Beijing
Miss Olympics
In Changping, a little town just outside Beijing, 1,250 young women are engaged in intensive Olympic training. They’re not athletes, but they will be on the world’s TV screens handing out medals to the lucky ones on the winner’s podium. What’s it ... Read More
Beijing
Changing the Guard
City Weekend’s Beijingologist David Feng reports on an emotional scene in Tiananmen Square last month as the guards responsible for the PRC flag quietly rotated back home after two years. “The whole thing got quite emotional,” writes the Beijingologist, “with folks not just waving, but ... Read More
Dongtan, Shanghai
Welcome to the World’s First Sustainable City
Dongtan, located on an island in the mouth of the Yangzte river, is slated to be made over into the world’s first “sustainable city.” Dongtan will produce energy from wind, solar, bio-fuel and recycled city waste; hydrogen fuel cells ... Read More
Miss Chinese Cosmos
The 2007 Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant final round throwdown left three beauties standing. At the top of the pile was Zeng Guang (above middle), a 20-year-old undergraduate from Xi'an. Close behind were Wang Qianqian of Shanghai and Jiang Nan from Jiangsu. This annual beauty contest emphasizes ... Read More
Guangdong
Job Cops
Things are getting a little tougher for foreigners looking for work all over China. First it was a period of heightened enforcement in Beijing as police checked foreigners’ work permits, especially those working under H visas. Now Guangdong has drafted new regulations banning foreigners from certain types ... Read More
Beijing
The Egg Hatches
The new National Theater, that ellipsoid bubble to the west of Tiananmen Square (more commonly referred to as “The Egg”) had its first test event last month. The Cultural Revolution classic, "The Red Detachment of Women," was staged for a select audience of those who played ... Read More
Venice, Italy
Festival Glitterati
Renowned directors and veteran actors from the Chinese movie industry will once again join the glitterati at the Venice Film Festival, held this year on August 29. Besides Zhang Yimou heading the all-director jury, actor Jiang Wen is eyeing the Golden Lion for his third directorial ... Read More
Beijing
No Big Bottoms
Take the junk out of your trunk if you want to become a hostess at the 2008 Olympic medal ceremonies. Officials selecting candidates for medal ceremonies said last month that they are seeking women with no tattoos, no big bottoms that stick out and not too ... Read More
TV
People’s Court
Alongside China’s race to become the largest economy in the world, comes the pressure to reshape the rules of society into a fair framework of laws. And in an effort to convince citizens to take their grievances to the courtroom instead of the streets, nearly ... Read More
China#
Fashion Police for Police
The drive to polish China’s
image before the big Games is
pointing its finger at police officers
nationwide. New regulations are
springing up in order to insure the
most presentable officers and the
Ministry of Public Security has
issued a list of fashion dos ... Read More
China
Waltz the Weight Off
In an effort to reduce childhood obesity, compulsory waltzing will be added to the Chinese national curriculum in September, reports the Guardian Unlimited. Teachers will be expected to put hundreds of millions of students through their paces every day during break time routines. According to ... Read More
China
Car Models on the Rise
At auto shows in China, more people come to view the models than the sky-high prices of the luxury cars. The leggy showgirls have quickly become an indispensable part of Chinese car exhibitions, which are beginning to exhibit more living beauties than automobiles. “I ... Read More
Shanghai
R.I.P. Lab Mice
Students at Shanghai's Fudan University were reportedly digging tiny graves in preparation for a special mice funeral. More than 20 white mice were buried below the life science building where the mice were used for teaching and research experiments on immunological, medical, pharmaceutical ... Read More
China
To the Bath House!
The Beijing News reported that 5,000 recent university graduates applied for jobs in bath centers as masseurs last month, a development revealing the grim employment situation in China. However surprising, as most students hold an elitist attitude towards this service sector, many of the ... Read More
Chengdu
A Woman in Mao's Shoes
Pedestrians in Chengdu were shocked to see the late Chinese leader Chairman Mao walking around Chunxi Road, one of the most crowded commercial streets in the city. A 51-year-old woman, Chen Yan from Sichuan province, astonished people with her uncanny resemblance to Mao ... Read More
Chongqing
Home Sweet Home
A couple in Chongqing are refusing to move out of their two-storey home—the only building left standing atop a mound in a 10-meter-deep construction pit where the local government plans to build a shopping mall and apartments. The owner of the house, 51-year-old Yang Wu ... Read More
Shanghai
To Hawk or Not to Hawk
Street vendors now can feel at ease to cry their wares on Shanghai's hustling and bustling avenues as the municipality has recently given them the green light, reported the Beijing News in March. Street vendors have not been regarded as legitimate businessmen ... Read More
Nationwide
And The Survey Says ... CHINA
Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization Francesco Frangialli recently declared that China will become the world's top tourist destination before the year 2020. The announcement was made at a UNWTO ceremony where “top Chinese tourist city” awards were presented to ... Read More
Beijing
Golden Babes
According to Beijing folklore, this year, otherwise known as the Golden Pig Year, is an auspicious time for couples to have children. The Golden Pig Year falls once every 60 years and it is said that babies born during this year are blessed for life with good ... Read More
Beijing
Bucking out Starbucks
Recently, the debate over whether or not Starbucks should leave the Forbidden City has been reheated by Rui Chenggang, a host on CCTV's English channel, who says its presence is a mockery to Chinese history and culture. Three years ago a KFC was forced out ... Read More
60
A record 162,000 couples tied the knot in Shanghai last year, 60 percent more than in 2005. There was also a 20 percent increase in divorces.
156
Authorities expect 156 million people to ride the rails during the Chinese New Year holiday this year.
20
Twenty percent of ... Read More
England
Monsoon Coup
Recent studies appearing in the British Science Journal indicate that the fall of China's notorious Tang dynasty may have been due to bad weather. After ruling for almost three centuries, the dynasty's power began to wane in 751 A.D. when the imperial army was ... Read More
2.87
Beijing had 2.87 million motor vehicles registered at the end of 2006, an increase of 370,000 from last year.
18
It is estimated that Beijing's population will grow to some 18 million by 2020. Read More
Zhengzhou
In the Buff
In an effort to discourage the use of excessive packaging in the alcohol industry, the Jixiang Ruyi Tobacco and Alcohol Company offered 284 people ¥10,000 to participate in a naked dash through Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, reported the People's Daily. The company's ... Read More
Nationwide##
Best of 2006
It was a bad year for director Chen Kaige, who blew his top over a spoof of his latest film, “The Promise,” bringing a lawsuit against the creator of “A Steamed Bun-Started Blood Case.” If making a bad movie is tacky, flipping out over something on ... Read More
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Middle 8th: The New Sanlitun Village Location Has Creative Zest
By JPDM
I tried the new Middle 8 location last night. We tried to make a reservation... >>