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New Express, March 16, 2010

When do interpreters become top headlines instead of the bigwigs they serve? One answer: when the interpreter is a pretty lady who can flawlessly translate a line of Chinese ancient poetry quoted by Primer Wen Jiabao.

Premier Wen is renowned for his stage management, and displays his erudition by frequently quoting classical poetry. At yesterday's news conference, Wen once again quoted a line from the revered third-century BC statesman Qu Yuan (屈原), regarded by many as the father of Chinese poetry.

The line "亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔" from Qu Yuan's Li Sao (离骚), or Words of Departure was translated by many foreign in the press as, "My heart will always belong to my noble hopes, and for this I would have no regrets even if I died nine times over." But people who are more versed in Chinese ancient literature will point out that the number nine is more likely used in a non-specific way, which means "quite a lot".

A more precise translation is from Wen's interpreter Zhang Lu (张璐): "For the ideal that I hold dear to my heart, I'd not regret a thousand times to die." And a job well-done ascended the interpreter from obscurity to online stardom.

According to the Guangzhou-based New Express:

The People's Congress concluded yesterday. Premier Wen Jiabao's media conference became the focus of the media. With his wisdom and learning, as well as his literary answers to the questions, Wen charmed journalists from all over the world.

The beautiful interpreter Zhang Lu who was sitting beside Wen also won much applause from the billions of audience members and netizens. Yesterday, we found that the ranking of Zhang Lu on many microblogs was higher than Liu Xiang, who placed seventh in the recent world championships of the 100-meter hurdle.

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Pretty interpreter makes the news

Meeting manager Zhang, a Xingtai business woman

During the Spring Festival, I took a trip across a large part of China, with short stays in three prefecture-level cities: Xingtai in Hebei, Mianyang in Sichuan, and
Rizhao in Shandong. This article is the first of a series depicting my firsthand observations of these lesser known Chinese cities.

See also Part I and Part II of The true story of a soy sauce man, and the companion video.

Li invited me to live with him in his office. I asked if that would be too much hassle. He assured me that I should save the money that I would otherwise spend on a hotel to do something else. "Here on my turf, I will take care of you".

We went up several flights of stairs to the top floor of an apartment complex and we were at Li's office which doubled as his home. Local property prices are fairly low, so with a modest rent of 580 yuan per month paid by the company, Li lived in a spacious apartment with two bedrooms. There was once another senior colleague lived with Li, but a few days before I arrived, he received orders to work in another city and the company hadn't yet sent anyone else to replace him.

"This is not my own house; had my boss been here, I would perhaps not be able to let you live here because the company has rules. But now he is gone. I am taking charge."

With no time to catch my breath from climbing the stairs, Li picked up an advertising flier from the floor which had been slid through the door and started to read it. Part of Li's job was to make sure that his company's brand was present on such fliers printed by supermarkets.

But Li couldn't find his brand among the promotional items on the flier. He called up the distributor who was apparently responsible. The man on the other end of the phone promised that Li's soy sauce would definitely be there on the next issue and a photo copy would be sent to Li as a proof.

After lunch, Li was to meet another distributor at their office. After zigzagging through some decrepit residential alleys, we arrived at a yellowish two-story building. At an office overlooking a cluster of warehouses, Mrs. Zhang, the "big stores and supermarkets" manager of the local distribution company, received us.

Asides from Li's soy sauce, Zhang's company also distributes a brand of tea-flavored diary drink. Li's company bans distributors from selling other condiment brands, but take a hands-off attitude towards the other categories of products.

The warehouses under manager Zhang's office

The top issue of the meeting was a contract dispute. The distributor had previously signed a contract with Li's company including a provision stipulating that the distributor would buy one "strategic display position" at each of eight local stores for product display, and Li's company would cover part of the cost.

It has become a common practice in the Chinese retail business that suppliers pay extra to display their merchandise in more visually attractive ways. Specially designed stacks of products, often decorated by loud, eye-catching banners and posters and placed in areas with high customer concentration have a better chance than regular shelves to grab people's attention.

Li was tasked with checking compliance of such contracts. One big shopping mall that the distributor promised would start operating in March, turned out to still be a construction site. For the rest, Li found that his brand had only one such "strategic display position". Apparently, the distributor failed to fulfill their obligations.

Zhang argued that she misread the contract, misinterpreting "in each of the eight" to "in one of the eight". Li was not going to buy her story; he insisted firmly that her company do exactly what it promised, otherwise it would not get the refunds. Another problem with the contract, Zhang said, was that the local authorities didn't approve the location of the uncompleted shopping center for commercial use, so the planned mall would probably have to be relocated. In the end, Li had to concede a little; they agreed that another store of similar size be found to replace the shopping mall that would not come to be.

Another big issue was supply delay. In China, people tend to defer their consumptive gratification until the Spring Festival. For people of my age, many had fond memories of getting new clothes and other gifts from parents for the festival. It seems that the festival was designed to give people a taste of prosperity in spite of the harsh reality so they know there are better life to expect and the hardship is always more bearable as long as there is hope. I remember that my family used to consume what must be half of the total year's ration of meat during the half month around the Chinese New Year. Despite the improvement of people' living standards, such traditions still persisted.

Walking through alleys in Xingtai

As the festival approached, market demand for almost everything exploded, which stressed the company's supply chain greatly. To make things even worse, the railway, which is still the major form of freight transport, would give its priority to accommodate passengers during the famous Spring Festival exodus. As a result, every year around this time, order delays become common.

Manager Zhang placed an order a week ago, and she still hadn't received it. She was anxious to know where the goods were and how much longer she had to wait. The company has a logistics call center, so it only took a phone call from Li to locate the position of the cargo: it was still in a railway station in the company's home base of Foshan, waiting its turn to be delivered.

The problem, Li later told, was that the factories of his company were too far away in the far south. The longer distance is translated to higher costs and longer delay. In fact, Li's products are generally slightly more expensive than its arch rival in Xingtai, a condiment brand based in Hunan. To solve this problem, Li's company is planning to build a new factory in Anhui to better cover the northern market.

A few other peripheral issues, including some promotional activities during the festival were also discussed but they seemed to be of relative small importance. When Li walked out of the warehouse, there was a triumphant smile on his face.

On our way back, I made a casual remark about my impression with manager Zhang: soft-speaking, always smiling, she must be a nice person. "Maybe... she is very tactful (圆滑)" Li said.

I asked Li how did his company locate and select distributors. "When we first came to Xingtai a few years ago, we had to go from store to store to find out their suppliers. Then we would decide who we'd like to build partnership with... All we care about is how big they are ... You can tell this quite easily by checking out their warehouses, evaluate their stocks and find out how many people they hire." "Would you like to be a distributor for your brand?" I asked. Li shook his head.

