It seems the western media and Chinese blogosphere agree on one thing; Green Dam is not winning any popularity contests. Today, the Chinese government backed down on the mandatory usage of the software, though it will still come either pre-loaded or be included on a compact disc with all PCs sold on the mainland from July 1st. There are several problems associated with this … [Read more...] about Green Dam-Youth Escort
culture
The Future of Chinese Characters
Recently, the Chinese government announced that it is prepared to issue a new list of (simplified) Chinese characters. According to XinHua News, … [Read more...] about The Future of Chinese Characters
(Letter from chorasmian) Self identification of 2nd generation Chinese in overseas
Recently, my daughter had this poem in her class project. Where Are You From? Where am I from? I come from … [Read more...] about (Letter from chorasmian) Self identification of 2nd generation Chinese in overseas
(Letter from Joel) Mainlanders and their pasts, Mainlanders and their selves
For me personally, the Mainland's grandparents and great-grandparents are China's most interesting generation. As soon as I could string a few sentences together I was trying to get our neighbours to tell us about their stories and experiences. But Xinran, the authour of China Witness: Voices from a Silent Generation, being Chinese, can go light-years farther in an interview … [Read more...] about (Letter from Joel) Mainlanders and their pasts, Mainlanders and their selves
(Letter from Joel) How should foreigners feel about being called “鬼子,” “鬼佬,” “老外,” etc.?
I'm on an extended visit back to my hometown, Vancouver, a Canadian city full of Chinese. Chinese is the second-most commonly used language after English. My wife and I were running around a Chinese mall for fun to practice Mandarin and buy some Chinese DVDs when we overheard Chinese people talking about us in Mandarin saying, "Those foreigners are speaking Chinese!" I … [Read more...] about (Letter from Joel) How should foreigners feel about being called “鬼子,” “鬼佬,” “老外,” etc.?