Stories about Chinese from September, 2009
China: When will the sunshine come?
Chinese officials will soon be required to report all their assets as part of an anti-corruption "Sunshine Act" of the Communist Party. But resistance so far has been significant, leading to much online public debate among Chinese citizens.
Taiwan: BoF 2009
Started by a group of bloggers in 2005, and then organized by ADCT since 2006, BoF(Birds of a Feather), aka Taiwan Youth Blog Festival, has become the major Web 2.0 event in Taiwan. This year, because of Typhoon Morakot that wreaked havoc in August 2009 in southeren Taiwan, BoF 2009...
China: Is Bo Xilai's corruption crackdown good for China?
"Who can ensure that the impartial and incorruptible anti-corruption heroes of today, with their unrestricted power, won't end up on the same path as their predecessors tomorrow?"
China: Beijing students protest against parade rehersals
In the upcoming October 1 celebration of the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing will be mobilizing over one hundred thousands secondary and university students for parades. As it is compulsory for students to participate in the prolong parade rehearsal, some are not happy about it. Apple...
Taiwan: Kaohsiung set to screen film amidst controversy
The Kaohsiung Film Festival came under pressure from China over its decision to screen The Ten Conditions of Love, a documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. As a result the Kaohsiung City Government decided to screen the documentary in advance of the film festival. Echo Taiwan criticises the Kaohsiung...
China: Mainland Blogger’s ironic review of shabby government buildings in Taiwan
Blogger Lv Se De Shou Cang recently ran a photo journal titled 'A look at some of the administrative buildings in Taiwan', which has also generated interesting comments.
China: The Founding of a Republic
As a celebration of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October, the all-star epic “The Founding of a Republic” will be screened tomorrow, on 17 September. The film has stirred a heated discussion on the Internet – not for the film itself, but for the nationalities of the stars.
China and Hong Kong: Ex-president's life sentence, a farce or a victory?
Former Taiwanese leader Chen Shui bian was sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 September and Portnoy has made an excellent summary of Twitterers' responses from Taiwan. Here I would like to add to the discussion by collecting more opinions and discussions from mainland China and Hong Kong.
Hong Kong: TVB's beaten journalists and brave new voice
The strong condemnation delivered by Cantonese-language channel TVB Jade of the way its journalists were treated in Xinjiang spurred certain criticism and ridicule online, and the antagonistic stance taken towards the mainland Chinese authorities in recent days struck some as such a shift in character as to seem hypocritical.
Taiwan: Response to Ex-President's Life Sentence
On September 11, Taiwan's former President Chen Sui-Bian was sentenced to life imprisonment and a NTD 200 million fine (roughly USD 6.13 million) on charges of embezzlement, taking bribes and money laundering. Chen's wife Wu Shu-jen also received a life sentence while their son Chen Chih-chung and daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching...
China: School girl wants to be “corrupt official”
On the first day of China’s school term, Guangzhou’s Southern Metropolitan Daily interviewed some kids about their life-goals. One girl told the journalist that her dream was to become “a corrupt official."
China: Why Zhu Rongji remains popular
A new book of transcripts of major press meetings attended by China’s former Premier, Zhu Rongji (朱镕基), (the second-ranking leader) has immediately become a best-seller. As a statesman, he was popular for his relative openness and frankness.
China: Considering Han chauvinism
"Within the ranks of CCP cadres, it's not only ethnic minorities who have been deprived of their religious rights, but the Han majority too...As a Han born and raised in China, we really don't see any so-called Han chauvinism!"
Hong Kong: Journalists accused of incitement
Last Friday (Sep 4), three Hong Kong journalists were beaten up and detained by Xinjiang armed polices when they were covering the protest in Urumqi. Yesterday, the authorities in Xinjiang claimed that the three journalists were under the suspicion of inciting public disorder by making hand gestures. The director of...
China: How artistic these buildings are!
MOP forum posted a number of photos on some newly constructed residential buildings in Guangzhou. From a far, one can see some “artistic” white pattern. When getting a closer look, their are all cracks. These buildings have all passed the quality check.
China: Yunnan Naked Girl Seeking Justice
Recently, “Yunnan Naked Girl” has become one of the hottest topic in the Chinese Internet world. A 21-year old girl, Peng Chunping decided to post her nude photos online in order to draw attention and help from the society. ESWN has translated a full report from Southern Weekend on the...
China: Are syringe attacks terrorism?
Fresh protests broke out in Xinjiang this week following news that Uighurs had been attacking people with syringe needles. Is this terrorism? Why resort to a tactic like this? Just some of the questions being asked of the autonomous region, still disconnected from the Internet after two months.
Taiwan: The future for the aboriginal people after Typhoon Morakot
Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan Aug. 7-9, triggering the worst flooding in 50 years in southern Taiwan and leading to landslides that buried remote mountainous villages and tribal settlements. In order to speed up the post-disaster reconstruction, the Legislative Yuan passed an urgent special statute to raise a special budget on...
China and Japan: Chinese people's reaction to the Japanese general election
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won the August 30th general election by landslide victory, bringing an end to more than 50 years of almost continuous rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 1955. The victory of Yukio Hatoyama-led DPJ has been perceived as the beginning of a new...
China: PetroChina's “Group Purchase Gate” created an online stir
Some employees of PetroChina, the state-owned oil giant and the current no. 2 on the FT 500 List, are going to be allowed to ‘group purchase’ eight apartment buildings near Beijing’s CBD at only about thirty per cent of the actual price.
China: Newly invented Han characters
Recently the Ministry of Education of PRC has announced a list of 44 Han characters to be adjusted in their writing style. The adjustments were so insignificant and redundant that most netizens criticized the ministry of creating trouble. Even the Xinhua news described the adjustment as “plastic surgery”. However, the...
About our Chinese coverage
Oi wan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