Baozhu: one way to display your products

Some first generation distributors reaped lucrative profits from the soy sauce business but many of them no longer work with Li's company. There is an elimination mechanism at work. Li's company set up sales goals and kicks out those who fail to meet the goals without mercy. Since Li's brand is one of the biggest with high brand recognition and a large budget on marketing, they never need to worry about not being able to find new distributors as the small brands do.

On our way to his office, I realized that I needed a toothbrush so we went to a local store to get one. A girl whom I assumed must be a shop assistant approached us and asked us what we were looking for. After explaining to her my need she recommended that I should buy a brand which I had never heard of.

I took her advice without a second thought. After all, it was just a toothbrush, there isn't a big difference between any brands and her pick was not too expensive. Later on, Li told me that the girl who gave me advice must have been paid by the brand and just made a small profit from my purchase. "They are called shopping guides" Li said.

Li took me to the condiment aisle where he started to chat with a girl wearing the same uniform with the store's logo. The way Li talked was like a boss to a subordinate, and the girl was apparently deferring to his authority. Turned out that the girl was a shopping guide on the pay roll of one of Li's distributors.

While they were talking, a customer came and checked the soy sauce bottles out, Li went over, suggesting she buy his brand.
"But I have always been using Jiajia" the customer said.
"Well, I think it's time to try a different flavor. Trust me, you won't regret this choice." Li told the customer with a confident smile. Eventually, the customer left with a bottle recommended by Li. In high spirits, Li launched into a lesson for the shopping guide on how to be more confident and persuasive dealing with customers.

"Some times customers ask me the difference between Jiajia and our brand, and I am not sure what to tell them". Without much thinking, Li said "One big difference is consistency. It was like eating tangyuan (sweet dumplings). The good ones are made of finer rice flour so you can feel it is slippery in your mouth. It was the same for the soy sauce." While I was not fully convinced by such an analogy, the shopping girl nodded in agreement.

Duitou: one type of display stack in a supermarket

I asked Li what he did about competitors who may hire shopping guides to promote their brands in the condiments department at the same time. But Li told me that the brands bid and pay the supermarket for the right to have shopping guides.

"As the top bidder who paid the highest price, we expect our right to be respected by our competitors, just as we would do theirs if we were outbid by them. Plus the supermarkets would never allow competitors to have turf wars in their aisles." But no one cares of consumers actually need these shopping guides and their dubious advice.

I was surprised that a shabby practice like this has become the accepted rule of the trade and there is no noise of protest on the mainstream media, no demand for passing a new law to end it or whatsoever.

This article is from Danwei.org.

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Soy sauce man III: Manager Zhang and the shopping guides

This is announcement from BON TV, a news station broadcast in parts of the U.S. and on the Internet, produced in Beijing.

BON TV is launching a debate show. The debate will be between two people and in English language. Each debate is 30 minutes and will be on air weekly. It is pre-recorded at International Metro Center of Chaoyang District. We've listed topics that we believe will interest our US viewers. Please send email to liuyu@bonlive.com ASAP to let us know which topic you are interested in appearing as a guest debater and which side you'd like to take. It's going to be fun!

You are welcome to also suggest topics for debates. Thanks!

· Revaluing the renminbi; float the yuan or not?
· TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). TCM is superstitious nonsense and should be abolished vs. TCM is a valuable Chinese tradition.
· Should China discontinue the one-child policy?
· Should we resurrect Confucius? Or Can Confucius bring back traditional values to China? Is Confucius appropriate to the 21st century?
· Should China move toward nursing homes for the elderly? Or should the children take care of their parents?
· Should Beijing limit the number of cars? Or encourage the growth of the car market?
· IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) — Is the US being unfair? Should Chinese pay full price for Windows and Hollywood DVDs? Are Western companies being too greedy?
· Is it true that "national capital is expanding and private capital is shrinking？
· Should China allow dual-nationality?
· Should China promote genetically modified food because of its large population; should China import GM food from the US?
·China should become a more active player in world affairs, vs. China should maintain its neutrality in world affairs. Is it time for China to "flex its muscles" with its military etc.?
·Should China raise the minimal wage?

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Call for participants televised debates about China

Huashang Morning Post, March 12, 2009

Shenyang's Huashang Morning Post reports the death of 11 Siberian tigers: "The cause for death are mostly heart failure, kidney failure, haemorrhagic enteritis, experts say that main cause of death was malnutrition."

The wildlife park has since stopped operating, the newspaper reports.

The front page lists the deaths and cause of deaths:

11 Siberian tigers

Date of death and cause

November 11, 2009, 1 dead, lung abscess

November 26, 2009, 1 dead, heart failure

December 24, 2009, 1 dead, kidney failure

December 28, 2009, 1 dead, kidney failure

January 5, 2010, 1 dead, haemorrhagic enteritis

January 23, 2010, 1 dead, haemorrhagic enteritis

January 30, 2010, 1 dead, heart failure

January 31, 2010, 1 dead, nephritis and kidney failure

February 8, 2010, 1 dead, myocarditis

February 14, 2010, 1 dead, extreme malnutrition

February 27, 2010, 1 dead, septicaemia

(Note: On November 13, 2009, the two tigers who were killed during their attacks on people were not included)

Nowadays there are still around 30 tigers in the wildlife park, we are worried that...

A combination of reporters for the newspaper － Li Yi (李毅), Li Meng (李萌), Jing Miao (经淼), Guo Lei (郭蕾), Duan Fangyu (段芳宇) and Yao Qidong (姚琦东) － reported inside the wildlife park and interviewed the deputy Party secretary of the Bingchuan Wildlife Park, Wu Xi (武席), about whether the tigers starved to death:

Did the 11 tigers starve to death?

In terms of this issue, the deputy Party Secretary of Bingchuan Wildlife Park emphasized that the tigers didn't starve to death.
　　
But the reality is, at present the 30 or so tigers left have not eaten, not even chicken, for two days...

Eye-witness account from the park: seven or eight monkeys stare at this reporter.

Yesterday afternoon, this reporter went back to Shenyang Bingchuan Wildlife Park.

This reporter enters the empty park from the side door. After walking around for 10 minutes this reporter didn't spot any park employees, the path is covered with a thick layer of ice, there's also some accumulated snow on the side of the road. The only house inside the compound is out of use.

Inside the park, this reporter saw camels and deers roaming on barren floors, their bodies obviously on the skinny side.

Around the area where monkeys are kept, this reporter saw that only one monkey was out in the open. Suddenly, six or seven monkeys came over － running towards where this reporter was standing. After this, these monkeys stared vacantly at this reporter...

When the reporter wanted to keep on investigating, a couple of men got down from a small truck and said to this reporter, "We're closed, you should leave!"

This reporter saw that in the back of the small truck there were eight red plastic bags, with a couple of chickens in each bag. Whether these chickens are for feeding tigers, the men didn't say. All they did was point to the official building inside the park, "Go and ask the leader!"

The cause of death: "If you ask me again I will put down the phone."

