The current wave of strikes and demonstrations continued this week, as more than 100 workers blocking a Tesco store in the city of Jinhua in Zhejiang province. Shoppers were prevented from entering the shop by the staff, who boldly blocked and barricaded the entrances and exits, while holding up banners with messages, including ''We want to protect our rights...Return our blood and sweat money.'' more ›

Thousands of workers in Dongguan, Guangdong Province staged a massive strike against new regulations imposed by their factory management on Thursday. Thousands of workers besieged their factory in Dongguan's Huangjiang Township and blockaded the town's main road. At one point, protesters were said to have numbered over 10,000. Conflicts broke out between riot police and protesting workers as the police tried to prevent workers from approaching the government building. Dozens of workers reportedly suffered head wounds after they were beaten by riot police. more ›

Hundreds of angry truck drivers blockaded Shanghai's Baoshan port yesterday as part of a three day strike against rising fuel prices and higher handling fees charged by the port. more ›

The purpose of China Strikes is to track strikes, protests and other collective actions by Chinese workers to defend their rights and interests. I hope that over time the site will serve as a resource to those wishing to better understand and support the labor movement in China.

Around this time of year, the topic of social unrest in China is never far from the fore. The recent spate of strikes at the Honda plant in Foshan and slew of suicides at Foxconn's Shenzhen factory has provided recent evidence that not only disenfranchised sections of society are willing to show their defiant colours, but also the greater need for the government to address China's wealth distribution. more ›

Due to the ongoing political turmoil in Bangkok, Shanghai's municipal tourism bureau has issued an order to travel agencies here to suspend all trips to Thailand pending further notice and to help all stranded Chinese tourists return as soon as flights resume. The Chinese Embassy has confirmed that up to 1,000 Chinese tourists have been left stranded in Thailand. A dispatch by the Associated Press on how the chaos at Suvarnabhumi Airport has struck a major blow to the Thai tourism industry quotes a 44 year old Shanghai-based French executive by the name of Fred Thierry as saying his company is now thinking twice about a new investment that was planned for Thailand due to its political instability. That investment may now be shifted to China. more ›

• The Dalai Lama entertains the idea of himself going to hell and of his lineage coming to an end at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. [China Rises]
• The WSJ's China Journal tells us of a "rare and violent strike" among cabbies in Chongqing yesterday protesting against fuel shortages and heavy fines.
• Sam Flemming of the China IWOM Blog tells us of Gome's launch of a tuangou (团购) or "group purchase" opportunity through the Chinese forum KDS. This is interesting because tuangou activities are usually initiated by consumers.