Here's a problem we'll hear increasingly about in the future. Xinhua reports that 206 foreign women "illegally purchased by desperate bachelors" were rescued in Hebei province: more ›

Is this Hebei county party secretary aiming to become the next Rebecca Black? This local prefecture official commissioned a music video dedicated to himself and the result is something that leaves us speechless...when we're not doubled over laughing. The vanity project didn't go quite as viral but the music production values are in the same league as that "Friday" disaster. It uses soaring vibratos and seriously dubitable lyrics to sing the qualities of the plump party secretary. Is this guy for real? We're afraid so. Hebei, you have our heartfelt sympathies. more ›

A very patient journalist coaches a fruit farmer in Hebei Province to say exactly what he wants him to say, "There have been no hailstorms in the fruit farms this year." Just as the crew is beginning to wonder if they can ever call it a day, the elderly gentleman finally gets it right after the 476,284th attempt.
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Yup, you've read right, this colourful, decorative and impressive bulilding that you see before you is in fact a hotel. WebUrbanist lists the Tianzi Garden Hotel, located in the relatively small town of Langfang, Hebei Province, as one of the world's 15 bizarre buildings. Apparently, it even made it into the Guiness Book of Records, boasting to be the world's 'biggest image building.' The hotel image depicts three gods. Fu, God of fortune, Lu, God of prosperity and Shou, God of longevity who all stand side by side, 10 storeys above street level. Surely with all this good luck and protection, guests to the Tianzi Hotel are guaranteed a successful and happy stay. 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]

Well, at least no one can say that he isn't versatile. After years of playing bad-ass gangsters and Kung Fu masters, Chow Yun-Fat has most recently popped up in Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and the soon-to-be-released, anime-turned-movie Dragonball Evolution. Soon, however, he'll have all eyes on him in a movie chronicling the life and times of Confucius. more ›

Even as UNAIDS is busy fighting allegations that it had inflated estimates for years in an alarmist effort to raise funds, Beijing has reported that HIV/AIDS cases are up more than 50% so far this year. Angela Sun of Current TV visits a village in Hebei Province (she did not say where exactly) where many of the residents contracted HIV through government-sponsored blood selling schemes. The plight of AIDS villages has been covered by many... more ›