Yesterday afternoon, the reporter contacted the deputy Party Secretary Wu Xi.

Reporter: Is it enough for the tigers left in the park to only eat chicken carcasses?
Wu Xi: They are able to sustain their living.

Reporter: Some outside parties think that these tigers were starved to death.
Wu Xi: The tigers were not starved to death. It was caused by a combination of factors, such as malnutrition, illness, and the cold weather.

Reporter: But if they don't eat then their physical health will decline, and nutrition values will also deteriorate....
Wu Xi: (Interrupts the reporter) Didn't I just say, the cause of the tigers' death are due to combined factor, if you keep asking me I'm going to hang up!

Almost 30 tigers have been hungry for two days, there isn't even chicken to eat

Reporter: How many days has it is been since the tigers ate?
Wu Xi: Two days, yesterday and today (10th and 11th). The employees are on strike, so no-one has been feeding them.

Reporter: Can't other people feed them?
Wu Xi: Only professional keepers can feed tigers. The park owes people their wages, so they've stopped working. In the past the Breeding Department still came to work, but now even they aren't working.

Reporter: So the tigers are just going hungry?
Wu Xi: A way of solving it will have to be thought of tomorrow, let's see what we can do to feed them.

Reporter: What is the chicken on the back of the truck for?
Wu Xi: For feeding tigers.

Reporter: Is that left over chicken, or chicken that hasn't been fed to the tigers yet?
Wu Xi: The road is slippery, it's hard for the vehicle to get near the tiger enclosure... we'll think of a way to feed them tomorrow.

Reporter: Didn't you say that only professional keepers could feed them?
Wu Xi: But we can't watch as the tigers go hungry, will have to think of something tomorrow...

The cause of the tigers' death: "Lack of tap water in the tigers' enclosure?"

Reporter: What really were the "combined causes" for the tigers' death?
Wu Xi: We submitted report forms to the Wildlife Preservation Center, some of the tigers were ill, but the enclosure didn't have any tap water. Immune systems were down in the cold weather, so some of the tigers didn't make it through.

Reporter: What does "there was no tap water in the tigers' enclosure" mean?
Wu Xi: In the past the tigers were allowed to roam so there was a lot of space for their movement. But after that incident last November, they have now entered tiger enclosures, and their movements are definitely not as free as before.

Reporter: Is this one of the reasons the tigers died?
Wu Xi: For specific reasons you should ask the Preservation Center, they know everything.

Bingchuan Wildlife Park: "We didn't do anything wrong"

Reporter: This time 11 tigers died in the space of three months. When only a few had died, why didn't you take measures?
Wu Xi: When they were ill they were treated straight away. We gave them injections － you can ask the Preservation Center, there are records for their treatment.

Reporter: But so many have died.
Wu Xi: It's not as if they died suddenly. We treated them, there was a process of treatment.

Reporter: Some people say that the park did something wrong, because 11 tigers died in three months.
Wu Xi: The ordinary folk can say whatever they like, why do you care what they say?

Reporter: Do you think the park was wrong?
Wu Xi: We didn't do anything wrong, if we can't treat (a sick tiger) then what can we do?

Reporter: Apart from waiting, what else can the park do?
Wu Xi: The park has already reported to the parent company and to the relevant departments in the government. We can only report to the above, and communicate with the employees, but the employees won't listen, what can we do? Just tough it out.

Reporter: The problem now is that no-one is feeding the animals...
Wu Xi: Have to think of anther plan.

After the tigers died, experts from Shenyang Agricultural University will investigate the illness to verify the cause of death; at the same time, the animal hospital staff at the park will dissect the bodies, separating the flesh, bones and skin.

The bones, skin and other valuable things will be frozen.

If the cause of death wasn't because of infectious diseases, the flesh will be used to feed other animals. If the tigers died from infectious diseases, the flesh will be treated by deep burials etc.

This article is from Danwei.org.

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11 Siberian tigers die at Shenyang's Bingchuan Wildlife Park

Beijing Morning Post, March 11, 2010

Today's Beijing Morning Post presents two images that many of the country's newspapers featured on the front page.

A landslide in Shaanxi Province crushed twenty-five homes and buried 44 villagers. Seventeen deaths have been reported, and eleven people are still missing. (See this gallery from Xinhua.)

The bottom of the page shows one artist's rendering of a feathered dinosaur. Scientists announced earlier this year that they had discovered the feathers' actual colors (see the China Daily); this rendering comes from the Beijing Museum of Natural History.

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Landslide in Shaanxi

Update (2010.03.12): The New Culture View followed up on the story with two additional feature articles that culminated in the man's reunion with his family.

New Culture View, March 10, 2010

As I was buying books at the Tongren Bookstore on Xikang Road, I saw a homeless man reading. I saw him in the mathematics section, where he was concentrating on a book and writing things down on a piece of paper. Curious, I went over to have a look. It turned out that he was reading Mathematics for Economics and was working out problems. His handwriting was neat and orderly, and some of the problems even I was unable to solve....what a surprise!

The Chinese media continues its infatuation with homeless chic through the profile of a man who spends his nights in a hallway and his days in a bookstore — gasp! — reading books!

Late last month, the rugged features and fashion sense of "Brother Sharp" (犀利哥) captivated the Chinese Internet before catching the attention of the mainstream media last week. His national fame reunited him with his family, where one hopes he'll be protected from the prying eyes of the public.

Now the New Culture View has picked up the story of another astonishing homeless man. Twenty-four-year-old Zhang Yi (张义) of Changchun, Jilin Province, has been visiting a local bookstore for the past few months to read up on math and science, the same as any ordinary patron.

Although the story did not originate online — a student at the Changchun Institute of Technology called in with the eyewitness account translated above — the paper linked Zhang to other cases of Internet-driven celebrity through a headline that echoes a popular online meme: Don't obsess over him; his only love is solving math problems. The Dongguan Times, which used the NCV story on its own front page, took a similar approach: "Shanzhai Brother Sharp" found in Changchun; solves problems in higher mathematics.

The Chinese reading public frequently uses bookstores as reading rooms, and Zhang is no exception:

Ms. Guo, manager of the Tongren Bookstore's science section, said that Zhang Yi had read practically all of the books in the section. His handwriting was quite attractive; many of her colleagues had taken a look.

Manager Liu said that Zhang comes to the bookstore before 9 each morning and does not leave until closing time. He has been doing so for nearly five months, rain or shine.

"The past couple days, Zhang has seemed particularly interested in English and computer books. A few days ago he was engrossed in a Band 8 English text," Manager Liu said.

He explained that at first, they did not let him inside because they were afraid that his improper attire would affect the other customers. But seeing him leave politely each time only to return the following morning, "we let him in a few times and found that he would read by himself and would not bother the other customers, so we didn't stop him anymore." Zhang Yi kept things clean. At lunchtime, he would buy a box lunch to eat in the bookstore, and when he was finished he'd throw it into a trash can before resuming his reading.

