Must-read China news by Danwei

Rongshu, where he works now, is not a publishing house in the legal sense, but once the publishing numbers (刊å?·, kÄ?nhào) have been bought, the entire publication process – from editing, printing and distribution – is under their control. The company as a whole is heavily invested in the internet. "About 50% of our content comes from the internet or internet-related writers," says Lu, "compared to about 10-20% for traditional publishers. When it comes to publicity, as well, the internet is an extremely important tool – an advertisement on Sina, for instance, is far more effective than on in a newspaper. Part of that has to do with our target audiences. The majority of them are young, under the age of 30, and those readers pay very little attention to traditional media. Almost everything they do involves the internet."

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 10:37 PM | Permalink

More than a month after Beijing's manipulation of air-quality data was first exposed, the government's response has been to -- wait for it -- manipulate the data even more. This year to date, record numbers of 'blue sky' days have been reported in the run-up to the August Olympics, thanks mainly to statistical shenanigans. The authorities are getting away with the deception, at least to judge from all the flattering media coverage they're generating.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 9:09 PM | Permalink

Walking around Beijing, you are met with an overwhelming number of Olympics related logos. It seems like BOCOG has gone a bit insane with logos, not being in any previous host city, I don't know how they treated the Games, but to me, by August it might seem like there are a hundred different logos and even more different "official sponsors."

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 7:38 PM | Permalink

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 7:06 PM | Permalink

This conversation is so real, I can almost see those people's lips moving and hear their voices, as if they spoke in Chinese, as if I were among them....

The intimate reflection on everyday life of contemporary China is a great quality of this novel. For a reader who knows about China, this quality is engaging. Too often I can't finish a novel set in China written by non-Chinese, because it turns me off when the author gets obvious things wrong.

For readers who are less familiar with China, The Eye of Jade provides a real lens into Chinese society. The author picked a good starting time for the story. Between 1980 and 1997 there were amazing changes that took place, almost as amazing as the changes between 1997 and now.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 3:19 PM | Permalink

A Chinese biomedical firm has achieved unprecedented capacity to develop large-scale, lifesaving stem cell production with stocks of umbilical cord stem cells hitting nearly 5,000 samples, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

The Tianjin Angsai Cell and Genome Project Company is the country's first bank for umbilical-cord-blood-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) samples.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 1:19 PM | Permalink

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 10:29 AM | Permalink

�?玲公开地告诉我，她想打很多人，我觉得一个人到了70多�?，她�?应该打什么人她还在用斗争哲学的一套�?��?考人生。

他太累了，�?�?�地�?�加世界�?�地的学术会议，�?天�?��?�五个�?时。2007年底，他在澳门�?�加“现代中国文学的个人与社会�?国际学术研讨会，本刊记者与其共进晚�?时，�?到他满脸倦�?。但为期三天的会议日程，�??在第一排的永远是他，�?�得最认真的也永远是他。他抱怨说，中国和西方的学者都说得太快，没有考虑到翻译的困难，这给�?�方的学者都造�?了一定的困难。

他就是德国波�?�大学汉学系主任顾彬教授。

1967年，当他读到庞德翻译的中国汉诗就迷上了中国文学。“庞德虽然没有上过正�?的中文学校，但他�?过自学，�?�以说他比现在许多所谓的汉学家还�?懂中国文学。他很了�?起，他�?�?地感觉到中国人究竟�?表达什么。�?谈到庞德，顾彬赞�?�?�?�。

正是这次阅读改�?�了他的人生之路，他几乎将能够找到的中国文学作�?的德文译本通通找�?�阅读，有的还�?�?�看了一�??。然�?�是学中文，直接阅读中文。“曹�?�?屈原�?�?�白�?�?�甫�?�?东�?��?欧阳修�?�?�?�?�等等，太多了。还有中国的�?�典�?说对我的�?�引力太大了，除了《三国演义》之外，我都喜欢，太喜欢了。�?

问他为什么独独�?喜欢《三国演义》，他的回答很简�?�：“�?�人太多了。�?

