [Zi] [You] Teasing Zi You   Wǎn Qiū xiānshēng cháng rú qiū, [Wan] [Qiu] [mister][] [long] [like] [hill] Mr Wan Qiu is as tall as a hill; Wǎn Qiū xué shě xiǎo rú zhōu. [Wan] [Qiu] [study] [residence] [small] [like] [boat] Wan Qiu’s study quarters are as small as a boat. Chángshí dītóu sòng jīng…

• 常建 古興 translation: Ancient Inspiration, by Chang Jian (漢上逢老翁)

  Hugh Grigg (葛修远)

  17 May 2013 | 4:48 am

  This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 古興 (Gǔxìng), ‘Ancient Inspiration’, by the Tang Dynasty Chinese poet 常建 (Cháng Jiàn). If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.   Gǔxìng [old] [inspiration] Ancient Inspiration   Hàn shàng féng lǎowēng, [Han] [on] [encounter] [old] [elderly man] On the River Han one encounters old men; jiāngkǒu wèi jiāngshī. [river] [mouth] [be] [stiff] [corpse] at the river mouth they become a stiff corpses. Bái fà zhān huáng ní, [white] [hair] [moisten]…

• 陸遊 岳池農家 translation: The Peasant Houses of Yuechi, by Lu You

  Hugh Grigg (葛修远)

  15 May 2013 | 2:57 pm

  This is a very rough annotation / translation of the poem 岳池農家 (Yuèchí Nóngjiā), ‘The Peasant Houses of Yuechi’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 陸遊 (Lù Yóu). If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page. Yuèchí Nóngjiā [Yue] [Chi] [farm] [house] The Peasant Houses of Yuechi   Chūn shēn nóngjiā gēng wèi zú, [spring] [deep] [farm] [home] [plough] [not yet] [enough] Deep in spring in peasant homes, the ploughing is not yet complete; yuántóu chì chì liǎng huáng dú. [source] [head] [splash] [splash]…

• 蘇軾 張子野年八十五尚聞買妾述古令作詩 translation: Still One Hears that Zhang Ziye at Eighty-Five Years Old Has Bought a Concubine; A Poem Requested by Shugu (Su Shi)

  Hugh Grigg (葛修远)

  15 May 2013 | 1:52 pm

  This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 張子野年八十五尚聞買妾述古令作詩 (Zhāng Zǐyě Nián Bāshíwǔ Shàng Wén Mǎi Qiè Shùgǔ Lìngzuò Shī), ‘Still One Hears that Zhang Ziye at Eighty-Five Years Old Has Bought a Concubine; A Poem Requested by Shugu’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì). If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page. Zhāng Zǐyě Nián Bāshíwǔ Shàng Wén Mǎi Qiè Shùgǔ Lìngzuò Shī [Zhang] [Zi] [Ye] [year] [eight] [ten] [five] [still] [hear] [buy]…

• 蘇軾 月夜與客飲酒杏花下 translation: On a Moonlit Night Drinking Wine with a Guest Below the Apricot Blossoms, by Su Shi

  Hugh Grigg (葛修远)

  15 May 2013 | 1:22 pm

  This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 月夜與客飲酒杏花下 (Yuèyè Yǔ Kè Yǐnjiǔ Xìnghuā Xià), ‘Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban’s Youngest Son’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì). If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page. Yuèyè Yǔ Kè Yǐnjiǔ Xìnghuā Xià [moon] [night] [guest] [drink] [wine] [apricot] [flower] [below] On a Moonlit Night Drinking Wine with a Guest Below the Apricot Blossoms   Xìng huā fēi lián sàn yú chūn, [apricot] [flower] [fly] [curtain]…

• 

  IN PRAISE OF CHINA

• China Spends Billions on Internal Security!

  Godfree Roberts

  22 May 2013 | 12:41 am

  INTERNAL SECURITY Recently the British magazine, The Economist, breathlessly announcedChina's domestic-security budget has surged to an astonishing $110 billion a year, larger than declared defence spending." The Economist has never been very good with numbers – or economics – though that hasn't stopped them offering advice and criticism to countries like China. The Economist has predicted a 'hard landing' for the Chinese economy 51 times since 1985, while completely missing the Great Financial Crisis. The intent of the "astonishing" news of China's $110 billion internal security…

• China "World's Most Financially Secure Country" on Earth

  Godfree Roberts

  21 May 2013 | 6:24 am

  China 'world's most financially secure country' GOT MONEY? CHINA DAILY, MAY 21, 2013 China has emerged as the most financially secure country in an index jointly launched by PICC Property and Casualty Co Ltd, the largest non-life insurance company in the Chinese mainland, and Genworth Financial Inc, a Fortune 500 insurance holding company. The report surveyed 13,000 households in 14 European countries, and five Latin American countries and China. China scored 78 out of 100, the highest score of any country and the highest since the index was launched in 2007. Only 3 percent of Chinese…

