The massive Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial created by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin out of 159 pieces of pink Chinese granite has been unveiled yesterday in Washington DC. While King's own son, Martin Luther King III says Lei has done a "good job", others are wondering out loud why an American artist couldn't have been commissioned instead. more ›

Remember that really lavish art deco living room set you bought? The one imported all the way from Italy? Yeah, turns out there's a good chance it wasn't actually made in Italy, and probably came from a warehouse just down the street. CCTV recently reported that Davinci, a furniture manufacturer whose products are all listed as being "Made in Italy", have in fact been producing their products in China and then sending them back to Italy, only to then import them back into the China in order to obtain an ‘import certificate’. more ›

"Ten years after adopting the policy, Notre Dame remains the only major U.S. university that forbids license holders such as Adidas AG (ADS) to put the school logo on any product from China, according to groups that track college merchandising. Notre Dame prohibits the goods because China, the top source of U.S. imports, doesn't permit independent labor unions, according to a college policy document. The ban is attracting fresh attention from Washington lawmakers who say China has begun a renewed crackdown on dissidents." [Bloomberg] more ›

Sportswear brand Li Ning has been making several in roads in the U.S., opening up a flagship store in Portland and signing on several big name sports stars to promote their brand. But where they seem to excel best is, surprisingly, in commercials. more ›

Sadly my wallet can't accommodate a watch priced from $240+ when a cheap Casio will do the same job sans the cool LED lights and head scratching when trying to tell the time. more ›

The lovely folks down in Guangzhou celebrated their Halloween by throwing a big sex culture festival at the Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Center. Amongst the million dollar sex toys and lingerie runway shows was this shot (on news.163.com) of a few blow up dolls, one of which happens to be modeled after the President of the United States. more ›

One of the perks of registering your dog with the Shanghai government (besides them not taking Rover from you and putting him down) is apparently this bowl. It's given as a gift by the government when you pick up your new dog license. more ›

Sure, they don't make the requisite wown and bsshhh noises when you slam two beams of light against each other, but this device may be the closest you'll get to a REAL light saber in this lifetime... and it was made here in Shanghai, according to CNNGo. more ›

Anyone who's been watching the World Cup feed here has probably noticed that non-stop droning noise in the background. Guess what? They're coming from a vuvuzela horn... and those horns just happen to be Made In China(tm)! more ›

It took over a dozen suicide attempts for them to realize conditions at Foxconn were maybe somewhat inhuman, but it looks like the company's at least willing to change its ways now. On the table for Foxconn workers: a wage increase that doubles their salaries and a new rule instating that they take at least one day off a week. more ›

PR guy Imagethief points us to this blog called "Nicely Made in China," which brings us a weekly dose of great products that come from these shores. The stuff they end up featuring is cute - thankfully, since the about page makes it seem stodgy and a tad sinophilic. The most recent entry is about designer t-shirts in Beijing - sweet! more ›

CNNGo has a article detailing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the Expo over the weekend, of which I've picked the three little factoids I find the most funny. Like most things on this site that are USA Pavilion related, the type of funny they are leans towards that cringe-inducing Curb Your Enthusiasm-esque type of funny. more ›

• If China actually reevaluated the poverty line from when it was established decades ago, the number of people here defined as "poor" would triple... at least. [China Daily]
• Think you're scared of the "Made in China" label? Actually, Chinese consumers are even more scared. [Forbes]
• And you know what some U.S.-based political risk consulting group is scared of? Worsening ties with China and America thanks to trade tensions. [BusinessWeek]

As reported over the last week, China's Ministry of Commerce and ad giant DDB have released their previously delayed public relations campaign touting products made in China. The ad, which you can watch here, shows a bunch of consumer goods with the tag line "Made in China with [insert expertise from the rest of the world here]." Paraphrased. more ›

Slinkys, Pet Rocks, Ant Farms… behind each of those great novelties is the story of a great Novelty Inventor. ‘Made In China’ is the story of one such inventor. more ›

• China halts £18bn hydropower dam project over environmental concerns[guardian.co.uk] "China's environment ministry sought to reassert its authority on Friday by blocking a 200bn yuan (£18bn) cascade of hydropower dams near Shangri-la that would generate as much electricity as the Three Gorges Dam. Despite pressure from local governments that want to push ahead with big ticket development projects to offset the financial downturn, the ministry suspended approval of the project along the Jinsha iver in Yunnan province for failing to carry out adequate assessment of the environmental impact."
• All Eyes Inward [Newsweek] "Until recently, the way Chinese artists got famous was to talk politics. The generation that grew up during the Cultural Revolution and the difficult years that followed was highly politicized and gained global recognition for its tongue-in-cheek images of Mao Zedong and Tiananmen Square, often rendered in eye-popping color... Though still hot, those new-wave artists are giving way to a very different group: the "me-first" generation, whose members talk about each other and themselves."
• New tax plan sparks China protest [BBC] "Protesters in the south-eastern Chinese city of Nankang have overturned police cars and blocked roads over plans to more strictly enforce payment of taxes. Officials in Nankang said several hundred protesters blocked a major road while others delivered a petition to a local government office."