如今他是西方汉学界的�?��?，他的翻译和评论直接影�?西方文学界对中国文学现状或�?一�?作家的评判。

2006年的年末，他的一番言论在国内引起轩然大波。在接�?�《德国之声》采访时，他对中国当代作家（主�?是�?说家）�??出了尖�?的批评，他说《狼图腾》是法西斯主义，�?�慧�?棉棉的作�?是“垃圾，�?是文学�?。在接�?�《新京报》记者采访时，他说：“王家新说的我�?�常�?��?，中国作家盲目自信。�?对于当代中国作家，他怒其�?争，觉得很多作家都丧失了对文学的崇敬之情，丧失了最起�?的尊严。

如今，由他主编的�??�?�本《中国文学�?�》�?�将由�?�东师范大学出版社出版。在他所热爱和厌�?�的中国作家中，存在�?�怎样的分水岭？需�?顾彬自己�?�出解答。

我太�?了，�?看电影

《瞭望东方周刊》：鸳鸯�?��?�派的作�?在你的中国文学�?�中�?��?�了一个怎么样的�?置？
顾彬：我写过张�?�水，他在当时也产生过历�?�性的作用，他用通俗文学的方�?�??抗日本，所以，中国政治家通过张�?�水�?�现，如果利用中国传统文学的因素，加人�?�命的内容，会有利于中国的�?�命。但那都�?是张�?�水的原�?。从历�?�上�?�看，他是一个比较�?�?的�?说家，但他从�?�没有�?人到现代性的社会和世界中去。他的写法还是�?�常传统，他有�?�常固定的�?�德观，对现代性几乎完全没有认识。

今天上�?�一�?学者的�?�言很有问题—他看�?懂�?迅在说什么。“狂人�?如果回到社会，他所有的�?都�?�以被�?�定，和中国知识分�?一样：�?一两年�?�以是“造�??派�?，然�?�回到社会去，就会�?�得“好好好�?什么都好了。�?迅�?�常清楚，所有的“造�??派�?都是�?�的，他们一回到社会就会批判他们自己曾�?的�?�想，会和所有压迫过他们的力�?�?�作，这�?是�?迅所�?传达的�?图。

《瞭望东方周刊》：你觉得这是中国特有的情况，还是世界范围内都是如此？
顾彬：�?，我的问题在于，“造�??派�?除了一�?部分，其他人从�?�没有公开说过自己是错的。他们�?说，就顾赚钱。

《瞭望东方周刊》：张爱玲最�?是在鸳鸯�?��?�派的刊物上�?�表的作�?，在解放�?，在�?�命�?识主导下，虽然�?�?和傅雷都欣�?她．但她一直�?被认为是一个纯文学的作家（如果当时就有这个概念的�?），你对张爱玲怎么看？你觉得她和鸳鸯�?��?�派的关系大�?�？
顾彬：张爱玲是了�?起的。她的作 �?很难翻译�?好的德文，我们翻了�?少，但都失败了。她完全是现代性的作家，她写的故事，她的情节，和鸳鸯�?��?�派似乎有点关系，但她的观念和鸳鸯�?��?�派完全�?�?�。她刚开始写�?说时�?20�?，而鸳鸯�?��?�派那时差�?多快完了。

�?�外，她从女性的角度�?�写作，她也用英文写作，她的视野和中国其他作家的视野完全�?�?�，在我看�?�，她完全有资格�?为中国现代性作家的代表。从主题和�?想�?�看，她和鸳鸯�?��?�派没有什么关系，虽然她的题目也是风花雪月，也就是所谓的浪漫主义的爱情，和鸳鸯�?��?�派有点相似的地方一一也许她年轻的时候看过这些�?说，但她之�?�完全脱离�?超越了鸳鸯�?��?�派的局�?。这就是为什么她是中国20世纪最�?�?的作家之一。