• China's Flexible Political System

  Godfree Roberts

  19 May 2013 | 2:26 pm

  Eric X. Li China's political system is more flexible than US democracy Many people believe the Western democracy is superior to a one-party system because the rotation of political power gives government the flexibility to make needed policy changes. But China’s one-party system has proven over time to be remarkably adaptable to changing times. By Eric X. Li / October 17, 2011 The Christian Science Monitor SHANGHAI Change is in the air. By revolutions, elections, and other methods, governments are changing hands across a wide swath of the world. Two of the most notable peaceful successions…

• China's Corruption: Real Names are Good News

  Godfree Roberts

  14 May 2013 | 10:02 pm

  BAI yANSONG Bai Yansong, the CCTV commentator, discussed the Liu Tienan case on his show last night --《新闻1+1》 20130514 网络举报，打“铁”还需制度“硬”！ with a roundtable of media guests.  They agreed that the Internet is important to the anti-corruption crackdown, especially when the accusers use their real names. Deputy Managing Editor of the high influential Caijing Magazine Luo Changping did so when he accused Liu Tienan, Deputy Director if The hugely influential National Development and Reform…

• Censorship in The New York Times

  Godfree Roberts

  9 May 2013 | 6:15 pm

  The New York Times on Venezuela and Honduras: A Case of Journalistic Misconduct http://nacla.org  The day after Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez died, New York Times reporter Lizette Alvarez provided a sympathetic portrayal of “outpourings of raucous celebration and, to many, cautious optimism for the future” in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Her article, “Venezuelan Expatriates See a Reason to Celebrate,” noted that many had come to Miami to escape Chávez’s “iron grip on the nation,” and quoted a Venezuelan computer software consultant who said, bluntly: “We had…

• 

  Speaking of China

• Saluting Blogs Written By Asian Men

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  20 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  (Screenshot from http://www.angryasianman.com/) Since it’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month here in the US, I didn’t want to miss this chance to give a shout out to blogs I follow and link to written by Asian men. Since this is by no means an exhaustive list — and I’m always looking for more great reads — please comment in on your favorites so I can add them to my reader! 8Asians. This group blog focused on Asian issues, culture and politics is edited by Asian women (the editor-in-chief is also named Jocelyn — woo-hoo!), but has a lot of Asian…

• Ask the Yangxifu: Chinese-American Woman Seeking Boyfriend/Husband in China

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  17 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  Michelle Guo (photo from http://itsmichelleguo.wordpress.com/about/) For this week’s Ask the Yangxifu column — which features a question from a Chinese-American woman — I decided to turn to Michelle Guo (who was featured in the post I ran a couple of weeks ago called Double Happiness: How One Chinese American Woman Married a Chinese National) for answers. She blogs about expat life in Beijing and social media tips at her site. Thanks to Michelle for stepping in to answer this question! —– E asks: I’m a 2nd generation Chinese-American, and I’d like to…

• Why Aren’t We Talking More About The Rarity of AMWF?

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  13 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  (Screenshot from http://theyreallsobeautiful.com/) Last month, commentator Eugene Tsui posed this fascinating question in a post on They’re All So Beautiful (the companion website to the documentary Seeking Asian Female): I don’t see the question posed, of why there are so few Chinese men, with “white” women? This is left out? What do the Chinese women have to say about that? And what do “white” men, who are married to Chinese women, have to say about that? I don’t hear their opinions about Chinese men with white women? Of course, when he says “This is left out?” he’s…

• Fenshou: “I Hope He Can Forgive Me”

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  10 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  (photo by Ognid via Flickr.com) “Jane” (not her real name) wrote that she hopes this one Chinese man will forgive her for her mistakes and missteps. And while I feel she’s very hard on herself, her story might give you a different insight into why some cross-cultural relationships in China don’t work out. —– I first met Tony at a party. It was a language exchange party with native Chinese and native Finnish speakers. I was neither, being an English girl. Tony was from Jilin. Before I continue I feel it necessary to explain that I suffer from social anxiety,…

• Foreigners Who Think They’re Entitled To Date The Hottest Chinese?

  Jocelyn Eikenburg

  6 May 2013 | 1:08 am

  If you couldn’t get a “Brad Pitt” to date you in your home country, why do you think you somehow deserve nothing less than his standard of men because you’re in China? (photo by Juanky Pamies Alcubilla via Flickr) Recently, a reader wrote the following to me: I remember when I was back in [city in China] I was with a large group of Westerners for our orientation and a lot of us got to talking about potentially starting relationships in China. There was one American girl, who was very pleasant but kind of heavyset and nothing special to look at, who said she…

• 

  Seeing Red in China

• Beijing Observation: Regressing Further from “Five Nos,” by Gao Yu

  Yaxue Cao

  16 May 2013 | 3:38 pm

  Walk through the recent ideology bugle call that accumulated in CCP General Office’s Document No. 9 in late April, and observe the mindset of Chinese leaders and their frantic effort to take control of public expression, with Beijing-based independent journalist and commentator Gao Yu The “Five Nos” () refer to what Wu Bangguo, then the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, avowed in the 2011 NPC session.They are “no multi-party election, no diversification of guiding principles, no separation of powers, no federal system, and no privatization.” This is a translation of a…

