David Pierson of LA Times has the answer, and it all boils down to one thing: Self defense. more ›

This LA Times article on China's greatest rivalry doesn't really answer that question, but it is a tongue-and-cheek look at the barbs we like to throw at each other. Apparently, they go something like this: Beijing folks are self important, smelly and terrible dressers; Shanghai peeps are snooty, selfish and wimps! Did we miss anything? more ›

While China has made strides in the fight against AIDS and AIDS patient rights (most recently in a country-wide campaign starring Yao Ming), there is still a lot they could do better - especially, when it comes to their treatment of AIDS NGOs and charities. Joe Amon of the LA Times argues that too many international bodies look at China's handling too uncritically, praising its response on paper while ignoring how it harasses and even jails AIDS activists. more ›

The Bahamas. Again. One medal for every 153,725 Bahamians. They were followed by Jamaica, Iceland, Slovenia, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Cuba, Armenia and Belarus. Of the 87 nations that won medals, China ranked No. 68. The United States was No. 46. India brought up the rear. This is all good info to have the next time you tire of your friends arguing over who really "won" the Olympics. [Source] more ›

Chuck Culpepper of the Los Angeles Times has been tracking this and as of his latest posting yesterday, the Beijing Olympics "MPC" leaders are — you guessed it — Armenia. Australia is No. 2. USA? 30th. China? 40th. (We have a feeling the Aussies might climb back to No. 1 after their efforts in the pool this morning.) Australia is not the two-time defending MPC champs, however. That honor goes to the Bahamas, which has the population of a Shanghai city block. They were tops in Sydney and in Athens. more ›

China's premier on Wednesday extolled the prosperity the Communist government has brought to many Chinese, yet he sounded an alarm that inflation could derail the country's rapid emergence. more ›

• Japanese investigators have found 'no abnormality' at the dumpling factory in Hebei Province at the centre of a food safety scare in Japan after hundreds of people suffered from pesticide poisoning from eating the dumplings. Traces of pesticide were found on the outside of the dumplings and not in the fillings, leading investigators to point to "deliberate poisoning, rather than accidental contamination". This idea, however, has been rejected by Chinese experts.
• The world's most powerful music labels — Universal Music, Sony BMG (HK) and Warner Music (HK) — have taken Baidu to court in Beijing for not removing links they say infringe on their copyrights. In a related ruling in December, the three firms lost their case against Sohu and Sogou. Meanwhile, Google is preparing to crack China open in the digital music arena. It is in talks with Universal to offer music downloads here. EMI and Sony BMG may join the deal.
• A statement from China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Ministry of Information Industry has clarified that the controversial new rules requiring online-video companies to be state-controlled don't apply to already-established Web sites, offering hope to privately-owned video startups such as Youku and Tudou which have raised tens of millions of dollars from venture capitalists.

Earlier we had reported that America's favorite pastime might soon be making its Chinese debut and now it's official. The China Series 2008, as its being called, will feature two games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres on March 15-16. The games will be held at Beijing's Wukesong Baseball Field, which will also be used for the upcoming Olympics. No word yet on when tickets will be available or how much they will be. more ›

What's happening around the nation as one year closes and another begins more ›

Xinhua: Rule on living Buddhas aids religious freedom more ›

Excitement is palpable among the crowd as China launched its first lunar orbiter, the Chang'e One satellite (named after the goddess of the moon 嫦娥), half a century after the Russians became the first to set out to space. 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 ›

Li Heping, an outspoken Chinese lawyer said Wednesday he was abducted and beaten for hours, and accused of causing unrest by representing clients with complaints of official corruption and police abuse. more ›

more ›

It has been three weeks since Pope Benedict XVI issued his first letter to mainland Chinese Catholics which stirred up a wide range of sentiments, and since then observers have been eagerly watching for the first signs of Beijing's response to the letter. more ›

It was reported this weekend that the much ballyhooed 25-minutes-from-Shanghai-to-Hangzhou maglev train, which was supposed to be fully operational around 2010, has been delayed. Indefinitely. Which makes us ask, how much longer are we going to have to wait to be ushered into the sci-fi utopia of the 21st century that we spent most of the 20th century dreaming about? more ›

We're guessing most of you are hungover from St. Patrick's Day. We are too. But still, we're going to muddle on through our green haze and give you (drum roll please...) this Week In -ists. more ›

You know who's going to be upset about those Bikini Bandits? The Houston school system. Houstonist also reports on some redevelopment shenanigans over a landmark theater. more ›

The LA Times reports that China is going to "clean up" karaoke establishments by using a unified system that controls what songs are available to sing. The system is going on trial in three cities first: more ›

Something's definitely afoot in the smoky backrooms of Zhongnanhai and the smoke-free and spooky chambers of the Vatican: China is pulling The Da Vinci Code off screens nationwide. So far, there is no official reason, just conjectures. The Scotsman said that it had something to do with Beijing's relations to the Vatican: more ›

Photo by monkeyking taken from the Shanghaiist photos page. To see your photos on our photos page, use Flickr and tag your photos "shanghaiist". Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site. more ›

It doesn't get juicier than this folks, least not for the sexually repressed Shanghaiist. Don Lee's Los Angeles Times article on the revival of the mistress or "second wife" in China is a great piece of work. (Think he used Shanghaiist for research?) Polka dotted boxers, rich 23-year-old mistresses auctioning villas and Lexus cars online, the "Mistress Killer" (a private investigator that helps uncover illicit relations, usually at the behest of the first wife), amid the backdrop of China's "spiritual vacuum". Keep your kids away, it's gettin' a little risque in here! Of course, this is old hat for most Chinese people, for whom the Hong Kong businessman with the mistress in Shenzhen is nigh well a cliche. In related news (in Chinese), 40,000 people signed up to take civil service examinations in Shanghai, vying for a mere 2,300 spots. Officialdom never looked so good. more ›