Results tagged “starbucks”

Fake Starbucks Coffee vouchers

Hot on the heels of the dubious iTunes vouchers, it seems that less-than-kosher Starbucks vouchers have now hit the streets of Shanghai. This warning was spotted on the wall of the Starbucks in Metro City, XuJiaHui.

Chinese-grown Starbucks coffee: The next big thing?

Starbucks has launched a new brand of coffee grown in Yunnan Province in southwest China called South of the Clouds, the meaning of Yunnan (云南) in Chinese. Martin Coles, president of Starbucks Coffee International, told AP that his goal is to bring Chinese coffee not just to China but to the world: "Ultimately I'd love to see our coffees from China feature on the shelves of every one of our stores in 49 countries around the world."

uto.jpgSo you're walking down that much talked about half of Wujiang Lu that has been torn down and built back up as a blandclean and modern commercial pedestrian street. You notice this section between Shimen Lu and Maoming Lu is bookended by a Costa Coffee on one end and a Starbucks on the other. A Coffee Bean is located in between, just in case you simply do not have enough time to reach the other two places for your emergency corporate caffeine fix. You notice the more homegrown Il Panino has reserved a spot here, and regional chains Awfully Chocolate and Honeymoon Dessert have taken root as well.

There might be a recession on the way, but American culture is doing just fine. Although we've said nunca más to Taco Bell, but we got the MLB coming our way, Rambo's back in a way that Rocky Balboa could only dream of, and best of all is the surprising news that Dunkin' Donuts is on its way to Shanghai.

One of the things that makes being on the tube during rush hour even more miserable than we had previously imagined possible is the "film" made by Starbucks and Pepsi showing on the subway TV. Titled 晴天日记 (Qingtian riji), the film is about a young man and a young woman, blah blah blah. Of course the film takes place in Shanghai but most of the scenes take place in Starbucks. We think the whole rationale...

Though never a fan of Starbucks, more because of their bland-ardization of the world's greatest drug rather than due to any kind of deeply held anti-corporate leanings, Shanghaiist nevertheless enjoys supping the occasional hot chocolate from a Medusa-emblazoned mug. With this Monday being particularly harrowing, we were looking forward to a dose of sickly sweet cream-topped womb regression, only to have our fragile psyche strained to within an inch of another long, expensive course of...

Photo of the Mont Blanc superstore on Nanjing Lu from All Roads Lead to China

Still looking for something to do for Halloween? Here are a few parties that should be worth checking out. If you are stuck hanging around People's Square head over to the MOCA where you will find (besides interesting art) a wicked Halloween party featuring lots of killer tunes from Bananas Soundsystem. For those who aren't keen on going downtown, head out to Xujiahui where Harley's Bar will host Banana Monkey and more Banana DJ music. At Logo bar 3 bands are going to dress up as the Misfits, Sex Pistols and Ramones and churn out some gnarly tunes. Billed Punks for Monks, all proceeds from ticket sales will go to a charity helping the monks in Burma.

Starbucks Corporation, the world’s biggest coffee shop chain, recalled 250,000 children’s plastic cups made in China after receiving reports of the cups breaking and posing a choking hazard.

CCTV-9 news anchor Rui Chenggang should be happy now. Finally, a store that serves not just coffee but traditional Chinese beverages like tea too! After all, Rui was the wonderful guy who sparked it all off with a post on his blog which said that having a Starbucks in the Forbidden City, "is not globalising, but trampling Chinese culture". The coffee chain is "a symbol of low-end US food culture presence" which "undermines the Forbidden City's solemnity' and is 'an insult to Chinese civilisation". His vitriol attracted half a million hits within two days, and eventually led to the ousting of Starbucks from the Forbidden City.

One of the great things about living in China is the relatively low cost of courier services which means you can get just about anything delivered at next to nothing at all. China Herald informs us that now, you can even get fresh Yunnan coffee delivered to your house, for FREE (if you live within the French Concession and the Jing'an area, that is, or if you order over 100RMB). Otherwise, you pay just RMB10 if you live in Puxi and RMB15 if you're in Pudong. Very reasonable!

