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 a part in the construction of the theater, including migrant workers, journalists and local residents who were relocated to make room for it. Though dogged by controversy (some have darkly dubbed it “The Mausoleum” for its resemblance to a tomb), the first formal performances are scheduled for the end of this year, with a high-profile Chinese language version of Phantom of the Opera.

Hangzhou

Hacking Pays

Li Jun made himself into a public enemy after he authored the Panda Burning Joss Sticks computer virus, earning himself notoriety and a four year jail sentence. It turns out that he may also have earned himself millions of dollars. His talent is so greatly appreciated that a Hangzhou-based network company wants to hire the hacker as its technology director with a seven-figure salary. So far, 10 companies across the country have offered jobs to Li, whom they regard as a "precious genius."

Xiamen

Mmmm, Bacon

China Daily reports that a pig farmer who became distraught by the repeated loss of livestock caused by lightning strikes has finally sought professional help. Earlier this year, Farmer Gong lost five pigs after they were hit by lightning. Since then, every time there has been a thunderstorm the pigpen has been struck. Experts determined the pigsty was acting as a lightning conductor and suggested he install a lightning rod.

London

Keymaster

A key which indirectly led to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 was purchased at an auction by a Chinese jeweler for 78,000 British pounds. The infamous key was the only one allowing access to the cabinet which contained the Titanic's lookout telescope. The second mate, who was in charge of the key, forgot to hand it off when his shift ended thus forcing the lookouts to rely on their naked eyes: too late to avoid the icy ending. The key will be kept on display in Nanjing.

Chongqing

Traffic Cops Get Machine Guns

In an alarming development, police in Chongqing are equipping traffic cops with live weapons, such as machine guns and crossbows. This development kicked off a firestorm of debate on the net as citizens wondered whether officers actually need machine guns to carry out routine spot checks for drunk driving. Debate aside, we want to know: When will commuters be issued high-end weaponry?

Asia

Good Blood?

Researchers at Korea’s Yonsei University just published a research report on blood type and personality (widely held to be related in Asia). The conclusion? Those with type B blood have the worst personalities as they are introverted, unstable, illogical and inconsiderate. On the other side of the coin, type A is introverted but reasonable, stable and thoughtful; type O is extroverted and stable, with strong leadership; while type AB is nice and easygoing.

China

Idle Idol

SARFT has come out with new rules designed to reign in the upsurge of wildly popular reality TV shows. The move will ban voting by text message, telephone or internet. If you’ve ever seen a reality show then you’ll know that an early round of “Jia You Hao Nan Hai’r” can draw upwards of 20,000 text message votes in less than five minutes. Such popularity has not escaped the notice of the powers-that-be. Xinhua reports that authorities disapprove of the role models being established for young people. According to the new rules, participants must be “healthy and mature,” while hosts are no longer allowed to flirt with each other.

China

Top Fake News of 2007

Hot off the web, the top news hoaxes of 2007 have been announced. Coming in at number one was the memorable sawdust stuffed baozi report that later turned out to be a hoax (buying its author some jail time in the process). Then there was the story of the Shaolin monks being defeated by a Japanese ninja. The bogus report so incensed the Shaolin monks they demanded an apology. Then there was the report of the corrupt official outed by his 11 mistresses. It was picked up by Reuters, but later proved false. Finally there was the totally untrue report of Andy Lau’s death. He’s alive and well and playing in Shanghai on October 27.

Digits

103,000

The approximate number of overseas Chinese in Africa. The number in Europe is currently near 1,800,000. Surprisingly, Indonesia has the most overseas Chinese at 7,600,000.

26

The age of the richest person in China. Yang Huiyan, a graduate of Ohio State University in the U.S., is worth an estimated US$16.2 billion. Her fortune stems from real estate holdings in Hong Kong and the mainland.