REFLECTIONS IN A CHINESE EYE

Heading for the Exits in China

David Gray/ReutersAir pollution is a commonly heard complaint in China’s mega-cities. A Beijing street cleaner took precautions in June.

HONG KONG — Charlie Custer, a filmmaker and blogger, is back in the United States. Left China. Couldn’t take it any more. Bad air. Unsafe food. And there was a nasty-scary spat with a government journalist.

Mark Kitto, a Welshman and a resident of China for 16 years, he’s going, too. “I won’t be rushing back either,” he says. “I have fallen out of love, woken from my China Dream.”

The artist Ai Weiwei cannot leave. The authorities won’t let him. After his studio was demolished in Shanghai, he relocated to Beijing, which he calls “a city of violence.”

“You will see migrants’ schools closed,” he said of Beijing in a Newsweek essay last year. “You will see hospitals where they give patients stitches — and when they find the patients don’t have any money, they pull the stitches out. It’s a city of violence.

“This city is not about other people or buildings or streets but about your mental structure. If we remember what Kafka writes about his Castle, we get a sense of it. Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare.”

And China’s nightmare-cities are expanding. There are now more than 40 Chinese cities with populations over a million. In a dozen years, there will be more than 220 such cities, according to McKinsey projections cited in a new Foreign Policy series on China’s urban woes.

Read more at The New York Times

 

Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square

Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square by Shui-Bo Wang, National Film Board of Canada

Shui-Bo Wang's feature documentary is a visual autobiography of an artist who grew up in China during the historic upheavals of the ‘60s, '70s and '80s. A rich collage of original artwork and family and archival photos presents a personal perspective on the turbulent Cultural Revolution and the years that followed.  For Shui-Bo Wang and others of his generation, Tiananmen Square was the central symbol of the new China – a society to be based on equality and cooperation. This animated documentary artfully traces Shui-Bo's roots and his own life journey as he struggles to sort through ideology and arrive at truth.

They Chose China by Shui-Bo Wang, National Film Board of Canada

 In this feature documentary, Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Shuibo Wang (Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square) aims his camera at the astonishing story of 21 American soldiers who opted to stay in China after the Korean War ended in 1954.  Back home in the United States, McCarthyism was at its height and many Americans believed these men were brainwashed by Chinese communists. But what really happened? Using never-before-seen footage from the Chinese camps and interviews with former PoWs and their families, They Chose China tells the fascinating stories of these forgotten American dissidents.

More at http://www.nfb.ca/film/they_chose_china/

To this day, I have vivid memories of this event, even though I was a teenager in a small town in SouthWest Missouri.  My opinion was the same as everone in this area of America.  These men were traitors and should be hanged or shot upon their return to the States

After watching this film, I've had a change of heart.  It was a dificult decision, but I now believe that most of the men were sincere, and indeed, they were most likely correct in their frimly held views against the war.

 Of course, I have arrived at this decision after many decades have passed, therefore, in hindsight, I now have a better understanding of the war, the politics at the time, and the anti-war views of these men.

Serial killer shot dead this early morning

A fugitive gunman who is suspected of killing nine
and wounding several others in armed robberies since 2004 was shot dead in
southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Tuesday. (Photo/Sina Weibo)

CHONGQING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A fugitive gunman who is suspected of killing
nine and wounding several others in armed robberies since 2004 was shot dead in
southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Tuesday, local police said.

Zhou was killed at the scene by police at Wosungou in Tongjiaqiao Village, in
Qinjiagang Township of Chongqing's Shapingba District at 6:50 a.m., according to
police officers with the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Police said that Zhou's DNA information provided by police in Jiangsu
Province and his physical characteristics provided by police in Changsha City of
Hunan Province laid a "solid foundation" for the operation.

Read more at Sina English

Announcing Behind the Red Door: Sex in China by…Richard Burger

by…Richard Burger

For the past several months I’ve made allusions to being too busy to blog due to a “big project” I was working on. Now, after about ten months, I can tell you all about it.

Behind the Red Door: Sex in China is the title of my new book that will be published by Earnshaw Books on September 1. It’s the first book I’ve written and was undoubtedly the most arduous, enlightening, demanding, enjoyable, challenging and exhilarating experience of my life to date.

To my knowledge, there is no comparable book on the market — a book that tells the story of sex in China in a format designed for the general reader. After I agreed to write the book, I immersed myself in every piece of information I could find. I tracked down both out-of-print and contemporary textbooks, the most recent studies written for scholars by scholars, white papers, graduate theses, newspaper articles, online resources, anything that I felt could give me fresh insights into this immense subject. For months, I simply sifted through my materials, taking notes and trying to break down complex issues into a cohesive narrative that would be accessible to all.

