This past weekend, the Jinan Intermediate People's Court found Bo Xilai guilty bribetaking, embezzlement and abuse of power. The trial has been widely publicized and discussed in China, with netizens on the blogsphere commenting from almost every angle, some in support of Bo, some in disgust of his alleged actions, and others neutral and looking at the bigger picture (see e.g. … [Read more...] about Opinion: On Bo Xilai and Rule of Law
corruption
Riots in Assam
There has been terrible violence in India's Assam region recently and the violence has spread to other parts of India. Since this is a blog on China, not India, I am not going to dig too much into the cause or even meaning of the riots. But I do want to point out the relatively "favorable" coverage India is getting. In almost all reports I see, India is cast as the force … [Read more...] about Riots in Assam
Eric X. Li’s “Counterpoint” Op-Ed in the New York Times – Debunking Myths About China
Eric X. Li had a wonderful op-ed in the NY Times. I really don't know how he got a piece through, especially since all mine have been rejected. Anyways, hats off to him! Here is his op-ed, with some of my thoughts scribbled throughout. … [Read more...] about Eric X. Li’s “Counterpoint” Op-Ed in the New York Times – Debunking Myths About China
“A River Runs Red in Fujian” and some punishing news
China Daily has just reported the Longyan Municipal Intermediate People's Court upholding a prior Xinluo District Court ruling fining Zijin Mining for $4.6 million in damages and sentencing the company's former vice president, Chen Jiahong, the company's environmental protection officer, Huang Fucai, and three other company managers to three-year sentences. Zijin Mining was … [Read more...] about “A River Runs Red in Fujian” and some punishing news
Translation: Living in an Era of Change – Era of Acceptance
Last month, Xinhua News had an interesting piece of “被时代” - which translates roughly to “era of being forced” or “era of acceptance.” 被 (bei) in Chinese indicates a passive clause. Thus when you get hit (撞), you say 你被撞了. According to an Internet poll, the most popular Chinese character of 2009 was “被.” Why? Part of the reason is that living in a society charging full … [Read more...] about Translation: Living in an Era of Change – Era of Acceptance