Recently, Shanghaiist has been getting a whole load of clicks from a most unlikely source, GodHatesFags.com — official website of the loonies at the highly controversial, virulently homophobic, and dangerously extremist Westboro Baptist Church. Clicking over, we found that in addition to calling us "slant-eyed bastards" for an article we wrote about them a long time ago, the "church" has just released yet another press release (pictured here), thanking God for the "Great Killer Earthquake......

Looks like evangelist Franklin Graham who previously made the news in the China Daily for "hoping to do more for China" is seriously putting his money where his mouth is. Speaking from Shanghai after a tour of Beijing, Hangzhou and Nanjing, the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (named after his dad) and international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse has just donated a whopping RMB2 million, or US$285,000. That's a whole lot of money,......

Photo taken at Shanghai's Jing'an Temple by ?lifemage? Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.......

The worrisome rise of pro-China youth [LA Times] " As human rights protesters dogged the Beijing Olympics torch relay, as supporters of Tibet condemned the violent crackdown in Lhasa, and as Darfur activists demanded change in China's Sudan policy, Chinese young people worked themselves into a different form of righteous anger."China’s Religious Character May Be Deeper Than Thought [Reuters] "Now a window has been opened on faith and religion in a country where six decades......

... and so says the — surprise, surprise — China Daily! This most unlikely piece of news comes from the nation's favourite English paper shortly after we heard that China Philharmonic's been performing for the Pope:Evangelist Franklin Graham said in Beijing on Friday that he wants his organizations to become more involved in China. The CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, established by and named after his father, and the international Christian relief organization......

Since the time we told you about Shirley Phelps-Roper's email to China Daily columnist Raymond Zhou, everybody's favourite church, the Westboro Baptist Church has completely revamped its official website GodHatesFags.com (check it out — it actually is looking kinda swanky now). Looking through the site, we found this press release sent out in late January, when China was suffering its worst winter storm in 50 years, praising the Lord for "punishing" China — "that evil......

Photo from Randy Meetings with Dalai Lama envoys Reuters: China, Dalai Lama aides agreed to talk again Washington Post: Envoys for Dalai Lama, China to meet again Monsters & Critics: China continues anti-Dalai Lama tirade after talks (Roundup) PTI: China accuses Tibetan group of Al-Qaida links AFP: Dalai Lama has committed 'monstrous crimes': China's state press The Yangpu bus blast Xinhua: Inflammable goods cause lethal Shanghai bus fire Wall Street Journal: Deadly Blast In......

In the latest episode of the Hard Hat Show, host Mia Li visits the 600 year old Xiefangde Temple, which was to have been disassembled and rebuilt elsewhere, but has now been ruined beyond salvation to make way for a new apartment complex.......

Photo of Tomb Sweeping Day supplicants at Longhua Temple by lucksnow on Flickr Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.......

A weekend trip had us stopping off at the Lama Temple, the center of Gelug Buddhism (the particular branch of Buddhism practiced by the Dalai Lama) in Beijing. In light of the recent developments, it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise that they would step up their security but there wasn't any real change that could be detected on the surface. But then we took a closer look. Scattered throughout the temple complex were......

We passed by the Huxi Mosque on Changde Lu the other day, walked around and loved it. Here's some history of the mosque that we found on ChinaCulture.org:The Huxi Mosque is one of the famous mosques in Shanghai City. It was originally called Yaoshuinong Mosque and located at Xikang Road, and moved to Changde Road in April 1992. In 1914, Moslem paupers from Hubei, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui provinces lived together in the area near......

Beijing's tightly scripted, carefully choreographed tour for a select group of 26 foreign journalists from 19 media organisations including the Associated Press, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the South China Morning Post, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, Taiwan’s Central News Agency, Al-Jazeera and Russian and Japanese media, was upstaged by 30 young Tibetan monks, some clearly emotional and weeping, who pushed their way into a news briefing at the J*kh*ng Temple, as you see in......

Moroccan food, klezmer music, and dancing in Shanghai's oldest synagogue. It was so good a party the PLA couldn't even stay away. Photos by Simone Engelman......

Every once in a blue moon the local government is kind enough to open the doors of the Ohel Rachel synagogue and let Shanghai's ever-growing (or, more accurately, re-emerging) Jewish community celebrate their holidays in a proper temple. Tomorrow Shanghai residents will once again have the chance to step inside the more elegant of the city's two remaining synagogues and celebrate the Purim holiday. Although more commonly associated with dressing up in silly costumes and......

Photo by ?lifemage? Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.......

You may have walked past the Holy Trinity Cathedral before and not even known it. The church has been under construction for a couple of years now and protected from public view by the ever-cunning big cement construction wall. But it's still there, awaiting its impending resurrection amid a chorus of jackhammers. Completed in 1869, the Holy Trinity remains one of the oldest western-style buildings still standing in Shanghai. Its stunning design features the......