Read more at The Peking Duck

 

I don't like Richard Burger.  Richard Burger doesn't like me.

While I find his Politics objectionable,  I do appreciate Richard's talents.

However, his proselytistic posts are always dogmatic, never swaying form the left and are way too much for me, He completely rejects any other proposition, especially by the Right, that may be spot on.  Nonetheless, Richard is young and bright, and should be read.  He has, in my opinion, penned some brilliant posts.  While I am much farther right, Richard has made huge contributions to the ExPat community and should be recognized for his talent and work.

I just now placed my order for his new book. I strongly suggest that you also reserve a copy as this should be a must read for anyone of either persuasion, Right or Left, Expat or no, and an enjoyable, straight forward, informative read about sex in China.

Personally, I am looking forward to receiving my copy of "Behind the Red Door; Sex in China" by Richard Burger.

Chinese historian battling prejudice to honor Japanese settlers who perished in war

Guo Xiangsheng is seeking to have the bank of the
Daluomi River in Fangzheng county, where many Japanese settlers were washed
away, designated a historical site. (Koichiro Ishida)

By KOICHIRO ISHIDA/ Correspondent

FANGZHENG COUNTY, China--Amid all the rancor in China over Japan's war
responsibility, local historian Guo Xiangsheng comes across as a lone voice in
the wilderness.

He is campaigning to preserve the memory of thousands of Japanese settlers
who died in China after the Imperial Japanese Army abandoned them in the chaotic
close of World War II.

The seeds of his quest lie in Japan's military occupation of northeastern
China. Many Japanese were sent there as farmers to raise productivity after
Tokyo established its Manchukuo puppet state in 1932.

Later, the settlers were dragooned to defend its northern borders against the
Soviet Red Army, which overran the region in August 1945.

The settlers were left to fend for themselves after the Japanese army
fled.

It is estimated that 5,000 Japanese settlers perished in Fangzheng county
alone in the immediate aftermath of Japan's surrender

From the Chinese perspective, the Japanese settlers were "invaders," says the
62-year-old Guo. On the other hand, they were left behind by the army that was
supposed to protect them.

For this reason, Guo wants Chinese to view the Japanese settlers in
Heilongjiang province, which includes Fangzheng county, as victims of the war
rather than as aggressors.

Read more at Asahi Simbun

Medals obscure cost of China's state-run sports regime

Weeds cover a deserted theme park north of Beijing

By Ian Ransom and Ryan McNeill

LONDON | Tue Aug 14, 2012
2:09am IST

LONDON (Reuters) - China's massive medal
haul at the London Games has once again showcased the country's ability to
produce champions through its rigid Soviet-style sports regime, but national
pride has been tempered by concerns about the human costs of sporting
glory.

Chinese bloggers expressed their disgust last week after a Shanghai newspaper
reported that the parents of Olympic diver Wu Minxia had concealed her mother's
long battle with breast cancer for fear of disturbing her training.

Wu, 26, who was also shielded from news of her grandparents' deaths, shrugged
off the controversy to win both the sychronised and individual three-metre
springboard events in London.

"It's not only Chinese athletes who are like this. Parents seldom come to our
training base and we are just like a big family who all train together," Wu said
after winning the individual title on Sunday.

"There may be distance from our families but the distance doesn't make us
feel we are far apart. I chose to be a diver to pursue this goal."

Read more at REUTERS

China’s Gao Shan heads home to face charges on $130M fraud ring after eight years hiding in Vancouver

Eight years after he slipped out of China to take up a quiet suburban life in Vancouver, Gao Shan, the accused mastermind of a $130-million embezzlement ring, has returned home to face fraud charges.

The sudden surrender ends Mr. Gao’s careful eight-year bid to evade the international reach of Chinese authorities.

Reportedly, the ex-banker “came to the conclusion that if he ultimately going to be sent back anyway it might be better if he was sent back voluntarily,” said Clive Ansley, a B.C. litigation lawyer who practiced in Shanghai for 13 years.

Mr. Gao is the former manager of the Bank of China branch in Harbin, a city of 10 million near the Russian border. According to Chinese authorities, between 2000 and 2004 Mr. Gao was the ringleader of a scheme to siphon cash from corporate accounts.

