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Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

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1 2 3 4 5... 46

Read, at speed
Oct 18, 2019 (WiC 470)

Most of us can read at a pace of about 200 words a minute. Scientific evidence of the merits of speed-reading are generally lacking. Most of the techniques involve getting words more efficiently to the centre of the retina. Some practitioners ...

Completely nuts
Sep 27, 2019 (WiC 468)

Consumers in China are defending their rights with ever-increasing relish. A recent claim against Disney in Shanghai was a case in point – particularly as it led to a change in company policy (see WiC467). Perhaps inspired by the case, a 30 ...

Face off
Sep 20, 2019 (WiC 467)

Female students were greeted by an unusual sight when they arrived at a school in Sansui county in Guizhou province last week. A teacher was waiting for them with a bucket and a wet towel. According to Beijing News, he washed each of their faces ...

Don’t be a rat
Sep 13, 2019 (WiC 466)

For the rats of Zhanggong district in Ganzhou, September is proving a genocidal month. In a bid to eradicate the rat population as part of a nationwide campaign launched on September 1, the district’s officials have decided to incentivise their ...

Exchange student
Sep 6, 2019 (WiC 465)

The Chinese have a reputation for ‘tiger’ parenting but there are also families where parental responsibilities are more disengaged. Last week Sohu reported an incident at a kindergarten in Shanghai that revealed just as much. When the ...

Star driver
Aug 30, 2019 (WiC 464)

We are all accustomed to star rankings for hotels, but have you ever come across a five-star taxi driver? This is the ‘service’ innovation being introduced in the municipality of Tianjin, according to Xinhua. The top lights of taxis will be ...

Burning Contention
Aug 23, 2019 (WiC 463)

The Chinese media is describing it as a most heated debate – so scorching that it needed a call to the police to break it up. The argument, apparently over money, took place in the midday sun in Zhenjiang in Jiangsu earlier this month. In spite ...

Parental advice
Aug 2, 2019 (WiC 462)

China is a country with a long history of Confucian thinking, so it is usually frowned upon for children to criticise their parents. So the activities of 10 year-old Junjun has prompted much discussion, according to Qianjiang Evening News. The ...

Last of the big spenders
Jul 26, 2019 (WiC 461)

Spending online is commonplace in China but a new consumer shocked netizens this month with his buying power: a six year-old child from Anyang in Henan ran up an unauthorised bill of Rmb43,000 on JD.com. His father, surnamed Guo, was in Beijing ...

Director of deceit
Jul 19, 2019 (WiC 460)

Over the past decade we have occasionally reported on the phenomenon of fake officials in China. These bluffers take on a formal title and exploit it to gain benefits from gullible people, often those who think they can buy influence with a local ...

Older »

1 2 3 4 5... 46

Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

Read, at speed Oct 18, 2019 (WiC 470) Most of us can read at a pace of about 200 words a minute. Scientific evidence of the merits of speed-reading are generally lacking. Most of the techniques involve getting words more efficiently to the centre of the retina. Some practitioners ...

Completely nuts Sep 27, 2019 (WiC 468) Consumers in China are defending their rights with ever-increasing relish. A recent claim against Disney in Shanghai was a case in point – particularly as it led to a change in company policy (see WiC467). Perhaps inspired by the case, a 30 ...

Face off Sep 20, 2019 (WiC 467) Female students were greeted by an unusual sight when they arrived at a school in Sansui county in Guizhou province last week. A teacher was waiting for them with a bucket and a wet towel. According to Beijing News, he washed each of their faces ...

Don’t be a rat Sep 13, 2019 (WiC 466) For the rats of Zhanggong district in Ganzhou, September is proving a genocidal month. In a bid to eradicate the rat population as part of a nationwide campaign launched on September 1, the district’s officials have decided to incentivise their ...

Exchange student Sep 6, 2019 (WiC 465) The Chinese have a reputation for ‘tiger’ parenting but there are also families where parental responsibilities are more disengaged. Last week Sohu reported an incident at a kindergarten in Shanghai that revealed just as much. When the ...

Star driver Aug 30, 2019 (WiC 464) We are all accustomed to star rankings for hotels, but have you ever come across a five-star taxi driver? This is the ‘service’ innovation being introduced in the municipality of Tianjin, according to Xinhua. The top lights of taxis will be ...

Burning Contention Aug 23, 2019 (WiC 463) The Chinese media is describing it as a most heated debate – so scorching that it needed a call to the police to break it up. The argument, apparently over money, took place in the midday sun in Zhenjiang in Jiangsu earlier this month. In spite ...

Parental advice Aug 2, 2019 (WiC 462) China is a country with a long history of Confucian thinking, so it is usually frowned upon for children to criticise their parents. So the activities of 10 year-old Junjun has prompted much discussion, according to Qianjiang Evening News. The ...

Last of the big spenders Jul 26, 2019 (WiC 461) Spending online is commonplace in China but a new consumer shocked netizens this month with his buying power: a six year-old child from Anyang in Henan ran up an unauthorised bill of Rmb43,000 on JD.com. His father, surnamed Guo, was in Beijing ...

Director of deceit Jul 19, 2019 (WiC 460) Over the past decade we have occasionally reported on the phenomenon of fake officials in China. These bluffers take on a formal title and exploit it to gain benefits from gullible people, often those who think they can buy influence with a local ...