It's been almost a year and a half since the TVCCbuilding next to Beijing's new CCTV headquarters went up in flames... and it's only now that they've started the reconstruction. more ›

• But first - Hey! Look at this gallery on China's Communist Party mouthpiece Xinhua - maybe the CCP ain't so scawwy aftwer aww. [Xinhua]
• Ever heard of the Panda attack? It's a lot less adorable than it sounds - it was known as the "first case of organized cybercrime in China" after a worm attacked and funneled information from anybody who opened its email. It also provided a rare glimpse into the Chinese world of hackers. [Wall Street Journal]
• Caixin has an amazing profile on Wang Yali, a Hebei official who was raped by her second-grade teacher and then created a new fake identity for herself - one that rose to become a CPC official, a mistress of high-ranking members and businessmen, and the honor of one of Hebei's "Ten Outstanding Female Leaders." [Caixin]

For the first time ever, photos have been released of the inside of the wrecked TVCC tower, which caught on fire last year after an illegal yet CCTV-sponsored fireworks display. 21 people were just recently charged for their roles in the blaze, which allegedly had damages of 160 million yuan. more ›

To start off our Holiday Superlatives extravaganza, let's take a good look here at home first. Wonder what Shanghaiist readers were flipping through this year? Here are the top five most looked at stories from January to June of 2009. more ›

Egads! Another CCTV fire! Luckily, this one was not nearly as damaging as the one that happened in February, which basically rendered the not-fully-built TVCC building completely unusable. Yesterday's incident was minor: smoke had been rising from the CCTV building's roof, but the flames had already died by the time firefighters arrived. Unfortunately, the current explanation is not particularly relief inducing. According to a translation by Danwei, the fire possibly "occurred because of the scorching weather, which caused the film on the glass to spontaneously ignite." Great. Isn't flammable exoskeleton the thing that caused the TVCC building to become a fire beacon as well? more ›

Caijing has a spectacular article looking at some of the troubles still shrouding the CCTV fire from last month, and they don't all have to do with the destroyed building. The blaze that gutted the TVCC building on February 9 may have also uncovered questionable financial deals made by high-level CCTV executives. more ›

By Kate Ray more ›

According to the twitter grapevine (@zhongnanhai), CCTV might be using its recent disaster to cut down on the little benefits that come with office life. It's allegedly removed water coolers, mini-fridges, humidifiers and microwaves in the building inan attempt to prevent fires. Are the staff bonuses (adorably named the "Cultural and Ideological Progress Bonus," by the way) also a victim of the burning of TVCC? more ›

12 people have been detained by Beijing police over the illegal fireworks that allegedly burned up the TVCC complex. Four CCTV staff members and the eight employees connected with the company hired to fire off the fireworks display have been detained for their suspected roles in causing the fire. CCTV said the fireworks had been powerful enough to require a special permit, but the broadcaster had not applied for one and deliberately ignored police safety warnings. Source: AP more ›

CCTV has publicly apologized for the fire that ravaged the TVCC building yesterday night, saying that it was their fault since their employees had illegally staged fireworks too close to the unfinished complex. In an official statement posted to its website, the network said it was deeply grieved “for the severe damage the fire caused to the country's property.” Altogether, the blaze destroyed the Mandarin Oriental, the TVCC's theater complex, killed one firefighter and injured six others. Source: IHT more ›

It's the morning after, and people in Beijing are reporting that last night's burning building, the TVCC Center right across from the main oddly-angled CCTV headquarters, has been put out. By people, we mean the twitterati, because most media organizations here aren't covering it (yet) at all. more ›