Days after an unsuccessful attempt at importing the Arab spring uprisings to China, a group of anonymous online organizers is trying again. In a posting on an overseas website popular with Chinese dissidents, they’ve called for further demonstrations every Sunday in 13 major Chinese cities. Last Sunday’s attempted “jasmine …
Asia
A New Turn in India’s War Against the Naxals?
A kidnapping drama is the latest twist in Operation Green Hunt, India’s 16-month-old fight against Maoist rebels, called Naxals. On Feb. 16, R. Vineel Krishna, the collector of Malkangiri District in the eastern state of Orissa, and a junior engineer were taken hostage by Naxals seeking the release of several of their comrades, among …
One Last Photo from the Window
In keeping with a China Blog tradition, I’ll sign off with a photo from the bureau window. Only this time there’s no snarl of cars to be seen. Amazing how a few tanks (they’re practicing today for the Oct. 1 National Day parade) can clear out traffic.
Farewell!
We’ve had a good run, but alas, the China Blog is indeed shutting down. Come visit us elsewhere on Time.com. You’ll find most of our stories on the World and Magazine pages, ie the current issue of Time Asia includes the China 60th anniversary cover package. And if you want to respond to any of our magazine stories, send your letters to …
China Blog: The End
All good things must come to an end and, sadly, that applies to the China Blog too, which will shutter at the end of today. I and my colleagues have thoroughly enjoyed doing this (mostly) and equally been interested to get feedback from readers. There was a lot of puerile drivel, too (you know who you are!), of course, but on the whole …
Surgery for Ai Weiwei in Germany
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei underwent cranial surgery this week in Munich to treat lingering pain he’s suffered since being punched by a Chengdu police officer last month. (He’s posted pre- and post-surgery photos on his Twitter page.) Ai, who organized a campaign to tally student deaths in last year’s Sichuan earthquake, was detained with …
A Family Journey
Heads up: here’s my essay in this week’s TIME Asia, about why, after nearly 100 years, China is suddenly honoring my great-grandfather.
A Beijing-style Variety Store
Small shops in China can change their operations with remarkable frequency. In a matter of weeks this summer I’ve witnessed a storefront near my home in Beijing’s Dongsi area transform from the mundane to the salacious.
The New Normal For Urumqi
It has been a tense few days in Urumqi, the western Chinese city that saw renewed unrest last week, two months after rioting left nearly 200 dead. Late Friday the government said five people had been killed during the previous week’s unrest, including two “innocent civilians.” On Saturday it announced that Urumqi’s Communist Party …
More Unrest in Troubled Xinjiang Region
The details of recent violence in Urumqi are surprising, but the news of further unrest in the capital of China’s northwestern Xinjiang region isn’t. State media reported that police arrested 15 people this week for attacks using syringes.
Possibly in response to those stabbings, residents of the city gathered today to protest poor …
Why China Could Turn Green
Austin was in Guizhou last weekend to interview Tony Blair and Jet Li for this piece: Why China Could Turn Green. (Read Time Asia’s 2008 cover story on Jet Li here)
$1,000 Tea and $21 Soy Sauce
China wants Puer tea to become an international favorite–but first it must overcome fraud, fakes and foreign competition. Here‘s Emily Rauhala’s full piece.
And here‘s my piece on Yuan’s soy sauce, which, at $21 for 125 ml, is the most expensive in the world. The manufacturer, I Ho Yuan, still produces its line of gourmet sauces out of …
As Recession Eases, No Escape for Hong Kong’s Cage Dwellers
With temperatures reaching the mid-30s, it’s the hottest time of Hong Kong’s sticky summer. That, in addition to the recession, is making life even harder for the city’s growing number of cage dwellers–the city’s poorest inhabitants who pay roughly $170 per month to live in 18-square-foot wire cages. Read Lisa Thomas’ full story here.