The culture of calisthenics is everywhere, and it likely begins at school, where kids are forced to go through morning exercises on a daily basis (occasionally they're also works of genius and timing). more ›

Recently, a Yale professor and "Superior Chinese mother" published a wildly controversial opinion piece on the Wall Street Journal espousing just how much better the "Chinese" method of parenting is - no playdates, ultimate discipline and a complete disregard for your children's feelings because really, what do they know? I thought it was some kind of satirical joke at first. But no - it was a terrible tragedy of a piece that probably only got published thanks to those recent Shanghai PISA test scores demonstrating (to those not looking close enough) some sort of amazing educational secret Asian people have that others MUST KNOW. Having lived through a version of the Chinese Parenting Experience, and having been surrounded since birth with hundreds of CPE graduates, I couldn't not say something. The article actually made me feel physically ill and, judging from the comments section of Amy Chua's piece, garnered similar reactions from others who'd gone through what she's espousing. more ›

According to an interpretation of Chinese tort law on the Wall Street Journal, yes. The reason is the way for determining compensation, which sets one-time payments for accidental death at 20 times the local average yearly income. That means that those who live in Shanghai (which earn on average 28,838RMB a year) - like the Shanghai fire victims - automatically get more money than those working in mines in Hubei or anywhere else in China. Of course, China's not the only place where richer people tend to receive more in tragedies: compensation to 9/11 victims was doled out with the same emphasis on annual income - and it was incredibly controversial at that time too. The lawyer in charge of the 9/11 Fund, Ken Feinberg, says something that hopefully sums up anything related to the thorny issue of money for death: "There is not one family member I've met who wouldn't gladly give back the check, or, in many cases, their own lives to have that loved one back. 'Happy' never enters into this equation." more ›

GQ China pulled their July issues off newsstands the day after it was released, and it could be due to pressure from the people they interviewed, the Wall Street Journal reports. The magazine's feature article, "Super Kids Driving Luxury Cars," discussed the lives and fashion trends of six 20-year-old Chinese elites. Materialistic comments included things like losing interest in an attractive woman because her car was five years old - just the stuff to get the rest of the populace riled up. Allegedly, the owner of the Beijing Sports Car Club threatened to sue GQ China, saying the reporter had never told him his callous remarks were being recorded. Isn't that what makes them so great? more ›

It's a sad, sad day for economics news. One of our favorite business publications is now shuttering its doors as Dow Jones & Co. tries to reshuffle its properties - the Far Eastern Economic Review. According to their site, “the Far Eastern Economic Review will cease publication in December so opinion and commentary resources from Asia can be expanded across all Dow Jones properties. Unfortunately, despite several attempts at invigorating the brand, the REVIEW’s continued losses in advertising revenue and readers is now unsustainable.” FEER was first launched in 1946. Most of its content will now be continued through The Wall Street Journal Asia. more ›

Hundreds of millions of Chinese enjoy watching sports on some level, but the Chinese sports market is much less organized—and commercialized—than it is in the West, especially the United States. more ›

The Wall Street Journal reports that 4.3 million copies of "an etiquette book outlining rules on good manners and foreign customs, including rules about what not to wear" have been distributed to Beijing residents for use during the Olympics. A snippet: "No matter what, never wear too many colors...especially during formal occasions. When you wear [formal shoes], be sure to wear socks in good condition...socks should be a dark color -- never match black leather shoes with white socks. Older women should choose shoes with heels that aren't too high." Let that be a warning to you. more ›

Olympics mascot merchandising is a multi-million dollar business, but since the mascots for the Beijing Olympics were announced nearly three years ago they have met with mixed reviews. A nationwide survey conducted by Nielsen Co. showed that only 60% of Chinese liked the Fuwa characters. more ›

Xinhua: Danish PM wishes for closer cooperation with China in New Year more ›

Taco Bell, we hardly knew ya. An article in this morning's Metro Express commuter paper reported that a Yum Enterprises spokesperson has confirmed the closing of Shanghai's two Taco Bell Grandes, at People's Square and in Gubei, as well as the chain's single Shenzhen location. Instead of pushing Americanized Mexican food in a tough market, the owners of KFC and Pizza Hut have chosen to concentrate on expanding their new Chinese "quick service" venture East Dawning (东方既白), which according to Dianping.com already has 10 locations sprinkled throughout greater Shanghai. The People's Square former Taco Bell Grande will become East Dawning's flagship location. According to TIME magazine: more ›

Yesterday's copy of the Wall Street Journal has a very interesting observation: that few of China's top political and business leaders these days have white hair:

It is possible that could have something to do with genes, but something else is involved, too. For aging men of influence here, the dye job appears to have become as commonplace as the Mao suit once was. more ›

To improve pork quality, Beijing pigs will listen to soothing music more ›

Li Heping, an outspoken Chinese lawyer said Wednesday he was abducted and beaten for hours, and accused of causing unrest by representing clients with complaints of official corruption and police abuse. more ›

A man on the inside sent us this Brand Republic story from late last week. If you've ever wondered why bloggers never link to the South China Morning Post or why you don't see any stories from them on Google News, here's why: more ›

