37.5 are at Live Bar with their new EP, Through. Industrial/death metal is the name of the game for the seven (sometimes eight) guys from Guizhou. Bulaimei and Blakjack open.
¥30, 9:30pm, 721 Kunming Lu, near Tongbei Lu, 昆明路721号近通北路

Sunday
The always excellent Folk 0093 collective team up with some slightly rockier Lingling Lu co-inhabitants as Joker and Brit-poppers Da Fresh join the bill. Also on the line-up: Five Pence, Fading Cross, Red Mushroom, Yang Qian Chi from Beijing and Rebecca from the Dovetail Joints going solo. Should be an interesting way to see out the weekend.
¥30, 8:30pm, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu (entrance on Kaixuan Lu), 延安西路1731号 (入口在凯旋路)

Video: Loudspeaker's Open Your Eyes

Just about any information can be classified as a state secret in China, and even information that is publicly circulated can be withdrawn or later determined to be a “state secret” based on the consequences of disclosure (of relevance to the Rio Tinto case, harming the economic interests of the state and weakening the economic strength of the state are specifically mentioned as possible rationales for retroactive classification of state secrets). Sending information overseas can also carry heavier consequences. One notable instance of this involved the Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2000 for sending Chinese newspaper clippings to her husband in the U.S.

State secrets cases are also subject to less transparency and fewer procedural protections for defendants. Evidence in state secret cases is considered confidential and trials are conducted behind closed doors. In some cases, the defendant’s access to counsel may be limited.

Thickening the plot, a senior executive named Tan Yixin of Chinese steel maker Shougang Corp. was detained for “business crimes relating to the trading of raw materials” today. While it's unclear whether his arrest (he was taken on his way to work by five or six police vehicles) has anything to do with Stern Hu's, the detainment of two high end executives for two major companies in the same industry in the same week is a heckuva coincidence.

It doesn't help suspicions that Rio Tinto is the second largest producer of one of Australia's primary exports (iron ore) and has been at the center of a rising tension in China-Australia relations. Last month, the mega company backed out of a $19.5 billion USD agreement with Chinalco, a Chinese state owned enterprise, instead cutting a deal with BHP Billiton. China and its media mouthpiece was not pleased.

And according to Reuters, “Chinese and foreign business people have been detained or kidnapped during the course of business disputes as a pressure tactic before. Mainland Chinese who have taken foreign citizenship, like Stern Hu, are particularly vulnerable.

Certain Australian conservatives have already connected the dots, calling BS on Qin Gang's remarks that this isn't "political." The Australian consulate has demanded and only just finally gotten access to Hu.

We guess only time will tell whether Hu is just a pawn in the murky semi-business, semi-political game China plays with all multinational corporations, but whatever happens, it's a stark reminder of the dangers you can sometimes face dealing with the Eastern giant.

"I couldn't buy anything for my birthday since most stores are closed so I came here to donate blood," said Zhao, who turned 22 Wednesday. A member of the Dongxiang ethnic group, Zhao said she believed her birthday donation was an act of benevolence. "Maybe I can help save a life," she said.

She said Sunday's riot only served to jeopardize the lives of many residents who were "united as Xinjiang people".

Wang Jian, waiting for his turn to donate Wednesday, said he despised the "beastly deeds" of the rioters. The 24-year-old migrant worker from Xinjiang's Alaer city said he did not participate in any riot. "The only thing that I can and will do is to give blood to the injured," he said. "That's my response to violence."

A number of foreigners also joined the queue to donate blood Wednesday. Lyailya, 34, and her sister Telokova, came to the blood center with their colleague Murat. The three Kazak business professionals said they were engaged in border trade with China. "I was very sorry to see innocent people on TV, including little children, being beaten in all the bloodshed," said Murat. "So I'm here to offer my blood and help."

And on Xinhua is a story about a 100 million RMB fund being set up in Urumqi to comfort the victims of the riot:

Urumqi Mayor Jierla Yishamuding said Wednesday the municipal government has drawn a plan to comfort people injured and disabled in the riot, and also the families of the dead.

The government will also subsidize enterprises that suffered great losses, aiming to help them resume operation as soon as possible, he added.

But the best (and by best, we mean worst) piece of news we've seen all day is this headline stating that trigger of this entire situation was an "unintentional scream".

The teenager girl- who was rumored to be sexually assaulted in Guangdong - claims when she walked into a dorm room full of Uighur men they gave her a fright, hence the scream. She had no idea her scream of fright triggered a brawl between workers at the factory, catapulting into the events in Xinjiang the past few days. Oof, good luck putting a positive spin on that one.

In order to compete, each team had to comprise of half Chinese and half expats. While this may not be the image most people have when they think of an "international dragon boat match," the mix of Chinese and international racers made for a great weekend of racing and cultural exchange.

In the end, returning champions Discovery Sports took home the first place trophy along with gifts for the entire team.

