Home → Archives → Shanghai Diaries: The Blotter
August 2005
- ATTENTION: READERS OF THIS RSS FEED!
Shanghai Diaries has started using del.icio.us for links found in The Blotter, so this feed will no longer be updated. Instead, for several fresh links daily, check the main page at shanghaidiaries.com. Look under “THE BLOTTER.” Also, you can view Dan’s links directly here (rss) and Frank’s links here (rss). Expect more great links on a more regular basis.
June 2005
- Who the hell is Sister Furong?
“She’s another blogger turned amateur celebrity” — and, apparently, she thinks she is much more attractive than she really is. Danwei has more.
- A riot in Chizhou
Isolated incident? Or a trend that could topple the Communists. Here’s what Running Dog thinks.
- Chinese police assault property petitioners in Shanghai
And in Chongqing.
- Chinese journalists protest arrests of colleagues
“In an open letter, the journalists claimed that Yu Huafeng and Li Minying, executives with the Southern Metropolitan Daily, were unfairly prosecuted on trumped-up corruption charges, according to a text of the letter viewed online on Wednesday.”
- China’s state media instructs men on how to measure penis size
“The penis is an important part of the male reproductive organ, and it very important to men.” You don’t say?
- Have you heard the one about a baseball player with a frozen cabbage leaf on his head?
It’s no joke.
- Ice-T to play in Shanghai
See Shanghaiist for the details.
- The pointless rantings of an intolerant American on his way to work
From Craigslist-Shanghai.
- A Shengyou Reporter’s Field Notes
What to do when the government puts a halt on news coverage of a hot story? Publish your notes on the internet.
- 1421: The Year China Discovered America?
Did Admiral Zheng He beat Columbus to the New World? (1)
- The strength of China, the weakness of America
“If China’s attempt to buy an American oil company does nothing else, it should, at long last, force the United States to decide how it plans to protect its economy, husband its resources and grow in a world where it is no longer the only economic powerhouse.”
- A Tale of Two Massacres
“As the rain of stones on Japan increases, The Guardian’s Jonathan Watts finds China sheltering in a glass house.” (1)
- Batman Begins opens in Shanghai on June 29
- Beijing’s ‘Lala’ Scene
A Chinese lesbian speaks out.
- China to pay rural families for giving birth to girls
$200 a year.
- The China Price
“Why Chinese investors are overpaying for struggling American companies.”
- Put it on our tab … again
“Chinese officials ran up a bill at a rural restaurant so large it will take the cash-strapped local government 36 years to pay it off.” How large? $24,000.
- Can this figure possibly be true?
“Workplace accidents in China killed more than 300 people a day in the first half of this year, Xinhua figures show, with coal mines topping the death toll.” 300? A day?!?
- Mao is TIME’s cover boy
The latest major mag to run a special section on China. (When will it stop?) The first, I think, to use a cliched “revolution” headline on the cover. At least they didn’t say it was “China’s century.”
- China offers rewards for tips that help crackdown on piracy
Here’s a tip: Walk down any street in Shanghai during virtually any time of day. Where do I pick up my money?
- Shanghai blogger Isaac Mao sums up Microsoft in one word
“Evil.”
- Polaroid-o-nizer
Turn any photo into a Polaroid … instantly.
- Shanghai is world’s 30th costliest city
Beijing is No. 19, in the annual meaningless list.
- Continental begins non-stop flights from Newark to Beijing
“Continental also applied to fly to Shanghai from Newark, but American Airlines was approved instead for Chicago-Shanghai flights. Nevertheless, Continental in April applied again for service to Shanghai, China, which would begin in March of 2007 if approved.” (1)
- Check out Spoon’s latest video
It’s “I Turn My Camera On” from their album Gimme Fiction, easily one of the best records of 2005 thus far. (1)
- 1041 words and phrases the Chinese internet police don’t like
- Some Chinese farmers actually like pollution
Because it makes them rich.
- How To Be Interrogated by the Public Security Bureau in China
- ‘The overall lesson here is that if you’re planning to commit a crime, California is the place to do it. The DAs are functionally retarded, and the juries won’t convict anyone.’
The Daily Show covers the Michael Jackson verdict.
- ‘Chinese Factory Worker Can’t Believe The Shit He Makes For Americans’
“Why the demand for so many kitchen gadgets?” Chen said. “I can understand having a good wok, a rice cooker, a tea kettle, a hot plate, some utensils, good china, a teapot with a strainer, and maybe a thermos. But all these extra things—where do the Americans put them? How many times will you use a taco-shell holder? ‘Oh, I really need this silverware-drawer sorter or I will have fits.’ Shut up, stupid American.” (2)
- ‘He said he and his friends had been followed and harassed, with one having his car destroyed and another being sent a dead cat.’
Reasons not to befriend Chinese who plan on defecting to Australia.
- ‘Freedom’ is just another word for
nothing left lots and lots to lose
Microsoft helps China police the web. (Yes, I made a Kris Kristofferson lyrical reference. Deal with it.)
- Was that porn on the shelves of a Chinese Wal-Mart?
No. No it wasn’t.
- Interview — excuse me, Skypecast — with Isaac Mao about China’s crackdown on blogs
Nice summary of the currrent state of things. And info on the “Adopt a Chinese Blog” program.
- China Daily: ‘Everyone’s a winner as lottery booms’
Except, of course, the millions of losers.
- Worse than Condi
“Genetically altered rice, which has not been approved for human consumption anywhere in the world, has been found in the food supply in one of China’s biggest cities, Greenpeace charged on Monday.”
- Warner Brothers must hate cam-corder DVDs, too
“In a groundbreaking response to movie piracy, Warner Bros. Entertainment released its latest film on DVD in China the same day it debuted in U.S. theaters. The goal for Warner Bros. is to battle rampant piracy in China by giving movie fans a legitimate alternative to bootlegs.” Um, no. What this does is give people in China the opportunity to buy a perfect quality bootleg DVD the same time the movie is released in the U.S. Thank you Warner Brothers! But who wants to watch The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants anyway?
- Chinese government declares war on ‘false news’
Really, who knows false news better?
- Wang Jian Shuo’s site ‘remains illegal in China’
As do any other unregistered Chinese blogs.
- Katie Holmes is crazy for Tom Cruise
She is taking lessons in the Church of Scientology.
- Cigarettes: Chinese miracle drug
“Welcome to the bizarre parallel universe of China’s state-owned tobacco monopoly, the world’s most successful cigarette-marketing agency.”
- The ‘Chinese Century’?
The Financial Times says it might be farther off than people think.
- Bring on the ‘Year of the Tiger’ headlines
It’s official now: Woods to tee up in Shanghai.
- ‘It’s almost a cliche to say that Shanghainese girls are spoilt, materialistic and emotionally high-maintenance’
Almost.
- Mobile phones in China are getting cheaper and cheaper and cheaper
(1)
- Celebrities playing table tennis
Lots of photos. (1)
- Clause 57
Sounds kind of like legal thriller, no? Well, it’s more horror than anything else. The Ministry of Information Industry is responsible for the new regulations that force all China-based websites to register with the government (more info here and here). According to Danwei, the MII terms include reference to Clause 57 of the Telecommunications Regulations. And Clause 57 is scary. Visit Danwei for details. (1)
- China Considers Banning Foreign Cartoons From Prime Time
“We really need to encourage domestic-made cartoons,” said Fu Tiezhen, head of the China Cartoon Arts Committee, an industry group. “From the mid-80s, a lot of cartoons from America and Japan were imported into China for free or at very little cost. It’s a kind of dumping.”
- Don’t call it a comeback
He’s been here for years. (OK, it’s a comeback. Another one. Mike Tyson, you so crazy .. but not as crazy as Tom Cruise.)
- Want Zhang Ziyi’s phone number?
Well, you’re too late.
- Numbers game in Shanghai
When the V8 Supercar series runs in Shanghai this weekend, teams 888 and 88 should have plenty of fans. Don’t look for teams 44 and 45, though. They changed their numbers, fearing death I assume.
- It’s times like this when I wish I lived sort of along I-70 between Illinois and California
Invite Unbunny to play a gig at your house!