• Eleven Rights Lawyers Seized and Beaten While Visiting a Black Jail in Sichuan

  Yaxue Cao

  13 May 2013 | 9:07 pm

  On the morning of May 13, while visiting a black jail in Ziyang, Sichuan province (四川资阳), seven rights lawyers from Beijing and Chengdu were intercepted, beaten and kidnapped by unidentified men. After that their cellphones ceased to answer. Upon learning the news of their colleagues’ encounter, four more lawyers went to Ziyang to help. They were first followed by men in plain clothes, and then they too were snatched. Jiang Tianyong Li Heping Tang Jitian Liang Xiaojun The eleven lawyers are: Jiang Tianyong (江天勇), Tang Jitian (唐吉田), Liang Xiaojun (梁小军), Tang Tianhao…

• A Mother’s Tale, on the 5th Anniversary of Wenchuan Earthquake

  Yaxue Cao

  11 May 2013 | 9:41 pm

  On May 12, 2008, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake stuck Wenchuan area in Sichuan province. 80,000 died, including more than 5,000 students age from four to eighteen. The quake exposed what has since been known as tofu-dreg construction projects. In Beichuan High School, two recently-built classroom buildings collapsed while older buildings stood erect, burying 496 of its 2,000+ students. The following is a translation of a video interview, conducted by the Ai Weiwei Workshop in 2010, of a bereft mother and her ordeal. Losing her son is sad enough; but there has been much more. Learn about China…

• Assessing the State of Nerves of the CCP

  Yaxue Cao

  10 May 2013 | 7:47 pm

  Anti-PX protest in Kunming, Yunnan province, on Saturday, May 4th. This past week was, by any measure, an interesting week in China. Last Saturday, May 4th, Chengdu residents planned, after days of online mobilization, to have a “stroll” in a downtown area protesting an oil refinery and petrochemical plant known as the PX project to be built in Pengzhou, about 30 kilometers away from the city. People worried about pollution and also the possibility of an earthquake disaster since the project is located on the same earthquake-active strip as Beichuan, the epicenter of the devastating 2008…

• The Ya’an Earthquake: Donation Revolt in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, by Qing Lang

  Yaxue Cao

  8 May 2013 | 7:20 pm

  Qing Lang () is a commentator for Radio Free Asia’s Cantonese service. You can read the original here. Translated by Jack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro3xyYoY7lU&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1 Whether or not the Ya’an earthquake was a man-made disaster, whether or not the Three Gorges Dam influenced Sichuan’s geological structure, these are not questions that a short commentary is able to answer clearly. Even if you look at this earthquake as purely a natural disaster, the extended effect that it triggered is more shocking and thought provoking than a natural disaster. In…

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  Digital Marketing Inner Circle

• Remember RenRen?

  13 May 2013 | 7:04 pm

• Social Media Landscape in Australia

  9 May 2013 | 6:17 pm

• Sina Weibo Top 30 and Fast Facts [Infographic]

  7 May 2013 | 9:56 pm

• Alibaba's Big Investment

  6 May 2013 | 1:38 am

• 10 Social Media Personality Types [Infographic]

  29 Apr 2013 | 6:49 pm

• 

  Oli's Blog

• Photo – Cool mansion house

  Oli D

  11 May 2013 | 11:58 pm

• Photo – First of the season!

  Oli D

  25 Apr 2013 | 5:42 am

• Photo – Porkies

  Oli D

  13 Apr 2013 | 1:39 pm

• New recipe – Bacon and cheese stuffed pizza rolls!

  Oli D

  8 Apr 2013 | 7:23 am

  If you didn’t know (and HOW DARE YOU NOT KNOW?!) I have a food website called ‘It’s Not Rocket Salad’. There are lots of recipes and other food goodies over there – and I’ve just published my newest recipe for bacon and cheese stuffed pizza rolls! Click on the image to see the recipe! I try to keep the recipe simple and easy to follow, because I’m simple and easy to follow. I will be posting more and more food related stuff on that site over the next few months, so have a look, sign up for the newsletter, LIKE on Facebook and generally stalk me.

• Photo – Le sandwich

  Oli D

  7 Apr 2013 | 7:10 am

• 

  China Debate

• ‘China’s New Leaders’: Tony Saich

  Malcolm Riddell

  18 May 2013 | 8:48 pm

  At the November CHINA Roundtable, Tony Saich of the Harvard Kennedy School gave his take on China’s new leadership. Here’s the first part, ‘China’s New Leaders,:

• CHINA Debate, Discussion Venues

  Malcolm Riddell

  17 May 2013 | 7:58 pm

  CHINA Debate brings decision makers and China experts together to discuss issues that inform China and China-related business and investment decisions in three venues: CHINA Roundtable, CHINA Issue Forum, and CHINA In-House Seminars. Here’s a clip, about 30 seconds, that conveys this…

• CHINA Roundtable–June 6

  Malcolm Riddell

  16 May 2013 | 8:33 pm

  The next CHINA Roundtable convenes on June 6 at the Harvard Club of New York. And, we have excellent presenters on key China issues. Have a look.

