(To put an end to the irony of me promising a post for two years that never materialize, I’ve finally put together the last post on the “what and when” on Chinese political reform, basically, what it will entail at this stage and when it will happen. I have on numerous occasions said that substantial [...]
Mo Yan (莫言) has won the Nobel Prize of Literature in 2012. On a personal level, and perhaps it is a bit silly to put it like this, I’m happy that this year’s prize, like last year’s (Tomas Tranströmer), has been awarded to an author I’ve actually read. Chinese prizes are often controversial, one way [...]
Before my post on Mo Yan, I’ll share this video that has been on my mind for a while. I’m very fascinated with languages and like movies with language realism (like Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”) and so I’ve been wondering why there aren’t any Chinese movies in the language as it was [...]
We’ve all been hearing a lot about the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands lately, what with all the demonstrations in China after the Japanese government purchased the islands from the Japanese owner. Meanwhile, Taiwan is adding their opinion into the mix since three governments claim this territory. So, what’s really going on? What laws govern island ownership? Who [...]
Hairy crabs are an October delicacy in Jiangsu province and very popular among the locals. I had them once and to be honest, they weren’t my cup of tea but all my Shanghai colleagues loved them. What surprised me about this video was the price… 15-25 yuan ($2-5 USD) for a hairy crab? Actual hairy [...]
You’ve probably noticed we’ve been mostly absent over the last few months. Both Wukailong and I had been pretty busy with work and personal matters but we should be far more productive in the coming days. You might also have noticed that this blog has rarely if ever commented about breaking news in China. Two [...]
I was reading an opinion piece in the New York Times about the perils of positive thinking, or even the power of negative thinking, when I stumbled upon this part: Buddhist meditation, too, is arguably all about learning to resist the urge to think positively — to let emotions and sensations arise and pass, regardless [...]
… springtime in Beijing is fleeting, so we should enjoy it while we can. As a former journalist for daily newspapers, I’ve learned that all you can hope for is that your story is an accurate reflection of what happens on a given day. It’s a snapshot, that’s all. By tomorrow, everything may have changed [...]
The “two meetings” in Beijing tend to be fairly uneventful political gatherings. Every once in a while someone makes a definite statement about something that’s been in doubt, and the prime minister is given the opportunity to show his wit at the international press conference. It was during one of these meetings that Zhu Rongji [...]
Our intrepid Beijing photographer Jesse found this map on the net a few months ago and I thought it might be helpful to give everyone a visual aid of China’s geographic boundaries over the millennia. It’s fascinating to see how the borders waxed and waned over the centuries. Enjoy!
… drying your hair tomorrow. It’s a tad disturbing to know that this hair salon’s hygiene system involves hanging its freshly washed towels on some power grid’s dusty fence in a parking lot. As a former journalist for daily newspapers, I’ve learned that all you can hope for is that your story is an accurate reflection [...]
What’s an Israeli band doing on Pacific Rim Shots? Aren’t we all about PacRim countries? So how does Eatliz get on here? Easy, they’re about to tour China! The tour is planned around the JUE Festival (which this year headlines Death Cab For Cutie) but they’ll be hitting other cities to increase their exposure. Here are [...]
…better than a white dress and a Christian church, apparently. As a former journalist for daily newspapers, I’ve learned that all you can hope for is that your story is an accurate reflection of what happens on a given day. It’s a snapshot, that’s all. By tomorrow, everything may have changed completely. I live in [...]
… maybe a little soy sauce and oyster sauce, and stir fry. As a former journalist for daily newspapers, I’ve learned that all you can hope for is that your story is an accurate reflection of what happens on a given day. It’s a snapshot, that’s all. By tomorrow, everything may have changed completely. I live [...]
It’s in all the headlines. “Protesters Confront Apple Over Foxconn Conditions”, “Apple’s Foxconn Electronics Manufacturer Blamed for Chinese Child Slave Labor”, “Apple, Foxconn and the Human Cost of Electronics Manufacturing in China”, those are just a smattering of media reports that all say basically the same thing, that Apple is responsible for China’s labor laws, [...]
