July 2012
29 posts
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China Charges Wife of Bo Xilai in Killing of... →
Gu Kailai, the wife of the disgraced political leader Bo Xilai, has been charged with the intentional homicide of a British businessman, a crime that triggered China’s most serious political crisis in decades, the state media reported Thursday evening.
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“Anothe example is about an ancient Chinese story, it’s about a farmer who...”
– From one of my students’ SAT essays. I tried, and mostly failed, to picture a rabbit braining itself on a tree. Occasionally, however, I succeeded; then I tittered.
(Amazingly, this is an actual Chinese folktale. Check it.)
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“I been in Shanghai 18months now and I find that they are lots of...”
– From the profile of [screenname redacted], who messaged me today. She’s Chinese herself.
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As China Talks of Change, Fear Rises on the Risks →
The private gatherings are a telling indicator of how even some in the elite are worried about the course the Communist Party is charting for China’s future. And to advocates of political change, they offer hope that influential party members support the idea that tomorrow’s China should give citizens more power to choose their leaders and seek redress for grievances, two longtime complaints about...
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China: Security Increases at 16 Airports →
The western region of Xinjiang has increased security measures at all 16 of its airports after a failed hijacking attempt, according to a report on Thursday by Xinhua.
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Sexy Mandarin →
Learn Mandarin… the softcore way!
“A memorable experience is guaranteed with our qualified Mandarin teachers.”
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“I’m
Really
REALLY
Pleased”
– A girl I just saw at the mall, according to her t-shirt. (A gift from the boyfriend, perhaps?)
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The 'truth' deleted from internet in China →
“Truth” appears to have vanished from the Chinese internet, after micro-bloggers discovered the word had been blocked on the country’s leading social-media website.
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China’s Economy, Still Strong →
The “plum rain” that envelops Shanghai every summer — a confusing mix of drizzle, fog and smog — is a handy metaphor for the murkiness that currently enshrouds China’s economy
A drumbeat of negative views about China’s economic prospects dominates the country’s image. …
But on balance, the people I met were firmly optimistic that the fundamental “urge to surge” remained. If anything, the...
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Censoring Michelangelo in China →
chinarobot:
Pretty typical, and as usual the netizen reaction is hilarious.
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42 Things You'll Only See In China →
Funny stuff.
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Hot Male Door Come
Entire first (unsolicited) message from [screen name redacted]: toodou at hot male door come
Me: ??
Her: it is an msn address, and an email address
My internal monologue: Ohhhh! toodou@hotmail.com
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“If you could somehow map out the paths Chinese people take when they move,...”
– Friend and fellow ex-pat Nick.
Truth. On bicycles, in cars, by foot… doesn’t matter. If you’re stuck behind a Chinese person, don’t try to pass — odds are, they’ll zag right back whence they zigged.
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Bolder Protests Against Pollution Win Project’s... →
In a country infamous for its polluted air and water, the protests were only the latest in a series of large, sometimes violent demonstrations that appear to be having some success in pushing China to impose more stringent safeguards on new manufacturing and mining projects.
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“If you buy your July 4 supplies at Walmart you can celebrate our independence...”
– Andy Borowitz, @BorowitzReport
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An open letter to Chinese floors and sidewalks →
bridgers:
(Image via Jack Zalium)
Dear Chinese floors and sidewalks,
We need to talk.
Here’s the thing: you are really goddamned slippery. I mean really.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve fallen on my ass thanks to you. For some reason, whoever was in charge of paving streets in…
I feel her pain. (Not literally, luckily — all near-disasters for me so far —...
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So White, So Wrong
So I was showing pictures of the ol’ former life to a Chinese friend of mine the other night. The collection included a few shots of my friend Lashon, who is black. “She’s pretty,” my Chinese friend said. “Great smile. Such white teeth!”
She proceeded to tell me about the toothpaste she uses, the Chinese name of which literally translates as “Black...
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“After a long year, the school finally ended. No more essaies to write, no more...”
– An essay entitled “Acdenmics? Why?”, by Wilson, age 13.
The assignment was an “Inquire & Explore” essay. Wilson explored the logic — and, more relevantly, illogic — of his parents paying thousands of RMB to have him taught by the likes of me.
June 2012
17 posts
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Test That Can Determine the Course of Life in... →
It is not uncommon for Chinese to have recurring nightmares about cramming for and taking the gaokao years after they have graduated from university. Many schools in China set aside the final year of high school as a cram year for the test. Mr. Yang, the student in Kunming, said he spent 13 hours a day in his senior year studying, and his parents even rented an apartment for him near his school so...
