I ran across an article at Found in China entitled Chai Ling: then and now, which made mention of Philip J Cunningham, author of a new book called Tiananmen Moon. Over the years I’ve seen an article here or there about Cunningham, but had no idea he was so intimately involved in the protest, being …Read More
I need to rant. I was hoping I could hold my tongue on the issue, because I know what I’m about to say will only go towards stirring even the most moderate Chinese nationalist into fenqing-edness. But I can’t do it. This comment was the last straw.Read More
It seems some time since I’ve blogged about a major site being blocked in China, but with the National People’s Congress in full-swing and the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising less than a week away – it appears the Net Nanny has quashed access to the world’s largest video sharing site, YouTube. Rick Martin, …Read More
Perhaps it was in the strictest sense an unlawful gathering; maybe they were naive. But the people who were assembled in Tiananmen Square on this day in 1989 formed a cross section of Chinese society. From farmers to teachers, students to shopkeepers, and factory workers to intellectuals, all were looking to their government to fulfill …Read More
For all those Chinese parents looking to get their kids into Harvard or Yale, they should take their noses out of those how-to-books writen by parents of successful students and instead read the biography of one of their countrymen. Yung Wing’s My Life in China and America (China Economic Review Publishing) is the biography of …Read More
With flak jacket on, and earplugs in place, I thought I’d usher in the new lunar year with a little post about the origins of the Chinese New Year, as well as some useful language for the holiday. This is my fourth endurance of the explosive holiday, and I always approach it with mixed emotions. …Read More
When I got an e-mail a few months back from book publisher DK to see if I was interested in reviewing their new book, “China: People Place Culture History“, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had, wrongly, assumed that the book would simply be a token collection of pages about …Read More
Today marks 70 years since the imperialist Japanese army entered Nanjing, then capital of China, and began one of the most brutal massacres of the 20th century and has led to harsh friction between the two countries in the years since. I’ve always liked history, in a purely sofa sort of way. Back when my …Read More
In a previous entry on my own blog, I was a bit scathing about our local Water Wheel Park, but I had another look recently and I must admit I have revised my opinion. On a hot, sunny late September day, I took the screaming yellow 144 bus to the bridge over the Yellow RIver …Read More
So, it looks like everyone’s favorite Angel has gotten herself in a bit of Peruvian hot water when she wore a bag with Mao’s famous slogan “为人民æœåŠ¡” on it while visiting the lost Inca city – Machu Picchu. Ya see, Peru had some issues with the commies during the 80s, when the Peruvian Communist Party …Read More
By now, just about all laowai should have heard of our “Harmonious Society“. The first time I saw those words was about three years ago, in Chinese, written in huge font on a billboard along the road just after the Lupu Bridge in Pudong, Shanghai. At the time the sign was an anomaly, but within …Read More
I love etymology. I’m not sure what about knowing “why” a word is what it is that steams my baozi, but I just dig it. I confess, I’m not hardcore about it, but do frequently visit www.etymonline.com for casual reading. For armchair etymologists like myself, the Chinese language is a fantastic source of wonders. Learning …Read More
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