In order to "promote the prosperity and development of the film industry and to enrich the cultural life of the people" last week the State Council of Legislative Affairs drafted a series of new restrictions on film in China. The new legislation will increase the amount of film content banned in China, as well as provide some new laws to rein in sketchy box office practices.
1
![Huang Ju dies, clique to disband?]()
For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day.
Photo by Mike Chen found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.more ›
For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day.
Photo by shanghaidragonrider found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.more ›
Results tagged “statecouncil”
China bans more stuff in movies, cracks down on box office tampering
State Council to government portals: Provide timely, accurate info or else!
"Government websites in China will be shut down if they fail to respond to public concerns or update information, according to a circular issued by China's State Council, or cabinet. Government websites are required to provide up-to-date and accurate information, especially on sectors such as government budgets, public resources allocation and major construction projects. The move is believed to aim at improving the credibility of government websites, many of which have been accused of lacking adequate information, offering delayed updates and constantly having hyper-link errors." [Xinhua]
China has new environmental review measures now
A greener China is coming (or something)! Over the weekend, the State Council issued regulations that it says will strengthen the ways it assesses the environmental impact of new projects. Environmental impact assessments will be required after a project is first approved. There will also be a continuing review to ensure that these projects are on track or are revised if they aren't complying with rules on limiting pollution. While provincial projects must be evaluated by State Council level authorities, city-level project reviews will be conducted by local environmental officials. Oof, not that we don't trust local politico or anything (okay, we don't), but anybody want to place bets on the percentage of environmentally unfriendly projects that will still get the green light? Source: WSJ
China edging closer to creating its own movie rating system
China has completed the first draft of a long-discussed movie rating system, according to Xinhua. The draft has been submitted to the State Council, though whether the law will be reviewed or approved this year is still up for grabs.
Ok folks, it’s official! Now that the State Council has released its 2009 
Just who on earth are we supposed to believe?
The space station, the Olympic pigs and white-collar wages Shanghaiist scans thousands of China headlines every single day, and believe us, we do want to believe all the news we read here in China, but every now and then, we come across something that makes us remind ourselves to take EVERYTHING we read with a great pinch of salt, no matter how authoritative the source may sound. Just yesterday, for instance, China Daily reported that...
China to Living Buddhas: Seek approval for reincarnation
Are there any Living Buddhas among the enlightened readership of this blog? You have been informed: With immediate effect, all your reincarnations must receive government approval, and if not, they will be deemed "illegal or invalid" by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA).
Huang Ju dies, clique to disband?
Will this finally be the end of the Shanghai clique? The death of Huang Ju, a former Shanghai mayor and party secretary and now former member of the Standing Committee of the Politboro, spells trouble for Jiang Zemin's already waning influence on the Hu administration. Having ascended to the role of vice premier of the State Council in 2003, Mr Huang had long served as the figurehead for the "Shanghai Clique", a group of politicians joined by their love of all things Shanghai (and Jiang Zemin). Were Raekwon the Chef asked to sum up the situation, he might say something like this: "The Shanghai Clique forms like Voltron and Huang Ju was the head."
China, still a communist state, now also loves private equity
Last Sunday, Beijing took another step in diversifying its mammoth US$1.2 trillion (that's 1,200,000,000,000) foreign reserve by purchasing a US$3 billion stake in US private equity giant the Blackstone Group.
Today's Links: Murder, rape and 'no car' day
"But four years after she retired at 26 with nothing but an elementary school education and a body crippled by sports injuries, the former marathon champion says she has been duped."
"Beijing's waterways suffer from severe pollution. But even if they did not, the residents of the capital might present an even greater threat, writes Dongting Lu."
"The report shows that the price of second hand houses in most large cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hangzhou soared in 2006 while the renting price were stable."
"China’s aggressive posture was on display this week at a UN meeting on climate change in Bangkok, when Beijing’s representatives tried to ensure the conference communiqué specifically blamed industrialised nations for global warming."
"A police officer with the Dalian Railroad Department fired five shots to kill a family of three who had showed up to demand compensation. The local government and publicity department censored all news."
