Living in China, there are some questions I hear over and over again: "Do you like China?", "Doesn’t America have so many guns?", and "How much does an iPhone cost?", for example. What about Chinese people who go abroad? What kinds of repetitive–and sometimes silly–questions do foreigners like to ask them?

In January, a writer for Aboluowang.com, a Chinese news site, wrote about the top 10 questions that foreigners like to ask Chinese people abroad. Here is the article translated:

The 10 [...]]]>

Living in China, there are some questions I hear over and over again: "Do you like China?", "Doesn’t America have so many guns?", and "How much does an iPhone cost?", for example. What about Chinese people who go abroad? What kinds of repetitive–and sometimes silly–questions do foreigners like to ask them?

In January, a writer for Aboluowang.com, a Chinese news site, wrote about the top 10 questions that foreigners like to ask Chinese people abroad. Here is the article translated:

The 10 Questions Foreigners Most Like to Ask Chinese People

1. Which is your family name, which is your personal name?

The way Chinese people do it, family name is first and personal name is last. It’s very logical. But Western people do not do it that way. The put the personal name first and the family name last. So, when foreigners see a Chinese person’s name, they don’t recognize which is which, and they ask: Which is your family name, and which is your personal name? The answer naturally is: The first part of my name is my family name, and the later part is my personal name. But don’t think it’s this simple. Using English to explain is troublesome, and foreigners will still be confused. So these days, a lot of Chinese people will simply reverse the order of their name when they go abroad and introduce themselves.

2. Are you unhappy?

I remember that time I went to France. At the Charles de Gaulle airport, a friend picked me up. He was "bearing his teeth and hands." He even kissed me. His exaggerated actions were like he had not seen me in lifetimes. Although my two eyes are watering, but I’m just shaking hands, and on my face, you can see tears streaming down. This causes foreigners to be bewildered: Are you unhappy? How can I explain to a foreigner? Chinese people say, "It is always a pleasure to greet a friend from afar." It mainly refers to a feeling of pleasure but not the outer manifestations of laughing and joking. Of course there are always exceptions. I have one friend who loves to talk and joke, always flourishing facial expressions. Although he has dark eye color, black hair, and yellow skin, but foreigners always ask her if she is American or Latin American or from some other country.

3. Does dog meat taste good?

When I got to France, some French people asked me: Does dog meat taste good? When I first left China, I didn’t know this pitfall of a question existed. No matter how I answered, I would be admitting that eating dog meat is a fact, and this was precisely their intent. In these foreigners’ viewpoint, dog is man’s loyal friend. How can you treat it as food!? It is hard to tell foreigners, although dogs can be seen in China watching the house, doing police work, and accompanying their owner, their status is not so high, and their reputation isn’t so good. For example, when Chinese people are belittling other people, they will often say, "a dog threatens under a master’s power (狗仗人势)," "running dog (走狗)," "smelly dog shit (臭狗屎)," etc. With this cultural background, eating this "dog stuff" meat isn’t considered anything bad. Of course, in front of foreigners, don’t boast about shark fin or birds nest soup, to prevent the charges of cruelty to animals.

4. Do you have "guanxi"?

The Chinese word "relationships" (guanxi) has become one of the few Chinese words to enter the Western vocabulary. Once when I was applying for a job at an export company, the company personal director asked me in a mysterious voice: "In China, do you have ‘guanxi’?" Actually, Westerners and Chinese people both speak about relationships. One of my American friends told me that starting in elementary school, Americans learn about "KISSING-UP," which is like the Chinese phrase "to smooth whiskers and pat a horse’s bottom (溜须拍马)," with the intent of pleasing the teacher and pulling guanxi, so they can get a better grade. A Chinese-American friend tried to convince me that what the Chinese call "guanxi," in the eyes of Americans, isn’t the same as their idea of "relationships." He raised an example: Suppose Bill Gates recommended a young man for a job at another computer company. If it is an American company, the American boss will think, this man was introduced by Gates; he must be a quality candidate. On the other hand, if it is a Chinese company, the Chinese boss will think, this man was introduced by Gates; if I do not hire him, then he will lose face.

5. Why is Chinese so hard?

A lot of foreigners are interested in Chinese culture and want to study Chinese. But after trying the "ma, ma, ma, ma" [saying "ma" in each of the 4 tones of Chinese], they, frustrated, say: "Why is Chinese this hard?" Foreigners think Chinese is really hard, but there are also serious psychological barriers for foreigners studying Chinese. In foreign vocabulary, the word "Chinese" often indicates something that is impervious to reason or something that looks fresh [interesting] but doesn’t have any actual value. In English, there is the phrase "Chinese puzzle," which describes something cryptic and difficult to understand. "Chinese boxes" are a set of boxes of varying sizes with small boxes fit inside the bigger one, a Chinese toy, and now this phrase is an allusion to complexity. The phrase "Chinese copy" refers to the shortcomings and defects of something that is a replicated copy. I remember once when I was studying in France, we were taking a test, and after the test was passed out, I could hear a classmate next to me faintly say "C’EST DU CHINOIS" ("This is Chinese to me!").

6. Do you know kung fu?

Walking down the street in a foreign country, from time to time some foreigners will, for no reason at all, suddenly approach you throwing out hands and kicking feet. From their mouth vaguely comes the words "kungfu" or "Jackie Chan." So this is some kungfu fans who want to practice and learn from a Chinese person. If we start to talk, their first question is: "Do you know kung fu?" In a lot of foreigners eyes, Chinese people start practicing kungfu as a child. Although, we can’t necessarily leap onto roofs and vault over walls like Jackie Chan, [these people think] if we run into some thugs, we can more than handle them. Once when I went to Tanzania for business, after eating dinner, I wanted to take a walk on the streets of Dar es Salaam. Before going out, I asked the hotel security staff if it’s dangerous. That black man looked at me and said: If you are out there, then it won’t be dangerous. The locals think that all Chinese people are martial artists, so no one will dare provoke us.

7. Do you have qing liang cooling oil (清凉油)?

Thinking about what to bring when preparing to go abroad requires lots of thought. Aside from daily necessities, you should also bring some special souvenirs to give to foreign friends. For example, double-sided embroidery, folding fans, stamps, and the like can be regarded as good choices. In my experience, it is best to also bring some containers of qing liang oil. I don’t know why, but in foreign countries, qing liang oil is not produced, and there are almost no stores that import it and sell it. Foreigners ordinarily prefer mint flavor, but qing liang oil is refreshing and good for removing itch, and is especially popular in Asia, Africa, and Latin American countries. A lot of foreigners see a Chinese person and ask: "Do you have qing liang oil?" I have a friend who went to a small Latin American country recently. When [he or she] was at customs, the customs officer looked at the passport, confirmed they were a Chinese person, and suddenly extended his hand and said, as if he was requesting extra documents: "Qing liang oil…" This friend pulled out a tin of qing liang oil for their bag and gave it to him and went through customs easily. Everyone was happy.

8. When did Beijing "change its name"?

When I go abroad, there are always foreigners who ask when did "Peking" (the old English spelling of "Beijing") change its name to "Beijing" (the pinyin spelling of "Beijing," which has now become the international spelling).

I always answer this question mechanically: Beijing is Beijing, It never changed it’s name, It’s just that the spelling style now uses China’s Hanyu pinyin. But there was one time when a French person who studied Chinese asked me: Why isn’t "China" called by its pinyin name "Zhongguo" in foreign countries? I was speechless for a moment. Yes, "Zhongguo" is called "China" in English, in French its called "Chine" (pronounced like "Zhe yin ne"), in Arabic "middle" [the first character of "Zhong.guo"] is "si yin," in Thai it is "jin," but its not called "Zhongguo" or "Zhonghua" [another word referring to China]. But don’t be anxious, after Taiwan returns to the motherland, the unified country might be called Zhongguo.

9. What’s the thing you’re most surprised about?

Going to a Western country, once I introduce myself to my classmates or colleagues, the question friends or teachers mot like to ask is: "When you arrived in our country, what was the thing that surprised you the most or the thing you found strangest?" If we want the question answered sincerely, my answer would be: My idea of what this place would be like is almost exactly the same as it is. Put simply, Chinese people today, through newspaper, TV, movies, internet, and other media, can see and understand a lot about the West’s government, culture, and lifestyle. Except for language and a few things we’re unaccustomed to, there really isn’t much culture shock. A lot of foreigners aren’t intrigued by this answer. According to their understanding of China, they think you are from the backcountry of "Yellow Earth" or "Raise the Red Lantern" [Chinese films depicting traditional countryside feudal Chinese society]. To arrive in this debauched and developed world, we must feel dizzy, feel a lot of feelings!

10. How do you use chopsticks to eat soup?

A lot of foreigners work hard to learn how to use chopsticks, and when they go to a Chinese restaurant, they decline to use a knife and fork, saying it doesn’t have the same Chinese taste if they don’t eat with chopsticks. But there’s one thing that foreigners are confused with from start to finish. That is, how do you use chopsticks to eat soup? I have heard some foreigners try to be smart and say there must be some kind of chopstick straws that you can use normally to eat food but then put in your soup to drink it. I have told them, Chinese people put their chopsticks down and use a spoon to eat soup, or they hold the bowl up and drink from it. Foreigners hear this, and it’s almost like they don’t believe it: Is it really that simple?

“Zola” in High Tech, Low Life. Photo Credit: Stephen Maing.

New York, May 20, 2013 – HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE, award-winning filmmaker Stephen Maing’s chronicle of two of China’s first citizen reporters as they travel the country  documenting underreported news and social issues stories while facing censorship for leaping China’s ‘Great Firewall’ – will  be released June 18 on iTunes in North America, with a roll-out on other digital platforms to follow, through the Sundance Institute Artist Services program and its [...]]]>

“Zola” in High Tech, Low Life. Photo Credit: Stephen Maing.

New York, May 20, 2013 – HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE, award-winning filmmaker Stephen Maing’s chronicle of two of China’s first citizen reporters as they travel the country  documenting underreported news and social issues stories while facing censorship for leaping China’s ‘Great Firewall’ – will  be released June 18 on iTunes in North America, with a roll-out on other digital platforms to follow, through the Sundance Institute Artist Services program and its exclusive aggregation partner, Cinedigm. HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE will also make its National Broadcast Premiere as part of the 26th season of the award-winning PBS series POV (Point of View) on Monday, July 22, 2013 at 10 p.m. (check local listings).

HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE follows 57-year-old “Tiger Temple,” who earns the title of China’s first citizen reporter after he impulsively documents an unfolding murder and 26-year-old “Zola” who recognizes the opportunity to increase his fame and future prospects by reporting on sensitive news throughout China. Armed with laptops, cell phones, and digital cameras, they develop skills independent of one another as one-man news stations while learning to navigate China’s evolving censorship regulations and avoiding the risk of political persecution. From the perspective of vastly different generations, Zola and Tiger Temple must both reconcile an evolving sense of individualism, social responsibility and personal sacrifice. The juxtaposition of Zola’s coming-of-age journey from produce vendor to Internet celebrity, and Tiger Temple’s commitment to understanding China’s tumultuous past provides an alternate portrait of China and of news-gathering in the 21st century.

In April 2007, vegetable seller Zhou Shuguang, aka ZOLA, hears about a family in a neighboring province resisting unlawful eviction by city developers. Moved and curious, he decides to close his vegetable stand and see things for himself. After posting reports on “the toughest nailhouse,” a reference to citizens who stubbornly resist eviction like a nail stuck in wood, his blog receives thousands of hits and requests for him to report elsewhere. This overnight fame jumpstarts an unexpected career as a roving citizen reporter. Inspired by a search for truth and overnight fame, Zola begins to travel the country, giving his own comedic and provocative take on the news and challenging the boundaries of free speech in China.

Two thousand kilometers away in Beijing, 57-year-old Zhang Shihe, aka TIGER TEMPLE, is dubbed China’s first citizen reporter when he stumbles upon and impulsively documents the scene of a gruesome murder. After his photographs are censored from mainstream media, he is compelled to post them on his blog. Angered by propaganda-driven mainstream news, he commits himself to looking for other untold stories. With one eye on history and the other on the very current struggles of the lives he witnesses, Tiger Temple’s thoughtful use of language and historical reference is a marked contrast to Zola.

Strangers to each other, Zola and Tiger Temple share a common desire to offer those within and outside of China a rare glimpse at censored stories – and to stay out of trouble. China’s rapid economic and technological developments have created a vast new social space for a restless blogosphere to step up and fill information gaps left by the state-run media. In this space, citizen reporters can become online heroes and celebrities but they must also learn to walk the risky line between social commentary and perceived political dissidence. And at a time when social media is playing an increasingly vital role in social progress around the world, their work asks us to reconsider the value and meaning of journalism.

“In the early years after the Great Firewall was installed, I was intrigued by the stories of young Chinese ‘netizens’ who were circumventing the online barriers, what they called ‘leaping the GFW’,” says director Stephen Maing. “I wanted to make a film about youth, activism and technology, but after getting to know Zola and Tiger Temple over the course of four years of filming, I realized their stories revealed a deeper narrative about a new China still trying to reconcile with its painful Maoist past. As a new China hurtles toward a rapidly changing future, the government and online netizens continue to try to outsmart each other, and people like Zola and Tiger Temple are emerging as the forefathers of a brave new civil society.”

Maing adds, “Since completing the film in April of 2012, the number of Internet users has skyrocketed to over 513 million, over 300 million of them using some form of social media. Advancements in online censorship include increased numbers of Internet police and engineers as well as web monitors employed by privately owned Internet companies. Among the numerous new policies and regulations to control online content, the government has formed The State Internet Information Office to organize these efforts and more effectively control online activity.”

About Stephen Maing – Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor
New York-based filmmaker Stephen Maing co-produced and edited the award-winning documentary Lioness, which premiered on PBS’ Independent Lens; produced and shot the short documentary The Hunted and the Hated; and directed the narrative film Little Hearts. He works as a director, cinematographer and editor and is an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Maing, whose parents emigrated to the United States from South Korea, was born in New York and grew up in Colonia, N.J. He graduated from Boston University with a double major in art history and film production. He is a fellow of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and a recipient of grants from the MacArthur Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts and ITVS. HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE is his first feature documentary as a director.

HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE has screened at dozens of internationally acclaimed film festivals since last year, picking up several awards along the way. To name a few: Best Documentary Special Jury Prize, Independent Film Festival Boston, 2012; Best Documentary Film, Little Rock Film Festival, 2012; Best Cinematography, Woods Hole Film Festival, 2012; Emerging International Filmmaker Award, Open City Docs Fest, 2012; Spirit Award, EBS International Documentary Festival, 2012; Official Selection, Tribeca Film Festival, 2012; Opening Night Film, Lens Politica Film and Media Art Festival, 2012; Official Selection, Hot Docs, 2012; Official Selection, Sheffield Doc/Fest, 2012; Official Selection, Movies that Matter Film Festival, 2013; Official Selection, Docaviv International Film Festival, 2013; and Official Selection, One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, 2013.

HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE (2013 – USA)
Dir. Stephen Maing
85 minutes, 17 seconds
In English, Mandarin, Chinese dialects and Romanian with English Subtitles
A co-production of Mud Horse Pictures, ITVS and American Documentary | POV, in association with the Center for Asian American Media.   
Made available online in North America by Sundance Institute Artist Services program.
For more information on HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE, visit http://hightechlowlifefilm.com/
HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE trailer: http://hightechlowlifefilm.com/trailer/

About Sundance Institute Artist Services
The Sundance Institute Artist Services program provides Institute-supported artists with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing solutions for their work. The exclusive aggregation partner for distribution across all portals participating in the Artist Services program is Cinedigm. The Artist Services initiative is made possible by The Bertha Foundation. These deals were brokered via pro bono legal services generously provided by law firm O’Melveny & Myers, which has built the legal framework for the Artist Services program and participating filmmakers since its inception. Sundance.org/nowplaying.

About POV
Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and beginning its 26th season on PBS in June 2013, the award-winning POV is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today’s best independent documentary filmmakers. POV has brought more than 365 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide. POV films have won every major film and broadcasting award, including 32 Emmys, 15 George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards® and the Prix Italia. In 2012, POV achieved a new milestone, winning five News & Documentary Emmy® Awards. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today’s most pressing social issues. Visit www.pbs.org/pov. 

Popular Chinese TV series ‘Naked Wedding’ (literally ‘Naked Marriage Era’) explores the rising ‘naked marriage’ trend in China.

Media stories about Chinese marriage trends read like an endless refrain on the subject of materialism. In last few years, reports by NPR, the Telegraph, the National, and the New York Times have focused on the enormous financial transactions that precede the nuptials of China’s younger, materialistic generation and keep its poor men single. Tales of staggering dowries and “bride prices” depict couples [...]]]>

Popular Chinese TV series ‘Naked Wedding’ (literally ‘Naked Marriage Era’) explores the rising ‘naked marriage’ trend in China.

Media stories about Chinese marriage trends read like an endless refrain on the subject of materialism. In last few years, reports by NPR, the Telegraph, the National, and the New York Times have focused on the enormous financial transactions that precede the nuptials of China’s younger, materialistic generation and keep its poor men single. Tales of staggering dowries and “bride prices” depict couples who marry for economic gain, and maybe love, dragging a payload of cash, apartments, and cars into married life. While fascinating, these headlines miss some of the story about marriage in China. The financial expectations of single ladies have undoubtedly increased over the last decade or two, but not everybody has bought into the fiscal frenzy.

Are China’s Single Ladies Really That Demanding?

According to an oft-quoted 2011 survey, the “Chinese Marriage Situation Survey Report” the answer is yes. This survey, which asked 50,000 participants to specify their marital expectations, found that 92% of Chinese ladies thought a stable income was necessary for marriage, 70% thought a man should only marry after buying his own property, and 50% expected a man to provide at least a down payment if he could not purchase the home outright.

But an even bigger report, The 2012-2013 Survey Report on Chinese People’s Love and Marriage Values, came up with rather different figures. Jointly conducted by China’s National Population and Family Planning Commission and the popular dating website Jiayuan.com, this survey of more than 77,000 participants found that only 52% of women believed that home ownership was a necessary condition for marriage. Interestingly, 66% of men did not think property should be a matrimonial prerequisite.

Whether it is actually 70% or 50% of women who won’t marry without a home in hand, both the 2011 and 2012 surveys agreed that such expectations are a growing trend with the post-1980 generations. Women in their thirties and forties were less likely than younger women to demand this kind of payout from their groom. The surveys did not say why, but many 1970s-generation women grew up in a poorer China, watching the simpler marriage transactions of twenty and thirty years ago. On the other hand, single women are considered “leftover” by age thirty, and are pushed to marry before all chance of a husband evaporates. Under the circumstances, some may be willing to accept a husband without any real estate to offer.

Ironically, a recent legal revision may favor wives who don’t push their husbands to get an apartment before the wedding. In 2010, the Chinese legislature officially cut wives out of their share in any real estate purchased by their husband before the marriage. Ostensibly intended to slow the divorce rate and protect men from the clutches of prospective gold-diggers, the revision was dubbed “the law that makes men laugh and women cry.” It sparked a national outcry among Chinese women.

Bucking the Trend with “Naked Marriages”

What is often overlooked is the fact that a full one-third to one-half of China’s vast population does not insist on sealing wedding vows with material things. Many who want to emphasize marrying for love, or who at least want to be realistic about their financial situation, are opting for a luǒhūn, or “naked marriage” instead. This kind of marriage is one that is not ornamented with an apartment, car, or elaborate wedding party. Couples who choose a naked marriage pay a scant 9 RMB ($1.45) for a marriage certificate at the office of civil affairs, and may have a small party with family and friends.

One such woman, a 1980s-born engineer who called herself “Wendy,” got a naked marriage with a man she met on the internet. She was twenty-nine when they met and anxious to marry. “My husband and I didn’t really follow any customs for our marriage,” she explained. “We did not do the formal engagement with our parents or exchange the traditional gifts. The day we went to register our marriage was just the same as any normal day. It was nothing special. We didn’t have a wedding ceremony, just a party for family and friends in my home town. That was all ok for me.” Wendy had their first (and only) baby last year, and her parents have since moved in to help. Her husband has not earned a single yuan since their wedding, but has been working on a line of children’s products he hopes to launch soon. Wendy was unconcerned about his lack of income, though, and said she believed his products would soon make money for their son. She describes herself as happily married, and her husband as loving.

Other stories did not turn out so well. One such woman, a 1970s-born Shenzhen resident named Xingxing, explained that she met her husband through an internet match-making site. She was thirty-three at the time, and had a decent job, an apartment, and even an investment apartment of her own. Rather than try to match her holdings, her groom told her that he was going to hand his entire life savings over to his parents before their wedding. “He planned to start from zero with me,” Xingxing explained. “I felt a little uncomfortable about this, but I reminded myself that he cares for his parents, so he is a good man.” From the start, her friends thought her husband was unsuitable, but when he suggested they get a naked marriage, one friend really got angry. “She thought he didn’t trust me and that his “gift” to his parents was really just a defensive maneuver against me spending all of his money,” Xingxing sighed. Their marriage soured within six months, as her husband lost job after job and Xingxing’s own real estate office closed. Three years later, after a battle with infertility and incompatible sexual values, the couple divorced.

