Stories about China from July, 2013
An Undeniably Racist Song, ‘Asian Girlz’ Sparks Controversy
Packed with Asian stereotypes and fetishes, song ‘Asian Girlz’ by ‘Day Above Ground’ has invited controversy and angry comments. Blogger Angry Asian Man typed down the entire lyrics to comment [if they have not] ‘run out of stereotypical Oriental stuff to list off, the song would have gone on for another ten minutes”. The...
Student Movement in Taiwan
“The Far Eastern Sweet Potatoes” has written a review and analysis of the development of student movement in Taiwan in reaction to issues such as media monopoly and land justice against the background of cross-strait relation.
An English Written Chinese Classical Couplet
Chinese couplet is a kind of classical poetry written in two lines, which are corresponding to each other in length as well as syntactic and semantic properties. As the couplet can be pasted to the entrance of a house, sometimes a short extra line, horizontal line to be pasted in...
Outspoken Chinese Singer Detained Over Online Bomb Threat
Some fear authorities will make an example of her with harsh punishment.
Open Letter Calls for Lawyer's Release
More than 400 Chinese citizens signed an open letter on July 23, 2013, calling on Chinese authorities to release Xu Zhiyong, a prominent lawyer and rights campaigner who was detained on July 16 after calling for the release of activists and campaigning against government abuses. CHINA MEDIA PROJECT has translated the letter...
China Sets Up Fund to Research ‘Chinese Dream’ Campaign
The "China dream", China's propagandistic twist on the American dream which props up the Communist Party as the only way to prosper, has received academic funding for research.
Watermelon Vendor's Death Triggers Backlash Against China's Urban Management Officers
The Linwu urban management authorities intended to cover up the death of a watermelon vendor, Deng Zhengjia, with huge compensation. Chinese netizens wanted the truth.
Is the Man Who Bombed Beijing's Airport a Terrorist or Victim?
A man in a wheelchair, who claims he is paralyzed as the result of cruel beatings by police officers in 2005, set off a homemade bomb in Beijing's airport.
Chinese Court's Bizarre Anti-Sexual Abuse Poster
A poster, warning people to obey the law otherwise turn from “a fresh daisy” to “a shriveled sunflower”, was recently put out by People’s Court in Manzhouli, a small city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. See Ministry of Tofu for the poster's sexual implication.
China Law Professor: Raping Bargirl Does Less Harm
While commenting on a recent rape case, Tsinghua University law professor Yi Yanyou argued on microblogging site Sina Weibo that, “It does more harm to rape a good woman than to rape a bargirl, a dancing girl, an escort or a prostitute.” Such arguments were echoed when the lawyer of...
Experience of Being Black in China
Marketus Presswood, who previously lived in Beijing for more than eight years, wrote in Tea Leaf Nation about his experience of being black in China in late 1990s. I overheard students speaking in Chinese about how they were paying so much money and wanted a white instructor. One student went...
China: Crackdown on Citizen Movement Activists
Chinese Human Rights Defenders has an update on the arrest of citizens and activists in China. The latest detainee is prominent activist Xu Zhiyong, who is considered a moderate reformer. 25 individuals have been confirmed criminally detained since February for publicly appealing for an end to official corruption and for...
Blockbuster Film ‘Tiny Times’ Reflects China's Generational Conflict
China's older generation critics are blasting the 'materialistic' Tiny Times, a luxury brand-heavy drama about four young women who pursue love and success.
Nigeria Cements China Relations With Presidential Visit
Was President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan's visit to China payback to US President Barack Obama for not visiting Nigeria during the American leader's African tour? Nigerian netizens evaluate.
China Cracks Down on Corruption Whistleblower
China has blocked the web presence of anti-corruption hero Zhu Ruifeng for reporting on the shady relationship between two local communist party officials.
Thousands in China's Guangzhou Rally Against Trash Incinerator Plan
Residents of Shiling town in China’s southern Guangzhou province took to the streets over pollution fears.
Billionaire Jack Ma Makes About-Face, Praises Chinese Government
Was Ma's change of attitude related to the recent secret execution of “China's Madoff”?
Protests Crush Nuclear Complex Plans in Southern China
But is this victory temporary? Some worry the project may pop-up in another densely populated area.
Punish the Unmarried in China?
Starting from July 1, 2013 China put into effect a new filial piety law, requiring grown children to visit their parents “frequently”. In reaction to the law, an elderly suggested to punish the unmarried one: My kids shouldn't be treated as a violator of any law if they don’t visit...
China's Jiangmen Residents Protest Against Uranium Plant
Several hundred residents in Jiangmen, a city near China’s southern Guangzhou, took to the street to protest against a planned uranium processing plant on July 12, 2013.
Outcry Over Hush-Hush Nuclear Plans in Southern China
A complex of nuclear fuel facilities has been quietly planned in Heshan in China's southern Guangdong province, unleashing a wave of anger among Web users over the hush-hush nature of the project once local media brought the plan to light.
About our China coverage
Oi wan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
