"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Just links today, the Tomb Sweeping Festival holiday starts Thursday so the next issue of the newsletter will probably be this weekend:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
Novel bird flu kills two in China : Nature News & Comment The emerging, if preliminary, analyses of the viruses’ genomes point to the possible spectre of a pathogen that might spread silently in poultry without causing serious disease… Scientists stress that it is far too early to make a full risk assessment of the potential pandemic threat. But the initial analysis of viral sequences is “worrisome“ because they show several features suggestive of adaptation to humans, says Masato Tashiro, a virologist at the Influenza Virus Research Center in Tokyo, the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s influenza reference centre in Japan. // New Bird Flu Virus Kills 2 in China, Sparking WHO Probe – Bloomberg A new strain of bird flu killed two people among at least seven infected in eastern China, prompting officials in Shanghai and Hong Kong to issue alerts and the World Health Organization to investigate whether the virus could spread more widely. The two deaths were in Shanghai, and five people in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces are in critical condition after being infected with the H7N9 strain // Beijing Prepares for Avian Flu – Businessweek the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Health released a statement that medical facilities in China’s capital are now taking extra precautions to screen for the virus, as Xinhua News reported on Tuesday… No cases of avian flu in humans have been confirmed in Beijing as of Tuesday, according to state media.
Mao Would Have Loved Apple’s China Apology – Bloomberg Notably, official and popular anger (albeit popular anger that might very well have been ginned up) at Apple’s repair and warranty policies had been brewing for months, with little to no effort by Apple to quench it. In June 2012, for example, the company was condemned by the China Consumers’ Association for replacing damaged parts in iPhones with refurbished parts. In July 2012, a state-sponsored Chinese consumer group added Apple to its “integrity” blacklist for similar repair and warranty issues. And in August 2012 China’s state-run media played up a consumer lawsuit against the company for unequal repair and warranty policies. Then the complaints went quiet for a while. But anyone who has paid attention to China’s long history of targeting foreign brands for alleged wrong-doing (all the while allowing Chinese-owned companies to get away with similar or worse) had to know that the campaign wasn’t over // Apple HQ was not paying attention to some of what was going on in China? worrisome if true, considering importance of China to Apple’s business and stock price// 苹果首席运营官2日抵达北京应对公关危机_科技频道_凤凰网 Chinese report that senior Apple exec Jeff Williams was in Monday attempting to do damage control// CCTV Evening News seems satisfied, report about the apology got 3 minutes on the Tuesday evening broadcast [视频]苹果道歉 承诺改进售后服务_新闻频道_央视网
Apple Apology in China a Rite of Passage for Foreign Brands – Bloomberg Worst of all for Apple, the apology and increased costs for still may not get the company off the hook, [Shaun] Rein said. “No matter what Apple does, the state media is going to continue to criticize them,” Rein said. “They are in the cross hairs and the government wants to make an example of them for whatever reason — whether that’s about censorship on iTunes, about trying to support the domestic telecom sector, or trying to divert attention away from the real problems in the country like pollution.”// yes, iTunes/iCloud may be a next area of trouble…frankly surprised Apple’s content sales and cloud services have so far been ignored by the GFW and other regulators // Why Did Apple Apologize to Chinese Consumers and What Does It Mean? | ChinaFile good ChinaFile conversation// Jeremy Goldkorn: If Apple does not act contrite, there are thousands of other issues that CCTV or other state actors could attack them on, starting with the apps and content on their iTunes store: To this day the iTunes is the greatest Trojan horse of foreign content that any foreign media or tech company has managed to sneak into the People’s Republic without serious scrutiny. //yes this has been a remarkable “oversight”, can’t imagine will not be “remedied” soon
Fei Chang Dao: A Chronicle of China’s State Run Media Attacks on Apple in 2013, With Some Historical Perspective On March 15, 2013, state-sponsored China Central Television (CCTV) aired its annual Consumer Rights Day special investigative report. Companies targeted included: Netease (Internet privacy), Sina (Online Pop-up ads), AutoNavi (Mobile app privacy), Volkswagen (Defective transmissions), Apple (Computer warranty). This post covers how China’s state-run media dealt with this issue, as well as how it has previously dealt with past issues regarding Chinese consumers and high tech companies. //also looks at earlier attacks on Google and Baidu
Former Japanese prime minister to meet with Chinese leader this weekend – The Japan Times Former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is arranging to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Boao, Hainan Province, on the sidelines of a regional forum running from Saturday to Monday, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. It would be the first meeting between Xi and any Japanese leader, former or current, since he succeeded Hu Jintao as president in March
A Day in the Life of a Beijing ‘Black Guard’ – Caixin A Henan native collected his pay and quit his job stopping petitioners from airing their grievances in Beijing. Then he told Caixin how he went about his work //original Chinese–另类民工的觉醒
2 cities join hands through links with Xi– China Daily The small Iowa city of Muscatine welcomed special guests from Zhengding county, Hebei province, on Monday. The Chinese delegation of eight led by Mayor Yang Lizhong had a mission: sign a sister-city agreement with Muscatine. “It is exciting, and in a lot of ways it is our contribution to world peace,” said Muscatine Mayor DeWayne Hopkins. “A relationship has to start with one person and that’s what we are doing,” he told China Daily before the signing ceremony at the Muscatine Art Center. “We are looking at this from a ground-floor level, and I want to have a relationship with Zhengding and Mayor Yang, and hope he feels the same.”
The Chinese Dream Concentrates Overwhelming Positive Energy | China Copyright and Media translation of the lead essay in the April 1, 2013 issue of Seeking Truth, by “Autumn Stone 秋石”–中国梦汇聚磅礴正能量
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
China’s Service Industries Expanded at Faster Pace in March – Bloomberg The non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 55.6 from 54.5 in February, the Beijing-based National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in a statement today. A separate services gauge from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics rose to 54.3, matching the highest since May, from 52.1. Readings above 50 signal expansion.
China’s top liquor makers brace for slowdown as anti-luxury drive bites | Reuters Despite healthy financial results for 2012, this year will be tougher, especially for industry leader Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd, whose prestige brand and high prices put it directly in the line of fire for official anti-luxury campaigns. “Moutai is going to get hit harder because it’s become the ‘Ferrari’ of alcohol. It’s the brand that everyone is sort of scared to buy,” said Shaun Rein, the Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group.
北京拟定房价管控新政 现房也要限价 |北京国五条细则|房价管控|现房限价_21世纪网 Beijing to add price controls to its municipal real estate repression rules?// 北京将对房屋“限价”再出新招，现房也要限价。“北京2013年房价调控目标任务将一一分解，下放至各区县，”北京一位区县的建委官员告诉本报记者，若完不成年度任务，将进行问责。
Closer Look: Local Gov’ts, Public Play Cat and Mouse over Latest Property Curbs – Caixin Media reports say the boom in March was because people were worried a 20 percent capital gains tax would be strictly implemented nationwide. Meanwhile, government officials and industry experts have said the tax, which is supposed to be levied on home sellers, would not be passed on to buyers. Let us assume that the 20 percent tax helped to slow housing prices from rising too fast in some major cities. This would explain why sellers rushed to complete transactions over the last month; they did not want to shoulder a tax burden. Why, then, are buyers not waiting to make purchases? Some have said that Beijing’s policy putting ownership limits on single adults prompted people to hurry to buy homes. However, there is no evidence that buyers in Beijing in March were single adults. Also, how would rising prices in cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen be explained? I think all of this illustrates that the 20 percent tax will do little to keep home prices from rising.
北京高端住宅 成交量猛增384% | 每经网 March sales of beijing high-end apartments surge, prices jump// 而在成交猛增的二手房交易中，高端项目的成交量依然不可小觑。丽兹行豪宅研究院数据显示，3月份北京高端二手住宅成交量总计901套，环比增加352.76%，同比增加384%，相比近三年来，最高值涨幅超一倍。其中棕榈泉、海晟名苑、凤凰城、华贸中心等13个楼盘单月成交量突破20套。《每日经济新闻》记者了解到，其中万柳区域共成交二手高端项目143套，占整个二手高端项目成交额的15.87%。
杭州前脚出台“最简约细则”后脚现拍地盛况 | 每经网 hangzhou’s new real estate measure relatively loose, NBD says no coincidence as the city has some big land auctions underway/coming up…// 在被戏称为 “最简约地方版”的杭州“国五条”细则出台后，杭州土地市场并未因此而“遇冷”。 昨日（4月2日）杭州市余杭区拍卖2宗宅地和1宗商地，3宗土地出让面积共计11.35万平方米，约合170亩，总起价5.12亿元。最终，两宅地掀起多轮竞价，让其单日吸金5.88亿元。
郭建波与任志强打赌房价认输 申请在长安街裸奔|任志强|郭建波|房价_新浪财经_新浪网 Chinese real estate bear loses bet to developer Ren Zhiqiang over Ren’s prediction last year that real estate prices would surge by March 2013. The loser ran naked across Chang’An Avenue last night (pictures are up on weibo this morning)…would suggest these kind of stakes for foreign China pundits but not sure you want to see that…// [CORRECTION: the bet did occur but the run has not. The pictures going around were of something else..apologies]
Jim O’Neill: China Cycle Will Be Softer – Business Insider I have followed a Chinese Financial Conditions Index (FCI) for years as a leading indicator and it has been very useful for me in helping to guide my relative views of the Chinese cycle. (Please find the chart attached.) Despite all my China structural bullishness, its tightening from 2009 to 2011 and its subsequent lack of major easing is why at GSAM we have had a more cautious view of the cycle than the consensus for the past two years. Many people have suggested to me that the proliferation of the shadow banking system was why it didn’t matter. I never fully believed this, and now with this clampdown, unless they ease financial conditions, I suspect that the Chinese cycle will be softer than consensus forecasts for 2013 at least. So, contrary to market expectations, could we end up with an easing of policy?
Why China’s economy might topple – FT.com — Martin Wolf It is easy to think of economies that long showed superlative performance but failed to manage the inevitable slowdown. Japan is an example. China can avoid that fate, partly because it still has so much growth potential. But the chances of accidents are high. I would not expect one to stop China’s rise altogether. But the decade to come could be far bumpier than the last.
China issues plan to rejuvenate old industrial base | Reuters The plan, to run from 2013 to 2020, covers 95 prefecture-level cities and 25 municipalities and capital cities that were once the core of China’s heavy industrial base. A blueprint issued in November 2011 covered 62 cities. The NDRC said in a statement on its website that investments would be made to help former industrial centres upgrade technology while also providing financing support and encouraging financial innovation – including bond issuance – to raise capital for the program.
SEC probes Silvercorp short-seller fight – The Globe and Mail The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Silvercorp Metals Inc. and has issued a subpoena to the mining firm requesting all documentation relating to the Vancouver company’s long-running battle with short sellers. The SEC subpoena, obtained by The Globe and Mail, includes a request for all documents in Silvercorp’s possession connected to the allegations made by the websitesalfredlittle.com, chinastockwatch.com and “Kun Huang,” a researcher and Canadian citizen who is currently in jail in China.
