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And Finally

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Going swimmingly

Symbolic swims and drinks at the Water Cube
Jun 26, 2009 (WiC 21)

Mao Zedong loved to swim. In fact, in July 1966 the 73 year-old took a vigorous and well-publicised plunge into the Yangtze River to signal that he was in robust health – and that he was launching a counterattack against his critics in the ...

The ‘Louis Vuitton’ of vegetables

Organic food sees growing demand, but it’s too pricey for most
Jun 19, 2009 (WiC 20)

Heavy metals in vegetables, poisonous dyes in eggs and industrial chemicals in tainted milk – the litany of food horror stories coming out of China is well known. But the unimpressive track record is helping drive sales in another food ...

Charlatans abound in China’s management training industry
Jun 5, 2009 (WiC 18)

Peter Drucker was reluctant to be referred to as a ‘guru’. The world’s leading management thinker had come to the conclusion that gurus were all too often charlatans. Drucker preferred to be called a writer instead. China is a country ...

Athens on the Yangtze

China experiments with voting systems, including one from ancient Greece
May 29, 2009 (WiC 17)

Say ‘Chinese Democracy’ to most Americans and they will think you are referring to an album by Guns N’ Roses. But surprisingly enough China is experimenting with democracy, albeit on a limited scale. The latest step was taken this week ...

Coffin capitalism

Shanghai undertaker turns gangster to win market share
May 22, 2009 (WiC 16)

Vito Corleone and his fictional mobsters ran protection rackets, gambling dens and any number of illegal businesses. But the Godfather never got into the funeral business. He may have been missing a trick, if the experience of a Shanghai gang ...

China buys DRAMs from Taiwan, and ever more drams from Scotland
May 15, 2009 (WiC 15)

It was a very special event, and before entering you had to sign a very special legal disclaimer. Among other things you had to assure the organisers you would not drive afterwards or start brawls. Welcome to China’s first ever Whisky Live ...

Full medal racket

Everyone would love to win an Olympic gold, and now you can (sort of)
May 8, 2009 (WiC 14)

We can all be winners if we want it badly enough, according to the perma-tanned promises of motivational speakers the world over. But why spend a fortune on seminars when you can head down to the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing and ...

Central “party” offices

How some fake Moutai stirred up a storm for local government officials
Apr 30, 2009 (WiC 13)

China is no stranger to fakes; the country has long enjoyed a reputation for counterfeited goods. It is, therefore, rather surprising that the discovery of fake Moutai, the famous liquor, made the front page of many newspapers around the ...

Can a Chinese schoolyard game become an Olympic event?
Apr 24, 2009 (WiC 12)

There are many people who admire the business acumen and the wealth that Bernie Ecclestone has attained from his tight control over Formula One. And few more so than Wu Yanda, who sees himself as China’s very own Ecclestone. However, while ...

Can the internet help clean up Foshan’s public toilets?
Apr 17, 2009 (WiC 11)

Chinese public toilets are unloved institutions. Adeline Yen Mah recalls in her book, Watching the Tree: “We had been forewarned of the appalling conditions awaiting us and had rolled up the legs of our trousers in anticipation. Inside, there ...

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