If you thought mooncakes were only for the old-fashioned, think again. Hoteliers, restaurateurs and even tech companies (yes, you heard that right!) have all jumped onto the bandwagon, creating a bewildering array of mooncakes in the market with ever bolder and imaginative fillings, all in the hopes of capturing a bigger slice of the market. For the sweet-toothed, check out these multi-coloured ice-cream moon cakes from Häagen-Dazs, which you can get now at the Parkson supermarket (at Shanxi Nanlu subway), but if you do decide to go, brace yourself for the crazy queues!

As we got up this morning, we were already delighted at the idea that we would have lunch at Paul. We could already hear the sweet sound of the bread crust of their baguette sandwiches, taste the rich butter of their viennoiseries, and see the wooden shelves, behind the counter, full of different kinds of bread. Just like home.

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With the amount of shame emanating from the pictured women's body language, you'd think the cop was busting a Shenzhen whorehouse. But no-- this is Nanjing Lu East, and the scam is overpriced tea.



  • "Shanghai is about to become a quieter city - from June 1, drivers of cars, mopeds and bikes will be banned from blaring horns within the Outer Ring Road." We don't see this being enforced.




  • "Shanghai's Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Wild Animal Park were crowned as two of China's top-grade scenic spot, according to a list today published on the official Website of the country's tourism watchdog." Watching ducklings die = top-grade.




  • "China's Ding Junhui will be able to play two ranking events on home soil next season after Tuesday's announcement that the inaugural Shanghai Masters will take place in August." The sport is snooker.




  • "The Starbucks decision actually came down earlier this year, but Brad wrote the post now to extol the fact that Xingbake (after losing to Starbucks) just changed its name and taken down all offending signage."




  • "And by 'intimate, personal' they mean 'smaller, pricier.' And by 'design-conscious travelers' they mean 'fucking retards.' The article is insipidly subtitled 'to the delight of savvy travelers, boutique hotels are finally sprouting up in Asia.'"




  • "The Pudong New Area People's Court ruled the store had defrauded consumers because it had turned the best-before date on the imported cookies into the production date on the Chinese-language label."




  • "Tim Fenton, head of McDonald's Asia-Pacific unit, said in a telephone interview that breakfast is a 'long-term strategy' in China, where the first meal of the day is more likely to include rice porridge with pork or mushrooms than eggs or hashbrowns."




  • "As the environment ministry said pollution across the country was getting worse, China signed five joint agreements yesterday with the European Union, as the United Nations marked International Biodiversity Day."




  • "Sculptor Mark Armstrong cuts an ice block in a basement on Huaihai Road Middle this morning. About 40 tons of ice has been transported from northern Sweden to build city's first ice bar, which is scheduled to open next month." At least our third ice bar.




  • "Shanghai Bites essays to uncover the best of the 'xiao chi' experience in Shanghai, as well as other comfort foods and occasional glimpses at “the other half” of food in Shanghai. "




  • "About 200,000 people die in China each year from improper use of drugs, Chinese doctors and pharmacists say, and they are calling for greater efforts to educate consumers."




  • "Buildings in Rizhao, a coastal city of nearly three million on the Shandong Peninsula in northern China, have a common yet unique appearance: most rooftops and walls are covered with small panels. They are solar heat collectors."




  • "For the second time in weeks, a Chinese drug or food product has been singled out as a threat overseas. ... In both cases, Chinese producers said they believed the use of the chemicals to be safe and knew of no rules regulating their use."




  • “'Ghost shares' are highly risky, but 'black horses' have beaten expectations. Buying cheap to sell high later is known as 'fighting for the hat', while selling at a loss to avoid further losses is 'meat slicing'."