- Freed dissident wants to resume Web site
“Chinese dissident Huang Qi, freed Sunday after five years in prison, says he wants to reopen his Web site dedicated to victims of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.” A good way to become an unfree dissident.
- Chinese authorities declare war on blogs
“The international media organisation Reporters Without Borders voiced alarm yesterday at the Chinese government’s announced intention to close down all China-based websites and blogs that are not officially registered. “
- Mao: The Unknown Story
Jung Chang and Jon Halliday have revealed Mao as one of the 20th century’s greatest monsters, says The Guardian’s Michael Yahuda.
- Shanghai cracks down on pirated movies
It’s in anticipation of the city’s film festival, which starts Saturday. “To crack down against the pirate DVDs is our job and duty,” Lan Yiming, deputy head of Shanghai’s culture inspection bureau, said in a telephone interview. “We want to create a good cultural environment for the international film festival and give guests from home and abroad a good impression.” And then, of course, after the festival is will be back to business as usual. FYI: I saw a copy of Star Wars III at my local store just yesterday.
- The Year of the Yao
This documentary film chronicles Yao Ming’s first year in the NBA. The “Chinese version” will premiere at this month’s Olympic culture festival in Beijing. Let’s hope the “Chinese version” is just the original version with Chinese subtitles.
- Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson
Anne Bancroft dies at age 73.
- ‘Rogue players,’ match fixing and wild accusations
Just another season in the China Super League. Shanghai Zobon midfielder Shen Si on his suspension: “Actually I was banned from playing before the decision was made. The only difference now is that I am banned from training. I actually don’t care about them stopping my salary. I have been playing football for many years and I have saved enough for my family.”
- The Chinese people vote!
(About Panda names.)
- So the rest of us are left with the ‘unlucky’ taxis?
“A Shanghai taxi company has banned cabs with unlucky license plates from carrying students to college entrance exams this week. Dazhong, the city’s largest taxi company, won’t carry students in cabs whose license plate ends in the number four, which is pronounced in the Shanghai dialect the same as the word ‘failure.’ Many Chinese avoid four because it is pronounced the same as ‘death’ in widely spoken Mandarin.”
- Am I reading this correctly?
If so, it seems that Beijing has banned celebrity endorsements of products. This is huge, no? (And what the hell is “oral liquid”?) (1)
- Man, China bans everything
First, they told us we can’t eat off of naked people. Now, we can’t even trade or sell our organs! Sheesh.
- For the REAL patriots!
The biggest damn “Support Our Troops” ribbon ever! Let everyone know you are a REALLY good American! Too big for most foreign cars. (During my recent trip home, I felt as though I was the only person without a yellow ribbon on my car or a yellow bracelet on my wrist. This means, of course, that I am a COMMUNIST. Definitely not a good American. Or a good person. But if I get me one of these big ribbons, I reckon they’ll let me back in the club. Funny how things work.)
- Guangzhou students no longer banned from bathroom during testing
Well, kind of. The rule, which was put into place to curb cheating — and, yes, Chinese students love to cheat — allows only students who “really feel unwell” to visit the bathroom accompanied by a supervisor. Students “in normal condition” still have to hold it.
- There is a museum about the Cultural Revolution
And would you believe it is in China?
- Chinese ‘opinion’ poll
As asked by the state-run media. Pretty much covers all the possible angles, don’t you think?
- Need a pair of shoes? Find this man
“A Shanghai man is stuck with 32,000 pairs of shoes after buying them in an auction. He thought he had picked up a bargain when he successfully bid about £2 a pair for the Dunlop shoes. But then he learned he could not resell them because he was not an authorised dealer of the shoe company.”
- The force is with you, Shanghai — in a nice six-DVD box set
From Sinosplice: “The full two-trilogy Star Wars DVD set is already available for purchase in Shanghai in two attractive versions: the simple 6-disc set (60rmb) and the deluxe 10-disc set featuring the “making of” segments (200rmb). Both look extremely professional and come in a special case, shrink-wrapped and all.”
- Newsweek cover girl Zhang Ziyi gets flushed by The New York Post
And the Chinese-language media in North America ain’t happy about it. One commentator said, “If it were not Zhang Ziyi but some other movie star or celebrity in American society, the New York Post wouldn’t dare do it. Or if they did it, there would be some blowback.” ESWN begs to differ.
- Reviews of DVDs that may or may not be pirated but were definitely bought on the street in Shanghai for about a dollar
- Spidey protests in Hong Kong on Tiananmen anniversary
“Adrian Smith, a member of the activist group [International Action], said that the protester was English-language tutor Matt Pearce, of Britain. Smith said that Pearce was arrested, but had yet to be charged. … [Pearce] was dressed as a worker and wore a yellow hardhat when he scaled the TV screen. After he unfurled the banner, he stripped off his worker’s clothes and appeared dressed as comic book and Hollywood superhero Spider-Man. As a fire truck arrived to bring him down, he sat on the sign and read a newspaper, chatted on a cell phone and ate take-out Chinese food. Firefighters inflated a huge cushion in the street to protect the protester if he fell.” The above link directs you to video footage of the “event.” Evidently Mr. Pearce eats Chinese take-out a lot. The Spider-Man suit does not lie.
- Old images of Shanghai
Courtesy of Wattis Fine Art in Hong Kong, which is running the exhibition “Shanghai Century 1842-1943: One Hundred years of a dynamic metropolis” through June 30.
- Cracking down on corruption — one mistress at a time
“Nanjing city government has issued a regulation requiring public officials to report their extramarital affairs in a controversial bid to curb corruption. According to marriage law experts, 95% of China’s convicted corrupt officials had mistresses.”
- Another man down
“China has detained a prominent member of Hong Kong’s international press corps who traveled to the mainland to obtain a collection of secret interviews with a Communist leader purged for opposing the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.” This is getting very, very scary.
May 2005
- China bans meals served on naked women
Wait — this used to be legal? (1)
- Shanghai to workers: You’re fat
“‘The biggest problems among government clerks and officials are obesity, poor heart and lung functioning, and poor balance,’ Zhang Chengyao, of the Xuhui District Sports Administration, was quoted as saying.” Balance?
- Chinese Man Gets Prison For Eating Dead Body
“China has reportedly sentenced a man to two and a half years in prison for digging up a woman’s corpse and eating parts of her body. The official Xinhua News Agency said the man dug up the woman’s remains the same day she had been buried.” And authorities said the guy wasn’t crazy. Wha?!?
- Japanese ‘hugging pillow’
Weird. But I still prefer the lap pillow.
- 15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense
A few years old. But eternally useful.
- China: Death by a Thousand Blogs
Nicholas Kristof thinks blogs might bring down the communist government. I doubt it.
- OK. I admit it. I really like Gwen Stefani’s video for “Hollaback Girl.”
I think it might have something to do with all those cheerleader outfits. (2)
- 101 things not to say in China
- Ready or not, China gets blogged
From WIRED: “Chan, who was raised in Hong Kong but today calls Chengdu, Sichuan, home, realized that doing anything that involves politics could mean trouble, but he also believed this was an opportunity to see whether blogs, which have not yet caught on in China, could translate. Within four days of launching kangri.blogku.com, he reached more than 10,000 people. He also drew the attention of the Gong An, the Chinese police in charge of monitoring the net.” (1)
- China blocks GayChinese.net
“The manager of the site, Damien Lu says the government has offered no explanation for blocking it. Lu said that although it contains information on AIDS, community events and news it does not contain political or sexually explicit content.”
- Shenzhen soccer players are “gangsters”
Yang Saixin, interim board chairman of Chinese Super League champions Shenzhen Jianlibao, said on Wednesday the club has succumbed to some “ruffian” players who have always wanted to control the club. “Some of them are far more than football players,” said Yang at a new conference. “They are multimillionaires, have their own companies and are able to fix matches. They are more gangsters than players.”
- A Clampdown on China
Nicholas D. Kristof: “The most important person in the world right now may be Hu Jintao, and we’re beginning to get a better sense of what kind of a leader he is: disappointing.”
- The blog is mightier than the sword
Story from The Standard featuring Hong Kong bloggers ESWN and Glutter.
- Everything. Everyone. Everywhere. Ends.
