“Mao’s Birth Commemorated in Gold and Gem-Encrusted Statue,” via NY Times
Monday! Booo! Links!
Whoa. “A fire which reportedly started at an under construction building on Qiyi Road in Guangzhou’s Yuexiu District yesterday afternoon quickly spread across several residential buildings, Nandu Daily reports. The scenes were reminiscent of a disaster movie.” (The Nanfang)
History. “China on Saturday became the third country to steer a spacecraft onto the moon after its unmanned Chang’e-3 probe settled onto the Bay of Rainbows, state-run television reported.” (NY Times)
History destroyed. “It was December 11, the Ruiyun Temple in China’s southern city of Fuzhou was sealed and surrounded by security guards. The two nuns, one aged 70 and the other 84, were carried out. To them, this could be the end of their 3 year long fight to keep the temple intact. // Ruiyun Temple was built in 1896 and has since been holding an important position in China’s Buddhism world because a very famous local Buddha is here. The temple was ordered to move 3 years ago to make way for a real estate project aiming at renovating the old town. That was the start of the two nuns’ nightmare.” (Offbeat China)
Sixteen is quite a few. “Sixteen people have been killed in violence in China’s western region of Xinjiang, a state news portal says. // The incident took place late on Sunday in a village near the city of Kashgar. // The government-run regional news portal said police trying to make arrests were attacked by people armed with explosive devices and knives. Police shot dead 14 people, with two policemen also killed.” (BBC)
Jealousy, rage, murder. “A Shandong man surnamed Wu ran into a Shanghai restaurant with a knife on Friday evening and began brutally stabbing a German man to death who was having dinner with Wu’s wife. // Wu suspected his wife was cheating on him with the victim. Overcome with anger, he burst into the restaurant and stabbed the victim for at least five minutes until he stopped breathing.” (Shanghaiist)
Huh. “A man who encouraged his kid to poop in a bronze basket on a pedestrian street in Changsha, Hunan province has been attacked online for being ‘low class.’” (That’s Online)
Shanghai is China’s most competitive city. “This year, Shanghai dislodged Hong Kong for the first time as China’s most competitive city, the China Institute of City Competitiveness announced Tuesday.” (Global Times)
What really happened with Wang Qinglei, recently let go by CCTV? “The cause of all this was the Weibo posts I made in August this year when the Ministry of Public Security was cracking down on internet rumors.” (Wang Qinglei, China Change)
Speaking at the Bookworm tomorrow. “Isabel Crook spent most of the year from 1940 to 1941 walking the streets of a rural village in Sichuan province called Prosperity, carrying a stick to beat off guard dogs and wearing a simple blue jacket and straw sandals. She gathered extensive notes on the lives of the townspeople—which families were too poor to own a pot for boiling water, which establishments offered a smoke of opium.” (WSJ)
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— brianwestland (@brianwestland) December 15, 2013
Why Chinese fans love soccer but probably shouldn’t interlude:
Finally…
“MEMO to: China’s President Xi Jinping.” (Thomas Friedman, NY Times)
“Expats behaving badly.” (Alec Ash, the Anthill)
“China detains 1,300 people suspected of making, selling fake drugs: media.” (Reuters)
“Afraid of Being Late to School, Child Walks to School at Night.” (chinaSMACK)
“Why the U.S. shouldn’t retaliate against Chinese foreign journalist suppression.” (Sinoscoop)
“Sina Weibo Censors Searches About Mass Suicide Attempt in Beijing.” (Fei Chang Dao)
“China’s Powerful Former Security Chief Is in All Kinds of Trouble.” (The Wire)
“China bitterly attacks Japanese prime minister over air zone remarks.” (The Guardian)
“Watch This: CCTV Blackface Performance for Children’s Day 2012.” (Sinopathic)
Finally, finally…
On Stephen Hung: “A flamboyant Chinese entrepreneur is trying to reshape the richest—but most somber—gambling mecca in the world: Macau,” via WSJ:
