Recommended Reads: The Chinese craze, the Pudong blast, the lifestyles of the rich and famous and political gossips

The craze for Chinese language learning
The Economist: False Eastern Promise: The craze for teaching Chinese may be a misguided fad
Ken Carroll: The Economist at its misguided worst
The Peking Duck: Is the rush to study Chinese a time-wasting fad?

The Pudong petrol station blast
Shanghai Scrap: China National Petroleum to Dead Workers: Blame Yourselves.
Wang Jianshuo: Diesel shortage caused traffic jam

The lifestyles of the rich and famous
Sydney Morning Herald: Britney to adopt Chinese twins
TIME China Blog: Jack Ma's New Pad
The Standard: Alibaba boss opens flat door to $300m record

Political gossip
Global Voices Online: China: Our man in Australia?
China Digital Times: A Conversation Between the Ruler and the Ruled - Ma Shaofang
The Telegraph / Richard Spencer: China’s friendly message to Pakistan