The final season of HBO’s Six Feet Under begins June 6. I’m excited. And I’m sad. Don’t want it to end.
- Ma Jian on ‘China’s Internet dictatorship’
“Eleven years after its initial connection to the World Wide Web (WWW), China’s access to the Internet is still guarded by firewalls, embedded in its proxy servers, which have proven to be more practical and impenetrable than the Berlin Wall. Moreover, an increase in the demand for broadband connection has triggered the launch of an $800 million ‘Jin Dun (Golden Shield) Project,’ an automatic digital system of public policing that will help prolong Communist rule by denying China’s people the right to information.”
- Shanghai police arrest 1,300 for gambling
“As of last month, police had arrested more than 10,000 gambling suspects and closed hundreds of illegal gambling parlors around the country, including recreation centers for the elderly to play mahjong.”
- Shanghai Dreams
From the Hollywood Reporter: “In many ways, Wang Xiaoshuai’s ‘Shanghai Dreams’ is a conventional family drama exploring the division between traditional parents and their independence-seeking children. The film becomes remarkable because of the cultural and political background of its setting: rural China in the 1980s.”
- So sad. So disgusting.
“The first ever study into child abuse in China suggests it is widespread, with children raped, molested and bullied, state media said. The study, conducted in the past two months on 3,500 college students in five provinces and one municipality, found 9.7 percent of boys and 13.5 percent of girls had been molested.”
- “She rose to the pinnacle of her profession. She was one of the most powerful and successful alien smugglers of our times.”
The trial of Sister Ping.
- The blog of The Far Eastern Economic Review
It’s called “Travellers’ Tales.”
- ‘Four of every five sports stars adored by Chinese children come from NBA’
- From Britney to Brit pop to Beijing
“Stuart Watson, the music industry veteran who helped to launch Britney Spears, has been hired by the Government to promote British pop music in China. … But he added that the strict system of censorship and government control in China means that picking the right acts is crucial. ‘Simple, ballad-oriented pop music’ would be appropriate, he said.” Sounds about right.
- Bai Ling to Pitt and Jolie: ‘We should have a threesome!’
And Danwei links to her photos from Playboy. (1)
- Foreign media uses ‘so-called facts’ in attempt to prove China is ‘not good’
So says a senior official with the State Council Information Office in Beijing.
- The top 10 myths and truths about design in China
- Dave Chappelle is not crazy
At least that is what the voices inside his head are telling him.
- OK, now this is not cool
And I don’t even like cats.
- Mp3s from Sufjan’s new album Illinois
I have the whole album. Good stuff. “Come On, Feel the Illinoise!” rocks. Michigan, Illinois — only 48 more states to go.
- Sun Ming Ming is very, very tall
Almost 7-foot-9, actually. And he’s training in North Carolina for a shot at the NBA.
- Things the Chinese Really Wanted to Protest Before They Settled on Japan
No. 34? German Hip-Hop.
- Look, nobody cares that you’re a DJ
“You know who you are. Standing behind that deck of turntables, holding one headphone to your ear, being pretentious and aloof as you play with knobs and shuffle through records. You can just settle down, because nobody cares that you’re a DJ.” Fitting for Shanghai.
- Shawn Bradley is ‘the guy who wants to play half-court’
“If you stare at pro players long enough, they start to look less like superheroes and more like the guys we’ve all hooped with at the YMCA.”
- Shanghai to build world’s tallest ferris wheel!
Goodie! This will surely help erase the growing gap between rich and poor!
- Trying to make Shanghai’s toilets less shitty
“Finding a toilet has traditionally been simply a matter of following one’s nose. … The city has built thousands of new apartment buildings with modern plumbing, but in many older housing districts, chamber pots are used at night, then toted to the nearest public toilet to be emptied next morning.” Yummy. My friend Catherine used to call this Eau de Shanghai.
- What color eyes will your children have?
An online calculator. (Not sure if this will be so much fun for my Chinese readers, though.)
- Neil Young at work on a new album
Not even a brain aneurysm can stop the legend!
- “Apocalyptic Summer” in store for China
This is regarding weather, not a music tour.
- Transvestite contest
Photos courtesy of — you guessed it — China’s state-run media.
- Yao Ming will summer in Houston, not China
“I just want to relax,” Yao said. “I don’t want to do anything.” Houston sounds like the right place then.
- “My husband slipped right after he stood up on the bed to get ready for the games.”
Shanghai wedding-night bedroom hijinks end in broken arm.
- The U.S. flag as an infographic
Red: In favor of the war in Iraq, White: Against the war in Iraq, Blue: Don’t know where Iraq is [UPDATE: Here is China’s flag … Red: Minors at 14 years old who work, Yellow: Minors at 14 years old who study]
- Chinese watermelon art
Interesting. But is it really Chinese?
- FDA wants sperm banks to bar donors who’ve had gay sex
“Under these rules, a heterosexual man who had unprotected sex with HIV-positive prostitutes would be OK as a donor one year later, but a gay man in a monogamous, safe-sex relationship is not OK unless he’s been celibate for five years,” said Leland Traiman, director of a clinic in Alameda, California, that seeks gay sperm donors.
- ‘The Faces of Shanghai’
Fun photo slide show from the New York Times. Pics are OK but the captions are better. We learn that Shanghainese really like Growing Pains and lose their mobile phones — a lot.
- North Carolina minister ex-communicates members for not backing Bush
And he says his actions weren’t politically motivated. Shit like this scares the hell out of me. (1)
- The Onion A.V. Club interviews Ben Folds
I have Ben’s new one, Songs for Silverman, and I’m not feeling it yet. Maybe it will grow on me. But I have a feeling the EPs that led up to this release are better.
- Star Wars fans in China can be overwhelmingly disappointed just as soon as those in the rest of the world
Revenge of the Sith opens in China on May 20. Allegedly it includes scenes from the Yunnan countryside. (1)
- Not sure what is freakier — extraterrestrials or the people who believe in them
“Meng Zhaoguo, a rural worker from northeast China’s Wuchang city, says he was 29 years old when he broke his marital vows for the first and only time — with a female extraterrestrial of unusually robust build. … ‘She was three meters (10 feet) tall and had six fingers, but otherwise she looked completely like a human,’ he says of his close encounter with an alien species. ‘I told my wife all about it afterwards. She wasn’t too angry.’” It just gets stranger from there.
- Just Say No! (to the internet)
“A Chinese company has launched a new service to break the internet addiction of youngsters in the northwest city of Xi’an. … During the ongoing week-long May Day holiday, the company will provide 20 adolescents from poverty-stricken families with a free five-day, closed-door intensive training programme to broaden their interests and break through their addiction. At present, there are four major methods for breaking net addiction: the conversation method, desensitisation therapy, medication and hypnotherapy.”
- Paris Hilton doesn’t know what a blog is
AP: Do you read blogs? Hilton: What’s that? AP: Um, they’re these things on the Internet where people write about news and stuff. Hilton: No, I don’t really read anything on the Internet except my AOL mail. I don’t like people who sit on computers all day long and write about people they don’t know anything about. AP: Paris, you just described my job.
- Who you callin’ laowai?
“You’re way off the mark, however, about ‘laowai,’ which you say is supposed to be ‘the most polite word the Chinese have for foreigners.’ Under no circumstances is that true — not even in theory.”
- Egads!
The New York Times/International Herald Tribune uses the hackneyed phrase “China syndrome” in headlines for two separate stories on the same day. Here and here.
- Newsweek calls this ‘China’s Century’
Just 10 months after the New York Times Magazine said the exact same thing.
- Reasons we can’t have a baby, honey
From McSweeney’s.
- The sad case of Shi Tao
My inbox, thanks to the Shanghai Foreign Correspondents’ Club email list, is currently filling up with a debate about Shi Tao, the Chinese journalist found guilty “of illegally providing top state secrets to overseas organizations.” (Slightly related: China journalist ordered not to receive press freedom award)
- Please, please, please don’t cancel Arrested Development
I love this show. And it seems I’m not the only one who feels this way. (An aside: I hate Yahoo! News’ new layout. Am I the only one who feels this way?) (1)
- How we would fight China
Robert D. Kaplan’s story in The Atlantic Monthly.
- Want to get in on Shanghai’s real estate boom?
