Friday Links: China won’t put North Korea “above other strategic interests,” Shanghai E-motion, and Hong Kong’s poor

Art student hit by train
Via Daily Mail: “This is the dramatic moment a Chinese student cheated death after being hit by an express train travelling at 90mph while posing for ‘artsitic’ pictures beside the railway tracks.” Weekend is here! As is Spring Festival. Hope you have plans instead of just reading these links. Read more »

Finish Him! Japanese Soldier Cleaved Twain

Finish him Japanese soldier cleaved
In a scene that would make even the producers of the Starz original series Spartacus reel, check out this Chinese warrior literally tear a Japanese soldier in half. As described by Ministry of Tofu: Chinese-made anti-Japanese patriotic television dramas have been the object of an awful lot of ridicule on Sina Weibo, the Chinese twitter, after netizens... Read more » Read more »

Now There’s Video Of That Toddler Baring His Backside To Li Keqiang And Everyone Else

Li Keqiang mooned at farmer's house featured image
The cute toddler who unexpectedly popped out of a cupboard on Sunday and stole Li Keqiang’s thunder — no biggie, Li’s only the second most powerful man in the Politburo Standing Committee — has gone officially, fully viral. None other than CCTV’s Sina Weibo account has formally distributed this story, with an accompanying 2-minute, 10-second video.... Read more » Read more »

‘Twas The Day Before Chunjie, By Sarah Peel

Sarah Peel Twas the night before Chunjie
Sarah Peel wins the day. The self-described “cocktail lover, single mom, singer, casual yogini, opinionated Asia watcher, and a master of the preschool dark arts” has just completed tweeting a 27-part homage to Spring Festival. Like Dickens, it’s meant to be read in serial, but if you missed it, here it is all in one place: Read more »

Could Work, Almost: To Circumvent China’s One-Child Policy, Abandon Your Child, Then Adopt It

One-child policy
This is risky, but for those Chinese mothers out there who want a second child without paying the taxes and fines, try what this Zhejiang woman did. Via SCMP (citing Qianjiang Evening News): The 37-year-old woman, surnamed Chen, gave birth to a girl in November last year. She then gave the baby to a relative who later... Read more » Read more »

Wang Daxue’s Crocodile Tears Impress No One, Least Of All The Central Propaganda Department

Wang Daxue
State Administration of Work Safety Vice Director Wang Dexue, possibly seeking a promotion, appeared to cry while inspecting a bridge collapse in Henan earlier this week, and let’s just say no one bought it. Netizens took to calling him “New Watch Brother,” a term that has since been censored on Sina Weibo. All this leads... Read more » Read more »

China detains 70 in connection with inciting self-immolation

The East is Read
A week after convicting two Tibetans of intentional homicide for inciting self-immolations, Chinese authorities have continued applying pressure through relevant laws. Reports Reuters: Chinese authorities have detained 70 people in a crackdown on self-immolations in ethnic Tibetan regions, state media said on Thursday, the largest single reported sweep of suspects to date as the government... Read more » Read more »