而且她�?�?张�?�水，张爱玲很有幽默感，她的讽刺一针�?血。你看《倾城之�?�》，充满了幽默感，现代性的幽默感。

《瞭望东方周刊》：�?�安�?了《色·戒》，你有没有看过这部影片？
顾彬：我太�?了，�?看电影。至于�?说，很�?�惜，至今我也没有看过它，也许我看过？但现在记忆模糊了。现在很多人对我说应该去看这部电影，但我太�?了，我总觉得电影会比�?说差很多。这�?�能是错的，但我�?喜欢看电影。

�?玲：她还在用斗争哲学的一套�?��?考人生

《瞭望东方周刊》：中国现代文学�?�上还有许多优秀的女作家，比如凌�?��?��?林徽因�?�?�红�?�?玲。现在张爱玲�?为了媒体热炒的对象，在图书销售上也是一�?独秀，你对张爱玲之外的中国女作家怎么看？
顾彬：很多年里，中国大陆都没办法看到张爱玲的作�?，现在有一些热潮也是正常的。我觉得现在对�?玲的评论很有问题，�?能�?�从1942年之�?��?�看�?玲。她23�?时创作的作�?，无论她的语言水平高�?高，她的内容�?旧独树一帜。这就是为什么�?玲在国外�?�常红，影�?�?�常大的原因。

我们�?�以把�?玲上世纪二三�??年代创作的作�?翻译�?很好的德文。在延安时她的中文水平比过去高一点，写得�?�常漂亮，很�?�惜的是，在接�?�了批判之�?�，她完全�?�定了自己的作�?。这就是为什么我说作家和�?�述者是两回事：作家�?是批判自己的作�?，而�?�述者�?会，�?�述者有其历�?�性的�?度，两者是分离的。

比如�?玲的《莎�?�女士的日记》，在现在的德国都很�?�欢迎。她早期和中期的作�?应该�?新看，《太阳照在桑干河上》有问题，但�?然�?�以说�?�常优秀。因为她敢于写当时�?都�?敢写的农民�?��?�的情况，所以这部�?说也值得�?新�?�审视。

她（上世纪）五�??年代被打倒，“文�?��?结�?��?��?�以�?新写作。（上世纪）八�??年代我�?过她三次，也许我是唯一和她�?过三次�?�的西方汉学家。

《瞭望东方周刊》：我�?�朋�?�说，�?玲在晚年，�?�化比较大。
顾彬：这对我�?�说也是�?�常奇怪的。我跟她谈过这个问题。如果一个人�??过10年�?20年的牢，她会完全�?��?�?�外一�?�样�?。她公开地告诉我，她想打很多人，我觉得一个人到了70多�?，她�?应该打什么人。她还在用斗争哲学的一套�?��?考人生。美国一�?研究�?玲的学者对她也是�?�常失望。在西方，大概�?�有我们两个在认真研究�?玲的作�?。

和西方学术界对她的冷�?��?�?�，西方的读者对她很感兴趣，特别是女性，都觉得�?玲是男人的牺牲�?，读了她的作�?感到很大的共鸣。

《瞭望东方周刊》：你在今天的研讨会上讲到作者和�?�述者的分离，在�?玲的问题上，有政治的原因，如果抛开政治，你觉得两者还是分离的�?�？
顾彬：（上世纪）三�??年代她�?�到批评，于是她完全�?�定了《莎�?�女士的日记》的价值，然�?�还�?写了一个《莎�?�女士的日记》的结尾。这完全是错误的。我有机会和她谈起这个问题时，她没有正�?�好好地回答，什么问题她都没有回答。她还是怕，她�?敢。这也是她的悲剧。

当时�?玲已�?近80�?了，到了这个年纪，她还�?怕什么呢？这是一个多么好的机会，本�?�以让我记录下她真实的想法，�?至于现在我们�?�能�?�猜测�?�想象她的真实想法。

关于政治因素之外的作者�?�?�述者之间的关系，我�?然�?��?我的观点。我这两天�?是�?�人说“王二�?就是王�?波，这是�?�?�能的，王二是王二，王�?波是王�?波。一个作家�?会也�?应该将他真实的生活照�?��?�?说，他一定会选择，一旦有了选择，就会有虚构。

