Author Archive

What an Idiot Foreigner Shows Us About Xenophobia and Sexism in China

April 21, 2010
By C. Custer
What an Idiot Foreigner Shows Us About Xenophobia and Sexism in China

A foreigner got drunk and made a fool of himself. How do Chinese people watching the video respond?
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Posted in Culture, Opinions, Translations, Video | 91 Comments »

How to Prevent More School Collapses

April 20, 2010
By C. Custer
How to Prevent More School Collapses

How can the government affect real change in eliminating the "tofu-dreg buildings" that many students must attend classes in?
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Posted in Current Events, Opinions | 5 Comments »

Zhang Wen: “Bo Xilai and Mao Zedong”

April 19, 2010
By C. Custer
Zhang Wen: “Bo Xilai and Mao Zedong”

Zhang Wen offers a primer on Bo Xilai, and compares him to Mao. Can Bo usher in a new era of politics in China, or is he taking it back to the days of yore?
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Posted in Politics, Translations | 16 Comments »

Wen Jiabao: “Returning to Xingyi, Remembering Hu Yaobang”

April 15, 2010
By C. Custer
Wen Jiabao: “Returning to Xingyi, Remembering Hu Yaobang”

A complete translation of Wen Jiabao's editorial in memory of Hu Yaobang. This essay is very significant because it might indicate that there is a political shift happening in terms of how Hu Yaobang and even the Tiananmen Square protests are being viewed.
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Posted in Media, Politics, Translations | 29 Comments »

103 Students Killed in Qinghai Earthquake (So Far)

April 14, 2010
By C. Custer
103 Students Killed in Qinghai Earthquake (So Far)

According to this story, "Yushu Assistant Director of Education Xiao Yuping said that as of around 7:40 P.M. yesterday, there were already 56 students who were confirmed dead."
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Posted in Current Events, Translations | 26 Comments »

Wang Hui and Plagiarism in Chinese Academia

April 13, 2010
By C. Custer
Wang Hui and Plagiarism in Chinese Academia

Wang Hui's plagiarism -- or lack thereof -- has taken on a life of its own and become a jumping-off point for lots of discussions on the state of Chinese academia.
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Posted in Education, Opinions, Translations | 24 Comments »

Introducing ChinaGeeks Chinese!

April 11, 2010
By C. Custer
Introducing ChinaGeeks Chinese!

In essence, it is a sister site to ChinaGeeks, covering many of the same topics and issues, but targeted at Chinese audience. Where ChinaGeeks translates social commentary from Chinese blogs, ChinaGeeks Chinese will translate China commentary from the English-language blogosphere, giving Chinese readers a view into the Western discourse on China and a way...
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Posted in Housekeeping | 9 Comments »

The “Pigeon Bomb” Incident: Terrorism in China?

April 8, 2010
By C. Custer

A "pigeon bomb" explosion -- suspected to be a terrorist attack -- occurred in Shenzhen on the morning of March 31st. A pigeon of unknown origins with a bomb died to it flew to the northwest corner of the News Center Building near Futian and suddenly exploded.
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Posted in Current Events, Translations | 8 Comments »

Catching Up With Ai Weiwei

April 7, 2010
By C. Custer
Catching Up With Ai Weiwei

More on Ai Weiwei's Sichuan earthquake project, his experience testifying in Tan Zuoren's case, and his thoughts on the retirement of Gao Zhisheng.
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Posted in Current Events, Translations, Video | 2 Comments »

Zhang Wen: “Do You Really Believe in Democracy?”

April 6, 2010
By C. Custer
Zhang Wen: “Do You Really Believe in Democracy?”

"Just because someone involved in the discussions has also occasionally expressed passion for democracy, in the discussion they're labeled "democratic personages" and mocked by others when there is a difference of opinion between them. Because of this, democracy itself is called into question too."
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Posted in Politics, Translations | 1 Comment »