Latest posts by Bob Chen
China: Riding on Chairman Mao's head
On Feb19，a set of pictures that shows a girl riding on the head of Chairman Mao was circulated around the internet. Of course, what she rides is just a statue erected on the plaza in Hunan, Mao's hometown. However, the story with the pictures immediately secured the headline position in...
China: “Stay away!” Vice president Xi warned in Mexico
Xi Jinping (习近平）, the Chinese vice president, is widely predicted as the next chairman of China, the successor of Hu Jintao. On Feb 11, during his visit to Mexico, he gave a speech to overseas Chinese there. His address includes a passage as a harsh criticism against foreign intervention, which...
China: Shoe Hurled at Premier Wen Sparks Fury
A shoe is thrown at another leader, this time the Chinese Premier in Cambridge, Britain. Furious responses and condemnation were hurled back to the thrower, a word fight is going on on YouTube. But any news in domestic media in China? Sorry, it is harmonic to afford the unwelcome shoe.
China: Hard to get home in a time for family reunion
A journey to home preludes most people's Spring festival. It usually starts a few days before the Chinese New Year eve. And when they are to say goodbye to their families, the short holiday will end with another journey back to a place far away from home. The Spring Festival...
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China: Obama, can you?
Obama has been sworn in as the first African American president, with a popular support peaking at its high. His inauguration summoned as many as two million people, and his address occasionally interrupted by thunder-like claps and acclaims. The rhythmic incanting “O-ba-ma!” oftentimes burst out of the packed and vital...
China: Farewell, Bullog
The government's clean-up campaign sweeps the internet world, while not only "pornography" is down, Bullog, a popular blog hosting site which plays as a vanguard of liberalism and democracy thinkings, also a front line of government criticisms and plaza of popular opinions, was shut down as well.
China: Antismut campaign sweeps internet. But any untold purpose?
An internet cleansing movement, or antismut campaign launched by the Chinese authority, is sweeping across the internet in recent days, targeting vulgar and obscene content. However, people doubt, it might foreshadow a larger campaign against all the critiques not in the government's favor.
China: Due to a fire, 4 officials found living in a luxury hotel every day.
A fire burned down a hotel in a small town in An Hui province, 1 dead, 3 seriously injured when jumping down. It grabs the attention of blogsphere, however, not because it being thought as a tragedy, but that the 4 are all local officials long living there. It’s questioned...
China: Parents chocked their daughter to give room for boys
Chinese blogger Yang-zhizhu (杨支柱） sighed for the tragedy that a pair of parents choked their daughter so that they can have a boy under the cap of birth control in China, railing against the policy as forcing people to abandon “excessive” girls. In Chinese tradition, boys are much weighed over...
China: “Just the aftershocks from the earthquake would destroy France!”kids yell
It is astonishing to see kids in grade school reciting such a violent poem, which calls for the destroy of all those bear enmity against China. Is this a indoctrination of hatred, or a must education for motherland-love, as insists the teacher who organizes the recitation?
China: Commissioner scrutinized by netizen detectives
Zhou, Commissioner of Housing Bureau in Nanjing, stopped developers from cutting down the real estate price, claiming it was for the sake of people. But rebukes never stop as what people expect is right the opposite. Netizen detectives set out to run after clues of corruption from past news reports and pictures, from which two crucial evidences show up: cigarettes and watches. They even find out that he has a brother who is exactly a developer.
China: “08 Charter” Signers Arrested and Questioned by Police
Big Brother searching and questioning people involved in an collective appeal for democracy.
China: Protestors and petitioners penned up into madhouse
It is a story about petitioning, protest and madhouse. Reading the story, I am almost drowned by a sense of desperation infused in what Mr. Sun has gone through all these years, but also very much touched by Mr. Shi’s courage to expose such a scandal to public. I know, this would be a story worth record, and translation.
China: Official report — political aristocracy has ruled national wealth
National wealth, as an dauntingly open article in public media suggests, has almost been monopolized by the class of political power. What makes the matter worse is that, the privilege has been passed on to the next generation.
China: AIDS blogger Li-xiang's unextraordinary life
Now about 30, he contracted AIDS in a blood donation when he was only a high school student. He started blogging in 2005, writing about his life, ideas, and occasionally HIV treatment. He loves beautiful girls, and has a girlfriend. He is now more a social worker than merely a patient, and always inspires his fellow patients with a light heart. But there are no less depression, desperation, and people's indifference, even open insult left on his blog. This is Li-xiang, an AIDS blogger.
China: Worry on the striking, 4-trillion stimulus plan
Global economy is stumbling, and neither can China stay out of the trouble. On 9, Nov, a striking stimulus plan, totally of 4 trillion yuan, was announced to public by the central government. Stock market was encouraged, so was the confidence of global market as it signals China’s pledge to...
China: Deadly subway tunnel collapse – who to blame?
On 15, Nov, a 100-meters-long--50m-wide section of the subway tunnel under construction collapsed. The most serious subway accident ever in China claimed more than 21. But far more than that, the accident might imply more incoming tragedies, since the danger is not simply lurking in tunnels, steel rods, or under roadbeds, but deeply in our system.
China: Too much time online? You got psychosis.
Facebook, twitter, blog, facebook, email, online game, then blog, how long have you stayed online? If you have stared at your computer screen and clutched your mouse for over 6.13 hours a day, you are, I am sorry, a person of mental disorder according to the latest official definition in China.
China: The 3rd cabbies strike in 10 days. Now appeased.
After the cabbies strike in Chonqing in which about 9000 drivers participated and over 100 taxis and 3 police cars were smashed during the course, another taxi strike broke out on 10, Nov, in the southern tourism city Sanya. Though already appeased, does it simply mean a breath we can take before a larger storm is coming?
China: Protest in Taiwan criticized as democratic violence
Mainland China envoy Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) flied back to Beijing 7, Nov after his 4-day “ice-breaking” visit to Taiwan. As the chairman of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), Chen, led the highest-ranked official delegation ever from mainland to Taiwan, to negotiate for new deals that set...
China: To be Dead or Not? Amnesty Appeal for Cop-killer
Scores of scholars and journalists appealed of an amnesty for cop-killer Yangjia, arguing it can be a great time to launch a repeal of death sentence. But opposite voices argued no less weakly that, we have better things to do than saving his life.
