The New York Times's Austin Ramzy has a story you should read about Liu Xia, painter/poet/artist and wife of (as routinely noted) jailed Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo. The entire thing is worth your time, but we'd like to highlight a letter Liu Xia, who remains under house arrest in Beijing, wrote to an American friend in July. In a word, it's heartbreaking. Read more »
Today on C4: A celebration of World Toilet Day -- "Well Stuart, how many times a year do you go to the toilet?" Ah yes, you know this one is going to be good. Read more »
School Bar has been killing it this year. In my book it's Beijing's #1 live rock 'n' roll venue at the moment. Pretty much the only place you can walk up on a random day of the week and be statistically likely to find a decent local band and at least a dozen drunken teenagers in leather jackets just living the dream. You should go there on Saturday because all the bands playing are worth your time & money & some potential liver damage. Read more »
Picture taken at the main Sanlitun intersection on Gongti during eveningtime. A sedan nicked a U-turning taxi cab, after which the drivers of both cars -- while waiting for police -- chose to not move their vehicles. Try to imagine with me the anger of everyone behind them. Traffic may have been backed up to Third Ring Road. Read more »
The bar Alfa was hopping last Friday as actors / patrons gathered for a casting call / fundraiser for indie director Moxie Peng’s newest project, My 17 Gay Friends.
Eighty percent of the night’s collected cover went to support the production.
Attendees had the choice of being a judge or trying out for a role in the film. Judges were given masks to protect their identities and limited to choosing only two candidates. Read more »
By all standards Wang Meng (1934- ) has had a tremendously successful career. Easing out of his problematic role as Cultural Minister in 1989, Wang was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1994 by the Chinese Literary Society. He has published more than 100 books and was listed as the 24th most commercially successful writer in China in 2010 with a net worth of 1.75 million yuan. This past year a village on the border of Kazakhstan opened a museum in his honor. Read more »
