July 1, 1997 marked the handover of Hong Kong from Great Britain to the People's Republic of China, and every July 1 since, hundreds to thousands of people have marched in this city. Since 2003, as this Wikipedia entry informs, the number has sometimes been hundreds of thousands (though, because Hong Kong is terrible with big-number estimates, we never have an exact figure.) This year? "A massive protest is expected," reports Wall Street Journal. On the docket: direct elections and the resignation of chief executive Leung Chun-ying. Read more »
Li Tianyi, sometimes known as Li Guanfeng, is the 17-year-old son of well-known People's Liberation Army singer Li Shuangjiang, which was why it was so shocking, in February, when he was accused of participating in a gang rape. The public quickly judged him guilty, and predictably renewed curses of the country's privileged youth while anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop, the Chinese justice system to fail. Read more »
The latest attack in Xinjiang saw 100 knife-wielding motorbikers assault a police station in Karakax county, Hotan, according to state media. "We will step up actions to crack down upon terrorist groups and extremist organizations and track the wanted," said Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, as reported by Xinhua, which states simply: "Xinjiang was hit by violent terrorist attacks in the past few days." Read more »
Here's a great idea for a souvenir. Counterfeit ID cards of world leaders -- Barack Obama, Vladmir Putin, Kim Jung-un, and (of course) Osama Bin Laden (who I suppose doesn't fall into this "world leader" category, but bear with me) -- have recently appeared on the streets of Guangzhou, according to Sina. Counterfeiting, kitsch, and absurdity: a perfect memento of China. Go buy one now, Guangzhou folks. Read more »
Hey, I'm Morgan, blah, blah, blah…
So Saturday is the return of Moroccan sausage Badr Benjelloun's 'dazeFeast, the all-day, all0night rock and / or roll party out there at 2 Kolegas. Tons of bands (check out the full line-up right here), some capoeira out on the grass, comedy, roasted animals, beer, dancing, good times, laughs, memories, surprises, and all manner of good things. Read more »
You know why Chinese media shouldn't be writing about African American suffrage? Because, lacking historical context and understanding of American society, they're likely to misinterpret facts, or run a piece headlined, “A federal state of the United States cancels African-American suffrage."
Cancels?
China Radio International, take a bow. Read more »
