TV host and entrepreneur Yang Lan spoke earlier this year at Ted and gave the audience a glimpse into the world of young Chinese citizens today. Regular Shanghaiist readers probably won't find any of the stuff she's talking about new, but still it's a good summary of what's been happening in China over the past year. more ›

The suggestion has often been made that China is growing a lot faster than India because the Chinese government can often bulldoze its policies through while India, the world's largest democracy, is bogged down by its political system. This view is too simplistic, says Huang Yasheng, professor in international management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In this TED talk, Huang argues that there is an economic case to be made for democracy, and that if China doesn't hasten its pace of political reform, it is going to face some substantial challenges. more ›

China internet veteran, Global Voices co-founder, and net freedom advocate Rebecca MacKinnon talks at TED about the relationship between governments, citizens, and the internet. She says the most important question is not whether the internet will be used for good or evil in the future, but rather whether we can hold the "sovereigns of cyberspace" accountable to the public interest. more ›

This one popped up randomly on our radar last minute, but apparently there is a TED conference happening this weekend(!)--the independently organized TEDxFiveStarSquare. They've put together 18 speakers, a diverse group of academics, chefs, musicians, entrepreneurs, and artists who will step on stage to share their ideas. more ›

Martin Jacques, author of "When China Rules the World," and columnist for the Guardian and New Statesman offers three building blocks for understanding the rise of China.
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For those of you who were hoping to join in on this year's TEDxShanghai but for some reason couldn't make the actual event, they're taking a page out of last year's playbook and streaming everything on Tudou. more ›

Yesterday, over a hundred technologists converged on Shanghai for TEDxShanghai at M1NT. Venture capitalists and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs from the Geeks on a Plane tour, along with the cream of China's technocracy, were treated to inspirational presentations about how social media and technology can influence the future of the human race. more ›

In case you weren't able to get tickets or just couldn't make it to the geek + change-the-world fest that is TedXShanghai, the event has been kind enough to live stream their talks on Tudou.com, rendering it ridiculously easy to check out speakers (who know things!) from the comfort of your office computer. Starts at 10am... which is NOW! In case you didn't know, TEDx is a program of "local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience... TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group." You can check out who will be talking about what here. more ›

The fine folks at TEDxShanghai have offered Shanghaiist readers a chance to crash the event's invitation-only Geeks and Glamour party at M1NT at 7:30 on Monday night. All you have to do is email sage@tedxshanghai.com with this as your subject line: "Me + Shanghaiist + Geeks & Glamour." Send your emails soon — only the first 50 emailers will get an invite to the exclusive party (UPDATE: Entry to the party is RMB 100, paid at the door. The entry fee includes a yet-to-be-announced drink special. Sorry for the confusion!). What is TEDxShanghai? "TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience." Okay, but what is TED? "TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. ... The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)." Geeks & Glamour is the after-party for TEDxShanghai, Shanghai's independently-organized TED event, which is already booked solid (but you can watch a live feed — with simultaneous English/Chinese translation — on Tudou starting at 10 a.m. Monday). You can learn more on their Facebook page. Start sending your emails! See you on Monday. more ›