A reader in response to a previous post quite rightly raises the (terrible) prospect of damage to Three Gorges Dam, the monumental hydroelectric project located in western Hubei province,about 660 kilometres east of Chengdu. Thus far, both Xinhua and Reuters reports (out of Chengdu) are saying that there is no evidence as yet of any …

At least two chemical plants in the city of Shifang in Sichuan province have been destroyed in the quake. Hundreds are buried in the rubble at both sites. And —ominously?— from at least one of the plants liquid ammonia has been released into the atmosphere because of the destruction, according to Xinhua.net. The overall death toll, …

Remember that the Kobe earthquake in 1995 registered 7.2, and killed 5100 people. The urban infrastructure there, I’d wager, even in 1995, was vastly more “earthquake proof” than the buildings, highways etc. in Chengdu. US geological survey, according to its website, saying this was a 7.8 But the epicenter is about 90 to 100 kilometers …

It’s early days yet but it looks as though the damage from the Sichuan earthquake that hit this afternoon isn’t too bad. (Later note: numbers are rising as they always do. I guess I was being optimistic, a triumph of hope over experience: I recall the first reports out of Aceh only had a few dozen dead) The size of the quake and the fact …

A demonstration one week ago in Chengdu drew attention not because of its size but because of what it symbolized. A few hundred residents of the capitol of Sichuan province marched to protest a planned chemical factory. In a country with as many environmental problems as China, a single protest doesn’t make a movement. But the Chengdu …

Earlier this spring Beijing was hit by a small sandstorm. Or at least, I was told the city was hit by a small sandstorm. I didn’t notice it myself, probably because my neighborhood has been swirling with construction dust for months. My neighbors will stop while hammering away on a …

A team of Chinese climbers carried the Olympic flame to the top of Mount Everest today. After an international torch run that was met with protest and controversy, the summit bid is a clear success, and a welcome one from the eyes of the Beijing government. Chinese vice president Xi …

Austin Ramzy has a new story on Time.com about the increasingly bizarre atmosphere in Beijing as the Games draw near. Bottom line: jogging and pillow fights verbotten! meanwhile, Ishaan Tharoor, a Time reporter in Hong Kong, has a related story about the range of restrictions being imposed on foreigners trying to get visas to come into …

An interesting piece in today’s South China Morning Post laying out why the Tibet talks are almost certainly destined to go nowhere. I have mentioned some of the obstacles the talks face in previous posts, particularly the “greater Tibet” issue. This article goes into detail on the other huge impediment to progress, the extent of the …

Dressed in red, patriots outnumbered protesters when the Olympic torch came through Hong Kong last Friday. Click here to see TIME’s video report of the Hong Kong relay.

So, as predicted in my previous post, the talks between the Dalai Lama’s representatives and Beijing are happening today in Shenzhen. Expectations on both sides seem low, to put it mildly. President Hu Jintao, who is in Tokyo, (oops. he was talking to Japanese reporters in Beijing; goes to Japan Tuesday. Sorry about that. I must have …