While some of these marriages will fail, national statistics suggest that most couples who marry the ‘naked way’ are just as satisfied with their lives, if not more satisfied, than those whose marriages are more lucrative. The Chinese Marriage Situation Survey Report found that about 70% of participants who chose such a marriage were satisfied with their lives. Similarly, a 2010 nation-wide survey of all types of married couples reported 62% were happy with their marriage. In 2012, another survey of 1,000 people, called the Survey of Chinese People’s Love and Marriage Happiness, found that 18% of married folk were very happy, while 60% were relatively happy, landing 78% somewhere in the happy zone.

All in all, while it remains fair to claim that financial security motivates the majority of marriage decisions in current-day China, this assertion cannot be applied to everyone. Millions of brides and grooms marry under different circumstances, and for different motivations. Not every bride demands “a groom with a view.”

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Macau casino revenues hit a record $38 Billion in 2012. In December alone, Macau properties took in a record $3.5 Billion. These massive revenues reinforce the fact that Macau is not just the Las Vegas of the East but rather it is the new world leader in casinos gambling.

At present, there are 33 casinos in Macau. Twenty-three of these properties are on the Macau Peninsula and the other 10 are on Taipa Island. [...]]]>

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Macau casino revenues hit a record $38 Billion in 2012. In December alone, Macau properties took in a record $3.5 Billion. These massive revenues reinforce the fact that Macau is not just the Las Vegas of the East but rather it is the new world leader in casinos gambling.

At present, there are 33 casinos in Macau. Twenty-three of these properties are on the Macau Peninsula and the other 10 are on Taipa Island. Up until 2002, the government held a monopoly on the casino industry and did not allow outside casino corporations the right to built a casino property in Macau. In 2002, the Macau government ended their monopoly on casinos and allow six new corporations to build casinos. This change in policy would ultimately lead to explosive casino growth and turn Macau into the "Las Vegas of the East."

Several major players in the US casino industry have setup shops in Macau thanks to relaxed government regulations. The largest of those being the Venetian. The Venetian Macau opened in 2007 and instantly became the largest casino property in the world as well as the largest single structure hotel in all of Asia. The property boasts over 10.5 Million square foot of space that includes over 546,000 square ft. for the casino alone. In addition, the 3,000 room hotel makes it one of the largest casino resort properties in the world.

Much like Las Vegas, Macau has spent a lot of time focusing on creating gambling paradises for those wanting to play and stay in Macau. The new properties created after 2002 have all been casino resort properties that have focused on being bigger and more glamorous than properties in other parts of the world. Their focus has been to bring in high rollers from around the world with every type of gaming imaginable, including high stakes Texas Hold’em poker games.

The gamble by these companies have paid off huge. For example, the Sands Macau opened in 2004 and came at a cost of $265 Million. Amazingly, the company was able to recoup their costs in just a single year. To give you an idea of just how successful Macau casinos have become, the $38 Billion collected by Macau casinos in 2012 was higher than the total casinos revenue in 2011 for the entire United States.

The government’s decision to ease restrictions on outside casinos companies have lead to growth that few could have imagined. However, major casino companies have focused on creating a quality product for gamblers coming to Macau and the result has proven to pay off in spades.

From Crane.tv: The Chinese artist whose ability to blend into the background has become a powerful mode of social commentary.

I use each work to respond to my encounters. More are focused on China and concerns that arise from its development. To be an individual means the relationship you have with your surroundings. You are not consciously allowing your surroundings to swallow you up. Or to be an individual, let’s ay you live to be 100. But in history you were [...]]]>

From Crane.tv: The Chinese artist whose ability to blend into the background has become a powerful mode of social commentary.

I use each work to respond to my encounters. More are focused on China and concerns that arise from its development. To be an individual means the relationship you have with your surroundings. You are not consciously allowing your surroundings to swallow you up. Or to be an individual, let’s ay you live to be 100. But in history you were just a dot. How do you make your mark?

Last week, François-Henri Pinault, the head of the French luxury group Kering, returned two Zodiac sculptures of animal heads toward the Chinese people as a gift. In fact, Pinault, as well as the head of the French businessmen delegation and French President François Hollande who came to China during the same time.

And the return of the Zodiac heads seems to arouse Chinese people’s sensitive patriotic nerve and thus [...]]]> The following is a guest post by Philip via MarketingToChina.com, edited by Key

Last week, François-Henri Pinault, the head of the French luxury group Kering, returned two Zodiac sculptures of animal heads toward the Chinese people as a gift. In fact, Pinault, as well as the head of the French businessmen delegation and French President François Hollande who came to China during the same time.

And the return of the Zodiac heads seems to arouse Chinese people’s sensitive patriotic nerve and thus caused an interesting reaction to made-in-France on Weibo and BBS such as Tianya.

Rabbit head

Rat head

The first topic that heated discussed is the contract for 60 aircrafts between China’s CAS GTA and Airbus; following is the project of French carmaker Renault who plans to set up a factory in Wuhan to produce 150,000 vehicles per year.

Most people regarded this as a decent deal for the French as they posted online:

@Panorama_SH：还给我们两只水笼头，並表示中国鸡其实是可以吃的，然后就拿走六十架空客、雷诺15万辆整机厂合同以及广核长期协议，上哪儿找这样的生意？！

They gave us two water fossets (the two heads were used as fountains) and it means they can make easy money. They just signed contracts for 60 planes, factory project of 150,000 vehicles capacity and cooperation with China Guangdong Nuclear, where can you find a good business like that!

@寒梅傲冬居士：政治意義大於實際攵物價值

The political value of this return is more than value of cultural relics

@July滴七月：发现中国某些人也开始了被迫害妄想症，别人不还东西，那个叫强盗，还了，那个叫作秀……好好的感谢然后收下不就完事了吗？还做一个社评又一个探究……要是当时自己把东西看看好，至于弄成现在这样？

I discover that some people are paranoia. For them, if French people don’t return the stolen goods, they are robbers and if they return, that’s for show…can you just take it and say thank you? What is the use of editorials and investigations…if we can care enough about our belongings at that time, will all these things happen?

Another topic attract many eyeballs of Chinese is the realization of “Versailles perfume” formula which was developed by Marie Antoinette in the 18th century, almost the same time as the construction of Old Summer Palace, where zodiac sculptures of animal heads settled. However, their destinies are totally different. And this cause people to think deeply:

@永不弃：这点说实话，我还是挺佩服法国人的，能把几百年前的东西给拿出来重新做。我们也一样可以把官窑、汝窑什么的拿出来做。

To be honest, what French people did is admirable. They can revive something used hundreds of years ago; we can also reinvent ours like Guanyao porcelain and Ruyao procelain.

@冬季绝对冷: 房地产来钱多快啊，要什么历史，要什么自行车？可别让我老婆看到，看到又要我买了。

Real estate is fast money, what the use of history, or anything like that? Don’t let my wife see the  post, she will ask me to buy the perfume.

Source: Sina news, Tianya BBS, Weibo

When the Sex Pistols appeared on the BBC singing "God Save the Queen," China was still in the grips of the Cultural Revolution – most music was banned, and Mao ruled supreme. It would take another two decades before punk arrived in Beijing.

It began in basements, brothels and back alleys; any DIY venue that would allow for the alien genre. The earliest bands such as Underbaby and P.K. 14 were a motley crew of rebellious teens who, like the Sex [...]]]>

When the Sex Pistols appeared on the BBC singing "God Save the Queen," China was still in the grips of the Cultural Revolution – most music was banned, and Mao ruled supreme. It would take another two decades before punk arrived in Beijing.

It began in basements, brothels and back alleys; any DIY venue that would allow for the alien genre. The earliest bands such as Underbaby and P.K. 14 were a motley crew of rebellious teens who, like the Sex Pistols before them, could barely play their instruments and hated the local metal scene.

Their sound was unmistakably Chinese. In the aftermath of the events of Tiananmen Square six years previously, mid-90′s punk articulated the frustrations and hopes of a new generation. Today, punk in China has become a well-established subculture, embraced by as many angry kids as fashion-conscious hipsters.

Text by Stephy Chung for Crane.tv

Video from our friends at Crane.tv

Almost all Chinese students agree: The Chinese education system isn’t conducive to enhancing students’ creative skills that are necessary to create dynamic economy.

The reason is because the education system is too focused on memorization and test taking. The most important of those tests is the gaokao, the one and only factor determining where students will attend college. After years of memorizing answers to pass tests, students are not well prepared when they get a job with a multinational company and [...]]]>

Almost all Chinese students agree: The Chinese education system isn’t conducive to enhancing students’ creative skills that are necessary to create dynamic economy.

The reason is because the education system is too focused on memorization and test taking. The most important of those tests is the gaokao, the one and only factor determining where students will attend college. After years of memorizing answers to pass tests, students are not well prepared when they get a job with a multinational company and they have to think of a solution on their own rather than filling in a bubble.

But if you ask students, there is one big reason to resist reforms on the gaokao.

"China needs to reform its education system, but there is no way," Yang said, a student in Dali, "because the population in China is too large."

"Although there are a lot of bad things about the gaokao, it does ensure fairness," a student named Zhao said. "There are so many people in China."

With so many people, how will colleges know who are the best students deserving to attend Beijing University?

It shouldn’t be a surprise that in a communist country with school uniforms, the people are focused on "fairness" first, not individualism or the economic development that comes from innovation. But the argument that the gaokao ensures fairness is invalid. The gaokao, by its very structure as a singular measure of student achievement, as well as uneven policies of administering the gaokao, is itself a barrier to equality-based notions of fairness, putting aside the fact that it also unfairly denies students the right to a broader education and denies the citizens at large the best possible education system for economic growth.

Having everyone take the same standardized test would seem to create an even playing field at first. After all, everyone is being evaluated on the same basis. But to have an even playing field, everyone should have the same possibility of success based on hard work, studying, and other factors that determine talent development. The test should impartially be able to determine who is the most talented and most deserving of attending the top tier colleges.

The gaokao is not impartial. In fact, it favors students who are good at memorizing and studying in a specific method over students who are more creative and rebel from a structured environment. Any test, by its very nature, favors these students who are well-suited to the test. In the United States, there are people who argue that the SAT is biased towards certain races or other classes of students. But because the college evaluation process is based on more than one factor, there are more opportunities for students to showcase their talents in multiple areas. Someone who doesn’t test well but who is a well-rounded student with many extracurricular activities and creative writing abilities thus will still be evaluated in part on their resume and essay.

If China’s education system succeeded at impartially ferreting out talent, China’s best and brightest should do well on the gaokao. One of China’s most successful authors, Han Han, dropped out of high school at age 18 after struggling in school. He has since wrote best-selling books like Three Doors (三重门) and 1988: I Want to Talk With the World (1988:我想和这个世界谈谈).