‘I don’t think the Chinese government likes to talk openly about it — it’s kind of embarrassing that they couldn’t find these potential criminals before they left the country’

Only weeks before the alleged fraud was discovered, say Chinese officials, Mr. Gao boarded a plane to Canada. Just before leaving, the banker reportedly told colleagues he was merely going to Beijing for surgery. He also instructed a colleague to hold onto his cell phone and leave it on. “Mr. Gao appears to have been trying to create the illusion that he was still in China,” reads the transcript of a 2007 Canadian immigration hearing.

Read more at National Post

China steps up diplomacy with Syrian envoy visit

* Foreign Ministry says Beijing considering inviting Syrian opposition groups
in near term to China

BEIJING: China said on Monday that it would
host an envoy of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and consider another visit by
members of the opposition, as Beijing steps up its diplomacy to help resolve the
crisis gripping the country.

The West and many in the Arab world have
scolded China, along with its ally Russia, for vetoing United Nations Security
Council resolutions designed to exert pressure on Assad. China has said it is
simply trying to prevent more violence. Opposition sources say at least 18,000
people have been killed since rebels began fighting to oust Assad in March last
year.

To deflect criticism and show it is trying to develop a political
solution, Beijing has sent its own envoys to Syria and has already been visited
by both Syrian government and opposition delegations. In its latest effort,
China’s foreign ministry said Assad’s envoy, Bouthaina Shaaban, would begin a
visit to China on Tuesday and meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
The ministry added that China was also considering inviting members of the
Syrian opposition. “To promote the political solution to the Syria problem,
China has always actively balanced its work between the Syrian government and
the opposition,” ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a brief statement on the
ministry’s website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

Read more at Daily Times

Powerful uncle of North Korea leader in China to talk business

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle — the man seen as the power behind the young and untested dictator — went to Beijing on Monday in the latest signal that the reclusive state is looking seriously at ways to revive its broken economy.

The official KCNA news agency said Jang Song-thaek was visiting China, the North’s only major ally, to discuss setting up joint commercial projects. The news comes after leader Kim recently told Beijing that his priority is to develop his impoverished country’s decaying economy.

Last month, a source with ties to both Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters the North was gearing up to experiment with agricultural and economic reforms after Kim and his powerful uncle purged the country’s top general for opposing change.

Read more at  FirstPost World

 

 

 

大型新编史诗京剧赤壁 Red Cliff (Peking Opera )

 

大型新编史诗京剧赤壁
国家京剧院和中国国家大剧院的联手制作
于魁智饰演诸葛亮,个人很欣赏于魁智在这段中华丽的声线，明亮的眼神，俊秀的面庞，儒雅的气度，深邃的感情等等等等

唱词：

月迷离
星明灭
雁声凄凉

立赤壁
望大江
襟怀激荡
汛怒潮狂

众将士喜庆功欢声豪壮
我这里满斟酒祭洒长江

一樽酒酹江风 告慰东壤
此一战保江东六郡安康

二樽酒酹江月 佑我主上
从此后三分鼎汉祚重光

三樽酒酹江涛 珠泪盈眶
望残橹听鹤唳顿起悲凉

自古道兵者凶器慎用为上
好男儿入沙场非死即伤
纵然是曹孟德奸雄狂妄
他麾下也都是赤子儿郎
一把火几多家天塌祸降
母唤儿妻盼夫痛断肝肠

普天下谁不想太平安享
读书人本应当礼义兴邦
怎奈何逢乱世满途荆莽
也只好羽扇纶巾驱虎狼
盼只盼长风扫却烟尘障
诸葛亮再归隐躬耕南阳。

Large the new epic Peking Opera Red CliffAnd launch of the National Peking Opera Company and the China National Grand TheatreYu Kuizhi as Zhuge Liang personally appreciate very much during this gorgeous voice in Kuizhi, bright eyes, handsome face, refined bearing, deep feelings and so on and so forthLyrics:January blurredStars winkingYansheng bleakEstablished Red CliffWang Changjiang RiverTaste of agitationFlood bore madPublic soldiers festive, functional cheers heroicI am here full pour wine festival sprinkle the Yangtze RiverA bottle of wine, sprinkle river wind to comfort the East PyongyangThe First World War Paul Koto well-being of CountiesTwo bottles of wine, sprinkle Jiang month woo my lordFrom one-third of Ding Han Jo ShigemitsuThree bottles of wine, sprinkle Jiang Tao Zhu Lei filled with tearsThe hope residues scull listen dicey Dunqi desolateCaution as the ancient Tao soldiers who weapon onA good man into the battlefield wounded or deadEven Caomeng De King 's Men arrogantUnder his command are pure KenjiroA beacon for more than a few monsters disaster downMother calls the child Qipanfutong broken enterohepaticThe whole world who do not want to be too enjoy peaceReading this should FELL prosperousThe persevering Every troubled times full of rocks Jing MangAlso had to lupine Lun towel drive tigersHope only hope the winds sweep but smoke barrierWise hermit Gonggeng Nanyang.

