It turns out that all those reports of an imminent Bo Xilai trial were correct. On Thursday Bo was charged with bribery, embezzlement and power abuse (Xinhua):
Bo’s indictment was delivered to the Jinan City Intermediate People’s Court on Thursday.
Bo took the advantage of his position as a civil servant to seek gains for others, as well as accepted bribes in the form of large amounts of money and property, according to the indictment.
He also embezzled a large amount of public money and abused his power, seriously harming the interests of the state and people, the document said.
The Xinhua Chinese announcement is 薄熙来涉嫌受贿、贪污、滥用职权案提起公诉.
Later on Thursday Xinhua published an online commentary that suggests Bo’s case will be used as an example to encourage local officials to more faithfully abide by Beijing’s policies, which is key to enacting any ambitious reforms. It is also something that has eluded most Chinese leaders over the millenia, with occasional exceptions. So far I have not seen 新华网评：薄熙来受审 令出一门方能不偏不倚 translated or summarized, so here is a Chinese excerpt:
令出一门不是彻底放弃地方政府的自主性。地方政府了解自身实际情况，在发展本地经济、维护本地社会和谐上当然有自己的优势，这是毋庸置疑的。但在大政方针上、在领导干部任免上，地方政府必须维护中央的权威，必须坚定不移地执行中央的决定，这不仅仅只是简单地服从，更事关领导干部的觉悟，事关国家前进的旗帜…
中国的历史经验反复证明，只有维护中央的权威才能保证国家的长治久安。中央对于任何一个地方的政策制定、人事更换，都是从整个国家的角度出发，都是以国家利益为前提的；也许这会涉及到某些地方的利益，但小局要服从大局，唯有这样，才有利于国家的改革发展稳定大局… 中央陆续查处了一批问题官员，既有“苍蝇”，也有“老虎”，因为不管是科长、处长，还是部长，只要有问题都应接受党纪国法的惩处。曾为其治下的人民群众，也应清醒认识到其为已谋私利的丑恶面目，坚守地服从中央决定，静观法律审判。并坚持令出一门，继续在中央的总体布局下做好本职工作，为实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦贡献自己的力量。
Friday’s People’s Daily has a page one commentary on the Bo Xilai case–法治没有特区,反腐没有例外. Xinhua has published a summary in Bo indictment shows CPC’s stance on corruption: People’s Daily:
The public prosecution against Bo Xilai shows the clear-cut stance and strong determination of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to root out corruption, according to a commentary of the People’s Daily.
It has demonstrated the CPC’s strictness with its members and adherence to the governing philosophy of ruling the country by law, says the commentary to be published by the mouthpiece of the CPC Central Committee on Friday….
The prosecution against Bo shows that “all men are equal before the law, no exception will be made before regulations, nobody has the privilege to be placed above the law and no one should take the chance that [punishments are not for nobles],” it adds.
“People will be held accountable and severely punished if they break the law, no matter who they are, how powerful they are or how high-ranking their positions are,” it says.
To retain a “high-voltage” crackdown on corruption and target both high-ranking “tigers” and low-ranking “flies” is a key to win people’s trust in the CPC’s fight against corruption, the commentary notes.
The CPC, representing the fundamental interests of the people, will never be soft on corruption and “restricting power by the cage of regulations” will not be empty talk, it says.
We will probably know in a few weeks just how much “high-voltage” will be applied to Bo Xilai.
Where is Bo Guagua? Regardless of how much money he may still have access to, it can not be easy to see both parents spending years in prison. Talk about a precipitous fall, from hard-partying royalty with hopes of scaling even greater heights to near-orphanhood in exile.
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THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
China Unveils “Mini Stimulus” Targeting Small Companies-Caijing Wednesday’s tax cut was part of a three-pronged program .Others include a reduction of costs for exporters and guarantee of funds for the construction of railways.
