Stories about China from August, 2016
Blue Skies, Fake Tourists and Maximum Security: China Prepares For a Flawless G20 Summit
Whether they like it or not, Hangzhou residents must comply with government efforts to present theirs as the best and safest city in the world.
How Beijing’s Breach of ‘One Country Two Systems’ Gave Birth to the Hong Kong Independence Movement
"Their main method looks set to be trolling and rattling Beijing: identifying what makes the regime most paranoid, and piling it on."
Chinese Volleyball Coach Lang Ping Has Spent Her Career Thinking Outside the Communist Party Box
"She is an independent Chinese who has been exposed to the international field of sport, she is not a cog in the machine of a national bureaucratic sports system."
Defying Web Censors, Chinese ‘Worship’ Toads to Mark a Former State Leader’s 90th Birthday
"While the toad's era was not free, it looked better than [Xi's] era...Chinese people worshiping the toad is similar to prisoners in confinement, missing their brief outdoor recess."
From Harbin to Shenyang, Reminders of Japanese Rule Hang Heavy over Northeast China
"There is a wreath here from the Japanese Consulate in Shenyang, and the Japanese government has officially acknowledged [the Pingdingshan massacre] took place."
In International Spotlight, China Convicts Human Right Lawyers and Activists on ‘Subversion’ Charges
The convicted men and women are all connected with the Beijing-based Fengrui law firm, which has a history of taking on politically controversial rights cases.
China Is Turning Its Once Powerful Communist Youth League Into an Online Campaign Machine
Before President Xi came into power, the Communist Youth League served as a launching pad for China’s political elite.
Hong Kong Election Officials Disqualify Six Legislative Candidates for Not Being ‘Loyal’ Enough to China
"Would anyone on earth want his or her fate to be determined by others? Only a lackey would think so."
Netizen Report: In China and the Middle East, Pokémon GO is Not All Fun and Games
While Pokemon continues to make waves across the globe, the UAE passes a perplexing new VPN law, Brazil's battle with WhatsApp continues and Mexican indigenous groups launch their own telco.
How the Vietnamese People Reacted to the South China Sea Ruling
"Groups of riders zipped through the streets, each biker with a passenger holding up a sign that read “China get out of Vietnam”.
Critics See China's Fingerprints All Over the Turmoil at Hong Kong's Anti-Corruption Authority
"...if Beijing appoints a high official in Hong Kong, it can’t have some other body come along and prosecute the guy. Who’s in charge here? This is China."
The Week That Was at Global Voices: Pokémon Go Gets Political
This week, we take you to Iran, Japan, China, Mexico and Timor-Leste.