In Three Doors, he chronicled the failings of the Chinese education system and his own rebellion in school. The book was a hit with Chinese youth who felt the same way about the stifling education system.

Xu Mengnan, one of many students who was influenced by Han Han, intentionally failed the gaokao in protest and started advocating for reforms.

"Previously I was a hardworking student, and I did well in school. But when I was in high school, I read a book by Han Han. In the book, Han called the Chinese education system a failure, criticizing teachers, schools, mathematics class, enrollment system and students. After reading the book, I felt I had been cheated by the education system," he said in an article published at CRI.

In defense of the gaokao, the article says, "Chinese people often say, "The gaokao (the national college entrance exam) changes a student’s destiny" because it provides opportunity for students from less developed regions to enter prestigious universities and to get good jobs after graduation," but even that claim rests on shaky ground.

The gaokao does not treat students from less developed regions equally. In fact, it discriminates against students from poor regions. Students from prosperous big cities like Beijing and Shanghai have lower entrance standards to top colleges.

"Beijing University is called ‘Beijing People University,’" Frank Chen, a Shanghai resident said, "because they enroll more local freshman than students from small cities."

"Mr. Yu [Minhong] said, the whole country is concerned that currently the gaokao admissions policy is unfair, mainly in two points," an’ target=_blank>an article in iFeng news on March 8 said. "The first point is that there are major discrepancies between the acceptance rate of students from different provinces and cities to the top national universities. The second point is that the proportion of top national university resources allocated between city and rural areas is extremely out of balance. The imbalance between education resources in the city and countryside, and between different provinces and cities, has created an unequal situation for the gao kao and college entrance opportunities."

People who try to move to different provinces to take the gaokao have become known as "gaokao immigrants," but they are usually stopped by hu kou regulations.

Thus, students in less-developed regions are forced to study harder. Students in Dali attend school from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and a few hours a day on weekends.

"Beijing and Shanghai education is comparatively relaxed," said Fancy, a Shanghainese college student. "In Shanghai, I would attend high school from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the poor areas, students work harder."

Some universities and local governments are starting to experiment with reforms, but it’s a slow process. Residents of big cities want to protect their children’s gaokao advantages. Teachers get bonuses for having their students attend better universities, so they are invested in using teaching styles that prepare students for the tests. Parents and students themselves, of course, want to do well on the test.

"If [my son] writes whatever he wants in an essay, he will get a bad grade, because the teachers do not like students to write whatever they want," Chen said.

"Everyone knows it’s a problem. 95% of the people realize it, but there’s nothing that can be done. I want him to go to a good college. Reform can only come from people at the top making pushes."

crisis

Apple and VW appeared on CCTV on Mar.15, not in advertising, but on consumers’ rights protection party. And obviously, they are big PR trouble.

Apple was reported to treat Chinese consumers at a different standard in terms of after service. Chinese consumers can’t get a brand-new back cover as claimed in the Apple ads and even the warranty is much shorter than that in the US.

However, Apple [...]]]> The following is a guest post by Philip via MarketingToChina.com, edited by Key.

crisis

Apple and VW appeared on CCTV on Mar.15, not in advertising, but on consumers’ rights protection party. And obviously, they are big PR trouble.

Apple Ostrich PR

Apple was reported to treat Chinese consumers at a different standard in terms of after service. Chinese consumers can’t get a brand-new back cover as claimed in the Apple ads and even the warranty is much shorter than that in the US.

However, Apple has taken no reaction against the crisis?!!! I can’t understand how such a successful brand can forget to defend their brand reputation?!!! As an employee from Apple revealed, “the solution that Apple’s headquarter takes is to keep silent and let their PR office in Beijing handle it”. Let’s see what their Beijing office is doing:

Over 2 million posts on Sina Weibo, no reaction from Apple’s PR

Thousands of media are criticizing the behavior of Apple, still no reaction from Apple’s PR

.

news criticizing apple’s announcement

Until now, the most significant reaction from Apple is a superficial announcement saying that Apple is dedicated to producing the world’s first class product and bringing consumers unique experience.

It’s not a good idea to bury head at this moment

Since when, Apple adopted ostrich PR strategy? It will not help solve the problem, but showing competitors more weaknesses to attack. No doubt the announcement arouses a new wave of criticism. The government media, Renmin; the most popular portal, Sina and the influential IT site: Saidi publish their news blaming the arrogant attitude of Apple.

Netizens also show their anger to this announcement, what makes things worse is that the reaction of Apple even hurt some people’s patriotism.

方舟远方：苹果声明不足两百字 网友戏称为假大空经典范文

Apple’s announcement is even less than 200 words, classic example of “empty wordsbogus speech”.

小笼包圈圈：烂苹果，只换不修，换尼玛啊，我过了保修期只坏了个音量键就叫我花1800块换机，烂苹果，你们去死吧。。。

Stupid Apple, only change no reparation. What the fucking change! I only damage a button within the warranty and it cost me over 1800 RMB to repair it. Stupid Apple, screw you…

不想长大ss：为什么 只有中国保修不给换后盖？为什么其他国家连后盖的整机给换？

Why back cover replace service is not available only in China? Why all the other countries can enjoy this term?

VW wishy-washy PR

VW’s reputation of German quality simply crushed over one night. DSG became its Achilles heel.

Different from Apple, the defect of VW comes from a long term solid investigation led by the government. With the statistics from 10 000 cases, 3 000 feedback from users and 12 on-site investigations, AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine) published result that DSG is vulnerable to the safety problems.

And AQSIQ forces VW to recall half a million cars in China.

.

VW cannot solve the problem in this way

.

What’s interesting for the case is that VW publish an announcement, promising to solve the problems for consumers as soon as possible. And this piece of news has been published by around 1000 media. At almost the same time, a journalist dialed number of VW’s after service and gets the answer that “only a small part of the cars will be recalled”. And this has also attracted dozens of online media to report.

The key opinion leaders are also playing important roles in the case. The founder of “auto family” site, Li Xiang also complained the problem of VW DSG, as a victim of the defect. Obviously, consumers are not satisfied with VW’s products and PR crisis control.

陈大口：认同，我现在最大的悲哀是，就算大众愿意换一个全新的dsg波箱给我，也不能解除我的心魔，我还是会担心载着家人在高速路上失去速度，后果不堪设想。悲哀。

I agree. The problem is even if VW replace a brand new DSG, I still can’t feel safe. I will always worry about losing speed on highway, with my family.

MR月光宝盒：以大众一贯的作风来看，不具备壮士断腕的魄力。所以，DSG是啥样，以后还是啥样。除非大众已经找到了新的技术路线，否则还会一直使用下去。至于已经购买了的用户，多拜拜菩萨吧，别寄希望于召回。

According to the habit of VW, they won’t sacrifice the knights in order to save the queen, but keep the existing DSG unless they discover a new technology. As for the people who have already owned one, lay more hope on preys instead of recall.

Source: CCTV, Sina Weibo, AQSIQ

This year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit was photographed internationally in eight locals and included local flavor of each local. As such, it has been accused of racism by some notable bloggers, and the story has spread into mainstream media outlets.

The claims of racism go to such absurd lengths as to actually denigrate minority culture in China. Jessica Gomes was photographed standing with some members of a minority ethnic group in Guilin wearing traditional attire. Anne V was photographed on a raft [...]]]>

This year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit was photographed internationally in eight locals and included local flavor of each local. As such, it has been accused of racism by some notable bloggers, and the story has spread into mainstream media outlets.

The claims of racism go to such absurd lengths as to actually denigrate minority culture in China. Jessica Gomes was photographed standing with some members of a minority ethnic group in Guilin wearing traditional attire. Anne V was photographed on a raft on the Li River guided by a Chinese person.

Dodai Stewart at Jezebel thinks that the Chinese people look “quaint, backward and impoverished.” By included photos of minorities in their traditional attire or of raft guides, they “cement(ing) stereotypes, perpetuat(ing) an imbalance in the power dynamic.” Why didn’t China include some of the skyscrapers and “modern cities that make New York look rickety” where ancient hutongs are being knocked down to make way for restaurant and bar streets?

For Stewart’s argument to make sense, you have to make a terribly closed-minded value judgment on the relative value of minority traditions versus modernization. The photos can only be viewed as racist if they are portraying one race in a negative light in comparison to the model. How is it that the local Guilin people are being harmfully misrepresented wearing the same clothing that they have worn for hundreds of years and still wear today?

There’s nothing shameful about the minority people’s heritage and culture. The only problem with the photo is that the caption doesn’t say what minority is represented. China has 56 government-recognized ethnic groups, with the Han majority making up 91% of the population. Minority ethnic groups are referred to as 少数民族 (shao shu min zu),and their traditions and culture are a national treasure in China that should be encouraged and protected. Having traveled through Guizhou, Yunnan, and Xinjiang, where there are large concentrations of minority ethnic groups, I have found that architecture, attire, cuisine, and other cultural aspects of China’s 55 minority groups are some of the most beautiful things in the country, which is probably why Sports Illustrated decided to include them in some of the photos.

The Li River and the karst mountains in its midst are also some of the most beautiful things in China, which is why they used that backdrop for some photos. But why is there a Chinese person guiding the raft the model is riding? According to Stewart, it creates the image of，“A white person relaxing, a person of color working. Tale as old as time. A non-white person in the service of a white person.”

Would Stewart rather have had a white person do the work and put the Chinese guy out of a pay day? Having been to Guilin, I know first hand that the people who guide tours down the Li River are all Chinese. A Chinese person guided the boat that I was on. The vast majority of people who live in China are Chinese, so it’s only natural that Chinese people would get the jobs as guides.

Once again, this attack on Sports Illustrated comes back to a feeling of pity Stewart feels on the Chinese subject. He’s so poor. “They didn’t have to use a dude with dental issues on a river raft,” Stewart wrote.

It’s unclear whether Sports Illustrated made dental health a qualification for the guide in the photo shoot, but dental health is certainly not a qualification for being a good raft guide. It all comes back to the fact that Stewart is uncomfortable seeing some indications of the poverty of China’s countryside.

Her major criticisms of the photo shoot come down to claims that it makes China–and the other locals–look poor compared to the West when each of the locals she mentioned also includes examples of bustling cities. She wants us to look at the cities and ignore the realities of daily life for hundreds of millions who have been left behind by China’s economic growth.

She wants to whitewash the truth. The fact is, while government investment in China has largely been focused on Eastern megacities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, the majority of the population living in the countryside still hasn’t been so blessed. Students in poor provinces where the government has spent little on education have to bring their own desks to school. Small and unsafe school buses crash in rural China killing students due to overcrowding, while advanced buses with safety features are reserved for transporting teachers.

