Who should have rights to the City?
Shenzhen Noted muses about the hukou system and Shenzhen identity.
« January 25, 2009 - January 31, 2009 | Main | February 8, 2009 - February 14, 2009 »
February 7, 2009
February 6, 2009
Foreign businesses closing down in Shanghai?
At his Telegraph blog, Malcolm Moore writes about foreign ventures that are bolting from Shanghai, leaving local staff in the lurch:
This is a scene that is being played out across China's coastal regions, as companies go bust without paying their staff. There have been reports that the police have had to frogmarch some bosses down to the local bank to force them to pay out.
...
But these cases tend to occur in low-cost factories. The difference this morning is that it was foreign owners who seem to have bolted, as their costs piled up.
Baidu's search functions: malpractice and shrinking shares
Bloomberg news' Mark Lee, John Liu and Joseph Galante reports:
Chen Chen was so disappointed when he learned that Baidu Inc.'s Web site led some patients to seek unlicensed medical care, he started making Web queries through Google Inc. instead.
An exploding cell phone, or a homemade gun?
Guangzhou shop assistant was killed when his mobile phone exploded. Or was he? New reports suggest he was carrying a zip gun that accidentally went off.
China doubles down in Africa
Evan Osnos, who is reporting for the New Yorker magazine from China, blogs about the relationship between China and Africa:
Though China's ties to Africa are sometimes overstated by political conservatives in Washington, its sponsorship and support has emerged as no less important to the continent than that of the United States.
Worst drought in 50 years
From China Daily:
The central government decided to earmark another 300 million yuan (US$44 million) as drought relief fund in additional to 100 million yuan already allocated. The fund will be used to buy agricultural machinery and other production materials.
Also from the Associated Press: Millions lack drinking water as drought worsens in China. Yesterday Xinhua reported that there has not been rainfall in Beijing for 100 days.
Japan told to keep away from Diaoyu islands
According to the China Daily, Japan has been anchoring vessels near the Diaoyu Islands (钓鱼岛), which lies between Taiwan and Okinawa:
"Any move by Japan to control the islands is violating China's sovereignty over its territory, (it) is illegal..." Jiang Yu told a regular briefing. "(Japan) should stop it immediately."
China's sovereignty over the islands is "beyond question", she said.
"TV" is against the rules
Nearly half of the country's satellite TV stations, including CCTV, have logos that include English-language abbreviations. This is against the law, says the Ministry of Education.
The Lenovo retreat
The Silicon Hutong discusses the lessons that can be learned from Lenovo, where Chairman and former CEO Yang Yuanqing is replacing Bill Amelio as CEO:
First and most important, as Chinese companies look to expand beyond the borders of the People's Republic, they should now see that mergers and acquisitions are no substitute for a global marketing plan. I am not certain what Lenovo thought it was buying when it purchased the IBM PC business, but if Lenovo thought it was purchasing a market position, it was wrong.
Shanghai Scrap also comments,
I have to think that the decision to dump its "international" CEO and return to its Chinese roots (despite its expensive int'l PC business) might be cause for a bit of buyer's remorse. Would Lenovo, if it could, make that acquisition, again?
February 5, 2009
Journalism training at a state-owned media startup
Son of Shenzhen Zen writes about how a crew of recruits at the People's Daily's new attempt to launch a competitor to the China Daily handled the Wen Jiabao shoe incident.
Top 10 Chinese singles
The Netease report on the Chinese Internet of 2008 has obviously made an impact. After linking to 56minus1 who talked about the "10 top tens" Ed Peto at OUTdustry has now provided a run-down as well as videos of the top ten songs searched for in 2008.
History is very dangerous
At the China Media Project, David Bandurski posts a translation of a Yanhuang Chunqiu article by Chinese scholar Zi Zhongyun, as well as an insight into the eradication of history in the Chinese media.
Danwei translated Zi Zhongyun's article, Realizing the Right of Expression Requires Institutional Guarantees, also from Yanhuang Chunqiu in May 2008.
Deadly drugs found in Sichuan
From China Daily:
The health authorities in southwest China's Sichuan Province have found 215 bottles of a counterfeit diabetes drug that last month caused two deaths and hospitalized nine others in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Wokai: Rural micro-credit for China
A Q&A with Wokai, a non-profit organization committed to enabling people in China to lift themselves from poverty.
February 4, 2009
Yuxi cholera outbreak 'under control'
From Gokunming.com:
Officials in Yuxi have announced that a previously unreported cholera outbreak that infected at least 47 people is now under control, with no deaths reported.
Chinese, Muslim - and proud of it
At Inside Indonesia, Anne Dickson profiles a Chinese Muslim community in Surabaya:
Just a few years ago, public displays of Chinese culture were forbidden, and a celebration like this would have been unimaginable. But even in reformasi Indonesia, this was a Chinese New Year celebration with a difference. The Gala Dinner was hosted by the Chinese Muslim Association of Indonesia (PITI). An Islamic song or two featured alongside Chinese items. In a brief address, a leader of PITI wished everyone a happy Chinese New Year and thanked those who had donated to flood victims through the organisation.
Via the Islam in China blog.
China quake protester formally charged
From the New York Times via UPI:
The wife of jailed Chinese human rights activist Huang Qi says her husband has been charged with illegal possession of state secrets.
