Planet China « Week In China

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Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

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Howls of protest
Nov 16, 2018 (WiC 432)

The Chinese zodiac says we are in the Year of the Dog. But no one seems to have reminded government officials in the city of Wenshan in Yunnan. In late October they released new rules for dog owners that some netizens have dubbed “the most ...

Lectures in love
Nov 9, 2018 (WiC 431)

Breaking up is hard to do, but for a student at Hangzhou University it has proven particularly tough. Rather than recognise it is over, he posted a video online and made a PowerPoint presentation to try and persuade his girlfriend to come back. ...

Skin in the game
Nov 2, 2018 (WiC 430)

This summer the Chinese media launched a fierce debate on what it terms the niangpao or ‘sissy boy’ culture. The popularity of a series of androgynous-looking male pop stars and actors saw state media outlets like Xinhua openly worry ...

A life sentence
Oct 26, 2018 (WiC 429)

It’s safe to say that a marriage isn’t working when the husband tries to get himself jailed so he can spend a few days away from his wife. Such was the revelation in a case this month in the city of Zhoushan. The husband, surnamed Liu, had ...

Catwoman
Oct 19, 2018 (WiC 428)

During the Maoist era China was so poor that having a pet was almost unheard of. In more recent decades as the country has got a lot richer ownership of dogs, cats and other pets has grown dramatically. But making headlines recently in Fujian was ...

Sending a message
Oct 5, 2018 (WiC 427)

Tencent’s social media app WeChat is now such a feature of everyday life that the police in Zhenjiang have decided to incorporate it into how they punish people for traffic violations. Rulebreakers can now pay their traffic fines with ...

Pax Tyrannica
Sep 28, 2018 (WiC 426)

They are known as the “tyrants” of high-speed rail – passengers who take train seats they haven’t booked and then go to extreme lengths to hold on to them. The latest case to go viral is that of a Ms Zhou, a 32 year-old travelling from ...

Calculated measure
Sep 21, 2018 (WiC 425)

At airports, coffee shops and hotels it is normally among the first things patrons ask: what’s the Wifi password? At Nanjing University of Aeronautics the canteen’s bosses decided to turn this need into an educational exercise and test ...

We chat, but you can’t
Sep 14, 2018 (WiC 424)

Some think the origin of the idiom ‘Sent to Coventry’ dates back to the English Civil War of the 1640s when prisoners were sent to that city but cold-shouldered by resentful local inhabitants. Today the phrase indicates that an individual is ...

Polar extremes
Sep 7, 2018 (WiC 423)

One of the key traits required for running an educational establishment is an innate sense of what is appropriate. The principal in charge of the Xinshahui Kindergarten in Shenzhen evidently lacked this quality. As ThePaper.cn reports, parents ...

Older »

1 23 4 5 6 7... 44

« Newer

Week in China

Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

Howls of protest Nov 16, 2018 (WiC 432) The Chinese zodiac says we are in the Year of the Dog. But no one seems to have reminded government officials in the city of Wenshan in Yunnan. In late October they released new rules for dog owners that some netizens have dubbed “the most ...

Lectures in love Nov 9, 2018 (WiC 431) Breaking up is hard to do, but for a student at Hangzhou University it has proven particularly tough. Rather than recognise it is over, he posted a video online and made a PowerPoint presentation to try and persuade his girlfriend to come back. ...

Skin in the game Nov 2, 2018 (WiC 430) This summer the Chinese media launched a fierce debate on what it terms the niangpao or ‘sissy boy’ culture. The popularity of a series of androgynous-looking male pop stars and actors saw state media outlets like Xinhua openly worry ...

A life sentence Oct 26, 2018 (WiC 429) It’s safe to say that a marriage isn’t working when the husband tries to get himself jailed so he can spend a few days away from his wife. Such was the revelation in a case this month in the city of Zhoushan. The husband, surnamed Liu, had ...

Catwoman Oct 19, 2018 (WiC 428) During the Maoist era China was so poor that having a pet was almost unheard of. In more recent decades as the country has got a lot richer ownership of dogs, cats and other pets has grown dramatically. But making headlines recently in Fujian was ...

Sending a message Oct 5, 2018 (WiC 427) Tencent’s social media app WeChat is now such a feature of everyday life that the police in Zhenjiang have decided to incorporate it into how they punish people for traffic violations. Rulebreakers can now pay their traffic fines with ...

Pax Tyrannica Sep 28, 2018 (WiC 426) They are known as the “tyrants” of high-speed rail – passengers who take train seats they haven’t booked and then go to extreme lengths to hold on to them. The latest case to go viral is that of a Ms Zhou, a 32 year-old travelling from ...

Calculated measure Sep 21, 2018 (WiC 425) At airports, coffee shops and hotels it is normally among the first things patrons ask: what’s the Wifi password? At Nanjing University of Aeronautics the canteen’s bosses decided to turn this need into an educational exercise and test ...

We chat, but you can’t Sep 14, 2018 (WiC 424) Some think the origin of the idiom ‘Sent to Coventry’ dates back to the English Civil War of the 1640s when prisoners were sent to that city but cold-shouldered by resentful local inhabitants. Today the phrase indicates that an individual is ...

Polar extremes Sep 7, 2018 (WiC 423) One of the key traits required for running an educational establishment is an innate sense of what is appropriate. The principal in charge of the Xinshahui Kindergarten in Shenzhen evidently lacked this quality. As ThePaper.cn reports, parents ...