Translation by Machine AT Google Translate.

Our Chinese oil sands

In June, the Alberta government launched a website publicly outing employers who haven’t paid their workers—an online hall of shame. Among these “deadbeat bosses,” as the media quickly dubbed them, the worst offender was a subsidiary of China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec), a Chinese state-owned oil giant. That same subsidiary, along with others, is facing charges after the deaths of two Chinese workers flown in to work on a site near Fort McMurray, Alta., in 2007. After much delay, the trial begins this fall.

It’s the kind of bad press Chinese firms can’t afford as they seek to buy up swaths of Alberta’s oil patch and attempt to win over Canadian regulators and a wary populace. Last week, Chinese state interests went after two Calgary-based companies. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Ltd.’s $15.1-billion bid for Nexen Inc. got the most attention by far: it’s the biggest-ever takeover of a Canadian company by a state-owned entity. On the same day, Talisman Energy Inc. said it would sell a 49 per cent stake in its U.K. North Sea outfit to Sinopec for $1.5 billion. “Virtually overnight, Chinese investment in the energy sector has doubled to over $30 billion,” says Wenran Jiang, director of the Canada-China Energy & Environment Forum. Although the deals have yet to be approved, it’s a sign of things to come.

Read more at MaLeans

China’s Olympic Soul-Searching: What the Games Have Taught the Country

For many Chinese, the London Summer Games have been an eye-opener, igniting unprecedented debate about everything from patriotism to sports ethics to obsessing over gold medals.

Chinese's Wu Jingbiao reacts after failing in his last attempt during a weightlifting event at the 2012 Olympic Games. (Yuri Cortez / AFP / Getty Images)

For a number of Chinese, especially younger generations, the London 2012 Games are only the second Olympics they’ve followed closely. And their first, in Beijing four years ago, was hardly a routine sports event. The 2008 Summer Games were a global coming-out party for this emerging economic superpower, and competing on home turf helped China top the gold-medal tally for the first time ever, beating the USA 51 to 36. The Americans, however, won the total medal count (110 to China’s 100) and paved the way for the sporting world’s current Clash of the Titans, now about to conclude in London.

Chinese debate has often pitted nationalistic voices against those seen as “liberal.” These arguments have raged in the media, and especially through Weibo microblog accounts (essentially China's Twitter), which have provided citizens the closest thing they have to freedom of expression despite continuing Internet censorship and the “Great Firewall of China.” Here are some of the lessons learned and debates ignited during these Olympics.

Read more at the dailybeast

Ancient villages welcome investors

An ancient village in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Qi Zhenlin / for China Daily
New regulations on the protection of ancient villages will allow more private capital to be invested in historically important sites in Suzhou, Jiangsu province which is home to the largest number of century-old villages in China.

According to the regulations, historical houses in these villages can be acquired from the original inhabitants by the government or State-owned enterprises and then turned over to private investors for either renovation or repurchase.

The regulations state that this system will better protect the houses and allow them to be turned into small enterprises, such as tourist attractions, to raise money for their continual upkeep.

With more than 17 nationally and provincially authorized "ancient villages", Suzhou was, in 2005, one of the first cities in China to open the door to private capital to protect its historical sites. The city government said private investment can make up any financial shortfall to help preserve the ancient villages.

A total of 150 million yuan ($23.5 million) has been spent by the local government on renovation and infrastructure works to preserve the ancient villages over the past seven years.

Read more at China Daily

Chinese fans bowled over by U.S. professional wrestling

(Reuters) - The Shanghai crowd howled with delight as half-naked giants in
glittering briefs strutted into the ring and began slamming each other to the
mat.

The audience had come from all over China to watch muscle-bound
foreigners with odd names like Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger and The Big Show kick,
punch and pile-drive each other.

It was likely the first time that many of the crowd had ever seen U.S.
professional wrestling in the flesh but they clearly knew the script.

Some wore Mexican wrestling masks others carried signs with messages for
their favorites. They chanted "You suck! You suck!" in English at the
villains.