POLITICS AND LAW
Singapore court sentences for Jiangxi official for receiving stolen money | South China Morning Post A former local-government official in Jiangxi province, Li Huabo, who was accused of a 94 million yuan (HK$116 million) fraud, was yesterday sentenced to 15 months’ jail in Singapore for receiving stolen money in his bank accounts in the city state.//Bloomberg Businessweek had a good story on him last week
Chinese court sentences man to 3 years, 6 months for murder during Cultural Revolution | McClatchy An 80-year-old man accused of killing a local doctor during China’s Cultural Revolution 45 years ago has been sentenced to three years and six months, a punishment the court said was appropriately light in part because the crime took place during “a special historical period.” The reasoning by a municipal court in the city of Rui’an, laid out in a five-page ruling dated March 7 but that the victim’s family said they received only on Friday, hinted at the lingering sensitivity of the Cultural Revolution, a period fueled by the ruthless politics of Mao Zedong, the father of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
[视频]白岩松：可以“私了”一切 却“私了”不了公平正义_新闻频道_央视网 CCTV’s Bai Yansong on 2 recent deaths during land disputes, says that those individual incidents may be settled privately with cash but how can you privately settle fairness and justice…bai very interesting, seems increasingly outspoken, especially as someone “inside the system” // one of the cases–Driver arrested for killing farmer over land dispute – Xinhua–The driver of the cement tank was detained on Sunday on suspicion of intentional homicide. Relatives of Zhang agreed on Tuesday to receive 850,000 yuan (about 137,039 U.S.dollars) in compensation from the construction company of the highway.
Party official removed over affair – Xinhua | English.news.cn paid her a 200k rmb “breakup fee”// Wu Kaifeng, a member of the Standing Committee of the municipal party committee and secretary-general of Wenzhou, received the punishment for violating party disciplines, according to the city’s discipline department. A post on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo detailing Wu’s extramarital relationship with a woman went viral at the end of March, triggering great concerns among the public.// 温州市委秘书长吴开锋被曝包养情妇遭免职 _新闻_腾讯网 连日来，一条名为“温州市委常委、秘书长吴开锋遭小三逼宫曝光”的网帖被广泛流传，本报率先对此事进行了报道（详见3月29日本报A20），引发热议。昨日，浙江省及温州市有关部门证实，涉事的温州市委常委、市委秘书长吴开锋已被免去职务，正接受组织调查。
MACAU DAILY TIMES – Gaming revenue rises to record as casinos expand to draw gamblers Macau’s gambling revenue jumped 25 percent to a record in March as casino operators expand and add more hotel rooms to draw tourists from China’s mainland. Revenue in the world’s largest gambling hub rose to 31.3 billion patacas (USD3.9 billion) in March, topping the December high of 28.2 billion patacas, according to data from Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau// is Macau gaming revenue a good indicator of the efficacy of the corruption crackdown, as in the higher the revenue the less efficacious the crackdown?
What China Needs to Do to Really Put Clamps on Corruption – China Real Time Report – WSJ There is one conceivable option: China could construct a separate procuracy and a separate court specifically tasked with handling corruption cases, with members chosen by a committee of legal experts both within the procuracy and the courts and also from the world of academia. Such independent institutions could function successfully only if they could be insulated from influence from political-legal committees (which currently can dominate judicial outcomes at all levels) or any other government or Communist Party institutions. The decisions of the new courts would have to be reviewable only by the Supreme People’s Court.
老同学晒李克强法院实习笔录 称其曾为首席辩护(图)_资讯频道_凤凰网
China Frees Jigme Gyatso, a Tibetan Activist – NYTimes.com A Tibetan activist whose long, harsh detention by Chinese authorities drew international scrutiny has been freed after serving 17 years in prison, exile groups reported on Tuesday.
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
New Chinese Ambassador arrives in Washington to assume office – Xinhua | English.news.cn Ambassador Cui Tiankai, the new Chinese Ambassador to the United States, arrived in Washington, D. C. on Tuesday to assume office.// Ambassador Cui’s official MOFA bio
朝鲜纪录片：水深火热的美帝人民（字幕版）–凤凰视频-最具媒体价值的综合视频门户-凤凰网 North Korea video on “How Americans Live Today” making the rounds on Weibo…w English. snippet: “this is how Americans live today, drinking coffee made from snow, living in tents and buying guns to kill each other, especially children…”//[Correction: Whoops, turns out this a fake. Entertaining, but apologies]
Our policy toward North Korea isn’t working – Washington Post Mike Chinoy is a senior fellow at the U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California and the author of “Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis.” He has visited North Korea 15 times….As the United States and South Korea strengthen their defenses amid blood-curdling threats from a North Korea that continues to strengthen its nuclear and missile capability, the truth has to be faced: U.S. policy toward North Korea is not working.
