I am writing in response to the front page of the 2004/3/23 edition of English Weekly.

Over two-thirds of the page shows a picture of the inside of a luxury automobile and a foreigner playing with the power windows. The article appears so much on the border between news and advertisement that I am tempted to ask if the journal received payment from the car industry.

The issue is not so much with the article itself; rather, there are major problems in the representation of idealized living standards in China, which the paper is participating in.  • more

If you're a fan of mediocre baseball — yes, I mean you, Pittsburgh Pirates fans — you're just going to love the China Baseball League.

Baseball, huge in Japan and Taiwan, has never really caught on here in China. For evidence of this, just look at the CBL (the only pro league in a country of 1.3 billion), which could only scrounge up four teams.

This is the CBL's third season, and I was there for opening day: Shanghai Eagles vs. Beijing Tigers.  • more

The Chinese edition of CNBlog has recently posted an announcement on a forthcoming citizen reportage project where any bloggers who blog in Chinese are invited to blog about the lives and living conditions of ordinary Chinese people that do not currently and are unlikely to ever have a blog.  • more

Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy is probably one of the most unique blogs I have come across within the China blogging zone.

According to its Frequently Imagined Question section, the blog is "a center or clearing house of sorts for news in English about Chinese language science fiction."

It "attempts to illuminate the state of Chinese science fiction by reporting on the latest news, translating commentary and criticism, and issuing reviews and recommendations" in light of the fact that Chinese science fiction seldom appears in English and awareness of it in the English-speaking world is minimal.  • more

To commemorate today's anniversary, here is a selection of links (via a proxy where necessary) to bloggers and journalists who have written on Tiananmen 15 years on

Feel free to e-mail the editor [phil (at) livinginchina (dot) com] if you wish to add to the list.  • more

Lao Zhao, 46, of Shanxi province, shown here preparing a petition for the State Council complaints office in March, is yelling into the wind because she hasn't yet met godfather Mou.

Mou - the Chinese code name for anonymous people - doesn't really care if he remains anonymous. But the longer he stays that way, the longer he can get away with being China's latest one-man clearinghouse and one-man command center for anti-government activity.

Click the thumbnail to enlarge...  • more

It is a cliche of the relationship between Taiwan and China that whenever one speaks of reunification the other speaks of separatism. I would liken the tense relationship between the two camps as being like the relationship between republicans and nationalists in the Republic of Ireland. One camp rabidly desires to unify with Eire and one camp rabidly desires not to.  • more

Why, then, would a graduate journalism student say two years ago "no way am I working as a reporter"? And why would another student from the same department say the same this year?  • more

This is my favorite photo out of the 500 or so that I took last winter in Yunnan. It's not the most beautiful from an aesthetic point of view, but it has a symbolic meaning to it that I was extremely lucky to catch. I was just walking down the street with my camera open, and as I saw this lady, I stealthily turned to snap a picture from my stomach-height as she walked by.

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A relaxed beach life, families picnicking in the sun and Qing Dao's exotic mix of Asian and European architectural styles add up to a unique Chinese city. It's a pleasure to stroll the city's curious old streets and admire the old villas and homes that have stood the test of time.  • more

A relaxed beach life, families picnicking in the sun and Qing Dao's exotic mix of Asian and European architectural styles add up to a unique Chinese city. It's a pleasure to stroll the city's curious old streets and admire the old villas and homes that have stood the test of time.  • more

I'm planning a cross-country trip of China this summer ... wanna help out? OK, here's the plan: Well, that's the problem. I don't really have a plan. I know I want to start somewhere in the far northeast, perhaps near the North Korean border. I know I want to end...  • more