It’s been hard to avoid the news that Hillary Rodham Clinton has entered the race for the U.S. presidency, an election that is nearly two years away. Hong Kong has an election coming up too, and though it is just two months away the man who is almost certain to win has yet to announce his candidacy. Chief Executive Donald Tsang has …

I’ve always thought having a Starbucks in the Forbidden City was pretty tacky. But actually, when you look at it in the context of all of the other retail outlets, the ones pushing plastic jade beads and the cigarette lighters that play “The East is Red,” the coffee shop seems pretty innocuous. So one question I’d ask Rui and co is, “Is …

China’s blogosphere/webworld/netnation or whatever is a fascinating, still evolving (maturing?) animal. When mobilized, China’s netizens can by collective effort accomplish noble ends. Take the case of Foxconn, a Taiwanese company with a factory in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen. After two local journalists published an article …

As Simon noted in his post about the continuing horrors of China’s coal industry, a rookie reporter named Lan Chengzhang was beaten to death in Shanxi last week while investigating an illegal mine. The debate about Lan’s status as a journalist and the allegation of blackmail have diverted some focus from the fact that a man was killed, a …

More depressing news from China’s mines. The most blood spattered of all the country’s industries, The news is rarely good but lately it has been particularly bad. Rookie reporter Lan Chengzhan of the Beijing-based China Trade News was beaten to death while attempting to report a story about coal mine safety in Shanxi province, itself …

That’s the word from Simon Clegg, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, regarding next year’s Beijing Olympics. China is, as Clegg points out, in the midst of an incredible effort to prepare its athletes for the Games. It’s not just gearing up for strong showings in events like diving, where it’s a traditional powerhouse. …

Yesterday, Hong Kong got tough with cross-border threat. It wasn’t currency speculators, or bird flu carriers. No, it was pregnant women.

The growing numbers of them arriving here from the Chinese mainland has become a serious political concern. They come to Hong Kong as tourists late in their terms so their children will be born here …

Via the ever-useful Docuticker, I just came across an interesting new report put out by the U.S. Justice Department on Asian transnational crime. It takes a look at gangs in several places in Asia, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and considers their influence on the United States. A couple years ago I spoke with …

Yesterday I mentioned Justin Timberlake’s travails with a Chinese-language tattoo. But this afternoon I noticed something that reminded me it’s not just we foreigners who mess up Chinese characters. It was a promo for a television program that runs here every Saturday called More Than Words. It tracks down when and where characters are …

another thing to love about Beijing in winter.

China’s environment is, as most people who pay attention to world events are at least vaguely aware, a complete nightmare. Rivers are so polluted they turn strange chemical colors (see my colleague Susie Jakes’ post on this here), hundreds of thousands of Chinese die every year from respiratory diseases caused by the foul air, hundreds …

So. Things to love about Beijing in winter.

Part One: Hot Coke with Ginger, A Possibly Magical Elixir

Growing up, the only time soda was served in our house was when someone was sick. The soda was ginger ale. You had to be very sick to qualify for it. And as soon as you were better, any extra cans were returned not to a cabinet in the …

I just saw a photo of Justin Timberlake from the new film Alpha Dog, and noticed his left arm had a tattoo with Chinese characters you don’t usually see adorning human skin. So I checked the definitive source on faulty Chinese, the Hanzi Smatter blog. Perhaps Timberlake was thinking of winter activities in Beijing, because his tough guy …