3 Archives | Week In China

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WiC 3 (Feb 20, 2009)

Patriotic puffing

Tobacco China’s massive tobacco industry under fire

In the opening episode of the award-winning American drama, Mad Men, an advertising executive is faced with a conundrum. It is 1960 and the US ...

Energy & Resources, Talking Point China’s electricity industry is on the cusp of a revolution

Catastrophe was often imminent for Captain Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise. At such moments he would radio down to his engine room – ...

But Pepsi is Chinese, right?

Economy Why ‘Buy America’ rules are more trouble than they’re worth

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson – author of possibly the most influential political document of modern times – was also fascinated with the ...

Home team advantage?

Telecoms Domestic handset and equipment makers hope to benefit from 3G

According to an old Chinese proverb, the first generation makes the wealth, and the third generation destroys it. China will be hoping this rule of ...

Migrant workers

Entertainment China’s talents head for Hong Kong

When internationally-acclaimed movie star Gong Li applied for Singaporean citizenship in August 2008, she should have been better prepared for the ...

First silk, now steel

China and the World Trade relationships flower in the Saudi desert

Ferdinand von Richthofen, an uncle of the illustrious Red Baron (the First World War fighter pilot), has his own claim to fame. In 1877 he introduced ...

History Lessons Master of deception

Zhuge Liang, the Chancellor of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period (221-280 AD) in China, is one of the better known military strategists in the ...

Heaven’s mandate

Society An old idea gets a new airing

Throughout China’s long history, a belief has prevailed – since the time of the Zhou dynasty in 1000 BC – that the ruler’s legitimacy is ...

Society Why Zhu Jianqiang wants to be alone

In a country that eats 5 million metric tonnes of pork per year, there is a certain kudos to being the nation’s most favoured pig. Such is the ...

Lights, cameras… dollars

Entertainment The nation’s film industry sets new records

It is certainly no coincidence that the Golden Age of Hollywood overlapped with the Great Depression in the 1930s. The movie industry thrives on ...

Hugs and fishes

Society How the Chinese celebrate Valentine’s Day

The Chinese are such fans of Valentine’s Day that they celebrate it not once, but twice every year. Qi Xi, the Chinese version of the amorous day ...

Red Star Xiao Shenyang

Born in Kaiyun in Liaoning province, Shen He is an apprentice of the famous Chinese comedian Zhao Benshan. He started his career performing Er Ren ...

Scrap over metal

China Ink, Energy & Resources The announcement of Chinalco’s $19.5 billion offer for a large chunk…

Is China's government the real buyer? Both management teams say this is a deal with Chinalco and not with the Chinese government. ...

Path of lease resistance

Banking & Finance Explaining the rapid rise of lease finance in China

Money hides a thousand defects, the Chinese proverb suggests, but now is probably not a time to be worrying too much about that. Governments want banks ...

Planet China Forget the Mile-High Club, Jiang Yulan has joined an even more…

Forget the Mile-High Club, Jiang Yulan has joined an even more exclusive group: she has given birth at 33,000 feet (or 6.2 miles above the nearest ...

The return of the Qing

Cartoons The return of the Qing

It began with the gift of a pair of pandas. Direct air and sea routes followed. Then came a commitment to buy up a large volume of Taiwan’s flat ...

And Finally China’s quirkiest attempt to globalise: playing cricket

With the world’s biggest haul of golds at last year’s Olympics, it may seem oxymoronic that China got “absolutely thumped” by the Maldives at a ...