A group blog about Chinese tech, media and design
Real name registration has come and gone. The article Tricia and I penned for Wired noted some of the dangers behind the requirements to register one’s real name (it’s quite rigorous – you have to include your identification card):
Continue readingReal Name Registration One Month Later
Any foreigner who’s visited a Chinese city notices it right away. It’s one of the most dominant memories of the main cityscapes I’ve witnessed across China, from Hong Kong to Chonqging to Shanghai to Beijing. Smog. And lots…
Continue readingHow Memes and Infographics Are Driving the Push for Clean Air
Recently in the court of Shanghai Qingpu district, an “Internet public relations” company was found guilty of violating the article on Computer System Security in China’s Criminal Law. What this company did was to force a website to delete negative records of its client by hiring a hacker to attack the website.
“Internet PR” is a thriving…
Continue readingInternet PR Company Sued for Hiring Hackers
Last week is the Spring Memorial Holiday (清明节）for Chinese, it is the time for people to go sweep the tombs of ancestors and loved ones, and pay them some tribute. We Chinese believe that you can send gifts to the dead by burning the gifts in front of their tombs. Popular tributes include fake money (from fake gold and…
I currently spend half my week in Shenzhen at my new gig, and am lucky enough to experience life in a new city. I’m based in a residential neighborhood out west; the sound of kids sing-chanting often wakes me up unexpectedly during the week. In addition, I also happen to be part of a large estate with 20+ buildings.…
Continue readingAn old culture of repair in the underbelly of Shenzhen
Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting Beijing these days and meeting with Chinese officials. He even was spotted in the Apple Store in Beijing. But what my fellow netizens are curious about is how he likes our shanzhai（山寨) Phones.
I heard a story from a proud Shanzhai iPhone user: Tim Cook decided to try…
Continue readingWill Tim Cook Like Our Shanzhai (山寨) Phones?
Lei Feng. He’s like a 20th century, Chinese Cincinnatus (minus the part about being an emperor), a humble servant of the people. An early member of the Communist youth corps, Lei joined the People’s Liberation Army and died in…
Continue readingLearn from Lei Feng — The Meme
“Understanding China through Comics” is part one of a three-book series about the ancient history of China. This volume covers the years 2697 BC – 220 AD, starting from the Yellow Emperor through the end of the Han Dynasty. Its focus is on contextualizing China for an outsider and its comic format makes it a smooth and…
Continue readingBook review: Understanding China through Comics
Linsanity has calmed down and everyone should be finished reading through their bookmarked articles on Jeremy Lin. The one article that stands out and pretty much summarizes what Chinese people think of Jeremy Lin, is Adam Minter‘s Bloomberg piece. Adam gives us a view from Weibo, then contexualizes it within Chinese politics and media, and then ends addresses race…