Racer Brian Chia from Discovery Sports commented on his experience over the weekend: "It was very fun, and even though there was a lot of attention on the races, it was still laid-back and I had a great time. I felt very accomplished and I know my Chinese teammates did too."

We're not sure how discovering oil makes you an iron man, but the Chinese obviously love yet another movie about model workers fighting 'class enemies' and 'old society' and 'bourgeois thought' and yawwwwn. Only a matter of time before another one comes out. Next!

3. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
We have to give some credit here, the first Night at the Museum wasn't that bad, and some of us here at Shanghaiist much prefer Ben Stiller over his other Frat Packers (yeah, we're lookin' at you, Will Ferrell.) So of course the big Hollywood machine churned out a sequel, and so far it has grossed over 12 million yuan at Chinese box offices. And sometimes you just need a dumb comedy to keep those bad China days at bay.

2. Terminator Salvation
Hey, remember that time Christian Bale threw a four minute f-bomb laden hissy fit? That was while filming this movie...and that's what we find most memorable about Terminator Salvation. But hey, there's a decentish cast (we're suckers for Helena Bonham Carter), and it so far has taken in 38 million yuan in China, so good for you, Terminator 4. Your Chinese fans still love you, or at least your CGI effects.

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
So what if some netizens were insulted over Transformers bombing Shanghai? In its first five days, Revenge of the Fallen generated over 100 million yuan in box office receipts. Proving once again that the Chinese love their robots in disguise. Megan Fox who?

"That cat is someone's pet! You can't take it!", we yelled and shooed the cat away from the gate.

"No, ehum, we wouldn't take a pet", the man in white shirt mumbled and lifted his cage away.

We continued our walk and then peaked over our shoulders. The man in white shirt was once again setting up his cage by the gate, but a loud: "AY! AY! AY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" from us made him pick it up and leave. Although, we have no doubt that later that night he set up his cage somewhere else, out of sight of nosy pub crawlers.

We may have saved one cat, but goodness knows how many weren't lucky enough to have pet-loving laowai around that night. Remember: it is a bad idea to let your cat out in Shanghai, even if it's wearing a collar with name tag and knows its way home. Cat snatchers aren't fussy about selling pets as food and you can't always guarantee that your friendly neighborhood Shanghaiist will be there to save Fuzzy from them.

AROUND 11AM TODAY

This incident, as reported by TIME:

Earlier in the day, the Chinese government efforts at media management backfired dramatically, as a large group of women besieged an official tour of visiting journalists to protest the arrests of their husbands, sons and brothers. Six buses full of foreign and Chinese reporters were taken to a neighborhood southeast of Urumqi's Grand Bazaar to see an auto dealership that was burned by rioters Sunday.

As reporters interviewed residents of the area, a Uighur woman with two children stumbled past sobbing. The woman said she was bereft over the disappearance of her husband. Soon after, a dozen Uighur women emerged from a market, marching down a four-lane road and chanting slogans. The journalists and cameras followed, and soon the protesters — mostly women and children but some men as well — swelled to about 300 as Foreign Ministry minders stood aside, watching helplessly.

Several women said their family members had been detained in mass police arrests the previous day. "Free my husband! Free my husband!" a group of headscarf clad women cried. "He has heart disease," one woman said of her arrested husband. "He didn't go out yesterday or the day before, but still they took him." The women estimated that thousands of men had been arrested. They dumped out plastic bags that held more than 100 pairs of footwear and trousers, which they say police forced the detainees to take off when they were arrested. Urumqi Party Secretary Li Zhi had said earler at a press conference that more than 1,000 people had been arrested, but they were all taken while actively rioting.

AROUND 3PM

From Sky News reporting on the situation:

Thousands of Han Chinese protesters have taken to the streets and smashed shops owned by Uighurs, China's less dominant ethnic group.

Police in China's Urumqi city are repeatedly shooting tear gas to disperse the angry group who are armed with makeshift weapons.

But the demonstrators, some of whom carried meat cleavers, bricks, chains and bats, stayed put and washed the tear gas out of their eyes with water.

Martial law has now been imposed on the city. Internet access is cut off once again as a way to "prevent the riot from spreading." Meanwhile, somebody has been throwing molotov cocktails at the Chinese consulate in the Netherlands. Great, because what this situation needs is MORE violence.

Some pretty disturbing pictures of the incident from the Chinese media (for strong stomachs only).

With both sides having something to gain from the way they report the story, it's very hard to say. According to the Associated Press, the violence started when the crowd grew past the 1,000 mark and people refused police demands that they disperse.

Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the pro-independence World Uighur Congress based in Germany, said he received calls from Urumqi describing the protest as peaceful until police used force to try to clear the square. "Riot police were using police batons to beat people," he said.

One caller he spoke with said police opened fire. Dilxat said some protesters were beaten badly. One of his informants told him that one person was killed. The account could not immediately be corroborated. Video shot from a building nearby and photos from mobile phones taken from the protest showed people running from police and a car on fire. In other shots, smoke rises in the distance and fire engines race to the protest.

