Latest posts by Oiwan Lam from December, 2013
Mandela's lesson for Hong Kong
Sa Law from left21 wrote a piece on Nelson Mandela and his lesson for Hong Kong, a city where migrant workers are living in apartheid. Due to their long working hours for six days a week, they lack the chance to socialize and mingle with the rest of Hong Kong...
Chinese President Xi Jinping Eats Steam Buns
The news about Chinese President Xi Jingping in a small restaurant eating steam buns with common people was first appeared in Weibo and spread through mainstream media outlets. ChinaSMACK translated the news and netizens’ comments.
China's Southern Media Group Turns Back on Anti-Censorship Supporters
The newspaper issued testimony that supports the prosecution of activists who took part in an anti-censorship protest in support of the paper.
Wishing You a Free Christmas from Hong Kong
There are a number of e-Christmas cards that carry political message circulated on social media in Hong Kong. Below are two examples:
Dishing on Sino-American Relations
Chinese food culture constitutes a significant part in the Chinese language. Below is a part of an online fictional story on a conversation between Obama and Xi Jinping on Sino American relation explained and translated by Mary Ann O'Donnell: With respect to the importance of Sino-American relations, we will eat...
Debate on the Translation of Christmas into Chinese
Ann O'Donnell explains the debate about the translation of Christmas, whether it should be “holy birth festival” or “Jesus birth festival”. For those advocating for the rectification of the Chinese translation, believe that the expression “holy birth festival”, which also means “the Sage’s birth festival” should designate Confucius’ birthday.
Victim of China's One-Child-Policy, 7-year-old Boy Plans Revenge
As a result of one-child policy, many children do not have proper government-issued identification and documentation and are deprived of rights to free education and other social services. A recent report on the problem of undocumented children included an interview with a 7-year-old boy who said when he grows up...
China: Online Annihilation of Dissent
China Media Project translated veteran journalist and former Southern Weekly commentator Xiao Shu's comment on the Chinese authorities’ online annihilation tactics against Chinese liberal opinion leaders: In early August this year I was abducted by state security police. Under orders to bring me in for questioning, state security from Guangzhou...
China: Hot Mom Contest
China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo is holding a “hot mom” contest. While most of the photos are not real mom, the images do tell you a lot about gender relation in China. More from Offbeat China.
China: Soft Landing Foreign Policy
South Sea Conversation summarized China foreign policy scholar Professor Wang Yizhou's podcast comment on China’s emerging foreign policy, regional strategy, territorial disputes, global role, and bilateral relations with the US.
China and North Korea: The Inevitable Fate of Jang Song Thaek Under Dictatorship
"The only rule of dictatorship is no rule." Many Chinese netizens believe the purge of Jang Song Thaek in North Korea a wake-up call for China's political reform.
Video: Hong Kong Intertidal Marine Life
Dickson Wong makes an one min video to record intertidal marine life in Hong Kong.
China: 100-year-old Buddhist Temple Was Force-Demolished
Offbeat China translated a local report and some netizens’ reaction on the forced demolition of a 100-year-old Buddhist Temple in Fuzhou city, Fujian.
Mandela and Mao, Not Much in Common
Jeremiah from Jotting in the Granite Studio comments on the China's state broadcaster CCTV's attempt to draw the link between Mandela and Mao Zedong: Mandela didn’t really have much in common with Mao. Mao was an idealist in the strictest sense of the word, a man who believed that how...
Five Surprising Benefits of Smog in China
China's state-broadcaster CCTV claimed on December 8 that smog has brought five surprising benefits to China: It makes Chinese people more united, more equal, more clear-headed, more humorous, and more knowledgeable. You can imagine how netizens reacted to such comment. (See ChinaSMACK for more.)
Infographics on China CCTV's News Simulcast
China Digital Times translated a censored infographics that tells the history, characteristics and public opinions on China Central Television's flagship news program, Xinwen Lianbo (News Simulcast).
IKEA's Toy Wolf Lufsig Becomes a Protest Icon in Hong Kong
Lufsig became an Internet meme after a protester hurled the stuffed toy wolf from IKEA at the chief executive of Hong Kong during a speech.
Interview With Chinese Political Cartoonist
China Digital Times interviewed Australia Chinese political cartoonist @badiucao on his upbringing and view on China. The cartoonist said: As a rebel, I want to use my pen to record history from my perspective, and use my individual perspective to confront the official record. Of course, as one person I...
Chairman Mao Is Greater Than Nelson Mandela, Chinese Leftists Say
"I don't understand why India's Gandhi and South Africa's Mandela receive so much praise. Of course they were great, that's all. But Chairman Mao surpassed them all."
“Lantern” Helps China's Web Users Dodge Censors Through Trusted Friends
A new circumvention software called Lantern has been launched in recent months. By inviting friends into a network, users can share their Internet connection within a trusted network.