GSK, corruption and the Byzantine world of Chinese politics | beyondbrics The theory floating around Beijing political circles and in internet postings is that when China’s top leaders were deciding which pharmaceutical company to go after, they settled on GSK because they could achieve two goals simultaneously. Not only have they warned the drug industry to clean up its act; they have also sent a message to the Hu family to pull their necks in. According to this theory, the real targets of the crackdown on GSK are two of Li’s brothers, Hu Deping and Hu Dehua, both of whom have been outspoken advocates of political reform.
Related: Xinhua Insight: Police reveal details of GSK China’s alleged violations – Xinhua After the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced on July 11 that some employees from GSK China were being investigated for suspected bribery and tax-related violations, more individuals involved in the case, including salespeople and doctors, are now under investigation. Xinhua has learned from police officers handling the case that they are suspected of offering bribes to doctors, asking them to prescribe more drugs in order to grow sales volume, and in the meantime pushing up drug prices.
Related: GSK to appoint new head for China operation – Xinhua GSK China general manager Mark Reilly will return to China in near future to cooperate with Chinese investigators, according to the statement. //how have they guaranteed his freedom?
Related: Glaxo Names Gisserot New Head of China Drugs Business – Bloomberg Herve Gisserot, formerly senior vice president of London-based Glaxo’s European business, replaces Mark Reilly, who will remain part of the company’s senior executive team in London, Glaxo spokesman Simon Steel said today. Reilly will help Glaxo respond to the investigation and support Gisserot during a transition period, Steel said….Separately, a travel restriction on Steve Nechelput, Glaxo’s finance chief in China, has been lifted, and he will remain in his current role, the company said.
Related: China Wrings Price Cuts in Public Campaign on Graft-to-Collusion – Bloomberg Behind China’s expanding anti-corruption probe of international drugmakers is a populist campaign to drive down drug prices as China, like the U.S., seeks to expand health care to the poor and uninsured. The pressure on multinationals comes as the country faces a slowing economy that threatens its promise to deliver rising living standards and as President Xi Jinping has made affordable health care a key part of the Communist Party’s agenda.
China detains couple who run risk consultancy – FT.com Shanghai police this month detained Peter Humphrey, the founder of ChinaWhys, a Hong-Kong based risk advisory firm. The Financial Times has learnt that they also detained his wife, Yingzeng Yu, a naturalised US citizen…The couple were detained on July 10 along with several of their staff members. Ms Yu is the daughter of a well-known Chinese scientist who was involved in China’s nuclear weapons programme, according to friends of the couple. // terrifying, won’t find many more foreigners working in China as well-connected. Still unclear what they discovered that got them detained
Government extends review of Smithfield sale to Chinese firm | Reuters The government has decided to take an additional 45 days to review a Chinese company’s plan to purchase Smithfield Foods (SFD.N), the world’s largest pork producer said on Wednesday in a statement that expressed confidence the deal would close in the second half of 2013.
Related: China’s Smithfield Deal Also Brings Drug Concerns – Washington Wire – WSJ The pending $4.7 billion sale ofSmithfield Foods SFD +0.24% Inc., the world’s largest pork producer, to a Chinese company, has provoked health safety questions from the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the impact on America’s supply of the heart-disease drug heparin. In addition to pork products, Smithfield is one of the largest U.S.-based suppliers of crude heparin, the starting material for a crucial blood thinner used by some 12 million American patients, said a letter from committee Chairman Fred Upton (R., Mich.) to company President C. Larry Pope on Tuesday. // remember the Heparin contamination from China a few years ago
Two women detained in Sichuan graft probe | South China Morning Post A deputy section chief at the agency that oversees state-owned enterprises and an executive at a Chengdu technology firm were arrested in connection with the investigation into Guo Yongxiang, The Beijing News reported. The report revealed several new details, including the discovery by investigators of gold bars stashed in a villa belonging to Guo, who is chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles in Sichuan… He was a one-time top aide to Zhou Yongkang…On Monday, police in Hubei’s Yichang city confirmed that He Yan, the chairwoman of Chengdu-based technology company GoldTel Group, had been detained on June 30. The Beijing News report said He and Guo were old friends.