Meanwhile, Xinhua has argued that the rioters had been there as part of a World Uighur Congress plot to threaten the stability of the Chinese government. It pointed to comments by exiled Uyghur and WUC leader Rebiya Kadeer for believers in Uyghur separatism "to be braver" and "to do something big."

The clashes took place between Uyghurs and members of China's Han community. Several vehicles and shops were also smashed or set ablaze Sunday evening during the violence that the provincial government said was masterminded by the separatist World Uyghur Congress. 'They took to the street, not peacefully, carrying knives, wooden batons, brick and stone,' said Wang Yaming, who was attacked by the mob but saved by a group of Uygurs.

As you can probably tell, the Chinese government's take on the WUC's nature is kind of different from some other sources.

What is the World Uighur Congress?

For Xinhua, it's a "separatist" organization formed by "Rebiya Kadeer, a former businesswoman in China, was detained in1999 on charges of harming national security. She was released on bail on March 17, 2005 to seek medical treatment in the United States."

According to itself, it's an international organization that "represents the collective interest of the Uyghur people both in East Turkestan and abroad" whose main objective is "the right of the Uyghur people to use peaceful, nonviolent, and democractic means to determine the political future of East Turkestan." It has categorically rejected Rebiya Kadeer's alleged role in the "peaceful" protest.

And this (possibly wackadoo tin foil hat-esque) site claims they're all part of a CIA conspiracy to break up China by inciting unrest. We have not substantiated any of the claims on this site, but if anyone can confirm whether Rebiya Kadeer's husband DOES work for Radio Free Asia or if Berlin HAS been cultivating relations with exiled Uyghur politicians, we'd maybe apologize for calling the site wackadoo. Maybe.

So what has been the world response?

Xinhua:

""Oops! Not again!" was almost the universal response when news of the unrest came Sunday night, when blood tainted Urumqi, with at least 140 lives lost and more than 800 others injured...

For whoever was behind the riot, or for whatever intentions they had in masterminding the bloodshed, one thing is clear: under no circumstances should slaughters be brooked, violence allowed or national security challenged."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon:

"All the differences of opinion, whether domestic or international, must be resolved peacefully through dialogue," Ban told a news conference in Geneva when he was asked about the rioting in the capital of China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.

"Governments concerned also must exercise extreme care and take necessary measures to protect the life and safety of civilian populations, and their citizens and also protect the properties and the freedoms of speech, assembly and information," he said.

"This is the basic principle of democracy. That's what I am urging again to all the countries of the world."

Elsewhere on the web:

• ESWN has one of the largest groupings of articles about the mass incident that we've seen so far, including links to Youtube videos of the protest.
• Reuters has an interesting Fact Box listing the most major incidents of unrest in modern Chinese history - the most recent previous one happening in Tibet in March 2008. We guess we'll have yet another sensitive anniversary to add onto the list next year.
• They also have a Fact Box on the Xinjiang region and the political turmoil that's bubbled out of there so many times we don't know if we can really call it "under the surface."
• The Telegraph has answers to questions people who are newer to the whole Xinjiang conflict thing. Like, for people who don't really know what a Uyghur is.
• Adam Minter of Shanghai Scrap points out that it seems like Western media was more reluctant to call what happened in Tibet "riots," opting for the much more peaceful sounding term "protest" instead. Bias against Muslims/for Buddhists perhaps?
• The official CCTV video of the riots. Worth watching and then compare contrasting with other videos you may find.

Mr Huang was quoted saying that he was not trying to "play around" but was hoping to "attract the attention of the examination assessor". He said he had become obsessed with oracle bone script since last year, when he was taught how Chinese characters evolved from it. He has since read voraciously about it in his spare time.

Teacher Fu Tichao was initially angry at Mr Huang, but admitted it was impressive that he wrote the essay in 90 minutes. There are only about 1,000 oracle bone script characters, and Mr Huang has mastered 80 per cent, the teacher said.

While some netizens criticised Mr Huang for showing off, others applauded his dedication to a rare and difficult discipline.

Danwei pointed out that writing wasn't all in oracle bone, but rather was an amalgamation of various ancient forms:

This reporter's initial reaction was astonishment when I first saw the paper covered in ancient characters on the copy Xiao Huang made of his essay. After inspecting it carefully, several language arts teachers who had studied ancient characters discovered that it contained oracle bone characters, bronze inscription characters, and seal characters. And after reading Pu's transcription, a number of language arts teachers said that although some of the sentences were ungrammatical or strained, the meaning was basically understandable.

Pu said that Xiao Huang's writing was usually better than this, so the ancient characters may have affected his thought process.

Many felt that the low score belied the rigidity of the national exams, which do not normally let students like Huang show off their true skills. But if Huang got into university anyway, then at least it shows that sometimes, with enough media attention, there are exceptions to the rule.