North Korea: Not Crazy but Very Misunderstood – NYTimes.com “Public discourse about the North in most of our enlightened world is crippled, condescending, irrelevant, and, like heartburn, episodic,” says James Church, the pseudonymous author of a series of novels about the country, in an article titled: “NK and Pluto.” He insists on anonymity because of the nature of his past intelligence work.
The Future of History | Foreign Affairs Stagnating wages and growing inequality will soon threaten the stability of contemporary liberal democracies and dethrone democratic ideology as it is now understood. What is needed is a new populist ideology that offers a realistic path to healthy middle-class societies and robust democracies. –Francis Fukuyama
Xi meets Saudi Arabia deputy defense minister – Xinhua | English.news.cn Xi underscored China’s commitment to developing stronger ties with Saudi Arabia. On the military front, he noted that China and Saudi Arabia have worked more closely in recent years. The stronger military cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia benefits the bilateral relations and works for world and regional peace and stability, according to Xi.
李小林访日否认是密使：只为推动中日民间交流_新闻_腾讯网 中新社东京4月2日电 (记者 谢国桥)4月2日，中国人民对外友好协会会长李小林在东京接受中新社记者专访时表示，本次访日意在推动两国民间交流，并非日媒所称是中国政府派出的“密使”。
傅崐成：北极事务少不了中国参与_评论_环球网 北极有全球气候引擎的别号，它的可持续发展符合全球利益，有关国家都有义务和责任。各国应根据国际海洋法合理有序地利用和保护它。中国也有必要和世界其他国家一道，积极参与北极事务，善尽北冰洋航线利用国的责任，保护环境、促进航行安全、维护原住民文化。▲（作者是厦门大学南海研究院院长）
朱锋：习李新政，中国外交看点是什么？-财经网 当中国领导人愿意、并能从容而又享受地在国际外交场合展示自己的眼光、个性和对世界外交的理解，这一成就足以掩蔽习出访的其他政治、战略和经济成果。一个乐于、并能快乐地向世界展示自我、展示个性和展示“气场”的中国领导人将预示着外交的调整和发展。原因很简单。外交工作是创造性的工作，是需要注入领袖个人活力和影响力的工作，更是需要展示自我期待和气质秉性的工作。大国外交是领袖外交，领袖的眼光、思想和风采，永远是大国外交的坚实财富。习近平在访问中温和、放松和自然的神态，朴素但又显示功力的国际思维，面对公众和客人时热情、坚定而又活跃的神情，近20年来很难看到这种用自己的思想和魅力去感染对方的中国领导人。
人民日报-历史问题，只能“零容忍” 钟声 为什么欧洲各国对“希特勒”保持如此高的警惕？英国作家威尔斯有句名言：历史是教育与灾难的竞赛。模仿希特勒并不是什么玩笑或噱头，事关历史观，是非常严肃的政治问题。遏制与纳粹相关的任何符号起死回生，是对历史教训的深刻铭记，更是捍卫来之不易的和平。 在国际金融危机背景下，如何防止极右思想泛滥，是一个全球性的严峻挑战。一些极右党派借经济危机、就业问题屡屡抛出排外主张，甚至公开宣扬种族歧视。更有人身居高位却干着逆历史潮流而动、为侵略历史翻案的勾当。对此，国际社会不能有丝毫含糊，必须予以强有力的揭露和批判。对历史正义的捍卫，就是对人类未来负责。
Prosecutor: Researcher stole cancer data for China – Yahoo! News A researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin is charged with espionage after prosecutors say he stole a possible cancer-fighting compound with the intent of studying it in China. Prosecutors say Hua Jun Zhao stole the compound and research data. A federal complaint says investigators found 384 items related to research into the compound on Zhao’s computer. Authorities also found a grant application in Mandarin in which Zhao said he discovered the compound and requested Chinese funding to continue research.