But let’s forget the truth. Just take a picture in front of the Shanghai World Financial Center and talk about how all Chinese are doing great. China is doing much better since it reformed its economy, but it hasn’t caught up to America or Europe, not even for the Chinese middle class.

There’s nothing shameful about guiding a raft down the Li River. It’s an important job for the tourism economy in the region, and it’s obviously necessary for the photo.

The idea of including local culture produced more interesting photos than would have been produced with models standing in front of the Apple Store in Century Avenue in Shanghai or the Uniqlo store in multinational brand mall on the “refurbished” Qianmen Street in Beijing.

Photos shot in Africa:

in Spain:

Today is February 14, Valentine’s Day in the west and also “Chu Wu”, the fifth day after Chinese New Year, which happens to be the day for Chinese to welcome the god of wealth.

The coincidence that the two popular holidays happen to fall on the same day dilutes the festivity of both. However, Valentine’s Day seems to be the losers.

As reported by some newspapers, the sales of followers [...]]]> The following is a guest post by Philip via MarketingToChina.com, edited by Key.

Today is February 14, Valentine’s Day in the west and also “Chu Wu”, the fifth day after Chinese New Year, which happens to be the day for Chinese to welcome the god of wealth.

The coincidence that the two popular holidays happen to fall on the same day dilutes the festivity of both. However, Valentine’s Day seems to be the losers.

As reported by some newspapers, the sales of followers this year decreased by about 30%. A poll even shows that 70% of the people decide to do nothing for Valentine’s Day this year. Other market related to Valentine’s Day such as chocolate market, candy market and gift market also see decrease.

On the other hand, the sale of fireworks has only decreased 20%. And it’s mainly caused by the air-pollution and regulations!

In fact, the fireworks played on “Chu Wu” are even more than that on Chinese New Year’s Eve which is supposed to be the most important day during the whole year for Chinese people. But the fact is in front of wealth, all the festivals are out.

Public Transportation Brother’s Unconventional Chun Yun

From Hangzhou, Zhejiang to Linyi, Shandong, over 660 kilometers, a 27-year-old Shandong man named Xu [...]]]> A 27-year-old Shandong man is being called "Brother Public Transportation" after he returned home from Hangzhou to Shandong on public transportation, riding 35 bus routes over 660 kilometers. The story picked up interest as he chronicled his travels on Weibo. Beijing Morning Post wrote an article about him on August 5 that was picked up by China Daily Here it is:

Public Transportation Brother’s Unconventional Chun Yun

From Hangzhou, Zhejiang to Linyi, Shandong, over 660 kilometers, a 27-year-old Shandong man named Xu Zhengguo used public buses to make his way back home. From start to finish, he spent seven days on a trip spanning three provinces and rode on 35 different buses. This unusual trip home attracted internet users’ attention, and he was "worshipped" as "Brother Public Transportation"

Preparation: One Week + A Thick Map + Searching Route Online

Xu Zhengguo is from Linyi, Shandong. He attended Hangzhou University. After graduating, he and a friend started an e-commerce business in Hangzhou. Why did he take the bus to return home? He said that for one thing, train tickets are hard to buy, and secondly, he envies people who cycle or hitchhike to travel and see the world, so he wanted to use the means of public transportation, to accomplish a seemingly impossible mission, and feel the power of experiencing this incredible task.

Saying it is easy, but doing it is hard. To accomplish this mission, Xu Zhengguo spent a week planning his route. "On the internet, I found each city’s public transit map and read with dizzy and dazed eyes," Xu Zhengguo said. In order to prevent a problem, he also bought a thick map of China. He originally planned on spending 10 days returning home.

Starting Out: Public Transit + Walking + Only One Time Hitchhiking

On the afternoon of December 27, Xu Zhengguo, with a thick route map in his front pocket and his luggage on his back, started out. This "internet businessman" broadcasted the progress of his trip home on his Weibo. Xu Zhengguo said the trip was very smooth. "South China’s transportation is very developed. There is a lot of transportation to villages and towns. You can basically get anywhere." Xu Zhengguo said this journey also allowed him to feel that this country’s transportation has developed very quickly.

After that, this good luck only lasted for two days. After crossing the Yangtze River, his road home turned bumpy. Because the public bus routes were sparse and not connected, he often had to walk. "When the routes weren’t connected, I would walk over 10 miles in a day!" he said. This part of the trip was harder than he imagined.

On Weibo, Xu Zhengguo recorded his difficulties drip by drip: "One step, and I’m always walking but not moving," "My knee bone is breaking down," "I’m tired and want to sleep, I’m really over doing this public transit thing, Right now I don’t know where I am." …

This trip, aside from the hardships, also allowed Xu Zhengguo to have a lot of different emotions. "On the fourth day, from Danyang to Zhenjiang, between the border of these two cities, I had to walk eight kilometers. Because it was already dark, I wanted to hitch a ride, but dozens of cars went by without stopping. Later, a big truck stopped for me. From the start, I was worried about my safety, but after a bit of talking with the driver, I discovered he is actually an extremely kind-hearted man," Xu Zhengguo said. That night at the inn, he kept thinking about the subtle relationships between strangers.

"At the beginning, I was angry that society was too cold, but later, I feel that there is also a lot of kindness. I also learned to empathize with other people," he said.

Returning Home: 7 Days + 140 Yuan + 35 Bus Routes

After sleeping at cheap hotels for less than 100 yuan a night, eating at restaurants on the side of the road, endlessly rushing about at bus stations for seven days, he arrived at his home in Linyi, Shandong on the afternoon of February 2. "This kind of trip gave me so much! It was a splendid experience. It ravaged my body. It’s something that should definitely be done once in a lifetime," he wrote on Weibo in summary.

On this trip, Xu Zhengguo rode on 35 different bus routes and spent a little bit over 140 yuan on bus tickets. Also, on lodging and eating, he spent over 400 yuan. It wasn’t much cheaper than driving or flying an airplane. His "Legendary Trip Home" attracted a lot of internet discussions, and a lot of netizens admired his course.

The ushering in of China’s new President Xi Jinping later this year has caused a lot of discussion about what the future holds for China’s economic and political system. A string of recent issues have highlighted problems caused by corruption, rising inequity between cities and countryside, distrust of the government, and questions about how long 8-10% growth rates can continue. In 2011, in Wukan, Guangdong province, citizens revolted, kicking the local government out of town, over a disputed land deal. [...]]]>

The ushering in of China’s new President Xi Jinping later this year has caused a lot of discussion about what the future holds for China’s economic and political system. A string of recent issues have highlighted problems caused by corruption, rising inequity between cities and countryside, distrust of the government, and questions about how long 8-10% growth rates can continue. In 2011, in Wukan, Guangdong province, citizens revolted, kicking the local government out of town, over a disputed land deal. A high speed train crash caused by poor engineering highlighted questions about corrupt business practices and lapses in oversight in China’s infrastructure projects after the government appeared to be covering up the aftermath. In 2012, Chongqing Mayor Bo Xilai was exposed in a major corruption and murder scandal that embarrassed the government.

Since taking over as party secretary in November, Xi Jinping has indicated a willingness to confront corruption, banning the serving of liquor at army feasts and vowing to make anti-corruption measures a focus of his agenda.

Another program that could be equally important in reforming China is the “small government, big society” agenda that has already been at work for a number of years in various localities.

“Small government, big society” is an idea that calls for the size and scope of China’s government to be diminished while expanding the strength of China’s civil society to solve problems independent of the government. Like China’s first set of economic reforms, “Small Government, Big Society” is being pioneered in Guangdong province.

In 2011, the province eliminated jobs for life guarantees, known as the “iron rice bowl” (铁饭碗)， for bureaucrats. The city of Shenzhen has eliminated one-third of its government offices and loosened regulatory rules, making it easier for NGOs to register to provide services. Shunde, a municipal district of Foshan city, has eliminated over 3,000 government programs since 2007, while undergoing an economic boom.

In Shenzhen, the efforts have been successful at fostering a larger civil society that can provide services to people who were previously neglected. A school set up by the Ciwei Philanthropy Institute educates 132 children of migrant workers who are denied entrance to the local public schools due to their status as migrants. Li Guangming, the founder of Ciwei, said he wasn’t able to start his organization until Shenzhen eliminated the rule requiring NGOs to be registered as government affiliates. By 2010, Shenzhen averaged 4.2 civil society organizations for every 1,000 people, twice as much as the national average.

According to a paper published by Amy Gadsden, Associate Dean for International Affairs at Penn Law School, in 2010 with the American Enterprise Institute, in 2010, there were 425,000 civil society organizations registered with the government, 1,000 or which engaged in issues that were “informed by an identifiable human-rights, social-justice, or civic-activist spirit.” There are still other groups that are not registered with the government as civil society organizations.

The government regulates civil society organizations because it is concerned that such organizations might erode its powerbase. Furthermore, some organizations engage in politically-sensitive areas. But the government is starting to see that civil society organizations can play an important role in providing services and building trust.

The prospects for reform look promising now, but in the late 1980’s when “small government, big society” was first tried in Hainan, the reformers were unsuccessful at cutting the government. In 1988, when Hainan became a province designated as a Special Economic Zone, a team was put together to establish a dynamic new kind of provincial government. In 1986, Liao Xun was a researcher at the Institute of Quantitative and Technical Economics in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. That year, he wrote a paper called “Marx and Engel’s Thoughts on ‘Small Government’ and the Current Economic Reform.” Liao’s paper made a big impact in the Chinese political and academic circles, and Liao was brought on the Hainan reform team to implement “small government, big society” in Hainan.

Liao’s ambitious plan called for a scaling back of government to just four main functions: social services, economic development, economic regulation and coordination, and judicial and administrative functions that he classified as “guarantee.” Organizations such as schools, labor unions, trade associations, and law offices should have relative autonomy from the government. The government only has three legitimate roles: that of a soccer referee, administering the law and meting out justice, a traffic cop, controlling social stability and keeping infrastructure working well, and a firefighter, responding to emergencies. Liao Xun even referenced an aphorism that he attributed to Thomas Jefferson, “The government is best which governs the least.”

Under Liao’s leadership, the Hainan provincial government established just 26 government agencies at a time when most provinces had more than 60, and it cut the government staff by over 200 employees. Government-organized associations like the Communist Youth League and provincial Women’s Association were turned from government-run groups to privately-run groups.

Soon, however Hainan quickly ran into opposition from the leaders of various administrations. The “small government” program was reversed from 1990-92, and institutions that were previously privatized were put back into government control. By 1995, Hainan employed the ninth largest number of government workers per capita of the 31 provinces and municipalities in China.

