Results tagged “ban”

Wang Jian, a sprinter from Fujian province who was on the national team for the Olympics, was banned for life after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. The ban comes shortly after Wang winning gold in the women's 100 meters at last week's National Games. Sadly, Wang is the third athlete banned in the course of the National Games. Though the sprinter denies ever having used drugs willingly, it's no surprise that drug use would rear its ugly head with competition to make the national team fiercer than ever. Photo from inSing

Is it just us, or does it seem like China's just blocking websites for fun now? Just when we thought that the National Day security crackdown had passed us by without (much) damage, we wake up today to find our favorite video sharing website that isn't blocked in China, Vimeo, is now...blocked. O, China, how will we find viral videos that aren't on Youku or Tudou now? At least you've got some good options for leaping over the GFW.

These days it seems like violence on TV should be the least of a parent's worries - rather the threat is allegedly much greater online. According to Shanghai Daily, Zun Long Ming She, translated as 'Dragon Society', is one of a growing number of online communities that are encouraging or inciting Chinese youths to commit crimes and dole out violence. Formed in June 2008, Dragon Society has recruited 169 members, consisting of “local natives who lacked a caring family and children of migrant workers.” Like any online social networking site, members of Dragon Society were able to share pictures and information, “showing off their tattoos and knives and organizing robberies and attacks” just as a group of Facebook friends would tag each others pics and drum up interest in club parties. The government began cracking down on them after a boy in Luwan District was beaten and stabbed by five other boys, allegedly ordered to do so by one of the site's leaders. Since then, the victim has helped the police to identify members of Dragon Society as well as provide more information on the functions of similar websites. Photo from aranarth@flickr.com

Heavy polluting, high-emission vehicles - those that can't meet China's lowest level of National Emission Standards - are now banned from downtown Shanghai in an effort to create better air quality in time for the Expo. There are about 200,000 of these cars and trucks in the city and they generate about 50% of all vehicular emissions while accounting for only 14% the total of local vehicles. Violators will be fined 200RMB and lose two points off their license. The city started banning high-emission cars from the Inner Ring Road area in 2006. The new ban extends to the Middle Ring Road - including lanes on the Yan'an, North-South and Humin highways.

Up until yesterday, it'd been smooth sailing for Shanghai's first Pride week. But as of Wednesday afternoon, the festival, a celebration of gay pride and social tolerance, ran into some problems with the authorities. Officials from a Shanghai commercial bureau visited and warned the owners of two venues that they would face "severe consequences" if they failed to cancel the events that were to be held there.

Tang Wei, the “Lust, Caution” star who was maybe-kinda-banned-but-maybe-kinda-not on the mainland has scored her first role since the 2007 film. She will be playing the female romantic lead, opposite Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung, in the upcoming Chinese comedy “Crossing Hennessy.” The movie is about a friendship that develops between two shopkeepers who are set up on a blind date. Source: AP

Sure, it may be unwise to go around eating just any bowl of uncooked, potentially unwashed vegetables you pick up in the PRC. But a Beijing salad ban? Seems so, at least according to Cup of Cha, who's order was rebuffed yesterday by a Beijing waiter citing a new ban on the dish, ostensibly for the safety of the many foreign stomachs crowding the city's restaurants in the two months.

Do films with titles like "Feathers of Dongtan" and "Sounds. Breaths" give you a tingle in your special area? If not, fret not, there's still some time to develop that acquired taste which is promotional films for really-big-Chinese-events. "Vision Shanghai", like "Vision Beijing," is going to feature documentary films by famous directors, thought the names of those directors have yet to be released. However, Shanghai Film Group has announced its next Expo film, a full-length doc by Jia Zhangke. We've been hearing about this intermittently for awhile, and whatever our reservations about promo films, we're still curious to see what Jia's up to with this film.The article says that trailers are being shown on TV soon, but we haven't seen anything new on the video-sharing sites.

In a surprise move that if enforced will lead to an undoubtedly cleaner Shanghai and China in general. The powers that be have decided that as of June 1st those ultra thin plastic bags (.025mm) that accompany virtually every purchase in China will be banned. The regular thickness plastic bags will still be allowed, but grocery stores and other vendors will be forced to charge for those bags and prices will need to be clearly marked.