The Guardian went on a Zheng He kick yesterday, with not one but two articles relating to the famous eunuch general. First, a discussion of Zheng He's voyages and their relation to modern maritime attitudes - China has recently been citing his voyages as an "envoy of friendship and peace," and urged that countries consider anything modern China does to be in the same vein. By doing so, they may be - surprise - really reinterpreting history. Meanwhile, Chinese archeologistsare now in Kenya to search for the remains of a Zheng He-led armada that may have sunk there 600 years ago. more ›

Can we ever get enough of kung fu movies? We don't think so, and are therefore thankful to the Chinese movie industry for offering us its never ending stream of beautifully set fighting epics. This time, we´ll cuddle up in the cinemas to 14 Blades,(锦衣卫) a 14th century Ming-era martial arts movie from director Daniel Lee starring Donnie Yen and Vicki Zhao. more ›

You know what's longer than the Great Wall of China? Apparently, the Great Wall of China! According to the BBC, two-year government study has now found that China's symbol of "Get out! Intruders!" actually stretches a good 3,800km more than previously thought. The newly-discovered sections of the wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) and go from Hu Mountain in Lioning province to Jiayu Pass in Gansu province. The project will continue for another 18 months, presumably in an attempt to discover more wall and give marathon runners a loooot more ground to cover. more ›

Everybody in China loves Jackie Chan. And now everybody in Shanghai could get the chance to go to the world's first Jackie Chan museum. The super-popular actor has allegedly donated one of his antique Chinese homes to the Shanghai government. more ›

While reading up on the latest lawsuits brought against Baidu by the world's top music labels, we were alerted to this old Baidu advertisement that stars Hong Kong funnyman Stephen Chow (周星馳) as Ming Dynasty poet Tang Bohu (唐伯虎). In the 1min 50 sec long spot, Tang Bohu endeavours to charm over a girl with a Caucasian man who says nothing apart from “我知道” (I understand) in all the wrong tones. The Caucasian represents Google, the foreigner that apparently knows nothing about China. And guess who wins over the girl eventually! more ›

Experts in Mongolian studies who have spent the last year compiling Genghis Khan's code of laws, which is believed to be the world's first constitution say the legendary Mongolian conqueror banned homosexual acts. Under article 48 of the code, the experts say, men who "committed sodomy shall be put to death". Other acts punishable by death under Khan included "damaging grassland with unauthorized excavations or starting fires". more ›

Starting 4:51pm today, Shanghaiist will set aside his blogging, crane his neck out the window, look heavenwards, and try to feel connected to the universe and discover his cosmic purpose. (And we invite you to put aside all the mundane affairs of daily life and join us in this spiritual exercise, wherever you are.) For that, according to the Shanghai Observatory, is exactly when the first phase of tonight's lunar eclipse will start. It is expected to last 3 hours and 33 minutes. more ›

Shanghaiist remembers being totally hooked on the second season of the reality TV series Survivor, primarily because we were impressed with the um, substance of one particular contestant on the show. That seemed like ages ago, and we haven't watched an episode since. But we might need to start tuning back in next year, as CBS has announced that the 15th season of the show will be held in China. Originally, the reports indicated that the location would be inland China, one of the few times the show would take place in a non-island setting. Apparently, charming but geographically challenged host Jeff Probst clarified things recently: more ›

We just watched this episode of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel and thought you might get a kick out of it. Thank God for YouTube. Here's the official description: more ›

Going to Beijing is a little like embarking on a Chinese safari - we see rare species (honest dedicated government officials), fascinating landmarks (Olympic Buildings, formerly known as Hutongs), and even blood-curdling adventure (Ring Road traffic at 5 pm). more ›