Chi Fulin, who was in the effort to reform Hainan, said the appetite for reform is stronger now after years of economic development. “At that time, now one applauded us,” he told the magazine Southern Window, for an article published in October 2012. “It wasn’t like it is today where the citizens are conscious of their role as taxpayers, and there is a consciousness about the protection of individual property rights. This should increase the public’s demands for low levels of government spending and an efficient government with controls and restrictions on its expansion.”

The administration in charge of reforming Shunde says they are determined to avoid Hainan’s fate. “The direction Shunde is taking towards shifting functions to the society is straight forward and unyielding,” Min Leping said to Southern Window. “Society at all levels has no reason to doubt the government’s sincerity.”

In November 2009, the Shunde government cut down it’s number of departments from 41 to 16 in a three day span after making the announcement just hours before implementation was set to begin. “If you publicly solicit opinion, you could go half a year without taking any action, because every department will say they are very important and cannot be simplified,” Xu Yaotong, the head of the Shunde reform committee and the former head of the Political Science department at China Academy of Governence, told Southern Window. Officials are now looking at ways to build a stronger system of law and order to protect their reforms.

But cutting the government might be the easy part. Fostering a “big society” and protecting it from government overreach will likely prove harder for a country like China, with a long history of having a strong central government. A key to Liao’s theory is that the government must not simply cut its functions. It must cut the functions provided by the government while making room for those services to be provided in the private and not-for-profit sector. As Liao sees it, a country is the sum of its government and its civil society.

“If you want to reduce organs, you must disperse power and reduce government functions. If you want to reduce government functions, you must expand the functions of society,” Liao wrote in one of his essays.

If the economy develops much faster than civil society, then a country will have “one long leg and one short leg,” and the country will topple into the kind of political chaos that happened in Wukan. Because the rural economy is developing much more slowly than the city economy, migrant workers are flooding into cities and putting stress on an underdeveloped civil society. These unresolved social issues could boil over and destabilize the Communist Party’s base of support.

But building a strong civil society in a country with no history of strong civil societies and unease from the government is a difficult task. There is a weak NGO community in China, burdened by heavy government regulation. NGOs in most provinces still have to find a government sponsor before they can legally register, forcing some NGOs to operate unregistered, and NGOs that address issues that can be seen as too “human rights”-oriented face the threat of government harassment. Even in Guangdong, where big society reforms are underway, eight migrant worker-advocacy groups were evicted last year after their landlords were reportedly pressured by the government.

Furthermore, China does not have a strong history of civil society of the kind described by Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America. The non-profit sector in China is plagued by scandal. Charitable donations plunged by 80 percent in China in mid-2011 after a number of charities were accused of corruption. The Chinese Red Cross was accused of misspending funds intended for the Sichuan earthquake recovery, and the Henan Soong Ching Ling Foundation was exposed using donations to make loans to property developers. The 2010 World Giving Index survey, commissioned by the Charities Aid foundation, reported that only 11% of Chinese donate to charity, the 16^th lowest of the 153 nations surveyed.

How does a big society come about in a country with no history of big society? If you let go of government functions when there is no civil society in place to take up the slack, wouldn’t that just cause the functions to be neglected? The key, academics say, is to “raise” a civil society. Xu Yaotong compared raising a civil society to raising a child. If you never let a child take care of itself, it will never grow up. If you don’t take care of the child and protect it, the child will be on its own. So you need to strike a balance. Government can’t let go of all of its functions at once. It should cut programs in steps, ensuring that the society can take on new roles as a challenge while not being overwhelmed.

Some public intellectuals, however, are skeptical that the government can give society the room it needs to grow. Sun Xingjie, a policy researcher and essay writer for multiple publications, said in an interview, “What I want to emphasize is that China’s society itself has to be built. The problem China is facing isn’t whether society is big or small; it is the problem of building the society itself. With the government interfering, society’s development is very poor.”

“A boundary between government and society is important. That is what gives society the opportunity to organize itself. If the government interferes, society doesn’t have any space to develop.”

搬砖 (ban1 zhuan1) – “to move bricks”, describes the kind of jobs that working class and lower class people tend to do

This year, the phrase 吊丝 (diao4 si1) has come to be used as a self-deprecating term for the average poor young person in contrast to the “tall, rich, and handsome”高富帅 (gao1 fu4 shuai4). [...]]]> In December, Modern Express (现代快报) published a list of the top internet words and phrases of the year 2012. Some of the most interesting are summarized below:

搬砖 (ban1 zhuan1) – “to move bricks”, describes the kind of jobs that working class and lower class people tend to do

This year, the phrase 吊丝 (diao4 si1) has come to be used as a self-deprecating term for the average poor young person in contrast to the “tall, rich, and handsome”高富帅 (gao1 fu4 shuai4). Young Chinese netizens are quite conscious of class distinction online, and with people like Guo Meimei and members of the “rich second generation” 富二代 (fu4 er4 dai4) flaunting their wealth, 吊丝 apparently think their position means that they fight harder to get through life. Because many migrant worker and blue collar workers do labor intensive jobs like construction, the term 搬砖 has come to represent the work conditions of the average 吊丝. Also, 搬砖 has been used as slang for playing mah jong, since mah jong games begin with shuffling the tiles around.

不能我一个人瞎! (bu4 neng2 wo3 yi1 ge4 ren2 xia1) “I can’t go blind by myself!” – indicates excitement that you want to share with others

When internet users find something so amazing they can’t keep it to just themselves, they might share it using this phrase, like when a user found an old video of a classic drama and shared in on Tianya, saying, “不能我一个人瞎！！！“

打开方式不对 (da3 kai1 fang1 shi4 bu4 dui4) “The way I opened it wasn’t right” – the results are disappointingly not what was expected

When someone tried to watch a video that wouldn’t load on Internet Explorer, they said 一定是我 打开方式不对，meaning, “It must be (definitely is) the way I opened it that wasn’t right.” Since then the phrase has caught on to express a shocking disappointment at anything something thinks is wrong. When Wuhan’s air quality was listed as fourth worst in the country for the day of January 23, a popular Weibo message read, “I definitely opened it wrong. Today Wuhan’s air pollution index is the fourth worst in the country, severe pollution.” (“一定是我打开的方式不对，武汉今天的空气污染指数全国排名第四，属重度污染。“)

梗 (geng4) – indicates a funny expression

梗 is a variant of 哏, which indicates something humorous or interesting. For example, you can say, “這相聲多哏兒啊,”to say, “This crosstalk is very funny.”

毁三观 (hui3 san1 guan1) – describes something that topples your expectations

毁三观 means “to topple three viewpoints.” Those three viewpoints or ideologies refer to a worldview (世界观), system of values (价值观), and life viewpoint (人生观). One person on Weibo, upon seeing a mural of Lei Feng, said, “雷人的雷锋，雷锋在我印象中不是这样子的，毁三观啊，有木有？” (“Shocking Lei Feng. My impression of Lei Feng was not like this. 毁三观啊， yes, or no?”)

觉累不爱 (jue2 lei4 bu4 ai4) – “I’m too tired to love!”

This phrase originated when a 13-year-old girl posted, “很累，感觉自己不会再爱了.”(“I’m very tired, I don’t think I can love again.”) Netizens thought it was funny because a 13-year-old girl is too young to love, not too tired, and 13-year-olds have very easy lives compared to their brothers and sisters who are working and leading their own lives.

快到碗里来 (kuai4 dao4 wan3 li3 lai2) – “Get in the bowl quickly.”

In an M&M’s commercial, a girl tells her boyfriend she wants to eat chocolate, so the boy gets a bowl and opens the cabinet. Inside the cabinet, two of the M&M characters start throwing food at the boy. The boy tells them “Get in the bowl quickly,” (“快到碗里来”), but the M&M’s respond, “You get in the bowl.” (“你才到碗里去！“)

绳命 (sheng2 ming4) – an alternative way to say 生命

When a Buddhist master from Hebei was interviewed with monkeys climbing all over him, he spoke in a thick Hebei accent, making 生命 (sheng1 ming4) sound like 绳命. While he said, “Life is so splendid,” (“生命，是多么的辉煌，“）netizens thought he got his tones wrong and thought he sounded like he was saying,, “绳命，是剁么的回晃,”which is a bunch of gibberish.. Now netizens can simply say 绳命 where you want to say 生命, just like they sometimes replace 木 for 没 in phrases like 有木有.

十动然拒 (shi2 dong4 ran2 ju4) – “You really move me, but I must reject you.”

When a man made a very special gesture toward a girl he liked asking for her love, although she was very moved, she rejected him. The phrase “十分感动，然后拒绝了他” (Very moved, but then rejected him) has since become used to describe situations where a boy does something moving for a girl but nonetheless gets rejected.

In the largest 500 cities in China, only less than 1% has met the recommended standard set up by World Health Organization (WHO). The most prominent air pollutant in China is PM10.

The economic cost of pollution in China every year is equal to 1.2% of GDP if calculated based on the related disease and is 3.8% of GDP if calculated based on willingness to pay.

The report – Towards environmental sustainable future – National environmental analysis of the [...]]]> From: Southern metropolis daily

In the largest 500 cities in China, only less than 1% has met the recommended standard set up by World Health Organization (WHO). The most prominent air pollutant in China is PM10.

The economic cost of pollution in China every year is equal to 1.2% of GDP if calculated based on the related disease and is 3.8% of GDP if calculated based on willingness to pay.

The report – Towards environmental sustainable future – National environmental analysis of the People’s Republic of China announced the statistics yesterday. This report was accomplished by team consisted of experts in environmental fields from all over the world and professional team from Asian Development Bank.

The report also pointed out in the air pollution chapter that the increasing demand of fuel, number of automotive vehicles, and industrial expansion has deteriorated the quality of air and negatively affected body health and eco system.

The key example in the report is that only 1% of China’s 500 largest cities meet the recommended standard set up by WHO. Among the ten most polluted cities in the world, seven are in China.

Besides, there are several districts in China, because of mixed effects of pollutant from cities and industrial zones, become severely polluted zones. Combined with the frequency of smog, haze and acid rain, the environmental qualities in these zones have decreased dramatically.

The most obvious air pollutant in China is suspended particle, the report said. Over one third of the monitored suspended particles in cities have density more than that in the Ⅱ level pollution, much more than the degree of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide pollution. Most areas in China have high density of PM2.5, which becomes a very severe environmental problem.

The report also pointed out that China also faces the challenges of indoor air quality, which is not under consistent or systematic monitor.

A research done by China Consumer Association earlier showed that the methanol density has exceeded the standard by 73%, according to an indoor air sample from Beijing. The air sample in Hangzhou showed the methanol density is over 79% of standard, and the benzene density is 11 times that of the standard. The research also showed that 94% of the new cars which accept the monitor of air pollution have not meet the standard, and 90% of the new furnished houses have more methanol than that in the standard.