Ex-President Carter says China pressuring Nepal on Tibetans | Reuters China is putting pressure on Nepal to interrupt the flow of Tibetan refugees into the Himalayan nation, former United States President Jimmy Carter said on Monday. Hundreds of refugees from the Chinese province of Tibet cross treacherous mountain passes to reach Nepal each year, but as the influence of China grows in its impoverished neighbor, their passage is becoming increasingly difficult.
Neil Mellen: A Pacific Island Prefers Chinese Investment to U.S. Welfare – WSJ.com except that Deng Hong is now under investigation..doubt this project will go anywhere// A Micronesian island of about 39 square miles in the western Pacific will in the coming years became a destination for Chinese tourists if a massive resort complex proceeds as planned. The island, called Yap, is part of the Federated States of Micronesia and is strategically located at the crossroads of the Pacific, 500 miles southwest of the major U.S. military bases on Guam. There are likely to be significant cultural, environmental and economic side effects from the project proposed by Chinese real-estate developer Deng Hong and his Exhibition and Travel Group, or ETG. Certainly a 4,000-room casino-and-golf complex would transform Yap. Yap State, a group of islands with a total population of 11,000, is one of the world’s most isolated and traditional societies.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
How a Jockey Trains for Horse Racing – WSJ.com At 22, Mr. Chadwick is one of the best jockeys to come out the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s school for riders. He is a leading player in the drama of the turf that plays out on Wednesdays and Sundays during the sport’s season, from September to July. Mr. Chadwick, the adopted Chinese son of English educators, started training at 15 years old to be a jockey apprentice at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. After a preliminary training period, he was sent off by the club to gain more experience overseas, including riding at the Lismore Turf Club in Lismore, Australia. In his days as an apprentice, his mentors tried to tell him how demanding his profession could be, “but because we came in so young, half of you is listening, half of you isn’t,” he says.
TECH AND MEDIA
去哪儿网点击付费上涨超40% 致OTA厂商集体大逃亡 | 每经网 Baidu’s Qunar raises click roates for hotels by 40%, sees mass exodus of hotel advertisers// 核心提示： 据多方了解，这一现象系去哪儿网对其酒店点击付费业务收费上涨40%，引发OTA厂商集体不满，因此全线撤退。
Sina Jumps as Valuation Drop Spurs Rally: China Overnight – Bloomberg “Chinese stocks are really cheap now, a buy opportunity as we had last year when valuations reached lows in history,” Michael Ding, lead manager of the China Region Fund (USCOX) at U.S. Global Investors Inc. in San Antonio, Texas, which oversees $2.2 billion said by phone. “So I didn’t sell anything. The Chinese economy is still in expansionary territory //which is why his fund is lagging the market over the last year? // “We believe Weibo’s new model is accumulating advertisers steadily,” 86Research Ltd. analysts said in a note yesterday. “There is a pickup in advertiser number in March.” // 86research is C. Ming Zhao’s new startup research firm…he was one of the first bulls on Sina because of Weibo when he was at SIG
人民日报-微信收费，是否应该？（深阅读） 有网友表示，微信是中国移动互联网引领全球互联网的第一次机会，过早收费只会扼杀这个社交化工具。业内人士分析，三大运营商在OTT业务上，已充分行使了自己的竞争权利。他们并非没有自己的OTT应用，飞信、翼信和沃友都曾被用户选择、接受，而后又被一部分用户放弃。归根结底，是因为这三款应用都没能发挥好管道优势，不具备和微信竞争的能力。而另一方面，运营商市场却是封闭垄断的。记者看到，在由新浪网友4月1日早8时发起的一项“如果你反对微信收费，请转发签到”的活动中，在不到12个小时内，已累计超过8万人直接或间接转发、评论 // People’s Daily weighs in on debate over whether or not operators should force charges for Weixin/WeChat, seems to come down on side of no fees yet
Paramount, China Movie Channel to produce Transformers 4 | Reuters Viacom Inc’s Paramount Pictures said on Tuesday it reached a deal with the government-run China Movie Channel and its online movie service partner, Jiaflix Enterprises, to produce “Transformers 4” in China.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
河南周口现重新拢坟现象 新拢起坟头十多万座_网易新闻中心 tomb wars in Henan…nothing good can come from disturbing Henanese spirits, alive or dead…// 几个月前，河南省周口市曾因推进殡葬改革、平坟200多万座备受关注，如今，有部分坟头已悄悄重新隆起。据周口市有关部门统计，从春节到清明节前，周口农村新拢起的坟头大约有十多万座，约占2012年秋冬平坟总量的一成左右。
Fighting sexism on campus – Frontpage – CHINA – Globaltimes.cn On campus and in society at large, people have become so used to sexism that they sometimes don’t realize it is a problem, experts say. Some schools have been addressing the issue by promoting awareness among students. Over the years more and more students have taken a stand but it will still be a long time before the concept of gender equality fully takes hold.