"He follows the rules and doesn't make a scene," said Ms. Guo. She also said that he always returns books to their proper location once he finishes with them. But whenever he's reading, other customers keep their distance.

Zhang has a high-school education but appears to have family issues that prevent him from returning home. A reporter followed Zhang to the third-floor landing where he sleeps and pestered him about his life:

Reporter: Where do your clothes come from?
Zhang: A woman from around here gave them to me. (Without looking up, he puts on his shoes, which are too tight for his feet. He removes the laces before fitting into them.)

Reporter: So you live here?
Zhang: That's right. (As he speaks, he retrieves a broken cigarette from his coat pocket and takes two hard drags before it burns out.)

Reporter: Have you had lunch? I'll treat you and we can chat.
Zhang: Lunch? Oh, lunch...yeah, I've already eaten.

Reporter: How do you manage with food and clothing?
Zhang: Lots of people help me by giving me a little bit.

Reporter: What high school did you graduate from?
Zhang: An ordinary high school. It's not worth naming.

Reporter: You can do higher math. So you must have been a good student.
Zhang: My academic performance was average. I was only interested in theory and in math.

Reporter: Why don't you go home?
Zhang: I'm used to being on my own. I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?

Reporter: I can help you give your family a call.
Zhang: No, thanks.

Reporter: It's just past the Spring Festival. Your parents must miss you.
Zhang: They're always fighting. I don't want to go home.

Reporter: When all of the shops closed for the holiday, how did you manage?
Zhang: I ate very little, but I endured it.

Reporter: You're educated. Why don't you find a job?
Zhang: I had a few interviews when I graduated high school, but none of them suited me.

Reporter: Are you going to live like this your whole life? Do you want us to help you find work?
Zhang: I'm fine. I'm used to it.

Then Zhang said he had to use the bathroom and made a swift exit down another stairwell. At the intersection of Dongnanhu Road and Linhe Street, Zhang Yi disappeared into the crowd....

Update (2010.03.12): The New Culture View has followed up on the story.

A reporter returned to Zhang Yi's hallway and helped him register at the local aid station. It turns out that Zhang' whose real name is Huang Xuran (黄旭冉), was born in 1980, attended graduated from Jilin Teachers' Institute of Engineering and Technology, and had a history of mental illness before his disappearance on April 20, 2009. Huang went out for a walk at 7 that morning and never came back. He made withdrawals from his bank account over the next several days, but that was the last his mother knew — she worried that he had been kidnapped and sent to work in an illegal brick kiln.

The paper spoke to some of Huang's former classmates, who described him as a good student who pretty much kept to himself and who was heavily into online gaming during his last year at the school.

The March 12 edition reported that Huang has been reunited with his family, nearly a year after he vanished.

This article is from Danwei.org.

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Amazing homeless man in Jilin enjoys reading books!

Information Times, March 9, 2010

After speed skater Zhou Yang won the 1,500 meters short-track at Vancouver, she mentioned her parents but neglected to thank her country for supporting her in her quest for an Olympic gold medal.

Her ingratitude was criticized by Yu Zaiqing, an International Olympic Committee vice-chairman and a deputy director at the National Sports Bureau. Yu said that she ought to thank the country first.

Today's Information Times reports that Zhou has taken the criticism to heart.

The paper's front-page story emphasizes the involuntary nature of her do-over: "Zhou Yang offers a second thanks meeting to the leader's standard" and "Zhou Yang follows orders and does it again" are headlines. Zhou's second statement now thanks the country first and foremost, and puts her parents last, after her supporters, her coach, and other sports staff.

Zhou's initial remarks after winning the gold:

This is my dream. I think that this gold medal will bring lots of changes. First of all, it will definitely give me more confidence, and it will also improve life for my parents.

Yu Zaiqing's criticism:

There's nothing wrong with thanking your parents, but first you should thank your country. You've got to put the country first, and not simply thank your parents alone.

Zhou Yang's mother, Wang Shuying:

What Chinese person does not love their country? We raise our children to bring glory to the country! The leader's quibbles — are they really necessary? After bringing so much honor to the country, what does such a little thing matter?

Zhou Yang's second statement, made yesterday:

What I really want to say is thanks. I thank the country for providing us with excellent conditions, for giving us the excellent conditions for our Olympic campaign. And I thank everyone who supported us, I thank our coaches, I thank the staff, and I thank my mom and dad.

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Lesson learned, Zhou Yang thanks the country first

Lei Feng taking down dodgy adverts

Lei Feng's got a microblog!

Lei Feng Diary contains the musings of the Rustless Screw forty-eight years after his death in an unfortunate telephone pole accident.

The tone is earnest, and while much of the very dry humor derives from the incongruity of a national icon commenting on contemporary pop culture and the latest social scandals, the microblog also explores what the real Lei Feng might make of a world that perceives him as both an outdated icon and a brand ripe for exploitation.

Some excerpts:

A couple days ago the company started to study "The Diary of a Bureau Chief," but there's only one computer, so the comrades haven't been able to. The political instructor was at wits' end, which I saw and took to heart. This evening I worked into the night to write it out by hand so that everyone in the company could have a copy. On the flyleaf of each volume I wrote "Lovers are not the exclusive right of the bourgeoisie. We proletarians also have revolutionary partners, and we aren't afraid of a few more (Selected Works of Chairman Mao, vol. 4)."

Posted at 00:52 on March 4

Yesterday the company notified me that I was to go give my regards to a welfare household, and that the media wanted to do a report. This year, the house that pensioner Grandpa Ding had lived in for fifty years was finally deemed to be an "illegal structure." Grandpa Ding gave me a warm reception, but I was awkward in front of the camera and the director kept scrapping the takes, so Grandpa Ding had to give me a warm reception 58 times. He said, "Lei, your 'nail spirit' has always been an encouragement to me!" Later I found out that Grandpa Ding's household was a nail house.

Posted at 00:52 on March 4

One of the masses suspects that what I just posted was an ad for Naobaijin. But I'm not able to do advertising. True, I have done ads in the past, and there are pics that show that it happened. But then a brand called Nai-ke something-or-other asked me to endorse them. The slogan they came up with was "Just Lei It!" But then they misprinted it, and it ended up as "Just Lie It!" which was blatant slander against the image of party members, and from then on SARFT blacklisted me from doing ads, just like Comrade Tang Wei.

Posted at 02:45 on March 5

Two days ago I was still depressed over not having received notice from my superiors to attend the Two Meetings. But now I've come to terms with it: the party's arrangements have a rational basis. The sessions' opening clashes with Lei Feng Day, so to better serve the people, I have to be with the masses. Without me, the Two Meetings will still be a great rally, a victorious assembly, but I cannot be absent from Lei Feng Day. Ah, the true Lei Feng is among the people, not in the Great Hall of the People. Helping others is helping yourself. Happy Lei Feng Day!