The epidemiology proved that air pollution can lead to mal-function of lung, the increase of morbidity and mortality of respiratory system disease, chronic bronchitis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It can also lead to increase of patients, absence from duty and premature death.

The Asian Development Bank Chief Expert in water resource Zhang Qingfeng said in the report conference that China should put more emphasis on the system of energy conservation and emission reduction, including the market-oriented policies and measures.

The report suggests Chinese government to reform in the pricing system of resources, and to introduce the green tax system. This reform put forwarded by the Asian Development Bank advises to levy on the emission of carbon dioxide and pollutant except related to resources exploitation. It also asks for the tax exemption of investment on equipment related to pollution control.

“The financial and fiscal policy freeform should be carried out with the economic incentives” said Zhang Qingfeng. This will transfer the environmental tax revenue from central government to provincial and local governments, encouraging them to invest on environment protection and resource conservation.

The dust on Jan 10th, Beijing CCTV Tower

Jan 13th, Beijing has been reported of sixth level of pollution in the three consecutive days

Jan 12th, tourists were walking in the Temple of Haven. Beijing’s Government several departments have announced through internet, micro blog, TV and radio, suggesting residents to stay indoors and students to minimize outdoor activities.

Jan 12th, Wuhan

Jan 12th, residents were riding in a bridge in Nanchang

Jan 12th, Zhengzhou, Henan Province

An armed police guard was on duty in a heavy fog.

Photo above: Zhengzhou, Oct 10th, 2012

Photo below: Zhengzhou, Jan 8th, 2013

Other Source: SDnews:

The teachers from UK asking questions

January 17th, An English delegation of more than 50 teachers and deans from top 25 middle schools and primary school in UK came to Ningbo city in Zhejiang Province to attend math classes for learning and sharing.

They went to two schools: Ningbo Wanli International School and Ningbo Gaoxin Foreign Language School.

One UK headmasters said that Chinese kids’ are well known for their math abilities in the world. Teachers in UK always puzzled about why [...]]]> From Sina:

The teachers from UK asking questions

January 17th, An English delegation of more than 50 teachers and deans from top 25 middle schools and primary school in UK came to Ningbo city in Zhejiang Province to attend math classes for learning and sharing.

They went to two schools: Ningbo Wanli International School and Ningbo Gaoxin Foreign Language School.

One UK headmasters said that Chinese kids’ are well known for their math abilities in the world. Teachers in UK always puzzled about why always the Chinese kids got the first prize in international math competitions? They came all the way here to China, aiming to bring some insights back about the math teaching.

Until the afternoon yesterday, they had listened four math classes. The result is that, they were totally shocked by the multiplication table and Chinese kids’ math skills.

Standing all the time through listening

During the math classes yesterday, the chairs for the UK teachers were all left unseated. They walked into the students, checking their textbooks, notebooks, and took photos with their cellphones. The Chinese kids did not let them down.

72÷3＝？

On student went to the stage and quickly wrote the correct answer of 24. This student said the answer can be quickly concluded through the use of multiplication table. The 12 teachers at the scene were surprised by the method.

One English teacher said they don’t have such multiplication table in UK. If they want to solve the problem above, the process will be like this:

10×3＝30，10×3＝30，4×3＝12，then add them up and get 24.

For this kind of problem, students in UK will have to learn through several lessons to solve them successfully.

But for kids, is it too hard to apply the Chinese way of education? One English teacher did not think so. He thought the standard of English education is too low.

Fail to learn the multiplication table, because of the pronunciation

After the math classes, UK teachers showed their interests in learning the multiplication table. But the dean of primary school, Zheng said that the multiplication table was a traditional method in China which cannot be easily learned by English teachers because of the pronunciation.

The multiplication table has five Chinese characters maximum, and is very clear at a glance. But when translated into English, the sentences will be too long. For example, “九九八十一” is translated as “nine nine eighty one”.

Although they failed to learn that, the experience was valuable. The teachers said that they were going to document this investigation into files and report them to the Department of Education of UK, which they hoped would be helpful to the primary math education in UK.

The Chang Sha Salvation Station on 23:50 Jan 7th

In December 2012, a vagrant froze to death under a bridge in Chang Sha Yuhua District. Another happened on Jan 3rd, 2013 in Chang Sha Kaifu District. Two vagrants passed away in a few days in the same city. But why didn’t they go to salvation station to seek warm and shelter?

The journalist secretly investigated the salvation station in Chang Sha, presenting the true life of vagrant.

“Any form of detention of [...]]]> From ndnews:

The Chang Sha Salvation Station on 23:50 Jan 7^th

In December 2012, a vagrant froze to death under a bridge in Chang Sha Yuhua District. Another happened on Jan 3^rd, 2013 in Chang Sha Kaifu District. Two vagrants passed away in a few days in the same city. But why didn’t they go to salvation station to seek warm and shelter?

The journalist secretly investigated the salvation station in Chang Sha, presenting the true life of vagrant.

“Any form of detention of people who seek for help is forbidden. Beating, scolding and physically punishing, abusing people who seek help are also forbidden.”

- From the “rescue management measures for vagrants and beggars in cities without support” after the 2003 Sun Zhigang incident, which a vagrant was beaten to death in salvation station in Guangzhou.

24 years on the road

The reason why vagrants won’t go to salvation station

Luan Weidong started his work at night, 22:00 Jan 6^th. He wore a frock, a cotton-padded pants and cotton shoes and searched in a trash bin with a big plastic bag hanging on one hand.

The life of a garbage collector for three years, prior to Chang Sha, he has been a vagrant for 21 years around the whole country. He has been to a small coal mine in Xinjiang Province, and illegal brick factory in Henan Province. In 2009, he came to Chang Sha, because “it’s warmer here”.

In the past three years, volunteers, the police, even the residences nearby have encouraged him to go to the salvation station. But he refused with smile every time. “The salvation station always sends people back to where they come from in the end, If I can survive in my hometown, why did I come out in the first place?” said Luan Weidong. He has been to the salvation station in other cities before, but felt like being a “prisoner” and left the place forever.

The journalist has investigated 20 vagrants, and the results are unanimous. Although they dress poorly and suffer from hunger, nobody wants to go to the salvation station. They would rather collector garbage under the bridge, the tunnel, or beside the construction plant and the railway station.

What is the salvation station like actually? The journalist of the newspaper went as a vagrant to conduct a secret investigation.

Cannot get through the telephone line

Calling ten times without answering

The journalist was standing with Luan Weidong on the crossroad of Jiefang West Road at 21:00, Jan 7^th. Luan gave the journalist a shabby cotton-padded coat. “I almost cannot recognize you” said Luan.

The pedestrians walked by and called the salvation station in Tianxin District.

21:38, the first call was not answered. The following four calls were all busy on the line. The sixth call was able to get through, but nobody answered. The following four calls again responded with busy tones.

21:44, the residences called the police for help.

21:49, the local police station called back for inquiry.

21:55, two policemen arrived and took the journalist to the salvation station in Yaoling directly.

Beaten by three people

Hands and legs tied, head against by knees

22:30, the staffs in the salvation station agreed to rescue the journalist after confirming he was not drunk. About 5 minutes later, the police went away and the atmosphere suddenly changed.

“What’s your name? Where do you live?” The journalist found the staff was asking him angrily.

Because the journalist was disguised as a deaf vagrant, he did not answer the question. After several times, the staff raised his voice.

And one staff suddenly ran to him and tied his hands from behind. Then two pressed his legs firmly.

Afraid of beaten escalation, the journalist asked for help: “the staffs in salvation station can’t beat people!” The staff said: “I will not beat you” and then tripped him on the ground heavily on purpose.

Then, two others pressed his leg firmly, making him still and hard to breath.

Giving up rescue

“Now you want to go? It’s too late!”

“I give up the rescue! I want to go out, I want to go out!” The journalist had to ask for mercy since he was almost knocked out unconscious.

“Now you want to go? It’s too late!” the staff used his knee against the journalist’s head.

“According to the law, people who ask for help can voluntarily accept or give up the rescue from salvation station. The station cannot detain any vagrant from his freedom.” The journalist gave his reasons to leave but was denied.

He had to tell his father’s telephone number to the staff in the end. After connecting with his father, the staffs finally untied him.

They then took out a form, saying the journalist had to sign in as “voluntarily give up the rescue” before he can leave.

About 23:00, the journalist left the salvation station.

Journalist witness

An old vagrant tied in the station asking for help

23:30, another journalist went to the station to pick up the injured one. He found that an old vagrant was lying on a stretcher. His hands were tied by white hemp rope from behind. The rope was very tight. His legs were tied by tapes. He tried to sit up but cannot move. He had to turn to the journalist for help with upturned body. “Untie me, untie me!” said he.

Passing by the old man, the journalist lowered his body and asked the reason why he was tied. The old man just begged: “Can you untie me first? Let go my leg and let me sit up.”

Wearing a rugged coat, the vagrant was very old with a grey hair. The blood on his mouth has scabbed. When asked whether he was beaten, he nodded his head and shed tears.

“But I’m a journalist, not a staff here. I don’t have the power to untie you.” Hearing the words, the old man’s eyes were fainted away, never paid attention to the journalist anymore.

About one hour later, the old vagrant was gone.

Jan 4th, the couples waiting in the Beijing Haidian District marriage registration office

The first working day of 2013, the first summit of registration for marriage has come to Beijing. Journalist learned from Civil Affair Department in Beijing yesterday, that more than 7,000 couples have made appointments to register for marriage on Jan 4th, 2013. And the actual registration number will very likely to be over 10,000.

Jan 4th, the couples gets their marriage certificate

Jan 4th, Qingyuan Qingcheng District, people waiting [...]]]> From QQ:

Jan 4^th, the couples waiting in the Beijing Haidian District marriage registration office

The first working day of 2013, the first summit of registration for marriage has come to Beijing. Journalist learned from Civil Affair Department in Beijing yesterday, that more than 7,000 couples have made appointments to register for marriage on Jan 4^th, 2013. And the actual registration number will very likely to be over 10,000.

Jan 4^th, the couples gets their marriage certificate

Jan 4^th, Qingyuan Qingcheng District, people waiting outside marriage registration office

“If volcano did not erupt, the earth did not crack, buildings did not fall down, homes were not flooded, you are still there and he is still in love with you, please get married on Jan 4^th, 2013.” Postings like “let’s get married” were popular on internet as the rumor of “the end of world” broke down. The seemingly normal date – 2013.1.4, is called the “true love day” because of the homophonic of “love you for a lifetime” in Chinese (20 means “love you”; 1314 means “a lifetime”).