Related: 四川又一富豪被带走 其公司为多家央企供货商|明星电缆|李广元|何燕_新浪财经_新浪网 Another Sichuan magnate taken into custody. Li Guangyuan of Mingxing Electric Cable was detained in Beijing. // 有媒体昨日报道称，明星电缆 (603333.SH)董事长李广元在北京被带走调查。明星电缆昨日全天停牌。该公司昨晚发布公告称，公司目前没有收到相关方面的正式通知，且无法与李广元取得电话联系。
Philippines pushes back against China – The Washington Post China’s most daring adversary in Southeast Asia is, by many measurements, ill-suited for a fight. The Philippines has a military budget one-fortieth the size of Beijing’s, and its navy cruises through contested waters in 1970s hand-me-downs from the South Vietnamese. From that short-handed position, the Philippines has set off on a risky mission to do what no nation in the region has managed to do: thwart China in its drive to control the vast waters around it.
Related: Rescuers make tourist safety a priority in S China Sea|Society|chinadaily.com.cn With more Chinese people visiting the tropical islands of the South China Sea, the sea’s rescue authority is paying more attention to tourists’ safety. “We have designated a ship near the Xisha Islands to ensure the safety of tourists heading there,” Zhu Weiqiao, deputy Party chief of the Nanhai Rescue Bureau under the Ministry of Transport, told China Daily.
Related: PacNet #57 – Fishing Wars: Competition for South China Sea’s Resources | Center for Strategic and International Studies The hydrocarbon potential of the South China Sea (SCS) has become a source of tension between the littoral states of the region and, to a certain extent, a number of outside actors. However, the SCS’s significance to global oil and gas supplies is overhyped. Instead, it is the region’s fisheries rather than fossil fuels that have the potential to ignite a regional conflict.
A Chinese snake-conjuring qigong master sparks ire about China’s festering problems – Quartz A wealthy Chinese martial artist who claims he can conjure snakes from empty bowls and heal cancer just lost one of his most important sources of power: obscurity. Wang Lin, a 61-year-old qigong teacher known in his small town in Jiangxi province for his healing powers, is now in headlines in Chinese media after a Beijing Times report (article in Chinese) delved into Wang’s life and began questioning not just the source of his fortune, but also his supernatural abilities.
Related: 广州农业局长回应与王林蛇缠脖合影：只是玩游戏(图)_资讯频道_凤凰网 Guangzhou official trying to explain this picture with Wang Lin and snakes around his neck as “only playing”…
Carried Off | ChinaFile Child trafficking and its relationship to adoption in China is a serious problem, but also a deeply opaque one. It is a taboo topic for the Chinese government, which acknowledges the problem exists but also does not make public statistics about the number of children kidnapped or the number of children sold into adoption. Because of the implications for the tens of thousands of families in the United States and elsewhere in the West who have adopted children from China—Americans alone adopted nearly 3000 Chinese children in 2012—the topic is often taboo outside of China’s borders, too. Charlie Custer’s movie on this premiers Monday. See the Living With Dead Hearts site for details
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
China Cuts Capacity in Some Industries to Reshape Economy – Bloomberg China ordered more than 1,400 companies in 19 industries to cut excess production capacity this year, part of efforts to shift toward slower, more-sustainable economic growth. Steelmaking, ferroalloys, electrolytic aluminum, copper smelting, cement production and papermaking are among areas affected, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement posted on its website yesterday. Excess capacity must be idled by September and eliminated by year-end, it said.
SAFE Makes It Easier for Certain Traders to Buy Forex – Caixin The country has taken another step towards facilitating service trades and arguably greater openness in the capital account with a new set of rules effective from September 1. Under the new regulation, trading companies in the service sector will no longer need to show their trading documents to the bank when asking to buy or sell up to US$ 50,000 worth of foreign exchange, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said on July 24.