• Asia Society Event May 21: ‘U.S.-China Economic Relations in the Next Decade’

  Malcolm Riddell

  15 May 2013 | 8:15 pm

  If you are in NY on May 21, you might want to attend ‘U.S.-China Economic Relations in the Next Decade,’ 9:30am-11:30am. An outstanding cast of speakers (below). Here’s part of the blurb:  This discussion will draw upon the findings and recommendations offered in U.S.-China 2022: Economic Relations in the Next 10 Years, a groundbreaking study on the evolution of the U.S.-China economic relationship over the last three decades and an in-depth look at opportunities for future cooperation. The study is sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation. Featuring…

• ‘Chinese Outbound Real Estate Investment’: Joel Rothstein

  Malcolm Riddell

  14 May 2013 | 7:46 pm

  From the guy who did the $3.2 billion Baha Mar development deal with China State Construction, here is part three of Joel’s presentation, ‘Chinese Outbound Real Estate Investment.’

• 

  Mark Tanner's Chinese Adventures

• WTF Hangzhou?

  Mark Tanner

  12 May 2013 | 3:58 am

  In the sky there is heaven, on earth there is Hangzhou, so the old Chinese saying goes. Steeped in history, Hangzhou was one of Seven Ancient Capitals of China, reining as capital of the Wuyue Kingdom from 907 to 978. Today it’s a prosperous city of more than 6 million people, spoilt with its picturesque West Lake, countless parks, and surrounding lush hills and mountains. It’s less than a one-hour fast train ride from the concrete grit of Shanghai, but a world away. It’s hard not to feel at ease amongst the peace and tranquility of one of China’s most famous lakes.  …

• El Nido, Palawan, The Philippine’s Absolute Stunner

  Mark Tanner

  4 Apr 2013 | 11:04 pm

  Philippine’s ‘Last Frontier’, Palawan Island, is the westernmost point of the Philippines archipelago.  Once the realm of pirates, it’s now a relatively popular spot for sun, scenery and turtle seekers.  On its northern tip, along with 45 islands nearby, is the municipality of El Nido.   El Nido’s landscape is simply breathtaking.  Dotted with dramatic limestone cliffs humping everywhere, dropping down to countless sandy beaches.  It looks like something between Jurassic Park and Robert Louis Stevenson ‘s Treasure Island.  The golden sand, blue sea, green mangroves,…

• Why I’d rather be born in the Year of the Snake than the Dragon in China

  Mark Tanner

  31 Jan 2013 | 9:16 pm

  2013 Year of the Snake   It began around April 2011, those subtle winks and prods between couples, before slipping out early from the KTV bar with plenty of new accessories from the 7-11 counter. Lights were out across China as hopeful parents pwapped like crazy to hit the 12 month window of a dragon kid.  The 17 million new babies picked to be born in the Year of the Dragon are said to possess passion, courage, luck and strength like no other, so they’re a pretty good bet for your shot at securing retirement funding.  Or are they?   China’s numbers people forecast there’d…

• Burma: Nice Spot, But Overrun With Tourists Unless You’re Happy Sweating

  Mark Tanner

  9 Jan 2013 | 5:42 am

  Burma seems to be Southeast Asia’s latest hotspot. The ‘opening up’ of Burma’s and talk of it being like Asia 30-years ago (not the first time that one’s been used) has seen tourists flocking to get a piece of the action before it’s overrun with tourists. Unfortunately that’s already happened. In 2012, Burmese tourism soared 43% and its infrastructure is struggling to keep up.   Hot air balloons take to the sky at sunrise in Bagan   There’s little wonder tourists are coming to Burma. The people are charming, smile at ease and, unlike some with of its neighbouring…

• Fake New Zealand In China?

  Mark Tanner

  23 Nov 2012 | 1:49 am

  Will the real New Zealand please stand up?   China is notorious for fakes.  There’s the counterfeit handbags and watches everywhere, bogus Subway restaurants and fake Apple stores that even fooled the staff working there.   New Zealand has had it’s share of products ripped off as well: fake NZ milk powder (because Chinese are worried they’ll be poisoned by the local stuff), pirated Separation City DVDs and fake NZ kiwi fruit – though we kinda stole it from them in the first place.   However, the latest theft has taken ripping off God’s Zone to a…

• 

  Ministry of Tofu 豆腐部

• A 1995 mysterious poisoning case grips China and moves to White House

  Jing Gao

  7 May 2013 | 9:30 pm

  An unsolved 18-year-old attempted murder case in China has been brought to the White House’s We the People site. So far, the petition to the U.S. government demanding the deportation of the suspect back to China has garnered more than 130,000 signatures within in four days as the public fury over the possible foul play that might have perverted the course of justice continues to boil in China nearly two decades later. Zhu Ling, the victim, narrowly escaped death in 1995 because of the Internet, even though it was only in embryo in China back then. 18 years later, it was the internet…

• My report for LinkAsia on Chinese response to the Boston Marathon blasts and the Chinese victim

  Jing Gao

  19 Apr 2013 | 10:16 pm

  Chinese bloggers flooded Sina Weibo with expressions of sympathy and grief after news broke about the Boston bombing, and that one of the casualties was a Chinese grad student. While many took the opportunity to mourn, many other bloggers couldn’t help but admire and critique how the US handled the situation. My report for LinkAsia comes here: Transcript: One of the Chinese students died shortly after the explosion. The other is recovering in hospital, and her condition has stabilized. On Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, web users collectively managed to identify the…

• What was cropped out of this photo of Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher?