"Gym staff recognized Freeman immediately from his photo posted on the Department of Justice Web site; computer records showed he registered under the name John Freeman and listed a Suzhou cellphone number as a contact."
"Hong Kong's commissioner for transport Robert Footman refused to allow the number plate Zestra because it is the name of a feminine arousal oil used widely in the city of 6.9 million."
"In fairness, much of the mainstream Chinese press refrained from using the April 16 tragedy as a vehicle to criticize the United States."
"Posters telling travelers how to behave appear in almost every train station, bus stop, hotel and scenic spot. 'We are treated like little kids,' Luan said."
"It is not forgotten any more, thanks to a band of internet campaigners who have exposed the shameful truth: the schoolchildren perished because they were ordered to sit down in their theatre seats so that Communist party officials could leave first."
"China's smog-choked capital and the financial hub of Shanghai have agreed to close their roads for the country's first "no car" day, along with over 100 other cities." Mark Sept. 22 on your calendars.
"Local media report that Google (GOOG) China will make a major adjustment on its regional functions and move its marketing headquarters and client service department from Beijing to Shanghai and its engineering institute from Shanghai to Beijing."
"... China’s total power generating capacity doubled to 700 gigawatts! The fruits of those efforts are now dazzlingly manifest: by the end of next year, China will have an electricity surplus. Shanghai will once more be a ‘switched-on city’."
"Police found a body in Xinkaihe watercourse on Friday. It was later identified as a driver surnamed Shen, who had been missing since April 15. The three suspects ... stole Shen's motorcycle, phone and cash, and then forced him to jump into the water."
"Citing unnamed sources briefed on the talks, the New York Times reported Saturday that preliminary exchanges have started and that league officials would prefer the arch-rival New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to be the teams going to Asia."
"China's top family planning body has warned that the world's most populous country could face a "population rebound" because the newly rich are ignoring population control laws and because of early marriages in rural areas, state media said Monday."
"China's State Council Work Safety Committee issued an urgent circular on Sunday, requiring the transportation, chemical and mining sectors to take strict precautions against serious accidents."
"While many say it's an unworkable plan, the country is seeking a more sophisticated approach to recycling."
"The sequel approach to Shanghai’s resurgence is certainly seductive ... and it captures some aspects of what is going on. But the Shanghai-is-back-as-a-Paris-of-the-East line can obscure some key contrasts between past and present."
"The fitment expense accounts for 42.16 percent, goods for a new house take up over 18 percent, wedding cost 19.70 percent, other expenses like wedding clothing, the honeymoon travel account for about 15 percent."
"Sydney FC are on course to attract their biggest attendance of the Asian Champions League campaign - and perhaps their biggest home crowd in 15 months - at next Wednesday night's must-win match at Aussie Stadium."
For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day.
Photo by Mike Chen found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.
Today's Links: Jaywalking, smoking and cheap domains
"According to a report from Russell Reynolds Associates based on Shanghai government statistics, 144 foreign companies now have their Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai, 48 of which established operations there only in the last year."
"Besides receiving a verbal reminder of the violation, jaywalkers and cyclists will be fined between five yuan to 50 yuan, depending on their behavior and attitude."
"If you thought the Shanghai index's 8.8% drop in late February was bad, wait until a bunch of rickety Chinese companies collapse."
"This Sunday, Yang checks in and checks out a number of Shanghai boutique hotels. How do we know this? We're the suckers who subscribe to Times Select."
"The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), China’s environment watchdog, will spend 2 billion yuan (US$250 million) to set up new pollution statistics, monitoring and accountability systems within 18 months."
"[T]he State Council Informatization Office, Information Office of the State Council and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Internet Network Information Center has announced that all .CN domains can now be purchased for only one yuan."
"Web search leader Google and its top rival in China Baidu.com are racing to build out their online library services as they battle for a slice of the world's second-largest Internet market."
