On and Beyond China
Latest posts by Patrick Wong
A Student's Death Exposes the Chaos of China's Medical System, Exacerbated by Baidu Search Engine
Wei, a 21-year-old college student in Shaanxi’s Xi’an, had for years suffered from synovial sarcoma and both chemotherapy and surgery had failed.
Chinese Students Face Online Debt Trap
Government-run People’s Daily said parents should "guide their [children's] thoughts, cultivate their financial literacy and raise their consciousness of risk."
Chinese Journalists Need a Press Law for Protection
"If there is no law, we take the initiative and can control [media] as we want."
Viewers Complain China’s Spring Festival TV Gala Was Way Too Political This Year
"The New Year's gala this year is awful, I feel like I’ve just watched a daily news broadcast but in gala form."
A Live Surgery Draws Attention to Black Lung Disease in China
A black lung patient prepared a coffin for himself after ten years of languishing with the disease before receiving a lung transplant watched online by millions.
Beijing's ‘Airpocalypse’ Hits Record Levels as Toxic Smog Chokes City
"Major skyscrapers and landmarks disappear overnight. I cannot for the life of me see what color the traffic lights at the opposite end of the road are."
Airpocalypse Strikes Again in China's Northeast
Hazardous smoke shrouds the city of Shenyang, where air quality has set a new record low, testing 130 times above levels considered safe by the World Health Organization.
China Has a Few Walls to Climb If It Wants World-Class Universities
A columnist stoked debate about the openness of Chinese universities after he found himself having to literally scale the wall of Xiamen University to gain access to the campus.
Top Editor of Chinese Tabloid Global Times Defends Patriotism in New Talk Show
Hu Xijin denounced the popular use of “patriotic thief," but some netizens pointed out that he himself has demonstrated some of the characteristics of that term.
Chinese Nationalist ‘Hawks’ Form Online Volunteer Army Against ‘Enemy Forces’
In addition to the Chinese Communist Youth League's online civilization volunteers, the right-wing nationalists are also self-organized, creating a online volunteer army to promote their ideas and silence critics.
China's State-Run Central Television Slammed for Plagiarizing a Photographer's Work
When a freelance photographer accused China's Central Television of plagiarizing his time-lapse photos of Tibet, the state-run station chose to ignore his copyright claims and instead intimidated him with threats.
After 515 Days, Discovered Debris Raises More Questions For Flight 370 Families in China
Contradictions in investigations rekindled frustration among the families of passengers on the missing plane.
China Finally Opens Door to Overseas Game Consoles
China finally lifts its ban on sales of game consoles. Is this the dawn of a new age in home video entertainment?
This Chinese Singer Dared to Publicly Propose to Her Boyfriend
"I have made up my mind, if you want to marry me now, just come to the stage."
The Puzzle Surrounding a Father's Day Photo of Jailed Chinese Politician Bo Xilai and His Son
"The father is forever the father, whatever he was, a so-called political figure, now he has been put in prison. The son is forever the son."
Local Chinese Authorities Use Internet Slang ‘Ziganwu’ in Their Propaganda Recruitment
'Ziganwu' are Internet commenters not officially affiliated with authorities but who nevertheless ardently defend the government. China's Sichuan education office has adopted the term as part of recruitment efforts.
Leaked Emails Reveal Details of China's Online ‘Youth Civilization Volunteers’
'Speak out in a timely way and positively guide mistaken opinions and thoughts in order to grow mainstream thought and sentiment on the Internet.'
A Viral Music Video in China Pokes Fun at Xiaomi CEO’s Imperfect English
After Lei Jun’s English skills were mocked following a short speech at one of the tech giant's product launches, Chinese are once again asking—Is English important for business internationalisation?
A Han Musician’s Song Slams Stereotypes of China’s Xinjiang Region
A new song written by an ethnic Han encourages people to abandon their prejudices towards Xinjiang, a western region in China where ethnic tensions still simmer.