You’re probably too late.
- A short history of the Chinese restaurant
“According to Chinese Restaurant News, there are now more Chinese restaurants in America than there are McDonald’s franchises — nearly three times as many in fact.” Wait, there’s a magazine called Chinese Restaurant News?
April 2005
- Chinese climbers to clean up Everest
“Some 615 tons of waste, including ‘more and more poisonous elements,’ had been strewn across Mount Everest since 1921, the newspaper said without giving details.”
- “This can never be a humane industry.”
Inside China’s disgusting bear bile farms.
- Is Chery the next Toyota?
That’s what Malcolm Bricklin would like us to think. But, then again, he’s the guy who gave us the Yugo.
- “By any standard, Pudong is the place that best represents China’s changes in the past two decades and symbolizes the country’s future.”
Does that, then, mean that China’s future is a boring, poorly planned mess?
- Hu’s your dictator?
“More than two years after taking office amid uncertainty about his political views, Chinese President Hu Jintao is emerging as an unyielding leader determined to preserve the Communist Party’s monopoly on power and willing to impose new limits on speech and other civil liberties to do it, according to party officials, journalists and analysts.”
- Nogger Black: Racist ice cream
Which I guess is worse than conservative ice cream. And definitely not as funny.
- Craigslist launches Shanghai site
Very, very interesting. (Thanks for the link, Ryan!)
- “Our conclusion is that Hong Kong people are no smaller than western men, where their penises are concerned.”
- “Damn, Shorty, you got knocked the f*ck out!”
Ever wanted to kick Paris Hilton’s ass? Thanks to celebritygirlfight.com, now you can. Ciara, Beyonce, Lohan, J. Lo and Lil Kim, too. Oddly, no scratching allowed.
- Why Google is like Wal-Mart
“It turns out that Wal-Mart, the world’s most profitable retailer, and Google, the virtual world’s most profitable search seller, have a lot more in common than you might think.”
- Chinese official orders end to anti-Japanese demonstrations
“Cadres and the masses must believe in the party and the government’s ability to properly handle all issues linked to Sino-Japanese relations,” Mr. Li was quoted as saying. “Calmly, rationally and legally express your own views. Do not attend marches that have not been approved. Do not do anything that might upset social stability.” But I thought many of the anti-Japan marches were approved. No? (Also: Ironically, China’s anti-Japan fervor is making citizens in Hong Kong and Taiwan less rather than more patriotic)
- Who is China’s “model worker”
He just might be a 7-foot-6 millionaire living in the United States.
- Shanghai sentences two Americans for selling fake DVDs, proving China is cracking down on piracy
And I purchased Sin City yesterday for less than a dollar. (1)
- You think the United States has a Social Security problem?
Take a look at China.
- Wait. So now you can see the Great Wall from outer space again?
Thank God.
- No so fast, Mumbai
India’s boom town has a ways to go before it can be called the “next Shanghai.”
- China wants your trash
“Recycling has legs — sea legs, in many cases — and it is roaming far from home. The most common destination is China, a country hungry for our ‘scrap’ — wastepaper, plastics and metal — to feed its quickly developing economy.” And I always thought China had enough garbage of its own.
- “Straight Outta Compton”: EXPLICIT CONTENT ONLY
Dope.
- China’s internet filters strong, sophisticated and subtle
And here is how blocked Chinese blogger Isaac Mao thinks China’s Great Firewall Mechanism might look. (1)
- Why, oh why, would Carl Lewis put this music video on his website?
Can he actually be proud of it?
- Who is to blame for high gas prices in the US?
According to President Bush it’s — you guessed it — China. (1)
- More Shanghai couples have second child
“Most of the rapid increase can be credited to couples that both come from one-child families, who are now allowed to have a second child without paying any penalty. Another group responsible for the increase is couples where one spouse is an only child and the other is a farmer.”
- But what about all the NFL fans whose last name really is ‘Mexico’?
Since the name “Ron Mexico” was listed as an alias for Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick in a lawsuit filed last month, people have gone to the NFL’s online store to order Vick’s No. 7 replica jersey with a personalized “MEXICO” on the back. But fans trying to order the customized jersey now get this message: “The personalization entered cannot be accepted.”
- Anti-Japan protests in Shanghai?
A Danwei reader is claiming one is planned for Saturday morning in Xujiahui. For more on the unending China-Japan imbroglio, I encourage you to read Andres Gentry’s thoughtful analysis or ESWN’s examination of Chinese textbooks. Also, Simon has some details about China’s other recent riot — one against the government of a small city in Zhejiang. (2)
- Beijing intends to ban smoking at all Olympic venues
Good luck.
- “It’s incredible. I never thought that a pig could be so clever, dexterous and versatile.”
Anybody want to go to the Shanghai Pig Olympics with me? “Thousands of locals have made their way to Hongkou District’s Heping Park to watch some 20 pig athletes from Thailand take part in sporting events over the past month. The four-legged athletes battle it out in running, hurdles, jumping through a hoop, swimming and diving every day at 10am and 1pm.”
- Japan’s not the only country that cooks the textbooks
“While learning materials in mainland high schools take special pains to outline Japanese aggression beginning with the 1874 invasion of Taiwan, China’s involvement in the 1950-53 Korean war is dismissed in one sentence. … Completely absent from textbooks is China’s 1951 invasion and subsequent colonisation of an independent Tibet. Erased, too, is the 1962 attack on India and the ill-fated 1979 incursion into Vietnam.”
- What’s on President Bush’s iPod?
Kenny Chesney? Check.
- Image America
A professional photographer travels across North America armed only with a camera phone. Great idea. Great shots.
- Yao Ming is a gadget geek
He’s the new spokesman for Garmin, makers of GPS handhelds. But, then again, what product isn’t Yao the spokesman for?
- “Maybe piracy is the only way”
A TIME/CNN poll says Asia’s views on piracy are changing — but not in China.
- Unintentionally sexual comic book covers
(1)
- Britney’s pregnant, y’all!
It’s now official … America has gotten a little bit dumber. (And you thought that wasn’t possible.) [UPDATE: Britney’s Reality Show Debuts May 17]
- Watch Tiger’s amazing shot on No. 16 at The Masters
Even if you are not a golf fan, you have to appreciate this. He is most definitely back. (You can also download the file directly from Waxy here.)
- BOOM goes the dynamite!
I feel so, so, so bad for Brian Collins, the Ball State student who you won’t be seeing on SportsCenter … ever. But not bad enough to stop me from sharing what Frank is calling the “funniest thing ever.” It’s the sportscast from hell — but at least “Reggie Miller’s looking good.” (The link above includes a link to the WMV clip of the broadcast and some comments worth reading. Or you can download the clip directly here.) (2)
- Hotel bellboys can double the size of their tips, on average, by showing guests how the TV and air conditioning work
And other interesting facts about tipping. (1)
- Shanghai police to install SMS hotline
“Through the short message platform, users input the information into their cell phones and send it to police number 110. The police headquarters will immediately receive the notice and can take action.” [UPDATE: This way it will be easier for Japanese people to contact the police when stupid Chinese people attack them with beer mugs and ash trays.]
- Cui Jian says censors making “progress”
No lyrics were changed on the Chinese rock star’s latest album Show You Color. “That was the biggest surprise,” said Cui, who performed during the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests. “To me, this is at least progress. A bunch of lyrics on my last album were changed.” (1)
- Shanghai women have the firmest breasts in China
But they’re also the smallest. If you want big boobs — well, big by Asian standards — head to Beijing. Guangzhou women have the slimmest waists. And women from Taipei are just “hot.” This is all from the China Daily website, based on a survey conducted by “an underwear company.” (And if you read the story, could you please tell me what “thick back” is? Whatever it is, Shanghai women don’t suffer from it … because of their small, firm breasts.) (5)
- A Newark to Shanghai direct flight?
Continental wants to make it a reality.
- Listen to Andrew Bird on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic
So what if he was once a member of Squirrel Nut Zippers — his album is one of my early favorites of 2005.
- Leave Shanghai … or die
“About 20 percent of Shanghai men under age 40 suffer symptoms of early aging, including fatigue, irritability, incontinence and sexual dysfunction, according to the study by the city’s Renji Hospital. That’s double the percentage during the 1980s, according to the survey paid for by the city government, results of which were published in official newspapers Thursday.”