  • "The government looks set to back down from its long-held intention of imposing real-name registration for the country's 20 million bloggers following protests from the industry."


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  • Started in 2005, the new project is slated for completion in 2009 and will account for for approximately 30% of Chongqing's total installed capacity.




  • This happened on the 19th, around 12pm. The train stopped in the middle of the tunnel, and then began to slowly move again, only to stop and start a few more times.




  • "Wouldn't it be simpler just to leave advertising out of elevators? Fewer bureaucratic headaches, and we'd all be 6 to 8 degrees cooler."




  • "I mean, how many different ways can Jack Bauer save the Republic from terrorists in 24 hours? Well, one way is to have China, the rising superpower, play a sinister role in this season’s back story."




  • "These government officials believe in fengshui, gods and ghosts, but not Marxism-Leninism."




  • "Shanghai Xingbake Cafe Corp. has changed its name to 'Fangyun,' the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday."




  • "China's showcase east coast city, Shanghai, will soon be home to MGM Studio World, a massive new indoor entertainment complex featuring dining, shopping, nightclubs and extensive entertainment facilities, including a cinema."




  • "A city photographer has demanded 460,000 yuan (US$59,740) compensation from a decoration company he says flooded his studio, damaging 60,000 photographic plates and the 'priceless' images on them."




  • "[T]he Chinese province of Zhejiang has taken matters into its own hands. Bars and hotels in the Zhejiang province must provide customers with access to condoms and other contraceptives, or face a $650 fine for non-compliance."




  • "Wozone 我族网 is a free online social networking service that can also be used on your cell phone."


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  • "Video downloads of Guangdong Meng Tong Culture's licensed historical costume drama series "Zhen Guan Chang Ge" were found on Baidu space channel (hi.baidu.com). ... Meng Tone is asking Baidu to pay 440,000 Yuan in compensation."




  • "The disease has now been officially eradicated in China, but the villages remain partly because the patients were unable to rebuild their lives after being institutionalised for decades."




  • "Inspectors with the office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said the natural river banks along some sections of the Jingjiang River, part of the Yangtze, could be at risk of collapse."




  • "Beginning last week, all foreign tourists to Tibet must be approved by the head office of the "Tibet Travel Service" in Lhasa. Needless to say, the PSB is a heavy presence there."




  • "And coffee grown in China is beginning to climb the quality ladder. Arabica from the southern province of Yunnan is now catching the eye even of specialty roasters such as Starbucks or Italy's Illy."




  • "Beijing authorities are to raise downtown parking fees by 150 percent to discourage motorists from driving into the congested city center. Motorists will have to pay five yuan per hour instead of two yuan for parking close to downtown commercial areas."




  • "In Chongqing, a sprawling municipality in central China, so many owners of private cars and trucks are using fraudulent toll-exempt military plates that one toll highway has estimated annual losses at roughly 10 million yuan, or $1.2 million."




  • "A Chinese policeman was stabbed and wounded on the edge of Tiananmen Square, police said on Tuesday, days after a vandal damaged the huge portrait of late Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong that hangs nearby."




  • "In an exercise to attract the attention of the world community, Tibetans in exile here will be organising their maiden 'Olympics' from May 15-25 next year."




  • "Among the hardest hit is Henan province, the country's bread basket, where rainfall since March has been down 70 percent on the average for the last two years, with no significant rain expected this month, Xinhua news agency said."




  • "The average disposable income of Shanghai urbanites hit 6,795 yuan for the January to March period, followed by 6,676 yuan in the neighboring province of Zhejiang and 5,901 yuan in Beijing."




  • "The chief surgeon, who removed the rusty bullet, was amazed it had remained in her head for so long without causing major problems." Wonder if this will spark a new wave of anti-Japan protests.




  • "The Beijing municipal government blacklisted the horror stories calling them 'illegal terrifying publications.'" The book is called .




  • "But it won't take long for parents to discover that Shanghai, with its many parks, markets and museums, can captivate the younger set."


