A media activist, researcher and educator currently based in Hong Kong. My Twitter account is @oiwan and personal views are published on: patreon.com/oiwan
Latest posts by Oiwan Lam from August, 2007
China: Myth Disintegrated
Hu ge used to believe that People's Liberation Army had destroyed 12,000 planes from the enemy during the Korea War. However, a recent CCTV programme disclosed that the PLA had shot down 330 enemy planes. The historical myth is then disintegrated (zh).
China: Self-disciplined bloggers
Keso commented on the recently passed “code of self-regulation of blog service”. More than a dozen of local blog service providers have signed the code which would demand real name registration of bloggers. The blogger doubted whether such “self-regulation” would really work… (zh)
China: Missing History
Mary Ann O'donnell wrote some reflections on the missing of master narratives, such as history, tradition in Shenzhen (also in China): without history. shenzhen is the perfect example of new china because it doesn't have any culture or history. but it's not even the best copy of the west.
Hong Kong: Nine-year-old Enters University
A nine-year old genus was accepted by the Baptist University of Hong Kong. Willsin thinks that it is ridiculous as the kid doesn't need to enter university to prove that he is a genus and university life in Hong Kong will kill his childhood fun (zh). Erynnyes feels that the...
China: Porn crackdown targets online fiction
Maya from DANWEI writes about the recent Internet crack down of erotic online fiction in China: this crackdown is part of China's general push to “clean up” before the Olympics.
China: Guidebook On Being A Mistress
Wang Xiaofeng is reading a book about “second wife” or mistress (zh). It discusses about the phenomena of “second wife” in China from an economic view point. The writer was once a Taiwanese reporter who collected stories from Taiwan business circle.
Taiwan: The Internet Is Subverting Local Government Power
ESWN translated an article from China Times which argued that the Internet is challenging the traditional definition of journalism as well as the local politicians’ sense of splendid isolation.
Japan: Asia’ partnership of Democracies
Japan Observer commented on Abe's scheme in creating a “broader Asia’ partnership of democracies”. The project would include India, the U.S. and Australia, but leave out China: whether on a regional or a global scale, an organization of democracies suffers from the simple problem that it is wholly unclear to...
Japan: 30-Million-Yen Platinum Gundam
James from Japan Probe wrote on the unveiled of a 30 milllion yen (about USD262,000) by a jewelry store in Fukuoka.
Japan: Street Art
PingMag interviewed Motokazu Terai, the director of KOMPOSITION on Shibuya streets’ graffiti
South Korea: A Girl's Suicide
Matt from Gust of popular feeling looked into the suicide of a 16-year-old girl, Lee Eun-ji. The cause was believed to be cyber bullying by superjunior fans. However, Matt pointed another factor: the T.V program's framing of her image in weight loss.
Korea: Relation With Islam
Robert Koehler from the Marmot's Hole looked into the historical ties between the Islamic and Korean civilizations since the Unified Silla period (668-935).
Korea and China: Olympic and Human Right
Colin Moore from Ohmynews! reported on a 444 days protest at the Seoul city center organized by Justice for North Korea (JFNK) with the aim of protesting the repatriation of North Korean refugees by Chinese authorities.
South Korea: Ideology of Ethnic Purity
Robert Koehler from Marmot's Hole introduced Lee Hun-beom's article which traces the history of migration in Korea. The article challenged the belief of ethnic Purity in Korea.
China: Struggle Against Land Expropriation
Minjian has posted a very detailed report on the struggle against land expropriation in Zhejiang Lungchuen district in 2004 (zh). The report has very detailed description of the interest involved and the process of how rural villagers organized together.
China: Anyone Actually Going to Beijing Olympic ?
Jeremy Goldkorn from DANWEI blogs an email newsletter by Access Asia, an independent research firm based in Shanghai, which posted a substantial question about 2008 Beijing Olympic: Given the prices and conditions, anyone actually going to Beijing Olympic?
China: Web2.0 listing
Kuangfeng has posted a list of new Web2.0 websites in China (zh), which including: consumer maps, investors’ information nexus, friending, drawing and chatting tools, QA platform.
China: Dangerous Toy Issue
Fons from China Herald commented on Mattel's self-victimization of the China exported dangerous Toy. It is the corporate social responsibility to ensure the safety of workers and consumers.
China: Colluded Pricing
Kenneth Tan from Shanghaiist has put together some blog posts on the business behavior of colluded pricing in China.
China: Newspapers Frontpage
Ah Q weekly posted 5 different local newspapers’ front page. Just look at the layout of covering stories, they are all the same! The blogger jokingly said that all the 5 newspapers had shared one editor (zh).
Hong Kong: Right to Sunshine
Ben ng criticized the design of Screen-style buildings in Hong Kong from the view point of right to Sunshine. In recent years, Taiwan and China have passed law to protect such right (zh).