  Jing Gao

  12 Apr 2013 | 11:01 am

  A spittoon! Into which Deng, then the paramount leader of China, expectorated loudly while expressing his firm stance on Hong Kong’s return to China in early 1980s. Her tripping down the steps in front of the Great Hall of the People is also a memento to Chinese.

• Torture methods at a Chinese gulag, or reeducation-through-labor camp, are exposed by Chinese media

  Jing Gao

  9 Apr 2013 | 12:19 am

  Campaigns to abolish the oft-maligned reeducation-through-labor camp have been gathering steam on the Chinese social media in the past few years and even made their way into the agenda at China’s annual political meetings, for the reeduation system is often seen to be an extrajudicial punishment that have emboldened local authorities to jail and torture dissidents and petitioners without the law entering the equation. So far, these campaigns are yet to bear any fruit. But the good news for human rights activists in China is, the latest 20,000-word investigative story published in Lens…

• My visual story for LinkAsia on the dead pig scandal in Shanghai

  Jing Gao

  20 Mar 2013 | 1:41 pm

  This is a visual story I wrote and helped edit (with some tweaks made by the great video editor at LinkAsia program) for LinkAsia, aired this past Sunday on Link TV and a number of PBS-affliated stations in the United States. I know I am not a cameragenic person:P I am especially clumsy with makeup. Please be soft in your critique of my work:D The transcript of the video: Imagine that you and your loved ones sit at the dining table, munching on BBQ pork or sweet and sour pigs’ trotters. You turn on your TV and the news is that thousands of dead pigs have been rotting for more than a…

• 

  Asia Health Care Blog

• Join me in Seattle Tomorrow for a discussion! (Myanmar’s Health Infrastructure: The Evolving Context for Foreign Engagement)

  Benjamin

  21 May 2013 | 3:19 pm

  Dear AHCB reader, Please join me tomorrow in Seattle with the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) for an interactive roundtable breakfast discussing Myanmar’s health infrastructure. The rise of health on the government priority list is opening up new opportunities for foreign engagement. How is Myanmar’s openness making an impact on the health system? RSVP and comment at the following link. http://www.nbr.org/research/activity.aspx?id=9d11cac2-7910-4116-82c0-6335d852bcd1 The details from the NBR site are as follows: From 1962-2010, Myanmar was a closed country under military rule.

• China’s Hukou System: A Passport to Health (Part 3/3: Hukous and education)

  Bradley Hoath

  16 May 2013 | 10:35 am

  This is Part III of Bradely Hoath’s three part special series, China’s Hukou System: A Passport to Health. The series aims to explore how China’s hukou system impacts the health of China’s migrant labor population. In Part I, Bradley explained how the Hukou system impacts access to care. In Part II, Bradley looked at how the hukou system impacts the ability to get housing, and how that ability, or lack there of, further impacts health outcomes. In this concluding installment, Bradley explores the link between the Hukou system, education and health. How does the link between…

• China’s Hukou System: A Passport to Health (Part 2/3)

  Bradley Hoath

  14 May 2013 | 1:55 pm

  This is Part II of Bradely Hoath’s three part special series, China’s Hukou System: A Passport to Health. The series aims to explore how China’s hukou system impacts the health of China’s migrant labor population. In Part I, Bradley explained how the Hukou system impacts access to care. In this installment Bradley tells us how the hukou system impacts the ability to get housing, and how that, in turn, further impacts health outcomes. For a general introduction to the Hukou system, please refer back to Part I. Housing Access and Health Status There has been a…

• China Daily USA: Hard Lessons From the US [for China's senior living facility operators]

  Damjan Denoble

  14 May 2013 | 9:44 am

  The following article by Benjamin appears as a cover story in the China Daily USA, for May 10, 2013. Housing for seniors is not simply a real estate challenge The numbers are staggering: by 2050 more than one-third of China’s population will be over 60. Beijing already has more than 1.7 million people over 65, and Shanghai more than 2.3 million. With the incidence of dementia in China projected to more than quadruple by 2040, the country is in desperate need for new senior care models that are financially sustainable and that efficiently pull together the efforts of government and the…