Chinese Corporate Tax Burden Higher than OECD Average: Report-Caijing The corporate tax rate in China is roughly at 40%, after taking into account all kinds of charges, government funds and pension payments
China risks recession, says Lombard Street Research | beyondbrics China may have announced a mini-stimulus to boost growth but it’s unlikely to prevent the world’s second-largest economy from slipping into a technical recession this year. At least that’s the view of economist Diana Choyleva at Lombard Street Research.
China may keep deposit-rate cap for now: report – MarketWatch China won’t remove the ceiling on bank deposit rates in the next two years as banks still need more self-restraint to prevent risks to the financial system, the state-run China Securities Journal reported Thursday, citing a former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China. “Removing the ceiling on deposit rates will be the last step in interest rate liberalization,” said Wu Xiaoling, currently a lawmaker with the National People’s Congress, the nation’s legislature. // Wu has been consistent on this, does not necessarily reflect consensus
楼继伟勾勒税改方向 中央地方财政关系微动_财经频道_一财网 Lou Jiwei’s plan for tax reform becoming visible? // 学者认为，从6月底楼继伟向全国人大常委会提交的2012年财政决算报告即可看出，上收部分事权和取消下放部分专项转移支付等涉及中央地方财政关系的改革方向已经相对明确，并开始有所动作。 财税改革被认为是进一步深化经济改革的突破口，今年将拿出改革方案，然而半年已过，方案尚未发布。学者预计中央将在十八届三中全会上拿出这一轮财税改革的方向，随后再进行细化。
Beijing Sells Residential Land at Record on Luxury Home Demand – Bloomberg The number of apartments sold for more than 10 million yuan in the Chinese capital jumped 81 percent to 1,388 in the first half from a year earlier, as wealthy buyers favored bigger properties under the government’s purchase restrictions
线上调控机构转战线下 银行间资金利率现“双轨”_财经频道_一财网 First Financial on the interbank market an “online” vs “offline” deals and rates // 与透明且标准化的线上交易相比，线下交易的合同细节与清算流程存在一定的操作风险，所以其价格更高。然而，多位交易员声称：“近期一些机构开始将资金交易从线上转到线下，因为线下交易不会受到监管干预，也不会对外界造成影响。” 上述农信社投资经理说：“线下的同业存放需要授信，操作起来比较麻烦，估计数量不会太多。但是如果监管层线上管理太严，只会把更多交易赶到线下。
我国经济增长不会“硬着陆”（经济形势专家谈）-张立群 -人民日报 DRC researcher Zhang Liqun writes in People’s Daily that China’s economy will not have a hard landing…some may ask, what else would he say in that venue? But some might also not completely discount his reasoning? // 应把稳定消费与加强社会保障和公共服务能力建设结合起来，与改善供给、营造安全消费环境结合起来；把稳定投资增长与加强规划指导和基础设施建设，特别是城市地下基础设施建设结合起来，与增加需求压力较大地区的城市住房供给结合起来，与产业转型升级、高质量城镇化结合起来；把稳定出口与外向型经济转型升级、进一步扩大对外开放结合起来。应通过适时适度、有针对性的宏观经济政策调节，防控经济风险，努力使实际经济增长率保持在潜在增长率区间，不断巩固经济在7%—8%区间平稳增长态势。
POLITICS AND LAW
The rule of law: Bizarrely consistent | The Economist According to Ira Belkin, who runs the US-Asia Law Institute at New York University, the seeming contradiction between a crackdown on activists and genuine moves towards reform is, in fact, “bizarrely consistent”. The key, he says, is the focus by the Communist Party on social stability—ie, not only the risk of social unrest, but of any challenge to its authority. Stability depends upon public trust in the legal system, which is likely to improve when wrongful convictions are stopped. At the same time, Mr Belkin says, when the authorities identify people as troublemakers, “they show no mercy in order to deter them and others”.
