Gossip from the trenches of China’s telecommunications market: changes to keep an eye on in 2012

December 20, 2011 by Tricia Wang

China telecommunications expert, Marc Laperrouza, tips us off to an unconfirmed bit a of juicy news about the Chinese telecommunication market: China Telecom is being investigated for anti-monopoly infringement! You don’t hear of state-owned enterprises the stature of China Telecom being investigated for monopoly infringement very often so this is pretty big news. Mark explains the charges:

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Book burning? Nationalists accuse Southern Media of treason by burning their paper

December 20, 2011 by jinge

Is investigative journalism a crime against the Chinese people? Is free speech a Western Conspiracy? The nationalists in China seem to think so. On Oct. 18, a group of men in Hebei Province performed a public ceremony in the name of patriotism, in which they burned newspapers and magazines of the Southern Media Group (Nanfang, 南方传媒), which is known for its investigative…

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Shanghai Government to Sponsor Hacking Spaces?

December 15, 2011 by An Xiao Mina

I came across this article recently on hackaday.com, talking up the possibility of new hackerspaces in China:

Government leadership in Shanghai wants to build 100 community hackerspaces funded by the Chinese government. Each space will be at least 100 square meters, open 200 days a year, and come equipped with wood and…

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Housekeeping update: An Xiao joins 88 Bar

December 15, 2011 by Jason Li

Seems like we’re still on a lucky streak for recruiting new writers. Presenting, our latest team member:

An Xiao Mina (aka “An Xiao”, her artist name) is an American design strategist, new media artist and digital community builder. She uses technology to build and empower communities through design and artistic expression. Her work has been featured in venues internationally, from the Brooklyn…

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A Viral Video and a New Wave of Middle Class Discontent in China

December 12, 2011 by jinge

Recently a video called “Everyone is a tax payer” went viral through social media in China, from Sina the microblog platform to Tudou the video-sharing site. The video explains, via a humorous animation, issues like invisible taxes, the spectacular growth of government income (particularly in comparison to working-class income), and the riddle of where the government spent…

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Blood ties rule China: an interactive map revealing the ruling elite’s relationships

December 11, 2011 by Tricia Wang

Wall Street Journal has created a wonderful interactive map that traces five generations of blood ties of China’s ruling elite.

The interactive map accompanies WSJ’s article by Jeremy Page, Children of the Revolution, explains the emergence of “Princelings,”

The offspring of party leaders, often called “princelings,” are becoming more conspicuous, through both…

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Hong Kong as the battleground of retail, literally

December 6, 2011 by Jason Li

Two items of Hong Kong news that caught my eye recently:

From the Standard, “Versace’s crossover with H&M hit town yesterday causing chaos at several stores and landing two security guards in hospital…Just before the shop opened, a South Asian woman was involved in an argument with two security guards after others in the line accused her of queue-jumping.…

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The Shoe-throwing Party versus Internet Sovereignty

November 30, 2011 by jinge

In my previous post I wrote about Dr. Fang and his radical vision of a Chinese Internet that is isolated with the open Internet. Unfortunately power holders like Dr. Fang have already made the Internet in China one of the most censored and distorted. But Chinese netizens have that unique spirit that can turn every tragedy into a comedy and darkness into chocolate. Let’s amuse…

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What Chinese Government Ban On Lady Gaga? Her Chinese fans are alive and kickin’ it

November 25, 2011 by Tricia Wang

The Chinese cultural monitors over the summer enforced something that few other countries have done: ban Lady Gaga. Whereas Lebanon banned Lady Gaga as a threat to Christianity, China has blacklisted Gaga as a threat to “national cultural security.” But once again, the citizens of China continue to out wit the censors in their covert ways…

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