The Danwei Model Worker Award is granted by Danwei editors to blogs that we feel are especially worth reading. See the full list for more fascinating material.

Shanghai Scrap

Adam Minter's reported blog covers the scrap trade, Chinese Catholicism, the environment, and a wide range of other issues in contemporary China.

Over the past year, Shanghai Scrap has featured stories on subjects as varied as manufacturing hazards, the Guanghe-Goldarrow kidnapping case, migrant labor during the economic downturn, and Shanghai's continued destruction of its architectural history.

One major focus of Shanghai Scrap for more than a year has been the opaque, excruciatingly drawn-out process by which the United States constructed its Expo 2010 pavilion. Most related posts are collected in the Expo 2010 - US Pavilion category, and a helpful Reporter's Guide posted today contains a timeline and a summary of the questions that remain unanswered.

Aside from its coverage of the US pavilion, Shanghai Scrap has been one of the best resources for information on the preparations for the Shanghai World Expo before its May 1 opening. Some highlights:

• Shanghai’s Prodigal Memorial Gate Returns Home (2010.04.15): "A restored early 20th century Chinese memorial gate, built and carved for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition (ie, the 1915 San Francisco World’s Fair)" is unveiled.
• Axis of Evil (partly) reunited (2010.04.21): North Korea is next door to Iran.
• Lines. Really long lines. Really really long Expo 2010 lines (2010.04.26): An inspection of the line to enter the Thai pavilion.
• The Tibet and Xinjiang Pavilions (2010.04.27): A look inside two of the local exhibits housed within the China pavilion.
• Expo 2010 sure doesn’t have one of these (2010.04.29): The Vatican City pavilion at the 1964/65 New York World's Fair.

The blogger writes for a variety of media outlets, and most recently has a slideshow titled China Rules the World at Expo 2010 at The Atlantic.