• An Early Entrant Doubles Down

  Benjamin

  13 May 2013 | 4:29 pm

  It isn’t easy being first.  Among the handful of American and European early entrants in China’s senior care space that everyone is watching with bated breath is the Cascade-Emeritus project in Shanghai.  With every adjustment to their strategy, change in timeline or personnel move, everyone in the industry wrung their hands asking what to make of these changes. Some of this was perfectly understandable:  as an industry, we still aren’t really sure what to make of the China opportunity.  Demographic arguments are tired; we don’t need to be convinced of the need.  What we all want…

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  Chengdu Living

• Combatting “Expat Illiteracy” With Apps

  Charlie

  14 May 2013 | 8:21 pm

  Due to a lack of English spoken among the average residents in Chengdu, learning Chinese is virtually a necessity in this city. Without knowledge of spoken Chinese, many of the doors to the best experiences you can have in China will remain tragically closed. The same can be said for reading and writing Chinese – once you learn, a deeper level of understanding China becomes available to you. Maybe you’re learning a traditional Chinese instrument, becoming a tea expert, or learning about the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. It’ll be difficult to do any of those things…

• How to Live in Chengdu

  Ben Brown

  2 May 2013 | 7:43 pm

  I read somewhere it takes approximately three years for an expatriate employee to become as productive in China as at home. The first year is spent adjusting (in many cases positively) to the culture. It can be like a honeymoon for many. The second year can often swing in the opposite direction, as the less-colorful traits begin to take their toll. Little things that don’t bother you at first become unbearable: the constant noise, public spitting, blatant disregard for nearly all traffic signs, lanes and laws. The third year is when you become accustomed to how things work and settle in.

• 6.6 Earthquake Strikes Near Chengdu

  Charlie

  19 Apr 2013 | 6:03 pm

  We’ve been a long time without an earthquake of any considerable power in Chengdu, until today. At 8:06am the earthquake struck, and violently shook the city for about 40 seconds before subsiding. After that time, aftershocks continued every minute or so for the proceeding 30 minutes. Photos fell off my wall and as soon as I arose from bed to take count of what was happening I could already see my neighbors dashing out of their apartments into the street, many dressed in nightgowns and bathrobes. Although news published on this earthquake is insignificant so far, there is a USGS report…

• Marijuana in China

  Sascha

  19 Apr 2013 | 3:47 am

  Does anyone remember when there was no weed to be had in China? For years the only reliable thing a smoker could get his hands on was the sandy Taklamaklan Tan, served up by your local lamb skewer proprietor. Joints of that stuff made your head ache and provided a dull high. It was tough to get that dry sand to burn properly. Then for a while travelers would come up from the Southern Silk Road with a bag of seedy shake and tales of “weed bushes 2 meters tall, growing wild in the streets of Dali…” – even then the smoker’s circle was a confined one. Travelers…

• Women Writers of Chengdu

  Sophia Kidd

  30 Mar 2013 | 8:33 am

  Check out Notes on Women Writers Across the Generations, Opening Event of the 2013 Chengdu Bookworm International Literary Festival: When Catherine Platt, program designer for the 2013 Chengdu Bookworm Literary Festival, asked me for recommendations of local women writers, I was happy to suggest my classmate at Sichuan University, Liu Guoxin, who was active in southwest China’s poetry scene. The young poet was eager to introduce more local women writers who were open to sharing their work with a Western audience. While Platt had requested one woman writer from each of three generations;…

• 

  eWallstreeter

• Gold Mine Discovered in Northwest China

  22 May 2013 | 11:11 am

  The mine is believed to have gold reserves of at least 53 tons, worth about $3.2 billion, according to the state news agency.

• For Westerners in Asia, the Job Market Grows Tougher

  22 May 2013 | 8:08 am

  Cost pressures are part of the problem, along with a greater availability of qualified local hires and a shift in the role that the region plays within the global economy.

• AXP not CSCO is overbought

  22 May 2013 | 6:26 am

  May 22, 2013 (Chinavestor) American Express (NYSE:AXP) reached theoretical highs and is expected to take a breather on Wednesday, according to the overbought chart below. Other Dow components are looking better from a technical point of view. Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Exxon Mobile (NYSE:XOM) are not overbought but are trading above their trading ranges. Downside risk is on the rise, something prudent investors should keep in mind.

• Thai Rice: Hong Kong’s New Hot Commodity?

  22 May 2013 | 5:58 am

  Fears of cadmium-tainted rice are driving anxious shoppers in mainland China across the border to Hong Kong, which in recent years has become a prime destination not only for tourists stocking up on Gucci and Rolexes, but those making grocery runs as well.

• Tensions Flare in Taiwan-Philippines Dispute

  22 May 2013 | 3:53 am

  Taiwan’s public indignation against the Philippines is boiling over.

• 

  China-Family-Adventure.com News

• China Culture Tour for the Family: Dumpling Making, Paint Brushing, Pottery Making, Biking, Rafting, Kite Flying!

  29 Apr 2013 | 4:51 am

  Beijing - Xian - Guilin - Shanghai - 13 days, 12 nights A great China Culture Tour that brings you to the top destinations at a leisurely pace with a good balance of fun things to do for the entire family and free time for enjoying markets, food stalls, the countryside or whatever you might run into in your travels. Kids will enjoy bike rides while grandma and grandpa will chase them in the golf carts... want to learn how pottery is made? or try your hand at some brush painting? go rafting, hiking or caving? we've got you covered!

