Tragic news out of Beijing today. A bus carrying a German tour group was engulfed in flames after rear-ending a truck on a highway near Beijing. Current reports indicate that six people have died, and a further 14 are injured. While the identities of the victims have not yet been released, five of the dead …Read More
Things are certainly escalating in regards to anti-Japanese protests due to China’s ongoing dispute with Japan over the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. I’ve heard mention from a few people that more protests are likely planned for this weekend, and no doubt continuing after that. The following is a warning from the US Embassy for its citizens to avoid such events, as they can quickly turn violent.
In light of news of ongoing and likely further protests in China related to a territorial dispute in the East China Sea between China and Japan, the United States Embassy and Consulates General in China remind U.S. citizens that even gatherings intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. U.S. citizens are therefore urged to avoid areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution when in the vicinity of any demonstrations. U.S. citizens should stay abreast of media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times.
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While most laowai are probably familiar with the phenomenon of the “ant tribe,†a recent article in The Economist introduced a number of other “tribes†of stressed-out young Chinese struggling to survive in the urban jungle. Perhaps the most unusual is the “crush-crush tribe†(æææ—), who release their frustrations by hiding in supermarket aisles and …Read More
A recent submission over at the Hao Hao Report has stirred up a bit of conversation about China’s One-Child Policy (OCP) and specifically an American organization that strongly opposes it. For most of my life the OCP debate was completely absent in my daily dialog. I don’t know that I ever gave it a moment’s …Read More
It’s tough being a Chinese press agency. It’s even tougher being the Chinese press agency. Everyone’s just waiting for you to stumble, people label you as a “mouthpiece”, call you “unethical” and “biased”, and dub you “pseudo-journalists”; but through it all you staunchly hold your head high and publish this:Read More
Chinese authorities have stopped the issuance of permits for foreign travel to Tibet due to chilly weather and over-crowding. Probably has nothing to do with this. People’s Daily: The temporary measures on restricting foreign tourists to Tibet were mainly due to the current cold winter weather, limited accommodation capacity and safety concerns, a high-ranking official …Read More
There are no shortage of ways to trip yourself up in the emotionally saturated mire where animal cruelty meets cultural relativism. I’m usually happy to leave such mine fields alone, but rare is the opportunity for me to talk about my homeland, my nowland, and clubbing baby seals all in one breath. This past week …Read More
If you’re wondering why Japanese business in your neighbourhood have broken windows, or why that mob just marched by shouting anti-Japan slogans and you’ve not got the foggiest idea what the hell the “Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands” dispute is all about, Kyle, aka The Manchurian Candidate, does a damn fine job of laying it all out here. …Read More
No matter where we end up in China, or out, the first port of call any laowai makes in this country surely stays near and dear. Such is Dalian for me. I lived in Dalian for my first 18 months in China and return at least once a year to visit inlaws and friends.
The city is constantly touted as a clean and beautiful city, so, to see it suffering through one of the country’s worst oil spill disasters sucks. To catch anyone up who hasn’t caught this on the news, two crude oil pipelines exploded in Dalian’s Xingang port last Friday. The fire took 15 hours and thousands of firefighters to quell, but over the following few days has caused an oil slick that extends more than 180-square kilometers off the coast — stopping it from reaching the open sea is a top priority.
Boston.com has collected a number of striking photos chronicling the event in vivid detail. Many of the photos were captured by Greenpeace activists on the scene to assess the damage. Photos after the jump..Read More
With the first of this year’s two G20 summits set to kick off tomorrow (half hour later in Newfoundland), big black shiny busloads of politicians from around the globe are descending on Toronto for a few days of intense protester dodging (it really is an under-rated sport). And just a day before Hu Jintao’s 5.0-magnitude …Read More
So, nice way to end the week — my neighbours might be going to war. Fuck. I’ve been operating with newsblinders on lately as I try to keep everything on the rails with a new baby in the house (apologies for a lack of updates, but that’s why). As such, it hit me off guard …Read More
What the hell is going on? I know times are tough, I know there is huge economic disparity between the rich and the poor, I know nobody likes you, I know your boss made you lose face, I know society looks down on you, I know your parents beat you. But why the fuck do …Read More
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