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. […]
“The party personnel system isn’t based on performance and competence. It’s based on loyalty and connections.” So says one Fred Hu about the CPC in a Wall Street Journal piece on how the head of the biggest bank in China (and world) got stepped over for promotion — when the heads of other state-owned banks […]
The prestigious China Daily has published another masterpiece, this time a photo essay of sorts that really captures the harmonious party atmosphere of the Party Congress. These are scenes from around the country featuring people from all walks of life (bonus favorite phrase of the Chinese English-language press!), all intently, joyfully and dutifully watching their […]
I watched the election results come in yesterday morning at work (and yes, I was also proudly wearing a sticker). I don’t know if the stuffy office environment, in which I’m the only American, subdued the atmosphere, or if I was just feeling calm from a strange feeling of confidence. I watched as multiple news […]
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 […]
After a reminder from James Fallows, I finally watched “Last Train Home“, a 2009 documentary by Lixin Fan that has won all sorts of awards (and is available on Netflix!). Fan follows an older couple from rural Sichuan as they work in a Guangzhou factory and try to find a way home every Spring Festival […]
Exciting time for China right now, with the annual two sessions kicking off today. Here are loosely related tidbits of news, which I hope will form a composite of modern China for you: The National People’s Congress, one of China’s two legislative bodies (i.e., the ones that are meeting right now), is a shining example […]
Sometimes, you can read a really interesting and informative post about China that takes a more nuanced approach to figuring out what exactly China is and isn’t. For an example, see this blog post about the slew of punishments handed out recently, over the holidays, to political activists. It argues that China isn’t necessarily cracking […]
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 […]