Photo by Peijin Chen Sexually transmitted diseases on the rise Reuters: China reports rise in sexually transmitted diseases Independent: China admits that cases of HIV/Aids have risen 45 per cent AFP: China launches first anti-AIDS drive for gay men: state media Religion AP: China Official Explains Religion Policy The Hindu: China for conditional constructive dialogue with Vatican Christian Today: Miliband should raise religious freedom in China visit – CSW The environment Reuters: Top China......

With all the bad press surrounding Steven Spielberg's Olympic boycott, Beijing seems to be scrambling to action to diffuse all the negative publicity by wooing a most unlikely target, the Pope. From Michael Sheridan of the Sunday Times (UK):TEMPTED by the prize of a historic visit to China by Pope Benedict XVI, the nation’s leaders have authorised a renewed effort in confidential discussions with the Vatican to heal their rift and inaugurate diplomatic ties. The......

So the story goes: When Chairman Mao visited Shanghai he asked, 'I know there is a Shanghai (上海：on the sea), but is there a Xiahai (下海：under the sea)?' We assume that this was followed by uncomfortable forced laughter as none present (save possibly Zhou Enlai) had the heart (read: cojones) to tell him that the joke stunk. Little did he know that there is, in fact, an 'under the sea' (cue your 'Little Mermaid' soundtracks......

Japanese investigators have found 'no abnormality' at the dumpling factory in Hebei Province at the centre of a food safety scare in Japan after hundreds of people suffered from pesticide poisoning from eating the dumplings. Traces of pesticide were found on the outside of the dumplings and not in the fillings, leading investigators to point to "deliberate poisoning, rather than accidental contamination". This idea, however, has been rejected by Chinese experts.The world's most powerful music......

People who made the news this week Kim Jong-Il, the President of North Korea, has met up with Wang Jiarui, the head of the international department at the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party, in Pyongyang on Wednesday. According to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, when Wang voiced his explicit dissatisfaction with the DPRK's failure to meet its nuclear disarmament deadline, Kim said, “The present difficulties are temporary and can be conquered.” Kim also made a......

Photo from Yansi Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.......

In keeping with his practise of giving new year's predictions, US televangelist and host of The 700 Club on the Christian Broadcasting Network, Pat Robertson has fresh revelation from the Lord concerning 2008:"What I'm praying about is China. I'm asking for 250 million in China. We haven't had that breakthrough yet but I think we're going to get it. God's going to give us China. And China will be the largest Christian nation on the......

By Mike Chen Date: Christmas Eve 2007 Location: St Ignatius Cathedral, Xujiahui, Shanghai......

New blog on the block Islam in China (proxy required) has been doing an AMAZING job of covering all things Islamic and Chinese. In a latest post, they point us to a list of halal restaurants in Shanghai on IslamiChina.com, which looks like a pretty comprehensive list to us! Anyone up for some yummy Xinjiang food?......

A Deutsche Presse Agentur story released on the eve of the New Year's reveals that Nanjing is about to be home to the world's largest Bible factory to be housed in what's been described as an "aircraft hangar-sized plant" capable of producing 1 million copies a month, or one Bible per second. Amity Printing's current factory is already 800,000 Bibles a month in 90 languages, from Braille to Slovakian to Swahili. Megan Hunt, a volunteer......

Buddhist monks singing together with a western orchestra and chorus The growing Taiwanese community in China:......

Shanghaiist wishes all its readers a very merry Christmas, and above all a safe and happy holiday season! From Chris Billman: At one time this building was probably a factory/sweatshop and now it's been converted into a Christian Church. It was really in the middle of nowhere, the town only had one restaurant and that was the only restaurant for at least 5km. What amazed me though was just how many chairs there were,......

By Derek Sandhaus From time to time we are overcome by curiosity and decide to wander into private buildings uninvited. Sometimes this requires offering the doorman cigarettes. Other times it's as easy as someone leaving the door unlocked. This week fortune smiled in the form of a work team sloppily leaving the door of the Russian Orthodox Mission Church wide open. You may already be familiar with the Mission Church sometimes referred to as Our......

Air transport AFP: Air China, Shanghai Airlines join Star Alliance XFN: China Eastern says partnership with Singapore Airlines, Temasek 'only option' AFP: Singapore Airlines says won't raise China Eastern bid Finance Reuters: U.S. says China recognises need for stronger yuan NYT: Little Headway With China on Finance FT: Beijing lectures US on effect of weak dollar Drugs, drugs and drugs AP: China Shuts Down Leukemia Drug Maker Xinhua: China issues new drug recall method......