We have some good news and bad news. First, the bad: from September 30 to October 7, called "Golden Week" because everyone is on national holiday, accidents on the road in China "killed altogether 794 people and led to direct economic losses worth 13.25 million yuan (2.1 million U.S. dollars)," according to Xinhua. The good news? Those figures mark a 46.2 percent and 37 percent drop, respectively, from the ...

We've seen plenty of truck explosions in our time, as recently as last Wednesday. When they involve tankers of the LPG variety, bad results usually ensue. Take note: the accident in August that killed 36 in Shanxi; an oil tanker crash in June that left a city in smoke; a fiery death at the rear of a liquid petroleum truck; and so on. All told, the lesson is pretty clear: tankers explode, and explosions kill ...

[caption id="attachment_5613" align="alignnone" width="490" caption="Say qiezi!"][/caption] China blogs Shanghaiist, Offbeat China, and Tea Leaf Nation have already clearly illustrated that China has a lot of people. But perhaps you didn't know that China has a lot of people? In which case, you should check out this Sina slideshow, featuring high-res photos of China's many, many people. We sample a few more ...

More pictures here via AP. Another Golden Week tragedy, this time out of Hong Kong. Thirty-six people are confirmed dead after a ferry, the Lamma IV, capsized after colliding with a tug boat off Lamma Island. Many of the 120 onboard were off to Victoria Harbor to watch Hong Kong's annual October 1 fireworks display, one of Hong Kong's three fireworks shows. From the above-linked AP writeup: ...

This is the music they play in movies when a hero is about to die. It's dramatic, it builds upon its own tension, it tells a story of sorrow, sacrifice, and honor, or fulfillment, or redemption. (In fact, I'm pretty sure it comes from a movie, but I couldn't tell you which one.) And it's incredibly overwrought, never quite right for our world but fine for an alternate reality made in a studio. ...

If you ever want to understand what it means to live in China -- "real China," as some are fond of saying -- head out to one of the popular tourist sites this week. It doesn't matter which -- may as well be the Great Wall, shown above, or Xiangshan, or Jiuzhaigou, whatever. Advance warning: you'll need to prepare heavy doses of perspective and patience, and master a few advanced breathing techniques, becaus ...

A passenger coach erupted into flames earlier today on an expressway between Tianjin and Beijing, possibly the same stretch of road in which we saw a 31-vehicle pileup just a few days ago. Reports are that 5 German passengers and 1 Chinese have died, and another 14 were injured. Nothing else is known at this time. AP points out that, "According to government statistics, poorly maintained roads and bad drivi ...

Let it be known: fog is dangerous. Yesterday morning, due to "low visibility" on the Tianjin-Beijing Highway, 31 vehicles collided one after another. Three died and many more were injured. The traffic cop in the linked video warns drivers that 150 meters should be maintained between your car and the one ahead of you. How he kept a straight face, we have no idea. Traffic laws are expected to be obeyed in thi ...

Were you on the road yesterday? Around rush hour, perhaps? If so, we offer our sincerest condolences. Also: HA HA! SUCKER! YOU WERE ON THE ROAD! According to the newscast above, it took nearly two hours to drive the 2.5 kilometers from Liangmaqiao to Dongzhimen starting at 5:30 pm. I've done the math for you: that's an average speed of about 1.3 kilometers per hour, or 0.8 mph. The average human being can w ...