Recently, an 8 year old girl visiting the factory where her grandmother worked died under mysterious circumstances that were captured by the factory's security camera, as seen here in this report by Zhejiang TV (浙江电视台). The CCTV footage shows the little girl Yang Yang hopping merrily into the factory in Hangzhou's Yuhang district (余杭), and then resting her body against the electric security gate — the type that you often see around in schools, factories......

Anyone who's ever seen one of those fancy digital SLR cameras probably knows that professional photography ain't child's play. Right? Well, maybe not. Some friends of Shanghaiist marched into rural Sichuan a few months ago, and started up the Malafi Photo Initiative by handing out reloadable point-and-shoot cameras to a small army of volunteers. Oh, sorry; when we say small army, we really mean 14 little kids. And when we say reloadable cameras, we mean......

The latest edition of Sexy Beijing explores the phenomenon of parents seeking partners for their children at 'Parental Matchmaking Sessions' in parks — a trend that has caught the attention of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who recently floated the idea to the city-state of 4 million in his National Day Rally speech as a way to increase the republic's fertility rate of 1.29, which is far below the replacement level of 2.1.......

Yesterday we heard that authorities in Sichuan were offering hush money to parents who lost children in the May earthquake. The story has been circulating widely, and more details about the government’s attempts to placate parents have come to the fore. Not only are officials apparently going door to door offering pay outs of around 60,000 RMB, they’re sweetening the deal by adding more incentives to keep up the harmonious front. The list includes pensions,......

In February we marveled when doctors in Urumqi removed a parasitic twin from the belly of this baby girl. The rare abnormality has occurred again, this time with an infant in Henan province. The fetus in fetu was discovered after the boy was born with an extra penis on his back, which was removed in a three-hour procedure on June 6. While the case was the first of its type at the Tianjin Childrens’ Hospital,......

USA Today reports that adoption agencies across the United States, particularly the China-only agencies are experiencing a great surge in enquiries after thousands of children were orphaned by the Sichuan earthquake:"There's lots of interest," says Joshua Zhong, co-founder of Chinese Children Adoption International, one of the largest China-only agencies in the USA. He says inquiries have more than tripled since the May 12 quake, which has killed at least 68,109 people and left an estimated......

Selena Hsu of Current TV visits the Jiuzhou Stadium in Mianyang and discovers that while some parents have lost their children and everything else in life, they are more than willing to adopt someone else's child orphaned by the earthquake. [h/t to Danwei] Related link If you're thinking of adoption.........

We've all seen over the last week how the cruel earthquake has left parents without children and children without parents. As the focus now turns to healing and restoration for survivors and giving them tools with which to pick up the broken pieces of their lives, the government has now begun to disseminate information on active steps that concerned individuals considering adoption of children and babies orphaned by the disaster can take. Here is some......

Several tales of motherly love have emerged and are being repeated throughout several Chinese stations and media:One mother was found buried dead while still suckling her three month old.One picture of a female police officer Jiang Xiaojuan has been making its rounds on the internet. A new mother herself, Jiang has been breastfeeding eight babies orphaned by the quake.A third baby was found by rescue workers alive in the arms of his mother who......

In this video: A student of Xinjian Primary School (新建小学) at Dujiangyan (都江堰) rescued alive and in miraculously good shape, and the joys of reuniting with his parents. Great anguish and despair among the other parents who are growing increasingly impatient and demanding to see their children dead or alive. Another video worth watching is this rescue scene at Juyuan Middle School (聚源中学) within the same city. The good news at Juyuan is that out......

From nocas via our Contribute page:today we went to the restaurant downstairs and finally took a picture of this gem in the menu (which i dont think neither of us would have the courage to taste). and just now i found out that this same virus is actually lethal and killing children in anhui province. not nice. Xinhua says the enterovirus 71, which can cause the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has hit......

Photo by El Had Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.......

Doctors at the Xinjiang Children's Hospital in Urumqi have removed a parasitic twin growing within the belly of a four-month old baby, making her look as though she were pregnant. The fetus in fetu was about the size of a bowling ball that weighed 1.25kg, had the shape of a head and an underdeveloped musculoskeletal structure. Such an abnormality occurs in about 1 in a million. The parents of the baby only discovered 40 days......

Ladies, the final countdown has begun. It's your last chance to squeeze out that golden piglet. This Chinese New Year, the real party is in the maternity ward as hopeful parents-to-be race to drop a squealer before the year of the Golden Pig goes the way of the pork ball in your morning xiolongbao. Photo from valentinesperformingpigs.com Superstition isn't normally the cause of a baby boom, but in the world's most populated country, having a......

By Mike Chen......

A little girl from Hunan province born with her heart outside of the body and rib cage has come to Shanghai for medical treatment. The congenital defect, known as ectopia cordis, is extremely rare. In China, only two cases have been recorded and worldwide, over 200. The girl's heart is protected by only a layer of skin and nothing else, and we imagine that sleeping in any other position than on her back would be......

