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- Barack Obama and Bill Gates endorse real estate in Xi'an [Danwei] "The developer erected four giant 10x6m billboards around the building, each displaying the portrait of one "spokesperson" coupled with a quote in English and Chinese. In the Obama sign, the quote of choice is 'The values upon which our success depends have never changed,' a slight adaptation from a line in his inaugural address: 'Our challenges may be new....but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old'."
- Red tape to test transsexuals' desire [Eastday] "It was revealed last month officials at the Ministry of Health plan to set clear criteria for people who qualify for the surgery, as well as the hospitals and staff allowed to carry it out. Some in the transgender community, however, have raised concerns the new rules could be too strict [...] His fears center on the fact that, if the rules are approved, patients will have to prove they have had the desire to swap their gender for at least five years, and have lived full-time as their chosen gender for two years."
- A Virtual Game to Teach Children Languages [NYTimes Bits Blog] "Kids choose an avatar and pick a scene, like a castle in a fantasy land or a supermarket in the United States. They are confronted with challenges, like dodging flying monsters or buying fruit, all of which ask them to use English. If they hit a ceiling in their language capabilities, they go to the wizards’ library and read so-called magical books that teach them lessons. The company is initially focusing on kids age 7 to 12 in China but plans to expand globally, eventually teaching many different languages to kids all over the world."
- Stephen Chow Drops Out of Green Hornet Movie [ScreenCrave] "Sources are reporting that Chow decided to leave the Green Hornet project due to scheduling conflicts. This past year has been a bumpy ride for the film that initially began as a pet project for screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It’s release has been shuffled several times, and there’s not a set date for when production will actually begin. The actor could no longer wait for Hornet to get it’s act together so he decided to move on."
- Government PR campaign targets Chinese Muslims [AP] "On Wednesday, the propaganda continued with local TV showing the Uighur and Han singers swaying together as they sang, 'We are all part of the same family.' There were also several personal profiles of Uighurs who acted heroically during the riots. 'Our lives are getting better and better each year,' said one of the farmers, whose voice was dubbed into Mandarin Chinese because he spoke the Turkic language of the Uighurs. 'We won't let the three evils ruin everything.' But on the streets of Hotan, it was difficult to find people who would say the same things. Most Uighurs declined to discuss the issue because they feared they might be overheard by informants or plainclothes police who were following an Associated Press reporter."
- ‘Pyongyang Paradise’ in Beijing Casts North Korea in Soft Focus [Bloomberg] "Beijing would usually be a foreigner’s first stop en route to Pyongyang. The Chinese capital has its own extensive North Korea-themed offerings to serve its own community. Walk around the area and you will see slogan-bearing banners, a threadbare flag, the aforementioned photomontage of the Kims and other idyllic images of the nation. Inside, you may be met with a surly North Korean who gives unsmiling travel advice. On the wall hang murals of the Kims and copies of the Korean Worker’s Daily, one of many papers that extol the brilliance and abundance of the 'Pyongyang Paradise.'"
- China grows faster amid worries [BBC] "China's economy grew at an annual rate of 7.9% between April and June, up from 6.1% in the first quarter, thanks to the government's big stimulus package. The country's quickening economic expansion comes as most nations in the West continue to experience recession. Beijing now expects China to achieve 8% growth for 2009 as a whole, which compares with a predicted contraction of between 1% and 1.5% in the US."
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