《瞭望东方周刊》：谈到虚构，马原很早就写过一篇�?说�?�《虚构》，他说写�?说�?天马行空，但是�?有马有天空，你是�?�认�?�他的观点？
顾彬：对，那篇�?说是我20年�?翻译�?德文的。如果没有马也没有天空，就会�?余�?�早期的作�?一样空洞。残雪�?余�?�开始写的时候，模仿别人的作�?，读者感觉�?到他们的生活。如果一个作家，没有什么�?历，没有什么�?验的�?，肯定没办法写出好的作�?�?�。

当然，余�?�现在有很大的�?�化，但也很有问题，比如他的《活�?�》�?《许三观�?�血记》和《兄弟》（上），总在�?�?一个故事。他太�?功了，他在美国�?�有代�?�，所以他�?�以什么都�?考虑。但是一个作家应该对他的事业忠诚，拿得到钱拿�?到钱无所谓。所以从�?�?�?义上�?�看，余�?�和许多中国作家一样。

马原的问题是什么呢？他�?写�?说了。有一次我在�?林举办文学活动的时候，他公开对我说他�?写作，他写电视剧。但那�?是文学，那是垃圾。现在他就和阿城一样，出�?�自己。一个严肃的作家�?应该这样。

中国作家没有什么�?想

《瞭望东方周刊》：我和阿城也�?�了一段时间，他的一些观点我�?能接�?�，他说作家就是乞�?。但从作家个人的生活�?�看，我也会�?�情他的观点，很多人都�?历过这样痛苦的日�?。你怎么看？
顾彬：我�?�?��?，�?�常�?�?��?。生活确实是一个障�?，但他为什么�?在上�?�写他自己真正�?写的作�?，下�?��?晚上写剧本？他和许多中国当代作家一样，似乎什么都写完了。

《瞭望东方周刊》：对于中国当代作家，你也有很严厉的批评，你觉得他们主�?的问题在于商业化的冲击，还是个人尊严的丧失？但是你对中国诗人的评价�?�很高。
顾彬：中国作家的问题是他们自身的问题。中国诗人是孤独的，他们是中国最优秀的写作者。和西�?�?欧阳江河�?�?桦�?钟鸣对�?是一件多么愉快的事情，对�?�?�常深刻，但我和�?说家�?�?�时，往往无�?�?�说，他们没有什么�?想。

《瞭望东方周刊》：你阅读中国当代作家的作�?主�?是通过文学期刊还是书�?？
顾彬：中国�?�?的文学期刊我都订了。但我太忙了，�?个星期有五门课，而且�?看�?�士论文�?毕业论文，所以我需�?中国朋�?�告诉我，我应该看什么作�?，基本上，我是通过中国朋�?�的建议�?�阅读中国当代文学的。如果没有人推�??，我懒得看，作�?实在太多了。

我�?仅研究中国当代文学，我原�?�的兴趣在中国的�?�代和中世纪。目�?我在写《中国�?剧�?�》。我还有什么别的时间呢？

我翻译了�?少中国作家的作�?，但我一个人能翻译多少呢？翻译很费力气，翻译的时候�?能够写自己的作�?，我总是为中国作家牺牲我自己，�?�中国作家�?�觉得无所谓，他们�?�?�翻译，也�?学外语。有空的时候就�?酒�?�?�饭，而我一天�?�四五个�?时，就在为他们忙碌。

《瞭望东方周刊》：在德国有没有作家�??会这样的机构？
顾彬：有。我也是德国作家�??会的会员，我也是德国作�??一个分会的会长。但是德国作�??没有专业作家，�?会出现作家拿工资的情况。作家应该是独立的，当然如果有一个�??会帮助作家也�?错。作�??应该帮作家的忙，但中国作�??往往�?帮好的作家的忙，关于这点，我有好多例�?，好多好多。中国的作�??没什么用，�?�有差的作家�?�以从中得到好处。