金螳螂屡接大单 朱兴良家族20年炼成江苏首富_财经频道_一财网 not a small deal that the richest man in Jiangsu, Zhu Xingliang of Golden Mantis, has been detained // 已经被有关部门带走协助调查的朱兴良对家装上市公司金螳螂（002081.SZ）意味着什么？作为金螳螂的实际控制人，朱兴良早早就为公司高管设置了较好的激励机制。金螳螂公司也成为近年来发展最快的家装公司之一。在新财富杂志发布的2013年500位富人榜上，朱兴良家族以189亿元的身家位居江苏首富。
公安部部署开展治安整治 严惩个人极端暴力犯罪_新闻_腾讯网 PSB announces campaign to improve public order after the series of knife, bomb and other violent attacks // 公安部7月25日召开电视电话会议，部署全国公安机关开展夏秋社会治安整治工作。公安部副部长黄明要求认真贯彻落实中央领导同志一系列重要批示精神，始终保持对暴力恐怖活动、个人极端暴力犯罪、涉枪涉爆等严重刑事犯罪的严打高压态势，集中整治影响夏秋社会治安稳定、群众反映强烈的突出问题，深入排查整改、坚决堵塞各种安全隐患漏洞，全力确保社会治安大局持续稳定。公安部副部长李伟主持会议。
调研是谋事之基成事之道（人民观点）本报评论部 –人民日报 page 5 commentary today on Xi’s recent reform comments in Hubei give as an example of research and investigation Peng Dehuai going out in a field in the middle of the night during the Great Leap Forward to verify yield claims…also praises Mao and Zhou Enlai’s on the ground investigations // “大跃进”时，彭德怀住进彭家围子自己的旧居与群众连夜谈心。当有干部谈到粮食亩产过千斤时，他立即同大家来到田边，打着手电筒，蹲下身来，拔起一兜禾茬，数一兜禾上有多少株稻秆、每个穗上有多少颗稻谷，细心计算每亩地的产量。有了这种深度“潜水”的态度和方法，自然会听到心声、了解到实情。
独家:李天一自述内容曝光 被同伙劝嫖娼|律师|李天一|嫌疑人_新浪娱乐_新浪网 more on the Li Tianyi case, he claims they paid the woman // 新浪娱乐讯 李天一等五人涉嫌轮奸案尚未开庭审理，涉及此案的多位律师已轮番发言。今日，五名嫌疑人之一的代理律师李在珂接受媒体访问时指“李某某自以为天下功夫第一，所以在社会上遇到矛盾总喜欢动粗。”并提供案情诸多细节。一位知情人士向新浪娱乐爆料，称李天一在之前的自述中，曾有不利于另一位嫌疑人的言论：李天一称当晚是经同案嫌疑人魏某劝说才去开房，并在性关系结束后由魏某给了受害人杨女士1500元，自己给了500元。据悉，五位嫌疑人各请有律师，律师各为其主，李在珂律师此时的言论引发关注。旋即，李家法律顾问兰和对李在珂言论真实性提出质疑，直指“李在珂擅自发布所谓细节，极端不负责任。”
Jing Daily: Study Links CCP’s Crackdown To Business Banquet Spending Slump Shanghai-based market research company Data Driven Marketing Asia (DDMA) came to this conclusion after surveying 100 medium to large Chinese companies. While the report didn’t reveal the names of the companies or whether or not they were state-owned enterprises, their frequency of and spending on corporate entertainment has certainly taken a dive. According to the report, 46 percent of Chinese companies have reduced the frequency of corporate entertainment, and 51 percent have reduced the amount spent on it.