"I'm here for the hot guys," said one woman carrying a sign with an
invitation for a champion known as Sheamus to visit Sichuan province.

Read more at REUTERS

Chinese disappointed with medals haul

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By Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Vanessa Kortekaas in  London

©Getty

The US took Olympic bragging rights at the end of a fortnight of events,  ending the games at the top of the medals table and leaving China to come to  terms with the relative disappointment of coming second to its superpower  rival.

Victory for its men’s basketball team, complete with NBA superstars LeBron  James and Kobe Bryant, gave the US its 46th and final gold medal of the London  games, eight ahead of China.

Hosts Britain finished the games in third place with 29 golds, pushing Russia  into fourth place with 24.

Read more at Financial Times

China Braces for Record Third Typhoon in a Week

BEIJING, China, August 7, 2012 (ENS) – China is facing its third typhoon in a single week, as Haikui strengthened from a tropical storm on Sunday into a typhoon on Monday afternoon.

“Within seven days our nation may be hit successively by three typhoons, the first time such circumstances have arisen since records have been taken,” Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said in a statement.

“We are still dealing with the impact of Typhoons Saola and Damrey and now Typhoon Haikui is heading towards us,” he said.

At least 14 people are confirmed dead and five others are missing after typhoons Damrey and Saola blasted across China’s eastern coast over the weekend, authorities said Monday.

Now Typhoon Haikui is approaching East China’s Zhejiang province, heading for a stretch of coastline just south of the 23 million people living in Shanghai, the world’s largest city.

On Tuesday morning the center of Typhoon Haikui was located in the East China Sea, about 330 kilometers southeast of Shanghai.

Haikui is forecast to move west by north to northwest at a speed of 10-15 kilometers per hour, gaining intensity, and make landfall in the low-lying coastal area between Zhoushan and Yuhuan on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, according to the China Meteorological Administration, CMA.

Environment News Service (http://s.tt/1krzc)

Why I disagree with Hugh White on China's rise

THERE is no more important policy challenge for Australia than the future relationship between the US and China.

Hugh White has raised serious questions about how to manage that relationship and, in particular, his view that the US should share power as an equal with China (discussed comprehensively in The Weekend Australian on August 11-12 ).

I disagree with much of his analysis and policy prescriptions for the following reasons.

First, he exaggerates the dangers in tensions between these two powers and, especially, the risks of conflict leading to nuclear war. He says competition between the US and China will inevitably lead to confrontation and military conflict. That did not happen in the more dangerous Cold War confrontation between the USSR and the US.

This was because it was clearly understood on both sides just how destructive a nuclear exchange would be. And yet, White

suggests a scenario in which a military incident in the South China Sea could lead to China dropping a nuclear weapon on American military bases in Guam, and the US doing nothing in retaliation.

In other words, the US, with more than 5000 strategic nuclear weapons, has backed down and accepted nuclear devastation on its territory with all the precedents that would set.

Second, there is little recognition of just how limited China's military capabilities are. It is simply not good enough to accept the pumped-up claims of the US Naval War College that US aircraft carriers are vulnerable to ballistic missile strikes by China.

Read more at The Australian.

Chinese police launch manhunt for 'Chinese Rambo'

By Tom Phillips, Shanghai

2:21PM BST 12 Aug 2012Rifle-toting police in combat gear descended on a forest-covered mountain outside the mega-city of Chongqing on Saturday in search of their suspect, named as 42-year-old Zhou Kehua.

The operation was launched after a woman was shot dead on Friday morning during a robbery outside a branch of the Bank of China in Chongqing. Police believe the gunman, who made off on a motorbike, may be responsible for an 8-year crime spree in which at least six people have been killed.

"This guy is like a Chinese Rambo," Bill Bishop, an influential China-blogger, wrote on his daily 'Sinocism' news bulletin. "His evasion skills are remarkable."

A photograph of the aftermath of Friday's attack showed the female victim, apparently suffering from a head wound, sprawled facedown on the pavement.

Another image showed a security guard clutching a towel to an arm wound.

Read more at The Telegraph

Analysis: China's sway over Cambodia tests Southeast Asian unity

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Students in
their twenties sit behind old wooden desks in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh,
scribbling away as a teacher barks out phrases in a foreign language above the
roar of motorcycles outside.

Unlike in most other countries in
the region, the students at this private language school and others nearby are
not learning English -- it's Chinese.

Along the street, signs with
golden Chinese letters on newly painted red-and-yellow buildings offer cheap
crash courses in Mandarin.

