LANI LUO WRITES – With China’s booming economy and increasing standard of living, cell phone use has grown exponentially. Folks across the country are using stylish smart phones and all their fantastic features. One of which is the WeChat application offered by Tencent, a social media outfit that until now…
Tag: Lani Luo
CHINA: Shanghai Love Market
FILM REVIEW BY LANI LUO – “Wake up. This is the new China. Things need to be planned and centrally controlled.” This quote comes from a short film written by Craig Rosenthal called Shanghai Love Market. Clearly, the title indicates that the story is not an academic critique on the…
CHINA: Better Brace Yourself!
Fake it til’ you make it. Teens in Asia are taking that concept literally as they apply fake braces on their teeth as a fashion trend. This curious fad first started in Southeast Asia, and it is now taking Asia by storm, making its way into many Chinese teenagers’ mouth.…
An Exclusive Interview with Robin Wang, the Author of the Important and Provocative New Book: ‘Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture’
One of the most important relationships in this world just might be the relationship between the two behemoth power-states: China and the United States. This is a relationship between a seasoned country with a vibrant and complicated history of over two-thousand years, and a much younger, more modern state of…
China: Is Sexy Mandarin a Foul Language?
Attention American horn-dogs! Want to learn Mandarin? Enjoy ogling half-naked Chinese women? Great! Now you can learn Mandarin and be titillated by lingerie models all in the privacy of your own home. Forget about the difficulties of this complicated language. Sexy Mandarin’s “teachers” seek to instruct and entertain you. Soft…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Scandal, Crackdown and Coverup!
Backtrack to the dismissal of Bo Xilai, a top Chinese leader. A few months ago, scandals surrounding Bo began to surface and subsequently led to an explosion of discussion within the Chinese blogging community. The central government attempted to censor these posts one by one, but Netizens proved more than…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Netizens Noodle Around Obama
Chinese Netizens are blocked from using Facebook. What else is new? But now there is another (albeit less popular) American social networking website that the Great Firewall does not block: Google+. Ever since February 20, 2012, the Chinese government lifted its censorship of Google+. Ever since, Chinese Netizens have been…
CHINA: Newspaper’s Spin on Policy Unconvincing
Last month the United Nation Security Council took up a resolution that called for the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, to step down. As one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, China voted against it, along with Russia. China remains adamant in its decision despite the outcry from…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Beijing Puts On A Serious Face Against Foreign TV Series
On February 13, 2012, Mainland China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced an official restriction on imported TV series. So exactly how is this partial-ban going to work? Pretty exactly, it would seem! The SARFT have issued no less than seven detailed ordinances for television broadcasters. One,…
CHINA COLUMN: Front Page Treatment For Uncle Wen
On February 5, 2012, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Guangdong, a southern province in China, and pledged to push for suffrage rights for farmers. The China Daily reports this on the front page of the online English site, making it very obvious for readers to see.…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Leaked Tweets on Tibet
Various media outlets around the world have carried reports about the tragic January 23 incident when Chinese security forces opened fire on Tibetan protesters in Northern Sichuan . But no such headline was to be seen in the mainland Chinese news media. According to New York Times, the official Xinhua…
China Blog Blotter – Issue #4: Nudity is Not Porn…On the Internet
Ai Weiwei, the sensational Chinese artist who often criticizes China’s government, is in trouble again. Last time, he was detained for three months for “tax evasion.” This time, an artistic photo of him and four women, all nude, titled “One Tiger, Eight Breasts” is deemed pornography. The government is now…
China Blog Blotter – Issue #3 Freedom of Speech on the Internet
Chinese Netizens understand that its government controls every form of the media. State censorship is the norm, and Chinese people have come to accept that. Even so, Chinese Netizens regard the internet as a better reflection of reality than traditional media. Through their personal blogs, they are able to express…
China Blog Blotter – Issue #2: What They Are Saying About Tibet
No one in China more exposed to Tibet independence campaigns than the country’s Netizens. No matter how intensely the Chinese government would like to block such websites, these “Free Tibet” pitches somehow see through the cracks of the Great Firewall. But prompted by national education campaigns regarding the Tibetan independence…
China Blog Blotter – Issue #1: Humility Spotted on the Rise of China
“The Middle Kingdom,” as China refers to itself, does not hesitate to smile inwardly at its continuous rise. For many, this rise is a symbol of its own manifest destiny to return to it’s former glory and be deserving of its proper title of “Middle Kingdom.” Although the world is…