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And Finally

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Street signs that get very lost in translation
Sep 18, 2009 (WiC 31)

Perhaps it should not be too surprising that a country that once declared war on sparrows might now choose to confront its own street signs. But for the Shanghai authorities, the need is a pressing one. With 3.5 million foreign tourists ...

New Chinese rules could lead to a boom in private jets
Sep 11, 2009 (WiC 30)

There have been better times to choose to fly in on the Gulfstream. That was the lesson learned by the CEOs of the Detroit carmakers late last year, when they opted for an estimated $20,000 round trip bill (versus an $837 fare in first class, ...

Use them and lose them

The next hot IPO could be for a firm that makes bamboo chopsticks
Sep 4, 2009 (WiC 29)

Five thousand years ago chopsticks, or kuaizi in Chinese, gained in popularity thanks to a philosopher. It was Confucius who discouraged the use of knife and fork at the table; he thought of the eating utensils more as weapons, and as ...

For fans of a classic escapist novel, a room with a view now awaits…
Aug 28, 2009 (WiC 28)

Ever since James Hilton wrote Lost Horizon, about a mythical city called Shangri-La, the 1933 classic has come to define fantasies of Himalayan hideaways. But the fictional utopia turns out to exist after all. Nestled in a valley in Yunnan ...

Upwardly immobile

Why China’s wealthiest villagers cannot afford to leave home
Aug 21, 2009 (WiC 27)

Locals describe the village of Huaxi as China’s socialist Disneyland. The per capita income is seven times the national average. And its 60,000 residents enjoy health insurance, pensions and two-car garages. Every year, the town – ...

The two-child policy

Shanghai counters dwindling population with reversal of strategy
Jul 31, 2009 (WiC 26)

It seems like the world’s most populous country wants to get a little bigger. For the first time in decades, Chinese officials are encouraging procreation. Well, China is not doing away with the one-child policy just yet, but it is allowing ...

The world’s dearest fish

Why China’s rich are paying up to $116,800 for red dragons
Jul 24, 2009 (WiC 25)

"We are recession-proof because we are in the luxury goods business,” says Mr Suen. But Suen doesn’t work for Louis Vuitton or BMW. He is the owner of a shop that sells red dragon fish in Beijing’s Guanyuan Market. The red dragon fish ...

Furore as lawyer gets handcuffed to a basketball post by maverick judge
Jul 17, 2009 (WiC 24)

British judge, John Deeds is famous for his unorthodox methods. He may be fictional – the lead character in the BBC’s longest running legal drama, in fact – but he’s influential too. So much so that juries in Britain have been told not to ...

The other Madame Butterfly

China’s spying soprano has died aged 70
Jul 10, 2009 (WiC 23)

The death in Paris last week of Shi Pei Pu, an operatic soprano from Shandong, brings to an end one of the more unlikely stories of recent times. Even now it is a story that is difficult to comprehend. In 1964, Shi met Bernard Boursicot, a ...

The world’s priciest steak

Chinese media speculates on the merits of spending $2.11 million on a lunch
Jul 3, 2009 (WiC 22)

"You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant,” was Warren Buffett’s response when asked whether America’s $787 billion stimulus package was working. His meaning: no matter how much stimulus you apply, it takes ...

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