A guest at Tomorrow Square on People's Square has alerted us to this document entitled "Safety measures for the tenants of Tomorrow Square for the Olympic period" posted in the building. The document starts off quite innocently like this:Recently, while the security situation has become of great concern both internationally and domestically, anti-China movements have become increasingly bold, with Tibetan and Uyghur separatist groups openly declaring war, proclaiming that they will use violent measures to......

by Dedric Lam digg_url = 'http://digg.com/olympics/Report_Beijing_bars_told_to_ban_black_people_during_Olympic';In a couple of weeks Beijing will turn into a party town and Sanlitun is predicted to be the epicenter of the Olympic night events. The South China Morning Post has however reported that the bar owners in the area were asked to refuse service to black patrons. The article reports: Bar owners near the Workers' Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials......

Yao Ming made his return to competition Thursday night, in China's Stankovic Cup game against Serbia, played in Hangzhou. Yao, recovering from a stress fracture in his foot, did not start and played only about 12 minutes. He scored 11 points in his first pre-Olympic tuneup, and China won 96-72. Yao shot 7-of-10 from the free throw line and grabbed four rebounds. Center Wang Zhizhi was China's top scorer with 18 points. The first Chinese......

Among the home crowd, women's volleyball (女排）is one of the hottest tickets at these Olympics. With the exception of badminton and table tennis doubles, it is the only team sport where China has any history of Olympic success, winning gold in China's first Olympics in 1984 and again at the most recent Summer Olympics in Athens. It also boasts one of China's most likable sports stars, the 1.97-meters tall Zhao Ruirui (赵蕊蕊). In addition to......

The Beijing-Shanghai rivalry received some international media attention earlier this week, and the prognosis wasn't good. The Washington Post writes that while Shanghai has the global industry, business and sophistication stemming from early European colonialism, Beijing has the upper hand, at least in this round. The two reasons: the government and the Olympics. The historic city of emperors, modern capital and center of CCP power, Beijing's status as China's political hub is undeniable. As for......

This just in from a reader tip. Via the easternmiles.com newsletter: In order to guarantee safety of civil air transport during Beijing Olympic Games period, Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has decided to implement special inspection measures in Beijing Capital Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao and Shanghai Pudong Airport, airports in Qingdao, Tianjin, Shenyang, Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Jinan, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Hefei, Changchun, Harbin, Huhehaote, Dalian, and airports inside Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region......

If you're attending any Olympic events, leave your suitcases, long-handled umbrellas and walky-talkies at home. These and several other objects were on the list of forbidden items released yesterday by BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games). The list on BOCOG's Web site is preceded by four repetitive paragraphs iterating the necessity of these regulations and explaining that similar measures were taken at past games. Things on the list that could cause some confusion......

In the wake of political decisions by Western heads of state to attend (U.S. President Bush and French President Sarkozy) or not attend (British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel) the opening ceremony in Beijing next month, the New York Times's Lynn Zinser reminds us of a political statement that China made to send its team to the Olympics for the first time, twenty-four years ago. On May 8, 1984, the Soviet......

Photo courtesy of Danwei. A new ad campaign for Amnesty International has Chinese Netizens seeing red, according to The Wall Street Journal. The campaign, designed by TBWA Worldwide, features Chinese athletes being tortured by Chinese authorities. It reads at the bottom: "After the Olympic Games, the fight for human rights must go on." WSJ reports bloggers demanding the boycott of all TBWA ads, as well as suggesting that all Chinese employees at TBWA resign......

Could today's Beijing be what New York City was at the turn of the 20th Century? According to this article in Vanity Fair, there are certainly many similarities to draw upon. Kurt Andersen starts off noting the correspondences between population growth and development of city infrastructure. In 1904 New York's first subway line opened. Likewise, Beijing's new subway system is spreading out at a breathtaking pace (a point which subway fanatic and Beijingologist, David Feng,......

Despite both China and Taiwan having agreed way back in 1989 that the latter would compete at the Olympics under the name "Chinese Taipei" and “Zhonghua Taipei" (中华台北) as the designated Chinese translation of that term, spokesman Yang Yi of China's Taiwan Affairs Office has suggested that "Zhongguo Taipei" (中国台北) is just as valid as an Olympic designator, sparking a protest from Taipei's Mainland Affairs Council because the name implies that Taiwan is a part......

Within just three days of the introduction of the new Olympic bills noted for their absence of Chairman Mao's portrait, the price of the 10 yuan bills has shot up a hundredfold, with some collectors willing to part with RMB1,100 just to get hold of one of them. Some traders at Beijing's Madian Philatelic Market expect prices to come down to about RMB300 eventually.......

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......

Trouble with visa renewal is one thing, but forced deportation is quite another. Foreigners whining about the former should take a look at the recent case of Dechen Pemba, a Brit of Tibetan descent who was detained, driven to the airport, and expelled from the PRC for five years when she walked out of her Beijing apartment last Tuesday. The seven plain clothes policemen who escorted Pemba allowed her only time to pack a bag,......

Lam Thuy Vo of the Wall Street Journal discovers that China has been training close to 600 women in the art of cheerleading with the help of cheerleaders from the New England Patriots, the U.S. football team, and Chinese choreographers. The ladies were selected in 24 competitions nationwide and will be cheering at every Olympic event — and not just basketball and volleyball events. Intent on injecting Chinese characteristics into what is otherwise an......