湘鄂情转型困局：客人不见了 巨亏关店苦盼春天–福建频道–人民网 Xiang’e qing restaurant chain still getting slammed by Xi’s auserity campaign // 上周，湘鄂情公告称，上半年预计亏损1.6亿元到2.4亿元。公司宣布关闭旗下8家门店，占其直营门店总数的近三分之一。其中北京万泉河店4月份刚刚装修完毕开业不久，此次也在关闭之列。曾经门庭若市的湘鄂情门店，营业状况直线下滑。去年单店盈利超2000万元的北京月坛店，
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Top Chinese admiral to visit US this year|Americas|chinadaily.com.cn China will send its senior naval commander to visit the United States in September ahead of the Rim of the Pacific naval exercise next year, which will involve naval forces from both countries, a senior US officer has said. Admiral Jonathan Greenert, chief of US Naval Operations, said at the Pentagon on Friday that he is looking forward to greeting his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Wu Shengli, in September
李源潮与金正恩会晤 向其转达习近平口信_资讯频道_凤凰网 Li Yuancho meets with Kim Jung Un // 李源潮说，今天，我们纪念朝鲜战争停战60周年，是为了深切缅怀为保家卫国英勇牺牲的中朝两国优秀儿女。回顾历史，我们深感今天的和平来之不易，应当倍加珍惜。当前中朝关系正处于承前启后的新时期，中方愿同朝方一道，加强互信与沟通，扩大各领域交流与合作，推动中朝关系持续稳定发展。 李源潮表示，作为朝鲜半岛近邻，中方坚持实现半岛无核化，坚持维护半岛和平稳定，坚持通过对话协商解决有关问题。中方愿与有关各方一道，推动重启六方会谈，致力于推进半岛无核化进程，实现半岛和平和东北亚的长治久安。
China says military aircraft near Japan on training mission | Reuters Japan’s Defense Ministry said a Chinese Y-8 airborne early warning plane flew through airspace between Okinawa prefecture’s main island and the smaller Miyako island in southern Japan out over the Pacific at around noon on Wednesday and later took the same route back over the East China Sea. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said the aircraft was on a planned training flight over the Pacific, the official China News Service reported. // Chinese plane flies across first island chain for first time – Xinhua
China coast guard ships patrol in territorial waters of Diaoyu islands for 1st time – Xinhua
日本右倾化加大世界戒心–人民日报 Zhong Sheng says the world is wary of Japan’s “rightist” tilt // 本届参议院选举之后，安倍政权可能迎来较长的执政时间。能否改变一味靠耍小聪明、玩把戏、搞平衡术处理对外关系的套路，能否着眼大局、把握方向、制定顺应时代潮流的战略，能否正视历史和现实、以实际行动妥善处理好敏感问题，不仅决定世界眼中的日本形象，也将决定日本未来的前途。
Exim Seeks Clout in Myanmar as China Pours Cash: Corporate India – Bloomberg Myanmar, called Asia’s “next economic frontier” by the International Monetary Fund, is the new battleground for Indian companies seeking to wrest business from Chinese firms. Export-Import Bank of India, the state-controlled trade financing institution, has pledged $800 million in Myanmar, which includes funds to upgrade the Yangon-Mandalay railway and a plant for Tata Motors Ltd. (TTMT) to assemble vehicles in the Southeast Asian nation, Executive Director David Rasquinha said
By Jupiter! China spy in sky-Telegraph Calcutta The Indian Army mistook Jupiter and Venus as unidentified flying intruders making nocturnal sorties from China into the skies above eastern Ladakh for over six months until astronomers brought their fears to ground, it has been disclosed. Requested by the army, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, deputed two astronomers to Ladakh earlier this year to resolve the mystery of the two objects that the army had been observing in the sensitive border zone since August 2012. Sources told The Telegraph that army personnel had until February 2013 documented 329 sightings of the unidentified objects seen over Thakung near Pangong Tso, a high-altitude lake shared by India and Tibet.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Sands Stalls Lawsuit to Keep Evidence Hidden, Jacobs Says – Bloomberg Steven Jacobs, who sued Sands in 2010 after he was fired as chief executive officer of the casino operator’s Sands China Ltd. (1928) unit, said in a filing this week in the Nevada Supreme Court that he has three investigative reports commissioned by the company “on foreign government officials, as well as individuals with whom they were doing business that were suspected of having ties to Chinese organized crime.”