- Ron Mexico?
“Claiming that Michael Vick gave her herpes, a Georgia woman is suing the star NFL quarterback for negligence and battery. … [The] lawsuit alleges that Vick has used the name ‘Ron Mexico’ and, in a related court filing, her lawyers are seeking Vick’s admission that he used the ‘Mexico’ alias — and perhaps other fake names — ‘for the purpose of herpes testing and/or treatment.’” (1)
- Implausible claims made by Vanilla Ice in his 1990 No. 1 hit “Ice Ice Baby”
- China killing off suicide websites
“The website reportedly gives detailed advice on different methods of ending one’s life and the level of pain. It rates the success of different methods.”
- The Chinese love us
Well, maybe they don’t love us — but they sure as hell want to marry us.
- A good blog about the Beijing music scene
So, Micah, when are you going to start the Shanghai music blog? (1)
- Pinyin to Unicode converter
Very handy tool. I should use it more often.
- Are you an Intellectual Building Manager?
Well, then you’re in luck. China has just made your profession official. And, to all you Enterprise Cultural Designers, you can rest easy now, too.
- Want to see the house I grew up in?
Be prepared to squint.
March 2005
- What does “Washburn” mean?
The definitions at UrbanDictionary.com might surprise you. Or maybe not.
- Who owns virtual weapons?
I can’t believe I just asked that question … but listen to this: “A Shanghai online game player stabbed to death a competitor who sold his cyber-sword … creating a dilemma in China where no law exists for the ownership of virtual weapons. Qiu Chengwei, 41, stabbed competitor Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest after he was told Zhu had sold his ‘dragon sabre,’ used in the popular online game, ‘Legend of Mir 3.’”
- Get it Louder
“A visual noise made by young creatives around the globe.” Whatever that means. It’s coming to Shanghai May 21-29. (1)
- Juicy new cast for VH1’s The Surreal Life
Jose Canseco. Omarosa. Salt (or is she Pepa?). And — my favorite — Bronson Pinchot, aka Balki Bartokomous from Perfect Strangers.
- In defense of the blogger
Slate’s Jack Shafer takes the Los Angeles Times’ David Shaw to task for calling bloggers “solipsistic, self-aggrandizing journalist-wannabe[s],” among other things.
- NBA player has a blog
OK, he’s a bench player — in fact, one of my friends called him an “uber-scrub” — but the Phoenix Suns’ Paul Shirley does have a blog. And it’s actually a rather good read.
- Shanghai’s spunk is junk
Shanghai’s sperm banks are running low. “In the past two years, more than 2,000 people came here for physical checks and only 400 were found to be qualified,” said Dr Li Zheng, the sperm bank’s director. “More than 60 percent washed out due to sperm quality.” They are looking for donors — you get RMB 3,000 for 10 “donations.” Unfortunately, non-Chinese aren’t allowed to donate. I asked. Seriously. (And, if you are keeping track, this is the second time the word “spunk” has appeared on this website in a week.)
- Beijing to relocate 5 million residents to the suburbs
5 million! Sure, it’s over the next 15 years. But still — that’s more than the population of Atlanta. “Experts forecast that by 2020, 90 percent of Beijing’s residents will live in the suburbs, Xinhua said. By then, the city’s total population will have risen to 17.64 million but the number living within the city center will have dropped from the current seven million to 1.93 million, Xinhua said.” Doesn’t seem possible.
- “Uncivilized behavior” angers Beijing residents
Spitting everywhere. Failing to clean up after pet dogs. Littering. These are the top three annoyances of people who call China’s capital home. Which makes me wonder: If these ills are so rampant, did this survey manage to question the only 770 people in Beijing who aren’t guilty?
- Shanghai named “most livable city in China”
Followed by Dalian, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Guilin, Zhuhai and Xiamen. What — no Lanzhou?
- “I want to move the big eye off me.”
Sinosplice John’s famous quote from a recent AP story on Chinese censorship of the web. Poetic, no? Seems to have earned John at least one fan from NYC’s Chinatown. He likes John so much he called him a racist.
- The best Chinese-language movies … ever
As ranked by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association. 1948’s Spring in a Small Town is No. 1, followed by John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow and Wong Kar Wai’s Days of Being Wild. Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon came in at No. 10. Zhang Yimou failed to crack the top-20 and had only two films — 1987’s Red Sorghum and 1992’s Story of Qiuju — in the top 100.
- Download Ryan Adams’ The Destroyer Sessions
Songs recorded with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings during the same sessions that led to Adams’ 2000 release Heartbreaker, easily his best album to date.
- Short-attention span television
There’s a new Chinese show called Appointment. It’s about a love triangle. Its episodes are five minutes long. And it can only be seen on mobile phones.
- Can China become the first alt-fuel superpower?
The author of this WIRED story seems to think it is possible: “Decades behind developed nations when it comes to supporting a car culture, China may actually benefit from its very backwardness. All those bicycles mean there isn’t a cumbersome — and entrenched — gasoline infrastructure to stand in the way of the next big thing. That’s why China hopes to eventually bypass the oil-based auto culture and go right to a hydrogen economy.” One of the main sources for the story? Our very own Wang Jian Shuo.
- Are you a baseball fan?
If so, go to ondeckbaseball.com. Scott Rex, the guy who runs it, is a friggin’ baseball genius. Head on over to his site … before your fantasy baseball season begins.
- Get China Super League season tickets for as little as 50 kuai
Some soccer fans are not even sure if it’s worth that.
- Screw MTV: Decemberists release new video over BitTorrent
“No matter where you stand on issues of copyright, a network like BitTorrent is really for exactly this kind of thing — when you have content that you want to freely distribute,” said Slim Moon, founder of Kill Rock Stars, the Decemberists’ record label. “It seems like … the most logical way to distribute.” I wonder if Slim is really fat. Wouldn’t that be ironic! Anyway, you can download the torrent file for the “Sixteen Military Wives” video here. By the way, Pitchfork gives the Decemeberists’ new album Picaresque an 8.3.
- Beware China’s ‘most imposing ping pong league’!
“Frankly speaking, there is yet not a ping pong league that can do as the World Cup in soccer or the NBA in basketball. But China will make different. It’s no doubt that China has made it to have its name on the ping pong sport.” F**kin’-A, yeah!
- So that’s why some people liked Closer
They were reading the Chinese subtitles … which have absolutely nothing to do with the actual story. (But for a movie like Closer, is that really a bad thing?) John from Sinosplice, in a hilarious post, takes the time to translate one scene’s worth of the Chinese subtitles from his bootlegged DVD of Closer. And then he pairs them with what the charcters actually said. The result is a work of pure genius. But you’ve got to feel awful for Chinese who spend a lifetime watching MadLib versions of Western movies. Must be amazingly confusing at times. And maybe it explains many of their misconceptions about foreigners — all of our words are written by some schlub down in Shenzhen.
- American version of The Office premieres Thursday
Am I crazy for being excited about this? I’ve read some positive reviews, including one from England’s The Observer. Here’s a taste: “At one stage, Scott addresses a Hispanic worker called Oscar. ‘Is there any term besides Mexican that you prefer? Something less offensive?’ ‘Mexican is not offensive!’ Oscar replies indignantly. Scott considers this, before suggesting blithely: ‘Well, it has certain connotations.’”
- Macintosh hacker attacks are on the rise
Don’t worry: Macs are still cooler than PCs.
- In Shanghai, you can now order a taxi with a text message
But you have to learn how to write in Chinese first.
- Charles Darwin has a posse
Stickers and bookmarks sure to be a huge hit in the Bible Belt.
- Betting on NBA legal in China
Well, kind of. “Lottery players in Shanghai will only be able to make predictions on the results of each of the four quarters, the sum of both teams’ final scores, and also their differences. Tickets cost 2 yuan ($0.242) and prize money will depend on sales numbers.”
- If you have AIDS in Yunnan
… you’re fired.
