• Dreamworks Animation is looking to set-up operations in Shanghai to produce giggle-inducing content for the Chinese market. Pleasant Sheep and Big Big Wolf are Really Really Screwed.
• First Volvo, and then Iceland, and now Saab?! How long before Scandinavia just becomes China's Norse Autonomous Region?
• Surprise! "Being a selfish ass" accounts for nearly a third of all traffic accidents in Shanghai.

Now, normally, an information and training session to teach weibbing (aka writing something on a Chinese microblog) to the members of any major city's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is no big deal. However, for the gathered local Party members at the 'Weibo as a Platform to Discuss Politics' event (微博议政平台) in Guangzhou, there was a somewhat awkward underlying subtext to the whole affair: one of their own was recently caught literally with his pants down, unwittingly posting naked pictures of himself that were available for anyone to see on his weibo. The career-ending move apparently came as a result of misunderstanding his weibo's privacy settings. DOH! more ›

Recently we stumbled across People's Daily's Survey for 2011 NPC & CPPCC Sessions. Their statement of purpose says they want to learn "the hot topics and the major concerns" from netizens about the sessions, in order to better report on the issues. The bizarre selection of questions that follow make it pretty obvious there are at least one or two other motives at work. Here's a few highlights we don't think you should miss: more ›

China is the closest thing that North Korea has to a friend at the moment and we get that the People's Daily is the CCP's official mouthpiece, but they were just asking for it when reporter Zhou Ziran posted up this gushy article on the wonderful state of things in Pyongyang. Let's just say that commenters had a field day with the fluffy piece. more ›

China's "middle class" has been touted as the country's best shot at a stable survival. But what does it even mean to be part of it? A People's Daily reporter goes in to find out and realizes that everything is about debt, debt and more debt. A mortgage takes up half your salary, you have a car you worry you can't afford to drive and, despite making ten times what you did ten years ago, it never seems enough. Interestingly enough, that sounds a lot like the American middle class. Helpfully translated by people over at China Digital Times. more ›

As with politics, it seems a week is a long time in Chinese celebrity - you only have ask Guo Degang. It's unlikely he'll get back to you though. He started off last week as a maverick people’s hero, the highest-paid xiangsheng (cross-talk) comedian in China and began this one as a virtual enemy of the people. more ›

A mall in Shenyang has proved it is fully attuned to the plights of being a woman: A 'venting' store opened at a shopping centre in the city in March, kitted out with second-hand mobile phones and TV sets for angry customers to destroy. Patrons can also tear paper, throw plates and pound beanbags for one minute to release tension... And the entire store is girls only. more ›

While the Chinese culture bureaus are more than happy to play the heroes of Hollywood movies, it seems like they're easily irked when the tables are turned. Apparently, two entire op-eds in the Global Times were devoted to how Red Dawn's creators were demonizing China. more ›

Those who read a report about Hu Jintao joining a microblog service on People's Daily and tried get on as well in hopes of contacting the President of China have apparently been disappointed. Sky Canaves of The Wall Street Journal went searching for Hu, only to find dozens of messages also questioning where he was. Turns out People's Daily had automatically registered all VIP guests on its "Strong Country" online forum (which would include Hu) for microblog accounts without their consent or knowledge. They've now suspended Hu's microblog until they've confirmed that he actually wants to broadcast the daily minutiae of his life. more ›

While the head of this People's Daily article - which states that there is now a popular saying among Japanese girls that goes "What we want is Chinese food and men, not French lovers or American houses" - was entertaining by itself, the rest of the article was such a gem that we've decided to copy paste it down below: more ›

It seems to be a recurrent theme in Chinese history that farming and happiness are linked. The ancient Poet Tao Qian wrote of the idyllic beauty of picking chrysanthemums and gazing towards the southern hills; everyone from politicians to students were "sent down" to the countryside to promote re-education in the ways of the land; and these days, you can even farm on Kaixin to ease the pain of your technology-ridden soul. more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute 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 (and here). more ›

Screenshot was taken from People's Daily online, in an article about a Guizhou tourism official who caught the attention of netizens for being so beautiful. From the picture, it seems that nationalistic fervor in China was a little more amorous than we thought. more ›

Minhang commuters and residents have been enjoying free bike rides for the last two weeks. No its not a rash of bike stealers - in fact, it's actually a new government sponsored program partially intended to curb theft. more ›

Pickpocketing, an issue in any major city, seems to become a developing problem for Shanghai citizens in recent months - and we're not just talking from personal experience (though, sadly, some of us have become recent victims). more ›