TECH AND MEDIA
Singing competition shows to be limited in amount – People’s Daily Online The spokesman of the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) said on Wednesday that the SARFT will take measures to control the total amount of time allocated to the making and broadcasting of reality singing shows. It will also require satellite TV stations to televise the existing shows at different broadcast times.
Baidu’s guide to the eight biggest Internet scams in China | Danwei The eight types of websites deemed by Baidu to be particularly susceptible to fraudulent activity and requiring netizens’ vigilance are those involving finance, mobile phone credit recharging, medicine, online shopping, ticket bookings, after-sales services, express delivery, and prize draws (see below for more detailed descriptions of the top three Internet scams).
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
The search for civic virtues: The unkindness of strangers | The Economist EIGHTY years ago Lu Xun, now enshrined as the father of modern Chinese literature, observed that when others needed help his countrymen seemed to be stricken by apathy. “In China,” he wrote, “especially in the cities, if someone collapses from sudden illness, or if someone is hit by a car, lots of people will gather around, some will even take delight, but very few will be willing to extend a helping hand.” Today such concerns lie at the heart of an agitated national debate spurred by a number of tragedies over the past few years. // Read Lu Xun if you have not already. And if you have, read him again, scary how so much of his writing still fits contemporary China–Amazon: The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun (Penguin Classics)
Red tape bars students from top China schools – latimes.com Meritocracy? // China’s convoluted laws stack the odds against university applicants who lack residency permits for Beijing or Shanghai….Beijing, for example, has 26 fully accredited universities that give preferential admission to 14 million registered residents with Beijing hukous. (Eight million more residents in the capital city do not have Beijing hukous.) Populous Henan province in central China has only one university for a population of more than 90 million.
模特训练营_闫晓蕾_博联社 photographer takes you inside a model training camp in Jincheng. Shanxi
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Over 90 percent of dementia cases in China are undetected sadly something my stepfather suffers from, one of the reasons I tried to spend so much in DC every summer // An international team of researchers has found that over 90 percent of dementia cases in China go undetected, with a high level of undiagnosed dementia in rural areas. The team of public health experts led by Dr Ruoling Chen at King’s College London argues that more mental health education targeting high-risk populations is now needed to improve diagnosis rates, and increase support for sufferers and their families…
FOOD AND TRAVEL
DuPont Sees Niche in Curing China’s Indigestion – Businessweek Last week DuPont (DFT) opened a new state-of-the-art probiotics blending and packaging facility in Beijing. Previously the company operated a small pilot plant to test the Chinese market. Probiotics are the “good” bacteria—such as live cultures found in yogurts—that can help maintain a healthy digestive and immune system. DuPont’s new facility will work with both dietary-supplement and dairy companies in China.
Local company takes delivery of cakes to new heights – literally — Shanghai Daily In a crazy story that would make even spy master James Bond sit up and take notice, a local cake factory is using drones to deliver cakes in Shanghai! And China’s civil aviation authorities are not too happy about it. The factory used remote-controlled aircraft on five different occasions to “fly” cakes across the Huangpu River to customers in downtown, claimed Men Ruifeng, the marketing manager of the Incake company, which only accepts orders online.
BEIJING
Man arrested for hurting infant in Beijing – Xinhua initial news reports wrong, child is still alive, though gravely injured // Beijing police said late Thursday they had arrested a man who allegedly seriously hurt a baby girl in a violent crime that shocked China’s Internet community.// 北京男子重摔女童续：医院称已确诊脑死亡 只剩心跳_资讯频道_凤凰网 sadly, hospital now says the infant is brain dead.
Carpooling in the Capital – Economic Observer Summary：Since giving an old woman a lift on a rainy night in 1998, Wang Yong has given over 10,000 free rides to strangers. Over the years he’s tried to encourage others to do the same, and is now involved in a major pilot in the capital trying to get Beijingers to carpool.