2 « Week In China

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Back Issue

WiC 2 (Feb 13, 2009)

In need of water

Environment, Talking Point The recent drought points to serious water problems

According to Chinese numerology, ‘eight’ is associated with ‘wealth’. But wealth is the last thing that farmers are expecting in the eight ...

No more con-Fusion

Energy & Resources China’s nuclear ambitions just got 30 gigawatts more substantial

China has its finger on the nuclear launch button. But before the Swiss start running for their government-mandated fallout shelters, we should clarify ...

It just gets bigger…

Economy Can the government’s snowballing stimulus plan keep growth at 8%?

It could well be the most unobjectionable thing since Mozart began composing and the hills around San Pellegrino started spouting fizzy water. But ...

Regrettable and despicable

China and the World Making some sense of China’s response to foreign criticism

A Cambridge University lecture hall might not seem the most obvious location for the witnessing of a “despicable act”. Nevertheless, Chinese state ...

Beggar’s Chicken

Fast Food Ancient chicken recipe from Hangzhou

What is it? Don’t be fooled by the name, the dish is anything but poor; in fact some Chinese restaurants list it under the more ...

Socialism is Great!

Entertainment A new book offers timely insights into China in the 1980s

Were you aware that China’s children know the novel Oliver Twist as ‘The Orphan in the Foggy Capital’ – such is its title when translated into ...

Society Another kind of cultural revolution is underway in China

When the French movie, The Slipper and The Rose, was first released 30 years ago, it caused controversy in China. The movie poster showed the two lead ...

Society Why China’s tallest people are in Gansu

The Chinese are walking tall, and nowhere more so than in Gansu’s Yongdeng County where they reach 5.8 metres. About 4 metres of that is thanks to ...

History Lessons Getting the numbers right

Rumour has it that Sun Bin, one of the best known military strategists in ancient China, was the descendant of Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War. ...

Society The over-eighties triumph yet again in China’s national science awards

Reality shows now dominate much of our television schedules. They often double up as talent shows too, in which contestants warble and dance their way ...

Cautioned about lust

Entertainment The somewhat cautionary tale of actress Tang Wei

Oscar-winning director, Lee Ang’s 2007 movie Lust Caution was considered a masterpiece by many devotees of modern Chinese cinema. But in ...

Sport Golden boy, Liu Xiang discovers what it means to be an…

Want to know what keeps a 110-metre hurdler awake at night? Fear of the stutter-step. This shortening of an athlete’s stride-length – immediately ...

Beijing’s bus boom

Environment Chinese cities are making big investments in environmentally-friendly buses

You wait for an environmentally-friendly bus and then three come along at once. Go to any major Chinese city and you are likely to see buses that boast ...

China Consumer With demand at home sagging, foreign stores look to China for…

China is trying to increase consumption but don’t overly count on China to increase consumption to save the world,” warned China’s Premier Wen ...

Banking & Finance Gloom is boom for China’s underground banking system

When your bank account is as bare as a Soviet bakery under Brehznev, and you need ready cash, many Chinese are finding there might be only one place to ...

An unhealthy crime

Planet China The Beijing Times has reported that a farmer with acute anaemia…

The Beijing Times has reported that a farmer with acute anaemia committed armed robbery. The motive, however, was a little unusual. He wanted to take ...

Cartoons Racing ahead

In a symbolic passing of the consumerist torch, China bought more new cars in January than America. According to news agencies, the US saw car sales ...

The return of SPAM

And Finally And we’re not talking about the stuff in your email inbox…

Cometh the hour, cometh the SPAM – or at least that is what Shanghai canned food manufacturer Ma Ling Aquarius is hoping. Ma Ling is picking up on ...