• H7N9 Bird Flu in China - Travel Precautions

  22 Apr 2013 | 1:51 am

  A strain of the H7N9 Bird Flu is spreading in birds and people in China. Should you cancel or delay your trip? At this time the CDC does not recommend to cancel or delay your trip. Here find some common sense precautions to take.

• China Earthquake Relief, Donations, Travel Updates

  21 Apr 2013 | 9:44 am

  China Earthquake 2013: China earthquake relief efforts are underway as a 7.0 earthquake shook Sichuan province on Saturday, April 20, 2013. Travel Update in Sichuan Province to follow.

• China Travel Packing Checklist

  19 Apr 2013 | 12:16 am

  Here's a China Travel Packing List, a useful checklist of essential stuff to take along, and the not so essential stuff that came in really handy.

• Our New Pinterest Board: Beijing

  11 Apr 2013 | 1:31 am

• 

  Beijing Cream

• Mid-Week Links: Playboy loves Ai Weiwei, bad Samaritans leave cyclist to die, and Hong Kong’s rubber duck is back

  Anthony Tao

  22 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  At the MIDI Music Festival in Shenzhen, via The Nanfang We’re checking out some improv comedy tonight at Beer Mania. More laughs there than in these links, but nevertheless: Barely livable? “Most first-tier cities in China are barely suitable for living due to their poor ecological environment, despite rapid economic development and preferential regulations for investmet, said a newly released report by a top Chinese think tank on Sunday.” (China Daily) Uh-huh. “The artist Ai Weiwei (pronounced “eye way way”—Ai is his surname) is the Chinese government’s…

• Chengdu Police Bring Down Knife-Wielding Child Kidnapper

  Anthony Tao

  22 May 2013 | 3:49 am

  In Chengdu yesterday, a man with a knife reportedly kidnapped a child in Jinniu District. Cops quickly arrived on the scene — specifically, Weng Hailin and Lu Mingjian — setting up a dramatic confrontation, part of which you can watch above. According to the Jinniu Public Security Bureau, Weng was stabbed in the left arm, severing artery. The knife-wielder was eventually subdued with the help of surrounding residents. Weng is currently in the hospital recovering from his injury. The child was unharmed.

• The Daily Show On Nanjing’s “Mystery Goo”

  Anthony Tao

  22 May 2013 | 2:18 am

  “Things may be bad, but at least our streets don’t burp mystery goo,” says Jon Stewart, referring to the ooze that randomly appeared one day out of a street crack in Nanjing. We asked you to come up with guesses for what it can be. “Bird shit and Bisquick,” Stewart says. “Corn starch and Foxocnn worker tears.” The audience was slightly aghast at that last suggestion. (H/T Ben Ogle)

• “We Live In A Country Without Dreams,” Says Chinese Businessman Signed Up For One-Way Trip To Mars

  Anthony Tao

  21 May 2013 | 8:45 pm

  Ma Qiang, a 39-year-old businessman, was among the earliest volunteers for the Mars One project, a one-way trip to the Red Planet with no scheduled return. He sparked a wave of Chinese applicants, to the point that only the US has more willing volunteers for this Netherlands project, and that, in turn, has authorities worried. Reports SCMP: “Starting from Sunday, major state news outlets issued a series of reports alleging the project was a business scam and that its organiser was incapable of and insincere about sending people to Mars.” “We live in a country without…

• Here’s Ai Weiwei’s Music Video For “Dumbass,” About His Prison Experience

  Anthony Tao

  21 May 2013 | 7:44 pm

  Ai Weiwei’s 81 days in detention in 2011 is the inspiration for his latest work, “Dumbass,” a song he wrote with music by rocker/artist Zuoxiao Zuzhou. The accompanying video was released minutes ago, in which Ai recreates scenes from his imprisonment. “He also portrays fantasies he imagines flitting through the guards’ minds,” reports the NY Times. The cinematography is by Christopher Doyle, who has worked with the likes of Wong Kar-wai. The song is also on Soundcloud and will be included in a forthcoming album called The Divine Comedy, to be released June…

• 

  Everyone's Blog Posts - Study More Chinese

• What is the Three Character Classic ?