《瞭望东方周刊》：你对中国�?说家的评价比较低，那么有没有比较喜欢的�?说家？
顾彬：我还是比较喜欢格�?�。陈�?和跟我说他的�?说“太主�?�?，但看了以�?�我得说我喜欢。

还有王安忆，我看了她�?少的作�?，她是个好作家没有问题，但她是�?是个大作家就很难说，格�?�也是这样。原�?�我特别希望王蒙�?莫言能�?为伟大的作家，现在�?�看他们问题很大。

《瞭望东方周刊》：刚刚谈了�?说和诗歌，那么关于中国的�?笔和散文呢？
顾彬：我对中国的散文更失望。唯一好的散文是北岛的，但他现在�?是中国人，是美国人。翟永明也写过散文，但是从笔力�?�看，没法和北岛比。从内容�?�看，她�?�能比北岛更有�?�?。我写过�?�常多有关翟永明的文章，我觉得她是个�?�常�?�?的作家，但她无法与�?迅�?周作人�?�?实秋�?何其芳相�??并论。

我的标准都是1949年之�?的作家，看现代的中国作家�?能和他们比。汉学家与中国作家

《瞭望东方周刊》：�?�尔赫斯写过一部�?说集�?�《�?��?列传》，其中用一�?马�?�·波罗�?的笔法�?�写金寡妇，你觉得汉学家是�?�也会出现这样的问题， �?�他们的写作是对中国的改写？
顾彬：就�?你们一样，你们能回到元�?去�?�？你们的历�?�学家也都是在对历�?�进行改写。你看约�?�个世纪以�?�中国学者的表现，他们是客观的�?�？他们对中国历�?�的写作是正确的�?�？�?�能有对的，但也�?�能有问题。

《瞭望东方周刊》：西方汉学家的工作往往�?被中国作家所看�?，你是�?�也�?�过许多误解？
顾彬：汉学家的水平也有高低。

马悦然�?懂文学，他知�?�北岛是�?，顾城是�?，�?�他根本�?知�?�高行�?�的作�?这么差。我是第一个将高行�?�介�?给西方的汉学家，（上世纪）八�??年代我在巴黎�?到高行�?�，当时他是巴金的翻译。

当时我们在巴黎开会，巴金拒�?和我说�?。我觉得真是开玩笑，我们在翻译他们的作�?，在�?�西方介�?他们，但他们�?�?我们，�?�定我们。他们觉得他们是社会主义阵�?�，我是�?�邦德国（两德统一�?的西德），是资本主义阵�?�的。我希望能和他�?�手说�?，都�?�到拒�?。所以我们现在没有办法说出他们原�?�想说的�?一�?矢�?��?�他们想说什么？

中国作家对西方汉学家�?�常�?公平，他们根本�?知�?�我们在什么情况下进行研究。一个中国作家�?敢�?�?�?抑或拒�?跟我们对�?，我们怎么办呢？我们�?�能够看书，和中国作家�?�能有文本的关系。

在巴金的问题上，是我的错误�?�？�?是�?�?玲也是如此，接�?�我的�?�?��?求，但基本上没有和我说过�?，也许她觉得我是个外国人的缘故�?�。

摘自《瞭望东方周刊》，第223期，2008年2月21日

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 6:49 PM | Permalink

Alcohol producers in Henan province have retained a lawyer to appeal a controversial government document that bans officials from drinking alcohol at lunch during work days.

Kang Yinzhong, a lawyer retained by the Henan Alcohol Association, said that drinking was a private affair and holding public office shouldn't keep someone from consuming alcohol as long as it did not affect their work.

The ban began in January 2007 in Xinyang City, Henan Province. Soon, other cities in the central province such as Shangqiu, Kaifeng and Luohe followed suit.

Local restaurants, which get a big part of their business from alcohol sales, saw fewer lunch customers and less revenue as a result of the ban.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 10:37 AM | Permalink

Bain Capital and its minority Chinese partner, Huawei Technologies, have shelved their $2.2bn deal to acquire 3Com, a US computer networking company, saying a key Washington committee charged with vetting foreign investments in sensitive sectors had told Bain it would not approve the purchase.

