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Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

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Paternity test
Feb 8, 2019 (WiC 440)

Plenty of adults awake in a cold sweat after nightmares of being back at school, flunking their exams. So spare a thought for the fathers of a primary school class in Fujian province, who took an exam alongside their children last ...

King of the Casanovas
Feb 1, 2019 (WiC 439)

One of the roles that transformed Richard Gere into an international star was his performance in the 1980 movie American Gigolo, in which he played a male escort. In a first for Hollywood, the film featured a young man selling his body ...

Degrees of weirdness
Jan 25, 2019 (WiC 438)

Students in Guangxi who sat a compulsory exam paper on ‘Mao Zedong Thought’ recently could be forgiven for feeling confused about its contents. Presumably prepped for questions like ‘The dictatorship of the proletariat is a good idea. ...

Hebei’s new enigma
Jan 18, 2019 (WiC 437)

The Sphinx is being destroyed. However, Egyptologists need not worry. The original in Giza remains intact and the Sphinx in question is a copy in the Chinese city of Shijiazhuang in Hebei province. The fake version has been a source of ...

Up in smoke
Dec 14, 2018 (WiC 435)

In our last issue we detailed how China’s tobacco monopoly had announced it was set to hit its target of selling 2.34 trillion cigarettes this year. Indeed, while other countries are seeing declines in smoking numbers, China Tobacco celebrated ...

Wake-up Call
Nov 30, 2018 (WiC 434)

This column has tested the bounds of the idiotic on many occasions, but the efforts of a father to get his son out of bed takes things to a whole new level. According to ThePaper.cn, Mao Long and his son operated an excavator in Shanghai. Mao had ...

Booze buying
Nov 23, 2018 (WiC 433)

As we reported last week, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day once again set sales records ($30.8 billion was spent during the online shopping bonanza). Millions participated and spent big on the discounted deals the day is famous for. However, the ...

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 ...

Older »

1 2 3 45 6 7 8 9... 47

« Newer

Planet China

The strangest stories from the Middle Kingdom...

Paternity test Feb 8, 2019 (WiC 440) Plenty of adults awake in a cold sweat after nightmares of being back at school, flunking their exams. So spare a thought for the fathers of a primary school class in Fujian province, who took an exam alongside their children last ...

King of the Casanovas Feb 1, 2019 (WiC 439) One of the roles that transformed Richard Gere into an international star was his performance in the 1980 movie American Gigolo, in which he played a male escort. In a first for Hollywood, the film featured a young man selling his body ...

Degrees of weirdness Jan 25, 2019 (WiC 438) Students in Guangxi who sat a compulsory exam paper on ‘Mao Zedong Thought’ recently could be forgiven for feeling confused about its contents. Presumably prepped for questions like ‘The dictatorship of the proletariat is a good idea. ...

Hebei’s new enigma Jan 18, 2019 (WiC 437) The Sphinx is being destroyed. However, Egyptologists need not worry. The original in Giza remains intact and the Sphinx in question is a copy in the Chinese city of Shijiazhuang in Hebei province. The fake version has been a source of ...

Up in smoke Dec 14, 2018 (WiC 435) In our last issue we detailed how China’s tobacco monopoly had announced it was set to hit its target of selling 2.34 trillion cigarettes this year. Indeed, while other countries are seeing declines in smoking numbers, China Tobacco celebrated ...

Wake-up Call Nov 30, 2018 (WiC 434) This column has tested the bounds of the idiotic on many occasions, but the efforts of a father to get his son out of bed takes things to a whole new level. According to ThePaper.cn, Mao Long and his son operated an excavator in Shanghai. Mao had ...

Booze buying Nov 23, 2018 (WiC 433) As we reported last week, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day once again set sales records ($30.8 billion was spent during the online shopping bonanza). Millions participated and spent big on the discounted deals the day is famous for. However, the ...

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 ...