Howard Brenton, interview: my new play is ‘dangerous for Ai Weiwei’ – Telegraph Howard Brenton, the playwright provocateur of the Seventies and Eighties, takes on the cause of Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei in his new play, #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei. He talks to Tom Wicker…he’s visited China several times, first as research for a mooted (but never made) BBC series, and then again last year with his wife, absorbing its history through talking to old Communist Party cadres, villagers and current officials. Conversations with Wall Street Journal China correspondent Jeremy Page guided his focus on the internecine factionalism of the Chinese government. “It’s not dangerous for me to write this play, but it is dangerous for Ai,” Brenton says. “Thankfully, he was very enthusiastic about it when it was got to him. Indeed, he had someone in his office correct Chinese names and typos immediately!”
Why China’s Wealthy Prefer Dry Land to Luxury Yachts – Scene Asia – WSJ Ferretti subsidiary CRN is currently showing a 35-meter-long yacht at Hainan Rendez-Vous, a China boating festival attended this year by more than 300 global brands. The company’s president, Lamberto Tacoli, spoke to the Journal about what’s keeping wealthy Chinese from sailing out to sea on their own private boats. Hint: It’s not money.
国家欲统一管理艺术品鉴定 三大问题成争议焦点_财经_中国网 对此，中国艺术品市场研究院副院长、文化部文化市场发展中心研究员西沐告诉记者，“国家统一规范艺术品鉴定，不能单靠政府部门，而需要三方面的相辅相成。首先从政府层面来看，要有顶层设计，要有相应的管理体制和体系，强化监管；另外依托行业管理组织进行规范自律，政府没有能力直接面对市场，最终的决定权不在政府，还是在专业机构手里；最后，当然还需要市场体系和市场主体去规范和自律，只有这三个层面相辅相成，才能达到国家统一规范艺术品鉴定的可行性。”
In China, how to end it like Beckham – FT.com Cameron Wilson, guru of Chinese soccer at the website Wild East Football, says foreign stars do not necessarily have to be over the hill to play for Chinese clubs these days: younger players in their prime are increasingly making the great trek eastward – and big names will continue to come to Chinese clubs (even if Drogba can tell them a renminbi in the contract may not be worth one in the bank account). For the real money is not on the pitch but in the advertisements. Dwyane Wade, the US basketball star, has just signed a rumoured $100m contract to endorse the products of Li Ning, the Chinese sportswear brand that is rapidly becoming a has-been in its industry
How a discussion of censorship on Sina Weibo evolved into a discussion of the limit of freedom of speech | Offbeat China The above Weibo post could have been ignored by most netizens if it wasn’t picked up by Kai-Fu Lee, former head of Google China and a Weibo celebrity with over 35 million followers. Seeing Lin’s Weibo post, Lee felt the need to teach a lesson of freedom of speech // Lee stepped in it by preaching without apparently knowing the full story, but attacks on his daughters disgusting
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
Podcast- How Serious Are China’s New Leaders on the Environment? – Economic Observer Online – Barbara Finamore, the China program director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), has worked with Chinese government officials for over two decades on sustainable development initiatives and environmental policy. In today’s podcast she tells us what gives her hope from China’s new leadership and what issues still remain major concerns.
