ChinaFile Recommends
01.09.17China Battles to Control Growing Online Nationalism
Financial Times
When Taiwan last year elected a president eager to reduce the island’s reliance on China, tens of thousands of Chinese netizens attacked Taiwanese websites in a co-ordinated action that was as much a surprise to Beijing as it was to its targets...
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01.09.17China’s Elite Bodyguards Are Struggling to Find Enough Rich People to Protect
Time
Training bodyguards has been big business in China for years. Now, however, a slowing economy and an anti-corruption drive are putting the brakes on the private security industry
ChinaFile Recommends
01.04.17President Xi’s Great Chinese Soccer Dream
New York Times
The 48 soccer fields of the vast Evergrande Football School in south China seem barely enough for its 2,800 students. Against a backdrop of school spires that seem modeled on Hogwarts, the young athletes swarm onto the fields nearly every day,...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.29.16How China Built ‘iPhone City’ With Billions in Perks for Apple’s Partner
New York Times
A hidden bounty of benefits for Foxconn’s plant in Zhengzhou, the world’s biggest iPhone factory, is central to the production of Apple’s most profitable product
ChinaFile Recommends
12.29.16Migrant-School Students Face Difficulty Getting Into College, Study Finds
Less than 6% of students in Beijing schools for migrant children entered college. In local public schools, 60% did
ChinaFile Recommends
12.29.16China Warmly Welcomes a Giant Rooster With Trumpian Characteristics
New York Times
Trump's golden quiff has appeared on a 23-foot tall rooster statue outside a shopping mall in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan
ChinaFile Recommends
12.28.16Bike-Sharing Revolution Aims to Put China Back on Two Wheels
Guardian
From Shanghai to Sichuan, schemes are being rolled out to slash congestion, cut air pollution – and spin a profit
ChinaFile Recommends
12.21.16Smog Refugees Flee Chinese Cities as ‘Airpocalypse’ Blights Half a Billion
Guardian
Thousands head to pollution-free regions as haze descends on the country’s northern industrial heartland
ChinaFile Recommends
12.20.16China Chokes on Smog So Bad that Planes Can't Land
USA Today
Major cities across northern China choked Monday under a blanket of smog so thick that industries were ordered shut down and air and ground traffic was disrupted
ChinaFile Recommends
12.19.16China’s Notorious City Management Officers in Legal Limbo Despite Expanding Role
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has been charged with regulating the force that earlier was under the sole purview of local governments
Features
12.15.16‘Caught in Quicksand’: Gay and HIV-Positive in China
China is a country with giant cities, huge skyscrapers, and the world’s second largest economy. But underneath its modern looking facade, the country is still very traditional; this is especially true of attitudes toward homosexuality.China’s...
Books
12.15.16Crashing the Party
It’s 1983. Scott Savitt, one of the first American exchange students in Beijing, picks up his guitar and begins strumming “Blackbird.” He’s soon surrounded by Chinese students who know every word to every Beatles song he plays. Savitt stays on in Beijing, working as a reporter for Asiaweek Magazine. The city’s first nightclubs open; rock ‘n’ roll promises democracy. Promoted to foreign correspondent for The Los Angeles Times and then United Press International, Savitt finds himself drawn into China’s political heart. His girlfriend is the assistant to Bette Bao Lord, the wife of the U.S. ambassador. He interviews people who will become leaders of the democracy movement.Later, at 25 years old, Savitt is the youngest accredited foreign correspondent in China, with an intimate knowledge of Beijing’s backstreets. But as the seven-week occupation of Tiananmen Square ends in bloodshed on June 4, 1989, his greatest asset is his flame-red 500cc Honda motorcycle—giving Savitt the freedom to witness first-hand what the Chinese government still denies ever took place. After Tiananmen, Savitt founds the first independent English-language newspaper in China, Beijing Scene. He knows that it’s only a matter of time before the authorities move in, and sure enough, in 2000 he’s arrested, flung into solitary confinement and, after a month in jail, deported.Savitt’s extraordinary memoir of his two decades in China manages to take an extremely complex political-historical subject and turn it into an adventure story. —Soft Skull{chop}
Caixin Media
12.15.16Attempts to ‘Clean Up Beijing’ Target Low-Cost Migrant Homes
Li Yi, a young computer engineer working in Beijing, said authorities forced him out of his apartment in a village in Haidian district in November, days after his power supply was cut off even though he had paid the bills.Li (not his real name) is...
