Last week, craving something a little different from our usual delivery, we hitched up our britches and made our way to the Huxi Mosque in northern Jing'an. One of the biggest mosques in Shanghai, it was first established by Moslem paupers in 1914. It was shut down during the war and the tumultuous years afterwards, but became the first mosque to reopen in Shanghai in 1979. In 1992, it moved from its original place on Xikang Lu to where it now resides, on Changde Lu near Aomen Lu. more ›

• Chavez says world 'center of gravity' now Beijing [AP] "The world's center of gravity has moved to Beijing, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told his Chinese counterpart Wednesday during a visit focused on boosting Chinese oil purchases. The frequent U.S. critic also praised China's response to the global financial meltdown that has sent prices of his South American nation's key export, oil, down sharply."
• Auto Makers Flock to Web to Woo Chinese Buyers [WSJ] "Global auto makers think the Internet is the way into the hearts of a new generation of Chinese car enthusiasts. Both foreign and domestic auto makers here are pouring ad money into online ventures, even as their overall spending remains flat. Market-tracking firm iResearch expects outlays for online auto marketing to reach 1.75 billion yuan, or roughly $256 million, this year, up from 1.38 billion yuan in 2008."
• Professor beaten ahead of Tiananmen anniversary [ABC] "The approaching 20th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown has brought tensions to a head, with a 75-year-old, retired professor brutally beaten for trying to honour the memory of a Chinese leader who supported the students in 1989."

What do the digits 25, 35 and 82 have in common? They were all part of China news this week, as journalists, businessmen and government officials counted out and ranked up different individuals and groups related to the PRC. In ascending order:

• Forbes announced China's 25 Most Powerful Celebrities, with the number one spot going to basketball star Yao Ming. To create the ranking, Forbes looked not only at income (Yao brought in 388 million RMB in 2007) but also at celebrity status, measured by examining appearances on print, television and internet media. The 25 include athletes, film stars and media personalities, with Liu Xiang, Jet Li and Yi Jianlian coming in behind Yao as top scorers.
• Thursday's Fortune 500 list brought good news for Chinese companies, 35 of which made it to the top tier of global business, the largest-ever representation for China. Oil refinery Sinopec led the group in 16th place, followed by 25 other mainland companies, three from Hong Kong and six from Taiwan. Oil and energy groups as well as banks made up a big chunk of the big winners, and 19 were government-controlled corporations.
• Earlier this week we reported on the situation with Uygers in Xinjiang, brought into public view after police killed five Muslims in Urumqi who were allegedly planning a “holy war” and Olympic terrorism, but were armed only with knives. The incident comes into sharper perspective following the government’s announcement that it has detained 82 suspected terrorists in the northwest this year, on charges of plans to attack the Beijing Olympics. While exiled Xinjiang Uygurs denied the claim, Urumqi police chief Chen Zhuangwei was adamant that the threat was serious, adding that 41 illegal places of worship had been shut down in the province because they were headquarters for terrorist activity. more ›