Posted at 03:17 on March 5

This morning when I went out for drills, I ran into Yu Luoke downstairs, who at that early hour was already listless. I asked him what was wrong. He was depressed: "Lei, you're famous, and today everyone remembers that it's your memorial day, but no one knows that it's also my memorial day." I said, "So what if they don't know? People's memories are bad these days, but there's always the Internet. Go online and try Sougou, and in that way you can find the both of us." After listening to me, Yu was no longer unhappy.

Posted at 09:12 on March 5

Further reading: Lei Feng Diary is quite similar to a short-lived 2006 blog. Perhaps the parodies are more easily sustained in microblog format, and we can look forward to reading more of the Fengster's updates in the future.

This article is from Danwei.org.

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Lei Feng, serving the people in the 21st Century

Liaoshen Evening News, March 8, 2010

The Anshan (鞍山) edition of the Liaoshen Evening News is celebrating International Women's Day by detailing:

• What to cook for a woman on this day (which has the headline "It's not dinner I'm making, it's affection!" 老公做的不是菜, 是爱心, a parody of the World of Warcraft "brother" and "legend" catchphrase).
• All women need on this day is to feel important: the article begins by talking about women schoolteachers who can't take the day off, and goes on to describe how some women will spend the day － shopping with their boyfriends etc. It ends with a nod to "girls" 女生, who'd rather not celebrate it because of the word for "women" 妇女, used in Women's Day (三八妇女节). "Old women", 老太太 might also think that they don't fall under the category of "women" (妇女), despite that all women over 18 should be included.

The interestingly-designed front page poses many questions: Do you know that you have a half-day holiday today? What to do if you can't enjoy holiday with pay? What are their real feelings? What have men prepared for them during this day? What are men thinking on this day? Are they happy purely because they get a holiday? Where do full-time housewives get their happiness? Presumably some of the answers can be found in the two features mentioned above, on A11 and B13.

Readers can also call in to reflect their views on the topic.

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It's not dinner I'm making, it's affection!

Chongqing Economic Times, March 6, 2010

How to maximize the declining value of newspapers as an advertising medium must be a challenge faced by all advertisers, but the editors at the Chongqing Economic Times seemed to have found one answer.

The big image on the front of the March 6 issue shows the charismatic Premier Wen Jiabao wearing his gold rimmed glasses as he delivers a speech before the National People's Congress. The image is captioned with his inspiring words, "Let people live more happily and with more dignity; make society more just and harmonious."

Underneath, a headline reads: "Presbyopia sufferers, we remind you to wear a pair of next generation adjustable multi-focus reading glasses." Very subtle, indeed.

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Premier Wen's unwitting endorsement of reading glasses

A video by Janek Zdzarski for See China: HerStory (Nüshu 女书) is a dance piece inspired by the secret women's writing system, choreographed by Helen Lai, recently performed at at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

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A dance and a secret women's script

People's Daily
March 6, 2010

March 5 marked the opening of the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress.

Opening Day varies little from year to year. The politburo makes its entrance. Wu Bangguo emcees. Wen Jiabao delivers the annual work report while everyone else follows along in their print copies. Then during the break-out sessions, Hu Jintao presents some important remarks to a provincial delegation (Jiangsu these days). Then on March 6, the People's Daily publishes a newspaper that is practically indistinguishable from years previous.

Well, not this year. Today's People's Daily features a front-page that makes some innovative layout choices.

Vertical composition is passé in 2010, so the paper features a horizontal headline over a row of photos. Hu Jintao's remarks have been shifted to the bottom left, leaving the upper right free for news bites from the NPC and CPPCC. And the lead editorial returns to the front page after a two-year absence.

For the past few years, bloggers and forum commenters have ridiculed the People's Daily's unchanging March 6 layout. Has someone been listening?

Who needs variety? Top: 2004, 2005, 2006; Bottom: 2007, 2008, 2009

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A bold front-page layout at the People's Daily

Chongqing Evening News, March 5, 2010

While most of the nation's newspapers are busy covering the legislative sessions currently underway in the capital, the Chongqing Evening News features a front page with no direct mention of the "two meetings" (两会).

True, the lead headline, in which mayor Huang Qifan describes taking to his cooperation with party secretary Bo Xilai as "a fish to water," is taken from an interview conducted at the sessions, but the rest of the page is a rundown of rougher news items:

• Who's got the guts to dump into the Yangtze?: Dump trucks, at a rate of 40 per hour throughout the night, poured gravel into the Yangtze River. "We're constructing a landing," they said. The Waterway Bureau called the project illegal.
• "If anyone says the Lei Feng story is made-up, I'll fight him like hell!": Hu Rong'ao, who knew Lei Feng back in the army, talks to the newspaper about his experiences with the model soldier. Lei Feng helped him learn to read and taught him "The Clear-The-Fuel-Circuits Song."
• "Beat him! I'll accept responsibility!": A branch party secretary included an overloaded tractor in his niece's wedding procession and got stopped by the traffic cops. He was not pleased: "You dare conduct a traffic stop on my turf?!"
• Man falls 10 stories and only breaks his ankle: Looking for the bathroom, a man stepped into an electrical shaft and fell ten stories. He was discovered six hours later when clanging pans in the kitchen next to him allowed rescuers to pinpoint his location.
• Spicy Chongqing girls get hurt easily: Zhou Xiaoyan, a "marriage expert" and a professor at Chongqing Normal University, says that women in Chongqing share four traits that increase their risk of getting hurt: (1) They're too forthright and unguarded; (2) They're too pretty and stylish; (3) They're too impulsive, a result of Chongqing's spicy cuisine; (4) They're too open and ambitious and want to get rich too quickly.

Trucks lined up to dump their load into the Yangtze River

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Legislative sessions? What legislative sessions?

Pledging to follow the Fengster

Lei Feng Day, March 5, is a time for the mainstream media to stage gimmicky stunts that somehow illustrate the decline of the Lei Feng Spirit of selfless dedication in contemporary society.

The Chongqing Economic Times sent a reporter out to help people at the local train station, where he discovered that people today are suspicious of strangers who offer them unwanted assistance:

Yang Xiaoli piled up her luggage on a spot just outside the entrance and then lifted up her one-year-old son before sitting down on the pile like so many other fellow travelers waiting for the train. Yang's oldest child was just three or four and would not settle down. "Don't run around. Obey!" Yang looked a little haggard as she watched her two rambunctious children. But when the reporter stepped forward and offered to help look after them, Yang brusquely refused: "No, I can look after them myself."

When the reporter then disclosed his identity and intentions, Yang revealed her worries: "There are too many people at the station. A stranger may offer to help, but if his motives aren't good, if he's a trafficker or a swindler, how will I be able to chase him down while carrying two kids?" Yang said that she refuses all help from strangers out of fear of getting cheated.