China suffers smoggiest March in 52 years – Xinhua | English.news.cn China has just faced its smoggiest March in 52 years, announced the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Tuesday. Nationwide, an average of 3.3 smoggy days were registered in March, 1.1 days more than the same period in normal years, the CMA said.
“十二五”减排目标完成不足两成 大唐发电遭陕西环保厅现场督办 | 每经网 能源大省陕西承担着“西电东送”的重要任务，但燃煤发电企业在生产中所排放的二氧化硫、氮氧化物等大气污染物，则不断加重当地的雾霾天气。作为陕西最大的发电企业，大唐集团的全资子公司大唐陕西发电有限公司（以下简称大唐陕西公司）去年排放氮氧化物9.53万吨，截至“十二五”第二年末，该公司氮氧化物减排任务仅完成不到两成，部分纳入目标责任书脱硝改造项目没有按期建成。
“美素奶粉”掺假事件持续发酵 玺乐集团急闯中国市场埋祸根_财经频道_一财网 Hero’s China baby formula scandal getting worse..did Hero know there were problems?// 闹得满城风雨的美素丽儿奶粉掺假事件仍在持续发酵。近日，作为天赋美素品牌所有方瑞士玺乐集团（Hero AG）被指对经销商疏于管控，存在纵容经销商造假的嫌疑。
北京市属医院医护病患将统一换装_网易新闻 pictures of the new, officially mandated wardrobes for Beijing hospital workers…are these real nurses? which hospital?
Deadly Tibetan Landslide Draws Attention to Mining – NYTimes.com Ethnic tensions have played into the outrage over mining. Most of the mines in Tibet belong to large state-owned enterprises based in eastern China, and they mostly bring in ethnic Han managers and workers, shutting Tibetans out. Of the 83 miners buried by the Gyama avalanche last week, only two were Tibetan, according to official news reports. Environmental concerns, though, have dominated. Scientists have documented significant problems brought by the ravages of the Gyama mine, which belongs to China Gold International Resources Corporation, a company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is a unit of the state-owned China National Gold Group
FOOD AND TRAVEL
Nestle to Spend $16 Million on China Coffee Center – Bloomberg The Vevey, Switzerland-based foodmaker, which sells products from Nescafe coffee to Maggi food seasonings in China, is expanding its food and beverage business as rising incomes drive consumption in the world’s second-largest economy. The new center in the southwestern Yunnan province will train 5,000 farmers, agronomists and coffee business professionals a year, and will include a coffee testing laboratory as well as a consumer education facility.//so if China has a federation of coffee growers like Colombia does and they decide to run TV ads in the US, who will be China’s “Juan Valdez“??
Milk Powder Climbs to Fresh Record as Drought Hits N.Z. Supply – Businessweek Whole milk powder climbed to a record as New Zealand’s most widespread drought in at least 30 years curbs supply in the world’s largest exporter, according to Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd. (FCG)
BEIJING
Burnt offerings taint air around Lama Temple – CHINA – BEIJING – Globaltimes.cn Residents living near the Lama Temple in Dongcheng district have said that the constant burning of offerings along the street is making their lives a misery and ruining the local environment. Dongcheng urban management authorities said Tuesday that they have noticed the burning but there is little they can do as there are no regulations to expressly forbid it. For over a decade, nearly half of the 800-meter-long Yonghegong Dajie has filled up with dozens of stores selling incense or providing fortune-telling services to those who come to the temple for blessings, according to Beijing Business Today on Tuesday.
BOOKS AND LITERATURE
莫言：请大家不要再邀请我参加活动_资讯频道_凤凰网 Mo Yan asks to be left alone, not be invited to any more events// 新京报讯（记者姜妍 见习记者江楠）“今后大家最好不要邀请我，多么光彩的事我都不参加。第一不要邀请我，第二不要到我老家去，大家各干各的，我用我的新作回报你。”在获得诺奖后莫言似乎不胜各种打扰，昨日在第二届中国-澳大利亚文学论坛上，莫言在与2003年诺奖得主库切对话的场合说出这样一番话。
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