Tickets to remaining Olympic events are going on sale on Friday (July 25th). On Water-Wood BBS (水木社区), people were talking about spending Thursday night in line. But now most are shocked to find that that very long lines have already formed Wednesday night; thousands of Beijing'ers are planning to camp out two nights to purchase what few tickets remain. … [Read more...] about Olympics fever still running hot
General
Use Democracy to avoid a "Bottleneck Lake" in China
In the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake, a "bottleneck lake" (堰塞湖) formed as a river was blocked by a landslide. Collapse of the dam posed a tremendous danger to those down-stream community, and the Chinese government spent huge resources and risked many lives to erase the lake. Guangdong provincial party secretary Wang Yang started a mini-landslide of his own, when 3 days … [Read more...] about Use Democracy to avoid a "Bottleneck Lake" in China
Zhang Ziyi – What's in a name?
Zhang Ziyi was recently interviewed on a Chinese TV network: She said (in translation): The first time I was the lead in an English-language film, I received some high praise. And especially as a Chinese person, I thought that was something to be proud of. At the Cannes Film Festival, in front of all that media, then they call your name... And as a Chinese person, they … [Read more...] about Zhang Ziyi – What's in a name?
Why the Beijing Olympics are already a success
Despite all of the predictions of doom and concern, I believe the Olympics are already a success. The WSJ reports world and business leaders are crowding China's red carpet in an unprecedented way: … [Read more...] about Why the Beijing Olympics are already a success
Classmate Yang goes online: Chinese officials engage netizens
Chinese president Hu Jintao's brief appearance on the Strong Country internet forum might be more significant than most of us originally thought. There have been other signs in recent weeks that the PRC government is reconsidering its approach to Internet speech. I translate a story (原文), just published in the China Youth Daily (中国青年报, operated by the Communist Youth … [Read more...] about Classmate Yang goes online: Chinese officials engage netizens