Northern China experiencing serious drought
From China Daily:
By February 2, 141 million mu wheat in six major grain production provinces, including Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Shanxi, Gansu and Shaanxi, were hit by drought, Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said at a video conference called to coordinate drought relief efforts.
Spring Festival greeting recession taboos
From City Weekend:
With the misfortune of the crisis touching China, China's 'white collars' are heading back to the office trying to avoid New Year's greetings that could be misconstrued as bad omens, changing long-held traditions.
As reported in the Guangzhou Daily, at least three common phrases are now on the way out because they sound similar to omens of layoffs and misfortune all to common amid the economic downturn.
February 3, 2009
The peaceful liberation of Beiping
According to The Beijinger blog, the PLA marched (peacefully) into Beijing － then Beiping － 60 years ago today. An anniversary to celebrate?
Hong Kong Govt adviser claims China has Bird Flu
From Bloomberg:
China has suffered an outbreak of bird flu among poultry even though the mainland government has yet to report such an incident, said Lo Wing-Lok, a Hong Kong government adviser on infectious diseases.
"There's no doubt of an outbreak of bird flu in China, though the government hasn't admitted it," Lo said in a telephone interview today.
Hu Jintao to travel to Africa and Saudi Arabia next week
Hu Jintao is now scheduling his overseas tour － announced after Wen Jiabao had a shoe thrown at him in Europe. From AFP:
China announced Tuesday that President Hu Jintao would visit Africa and Saudi Arabia in his first overseas trip of 2009.
Hu will travel to Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius, as well as Saudi Arabia, from February 10 to 17, foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.
Netease's ten top 10s for 2008
56minus1 summarizes Netease's Chinese Internet top 10s from their "2008 China Internet Communication Report."
India bans toys manufactured in China for six months
From Asia Times Online via China Digital Times:
Significantly, the toy ban came a day after India expressed objections to Pakistan "outsourcing" its foreign policy to China, with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on January 22 giving China a "blank check" to negotiate with India in resolving the crisis in relations sparked by the November 26, 2008, terrorist strike in Mumbai.
China vows to avoid involving police in rural social unrest?
From People's Daily Online:
The government would not use police forces as the first resort to dealing with possible social unrest in rural areas this year, a senior Chinese official said Monday.
Fosun becomes Sina's largest shareholder
From Caijing English:
Fosun international has become Sina's largest shareholder after a share swap, raising concerns about a possible shareholding fight.
Shoe thrown at Wen Jiabao
Giving a speech at Cambridge University, a man threw a shoe that landed near the stage where Wen stood (video from Youtube).
Bob Chen at Global Voices translates some Chinese reactions.
February 2, 2009
Baldy Li, Little Butt-peeper, the King of Butts...
Yu Hua's novel "Brothers" will be appearing in an English translation this month. Author Ben Ehrenreich reviews "Brothers: A Novel", translated by Eileen Cheng-yin Chow and Carlos Rojas, for the Los Angeles Times.
Sino-African trade in 2008: more than $100 billion
Xinhua reports:
Sino-African trade reached a 'historic' level of 106.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, China's Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.
Bilateral trade was 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 but has since grown at an average year-on-year rate of more than 30 percent, the ministry said.
China's cumulative investment in Africa from 2000 to 2008 was more than 5 billion U.S. dollars, according to the ministry.
Shanzhai Gala videos blocked
The Shanzhai Spring Festival Gala, a grass-roots alternative to CCTV's annual extravaganza, can't be found on major video hosts, and the show's name has become a "sensitive word."
Two steps forward, one step back
Ping Ke (平客) wrote an extensive review of Internet incidents in China for Southern Weekend, which was then translated into English by ESWN.
On the African community in Guangzhou
For The New Yorker magazine online, Evan Osnos "narrates an audio slide show about the economic, social, and religious life of African migrants in Guangzhou."
London interview: message from Wen Jiabao
The Financial Times' Lionel Barber, Geoff Dyer, James Kynge and Lifen Zhang have interviewed Premier Wen Jiabao in London, with a glossy image of a healthy radiant "mandarin":
An eclectic reader, Mr Wen says that when he travels he always carries a copy of The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith, the Scottish economist, which lays out the moral underpinnings for governing societies - and market economies.
A song about Zuola the Chinese citizen blogger
From the music blog, One Weekly Gun, which posts one original song per week, commenting on world news. Danish musician Peter Fritzen has decided that the Chinese citizen blogger, Zuola, is worthy of a song this week. Lyrics include:
"Mean little tweeta
Coming down to beat ya
Can't have no pioneer"
A background on the blog, from All Scandinavian, and a version of the post in Chinese (the song remains in English).
February 1, 2009
15 dead in Fujian fireworks blaze
From Xinhua:
Fifteen people were confirmed dead and 22 others injured when fireworks set fire to a bar in east China's Fujian Province Saturday night, the local government said.
A Latin-style bar and restaurant in Changle City caught fire at around 11:55 p.m., when about 10 young men and women at a birthday party set off fireworks on their table, a city government spokesman said early Sunday.
Liberal democracy traded in for cash?
Davesgonechina at the Mutant Palm blog covers misperceptions in China and the West of Charter 08. See also Planet China, Planet America, about how Chinese and Americans differ in what they see as the major issues facing China at the moment.