Tea Leaf Nation

“Tibet is still a very sensitive topic, even if your story is about the environment and not politics,” said an editor, who prefers to remain unnamed, of the environmental section of Southern Weekly, a paper the New York Times has called the most influential liberal newspaper in China. In early April, several satellite images were [...]

This article also appears on The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. David Barboza, the New York Times correspondent and Shanghai bureau chief, won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for exposing the wealth amassed by the extended family of former premier Wen Jiabao. The report, which tackles head-on the politically sensitive topic of [...]

[The following is a Tea Leaf Nation op-ed, and as such, does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editors.] 欲盖弥彰。 Trying to hide it makes it more conspicuous. –From Zuo Zhuan or Chronicle of Zuo, an ancient Chinese narrative  Political campaigns require mastery of propaganda: retouching images, staging impressive venues, and cherry-picking information. On [...]

This article also appears on ChinaFile, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. As The New York Times reported yesterday evening, U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Mandiant has just released a deeply troubling report called “Exposing One of China’s Cyber Espionage Units.” The report alleges wide-spread hacking sponsored by the People’s Liberation Army, which is controlled by the [...]

Before the public shaming begins in court, Zhao Hongxia, whose sex tape led to the downfall of eleven Chinese executives and officials last December, wanted to remind the country that she was also a mother and wife. “Right now I only care about whether pictures of my husband and son have been exposed in public,” [...]

When the New York Times reported yesterday that Chinese hackers had been attacking its computer system for months, one social media user in China asked, “Another glorious feat of Lanxiang Vocational School?” While Lanxiang was not mentioned in the Times‘ January 30 report, a New York Times article from 2010 named Lanxiang as one of two Chinese [...]

This article also appears on The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. After the New York Times published an article detailing the four months during which the venerated publication was the subject of hacking attacks traced to China, the news spread on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter. Despite internal censorship measures and the blocking of [...]

This article also appears on The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. Had Li Ping been working anywhere else, she probably would be dead. Three months ago, the 17-year-old had recently found work as a waitress at Salvador’s, a café and Western restaurant in Kunming, China. Situated in a crowded alleyway known to most [...]

In June of this year, The Juilliard School, an elite performing arts conservatory, announced plans to partner with governmental and educational entities in Tianjin, China, to explore the creation of an educational institute there. With the assistance of the Tianjin Innovative Finance Company, the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission, and the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Juilliard [...]

[Note: The following is a Tea Leaf Nation op-ed, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the editors.] During her TED talk, “Building US-China Relations…by Banjo,” after singing a song called “Taiyang Chulai Xiyangyang”(太阳出来喜洋洋) in Chinese, American clawhammer banjo player-singer Abigail Washburn discussed how the audience at a Blue Grass Festival in Virginia had [...]

[Note: The following is a Tea Leaf Nation op-ed, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the editors.] During her TED talk, “Building US-China Relations…by Banjo,” after singing a song called “Taiyang Chulai Xiyangyang”(太阳出来喜洋洋) in Chinese, American clawhammer banjo player-singer Abigail Washburn discussed how the audience at a Blue Grass Festival in Virginia had [...]

[The author of this op-ed is a career U.S. military officer writing under the pen name Ehr Kwong. -Eds.] The New York Times’ newest Beijing correspondent, Jane Perlez, has wasted no time in getting her feet wet stirring up the waters of international disharmony. Her article, “Chinese Insider Offers Rare Glimpse of U.S.-China Frictions,” covers [...]