Xue Yu, who hails from Yunyang, was going to Beijing in search of work with sixteen people from the same town. The lively group had twenty or thirty bags among them, so this reporter went over to help carry them. But the attempt was unanimously rejected. After an explanation, Xue cheerfully agreed.

Later, he said that was a little afraid of a stranger offering to help: "You're not wearing a volunteer uniform, so how do I know you're not a cheat?" Xue said that he would not readily accept help from strangers who weren't dressed in the uniform of Beijing Railway Station volunteers.

Of course, gimmicks aren't restricted to the press. The power of the brand appeals to movers and shakers in the business community, as illustrated by this Guangzhou Daily report on Lei Feng's new use as a totem:

Yesterday, the "Guangdong Hugs for Presidents" group formed by thirty-odd "corporate managers" went to Yuexiu Mountain to hold their first "show" of the new year. For the oath-taking event, "Follow Lei Feng and be a spiritual tycoon," the managers wore red caps and white t-shirts, and everyone carried a red placard.

Under the leadership of Mr. Lin, the organizer, the members stood before a large poster of Lei Feng and shouted a several-hundred-word oath until they were hoarse. The managers then came up one by one to deliver energetic personal statements. After presenting their family background, they shouted the slogan, to which the assembly yelled in unison, "Yes."

The exercise reached a climax following the oath-taking when the "managers" took a step back, turned around to face the Lei Feng image, and then fell to their knees to demonstrate their "utmost respect and fervor for the Lei Feng spirit." They then got to their feet and bowed three times before the image. Then they distributed red caps and t-shirts to passers-by, urging them to "follow Comrade Lei Feng" in order to turn the Lei Feng spirit into their own "spiritual wealth."

"Other people worship the God of Wealth at the New Year. We worship Lei Feng," said Mr. Lin. In contemporary China, with its widespread worship of money, Lei Feng may be the poorest of the poor, he said, but from a spiritual perspective, Lei Feng is incredibly wealthy. He knew happiness and contentment in his heart, and in a very real sense was a 'spiritual tycoon'."

Turning to more serious forms of altruism and selflessness, the Zhongshan Economic Daily points out that while individuals can choose to emulate Lei Feng's example, groups of people aren't generally permitted to band together to do good works:

Another year, another March 5 "Follow Lei Feng" day. But tens of thousands of Zhongshan's grass-roots volunteers who want to "follow Lei Feng" have faced the same problem over the years: their public service organizations are not recognized by the government, so their good work must be conducted without a legal identity.

This reporter found more than ten private public service websites and teams in Zhongshan whose volunteers number more than 30,000. As they quietly go about their volunteer work, their one hope is that they can be acknowledged with formal recognition by society.

The Zhongshan Youth Associations (Self-Organization) Coalition was established on the evening of January 28. Comprising more than ten private public service organizations organizations like Zhongshan Qingfeng Outdoor Travelers Public Service, all of which operate outside of the system, the ZSYAC represents a step toward legality at last. This reporter learned that our city is contemplating lowering the threshold for private service groups, and if that policy takes effect, the public service websites mentioned above may soon achieve formal recognition.

The Qingfeng organization was started by a group of outdoor sports enthusiasts who began getting involved in charity projects such as assisting schools in poor areas. For the better part of a decade it has attempted to register as an authorized non-profit organization with official government sponsorship, but all of its applications were turned down. Members continue to conduct their charity activities outside the law.

Legally recognized charities in China are currently required to be attached to a sponsoring institution (主管单位) within the government. The policy change mentioned in the article seeks to replace that with a system of "steering institutions" (指导单位) that will eliminate many of the obstacles to registration.

What will change apart from the terminology is not made clear in the article. For the foreseeable future, it appears that Lei Feng followers must remain either loners or outlaws.

This article is from Danwei.org.

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Kneel before Lei Feng

The true story of a soy sauce man, the companion film to Eric Mu's series of articles (see Part I, Part II).

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The true story of a soy sauce man on film

Information Times, March 4, 2010

Today's Information Times runs a widely distributed picture of Liu Xiang, the 110m hurdler, who was being chased by reporters during the start of the CPPCC yesterday. The NPC begins today.

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Liu Xiang is chased by reporters

Luzhong Morning Post, March 3, 2010

Today's Luzhong Morning Post from Shandong captions a cartoon of Obama saying: "Under 60 minutes, I can attack wherever I want to!" The article itself is about the "C-PGS systems" described in the latest US Quadrennial Defense Review.

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Obama's quick-speed global attack

A corner of Xingtai city

The true story of a soy sauce man part II

During the Spring Festival, I took a trip across a large part of China, with short stays in three prefecture-level cities: Xingtai in Hebei, Mianyang in Sichuan, and
Rizhao in Shandong. This article is the second of a series depicting my firsthand observations of these lesser known Chinese cities.

See also Part I of The true story of a soy sauce man, and the companion video.

Xingtai is a prefecture-level municipality of seven million people at the south end of Hebei Province, bordering Shandong and Shanxi provinces. The population is largely agricultural, and urban development is lagging.

The city area of Xingtai is fairly small. Li the soy sauce man's office is only ten minutes' ride away from the city's center, and it already has a rural feel with farmers' cottages and vegetable gardens mixed up with apartment complexes inhabited by urbanites.

Walking in the downtown area, Xingtai's skyline does not boast the glitzy high-rises of other Chinese cities of its seize. The city's colors are predominately gray, the cityscape looks drab and architecturally impoverished. Most buildings seem to have been constructed to provide the most economical type of sheltered space rather than to please people's eyes even the least bit. This impression is reinforced by the poor public sanitary facilities: pit-toilets with overflowing excrement are not unusual.

Nonetheless, Xingtai does have a glorious past. Take a stroll in the city and you are likely to be reminded of the city's deep pride in being the hometown of a great scientist: Guo Shoujing, an astronomer living in the 13th century AD, whose fame extends to outer space, where a circular mountain on the moon and an asteroid are named after him.

A deserted building in a backstreet of Xingtai

To commemorate the great astronomer, Xingtai's government has named a street and a square after Guo and dedicated a museum to him. During my short stay, I even walked by a Shoujing stationery store and a Shoujing vocational school.

My three days' stay in Xingtai may be too short to judge, but I suspect the local cuisine must be boring. Like in my hometown of Rizhao where people cannot name any local specialty food, Xingtai's restaurants are not very confident in its local menu either. I looked for a restaurant offering local flavors, but all I found were Sichuan hot pots, Shanxi stuffed meat buns, Tianjin fried cakes, and Dongbei mushroom and chicken, and even a restaurant which named its offering as "world magic soup".

Li the soy sauce man — who comes from Sichuan — was impressed by the stoicism displayed by the northerners of Xingtai, many of whom, he believed, subsist on steamed buns and very limited choices of vegetables during winter with great satisfaction.

"The other day I bumped into a distributor, I asked what did he eat for lunch, he told me cabbages and potatoes. The next time I met him, I asked the same question, this time I was told potatoes and cabbages－ nothing changed but the order of the two words".

