"Fang (Lizhi) has died in the United States at the age of 76. To be honest, I kind of pity him. None of his pursuits and endeavours were in rhythm with the development of China. In reality, he has already been forgotten. I hope that Chinese intellectuals can be more rational in the future. China should not have any more of those elites who are receiving the support and protection of foreign countries to oppose the powers-that-be in this country. That is the old generation, that is going back to the past. The Dalai Lama has received the most support (from foreign nations), but he is just like a passing cloud, he has zero chance to succeed." more ›

Concerning the fall of Bo (Xilai), there's been a great deal of rumours spread by the foreign media and on the internet. Here's my advice for everyone. First, trust in the Party. Second, trust in the general rationality of society that has developed decades after China's reform and opening up. Third, trust in the immense momentum China still possesses going forward. These are the words from the bottom of my heart to everyone. And the words I say to myself. more ›

I don't agree when the Communist Party describes themselves as "great, glorious and correct." The party is complicated and should be humble. At the same time, I also don't agree with some describing the party as a "dictatorship." It is nonsense. The organization of the CPC is open to the whole of society, and its highest levels are dynamic. more ›

Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura recently kicked up a storm by denying that the Rape of Nanking ever took place. Despite strong protests lodged by China -- albeit somewhat belatedly -- Kawamura did not apologize, but even repeated what he said yesterday. Nanjing has since suspended its sister-city ties with Nagoya. Now, Global Times continues to bay for blood, calling for China to sanction the mayor. In an editorial, the paper said Kawamura "must pay for arrogance": more ›

"I agree that loving the country is not equal to loving the government. But I think it would be even more correct to say that loving the country is not opposing the government. Is there anyone who opposes this point? It is common sense that the country is different from the government. The US government is not going to care more about China and the interests of the Chinese people than the Chinese government. Isn't it plain common sense? Patriotism will always contain impurities. Even if it isn't as pure as 24K, it's still gold if it's 18K. Otherwise how did the Chinese resist the Japanese so unanimously in those years? Patriotism doesn't split according to political attitudes. Those of you that are against the system, don't use patriotism as an excuse. OK?" more ›

It strikes us as quite the surprise when the weibo account of The Global Times, an official Chinese propaganda organ recently affectionately called "China's Fox News" by Foreign Policy's Christina Larsen, recently posted a weib declaring "So Norway is the most awesome country in the world after all!!!" (原来挪威才是全球最牛的国家!!!) more ›

A few links to start off your day: more ›

The Sichuanese city of Aba, home of the Kirti Monastery that's had 9 Tibetan monks self-immolate since March, is currently witnessing a huge show of police wearing riot gear, as seen in a new video from the AFP. more ›

The chief of the school canteen, surnamed Zheng, confirmed that they made the dish with 50 leftover moon cakes after Mid-Autumn Festival. They mixed the moon cakes with sauces and vegetables such as green pepper, chili pepper and an edible black fungus, according to a recipe in the newspaper.

Just a few days after Ai Weiwei returned to Twitter, he also gave his first post-release interview with the Global Times. Published in English only, Ai sounds rather uncharacteristically subdued. Read more on the intervew from Evan Osnos and the Peking Duck. As it was a state media interview, unsurprisingly they failed to address his experiences in detainment, but according to sources, he was subjected to "immense psychological pressure" and threatened with 10-year prison sentences. more ›

Late Saturday evening, Hu Xijin (胡锡进), the Editor-in-Chief of the Global Times, sent out the following tweet on his Sina Weibo account: "Today, the Global Times conducted an online poll asking netizens, 'Do you think a western-style general elections will lead China to chaos?' Foreign forces interfered with the poll. Between 1700 and 2100 hours, responses from outside of China increased to 2639 votes, representing 84% of the votes for that time period. Foreign users of Global Times normally account for under 10%, and for online polls, it's usually under 8%. 84% is a highly abnormal figure. Foreign forces have tried to control the results of this poll and interfered with the fairness of the poll. We have closed the poll at 21:11." more ›

Global Times, the flag bearer of timely, accurate journalism, has published an opinion piece cum journalism lesson, entitled "Accuracy should come before politics in reporting on China" which had us doing a double-take just to make sho' it wasn't written by our good friend Hao Leifeng. more ›

In the last two days since we published our little piece on a satirical op-ed which appeared on the Global Times under the byline "Hao Leifeng" lambasting Charlie Sheen for his lack of filial piety, the story has gone pretty much all around the world -- see, for instance, here, here, here and here for what they're saying. more ›

We have no idea how on earth this "op-ed" made it through the Global Times' editors, but clearly some expat writer is taking the piss out of them. The writer's pseudonym "Hao Leifeng" is a play on Comrade Lei Feng, who is held forth by the Chinese Communist Party as an icon of altruism, modesty and dedication. more ›

