Picture via Beijing Youth Daily The violence and protests have been stowed away like a jack-in-the-box, some novelty toy to be brought back out at another politically opportune time. The carnival’s over, folks. Time to go home. But there’s a thing about violence. You might know it. Violence owes fealty to no one and nothing, and can... Read more »Read more »
Another day, another French daredevil does something in a central China province. We saw rollerman Jean-Yves Blondeau zoom down Hunan province's Mt. Tianmen in July, now it's Alain Robert scaling the world's tallest steel structure, the Central Plains Fortaleza tower in Zhengzhou, Henan province. According to reports, yesterday Robert climbed to a platform 268 meters up on the 388-meter structure, taking about two hours. Read more »
When beating, bullying, and plundering doesn’t work, resort to mass intimidation. Urban enforcement officers in Wuhan, Hubei province are turning to the group silent treatment to smoke out “illegal” street vendors. As Caijing reports, “A new policing method is to appear in a straight line and approach illegal business operators wordlessly for maximum intimidation.” How... Read more »Read more »
Prepare your horrified face. Yesterday at 2 pm in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang AutonomousRegion, a man wielding a wood chopper burst into a residence and slashed 16 children in noon care, according to Xinhua. Three died in the hospital. The suspect, surnamed Wu, is in police custody. More details as they become available. Photos below (slightly graphic) via Xinhua link... Read more »Read more »
Our favorite talk show host, Gao Xiaosong, is at it again, this time talking about gun use and laws in the US in Episode 28: America Under Gunpoint. (Short synopsis: there are a lot of guns in America.) This one's not nearly as jaw-dropping as the first two episodes of Saturday Morning Cartoon. Enjoy it for the animation quality, I guess. Read more »
The Gar exploded onto the Beijing music scene in 2007 and entrenched its reputation as indie heavyweights with the release of its self-titled album two years later. The members went on a three-year hiatus with the departure of bassist and founding member Wen Jie, but it appears they're now back, with a new bassist in Zhu Boxuan (formerly of Hedgehog). Read more »
What does it mean to live in a guanxi society, where so much depends on interpersonal relationships? Part of it is honing an ability to talk your way into or out of a wide range of situations. It could mean getting an official to accept a hongbao -- a bribe, as the more righteous among us call it -- but it can also be simpler, like getting a vegetable seller to round down, or (here's a common one) a parking attendant to knock a few kuai off the parking price in exchange for keeping the receipt (in which case, he could pocket the money instead of reporting it to his bosses). Read more »
In Spain, people watch bullfights for the pageantry and the matador’s distinctive flair, and, perhaps for some, the climactic coup de grace. In Guizhou, on this August 11 day, at least, people watch for the comedy of poor rural handlers scampering at and away from a charging beast. (Kind of like this, actually.) How many... Read more »Read more »
