So I figure by now, everyone has seen the second season of “House of Cards,” or at least enough that you know that China plays a big part in the season’s storyline (definitely more than Kate Mara did). And by big, I mean that Kevin Spacey had to deal with basically all of the issues […]
Benjamin Carlson recently made a list of five Communist Party catchphrases commonly used in writings on China. They are: Referring to China’s “century of humiliation” Crediting the government with “lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty” Needlessly referring to China’s “5,000 years of history” Calling China’s supreme leader “the president” Referring to free thinkers as […]
2014 is otherwise known as the Year of the Horse. Horses are remarkable creatures, full of symbolism and stuff, so why not act like a horse in the Year of the Horse? Edward Snowden, who “used to have a good job in the security business,”* is not like a horse. It would have been better […]
A normal rape case has become a social and entertainment event in 2013. A normal rape case has become a social and entertainment event in 2013. A normal rape case has become a social and entertainment event in 2013. More info here: NYT, WSJ, and for good measure, Daily Mail. (Obviously the writer did not […]
Is it time to write this post? The recent Bloomberg News controversy — that reporters in China have had their stories spiked because it would mean bad news / loss of money for Bloomberg LP — is making waves because it reneges on two of the most important tenets of Western journalism: Maintaining independence: “Independence” […]
I’m still catching up on my China reading that I missed while I was in the U.S. Here are a few articles that stood out to me: “China’s Ethnic Song and Dance” in the Times, about China’s relationship with minorities: “Chinese officials like to paint a picture of China as one big happy multicultural family. […]
Last week, our home Internet began crapping out. Everything took ages to load, to the point where they just didn’t load. I accidentally did something to the router and had to call a repairman to come over. Ever since then, Google barely works and I can’t connect to my VPN anymore. I don’t know what […]
I’ve spent the better part of this week not believing air quality data provided by one U.S. Embassy, as suggested to me by this Chinese official. From Caijing: “China’s air quality should not be judged from data released by foreign embassies in Beijing,” Du Shaozhong, vice head and spokesman of Beijing’s environmental protection bureau, said […]
Oh, China, you’re never too quick to point out the hypocrisy of Western media. First, when Rupert Murdoch was getting grilled by Parliament, you pointed out how the News of the World hacking scandal showed that freedom of the press in the West was all a farce. And now, according to you, the Western media […]
Just wanted to make a quick point on the Wenzhou train crash. People are livid, and government — that is CPC — response has never seemed so inadequate or out of touch. Minitruth directives that have been leaked — and to be fair, all governments try to set agendas and frame news coverage, though they […]