Civil Affair Department in Beijing projected that the number of registration for marriage will be about 10,000 on this day, a figure more than 7,700 on the “showing love day” – 2012.12.12(12 means “showing love” in Mandarin), but less than 15,000 on the “Everlasting day” – 2009.9.9 (9 means “everlasting” in mandarin) and19,000 on 2008.8.8 (8 means “getting rich” in mandarin). But 10,000 is definitely more than the figure of maximum 4,000 every valentine’s day.

Journalist learned that all the 16 counties of Beijing have prepared for the summit of registration for marriage. Staffs at districts such as Haidian, Xicheng, Dongcheng, Chaoyang will be in office before six in the morning. They will welcome couples before regular working hour and will finish their work after the last couple gets their paper work done. The Beijing Association of Marriage and Family Construction will give courses of “happy marriage training” to the couples while they are waiting in line.

People wait in line at noon on the day before

It was 10:00 pm on Jan 3^rd, more than one hundred people were already waiting outside the marriage registration office at Chaoyang District. Although without lights, the crowds were still seen carrying chairs or sitting on the ground. The scene is like the railway station during Spring Festival when workers are waiting to buy tickets to get home.

The first in line was a man named Wang. He said that he was here at 1:00 pm. “there were rumors that the office is open at midnight, some said maybe 5:00 am the next day. So I want to be here early and get the first draw to get it done quickly and not to the delay my work next day” said him.

The person behind him said that he did not make an appointment, so he was worried that he may not get the certificate because of too many people. That’s the reason he came here so early.

Outside the marriage registration office is a parking lot. Tens of cars were still on where sat one of the couples. They were doing shifts every half an hour so that one of them can rest a little bit in the car.

There were even very old people among the crowd. They were standing for their children. Because of the cold weather, people kept calling McDonald’s and KFC for delivery. There was a smell of coffee and black tea in the air.

Staff at the marriage registration office told journalist that most staffs will be in office at 5:00 am. Besides, they will extend their closing hour to make sure every couple gets the marriage certificate.

The experts saying marriage and family need good ways to build

Former director of marriage registration office of Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau said that although the meaning of the day when the young couples are getting married is very good, the possibility of living happily for the rest of their lives depends on their thoughts of building family, the love to each other and the techniques to maintain a good marriage.

Other Source: QQ

These are the current top 10 internet phrases in China: 屌丝 Diaosi, 元芳你怎么看 Yuan Fang, what do you think, 杜甫很忙 Du Fu Hen Mang, 高富帅,白富美 Gao Fu Shuai, Bai Fu Mei, 矮矬穷 Ai Cuo Qiong, 你幸福吗 Ni Xing Fu Ma, 躺着也中枪 Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang, 给跪了 Gei Guil Le, 碉堡了 Diao Bao Le, 查水表 Cha Shui Biao.

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A typical Diao Si

“Diao Si” [...]]]> Happy new year everyone! the following is a guest post by Philip via MarketingToChina.com, edited by Key.

These are the current top 10 internet phrases in China: 屌丝 Diaosi, 元芳你怎么看 Yuan Fang, what do you think, 杜甫很忙 Du Fu Hen Mang, 高富帅,白富美 Gao Fu Shuai, Bai Fu Mei, 矮矬穷 Ai Cuo Qiong, 你幸福吗 Ni Xing Fu Ma, 躺着也中枪 Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang, 给跪了 Gei Guil Le, 碉堡了 Diao Bao Le, 查水表 Cha Shui Biao.

1. 屌丝 Diaosi

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A typical Diao Si

“Diao Si” literally means “penis thread”. “Diao Si” refers to such a group of people who are young, addicted to Internet and stay far away from those “great achievements”. It was firstly used to in a war of words between Chinese netizens while they just accept this humiliating title unexpectedly.

They admit that they have no power, no big money and even self-respect, but they are also not ashamed of this.

(Editor: “Diao Si” referred to the humble young men, usually presented as “short, poor and ugly”.  They are bad looking, with low income and dream of beautiful girls but can only satisfy their sexual needs by themselves.  However, in personality, “Diao Si” are cowardly but kind, with lack of self-reflection, perseverance and the ability to change lives, they are seen as the tragic figure of this current materialistic, money-first era.)

2. 元芳你怎么看 Yuan Fang, what do you think

Yuan Fang, what do you think

“Yuan Fang, what do you think” is a sentence from a popular TV soap “the amazing detective Di Renjie” where the leading role, the detective Di, always asks his assistant “Yuan Fang”, “What do you think?”. It makes the leading role look like a naive officer, totally depending on his subordinates’ advice.

Now it’s used everywhere on internet. When you see somebody post his opinion online, you will probably see somebody reply with “元芳你怎么看?”

3. 杜甫很忙 Du Fu is very busy

Du Fu Hen Mang

” Du Fu Hen Mang ” means Du Fu is busy. Du Fu was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. He is such a great poet that his poems appear almost every year on the textbook of Chinese students. Some students like those poems while most people don’t like it because they have to recite those poems one after another. So many of them doodle on his image on their textbooks to release their dissatisfaction and talent. Then people discover him is “busy” with many things such as basketball, cycling and so on.

Then starting from Du Fu, other celebrities from textbook, or even web celebrities become “busy”, too.

4. 高富帅,白富美 Gao Fu Shuai, Bai Fu Mei (Tall, rich and handsome; White rich and beautiful)

Gao Fu Shuai

The literal meaning of “高富帅, 白富美” is “tall rich handsome, white rich pretty”. “Gao Fu Shuai” is used for man and “Bai Fu Mei” is used to describe female. According to Chinese people’s taste, height, wealth and handsome face is the symbol of nobility for man and white face, wealth and beauty is the character for high class woman.

But Chinese netizens would like to use these terms to describe “Fuerdai” (the rich second generation) who get a lot of money from their parents. Netizens use those terms to keep themselves away from those rich high-class people or their extravagant life and to show their satisfaction with what they are now.

5. 矮矬穷 Ai Cuo Qiong (Short ugly and poor)

Ai Cuo Qiong

Contrary to “Gao Fu Shuai” or “Bai Fu Mei”, “Ai Cuo Qiong” refers to people who are “short, ugly and poor”. It was used by a big percentage of netizens who have not so much interest to become “Gao Fu Shuai” and claim themselves as “Ai Cuo Qiong” to show that “Ai Cuo Qiong” have also their own lives.

6. 你幸福吗 Ni Xing Fu Ma (are you happy)

— Ni Xing Fu Ma?
— My surname is Zeng.

“Ni Xing Fu Ma”, which means “are you happy?” is from a CCTV street interview. The journalists just go on the street and ask random people this “stupid question” as many netizens say. It’s just another meaningless program from CCTV on the way to be forgotten until one construction worker answered “My surname is not Fu, but Zeng” with a serious face. (Ni Xing Fu Ma can also mean is your surname “Fu”)

Then people began to use this question massively with sense of humor and their scorn against the boring program from CCTV.

7. 躺着也中枪 Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang (Being shot lying down)

The meaning of “Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang” is “lying on the ground and get shot”, a famous line from a comedy movie, it refers to people who have extremely bad luck to get shot, doing nothing but lying on the ground as a dead body.

When people say that, they probably want to say, “I got fucked even doing nothing!” For example, when qihoo is in fight with Baidu, Baidu users discover that they cannot open their Baidu accounts as easy as before, they can say “Tang Zhe Ye Zhong Qiang”.

8. 给跪了 Gei Guil Le (make kneel down)

“Gei Guil Le”, Kneel down for (you, it…) is another popular internet catchphrase in 2012. In ancient times, Chinese only knelt down for God or people who conquer or overwhelm them, but now they are willing to kneel down for more people online for the stupidity or crazy fantastic things.

9. 碉堡了 Diao Bao Le

Jay Chow

What Chinese netizens will use when they want to say ”super-crazy!”? They will say “屌爆了” which means “penis-exploding awesome”. However, “penis” is so harmonious according to most website administrators, so they employ a new homonym “碉堡了” which means “Bunker”.

It becomes famous as a tag of Jay Chow, a famous pop singer from Taiwan. But like most unharmonious words said by celebrities, “碉堡了” goes popular.

10. 查水表 Cha Shui Biao (check the water meter)

Cha Shui Biao

“Cha Shui Biao”, literally “Check water-meter!” is a new way of saying that this content is against censorship and the poster can be taken away by the policeman.

In the beginning of this year, some people were taken away by police because posting censorship content online. So many netizens became over worried and always reminding others of being careful with the censorship, or they will get punished. And from a TV comedy, policemen try to enter a suspected guy’s home smoothly by pretending to be people who check water-meter. Then it becomes kind of kind way to remind others of being careful with the censorship.

Qu Shitao became known as the “Inspiring Basketball King” (“励志篮球帝”) after a video surfaced of him playing basketball despite having just one leg. The video first became hot on Sina Weibo and then was reported on by a number of television stations across the country, including CCTV.

Here is Shanghai Tevelision Station’s news report on Qu from the morning of November 16:

On the basketball court at Jiangxi’s Donghua University of Science and Technology, people often see a very unique basketball player. [...]]]>

Qu Shitao became known as the “Inspiring Basketball King” (“励志篮球帝”) after a video surfaced of him playing basketball despite having just one leg. The video first became hot on Sina Weibo and then was reported on by a number of television stations across the country, including CCTV.

Here is Shanghai Tevelision Station’s news report on Qu from the morning of November 16:

On the basketball court at Jiangxi’s Donghua University of Science and Technology, people often see a very unique basketball player. He just has one leg. Recently, videos of him playing basketball have made their way onto the web. This young man has been dubbed “Inspiring Basketball King.”

Since then, Qu has remained in the spotlight. He met with Yao Ming recently and was surprised by his newfound fame. According to QQ Sports:

A few days ago, Qu Shitao told a reporter over the telephone that when he went to Shanghai and met with Yao Ming, people had come from thousands of miles a way to hear him speak. He had never imagined that his dream would become a reality like this.

This was the first time Qu Shitao went on an airplane. Because of his body, he never had an opportunity to go on a long trip before. He feared that his crutches and his artificial limb would not make it through the security check, so he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his luggage slowly coming through on the conveyer belt.

After he boarded the plane, there was also a funny story. When the plane encountered turbulence, it was the first time he had experienced this circumstance, so he was very nervous. His teacher who went along with him said, “At that time, Qu Shitao firmly grabbed the armrest. I could see on his forehead that he was really sweating. Then the plane stabilized, and he was fine.”

After two days had passed, Qu was still quite in awe of the whole experience. “Shanghai, walking around here, like I said earlier, today was an amazing day. Thank you to Big Yao for caring about me! Sad to say goodbye!!!” Those were his comments before leaving on Tencent Weibo. It was his first time to go to Shanghai and his first time to see a CBA competition.