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    Photo by Slow Boat to China found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.



  • "News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS.A) Fox Television denied that it has licensed Beijing based media company Zonbo Media to remake American TV series Prison Break or any related online activities in China, reports Beijing Youth Daily."




  • "Anheuser-Busch Inc. sued USA Bai Wei Group Inc. in Arkansas' Pulaski County Circuit Court, seeking an injunction to revoke Bai Wei's corporate charter and require a name change."




  • "Why are these experts, who supposedly know China better than anyone does, so eager to patronize China's leaders, and so reluctant to condemn Chinese repression of dissent?"




  • "This is the cover to Brutus No. 616 (1 May 2007). ... The portrait of Mao wearing Nike is apparently the product of a Chinese artist, though I can’t verify this."




  • "According to government figures, the overall profit margins in the textile industry are only 3.9% - the lowest of any major industry."




  • "Some tramcars might be able to run in the Zhangjiang area in Pudong ... Even now, many old local residents in Shanghai still remember such tramcars, which the Shanghai people called 'dang dang che', or 'clanging cars'." Trolleys.




  • "This first-ever tour is together presented by NBA and the world's leading express and logistics company, DHL. The two will also present other activities in China." Ripped straight from the press release, sounds like.




  • "The winners will represent China at the Federation of International Robot-soccer Association World Cup in San Francisco on June 13."




  • "Xinhua News Agency quoted animal husbandry officials in Altay prefecture in northern Xinjiang saying a warm winter had resulted in a 'baby boom' of rats in April, a month earlier than normal."




  • "Ms. Zhang Xiaohua, marketing director for Forbes China, attributed the cancellation to the immaturity of charity in China. 'Chinese entrepreneurs haven't reached a consensus on charity and therefore it is immature to make such a list,' she said."




  • "A private businessman has been fined 600,000 yuan (US$78,000; euro 58,000) for breaking China’s strict one child policy, state media reported." But is it really that strict?




  • "China's largest non-state-owned carmaker, which has export agreements in place in Indonesia, Russia and Ukraine, declined to give details."




  • "The top 10 countries in terms of number of employed foreign workers were Japan, America, Korea, Singapore, Germany, France, Canada, Malaysia, Australia and Britain." That leaves an awful lot of unemployed.




  • At Starbucks.




  • "This is the face of Shanghai these days. Not to be all mean'n shit, but how badly would you like to punch one of these Chads in the mouth?"




  • "One of Shanghai's "undiscovered" shopping gems is Jim Dandies, tucked away opposite IKEA in the Xuhui District. It sells chic clothes and art by painter Yurika (Eureka) Nakae from Suzhou"




  • "Located at Yandang Road, the Pudi Boutique Hotel Shanghai offers 52 rooms whose prices range from RMB4680 per night to RMB14000 per night." Ouch.




  • "It notes that in 2006, the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions surveyed employees in 250 enterprises. The data showed that 50.6% of employees had not received a wage increase in nearly three years."




  • "A report in Beijing Times...has led to a remarkable photo essay on the People’s Daily society link at People.com. Beijing Times had orginally reported on an unidentifed demolition contractor that had moved in to demolish houses in the Chaoyang District."




  • "The two websites are Uusee.com and Zol.com.cn. They have been required to publish formal letters of apology on their front homepages. The website owners have also been ordered to remove the offending content immediately."




  • Does this story seem a bit late to you?




  • "Excited and emboldened by the wealth of information they find on the Internet, Chinese teens are breaking centuries of tradition to challenge their teachers and express their own opinions in class."




  • "Working 10 or more hours a day, almost no days off, no regular meals and lack of sleep - that's the life for 70 percent of the white-collar workers in four of China's big cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou."




  • "The report is named《Analytical Report of Basic Science Literacy of County Level Officials in China 》." Explains a lot.




  • "Police in southern China have detained a woman after she admitted killing her four-year-old daughter because the child could not count, according to news reports."