The setback to the deal highlights rising protectionist sentiment in the US as both Democrats and Republicans seek to woo an American electorate suspicious of foreign investment and the effects of globalisation on domestic jobs.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 10:24 AM | Permalink

Executives at China Mobile must be feeling pretty lousy at this point. The iPhone is a hit, and they had nothing to do with it. And for a company that is convinced its competitive advantage has something to do with its role as gatekeeper, we now have evidence to suggest that they don’t control anything.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 8:05 AM | Permalink

Ye Youzhong, CEO of Kaixin Investments, said that online game companies had recently overvalued themselves by over tenfold, making investments in them unprofitable when considering that the current price-to-earnings ratio of listed Chinese gaming companies is around 30. He said that if bought for a price of 12-15 times their real value, it would take a full three years--including the market listing process--before the investing company saw any profit. Moreover, he added, a lot of these companies had no chance to be listed in the first place.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 10:50 PM | Permalink

The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday responded to criticism from Guo Xiling, a member of the Guangzhou committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, over the improper handling of railways during the snow disaster that hit southern China last month.

Wang Yongping, a spokesman for the ministry, said in an interview on the website of the People's Daily that "all of Guo's accusations are groundless". Guo had said two government agencies should be blamed for the chaos at Guangzhou railway stations, the city's New Express reported on Monday.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 8:12 PM | Permalink

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 7:02 PM | Permalink

The issue of foreign money washing up on US shores is a big, big, controversial issue. I urge you to read through to the bottom of this blog to get a cheat sheet on the issue in this presidential election year.

Back to Bear-Citic. Some odd sound-bites on this one seem to be tendered by ivory tower nosebleeds with an extraordinary talent for dissimulation, who devote more time trying to sound smart rather than trying to examine the terms of a deal now yellowing, as the deal was struck months ago in October.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 6:49 PM | Permalink

Cai Hui, whose translations include Hemingway’s Islands in the Stream and Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead passed away in Shanghai from liver cancer on February 10th at the age of 77. Regrettably, he did not get to see his beloved translation of The Gadfly published, as this novel still has three years before it enters the public domain.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 2:38 PM | Permalink

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 11:54 AM | Permalink

Wong and To both use mood and style as valuable modes of expression, treating character psychology and narrative as just two more pieces of a singular cinematic experience they're trying to create. They use all the tools in their arsenal to make movies that are complete works of art, rather than making their movies simply vehicles to deliver a narrative. But whereas Wong has his feet in emo romance, To has his in macho genre. He's who Wong Kar-wai would have become if As Tears Go By was his true starting point, rather than a false start which gave way to Days of Being Wild, the movie that Wong and critics embraced as his "real" first film.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 6:22 PM | Permalink

According to calculations by Xu Yongguang, a member of the National Committee of CPPCC, even if total yields of foundations average 10% per year, their yearly income would still be under 1 billion yuan, one fourth of which would be paid to the state treasury according to the new rules.

"Compared with state revenues, which amounts to six to seven trillion yuan each year, 250 million is a trifling sum. If we say 250,000 yuan is needed to build one new charity school, then paying 250 million yuan to the state treasury means losing the chance to build 1,000 schools," said Xu.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 3:49 PM | Permalink

"We’re spending a huge amount of money," Xiaoping Wang, a high-ranking official at Beijing’s Parks and Forestry Department, said of the Hebei agreement, in which the Beijing municipal government essentially pays to increase water conservation in the neighboring province.

As part of the deal, two Hebei prefectures will switch from traditional farming to water-saving crops, meaning less rice, more corn and potatoes. Farmers will also plant and tend trees on their property and reduce pesticide use to help cut back on the sediment and pollution entering rivers that feed the capital’s two main reservoirs. In return, among other things, Beijing will provide some US$16 million in direct yearly payments to farmers for water stewardship, according to the amount of land they own; subsidise Hebei farmers’ chickens, eggs, and milk; and build two new highways for products from Hebei to reach the capital’s lucrative market more easily.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 1:36 PM | Permalink

Hong Kong television veteran Lydia Shum died after a protracted fight with liver cancer, local broadcaster Radio and Television Hong Kong reported on its Web site, without citing anyone. She was 60.

