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Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

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Poetic data
Oct 2, 2009 (WiC 33)

In common parlance, statistics are often associated with ‘damned lies’, and rarely with poetry. But with the People’s Republic this week celebrating its 60th anniversary, China’s statisticians have turned poetical. The Wall Street ...

Poor operator
Sep 25, 2009 (WiC 32)

In the movie Caddyshack, there’s a golf-obsessed surgeon who frequently keeps his patients waiting while he ‘gets in’ 9 holes. Cao Longbao may be wondering whether he’s discovered the Chinese equivalent. Cao was recently admitted to a ...

Bed bugs
Sep 18, 2009 (WiC 31)

The financial crisis has seen many lose faith in the banking system. So perhaps it’s not surprising that some have resorted to tried-and-tested methods of preserving their savings – such as stashing them under the mattress. Wang Wenyou was ...

No fly zone
Sep 11, 2009 (WiC 30)

Many children grow up hearing the nursery rhyme: “There was an old woman who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she’ll die.” Whether you can die from swallowing a fly is debatable, but in China it will help you ...

Under water
Sep 4, 2009 (WiC 29)

Stamp collecting and similarly sedate hobbies aren’t for Tao Xiangli. In his spare time this Anhui resident prefers to build submarines. Following a news item on Shanghai Media Group’s TV channel, Tao has become something of a sensation. ...

Feeling crushed
Aug 28, 2009 (WiC 28)

Different societies vent their frustrations in different ways. In Europe, graffiti is rampant. In America, there’s road rage. And in China there’s ‘crispy food vandalism’. That, at least, is the conclusion of the Chongqing Evening ...

Cheesed off
Aug 21, 2009 (WiC 27)

Liu Yang is on a mission, and it is not one his wife is very happy about. The 35 year-old has sunk his life savings into a cheese shop in Beijing. Le Fromager du Pekin, as the shop is known, makes its own Camembert-style cheeses. And Liu is ...

Petrol head
Jul 31, 2009 (WiC 26)

According to the China Daily a boy from Sichuan became so obsessed with the Transformers franchise that he began drinking gasoline. The boy’s father, Chen Dahai says his son saw a Transformers cartoon at a friend’s house and began to mimic ...

Vehicle vigilante
Jul 24, 2009 (WiC 25)

You’ve heard of ‘road rage’ but what about ‘pedestrian rage’? In Gansu province an old man has made the headlines for his vigilante approach to traffic violations. The Lanzhou Morning Post reports that the unnamed 70 year-old lives by a ...

Divorced from reality
Jul 17, 2009 (WiC 24)

In messy marriage break-ups everything has a monetary value. But a case in China took this concept to a level that would shock even the most hardened US divorce lawyer. According to a report in the Chutian Metropolis Daily, an embittered husband ...

Older »

1... 40 41 42 4344 45 46 47

« Newer

Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

Poetic data Oct 2, 2009 (WiC 33) In common parlance, statistics are often associated with ‘damned lies’, and rarely with poetry. But with the People’s Republic this week celebrating its 60th anniversary, China’s statisticians have turned poetical. The Wall Street ...

Poor operator Sep 25, 2009 (WiC 32) In the movie Caddyshack, there’s a golf-obsessed surgeon who frequently keeps his patients waiting while he ‘gets in’ 9 holes. Cao Longbao may be wondering whether he’s discovered the Chinese equivalent. Cao was recently admitted to a ...

Bed bugs Sep 18, 2009 (WiC 31) The financial crisis has seen many lose faith in the banking system. So perhaps it’s not surprising that some have resorted to tried-and-tested methods of preserving their savings – such as stashing them under the mattress. Wang Wenyou was ...

No fly zone Sep 11, 2009 (WiC 30) Many children grow up hearing the nursery rhyme: “There was an old woman who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she’ll die.” Whether you can die from swallowing a fly is debatable, but in China it will help you ...

Under water Sep 4, 2009 (WiC 29) Stamp collecting and similarly sedate hobbies aren’t for Tao Xiangli. In his spare time this Anhui resident prefers to build submarines. Following a news item on Shanghai Media Group’s TV channel, Tao has become something of a sensation. ...

Feeling crushed Aug 28, 2009 (WiC 28) Different societies vent their frustrations in different ways. In Europe, graffiti is rampant. In America, there’s road rage. And in China there’s ‘crispy food vandalism’. That, at least, is the conclusion of the Chongqing Evening ...

Cheesed off Aug 21, 2009 (WiC 27) Liu Yang is on a mission, and it is not one his wife is very happy about. The 35 year-old has sunk his life savings into a cheese shop in Beijing. Le Fromager du Pekin, as the shop is known, makes its own Camembert-style cheeses. And Liu is ...

Petrol head Jul 31, 2009 (WiC 26) According to the China Daily a boy from Sichuan became so obsessed with the Transformers franchise that he began drinking gasoline. The boy’s father, Chen Dahai says his son saw a Transformers cartoon at a friend’s house and began to mimic ...

Vehicle vigilante Jul 24, 2009 (WiC 25) You’ve heard of ‘road rage’ but what about ‘pedestrian rage’? In Gansu province an old man has made the headlines for his vigilante approach to traffic violations. The Lanzhou Morning Post reports that the unnamed 70 year-old lives by a ...

Divorced from reality Jul 17, 2009 (WiC 24) In messy marriage break-ups everything has a monetary value. But a case in China took this concept to a level that would shock even the most hardened US divorce lawyer. According to a report in the Chutian Metropolis Daily, an embittered husband ...