  • "When the 'Chinamen' responded to 'His Excellency' with an open letter ... the result was general consternation, followed by support from a number of leading newspapers, and a consequent flurry of articles and editorials."


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    This is a little old, but we have a feeling many of you haven't seen it yet. From what we have read and seen (front row last month at Yunfeng Theater) of ?uestlove, drummer for The Roots, we always thought the man also known as Ahmir-Khalib Thompson would be a pretty cool guy to hang out with. And then someone told us to check out his blog on MySpace and now our new goal in life is get invited to one of ?uestlove's cookouts should we ever leave Shanghai and move back to rockin' Conshohocken. His blog is an entertaining and honest glimpse into the life of a celebrity, although it seems as though he's not really sure if he feels like a celebrity yet.



  • "A television station in eastern China which flouted a national ban on U.S. drama 'Prison Break,' said it aired the popular serial on its children's channel for 'English training' purposes, state media reported on Friday."




  • "Relatives of a man who was crushed by a falling wall while urinating along the street last year are suing a property developer and a demolition company for 510,000 yuan in compensation."




  • "It will give downtown residents a chance to enjoy nature," said Wang Lan, a deputy manager of the site. "Besides, more than 30 Chinese celebrities are buried in the cemetery, giving it a charming human landscape."




  • "A Vancouver Sun reporter had offers of pill press delivery from different Shanghai companies within an hour of sending out e-mails requesting information about purchases."




  • "I would still recommend the library as a good environment for study and reflection, but it is not without its limitations. Here are a few things worth bearing in mind when you come to Shanghai Library."




  • "But today I should at the shelves of Carrefour this 'Hengjie Paomo' shaving foam, just under the products of P&G and for eight renminbi, about one third of the Gillette product. It looks like their designers have also gotten their inspiration from Gillette."




  • "Putting the books in my Amazon-cart was no problem, but when I wanted to check-out, the Amazon computer said they would not ship to my address. No explanation given."




  • It will be in traditional Chinese characters. "After targeting Hong Kong consumers, Flickr's Chinese site will also focus on the Taiwan market, the spokeswoman said, but declined to elaborate on the mainland Chinese market."




  • "While it's all too easy to finger point at Chinese smokers, the group that gets under my skin—and into my clothes, eyes, nose and lungs—are western smokers. They are becoming increasingly odious, i.e., they stink."




  • "As waiting crowds grew bigger around 10am, the shop had to ask customers to fetch a number first. Starbucks staff said they delivered more than 100 numbers in half an hour."




  • "Quite a bit of a crowd in front of the little store, waiting for new coffee being brewed. I might be Dutch, but are not going to wait for an hour for a free coffee. Quite some people seemed happy to do so."




  • "Every now and then, hyper from too much caffeine in my blood, I order a decaf. Every time I order this I get first a blank stare after which I’m told, 'We don’t have'. Giving free coffee away is great, listing coffee for sale that is never available sucks."


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  • "China Digital Times has noted a Wall Street Journal article that reports on heightened sensitivities around the subject - sensitivities that may have resulted in the current issue of the business magazine Caijing being pulled and revised."




  • "A member of China's parliament has demanded the immediate closure of a Starbucks coffee shop set up inside Beijing's Forbidden City, the Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday."




  • "Ads for soft drinks and fashion magazines have crept onto Chinese campuses - not only spoiling the ambiance but undermining the very essence of education in the arts and sciences."




  • "The majority of the foreign visitors expected during the 2008 Games have religious beliefs, and we should cater to their needs," said Liu Bainian, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).




  • "What is the truth about the 'green paint on the mountain in Fumin county, Yunnan' incident that shook up the nation? Does the local government bear any responsibility? Was this the act of an individual businessman?"




  • "In a joint statement released late Sunday, the Supreme People's Court, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Justice and the country's top prosecutor also said condemned prisoners should not be paraded through the streets and suspects should not be tortured."




