China's flying hurdler, Liu Xiang (刘翔) has done it again. Yesterday in Kobe, Japan, Liu clocked 13.22 seconds in the 110-hurdles event, re-writing the Asian Athletics Championships record. The first Chinese athlete to achieve the "triple crown" of athletics (World Record Holder, World Champion and Olympic Champion), Liu has been making a steady comeback since his shocking pullout from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His world record of 12.88 seconds, set 2006 at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, was broken by Cuba's Dayron Robles two years later. Robles continues to hold the world record of 12.87 seconds today.
Liu Xiang sets new Asian Championships record for 110-metre hurdles
Around Asia: The coming flood, Asian newspapers and record number of Chinese Muslims on Hajj
A record number of more than 10,500 Chinese Muslims are expected to fulfill their pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to the Islamic Association of China (IAC) Sunday.
Nameless but Delicious: Wagyu Beef
Shanghaiist had an interesting challenge: do a restaurant recommendation for a restaurant that doesn't really have a name. Well, at least one that we recognize. We got a business card but the Chinese name is simply "烧肉" (grilled meat) and we didn't know how to read the Japanese characters.
Today's Links: FedEx, Kobe and sex hotlines
Photo by jules_shanghai found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.
Quality of life on the rise in Shanghai
Mercer Human Resource Consulting just released its annual standard of living report, which ranks the quality of life in the world's major big cities. Shanghaiist has kept up the results the last few years, and there haven't been any major changes. Bloomberg reports:
Whose NBA jersey sells best in China? (Hint: It's not Yao Ming)
The Chinese may stuff the All-Star ballot box for Yao Ming, but they would rather wear his teammate's jersey. When asked about his popularity in China, Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady said he wasn't surprised at all. "I've got a lot of love over there in China," he said. More love than the most famous Chinese player ever. Yao's jersey ranks No. 3. Here is the Top Ten:
Shanghai to Osaka roundtrip for US$300
No, we're not making this up. But, of course, to get this price you do have to travel by boat, in "economy" class, which means 36 people per room. But, hey, it's an option, and it could be interesting -- you'd have about 48 hours to strike up some conversations. We learned about the Shanghai-Osaka ferry (English version) on the Coming Anarchy blog. Here is what they had to say about it:
Interview: Takeshi Yasutoko and Lincoln Ueda, pro skaters
Takeshi Yasutoko and Lincoln Ueda, pro skaters