- Download Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine
This is the album Sony doesn’t want you to hear. Or at least it’s the album they didn’t want to have to pay money for you to hear. Not commerical enough — which is music to my ears. Anyway, the above link has links to each of the unreleased album’s 11 tracks in mp3 form. If those links don’t work for you — they left me with partial files — the page also links to a torrent for the album via TorrentBox. I was also able to find a torrent through TorrentSpy. If you feel guilty about downloading for free, consider donating to the Free Fiona campaign. How is Extraordinary Machine? I don’t know yet. Ask me in 1 hour 26 minutes and 56 seconds. (3)
- Passage to Kefalonia
Frank, the designer of ShanghaiDiaries.com, is traveling in Greece. Join him.
- Don’t fret: Fewer Beijing taxis look like fire engines
Xinhua has a story about Beijing’s new “good-looking” taxis. The story, like all Xinhua pieces, contains vivid imagery: “Taxis are regarded as the ‘name card’ of a city. In past years, taxis were basically painted yellow or red. Some foreigners who came to Beijing for the first time wondered why Beijing had so many fire engines on the streets. Especially in the scorching summer, red taxis sometimes induced a fretting mood.”
- China’s 50 Most Beautiful People
From the work unit: “The Beijing News borrows a picture of Maggie Cheung from Cosmo for the cover of today’s Entertainment insert, ‘50 Most Beautiful People in China.’ Ms. Cheung take the top spot, with Takeshi Kaneshiro, Little S, Zhang Ziyi, and Liu Ye rounding out the top five in this exercise that is a conscious imitation of People magazine’s yearly rundown.”
- Dedicated to all da real azz hoez in SHANGHAI CITY!!
Bigtime blog Boing Boing recently linked to ShanghaiNing.com, a site dedicated to the wonderful world of Shanghai rap. I wonder if they actually listened to any of the songs — they are (mostly) fantastically awful, but worth checking out for a laugh. The songs are a mash of Shanghainese, Mandarin and English. An example of the English, taken from the song “KTV” by MC Lucy and MC NiggaSlim: “Let me hold that shit! Nigga! Bitch azz hoe! Yeah, dat’s it, that’s all there is to it dawg. Ohhh, by the way, and I just wanna f**k all tha bad bitchez in NJC!!! Cut dat shit off, Nigga. It’s WESTSIDE!!”
- Chinese instant messaging slang
The list includes opa which is supposed to be “short” for OK. Ah, Chinese efficiency.
- Shanghai store to sell maids, other household appliances
“The supermarket, which covers 3,000 square meters, will have a display division that includes a simulated house. The artificial house has beds, electrical appliances, cleaning supplies and clothing. The potential customer can ask any one of the housemaids to display her skills according to his requirements in the simulated family environment.”
- But why do the city’s sports teams suck so much?
Shanghai is named China’s “most competitive city.”
- Shanghai students allowed to replace Maoist tunes with Jay Chou and Andy Lau
“The newspaper quoted students as saying they were fed up with singing old revolutionary songs extolling the virtues of communism, such as ‘Seeing Off the Red Army,’ and ‘Chairman Mao is with Us Forever.’ ‘We are always asked to sing monotonous revolutionary songs,’ it quoted student Wang Wenjia as saying. ‘Finally we can sing something of our own.’” [UPDATE: Too much Cantopop, say propaganda minders.]
- ‘Hunting’ with Lions Banned in China
“The sight of big cats chasing and killing cows, chickens and other animals is common in Chinese wildlife parks. Some let visitors pay to have more exotic prey such as small deer thrown to the predators. … Captivity has dulled the cats’ hunting instincts, and some can take hours to kill their struggling prey.”
- Top 100 sports movie quotes
My favorite: “Well, Nuke’s scared because his eyelids are jammed and his old man’s here. We need a live … is it a live rooster? We need a live rooster to take the curse off Jose’s glove, and nobody seems to know what to get Millie or Jimmy for their wedding present.” (1)
- Daily Show Clip Listing Parser
Making it easier for all of us to enjoy the best of the best fake news show on television.
- Running Dog says “Sorry”
Because nobody else in this friggin’ country will.
- Forbes names China’s top celebrities
Yao Ming is No. 1 — again — followed by Zhang Ziyi and Liu Xiang. Celebrities from Taiwan and Hong Kong were not included on the list.
- ‘National People’s Congress enacts historic law for peace’
Oh really, China Daily? Peace? That’s not the impression the rest of the world got. Decide for yourself. (Also, Running Dog says calm the f*ck down.)
- Shan-gay, Gay-jing …
The Miami Herald has a section on gay travel in China. We learn that Beijing “isn’t very gay” and in Shanghai “everyone’s so busy making money, no one even seems to notice the burgeoning gay scene.”
- ‘We are simply running out of time’
An amazingly candid — and frightening — interview in German mag Der Speigel with Pan Yue of China’s ministry of the environment. Here’s a taste: “[T]he environment can no longer keep pace. Acid rain is falling on one third of the Chinese territory, half of the water in our seven largest rivers is completely useless, while one fourth of our citizens does not have access to clean drinking water. One third of the urban population is breathing polluted air, and less than 20 percent of the trash in cities is treated and processed in an environmentally sustainable manner. Finally, five of the ten most polluted cities worldwide are in China.”
- What Would Ashton Do? T-Shirt
Appreciated by fans of Punk’d and fans of Jesus alike, this shirt is obviously the best one we’ve got. Do you think Demi has one? BTW, I’ll take two.
- Pedro’s house is for sale
The house used in the filming of Napoleon Dynamite — a quaint 1800 sq feet duplex — is available for a mere $105,000. Oh yeah, it’s in Idaho. (1)
- Warner Bros. to sell bargain DVDs in China
Prices will be around 22-28 RMB. DVDs will be available within three months of the movie’s theatrical release. Not good enough, says one Beijing resident: “The quality of pirated DVDs is already good enough. How many people will pay twice the money for negligible improvement?” make that three to four times the money? Sorry WB, this ain’t happening. (1)
- Forbes’ list of richest Chinese
Led by a high school dropout. (1)
- China’s Dylan gets animated
Reading Danwei directed me to two Flash-animated music videos by Chinese rock legend Cui Jian. The link above will take you to his 1980s classic “Rock ‘n Roll on the New Long March.” That led to this video for his new song “Mr. Red.” English lyrics for “Rock ‘n Roll on the New Long March” can be found at Cui Jian’s home page. Worth a look and a listen. (If Cui Jian is China’s Bob Dylan, does that make Bright Eyes America’s next Cui Jian?)
- D&D re-enactment video remixed to Bon Jovi
I will never listen to Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory” the same way again. (Link via BoingBoing)
- China has 46 million bureaucrats
That’s nearly the entire population of England — and with worse teeth!
- Ted Leo singing Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”
Yes, I like it. Update: Here is the video of the performance. (Link via kottke.org)
- Spike Jonze’s new dreamy Adidas ad
featuring music performed by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. (Link via What Do I Know)
- More than 750 full-length, high-quality mp3 files from the musicians performing at SXSW.
Over 3 gigs of music. Might take awhile to download.
- What an easy, simple, creative way to network.
Give this guy a job.
- China wants monster trucks
God help them.
- How to find mp3s on Google
- Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing has a blog.
Now everyone has one.
- ‘China official proposes ban on lip synching’
“Chinese government advisors meeting here this week have some weighty matters to discuss: blocking Taiwan’s formal independence, alleviating dire poverty in the countryside … and lip-synching. Ma Bomin, an official with Shanghai’s municipal radio, film and television administration, likens the practice of performers pretending to sing to selling fake goods. She wants to pass a law making it a crime for a performer to do so without first notifying audience members. ‘Fake singing is no different from trading in fakes,’ Ma was quoted as saying in Saturday’s Beijing News.” (1)
- Who’s On First? redux
Chris Gavaler at McSweeney’s modernizes Abott and Costello’s classic bit and sets it in a modern-day video store. Funny stuff.
- Banhart and beer ads
Folk music eccentric Devendra Banhart has lent/sold some of his tunes to the New Belgium Brewery — makers of the mighty fine Fat Tire Beer (the drink of choice at Justin’s wedding) — and the results are worth checking out if for no other reason than to see Banhart’s decidedly non-commercial music used in a television commercial. The spots are fun … and kind of make me want to move to a farmhouse in Colorado.
