Danwei Noon Report

Private property and Hugo Chavez

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn, August 23, 2006 8:38 AM

Danwei Noon Report is a daily roundup of new and old media coverage about China from Chinese and English sources.

Communist fashion victims

Chavez and Manh in Beijing
Hugo Chavez, or Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, President of Venezuela as Xinhua calls him, arrived in Beijing yesterday. He will stay for six days and will discuss trade, energy cooperation, and matters with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and "top legislator" Wu Bangguo (Xinhua - link). Also in town this week for an official visit is Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh (Xinhua - link. As you can see from the image of Manh and Hu Jintao above, there seems to be a new uniform for East Asian leaders of ostensibly communist countries: dark blue two buttoned suit and dark red tie (image from Xinhua - link).

Private property rights
The Beijing News reports that China's property laws are currently undergoing their fifth review; the draft laws clearly state that "private property is to be treated as equal to public property", further enshrining a basic free market principle in the country's body of law (link - in Chinese).

Xinhua tabloid
Xinhua's racy editors are coming up with some stories that seem to have come from a British tabloid newspaper; today's specials include: Bin Ladin wants to marry Whitney Houston and Hospital offers acupuncture treatment for 194kg man

Muzi Mei looks for husband
Blogger Flyshow has posted an advertisement for Muzi Mei seeking a husband. He should be between 23 and 35, know about and approve of Muzi Mei, and be willing to enter into a legal cohabitation. The post is here; write to flyshow - at- bokee.com to apply for the er, position.

There are currently 5 Comments for Private property and Hugo Chavez.

<< Cartoon slang, rock jargon, and Garfield's netspeak | Chinese journalism played by the Super Girls >>

Comments on Private property and Hugo Chavez

It's 'flyshow', not 'flypig'. ;P

Posted by: flypig | August 23, 2006 7:17 PM

Oops. Sorry to turn you into a matchmaker.

Posted by: Joel | August 23, 2006 8:38 PM

I thought I was already married to Muzi Mei....hmmmm?

Posted by: stumpjumper | August 24, 2006 11:04 AM

Dear Jeremy,

You poke fun of the way Xinhua refers to Hugo Chavez but at least they get the Vietnamese leader's name right. Danwei (or is it Danwei/Onion) wrongly refers to Nong Duc Manh as Nong on second mention. The Vietnamese leader is rightly called Manh.

Although Vietnamese names parallel Chinese names in surname-given name word order, it is generally Southeast Asian custom to refer to leaders by their given names, not surnames, ie Thaksin rather than Shinawatra or Manh rather than Nong.

Phil

Posted by: philip cunningham | August 24, 2006 12:34 PM

Thanks Phil, the Danwei Onion stands corrected and the text above has been amended.

Posted by: Jeremy Goldkorn | August 24, 2006 2:52 PM