Environment
12.13.16Chinese Consumers Adopt Greener Lifestyle
from chinadialogue
For the last two years, Helen Ni has hosted low-carbon technology workshops for local kids and their parents. The informal gatherings take place at her ground-floor apartment in the Shanghai suburb of Minhang, close to Jiaotong University, one of...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.13.16Attempts to ‘Clean Up Beijing’ Target Low-Cost Migrant Homes
"They came and banged on tenants' doors every day until they agreed to move out, and they cut off their power supply for a week"
ChinaFile Recommends
12.12.16China Riot Police Seal Off City Center After Smog Protestors Put Masks on Statues
Guardian
Clampdown in Chengdu after protesters place masks on statues in anger at air pollution choking the city
Environment
12.06.16The World’s Saddest Polar Bear
from chinadialogue
Pizza, “the world’s saddest polar bear,” is to be granted at least a temporary reprieve from the display case in which he lives in the Grandview shopping mall in Guangzhou, southern China. This follows a global outcry, a one-million-signature...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.29.16Author’s Vision of a Future Beijing Looks to China’s Present
New York Times
Meet Hao Jingfang, author of "Folding Beijing,” the science-fiction novelette that beat out Stephen King to win a Hugo Award.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.28.16'Social' Feature Turns China’s Alipay Into a Hook-up App
WSJ: China Real Time Report
Alipay update leads to suggestive content flooding the typically staid financial app
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11.22.16$100 Billion Chinese-Made City Near Singapore ’Scares the Hell Out of Everybody’
Bloomberg
Planeloads of buyers fly in as condos rise from the sea
Conversation
11.21.16Will China Take the Lead on Climate Change?
At a time when the world is looking to China and the United States, the leading emitters of greenhouse gasses, to cooperate under the terms of the Paris Climate Change Agreement of 2015, will China now take the lead in fighting climate change?
Features
11.18.16Chinese and American City-Dwellers Differ on Trump Win
City-dwellers in China and the United States are among the greatest beneficiaries of the international trade deals President-elect Trump says he’s against, but the two groups responded differently to the outcome of the U.S. election, and the...
Environment
11.16.16The Future of Public Interest Litigation in China
from chinadialogue
China has seen a rapid growth in environmental public interest legal challenges since January 2015, when a revised version of the Environmental Protection Law (EPL) came into effect. Nearly 100 lawsuits have been filed by both NGOs and public...
Depth of Field
11.08.16Dongbei’s Last Match Factory, Capital Straphangers, Retracing the Long March...
from Yuanjin Photo
In October, several publications marked the 80th Anniversary of the Chinese Communists’ Long March. We have chosen two stories that revisited this event and that were standouts, visually. Elsewhere, photographers followed stories both large and...
Books
11.04.16Land of Fish and Rice
The lower Yangtze region, or Jiangnan, with its modern capital Shanghai, has been known since ancient times as a “land of fish and rice.” For centuries, local cooks have harvested the bounty of its lakes, rivers, fields, and mountains to create a cuisine renowned for its delicacy and beauty. In Land of Fish and Rice, Fuchsia Dunlop draws on years of study and exploration to present the recipes, techniques, and ingredients of the Jiangnan kitchen. You will be inspired to try classic dishes such as Beggar’s Chicken and sumptuous Dongpo Pork, as well as fresh, simple recipes such as Clear-Steamed Sea Bass and Fresh Soybeans with Pickled Greens. Evocatively written and featuring stunning recipe photography, this is an important new work celebrating one of China’s most fascinating culinary regions. —W.W. Norton{chop}
ChinaFile Recommends
10.28.16China’s Other Car Problem
Economist
A lack of parking spots worries Chinese car-owners--and fixing it will be hard
ChinaFile Recommends
10.28.16Amazon Delivers Prime Program to China
Wall Street Journal
The U.S. e-commerce behemoth hopes to capitalize on Chinese consumers’ desire for overseas products
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10.26.16How One City in China is Trying to Avoid a Property Boom and Bust
Financial Times
Chongqing mayor’s star rises thanks to scrutiny of real estate market
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10.25.16Smiling Panda, Weeping Dragon: China’s Banksy Brings Life to City Sprawl
Guardian
Qi Xinghua, famous as a 3-D painter, says he wants to ‘add some fun to our lives’ by brightening up drab cityscapes
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10.21.16China’s Urbanites Embrace Sacrifice to Ride Property Frenzy
Reuters
There are signs mortgages are crimping household spending, in an economy increasingly reliant on domestic consumption
ChinaFile Recommends
10.20.16I Broadcast Myself on the Chinese Web for Two Weeks
In the process, I learned why Chinese millennials can't seem to unplug from the live-streaming craze.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.19.16Breakfast Cereal Prices Surge in China Following Appearance on Soap Opera
CNBC
A shrewd product placement on a popular soap opera has propelled a Western breakfast cereal to frenzied popularity in China, sending prices up almost ten times in the gray market
Sinica Podcast
10.14.16An American’s Seven Months in a Chinese Jail
from Sinica Podcast
In 2009, Michael Manning was working in Beijing for a state-owned news broadcaster by day, but he spent his nights selling bags of hashish. His position with CCTV was easy and brought him into contact with Chinese celebrities, while his other trade...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.13.16China Returns to Pedal Power
Bloomberg
With roads becoming less navigable by the day, citizens, entrepreneurs and the government are looking for alternatives. The solution: bring back the bike
ChinaFile Recommends
10.12.16Poignant Portraits Show What it is Like Being LGBT in China
Washington Post
Despite being decriminalized in 1997, homosexuality is still heavily stigmatized in China.