While Li was telling this story in a lighthearted way, as a soy sauce man, he must be frustrated by the local's frugal food budget. "In Sichuan, a man who makes two thousand kuai a month might spend half of it on food, while here in Xingtai, all they try to do is to save every penny for their children, if not their grandchildren too". Understandably, Li's soy sauce doesn't sell well here.

A corner of Xingtai

The brand Li works for is one based in Foshan, Guangdong, hometown of the legendary kung fu master Wong Fei Hung (黄飞鸿 Huang Feihong). Besides their devotion to martial arts popularized by the Hong Kong cinema, the Cantonese people are also well known for their adventurousness in experimenting with all kinds of food. "Cantonese will eat everything with four legs except chairs and everything with two legs except their parents" goes a popular saying.

The ingenuity in food is also evidenced by their contribution to the soy sauce industry. While the northerners were still happy to have one type of soy sauce, the Cantonese started to distinguish between different kinds, which vary in manufacturing techniques, consistency, taste, and color.

For example, laochou (老抽 )is used to give a golden brownish finish to a dish and shengchou (生抽) is more effective in enhancing the food's taste. More and more soy sauce variants are being developed, mostly by Cantonese themselves and copied by the competitors from the rest of the country. As a result, the market now is full of soy sauces which are supposedly designed for one dish only: "steamed fish soy sauce", "sea food flavor soy sauce" and "meat stew soy sauce".

The production of soy sauce used to be controlled by small family businesses with highly localized distribution. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that the production and sale of soy sauce started to be industrialized. Though many small workshops persist, big brands are dominating the market these days.

Li's company boasts a history tracing back to early Qing dynasty, but as an independent brand, it is no more than 50 years old. In 1994, the formerly state-owned company was privatized and business started to take off. Its aggressive onslaught in the north started around 2000. Now the new northern market holds big promise for its future growth.

Like many others, Li's company relies heavily on local distribution companies in Xingtai, and Li's job is to coordinate between the manufacturer and local distributors.

The New Age square in the center of the city

Despite the common interests shared between the brands and its distributors, they have different incentives.

Brands, as a rule, are most generous with distributors when they are breaking into a virgin market when the distributors' established channels play an important role. However, as the brand becomes more established, the distributors' contribution becomes less significant. Sometimes, after the initial honeymoon, brands start to cut out the middle man. Some would directly supply big retailers who have sound credit records and move large volumes. So despite the improvement of the market conditions, distributors face mounting risks of being edged out of the game while their margins grow thinner.

To increase or maintain their profit level, they have to find new clients to boost the volume, but the low margin usually makes them hesitant to invest in marketing. The brands, which have a stronger need to build brand awareness among the customers, have to take up the slack.

So the cooperation can be tricky; what's supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship often turns into a tug of war with both sides expecting the other side to contribute but hoping to keep a larger share of the sales price.

Li the soy sauce man's daily business was to be at the center of this sensitive relationship and keep the distributors happy while maximizing profit for his employer.

-- to be continued

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Xingtai: the city and the soy sauce man's job

Beijing Times, March 2, 2010

Today's Beijing Times presents an unusual view of the iconic CCTV building. Rimmed in cracked glass and smoke-stained beams, the new headquarters was photographed from inside the neighboring TVCC building, which caught fire on February 9, 2009 due to an illegal fireworks display conducted by the television station.

This and other photos of fire damage are part of a feature story in this week's Caijing magazine. The Beijing Times offers a taste:

Standing on the 30th story platform, you can hear the sound of fire-damaged metal structural parts clanging against each other. The metal framework atop the platform is distorted and collapsed in many places. Walking down the smoke-stained stairwell, this reporter reached the 29th and 28th stories, both equipment floors not seriously damaged by the fire. The restaurant-in-the-air on the 27th story was severely damaged in the fire, which baked the outer glass walls on the east, west, and south as it raged, and incinerated all of the interior decoration. With the ceiling fixtures torched, ductwork is exposed and burnt electrical wires hang from the ceiling. All around are load-bearing walls and support columns marked "remove" (拆). There are no traces of the fire in the kitchen in the middle of the floor or in the storage room; kitchen equipment is in excellent condition.

Hotel rooms occupy the 5th to 26th stories. This reporter discovered that most of the rooms on the north face escaped the blaze and are largely completed. Rooms on the other faces have suffered varying degrees of fire damage. Many of the rooms on the 9th and 10th stories have been completely destroyed.

There is little obvious evidence of the fire on the first through fourth stories.

Along the narrow corridors in the multi-use basement, there is no sign of the fire, and the parking garage is in excellent condition.

Here's one image of a support reading 拆柱 ("remove column"). For more images, see the Beijing Times article, its repost on Sina, or pick up a copy of Caijing magazine.

The column on the right is marked for removal

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Inside the burned-out TVCC building

A tilt-shift short video of Shanghai by Joe Nafis of ChinaTimelapse.com showing the city looking like a miniature scale model.

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Shanghai in miniature

The New York Times chief film critic A. O. Scott evaluates Zhao Dayong's documentary Ghost Town:

From the start Mr. Zhao’s camera is an acknowledged, if discreet, presence. In the opening shots, unseen residents of the town are heard commenting on how their familiar world looks as they peer through the lens. Later some of their neighbors address it directly and with minimal self-consciousness, talking about their personal histories, religious practices and the hardships they have faced.

What they have to say is fascinating — in particular the reminiscences of an elderly preacher who serves as the patriarch for the local Christian population — but Mr. Zhao has an exquisite ability to balance words with images. The life stories and household interactions that fill out the film’s three chapters take place against a natural background that is shot beautifully, though never ostentatiously. Green mountains and deep, shadowed valleys frame the desultory daily routines of the villagers, while the nonhuman population of dogs, chickens and pigs receives a proper and proportional share of attention.

Link picked by Danwei.org

Life in the countryside, on film

The Guardian reports on the household registration system:

"I wish my kids could go to a state school," says Hu. "Parents always wish their children could receive a better education."

The contradictions of the hukou system, designed for a 1950s planned economy, become more painful with every year of China's development. About 140 million rural migrants are now working in the cities, where average incomes are more than three times than those of the countryside. Migrants have fuelled the country's spectacular growth but not reaped the benefits. And once they become parents, they face an unpalatable choice.

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Rural registration and bad education

The Associated Press reports:

Chinese authorities have ordered the closure of a lead ingot factory in the country's southwest after 94 people, including 88 children, in nearby villages were found to have lead poisoning.

Reports of lead poisoning have emerged around the country since last year, highlighting the heavy environmental cost of China's rapid economic development.

Authorities organized medical tests for some 1,600 residents in four villages within an 2,600-foot (800-meter) radius of the Zhongyi Alloy Co. in Longchang county of Sichuan province's Neijiang city, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday. Ninety-four residents were found to be suffering from lead poisoning, while 745 others were waiting for their test results.