"Before, people came to this area
to study English but now it's Chinese," said Gua Fa, a teacher and manager of
the Ming Fa Chinese School. "The students all want to be tour guides, Chinese
translators, or work in banks and restaurants."

It's another sign of China's
growing influence in Cambodia, something that is upsetting the unity of the
10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Read more at CNBC

The making of a new China

Eric S. Margolis (America Angle) / 13 August 2012

Two major events in China are sure to shape the world’s newest superpower: the sensational murder trial of Madame Gu Kailai, and the top secret leadership conclave at the seaside resort of Beidaihe.

Madame Gu, as widely reported, was charged with poisoning Neil Heywood, a British businessman, fixer, and possibly her former lover. Gu is the wife of the recently disgraced powerful Chongqing party boss, Bo Xilai who, until the scandal, appeared set to be elevated to a senior role in China’s leadership. Bo was regarded – and feared – by many as a dangerous opportunist bent on reviving Maoism.

Gu’s trial was the biggest sensation in China since the trial of Mao’s shrewish, scheming wife, Jiang Qing, leader of the notorious Gang of Four. Reviled as “the white-boned devil,” she and her leftist allies were blamed for the ghastly Cultural Revolution.

Beidaihe, along with the lovely northern port of Dalian, are traditional summer venues for the pampered Communist Party leadership. This year’s meeting is extremely important as it will likely determine the shape of China’s next round of leaders at this fall’s 18^th party congress, a once in a decade seismic event. President Hu Jintao will step down and is likely to be replaced by rising star,  Xi Jinping.

Read more at Khalee

 

Are Chinese Olympians Competing Against Colonialism?

In advance of the London Olympics, China’s sports authorities went out of their way to dampen gold medal expectations. Nonetheless, there were exceptions, foremost among them the assumption that gymnast Chen Yibing would repeat his 2008 win on the rings. So when, on Monday night, Chen took the lead with a lofty score of 15.800, everything was right in China -- but only briefly.

Moments after Chen's routine, Brazilian Arthur Zanetti gave a fine, but obviously flawed, performance. (Most notably, while Chen had a perfect landing, Zanetti stumbled on his dismount.) Nonetheless,  Zanetti earned a 15.900. The Chinese reaction online, as represented by hordes of furious microbloggers, was swift: China was not only robbed of its rightful gold, but the country was also disrespected by the biased Western authorities running the London Games.

Read more at Bloomberg

Yiwu is the 'fastest growing Muslim community' in China

YIWU, CHINA // Go back little more than a decade, and a group of Muslim residents in Yiwu, a city in eastern China, had to rent a hotel room so that they would have somewhere to pray.

As their numbers increased from about 100, they moved to a rented car park - but soon they had outgrown that, too, and worshippers spilt into the nearby street.

Today, the finishing touches are being put on a 25 million yuan (Dh14.4 million) mosque that is already being used by Yiwu's Chinese, Arab and South Asian Muslim residents and visitors.

Yet despite the construction of the mosque, one thing has not changed. Such has been the growth of the city's Muslim population that at busy periods, there is still not enough room for everyone inside and some worshippers have to find space outside to pray.

Read more at The National

 

Chronic disease sees rapid growth in China

BEIJING - Chronic diseases will experience rapid development in China, as the number of patients is expected to triple or even quadruple in the coming two decades, a newly-released report warns. "With an increasingly aging population and various factors that lead to cardiovascular threats, chronic diseases in our country will rapidly increase," said the 2011 Report on Cardiovascular Diseases in China, which was released Friday by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases. The report estimated that an average of 3.5 million people die of cardiovascular diseases in the country every year, equivalent to one person dying of such illnesses every ten seconds

Read more at China Daily

Mother of young rape victim heads home

CHANGSHA - The petitioning mother of a rape victim began her journey home on Saturday after being released from a labor camp in central China's Hunan province, saying she will continue her pursuit of justice.

Tang Hui sobs as she embarks on the bus journey home in Yongzhou of Central China's Hunan province. The photo is taken in Changsha, capital of the province on Aug 11, 2012. Local authorities released Tang from a labor camp on Friday, where she was ordered last week to serve an 18-month term for "disturbing social order and exerting a negative impact on society." Tang was challenging the sentences handed down to the men who abducted, raped and prostituted her 11-year-old daughter. Tang's case triggered a public outrage questioning the local justice system. Authorities also said they would investigate Tang's claim that police falsified evidence in her daughter's case. [Photo/Xinhua]

Read more at China Daily