It is a truth universally acknowledged in China that a single woman in her 20s—who has just gotten a job after graduating—must be in need of a boyfriend, i.e. a future husband. This is an inviolable belief firmly fixed in the minds of traditional Chinese families. And the boyfriend, of which we speak, must be of [...]
On China Southern Airlines flight CZ3874 from Hefei to Guangzhou on August 29, a couple of drunk passengers hit a flight attendant over an argument about luggage placement. The flight attendant, using the handle @花Money买毛豆, tweeted a description of the events on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, and posted photos of her injuries. The effective “human-flesh [...]
As the opening of China’s 18th Party Congress draws near, online speculation about under-the-table maneuvers among party bosses heighten. At 8:18 pm today, Air China’s official account (@中国国际航空) on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, made a special announcement about a threatening message its flight CA981 received. To ensure passenger safety, the account wrote, the plane, originally bound [...]
Liu Bo is famous. One of many police officers assigned to quash recent protests over a planned molybdenum copper plant in Shifang (什邡), Sichuan province, Bo was famously pictured with a riot shield strapped to his forearm, baton raised, charging at the backs of a small crowd. His bull rush was captured on a mobile [...]
China’s amended Criminal Procedure Law, passed by the National People’s Congress (NPC) in March to great controversy, has become a focal point again. On July 30, the Chinese Supreme People’s Court (最高人民法院) drafted the Judicial Interpretation of the Criminal Procedure Law, which was to be discussed by lower-level courts before being written into law. But [...]
[Update: On August 30, 2012, official media reported Zhang Guangning's appearance at official functions, likely to dispel rumors of his political demise.] This S-election year may be a dangerous one for local party bosses in China, when the country’s ruling Communist Party does its once-in-a-decade house cleaning. After rumors of Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai’s downfall turned [...]
In third grade, I had my first private English tutoring lesson. My teacher was a 21-year old English major at Peking University. “Say ‘Thank you.’ Xie xie—Thank you.” “S…ank you.” “It’s not ‘sank you.’” She leaned over, tucking a strand of her glossy black hair behind her ear: “Th—ank you. Stick your tongue out, between [...]
To prominent blogger Li Chengpeng, deceit is everywhere in modern China. In the aftermath of the shocking collapse of a 10-month-old bridge in the northeastern city of Harbin, Li took to his account on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter (@李承鹏) to comment on the bridge’s unfortunate role as a metaphor for today’s China. Since its posting [...]
What’s the best camera for capturing images of the recent boycott of Japanese goods in parts of China? Why, a Canon SLR camera, of course. At least so thought one apparent protestor (or so one might think at first glance – more on this later) sporting a vivid ‘Boycott Japanese Goods’ t-shirt complete with [...]
The government official looked at the horrific accident, and he laughed. That, at least, is the story in current circulation on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, less than one day after a horrific traffic accident claimed the lives of 36 riders onboard a bus in Shaanxi province after the bus rammed into the back of a [...]
On August 23, judges in South Korea ruled the country’s controversial real name-registration system unconstitutional, a move hailed as a victory by free speech advocates. In practice since June 28, 2009 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Communication of Korea, real-name registration had required netizens to register with identification credentials in order [...]
Not only are foreigners leaving China; those Chinese who are rich enough are emigrating out of their motherland as well. Recently, Charlie Custer, founder and editor of the wonderful Chinageeks.org, announced he was leaving China, but he is by no means unique. Reasons for leaving almost always include food safety and air quality, among many others, [...]
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