Shanghai Daily reports that the Shanghai Food Safety Commission is planning to increase the reward for people who call in food safety violations to "no less than 500 yuan ($78) and there is no upper limit." They're hoping in particular to nab "illegal addition of prohibited chemicals and non-edible substances, recycling expired food, excessive use of food additives and the use of swill oil." Strangely enough, apparently there has been an upper limit of 50,000RMB for rewards since 2007, but they consider the number too low to encourage management to report their own companies. This new law would also allow tippers to receive a percentage of "the money involved" - we have absolutely no idea what that means but it sounds like they could be encouraging people to take down violators and profit from their collapse. Anyway, reporting violations isn't going to solve the larger systemic problem, and China is still crawling in its efforts to form an effective food safety infrastructure. Last week they announced the latest move in that direction, in the form of a "Food Industry Credit System." more ›

One of the windows on the ground floor of Plaza 66 shattered yesterday morning, highlighting yet again the imminent threat Shanghai faces from exterior glass around the city. Glass bombs have been happening with increasing frequency, and while a city-wide inspection is underway, Shanghai Daily reports that up to 90% of exterior glass in Shanghai is probably the cheapest stuff money can buy: more ›

Since people in Shanghai love constant surprises, the Shanghai Metro has been pulling out all the stops this summer, coming out with one hit after another on the Line 10 of Doom. We've been privileged enough to witness Line 10 trains going in the wrong direction, platform doors shattering, and now trains breaking down with all the doors shut and impossible to open from inside. more ›

Shot near Shunchang Lu and Jianguo Dong Lu. As the photographer, Xinmin Weibo user @haoma, states, this probably isn't the safest use of the city's many electricity lines. What really gets us is that there's a bamboo pole that could easily be used for clothes drying . more ›

As if falling glass bombs weren't enough, it seems our chances of death from above are only getting worse: "Officials are to launch a citywide search for dangerous store signs and billboards in the wake of an accident in which 12 people were injured by a falling sign on Tuesday. Most of the injured were in stable condition yesterday, but one person was still critical in a Putuo District hospital. Li Weijun, deputy director of the greenery bureau of Putuo District, where the accident occurred, said officials will complete inspections before the typhoon season in July and August. Inspectors will target store signs and billboards that are old and in bad repair, that are too large, are hung too high or are in places susceptible to winds, the bureau said. Where appropriate, shops will be required to repair signs, while billboards deemed unsafe will be removed immediately, the watchdog added." [Shanghai Daily] more ›

According to the Global Times, authorities in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, tipped off by the International Federation of Spirits and Producers, found four locals refilling foreign beer and liquor bottles hoping to make an extra buck with help of a foreign label. more ›

Shanghai Daily is reporting what might just be the most disturbing bit of public safety news so far this summer: Shanghai's skyscraper windows have started cracking and crashing to the ground. We're not sure how we missed this, but three separate incidents happened on the same day last month, causing the city to review regulations concerning high-rise glass maintenance. As it turns out, there are none. more ›

After frogs that were allegedly purchased in Shanghai seafood markets were found to be carrying cholera-causing bacteria, the Shanghai CDC has announced that frogs from the Tongchuan Lu seafood market (the one in question) have been proven safe! They also reassured us that no cases of cholera have been reported in Shanghai this year. What a relief! more ›

No surprise here: Sinopec Shanghai Gaoqiao Petrochemical Corp, located in Pudong, has been blamed for that foul odor wafting about Shanghai that we told you about last night. Reports of the odor started around noon on Sunday and continued into the evening. The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau still maintains that the low levels of sulfides found in the air shouldn't harm your health. Just your delicate sensibilities. more ›

Authorities are trying (and failing) to pin down the source of a mysterious and foul smell wafting about Shanghai's many districts, beginning Sunday and continuing into the early hours of Monday morning. Microbloggers in Pudong, Xuhui, Jing'an, Hongkou, Changning, and Luwan (and maybe even as far as Suzhou) have all reported a terrible smell, sometimes strong enough to elicit nausea and dizziness. The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau says that while they still cannot locate the source of the stench, which is said to smell like rotten eggs or fruit, they definitely have measured slight sulfur compounds in the air. But they assure residents that low concentrations of sulfur are not harmful to your health. Stay tuned... more ›

Yesterday authorities reported that all the residents of the 416 households living in the buildings next to the site of the November 15 Jing'an fire have finally moved back into their homes. The two buildings continue to stand shrouded in scaffolding, however, as an eerie reminder of the culprit in the tragedy next door. Shoddy and flammable building materials were responsible for the rapid spread of the fire that claimed 58 lives and drew global attention to the disturbing lack of oversight and regulation in Chinese construction contracting. In response to the disaster, the local government yesterday announced an extensive overhaul of construction rules and practices in Shanghai. more ›

Everyone knows about the Great Firewall in China. After a few months here in PRC, people just learn to live with it or find ways around it. In recent days, we have found our internet mobility further limited by yet another layer of unwanted security, one that is perhaps more local in nature. more ›

If you are a horny Japanese diplomat in China, chances are you will be getting a new guide on how to handle approaches from Chinese secret service agents, especially those of the female persuasion. This following the May, 2004 suicide of a staff member in Japan’s consulate in Shanghai. The man killed himself after alleged attempts by the Public Safety Bureau to extract classified information from him, using his affair with a Bureau agent, unbeknownst to him at the time, as blackmailing material. China of course has categorically denied any involvement in the matter. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Shanghaiist first reported the story here. more ›