Back to the idiot box if SARFT has its way

• They are coming after Danwei TV! The Beijing News reported today that China will launch new regulations to control Internet short video clips (link) - in Chinese).

Video clips will have to be registered with SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film and TV) before they are published on the Internet. However, large Internet companies like Sina.com, Sohu.com, Tom.com may be unaffected by the regulations.

The reporters also interviewed Hu Ge(胡戈) who made the famous Steamed Bun spoof of Chen Kaige's movie, and asked his reaction towards this regulation. "The certificate has nothing to do with me, I will not broadcast my film on the internet, instead, I will send them by peer to peer or MSN."

The article does not mention free video hosting websites like Tudou.com, Yoqoo.com and 56.com. The regulations can be found on SARFT's website here.

• More meddlesome regulations — the rules against foreign cartoons being screened on TV during prime time are investigated by the Silicon Hutong blog (link)

• Shaq (Shaqille O'Neal) has signed up to endorse Chinese sportswear brand Li Ning. From the Wall Street Journal (link - subscription required):

The National Basketball Association star announced the deal yesterday with Chinese sportswear brand Li Ning, which turned the story of a 1980s Olympic gymnastics hero of the same name into one of the country's best-known domestic brands.

The five-year contract gives Li Ning the right to produce and market a "Li Ning Shaq" line of professional basketball shoes and apparel only in China. The company declined to disclose the terms of the deal.

• Xinhua's top story on their Chinese website today: Hu Jintao speaks at the Study Jiang Zemin's Works Meeting (link). A related story: 'Cadres and masses from all over the country diligently study Jiang's Works' (link). As antidote, you might want to read the spoof Cultural Revolution criticism of the current hit movie Crazy Stone, translated from a Tianya Forum post by ESWN: Crazy Stone Is A Poisonous Weed.

• Sina has a story about Japanese prime minister Koizumi visiting Yakasuni, again. The story includes a history of his visits to the contraversial shrine that includes monuments to Japanese war criminals (link - in Chinese, English story on Bloomberg here)

• If you've been following the story about the ban on TV commercials for breast enlargement equipment, you'll want to read Direct marketing on Chinese TV on ESWN (link).

• Yesterday Xinhua reported 'China mulls monitoring truck drivers and gays for STDs' (link). Today the China Daily has a story titled Gov't-backed gay forum makes cautious debut (link) which neglects to mention the URL of the onlien forum.

• From the Financial Times:

Foreign investment in Macao's recently liberalised gambling industry is squeezing on Stanley Ho and his gaming flagship, Sociedade de Jogos de Macao (SJM), the tycoon has admitted.

In frank comments widely quoted in Hong Kong at the weekend, Mr Ho grumbled about the pressure he was feeling from Sheldon Adelson's Macao Sands. The move comes just weeks before US-based Las Vegas Sands inaugurates a 250-table expansion and US casino impresario Steve Wynn opens his first casino in the former Portuguese enclave.

"Dozens of our VIP halls are having difficulty maintaining business," Mr Ho was quoted as saying. "I can no longer keep myself from speaking up"...

it's hard when you lose a monopoly and have to compete... (link)

• Xinhua reports: 'Beijing ATMS to recognize your face' (link). How about they just make them work 24/7 first?

• China Daily keeps it crown as king of the state owned babe media with this Hottest Supermodels photo album (link)