  Thomas Doherty

  20 May 2013 | 4:36 pm

  The Three Character Classic, Trimetric Classic or San Zi Jing is one of the Chinese classic texts. It was probably written in the 13th century and attributed to Wang Yinglin (王應麟, 1223–1296) during the Song Dynasty. It is also attributed to Ou Shizi (歐適子, 1234–1324). The work is not one of the traditional six Confucian classics, but rather the embodiment of Confucianism suitable for teaching young children.1 Until the latter part of the 1800s, it served as a child's first formal education at home. The text is written in triplets of characters for easy memorization. With…

• 三字经之解析篇 explanation for san zi jing

  angel shen

  13 May 2013 | 5:30 pm

  1、人之初，性本善。性相近，习相远。 【解释】人生下来的时候都是好的，只是由于成长过程中，后天的学习环境不一样，性情也就有了好与坏的差别。 2、苟不教，性乃迁。教之道，贵以专。 【解释】如果从小不好好教育，善良的本性就会变坏。为了使人不变坏，最重要的方法就是要专心一致地去教育孩子。 3、昔孟母，择邻处。子不学，断机杼。…

• Hot on Weibo: 白宫请愿网 Whitehouse petition website

  Seraph Ching

  7 May 2013 | 11:16 pm

  白宫请愿网（We the People）近日网络，各种不靠谱的““让人大跌眼镜，”请给我一个媳妇“，”请判定是咸的“，”请给我加“。网友调侃奥巴马即将被玩坏。白宫请愿网是美国总统奥巴马推行的，若有民众请愿在1个月内获得超过10万人签名，政府将对此进行。 爆红：get famous/popular overnight 靠谱：probable, reasonable, reliable 请愿：petition 豆腐脑：豆腐花，beancurd jelly 工资：salary 官方回应：official response VIA

• Who are the translators David Hawkes and Henry Bencraft Joly ?

  Thomas Doherty

  4 May 2013 | 11:30 am

  Often when reading about the 18th-century novel by Cao Xueqin usually known as the Dream of the Red Chamber ( Hong Lou Meng ), which is regarded as one of the greatest works of traditional Chinese fiction, I see comments such as " the translation is not as good as the David Hawkes translation " or " not as bad as the translation by Henry Bencraft Joly."  Using Google I immediately found the Wiki page and an Obituary for David Hawkes here:    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hawkes_%28Sinologist%29   and here:    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/aug/25/obituary-david-hawkes  …

• Google translation listener

  James P Gilbert

  27 Apr 2013 | 3:00 pm

  I wanted to share with this community a browser script I wrote that allows you to listen to words in phrases in one language and then the translation in another. I use it to listen to Chinese translations. To use this script you must have Greasemonkey on Firefox or Tampermonkey on Chrome, then click the green install button that appears top right of this link http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/165874 then simply navigate to http://translate.google.com and a popup should appear that allows you to specify what words or phrases you want to hear translated. I hope you find this tool helpful!

• 

  Chinanewz.com

• Chengdu: China’s Western Capital

  China Newz

  22 May 2013 | 9:56 am

  Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan Province and, along with the city of Chongqing, it serves as an important economic, cultural and transportation hub in Western China.  The city’s name literally means to “become a capital” and its name has been in place for 2,000 years.  The city is known for its low cost of living, laid back lifestyle, and favorable weather.  The total area of the city is 12,121 square kilometers and has an estimated population of over 14 million people.  The city is located on the Sichuan Basin, and it is a fertile plain. The primary language spoken in Chengdu…

• China and US Trade Relationship Congressional Hearing 2010

  China Newz

  20 May 2013 | 12:21 pm

  Committee on Finance, US Senate, June 23rd 2010 Key points taken away from this Committee meeting in Congress. -Seventy to eighty percent of software that is used in China is pirated -Counterfeit products in China count for around 15% to 20% of all products made in the country -Counterfeit products are equal to roughly 8% of China’s GDP -A Chinese website known as Tomato Garden provided 10 million pirated copies of the Windows XP software; it has been shut down and convicted of piracy -99% of all music being downloaded in China is pirated -Chinese drywall has a reputation for being poorly…

• Nixon’s Visit to China

  China Newz

  9 May 2013 | 12:57 pm

  During the Cold War between the United States and Communist ideology, President Richard Nixon made an important visit to China, the first by any US President since The Peoples’ Republic became the official government of China. It is considered by many historians to be the most important part of his political legacy as President. He achieved political success largely by taking an anti-communist stance so his trip to China was a significant departure from his early political beliefs.  A phrase “Only Nixon could go to China” refers to his ability to take actions that might not be…

• China and the World Trade Organization

  China Newz

  8 May 2013 | 3:36 pm

  What is the WTO? The WTO (World Trade Organization) is located in Geneva, Switzerland and is the only global entity that regulates international trade. It directs trade agreements, provides a venue for trade negotiations, a place to manage conflict over trade disagreements, and acts as an organization that observes trade policies. WTO and China Although China has been a member of the WTO since December 11, 2001, it took 15 years from application to admission into the trade organization.  The WTO had three conditions which China had to follow in order to be admitted: Reducing tariffs on…

• US China Trade Relations

  China Newz

  7 May 2013 | 5:21 pm

  Committee on Ways And Means US House: October 25th, 2011 The Committee on Ways and Means discussed issues facing the US China Economic Relationship on October 25th, 2011.  It was a part of the 112th Congress, First Session and focused on the trade barriers that are hampering US Sino relations and the development of healthy international trade practices. ISSUES OF CONCERN Intellectual Property Theft: Creates a competitive disadvantage for research and development in the United States and costs the country 48 billion dollars per year. Currency Manipulation – China’s government has kept its…