The actress, affectionately known as Fei-fei for her plump appearance and jolly disposition, died at 8:38 a.m. Hong Kong time at the Queen Mary Hospital, the report said. She was best known for her comedic roles in Hong Kong films such as "Drunken Tai Chi."

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 1:05 PM | Permalink

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 12:50 PM | Permalink

Shanghai was much different. Sure, you had the tourist-ridden Bund waterfront and Nanjing Lu. But the French concession, Suzhou Creek area, and People's Square were nice places to wind down an evening (or start your morning, depending on the time of day). I also enjoyed my morning walk to work from the Hengshan Lu subway station to Zhaojiabang Road, traversing streets filled only with pedestrians and delicious xiaolongbao steaming in bamboo baskets. What made it different from Beijing (in this one particular neighborhood near Hengshan Lu) was the lack of cars, honking, and noise (at least in comparison to Beijing).

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 12:44 PM | Permalink

A Chinese contractor has won bids to build two railways in Libya worth a combined 2.6 billion dollars as China enhances its economic presence in energy-rich African nations, state media said Monday.

Under one contract, China Railway Construction Corp., the firm that built part of the controversial rail to Tibet, would construct a 352-kilometre (220-mile) west-to-east coastal railway, the Xinhua news agency reported.

It will also build an 800-kilometre-long railway linking the southern city of Sebha to Misurata in the north to facilitate transportation of iron ore and passengers, the report said. Both projects are expected to start in June.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 12:59 AM | Permalink

China’s leaders say the long-awaited national ordinance on openness of information, due to take the stage in May this year, will usher in an era of "sunshine" governance in which government affairs are marked with clarity and transparency. Don’t count your chickens. The ordinance is hardly a panacea, and there are major questions about how effectively it will be enforced. But some government leaders ARE taking transparency seriously — or making a show of it anyway.

Since the weekend the Web has buzzed in China with the news that Kunming Daily, the mouthpiece of top leaders in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, printed a list of the names of city officials, their contact numbers and their specific areas of responsibility.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 1:10 PM | Permalink

IPhones are widely available at electronic stores in big cities, and many stores offer unlocking services for imported phones.

Chinese sellers of iPhones say they typically get the phones from suppliers who buy them in the United States, then have them shipped or brought to China by airline passengers. Often, they say, the phones are given to members of Chinese tourist groups or Chinese airline flight attendants, who are typically paid a commission of about $30 for every phone they deliver.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 12:56 PM | Permalink

The problem, looking at this from China's point of view, is ‘do we denounce the Sudanese government?' Well, does China still want the oil? China is a country which has already transitioned to full reliance on oil imports, and where does the gasoline and diesel we burn up every year come from—Daqing, or Karamay? Of course it's a problem that the blacks in Darfur are being attacked, being massacred. Well, the gas tanks of the cars and wallets of car owners on China's roads are problems as well. With any humanitarian spirit, the Sudanese government should be denounced. But, once the denunciation is done, what are we gonna burn then? Denouncing the Sudanese government, supporting the people of Darfur, I imagine everybody would raise their hand for both. But, to say that for the people are Darfur, we would rather go without gasoline, or endure much higher fuel prices and overall hikes in commodity prices, would anybody still raise their hand for that? When it involves vital interests, we might see things differently as we consider the problem. Would you choose three years of a lagging economy if it meant not another person in Darfur would have to die?

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 10:25 AM | Permalink

Spielberg's unease deepened after that. He had taken up the Olympic challenge for two reasons, friends say. One was his friendship with Zhang Yimou, the director of the hit film House of Flying Daggers, who is in charge of designing the opening and closing ceremonies. The other was the hope, "perhaps naive in retrospect", the executive admitted, that he could change policy on Darfur from within China.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 6:44 PM | Permalink