July 16 – July 22
Beijing survived its biggest sustained downpour in 61 years yesterday, and we have photos. On Friday, a man with mysterious motives took a female security guard hostage inside Tuanjiehu subway station on Line 10. After 70 minutes of failed negotiations, a sniper took him out. You can watch the video of the man here, or read our first post about the incident here.
It was a good week to be a marketer. China Daily sold its front page to Louis Vuitton, a weight-loss company in Nanjing made national news by trotting out a blond model to do its advertising, and a Guilin park offered half-price entry for women whose miniskirts were shorter than a certain length. Then again, maybe not all marketers had a good week – City Weekend Shanghai offered all expat magazine editors a cautionary tale when it published an incredible music review last weekend.
Xinhua launched an “English Forum,” and of course it was a hilarious disaster. TAR Nation created CCP Mad Libs, and we took exception to Atlantic Cities — an otherwise exceptional website — calling Beijing’s Olympic structures “ruins.”
A dolphin was photographed carrying a dead calf on its back. A police intern lost both legs trying to save a suicidal man on train tracks in Hebei. A Shanghai highway patrol department created an instructional gif out of a horrific traffic accident. A driver in Xiamen narrowly escaped death. A boy died in an ambulance that had been obstructed on the road by private cars. And this is the soundtrack for China’s ransacking chengguan.
Meanwhile, on Monday, residents of Jiezuo Dasha apartment complex near Sanlitun held a peaceful street protest due to electricity and water outages, though we understand the problem has since been resolved. There was a three-day flight delay in Shanghai, and Leona Lewis performed at the Bird’s Nest last Saturday.
We’ve started a BJC tag called “Fight.” Enjoy.
