While walking through the Wangfujing shopping district in central Beijing this weekend I noticed a couple long lines of people snaking across the pedestrian mall. Not an unusual sight, but the people’s motivation for standing in the cold was interesting. They were there to be in an advertisement.
The ad is one that anyone in the Chinese …
If you ever needed proof of the capricious nature of politics (I’m sure you don’t, but allow me the gambit) take a look at the amusing exchange that took place recently between Hong Kong’s Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing and the de facto opposition leader Anson Chan. Tsang accused Chan of being a “sudden democrat” who …
A fascinating development in the ongoing saga of Xiamen’s mini civic rebellion, a case that may prove a model for the many not-in-my-backyard revolts that Chinese authorities will face in coming years as the swelling ranks of the middle class assert themselves. Back in June, citizens of the fair port city of Xiamen poured into the …
One of the concerns about the purchase of Dow Jones by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation was that the media tycoon might water down of the Wall Street Journal’s highly respected China coverage. The Murdoch era at the paper has just begun, so it’s too early to make any judgment about whether that’s happening.
Over on the promotion side …
So Steven Spielberg has released the text of the latest letter he sent to President Hu Jintao. The timing is interesting: Spielberg–who is one of several prominent foreigners involved in the production of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics– is subject to a great deal of pressure back home, so when he feels the need to show …
Plenty will be written and broadcast about the 60th 70th anniversary today of the start of the Nanking massacre, during which victorious Japanese troops killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, raped tens of thousands of women and girls and basically destroyed most of the city. I have little to add except to say that of all the …
Those familiar with American jurisprudence will know about the “Twinkie defense,”* the idea that a defendant can, through a flimsy or preposterous argument, avoid the full punishment of the law.
China’s legal system now seems to be toying with its own Twinkie defense. When a tour guide stabbed 20 people in southwest China this spring, …
Now, mind you, it’s important to remember that China under almost any circumstances was not going to step away from doing energy deals with Iran, even if their business partners in Tehran were drinking toasts to the imminent arrival of the Twelfth Imam with highly enriched uranium and threatening to nuke Israel the day after tomorrow. …
Here’s a piece on the OP ED page of today’s Wall Street Journal by the always astute Michael Pettis. The nut graf sums it up:
China’s financial authorities face two contradictory policy demands. They need to rein in out-of-control growth before it sparks rampant inflation. They also need to maximize job creation to avert social unrest
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For those of you curious to find out what’s really going on in the world of Chinese hackers after all those conflicting news reports in recent months, see our story here.
Further to Austin’s post, the excellent fellows at HK University’s China Media Project have a story that links Nick Young’s case with that of Chinese journalist Zhai Minglei and his own publication, Mingjian. which also focused on the NGO sector in China. It’s another vivid if depressing insight into the deteriorating state of official …
In July we and several other media outlets reported on the closure of the China Development Brief, a non-profit newsletter based in Beijing that focused on NGOs, development and civil society. At the time the government’s move to shut down the publication–officially due to a violation of a law on conducting surveys–was seen as a result …
It’s been a bumpy two-year ride for Hong Kong Disneyland. Visitors are shunning the $37-$45 admission tickets and pouring through the turnstiles at Ocean Park, which is enjoying the highest attendance in its 30-year history. And it’s about to get worse for HK Disneyland, where nearly half of all visitors come from the mainland. …