Migrant workers—let's face it, you either love 'em or hate 'em. There's just no in between. It seems that lately, they've been getting some love from the people, what with Chongqing's official Migrant Worker Day and now with the recent announcement by none other than Premiere Wen Jiabao himself that the popular "Migrant Worker Song" (or "Ode to the Migrant Worker" as we prefer to translate it when we're feeling poetic), a song written by......

Since Thursday, mallrats visiting Citic Plaza on Nanjing road may have noticed the greeting card and painting exhibit on the ground floor, right across from McDonald's. We were struck by how atypically childlike the artwork was, and then we found out why: they were all produced by children. The event is called the "Share Your Love" Art Charity program and is organized and hosted by the SMIC Private School in Pudong. We'll let the website......

This week's Adoptable Pet from Second Chance Animal Aid, Shanghaiist's adopted animal charity. From the SCAA: Name: Peanut Age: 1. 5 years Personality: Cuddles and plays with other social cats and enjoys being around people, although needs a short period of adjustment to a new environment. Favorite hangouts: The bed (and in between foster mom’s knees if possible); the sofa next to foster dad; and anywhere a kitten friend is chilling out. Silly habits: picking......

Bokee.com is doing an online poll to determine who were the real movers and shakers of China in 2007. The plug they're using is "谁最敢动中国" (who most dared to move China), and you can vote and then see the results, live. They also have little blurbs about each of the front-runners, explaining why they've been in the news. The frontrunner thus far, with 19% of the vote is China Mobile, who people are accusing of......

For those of you wondering what Shanghaiist's founding editor Dan Washburn has been up to for the past half year or so (other than not posting very much on Shanghaiist) there was some evidence last week that he is alive and well and doing more than sitting on his couch counting his Shanghaiist money (really, that would only take around five minutes). Go to ESPN.com (here, here and here) for stories related to his book......

Here, Shanghai, were your favourite stories for the month of October: Most Voted: 1. Sexy Beijing's Sufei revisits Shanghai 2. The women that make your children's toys 3. "Lovely" Chinese teachers rejected by rowdy British students 4. People, we live in the world's second least green and livable city 5. India's China envy Most Commented: 1. "Lovely" Chinese teachers rejected by rowdy British students 2. Keanu Reeves sighting at Yu Yuan 3. Free Burma, YES,......

Shanghaiist's mailbox has been inundated by emails from all you naughty girls out there asking when the launch party to that Shanghai Hairy Crabs nude rugby calendar will be held. Well, gurls, mark your calendars and save the date! The action happens this Thursday at MAO from 8pm onwards! RMB200 gets you a Solid Vodka open bar, snacks, a goody bag, and yes a copy of that calendar (we know you've been waiting for it).......

Everyone's having their own little calendar these days it seems. Second Chance Animal Aid recently came up with one, and this time, it's the boys from The Shanghai Rugby Football Club and Shanghai Hairy Crabs, and they've shed their clothes for a good cause! Shanghaiist caught a sneak preview of some of the pics, and connoisseur of men that we are — we're telling you these boys will give Dieux du Stade a good run......

We don't often watch telly here, so this might be a bit late and some of you might have already seen this. In this ad, McDonald's calls for children to march their way to the Beijing Olympics next year! Way too cute! Does anyone know which agency was behind the ad?......

2,000 sex-related ads dropped from Chinese television and radio [People's Daily] About 2,000 advertisements adjudged to be sexually suggestive have been dropped from television and radio broadcast across China over the past two weeks, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said on Wednesday. Work on Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail to start by end of 2007 [AFP] Work on a long-awaited high-speed rail linking Beijing and Shanghai is expected to start by late 2007,......

Oops..we have been sitting on this a few days, all the beers and amazing shows made Shanghaiist a little loopy and unable to sit down and type. The entry below comes via Emily Moy who had a chance to sit down with Talib Kweli and Ozomatli at the Yue Festival press conference last Thursday........ Its 3:30p.m., I’m running up and down The Bund and, I’m LATE. My interviews with Talib Kweli and Ozomatli are to......

When it rains, it pours. As if there were not enough fantastic live music acts coming to Shanghai over the holiday, we’ve discovered that there is one more to add to the list. 12-time Grammy Award winner Chick Corea will be playing a solo piano concert at the Oriental Arts Center to begin a number of solo concerts he is doing in China and Europe this month. He played the last three nights in Tokyo......

This is the trailer for a new British documentary which the Chinese embassy in London is apparently trying to stop Channel 4 from broadcasting, according to the Sunday Times. From the filmmakers:With extraordinary access to devastated parents desperately searching for their stolen son; a man who brokers the deals and has sold his own offspring; and prospective parents grappling with giving up their soon-to-be-born daughter through lack of options, we are brought face to face......

The Pet Paradise Asia 2007 expo opened in pavilion W5 of the New International Expo Center to commercial representatives early on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday for a second two-day run. When Shanghaiist dropped by yesterday afternoon, the place was hopping — booths retailing pet supplies and giving away samples, a dog show, and plenty of pet fans eager to pet anything furry and barking/meowing. Most of the exhibitors were targeting dog......