- heathershayneblakeslee.com
Folk/country songstress Heather Shayne Blakeslee’s new webiste is up. Check it out. And buy her album Treon’s Cut Rate — No. 10 on the Shanghai Diaries Top 25 Albums of 2004.
- Boing Boing pisses off North Korea
I found all of this rather amusing. Some fun/interesting stuff throughout this thread. North Korea is so cute when it is mad!
- The new-and-improved China Blog List
Proof that every foreigner in China has a website.
- Maybe I’ll move back to Georgia after all
The Peach State finally allows people to fish for giant catfish with their bare hands! Yee-freakin’-haw! And to think I drove all the way to Mississippi to do it. (Thanks for the link, Rob.) (1)
- Want to be on reality TV?
Not sure why you would want to, but just in case you do, this is from the people at Quest China: “We are looking for contestants for our new reality tv show Quest China, Da Tiao Zhan. This is the second season of the Quest series. It’s about four teams competing in China: Team USA, Team China, Team Australia and Team UK. If you are at least 18 years old and a citizen of one of the above-mentioned countries, you can apply. Shooting in China in May or June. For the application form and more info about the show, check out questchina.tv.”
February 2005
- gizoogle.com
Boom bam as I step in the jam, God damn: Shanghai Diaries would look like this if Snoop Dogg designed it. (For some ungodly reason, Gizoogle.com might be blocked in China. If you can’t access it, try this.) (1)
- Blog Cabin Republicans
Watch the Daily Show’s take on bloggers and the whole Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert scandal. Hilarious, as always. And, as an added bonus, we learn the international symbol for “the reach-around.”
- The Chinese love them some fireworks
Especially this tool: “For many Chinese, Spring Festival without fireworks is like Christmas without Christmas trees to many Westerners. … Although fireworks also bring disasters, we can still enjoy it by strengthening safety measures during the production, transport, storage and setting off process, rather than simply banning it. … Banning the fireworks will greatly curb the attractiveness of this all-important festival. … I hope to hear the whiz, bang and fizz of fireworks let off safely next Spring Festival, for such noises are the sounds of a people embracing and enjoying their ancient culture.” I, for one, would gladly give up my Christmas tree if it would stop Chinese people from lighting firecrackers outside my apartment building.
- Got blood?
If you are willing to spare some, you might get a free medical exam in Shanghai. “Shanghai is trying out two new incentives to address its chronic blood shortage: free medical exams and accident insurance for donors. When the plans are fully implemented, Shanghai would become the first city in the nation to offer these innovations. The moves come even as some hopeful signs are on the horizon for the local blood bank. According to the Shanghai Blood Administration Office, 1,406 people gave 340 liters of blood during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, a 30 percent increase over the same period last year.”
- ‘Lord, if the Chinese didn’t put Saddam on a slipper’
Running Dog — one of the best China sites out there — strikes again.
- Just wait until Playboy’s list comes out
The Science Institute of the China Management Sciences Institute — two institutes for the price of one! — has named the top 10 universities in China: 1. Tsinghua University, 2. Beijing University, 3. Zhejiang University, 4. Fudan University, 5. Nanjing University, 6. Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 7. Shanghai Jiaotong University, 8. Wuhan University, 9. Jilin University, 10. Zhongshan University. I can’t believe that my former employer Shanghai University is not included on this list. Oh wait — yes I can. (2)
- No news is bad news
“Chinese authorities ordered a news blackout on Monday’s coal mine explosion as the death toll climbed to 209 Wednesday, local journalists said. The propaganda department of Liaoning province in northeast China denied local journalists access to the mine in Fuxin city and ordered them not to report on the story, the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday. Newspapers were told to use only the reports provided by the official Xinhua news agency.”
- ‘Surging Toilet Paper Demand Alarms China’
“Surging demand for toilet paper in China has some of the nation’s suppliers in a flush, state press said Tuesday. ‘I’m happy to see many young people adopt paper tissues for the convenience, which is a sign that reflects our social development and has helped improve our industry,’ Wang Yueqin, vice-director of Shanghai Paper Trade Association, said. But Wang, quoted in the China Daily newspaper, said he was ‘beginning to worry about the large wood consumption’ and the industry needed to consider other technologies and uses.” So what did people use before they adopted the use of toilet paper?
- An open letter to Henry Blodget
A thoughtful post from Perry Wu at ChinaTechNews.com. “First, most foreign companies in China fail. That begs the question: why do they still keep on coming? The standard answer is that with a population of 1.3 billion, you can’t afford to ignore China. It is too big, too important, has too much potential to ignore. That might be true, but I think there is a different reason. You read all the time about multinational companies, venture capitalists and small businessmen pouring into China. But I think their rationale is largely suspect. I don’t think they are taking into account the hard economic realities.”
- China is world’s top consumer
But we’re still fatter!
- Hu Jintao named world’s third-worst dictator
Bush didn’t make the list, but … (enter “world’s biggest dick” joke here).
- Shanghai’s ‘exotic’ suburbs
“Thames Town will have a British exhibition hall where planners envision screening a James Bond film festival, and a church where, says one promotional poster, ‘you can adopt exotic marriage customs in which you exchange vows in front of a pastor.’”
- China recycles!
Unfortunately, it’s recycling The Great Wall. “Road builders demolished a large section of China’s World Heritage-listed Great Wall last month in an indication of the perilous state of one of the world’s best known landmarks … Almost 100m of the wall in northern Ningxia autonomous region was levelled in two overnight raids by construction workers who used the material to pave a road.”
- ‘The Budget Traveller’s Guide to Sleeping in Airports’
FYI. The seats aren’t much good for sleeping on at Pudong International Airport. This site is worth a look — designed for cheapskates and unlucky travelers alike.
- ‘George W Bush Speechwriter’
Some Brit has way too much time on his hands — and thank God for it. Fun. Fun. Fun.
- Bored in Shanghai during Spring Festival?
Thankfully, you can go and watch animals — bulls and cocks — try to kill each other at Peace Park. But, the Shanghai Daily story is quick to point out, this is not cruelty to animals, it is tradition … it is “art.” “The Chinese folk activity was not only for the spectacle it provided but was also an expression of people’s respect for, and even worship of, the bull which was regarded as an animal crucial for a successful crop harvest. It was also considered to be a good way to inspire people and give them a feeling of triumph and a sense of achievement. The outcome of each contest was uncertain and, at the same time, involved no blood-thirstiness which suits the Chinese temperament.” Right, right. I’ve been to bull fights — and cock fights — in China. The crowd wants blood.
- Congratulations, China!
“For the sixth year in a row, China was the leading jailer of journalists, with 42 imprisoned, followed by Cuba with 23, Eritrea with 17 and Myanmar with 11 behind bars.” Should I be worried? (By the way, wondering what the hell Eritrea is? According to good ol’ Wikipedia: “The State of Eritrea is a country in northeast Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the east. The northeast of the country has an extensive coastline with the Red Sea. Having achieved independence in 1993 from Ethiopia, Eritrea is currently one of the youngest independent states.”)
- Super Bowl MVP? My money’s on Yao Ming
“Chinese television viewers will have a chance to vote for the Most Valuable Player in Sunday’s Super Bowl as part of the National Football League’s five-year promotional deal in China. Sunday’s championship game between New England and Philadelphia marks the completion of the first season in a five-year NFL deal with Shanghai Media Group to promote American football to a Chinese audience.” Wait … does this mean there have been NFL games on Shanghai TV all year long — and nobody told me?
- Putting the ‘miserable’ in Les Miserables
They are planning a Chinese language version of the musical in Shanghai. They call this process “localizing.” (1)
- Got $3 million?
Then you too can own a historic Shanghai villa!
- China’s ‘austere’ social problems
An honest look at some big issues from a surprising source — People’s Daily Online.