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94 found to have lead poisioning in Sichuan

Sports authorities are blaming Dong Fangxiao for lowering her age after winning the bronze in Sydney. The Absurdity, Allegory, and China blog finds a few other examples of people whose official age is incorrect:

The young man in question was not legally registered at birth, though everyone knew how old he was. If his family had tried to get a birth certificate when he was born, they would have put themselves in a position to be officially audited at some other, higher level beyond their village. As it was, it remained a village issue, and the extra land was allotted and everyone had enough food to eat.

Jump ahead a few years and the family finally gets a certificate that records the boy’s age as being three or four years younger than he actually is. No big deal. He’s the son of farmers, and what does age really matter as long as you have a certificate, even if it is off by a few years?

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Age change in the PRC

The Global Times reports on a female reporter's ways to get interviews with top ministerial officials:

Instead of waiting in the reporters' zone in front of the microphone stand, the video reporter stands beside the officials as if she is their assistant. On some occasions, she has even held an official's arm.

Reporters from other media organizations don't seem to resent the long-haired reporter using her feminine wiles to coax high-ranking officials into interviews. They actually support her use of "physical contact" to drag senior officials in front of the TV cameras. Once the officials are cornered, the entire press corps of news-hounds can call out questions.

The China Daily also has a gallery of reporters at the Two Legislative Meetings who are making the news.

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The wiles of a Chinese journalist at the Two Legislative Meetings

Neocha EDGE speaks with Beijing-based photographer Little Bird about her work:

Sometimes people’s vision and memory can play tricks on them. There isn’t any special story about this photo. I just placed a plate on the carpet, and when I finished eating the grapes I thought it looked nice, so I shot it.

To me, it doesn’t look like an ink and wash painting, rather more like a decorative plate hung on the wall.

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"Know how it is, but don't know why it is like that"

Adam Minter at Shanghai Scrap writes about advertising for the Expo in New York:

Some of the blame for that ignorance falls squarely on Americans being Americans – we simply don’t take much interest in international events like Expos, World Cups, and UN Security Council meetings; but some of it, I think, falls on whoever the Expo organizers hired to promote their multi-billion dollar urban coming out party to Americans. Put differently, if you’ve never heard of the Expo, does that dour Times Square billboard make you want to learn more? Or as one friend in the US media emailed: “It looks like a billboard for a tourism industry expo focused on travel in your Golden Years.” That is to say – Shanghai isn’t going to attract much US media to Expo 2010 if this is the approach they’re committed to taking.

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Why 99% of New York editors have never heard of the 2010 Expo

Waffles and Steel snaps a photo of a heavily-laden bicycle:

This looks like a circus act. But it’s just another guy making a living on a bike in Guangzhou. Maybe two or three times a year, I’ll see one of these scrap collectors pedaling down the road hauling a couple air conditioners, a computer monitor or two, three or four processors – all precariously strapped on the back of the bike.

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The tower of power

Wen Tao in The Global Times:

A group of citizens led by renowned artist Ai Weiwei sent a letter Tuesday to all 35 delegations attending the annual session of the NPC, calling for transparency regarding the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

This letter says that last year the so-called "citizen investigators" had sent 113 letters to government departments at all levels, requesting the disclosure of information. But "none of the departments directly answered a single question raised by us," the new letter said.

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Ai Weiwei sends letter to NPC reps

Dan Washburn writes about China's "golf police" for Slate magazine:

Ironically, it was the Chinese government's reluctance to embrace golf—or at least come up with a set of regulations intended to standardize its inevitable growth—that allowed things to get out of control. China doesn't even know how many golf courses exist within its borders. At the press conference in November, officials at the Ministry of Land and Resources said they were using satellite imagery to get a handle on the number. Back in 2004, when the moratorium was announced, state media reported that only 10 of China's then 176 known courses had received proper approvals from Beijing.

There is also a photo slide-show of a course that got bulldozed at Dan Washburn's site, PAR for China.

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A war against golf?

From The China Daily:

The Great Wall ruins of the ancient Chu state are seen in Yexian county, Pingdingshan, Central China's Henan province. The province's cultural heritage bureau said ... the ruins of Chu Great Wall mostly belong to the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC to 476 BC) while some were built during the Warring States period (403 BC-221 BC), and they mainly lie in the province's southern cities of Pingdingshan, Nanyang, Zhumadian and Xinyang.

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Earliest Great Wall ruins found in Henan

Adam Cathcart translates Chinese responses to Portland's decision to allow a Tibetan Awareness Day over the objections of local consular officials:

The big story, however, is that the Global Times in Beijing has picked up on the incident and has thrown it like a dry log on the narrative pyre whereby China is all things reasonable and the United States is all things aggressive.

Here is the heart of the Huanqiu Shibao/Global Times article entitled 美国一城市为“藏独”设纪念日 遭中美民众谴责, or, roughly, “One American City’s Plan to Commemorate ‘Tibetan Independence’ Provokes Condemnation from the Chinese and American People” [ed.: and by "the American people," the headline presumably refers to this person, the author of the above dissenting comment on the Oregonian website!]

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Portland, Tibet, and "meddling in internal affairs"

The Chinese Mirror looks back at the career of character actor Liu Jiqun.

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The "that guy" of early Chinese cinema

On Asia Times Online:

An agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China in 2008 to swap 10 million tonnes of copper ore for US$9 billion worth of mine and civic infrastructure looked like a genuine win-win.

But ever since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demanded renegotiation of the deal in May 2009, China and the DRC have been on a roller-coaster ride of risk. Today, Beijing anxiously eyes a growing list of major dysfunctional problems - and a $100 million adverse judgment in a Hong Kong court - that could derail the "deal of the century".

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China's Congo copper problem

On CNBC.com:

Google and China will resolve their differences over censorship and an alleged attack on Google's service "soon", Eric Schmidt, the Chief Executive of Google, told reporters in Abu Dhabi where he takes part in the emirate's first ever Media Summit.

Schmidt did not give details of the nature of the talks or an exact timetable.

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Eric Schmidt: Google, China to solve dispute soon

Danwei Jobs: Real jobs in China's media, communications and creative industries.

Instructor for Doing Business in China course

Employer: IES Abroad Beijing Center
Location: Beijing
Date posted: Today
Contract: Temporary
Hours: Part-time
Categories: Education

《FT睿》杂志行政助理 Administrative Assistant for FT Rui magazine

Employer: FT Rui 睿
Location: Beijing
Date posted: Wednesday, 24th February 2010
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time
Categories: Marketing

Web Editor

Location: Hong Kong
Date posted: Wednesday, 24th February 2010
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part-time
Categories: Editing, Web Design, Web Development

Danwei Jobs: Instructor for Doing Business in China course, 《FT睿》杂志行政助理 Administrative Assistant for FT Rui magazine, Web Editor,