"Smoking harms people's health, but restraining smoking threatens social stability," said Zhang Baozhen, deputy chief of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration. "Smokers rioted when the former Soviet Union collapsed because they could not get any cigarettes. ... The principle applies in China as well."
"Led by industry group the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the corporations, including EMI, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music, and Universal Music, are suing Yahoo! China for an estimated 5.5 million yuan in damages."
"The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International said in a statement that a vaccination campaign would be a better way to control rabies."
"China ended almost 30 years of favourable treatment for foreign companies on Thursday with the introduction of a measure to equalise corporate tax rates paid by local and overseas enterprises."
"There are countless stories out there (including in this blog) of foreign companies sending money off to China for product that never comes. This article is essentially the reverse: Chinese companies shipping product overseas and then never getting paid."
"Videos already uploaded include pilgrims, rap songs, statements from monks, rants from young Tibetan exiles in the United States, and words from ama-la (grandmas). Looks like the revolution(s) will be televised after all."
"Taiwan may rejoin China peacefully within 20 years"
"An interesting survey just out from McKinsey on how executives in Asia perceive the China market. I'm amazed that only 30 per cent of the respondents' companies have operations in China."
"Imagine a world where Germany denied the Holocaust, the United States denied the slaughter of Native Americans and Europe denied organizing its immensely profitable and centuries-long trans-Atlantic trade in African slaves."
"Regulators have ordered Chinese websites to limit the use of 'virtual money' after concerns that the online credits might be used for money laundering or illicit trade."
"The cancer rate among Shanghai's women almost doubled in the past 20 years and is the highest in the nation, health officials said yesterday."
For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day.
Photo by shanghaidragonrider found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.
How to spend a trillion dollars
China has moved a step closer to diversifying its US$1.07 trillion in foreign reserves, with the yet-unofficial appointment of two senior officials to head new vehicles that will seek to invest a portion of China's reserves, which are the largest in the world.
Press freedom for foreign journalists to become permanent?
While most journalists go to parties in hopes of congress, next year promises something different. Cai Wu, the head of the news and information department of the State Council, said in recent remarks that starting January 1, 2007, the rules pertaining to foreign journalists during the Olympics will take effect (report in Chinese). As you might recall, this means that instead of going through all the red tape, a foreign journalist can do an interview almost wherever they want, with almost whoever they want. You only need the consent of the interviewee, and you still are not allowed to go to restricted areas, including military areas, and cannot leak any sensitive or classified information.
Golden Weeks! Get yer fresh hot Golden Weeks!
Chinese holidays -- or "golden weeks" -- have always confused Shanghaiist. The "official" days always seem to be announced at the last minute (like less than two weeks before the actual holiday) even though based on past holidays you can pretty much guesstimate when the golden week will be. Adopting a "when in China" stance, many foreign companies in China wait until the last minute to tell employees what days they will actually have off. The end result is a mad rush of about a billion people to get out of town. Thank God for ticket agents.
Shanghai to Hangzhou in 26 minutes
Ever wonder what world leaders (or maybe the right-hand men of world leaders) talk about when they get together? Fast trains! Really fast trains:
Awww ... isn't Panda Diplomacy cute?
The giant pandas are finally ... um, probably ... going to Taiwan after 19 years waiting. Um, probably. According to a press conference held in Beijing late in the week, China finally unveiled the panda pair from 23 nominees today as a gift offer to Taiwan.
Dirty Pretty Things: China comes clean about organ trade
Shanghaiist can remember our first glimpse into the general issue of human rights in China back in freshman year of college. We are certainly not going to get into a debate about the state of China’s progress on the matter, or how accurate or overblown or underreported the situation may or may not be. We just know that our first look came from a very thick 2000 US State Department annual human rights report on China … and it was not a pretty picture.
« Previous
1
Next »
personals
Enter our FREE personals site!send a tip
tips@shanghaiist.comabout
advertising / arts/entertainment / calendar / contact / contribute / facebook / food/drink / jobs / mobile / news / other / personals / photos / popular / RSS / staff / twitter / videos write for us / weibosubscribe
Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Chicagoist.