Chinese City Invites Web Users to Correct Its ‘Chinglish’

To attract more foreigners to work in Shenzhen, the city has launched a campaign to wipe out poorly translated public signs.

Chinese Rethink Capital Punishment after Execution of Xia Junfeng

The public opinion in China is in support of capital punishment. However, many netizens reflect upon their stand after the execution of street vendor Xia Junfeng. Offbeat China highlights the discussion.

Podcast: China's Big Internet Crackdown

Sinica podcast discusses China's recent crackdown on Big-Vs on Sina Weibo and poses questions about whether Sino Weibo will continue to be popular and if online discussions are already moving away from Sina Weibo towards mobile services like WeChat.

China: Finding Light in the Darkness on Xia Junfeng's Execution Day

The latest artwork from a cartoon blogger "A sad morning dream" tries to make sense of the execution of Xia Junfeng, a street vendor convicted of murder.

China's Disgraced Top Official Bo Xilai Sentenced to Life in Prison

Bo Xilai was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of corruption, taking bribes and abuse of power.

China's Banned Websites to be Allowed in Shanghai

South China Morning Post reported that China will lift a ban on internet access within the Shanghai Free-trade Zone to websites that are currently banned in China, including Facebook, Twitter and The New York Times. In response to the news,Chinese netizens have made sarcastic comments online, although most of the comments...

Chinese Teenager Accused of Spreading Rumors Online Arrested

The 16-year-old junior high school student had published comments online questioning the official explanation of the recent death of a local worker.

For Chinese, Violence in the Middle East Sparks Debate on Democracy, Stability

The crackdown Egypt reminds Chinese people of the Tiananmen Crackdown 24 years ago. Some make use of the violence as a warning to advocators for democracy and social changes in China.

Hackers Put Up Anti-Chinese Communist Party Mooncakes on Government Site

How To Handle A Chinese Government Raid

Dan Harris from China Law Blog gave some advices on how to handle a Chinese government raid. The blogger stressed the importance of not volunteering information to the government.

Chinese Micro-bloggers Want to Un-verify User Account

As Big Vs, verified celebrities in Chinese micr-blog, have become crackdown targets. Some verified users are asking Sina Weibo to Un-verify their account. More from Offbeat China.

Opinion Leader Charles Xue Forced to Prostitute Himself on Chinese State TV

Charles Xue's self criticism in front of CCTV reminded many of the "class struggle session" during the Cultural Revolution.

China Detains Activist Billionaire Wang Gongquan Amid Crackdown on Dissent

Beijing police arrested and detained billionaire venture capitalist Wang Gongquan, a latest move in cracking down the emerging civil society in China.

Chinese Reactions to Tokyo Olympics 2020

Offbeat China blogs about mainland Chinese netizens initial reactions to the success of Tokyo in winning the 2020 Olympics.

France Sees Great Potential in the Chinese Tourism Industry

The number of trips abroad for the Chinese has gone from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012. A look at this booming market from France.

500 Retweets Will Now Get You Three Years in Prison in China

Sharing information on the Internet that is defamatory or "harms national interest" could land China's Internet users in jail.

In Cage with Chinese Political Activist Wang Bingzhang

More background information about Wang Bingzhang.

Chinese Pop Song: Rule Breaking Animal

Rensi from ChinaSMACK translated and explained the lyrics of a recently released pop song, ‘Rule-Breaking Animals’, written by a 27-year-old independent singer-songwriter Xu Song. The song is about the conflict between chengguan (city management officers) and street vendors and it has generated more than 12 million listen in QQ music...

Story Behind the “Cancelled” Beijing Independent Film Festival

Like other sensitive events, the Beijing Independent Film Festival was announced cancelled but quietly had its full program of screenings and panels held on schedule, except the opening ceremony. Liz Tung from Beijing Cream interviewed the festival's artistic director Dong Bingfeng on the story behind “cancellation”.

Chinese Tomboy Image Gets Popular

Offbeat China blogs about the rise of a new Chinese woman image – Nu Hanzi, meaning manly woman or Tomboy. The blog has also translated the 20 typical characters of a Nu Hanzi.

Hong Kong: A Cautionary Tale for Taiwan

A group of 300 individuals in Hong Kong published a statement in Taiwanese newspapers warning the Taiwan society against Sinicisation [i.e. the bad influence of mainland China]. The statement has two versions one published in Hong Kong and one in Taiwan. Dictionary of Politically Incorrect Hong Kong Cantonese has translated...