Naughty sub-editors at Global Times whip up the headline of the day for their paper on February 16: "Sperm bank faces stiff inspection" more ›

It's just ONE DAY until Liu Xiaobo (or at least his picture) receives the peace prize and rhetoric about it has been roughly the same, but maybe turned up a notch. Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu called everyone opposing their decision to oppose the prize "clowns," noting that "All policies in China are for the interests of the majority of the Chinese people. We will not change ... because of the interference of some clowns who are anti-China." And today, an equally furious op-ed was published in the Global Times. more ›

According to a survey from the Global Times, six out of 10 Chinese people polled about Liu Xiaobo's recent Nobel Peace Prize win thought that Norway needed to apologize for giving it to him. In the same article, Global Times said that 75% of the people polled didn't actually know who Liu Xiaobo was. Mathematically, doesn't that mean that it's possible everyone whose feelings are now hurt by Norway were actually more hurt by the phrasing of the poll question? more ›

We tend to make fun of China Daily a lot because some of their stories are hilariously obvious and asinine, but maybe we should have been perusing the Global Times for our "unintentional comedy in Chinese media" fix instead. Over the last week, they've managed to write an inadvertent insult to Liu Wei, the armless pianist who won China's Got Talent AND make a (really, really funny) gaffe when interviewing our founding editor. But first - did you know Liu Wei was "a lifeless ordinary"? more ›

Han Han's long-awaited magazine, Party, hit Chinese bookstores on Tuesday, but two days in and fellow writers of the 1980s generation have began rallying against it. The Global Times reported that several writers allegedly signed an online proposal calling on readers to reject Han's "pseudo literature." more ›

Following the spectacular box office revenues of Hollywood's "Avatar" (1.3 billion RMB) and "Alice in Wonderland" (168.6 million RMB in 12 days), it seems that Chinese movie makers are gearing up to take a slice of the lucrative 3D pie. more ›

China, the youthful and ever growing country that it is, has taken many lessons from the rest of the world. As a result, great men from other countries have come to be revered by the Chinese for their advancements: from Issiac Newton to Michael Jordan, many have made lasting impressions on the Chinese psyche. In preparation for the 60th anniversary of the PRC, the Global Times compiled a list of the sixty most influential foreigners in the country's short history. We'll give you a few guesses. more ›

Shoppers in supermarkets across Europe will soon get the rare "treat" of watching short broadcasts from Xinhua while picking out their groceries. more ›

• Hungry pandas a casualty of China’s quakes [Canada.com] "When the devastating earthquake struck Sichuan province last May, the natural disaster that befell the region’s best-known residents, the giant Pandas, paled next to the overwhelming scope of the human tragedy. Only one panda was confirmed dead and one lost, but great swathes of mountains crumbled, taking with them the bamboo forests that pandas feed on, leaving the fuzzy animals without their primary source of nourishment. Now, local Sichuan farmers are reporting pandas on their doorstep, begging for food."
• Green-Tech Space Race [The New Yorker] "After so many years of hearing about China’s horrendous environmental conditions and prodigious coal reserves, it might be startling to realize that China is far outpacing the U.S. on green-energy investment. But the details have now been laid out in unambiguous detail by Ben Furnas at the Center for American Progress."
• Name Not on Our List? Change It, China Says [NY Times] "For Ma Cheng and millions of others, Chinese parents’ desire to give their children a spark of individuality is colliding head-on with the Chinese bureaucracy’s desire for order. Seeking to modernize its vast database on China’s 1.3 billion citizens, the government’s Public Security Bureau has been replacing the handwritten identity card that every Chinese must carry with a computer-readable one, complete with color photos and embedded microchips. The new cards are harder to forge and can be scanned at places like airports where security is a priority."

The Boston Globe? Hanging on by a thread. more ›

The last time an anchor from our favourite TV channel made it to the news, he created such a brouhaha that culminated in the eviction of one coffee company from the Forbidden City. In the news this time is New Zealand-born anchor Edwin Maher who for many years before arriving in China was a weatherman with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The Los Angeles Times published a profile of Maher that started it all off. It... more ›

Imagine Team America fights with Team China -- what would that be like? This Sino-America Police Sanshou Championship (中美警察自由搏击大赛) may offer us some answers. (Sanshou is a kind of hand-to-hand combat developed by the People's Liberation Army in the 1960s. For more info, go here.) According to the website of The Ministry of Public Security of People’s Republic of China (in Chinese), this championship, organized byMinistry of Public Security and Public Security Office of Hunan Province, is divided into seven classifications, two of which are for ass-kicking females. more ›

The English translations of the top 10 phrases used in Chinese newspapers in 2005 are: more ›