In a surprising about face on the one child policy, authorities in Shanghai have launched a campaign to encourage couples to have a second kid, as long as both of them were only children themselves. The Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission said today that officials would be visiting these specific families, publicizing the policy for allowing a second child and providing consulting services. Why the change? It seems that Shanghai is getting increasingly worried about its growing elderly population and is hoping to prevent future labor shortages. So if you live in Shanghai, were an only child, and married someone else who was an only child, the government is now telling you to "Have Children." Source: Xinhua more ›

We guess it couldn't have been long before all that construction and shuffling of residents in the months leading up to the World Expo pissed off some people. 50 Shanghainese whose homes were demolished to make way for the Expo 2010 site are now threatening to sue the event organizer, the International Exhibitions Bureau, according to the South China Morning Post. At a press conference in Hong Kong, League fo Chinese Victims director Sandy Shen Ting said that 18,000 Shanghai households had been affected by the expo since 2002. Allegedly, many homes were razed without compensation, or with not enough compensation to buy a new apartment in the same district. Those who refused to leave have been beatuen or detained by police. The suit, which would be filed in Paris, accuses the IEB of allowing the Shanghai government to stage the event even though it has failed to live up to the slogan "Better City, Better Life." more ›

A Shanghai Evening News article, called “New Heroes Rush Into the Shanghai Bund, No Restrictions on Their Place of Origin, They are All Elites,” has drawn protest amongst Shanghai residents. One retired national leader even called the city's party secretary, Yu Zhengsheng, to complain. more ›