  • "The government took its assault on the internet gaming world a step further this week with an announcement that it perceives the explosion in virtual currencies used in a variety of online gaming forums – everything from Second Life to World of Warfare to virtual poker rooms – as a serious threat to its national security."




  • "The overall airport reconstruction project in the western China region will cost 52 billion yuan (6.5 billion US dollars), including an input of 9.6 billion yuan (1.2 billion dollars) and the sum is higher than the input for the same use in east China, according to media reports from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC)."




  • "Apple has sent a letter to Shanghai Municipal Consumer Interest Protection Commission and said that it will make improvements on its after-sales service, which has seen many complaints from Chinese users."




  • "Until now, one kind of establishment has eluded the city: the boutique hotel. But a new wave of these hotels are opening this year, providing yet another lure to entice the young international travelers who are already flocking to this city, whose transformation is occurring at breathtaking speed."




  • "Yet nearly three months later, the deal's appeal among consumers and financial community is waning after an initial burst of interest, according to Tom Group Inc., one of Tom Online's largest shareholders."




  • "China expects to start making large commercial aircraft developed domestically by 2020, an aviation industry official said Monday, raising the possibility of competition for Boeing and Airbus in the country's booming market for new planes."




  • "More than 200 top athletes of extreme sports from America, Brazil, Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries and regions will compete for over US$100,000 on X Games Asia 2007 this May in Shanghai." America? Brazil?




  • "Thousands of residents in the districts of Xuhui, Minhang and Pudong have already been told that move they must. Many feel taken by surprise. Expressions of opposition have proliferated on the internet."




  • "Bookshop owners in Shanghai are snapping at an influx of camera-wielding pirates taking photos of pages to avoid paying for pricey books, local media reported on Monday."




  • "A fierce strike from midfielder Yu Tao seven minutes into the second half, however, gave Shenhua victory over Shandong on Sunday and earned the team a share of a two million yuan ($258,300) bonus from multimillionaire owner Zhu Jun."




  • "Silvercross, the iconic British pram company that supplied generations of Windsor babies, has struck a deal to sell its products in China, becoming the latest UK company to cash in on the booming Chinese middle class desire for heritage brands." Pram?




  • "Traffic authorities in Shanghai will link cycling lanes around the city this year to create a network of lanes with no obstructions, as one of several measures to improve conditions for drivers and cyclists in the city."




  • "The Shanghai Call Centre, which was launched almost a year ago, provides both English and Chinese information about tourist destinations, culture, sports, trade, medical care and other issues concerning daily life in Shanghai."




  • "Please note: supermarket is fine tuned for convinience, not neccessary for price, or quality. If you want more fresh vegetables, and fruits, many some local market is better, such as the Beicai Market nearby."




  • "China will intensify controls of the growing numbers of bloggers using the Internet to lay bare their thoughts, politics and even bodies, the country's chief censor has announced."




  • "All company-operated and licensed Starbucks stores in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Greater China will be giving away free Tall (12-ounce) cups of coffee to anyone who drops by."




  • "I want to use the blog to not only discuss the development of Chinese Movie Database, but also the movie news that interests me, and my experiences of movie going, and perhaps other things."




  • "A Chinese lawmaker has proposed a tax on urban dog-owners to curb growing numbers of the animals and to fight rabies, state media has reported."




  • "A new property law is a breakthrough, even though it raises hopes that one-party rule may dash"


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    A quick follow-up to last Friday's post, "Whisk whacks free Internet — a trend?." Sunday's New York Times ran a story that might be of interest to those of you who have interest in the topic of WiFi and its freeness. The piece, entitled "What Starbucks Can Learn From the Movie Palace," discusses how some American eateries are handling the WiFi issue — FYI, it ain't free at Starbucks or McDonald's (yes, McDonald's has WiFi) — thus, it is not 100 percent relatable to our Shanghai situation ... but what is?