- superfuture — ‘urban cartography for global shopping experts’
It seems all I ever do is write about Shanghai maps anymore. But this one has potential. The Shanghai map at Superfuture is far from complete — especially when you compare it to the New York and Tokyo offerings — but it is a start. And the maps look really good. There are a smattering of bar/shop/restaurant reviews, which seem to have been done during a three month span in late 2004. Unless Superfuture employs a contact in Shanghai, these maps could become become outdated really quick the ways shops come and go in this city. Looks like Michael Darragh — he of Chairman Meow fame — had something to do with the Shanghai section, but last I heard he was living in Barcelona. Worth a look, but definitely sells Shanghai short. (For even more info on Shanghai maps go here.) [Superfuture link via Danwei]
- China’s ‘Father Nature’
There’s no money in the tree-saving business. Just ask Xing Yiqian, the rags-to-riches-to-rags “tree God” of Hainan Island. A touching story.
- Have faith, people
Reports Xinhua with a straight face: “Head of China’s top political advisory body says the government will stick to its policy of supporting religious freedom in the country. Speaking at a symposium on religion Tuesday in Beijing, Jia Qinglin praised China’s achievements in religious work in 2004. The official also said the Regulations on Religious Affairs mark an important progress in religion-related laws.” Great news! I guess we’ll just have to take their word for it.
- The best album of 2005
OK, I know it’s barely February, but Bright Eyes has set the bar pretty high with I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, some pretty addictive Americana that boasts Emmylou Harris and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James as background singers. I wonder if I would like this album so much if I was living in the U.S., where, I’ve been told, Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes) has been somewhat of a media slut recently. I wonder if I would have been too turned off by the attention, the magazine covers, the Winona Ryder dating — not to mention the Dylan comparisons — to even give this record a chance. Thank God I live in China. Top-40 pop star or not, Oberst has put together one hell of an indie effort. Download “Lua” and “Another Travellin’ Song” for free from Amazon. (Bright Eyes released I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning simultaneously with another full-length called Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, an electronic effort that feels rather melodramatic and sophomoric by comparison. I don’t recommend that one.)
- Query Letters I Love
Think that Hollywood churns out a bunch of crap? Well, just look at some of the shit that gets turned down.
- Website van de Maand
I’m sure you all were aware of this already, but here it goes anyway: Shanghai Diaries has been named “Website of the Month” by Geledraak.nl, which we all know is “the most important portal for China” … in the Netherlands. Here’s what they had to say: “Shanghai Diaries van Dan Washburn is een weblog in de beste zin van het woord. Levendig, afwisselend en nog eens goed geschreven ook. Van serieuze economische berichten uit de pers, tot foto’s van voetstappen in de sneeuw in Shanghai. Zeer lezenswaardig is ook het verslag van Dan’s vier maanden durende reis door China in 2004, met prachtige foto’s. Een site om at random doorheen te klikken en je te laten verrassen. Uitgeroepen als Best Mainland China Blog in 2004.” Yeah, that sounds about right. (Thanks Hugo!)
- Ben Folds’ new one due in April … finally
How long has it been since Ben Folds released a full-length album? Well, when Rockin’ The Suburbs came out, 911 were still just numbers we dialed for emergencies. Sure he’s given us some EPs, but we’re ready for the real thing. And Pitchfork tells us we don’t have to wait much longer. “Ben Folds is getting ready to release Songs For Silverman, his second full album since the dissolution of Ben Folds Five, on April 26. … And just to make sure expectations for the album are nice and low, Folds brought Weird Al Yankovic in to sing backing vocals on ‘Time.’” (1)
- Wired, Tired or Expired?
Looks like I’m wired, tired and expired.
- Our future is in good hands
Oh wait … no it’s not. Looks like more than a third of American high school students would rather live in China. This is scary shit: “One in three U.S. high school students say the press ought to be more restricted, and even more say the government should approve newspaper stories before readers see them, according to a survey being released today. The survey of 112,003 students finds that 36% believe newspapers should get ‘government approval’ of stories before publishing; 51% say they should be able to publish freely; 13% have no opinion.”
January 2005
- AudioScrobbler
Ever want to raid someone’s CD collection? Well, now you can. AudioScrobbler is like Friendster for music fans. Sign-up and follow the link above and you can listen to my very own radio station — something I know you all have been dying to do. The site also provides music recommendations based on the listening habits of users who have similar musical tastes. By the way, my musical tastes are 72.7 percent in line with a user named SunkistAmes, a 19-year-old American girl. I’m sure she’ll be excited to receive a private message from me, 31-year-old ShanghaiDan.
- A TV commercial that I like
“Warriors” by Nike. Parental discretion is advised. (1)
- Picasso prints on display in Shanghai
FYI. “Some never before seen prints by the Spanish master Picasso went on display at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center recently. The exhibition, the largest of this kind in recent years, features 265 Picasso prints … The exhibition will be open to the public from January 28 to March 2 at a cost of 40 yuan.”
- Thinking about blaming China?
Think again. This is rather surprising. “China may not prove such an easy catfish to fry this time around. ‘American Attitudes Toward China’ — a scientific survey of more than 1,200 American adults, just released — reveals that China’s image today is dramatically different from what it used to be. … (A) major Zogby poll shows that significantly more Americans today view China positively than ten years ago and that Americans value China more than they fear it. Americans also regard China as more of a U.S. ally than either Saudi Arabia or France (you need to read that one twice, ok?); fully six out of 10 Americans view low-cost goods from China as a net benefit to America, and only three out of 10 members of the general public blame Beijing for the U.S.-China trade imbalance.”
- “His eye was hanging out of its socket”
Don’t wear a white flower in Beijing. Frightening.
- Tall Or Not?
How do you stack up against celebrities? Height-wise, that is. Find out here. I always knew Traci Lords and I would look good together. (Link via Boing Boing.)
- clownpenis.fart
Ahhhh. Good old late-90s “dot com boom” humor. Never gets old.
- ‘More foreigners come to Shanghai to seek employment’
“At present, a total of 33,824 foreigners are employed in Shanghai and 15,537 of them received employment permission certificate from SMLSSB in 2004, up 40.2 percent year-on-year.” That’s it?!? I’ve seen more foreigners downstairs at the Blarney Stone on a Thursday night.
- Chinese holidays are ridiculous
The Chinese government just announced the “official” Spring Festival holiday schedule. And, as usual, it was a late announcement — offering 1.3 billion people very little time to make holiday plans. Shanghai blogger Wang Jian Shuo shows how sometimes a holiday really isn’t much of a holiday at all: “The Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, starts from Feb 9 to Feb 15, 2005. There will be a long vacation for people in China. … That means, in exchange of the continuous holiday, people need to work 9 days continuously from Jan 31 (Mon) to Feb 8 (Tue). This is very similar to the arrangement of the last year. My friend in New York heard people in China have much more holidays than they do in New York. It is not true.”
- Hey, all you nonsmoking nancies!
Why don’t you move your asses to f**king Bhutan! (They just banned smoking recently.) Slate.com tells us why: “The answer lies not in Bhutan’s religion but in its famous quirkiness. This is a country that has elevated contrariness to a national trait. … If Bhutan were a celebrity, it would be Johnny Depp — reclusive, a bit odd, but endearing nonetheless.” But doesn’t Depp smoke? (Um, yes.)
- Thank God for the Philippines
From Salon.com: “Of 21 nations polled by the BBC, only people in the Philippines, Poland and India view Bush’s reelection positively. And the world’s dislike of the president is turning into a dislike of Americans generally.”
- ‘Better Homes And Gardens To Publish Chinese Edition’
But will they change the name to Better Apartments and Gardens?
- ‘Inauguration: Lifestyles of the Rich and Heartless’
From The Progress Report: “A look at this week’s festivities by the numbers:
• $40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting security costs.
• $2,000: Amount FDR spent on the inaugural in 1945 — about $20,000 in today’s dollars.
• $20,000: Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by D.C.’s Ritz Carlton.
• 200: Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops in Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on the inauguration. …”
The list goes on and on. (Link via Salon.com) (1)
- Cultists for Bush
And you thought the Religious Right was f**ked up. “A mysterious committee backed by members of a secretive religious group whose members are forbidden to vote spent more than $500,000 on newspaper ads last year supporting President Bush and U.S. Senate candidate Mel Martinez. … The group of men who formed the committee belong to the Exclusive Brethren, a reclusive religious group with roots in England and Australia. The group includes members from Knoxville, Tenn., Omaha, Neb., and other U.S. cities. Members of the Exclusive Brethren do not vote, read newspapers, watch television or participate in the outside world, according to published reports.R