Caixin Media
10.12.16Government Should Kick Land Sale Addiction to Cure Overheated Property Market
Chinese cities have rolled out new measures over the past week to cool a home-buying frenzy that has seen prices skyrocket, marking a new round of tightening since policies were eased two years ago. More than a dozen of China's largest cities,...
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10.07.16Anger on Streets in China as Football Team Suffer Shock Defeat by War-Torn Syria
Guardian
Disgruntled fans demand that president of football association is sacked as hopes for a football revolution suffer a blow
ChinaFile Recommends
10.06.16Uber Slayer: How China’s Didi Beat the Ride-Hailing Superpower
Bloomberg
“We felt like the People’s Liberation Army, with basic rifles, and we were bombed by airplanes and missiles.”
ChinaFile Recommends
10.05.16America’s Best Idea May Now Be China’s Too, as It Expands It’s National Park System
Los Angeles Times
With U.S. guidance, China is launching a pilot project that spans nine provinces
ChinaFile Recommends
10.04.16China Struggles to Curb Housing Bubble
Nikkei Asian Review
Even as Chinese authorities desperately try to cool down an overheated housing market, their efforts are unlikely to halt the rise of speculators greased by low borrowing costs
ChinaFile Recommends
09.29.16Chengguan, Widely Despised Officers in China, Find Refuge and a Kind Ear
New York Times
China’s first Psychological Crisis Center for Chengguan opened in Nanjing this week
ChinaFile Recommends
09.28.16Chinese Tourists Encouraged to Behave Ahead of Mass Vacation
WSJ: China Real Time Report
Public urination and defacing monuments are no-nos
ChinaFile Recommends
09.27.16Long Absent in China, Tipping Makes a Comeback at a Few Trendy Restaurants
NPR
Scan your server's QR code if you like your service
ChinaFile Recommends
09.22.16Mystery of China’s ‘Ghost Uber Drivers’
Financial Times
An eruption of creepy faces on driver profiles has spooked potential passengers
ChinaFile Recommends
09.22.16Meet Pizza, the World’s Saddest Polar Bear
Quartz
Pizza is just one of thousands of “wild” animals languishing in China's malls
ChinaFile Recommends
09.20.16A New Literary Genre Critiques the Scariest Part of Life in China: Reality
Quartz
Enter chaohuan, the "ultra-unreal"
ChinaFile Recommends
09.20.16Gay Pride: China Activists Fight ‘Conversion Therapy’
Hong Kong Free Press
Coming out was never going to be easy, but Yu never thought it would see him committed
ChinaFile Recommends
09.20.16Once a Voice of Young China, Han Han Stakes Out a Different Path
New York Times
Han Han discusses his writings, the turns his life has taken and what people in the West fail to understand about China
Features
09.13.16The Destruction of Baishizhou
Early this spring, the Chinese character for “demolish” (“拆”) showed up in red spray paint on a strip of shops in Shenzhen’s Baishizhou neighborhood. Wang An, 41, has been selling women’s underwear from one of these shops for the last 10 years. “...
Depth of Field
09.12.16African Migrants in Guangzhou, Forgetting, Family Planning’s Fate, and More...
from Yuanjin Photo
Photographing the aftermath of catastrophic events is challenging—one that photographer Mu Li handles with creativity and grace looking back at the chemical explosion in Tianjin that damaged as many as 17,000 homes August 12, 2015. Another challenge...
Caixin Media
08.02.16Revival, Resistance for National Pension Push
Bridging the “regional divide” that separates affluent and less affluent areas is a main goal as the central government revives a stalled effort to form a nationwide pension system.The State Council, China’s cabinet, laid the groundwork for a...
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07.28.16Historic Flooding Costs China $44.7 Billion So Far This Year
Forbes
’Ruthless’ urbanization takes its toll.
Reports
07.26.16The Condom Quandary
Asia Catalyst
Sex work is illegal in China, and law enforcement practices that focus on condoms as evidence of prostitution are having a negative impact on HIV prevention among sex workers. When Lanlan, who runs a community-based organization (CBO) and support...
ChinaFile Recommends
07.25.16Made in China Robot turned Creative Human
China Personified
At age 19, Mojia Shen knew where she came from, what she was expected to do, and she had worked hard to follow rules, fulfill everyone’s expectation, earn her marks and deliver results. Then came a surprise. When she got...
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07.25.16A Chinese Millionaire’s $1.3bn Plan to ‘Transform’ Sheffield
BBC
The deal has the backing of the British government.
Environment
07.21.16Chengdu’s Pollution Is Complicated by Taxi Apps
from chinadialogue
Research carried out by Peking University’s Statistical Science Centre and Guanghua School of Management found that Chengdu suffers from air pollution 88 percent of the time—even worse than Beijing at 76 percent.
ChinaFile Recommends
07.21.16China’s Short-Changing Its Future
Bloomberg
One of the most critical tasks is developing a workforce for the 21st century.