    We love WiFi — Shanghaiists are sociable folk, and this Shanghaiist in particular has fallen into an easy Sunday routine of catching up on news and email with a cappu and sandwich at local cafés. We like having a “third space” — a local hangout where we can meet up with friends, have the occasional coffee, and wile away the hours. We’ve already mentioned a few recent faves, and celebrate the expansion of free internet across our city as evidence of an emerging café culture beyond the ubiquitous Starbucks.

    Despite stuff like Academy Hills and an in-house art museum, most of the descriptions that we've read so far make Roppongi Hills seem like a it's a playground for the gliterrati, i.e. the rich, influential, well-connected as well as tourists.

    While we were "researching" information for this post, we came across an Answers.com entry about the Yangpu district which says that Wujiaochang was constructed in 1929, and the English name of it is "Pentagon Plaza." Maybe it's just because we're Americans, but we think that of all the English names we've heard for places, that's about the snazziest one. Well, not quite as snazzy as "Email Plaza" by Jing'an Park, but a close second.

    As the world holds it's breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning.



  • "'What needs to be stressed is that China has always advocated the peaceful use of space, opposes the weaponisation of space and arms races in space.'"




  • "China will not loosen its one-child policy, despite a top family planning official’s acknowledgment Tuesday that it was partly to blame for a worsening problem of too many boy babies and not enough girls in the world’s most populous nation."




  • "'Hawks say (the missile) boosting (Chinese) spirits, strengthens our country's power, not to mention that others are also doing it; Doves say this violates the outer space treaty, increases international distrust, and might cause a new round of outer space weapon competition.'"




  • "The Chinese broadcasting monitor has called for only 'ethically inspiring' television shows during prime time to foster national harmony before a major meeting of the ruling Communist Party..."




  • "Chinese scientists have found fossil remains of a four-winged dinosaur called a Microraptor, with feathers on both its forelimbs and hind limbs. ... Six fossilized specimens were found in Liaoning Province in northeastern China. They are dated between 124 million to 128 million years."




  • "The Beijing drive-through, which opened Friday, is the first in McDonald's venture with China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. Jeffrey Schwartz, McDonald's China chief executive, said 25 to 30 more joint sites would open in the next 12 to 18 months."




  • "Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group have partnered with a joint venture operating in China that develops technology for distributing music downloads and other content to mobile phones, the record companies said Tuesday."




  • "... 'The Place Hotel & Spa' is expected greet customers at an average price of 350 US dollars per night, much more expensive than the current 220 dollar average among Shanghai's five-star hotels. Located in downtown Jing'an District, the hotel is tucked amidst a group of high-end hotels ..."




  • "When new ticketing machines go into use at Metro stations around the city, passengers will be able to buy tickets with bankcards, not just coins, notes or a public transport card."




  • "China's new bullet trains will make their debut runs between Shanghai and two nearby cities on Sunday, the Shanghai Railway Administration confirmed yesterday."




  • "Prosecutors discovered that Zhou was suspect of bribery and falsification of value-added tax invoices during their investigation into the city's pension fund scandal, the Procuratorate said."




  • "If you don’t have the fortune of knowing what roujiamo is, check out these photos. If you detest the vile weed as much as I do, you’ll also want to make sure you know how to tell them to hold the cilantro."




  • "So there I was in my basement in my underwear eating a bag of Cheetos and downing a six-pack of Mountain Dew wondering how I could date an Asian woman. I had seen enough cute Asian girls in kung fu movies, hadn’t I?"




  • "Let's keep a few things in perspective. Rui is no 'ordinary grass-roots Chinese person.' I first met him not in Beijing but in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum."


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    Even though we've long put our public relations days behind us, we can't help but think what a day in the life of a PR executive at Starbucks must be like. They must all have been working overtime lately with the Seattle-based coffee company hitting the headlines like crazy lately. First it was the landmark victory against Shanghai Xingbake, then there was the trans fat issue.

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