Japanese filmmaker Satoru Mizushima (水島総) was not too happy about Nanking, the American documentary about the Nanking Massacre. So he set out to create his own film The Truth about Nanjing (南京の真実, Nanking no shinjitsu) to set straight what he felt were "fabrications" and "false impressions" propagated by the film and a "setup by China to control intelligence". Several leading politicians, including Tokyo's rightwing governor, Shintaro Ishihara, have come out in support of the film which basically denies that a massacre ever happened and honours several post-war criminals as martyrs. Now that the film is out, tensions are running high (watch that fiery debate in the second clip on the right). more ›

Monsters & Critics: Taiwan accesses damage after US unveils Chinese espionage more ›

Xinhua: Danish PM wishes for closer cooperation with China in New Year more ›

NYT: China Censors a Film, Then Bans It Entirely more ›

The Hong Kong chief executive, Donald Tsang, says that the Chinese government is committed to a plan for letting the country's mainland investors trade shares on the city's stock exchange. more ›

Hey all you laowai's out there — yes, you of the caucasoid and negroid variety (and for the record, none of those terms are derogatory) — China wants your blood! Earlier this year, we told you that Shanghai was looking for foreign blood, but this time it's Beijing, and it's for the Olympics! From the Guardian Unlimited:China's capital on Wednesday urged residents with a blood type rare among Chinese people but common among Caucasians and... more ›

As ice is melting between North Korea and the United States, more and more Chinese businessmen have been rushing to the border with the secretive communist country, looking to cash in on its trade and investment potential. more ›

A powerful storm drenched China's southeast coast Sunday after killing five people on Taiwan and prompting the mainland to evacuate more than 1 million people, the government announced. more ›

So in the meanwhile, it's become kind of fashionable to blame Beijing for the mess in "Myanmar". Sure, Russia and India have gotten some of the blame for failing to rein in Burma's ruthless junta. ASEAN has also been put to shame for its impotence in handling Burma, and even Singapore's conservative Straits Times (subscription required) has begun to wonder aloud if it's not the right time to suspend Burma's membership in ASEAN, admitting that the "1997 Asean decision to admit Myanmar under the current military leadership without any conditionality was a mistake". more ›

Fresh off the press: A video of the secret police who watched over AIDS, environmental and democracy activist Hu Jia (胡嘉) day and night while they were under house arrest from July last year to March this year has just been released (h/t to CDT). more ›

Cathay Pacific and Air China's parent company abandoned an attempt to block Singapore Airlines from buying a stake in China Eastern, as the battle for the lucrative Chinese market heats up. more ›

China hurting in world opinion polls [China Post]

In a survey covering 18 countries which account for 56 percent of the world's population, 38 percent said China can be trusted to act responsibly while 52 percent said the country can't be trusted.

Photo of Liu Xiang in a Coca Cola ad from spicedfish. more ›

The Indian government on Tuesday invited six aircraft manufacturers including Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to bid on a contract for 126 combat planes worth up to $10 billion. more ›

For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day. more ›

To truly appreciate the genius of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's The Office, all you have to do is watch an episode of the American version of the show, which Shanghaiist did for likely the final time last night. No comparison. While the original The Office only blessed us with about a dozen episodes, there are still things to be thankful for: those episodes are worth watching over and over and over again, Gervais and Merchant's Extras is now available on DVD (has it hit Shanghai yet?) -- and Gervais and Merchant have decided to give podcasting a try. Starting today, Guardian Unlimited will host The Ricky Gervais Show. A new episode will be available here every Monday for the next 12 weeks. Here's a description: more ›

Here's a useful tourist map of Shanghai -- it labels 14 choice spots to go kill yourself. more ›