The runup to the Beijing Olympics has had its share of political drama—torch relay protests, calls for a boycott and tussles over which world leaders will attend the opening ceremonies. All the while, Beijing has protested that politics has no place in sports. If you still harbor any illusions that the Olympic games are a politics-free zone, this recent program from Public Radio International should set you straight. In "Power, Politics and the Olympics," Deborah......

Three weeks after Canada's CBC News announced that it had re-secured permission to broadcast live from Tiananmen Square during the Olympics, more announcements have come out indicating that BOCOG is moving toward giving games broadcasters more freedom to report in Beijing this August. This Wall Street Journal report says an agreement was reached Wednesday that will allow broadcasters to air coverage live from Tiananmen from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 9 to 11 p.m.......

Sure, it may be unwise to go around eating just any bowl of uncooked, potentially unwashed vegetables you pick up in the PRC. But a Beijing salad ban? Seems so, at least according to Cup of Cha, who's order was rebuffed yesterday by a Beijing waiter citing a new ban on the dish, ostensibly for the safety of the many foreign stomachs crowding the city's restaurants in the two months.......

Liu Wenli is a bit of a celebrity in China. A police officer serving in Xicheng District of Beijing's Police Security Bureau, Liu is often seen chatting with the many tourists visiting the Wanshan Pavilion of Beijing's Jingshan Park. He is fluent in English, the first ever person in the police force to receive an Advanced-level Oral English Certificate. But check this out. Regardless of your nationality, Liu can offer you salutations in 13 languages......

President Sarkozy, the first world leader to say he would not attend the Beijing Olympics as a way of protesting China's handling of the Tibetan protests in May, has eaten his words after meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao at the ongoing G8 summit, saying he would attend the opening ceremony after all.......

Coca-Cola's latest commercial push before the Olympics features the TV commercial "Shuang City," starring Yao Ming as a torch bearer leading fans to the "Bird's Nest" stadium and shot by cinematographer Christopher Doyle (best known for working with directors Wong Kar-Wai and Zhang Yimou). Of course, as WSJ's Sky Canaves describes it, the commercial plays up the "feel-good" aspects of the Games: divers jump from skyscrapers, gymnasts leap through the streets and giant balloons emerge......

China has been pulling out all the stops to make next month's Olympics in Beijing – and several other cities – go according to script. Aside from the usual massive building projects associated with the Games, China has also seriously tightened its visa policy, saturated its citizenry with Olympic propaganda and denied foreign media direct access to most Chinese athletes. It should be no surprise that in terms of security, Beijing is doing all it......

A tattooed biker riding across China? No, it's not the lost member of a motorcycle gang, it's just another especially crazed Olympic fan. Pedaling around China for over a year isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but then again, neither is getting the logo of every Olympic sport tattoed across your back. For the rising celebrity who calls himself Brother Ahbie, though, it’s all part of the quest to raise China's spirit high in......

You go first... no you go first! One might imagine this kind of bickering taking place near the swings during recess, but at a gathering of world leaders? According to PBS's Thirteen/WNET, that is exactly what is happening at this year's G8 discussions. China and India say it is up to the developed world — the biggest polluters — to take the lead in the fight against climate change. But President Bush has said that......

It won’t just be athletes and tourists descending on Beijing for the Olympics — an estimated 25,000 foreign journalists will be coming to the city to provide coverage for the event. We’ve already mentioned some of the tools being offered to the reporters, but a new report by New York organization Human Rights Watch released yesterday makes it clear how badly those resources may be needed. The report alleges that the Chinese government has violated......

Doomsayers over at Slate examine the myriad of potential disasters that could derail the Beijing Olympics, calling it the "Summer Olympics Disaster Guide". Pollution (no surprise here) and visa restrictions rank the highest with a 90% possibility while the unrest in Tibet and algae plaguing Qingdao’s waters come in a close second. But for us, the threat of a locust invasion entering Beijing from Duolun County in Inner Mongolia is hair-raising. According to local officials,......

Move over Mao! The Beijing Olympic stadium is taking over as symbol of China pride, at least on newly-issued 10 RMB notes, which feature the stadium and Greek statuary, but no portrait of the Chairman. Mao’s absence from the currency marks the first time in nearly a decade that he hasn’t been prominently featured on Chinese cash.Mao’s image may be on the decline, but there is one thing China will never relinquish — the bicycle.......

不是“爱来不来”，而是根本“不欢迎你来”！ ~ It's not 'Come if you want,' it's basically 'You're not welcome." That's the response of Chinese netizens to French President Sarkozy who said he will decide next week whether to attend the opening of the Beijing Olympics, with his choice depending on how talks go between Beijing and the Dalai Lama's envoys this week. Sarkozy reiterated Monday that the events in Tibet were "not acceptable," but he also warned against angering a power......

To bolster confidence against terrorist attacks in the upcoming Beijing Olympics, Xinhua gives us stills from a CCTV special of the armed police demonstrating anti-terrorist tactics in Jinan, capital of Shandong Province. Observe the acrobatic prowess, the state-of-the-art defense of the flame-thrower, the heavy-duty mob scattering water cannons, and, of course, no anti-terrorist drill would be complete without armed police on wheels! While we admit that high-powered water cannons might have conveniently served the......

To help foreign media confront the challenges posed by covering the Beijing Olympics, the International Federation of Journalists has teamed up with Play the Game, a non-profit democracy advocacy organization working in global athletic coverage, to produce a series of helpful tools for reporters on a new website — Play the Game for Open Journalism. The aids include an online discussion forum and a series of background and tips for reporting in China. Most impressive,......