Making a Show of the News?
OUYANG BIN, ZHANG XIAORANIn what seemed like a flash on April 20, Chinese netizens dubbed TV reporter Chen Ying “the most beautiful bride” on China’s Internet. It was the day of her wedding but a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Ya’an in Sichuan province and Chen didn’t bother to change her clothes before rushing to cover the scene. Video of Chen, still in veil and gown, rapidly spread across the web and viewers praised her devotion to her job. By April 25, more than 2.89 million viewers watched the videos about her on Sina, one of China’s major web...
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CNBC Quarrel About China’s Housing Market Bubbles...
OUYANG BIN, LUO XIAOYUANChina’s real estate prices continue to skyrocket despite government efforts to rein them in to prevent a dangerous housing bubble. On March 5, American television network CNBC invited two analysts to debate the state of the sector. But when Peter Navarro, a U.C. Irvine...
What Do You Know About China’s Politics?
OUYANG BIN, ZHANG XIAORANThe Liang Hui or “Two Sessions”—the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)—are the most crowded, most covered, and probably most hilarious annual political events in China. Every March, thousands of “...
Flowers of the Motherland
SUN YUNFANSchool uniforms have been a hot topic in the Chinese media since last Thursday. On February 20, 2013, on a new satirical TV news talk show akin to the Colbert Report but with a pre-recorded laugh track instead of a live audience, host Jin Yan of Shanghai’s Dragon TV-produced...
Complaints, Nationalism, and Spoofs
OUYANG BIN, ZHANG XIAORANThis week, United States government and American media charges of Chinese cyberattacks have led to a variety of responses from netizens across China. On February 19, a CNN camera crew tried to shoot video of the twelve-story military-owned building that the U.S. Internet security...
Free Coffee for North Korea?
OUYANG BIN, ZHANG XIAORANWhat should China do to persuade its moody ally North Korea to comply with international restrictions on its nuclear ambitions?“Free conference rooms, free coffee, free soft drinks and dessert,” was the surprising and quickly viral Internet-meme-of-an answer from Ruan...
Michelle Obama’s DNC Speech
PEONY LUI, SUN YUNFANSomething big is about to happen in China. After ruling the country for a decade, China’s current leadership, helmed by President Hu Jintao, will transfer power to a new group of leaders. The process will be opaque, the date of the transition is a secret, and no one knows for...
Happiness with Chinese Characteristics
YIYANG CAO, SUN YUNFAN, QIAOYI ZHUANGOn April 2, 2012, the United Nations released the first World Happiness Report on the occasion of its first General Assembly on “Happiness and Wellbeing: Defining a New Economic Paradigm.” It ranked China the 112th happiest country out of 156. As an article in Caixun....
Students Tear Up Books Before Big Exam
HE JIANAN, SARA SEGAL-WILLIAMSThe gaokao, China’s annual National Higher Education Entrance Examination, is known for being extremely difficult and a stressful rite of passage for Chinese students. Due to the society’s traditional emphasis on education, many Chinese people still believe in a direct...
Food Paradise or Hell: A New Documentary Sparks Debate
SUN YUNFAN, QIAOYI ZHUANGA seven-part documentary on China’s food culture, “A Bite of China” (which translated literally means “China on the Tip of the Tongue”) premiered on the main channel of China Central Television (CCTV-1) on May 14, 2012 and became an instant sensation. The series gives a...
Zuckerberg’s CCTV Cameo
BO WANG, KENNETT WERNERChinese social media outlets lit up after sharp-eyed viewers caught Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg making a cameo appearance on Chinese Police, a documentary series produced by China Central Television (CCTV). Just a few second long, the footage shows Zuckerberg and his new wife...
TV Show Catches Flak for its Criticism of Contestants...
BO WANGThe gameshow Fei Ni Mo Shu (Only You) has a pretty straightforward premise: a contestant steps onto a stage next to the host and introduces him/herself to a panel of twelve bosses of major companies who sit in highly extravagant throne-like chairs. Much along the same lines as...
Hong Kong Movie Star Now a Motivational Speaker
BO WANGNicholas Tse—the famous young Hong Kong singer, actor, and musician—is known for portraying irresponsible young rebels. People think that's what he's like in real life. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology invited Tse to be a speaker for the Asian Leadership...
IV Drips Sustain Students Studying for College Entrance...
HE JIANANThe Xiaogan No.1 High School in China's Hubei Province allegedly hooked students up to intravenous drips filled with amino acids to sustain them while studying for the country's notoriously difficult national college entrance exams:A photo was originally posted by a student on...
Du Fu Is Very Busy
QIAOYI ZHUANGThe 1300th birthday anniversary of the great Chinese poet Du Fu will be celebrated this year. An illustration of Du Fu in Chinese literature textbooks has recently been the inspiration for a spat of creative graffiti and videos. In them, he has been depicted participating in such...
Drunken Brit Assaults Chinese Woman in Beijing
BO WANGA drunken foreigner was caught sexually assaulting a Chinese woman in Beijing near the Xuanwumen subway station. Pedestrians stopped him and it ended in a fight. This video shows the initial confrontation with the foreigner and then jumps to the moment when the police arrived, by...
Villagers Loot Spilled Watermelons From Truck After Car...
QIAOYI ZHUANGTwo trucks collided on the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway in Yueyang, Hunan Province. While local firemen worked to rescue the drivers stuck in their vehicles, people from a nearby village arrived on the scene to loot watermelons that had fallen off of one of the trucks. A...
Hospital Staff Forced to Kowtow for Forgiveness at...
THE EDITORSAfter a patient died allegedly from medical malpractice in Shaanxi province, the hospital’s president and more than 40 staff members put on heavy mourning garments and attended the patient’s funeral, where the president gave a tearful self-criticism speech and kowtowed with...
Ferrari Stunt Scars 600-Year-Old Monument
THE EDITORSNetizens are outraged after a 60-second stunt by car manufacturer Ferrari leaves a 600 year-old historical site marred with skid marks.From Youku