Archive | July, 2012

The Chinese Reviews Are In: London Opening Ceremonies “Beautiful,” But Can’t Match Beijing

The games of the 30th Olympiad opened with a grand ceremony titled “Isles of Wonder,” created by the English film director Danny Boyle, best known for his work on the films Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later. Boyle acknowledged the sheer extravagance and synchronization of the Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremony, having been quoted as saying, [...]

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The Chinese Reviews Are In: London Opening Ceremonies "Beautiful," But Can't Match Beijing

The games of the 30th Olympiad opened with a grand ceremony titled “Isles of Wonder,” created by the English film director Danny Boyle, best known for his work on the films Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later. Boyle acknowledged the sheer extravagance and synchronization of the Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremony, having been quoted as saying, [...]

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Chinese Netizens Say Accusers of Olympic Swimmer Ye Shiwen “Just Jealous”

The 2012 London Olympics are only a few days underway and the Games have already seen its fair share of athletic marvels. Having adopted the official Olympic slogan “inspire a generation,” London organizers hope to showcase the trials of Olympic athletes and inspire the world. But over the last generation, the rest of the world [...]

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Chinese Netizens Say Accusers of Olympic Swimmer Ye Shiwen "Just Jealous"

The 2012 London Olympics are only a few days underway and the Games have already seen its fair share of athletic marvels. Having adopted the official Olympic slogan “inspire a generation,” London organizers hope to showcase the trials of Olympic athletes and inspire the world. But over the last generation, the rest of the world [...]

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Translation: A Blogger’s Sober Thoughts on the Qidong Protests

The following is a translation of a post shared via Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, by Shanghai blogger @桔子树小窝  on the recent large-scale protests in Qidong, China.  According to Hong Kong University’s Weiboscope, which tracks Weibo posts popular with influential users, the text was the most-retweeted image of July 29. It was reposted over 25,000 times and [...]

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Translation: A Blogger's Sober Thoughts on the Qidong Protests

The following is a translation of a post shared via Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, by Shanghai blogger @桔子树小窝  on the recent large-scale protests in Qidong, China.  According to Hong Kong University’s Weiboscope, which tracks Weibo posts popular with influential users, the text was the most-retweeted image of July 29. It was reposted over 25,000 times and [...]

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Op-Ed: What the U.S. “Rebalance” to Asia Really Means

[Note: The following is a Tea Leaf Nation op-ed, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the editors, or of the U.S. government.] The U.S. has made headlines this year with its announced “Pivot to Asia.” Many have taken this to be a “get tough” policy in response to a “rising China.” Some in [...]

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Op-Ed: What the U.S. "Rebalance" to Asia Really Means

[Note: The following is a Tea Leaf Nation op-ed, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the editors, or of the U.S. government.] The U.S. has made headlines this year with its announced “Pivot to Asia.” Many have taken this to be a “get tough” policy in response to a “rising China.” Some in [...]

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Translation: One Author’s Plea for a Gentler China

[Dear readers, please note: The Chinese version of Murong Xuecun's speech is appended at bottom. 亲爱的读者, 请注意:演讲稿的中文版在下.] On Wednesday, July 25, a famous Chinese author and liberal voice with the pen name Murong Xuecun (@慕容雪村) shared a long and heartfelt plea to his countrymen via Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, based on a speech given earlier [...]

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Translation: One Author's Plea for a Gentler China

[Dear readers, please note: The Chinese version of Murong Xuecun's speech is appended at bottom. 亲爱的读者, 请注意:演讲稿的中文版在下.] On Wednesday, July 25, a famous Chinese author and liberal voice with the pen name Murong Xuecun (@慕容雪村) shared a long and heartfelt plea to his countrymen via Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, based on a speech given earlier [...]

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Infographic – Background on the Qidong Protest

An infographic circulating on Chinese social media provides some background information on the planned oceanic wastewater pipeline and a compelling call-to-action for local residents in Qidong, a small city north of Shanghai. Fierce mass protest forced local government to abandon the project on July 28, the second successful mass NIMBY protest in China in a [...]

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Social Media Leads to “New Normal” in Chinese Crisis Management

It’s the new normal in China. Skepticism and rumors about the death toll have seemingly followed every disaster or accident in recent years. The June 30 shopping center fire in Jixian County (蓟县), a suburb of Tianjin, is a typical example. Although the government announced later on the same day that ten people died, netizens [...]

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