Not content with making cars and computers for the world, China is now on to its next big thing -- aircraft. The long-awaited ARJ-21 (pictured here) is China's very first homegrown commercial aircraft and has been launched amid much fanfare by the aircraft maker AVIC I. Now only a name is lacking, and if you can come up with a creative Chinese name of between two and four Chinese characters before September 28, RMB50,000 will be yours! (Sorry apparently English names are worth nothing). more ›

CNN's John Vause says he's lost 10 pounds in recent weeks as reports of tainted food have come out in China. more ›

For too long, many domestic TV entertainment channels have profaned music and the notion of competition by giving top honors to tomboys or sissy boys for being what they are - boyish girls and feminine boys - NOT for what or how they sing. The realm of music (which if not sacred should at least require some talent) suffered most when Li Yuchun, a tomboy whose voice was the weakest of all the finalists in a national singing contest in 2005, walked away with the "Super Girl" championship. Shi Yang, a boy who dances like a young woman, became a hot idol during the "My Show" contest in Shanghai last year.

Editor's Note: Sorry, forgot to send these out last night in our rush to get to the Sonic Youth show.

• Leading Chinese Enviro Activist Detained
  "In the meantime,here, from today’s Wall Street Journal, is another thing all those green minded local officials are doing: locking up irksome environmental activists"
• China to keep 2008 Olympics 'dry'
  "Beijing will use aircraft, missiles and cannons in what could amount to a massive umbrella over the city to keep athletes dry during next year's Olympics, state media reported on Friday."
• U.S. knew about China's anti-satellite test, chose not to act, says N.Y. Times
  "U.S. intelligence knew about preparations for January's test in China of an anti-satellite weapon but the U.S. government chose not to intervene because of insufficient leverage with Beijing, The New York Times reported on its Web site Sunday."
• Speeding, Overloading Blamed for Road Tragedy
  "The guardrails on each side of the bridge were only ten centimeters in height, far lower than the minimum height of 46 cm required by law, Li Yizhong, Minister of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), said at the scene of the accident."
• Beijing to destroy its oldest Peking Opera house
  "The Guanghe Theatre, which sits in Beijing's historic Qianmen quarter, will meet the wrecking ball, making way for the capital's "remorseless" onslaught of modernisation, Xinhua news agency reported."
• Foreign banks offer tea,insurance to lure Chinese
  "For those Chinese rich enough to open an 80,000 yuan ($10,350) account, Citigroup Inc and Standard Chartered are now promising an alternative to the long queues at China's big state lenders."
• Doing business in China: Popular Shanghai restaurant falls prey to joint venture dispute
  "The lights at Renren Restaurant now are dim all the time. The once thriving cafe has fallen prey to a dispute between the Hong Kong company represented by Ho, a Canadian citizen, and its mainland Chinese partners, who want him out."
• Top 40 blogs according to Zhuaxia stats
  Chinese blogs. Keso is No. 1.
• China delays climate change plan indefinitely
  "China has delayed indefinitely its national 'action plan' on climate change, which was due to be released on Monday after exhaustive consultations among ministries in Beijing and provincial and local governments."
• Shanghai signboards call for Chinese
  "The all-English signboards are catering to a false admiration for anything Western. Some people tend to think it's a high-end shop if the name is written in a foreign language," said Huang Anjing, an editor of a local monthly journal, Yaowen Jiaozi.
• 9 Tough Tricks, and a Title for Shanghai
  "This year’s world bridge championships are in Shanghai beginning Sept. 29. And one week ago Shanghai won the Chinese Contract Bridge Association Open Teams championship, beating Qinggong in the 96-board final, 239 international match points to 211."
• Image damage
  "Xuhui District People's Court ... ordered the Shanghai Normal University to compensate 9,000 yuan (US$1,166) to Francesca Manganelli [who] said the institute used her photo without her agreement in an advertisement for student recruitment in June 2005."
• 非常真人's photo-comic blog
  "非常真人，非常娱乐 (Very Real People, Very Entertaining) is a blog that posts short, amusing photo-comics of every day life in Beijing."
• China Yields to Inquiry on Pet Food
  "China .. has given American regulators permission to enter the country to investigate whether Chinese suppliers exported contaminated pet food ingredients to the [US] earlier this year, leading to one of the largest pet food recalls in American history."
• China aims to further tame Web
  "Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday launched a campaign to rid the country's sprawling Internet of 'unhealthy' content and make it a springboard for Communist Party doctrine, state television reported." This happens every week, no?
• China molten steel tragedy highlights lax industry
  "Lax safety measures, unsuitable equipment and 'chaotic' conditions have been blamed for the deaths of 32 steel workers engulfed in molten metal, Chinese investigators announced, warning that such failings were common."
• Letter from Beijing: Enemy of the State
  "Jianguo was arrested and tried in the summer of 1999, and I remember with perfect clarity the moment I learned what had happened."

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. more ›

For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day. more ›

The Wall Street Journal tells us that the QP marks a change in McD's marketing strategy: Rather than trying to localize their food to suit the palettes of the Chinese, they are, with the QP, insisting on the cultural integrity of the product -- almost: more ›

The Wall Street Journal has finally picked up on the BlackBerry/RedBerry fight in China -- maybe they have been reading Shanghaiist? Nah. Maybe? WSJ’s online edition has an interesting article here (in Chinese) if you want to find out the latest goings-on in the “War of the Berries”. more ›