ZGBriefs | June 30, 2016

ZGBriefs is a compilation of news items gathered from published online sources. ChinaSource is not responsible for the content, and inclusion in ZGBriefs does not equal endorsement. Please go here to support ZGBriefs.

Featured Article

China’s Great Wall of Confrontation (June 28, 2016, The Wall Street Journal)
Although the Great Wall has become China’s pre-eminent national symbol of pride and strength, the construction of its soaring watchtowers and crenelated parapets actually reflected a moment of dynastic weakness.

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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

Chinese Police Detain Activist Who Documents Labor Protests (June 27, 2016, The New York Times)
The activist, Lu Yuyu, was taken into custody by the police on June 16 in the southwestern town of Dali, where he lives, a writer who has had regular online contact with him, Xu Hui, said by telephone.

Beijing Halts Taiwan Contacts Over “One China” Principle (June 27, 2016, China Digital Times)
The Chinese government announced over the weekend that it has suspended all diplomatic communications with Taiwan over President Tsai Ing-wen’s refusal to fully recognize the “1992 Consensus” and its “one China” principle. Tsai, who heads the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, acknowledged the 1992 talks in her inaugural address last month and pledged to maintain the status quo with Beijing, but fell short of openly affirming that Taiwan and China are parts of the same country.

China activist to stand trial after visiting Tiananmen victim's grave (June 27, 2016, The Guardian)
After more than a year behind bars, Chen is scheduled to stand trial in Sichuan’s capital, Chengdu, on Thursday morning for allegedly “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. Human rights experts say the vague charge is often used against online activists viewed as irritants by the government. Those convicted of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles” can face up to 10 years in jail.

Canada presses China over reports of Hong Kong visa clamp down (June 28, 2016, Reuters)
Canada is pressing Beijing over media reports that Chinese authorities are no longer allowing some Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong to visit China on 10-year visas, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

A Tale of Two Writers (June 28, 2016, China Media Project)
The death over the weekend of Zhu Tiezhi (朱铁志), 56, deputy chief editor at China’s official Seeking Truth (求是) journal, has prompted soul-searching in Chinese chat groups — touching on issues at once personal, cultural, psychological and political. Discussion of Zhu’s death, which has led some to speculate a connection to the corruption case against former Hu Jintao advisor Ling Jihua (令计划), has quickly been scrubbed from most Chinese websites.

Tibetan Director Hospitalized After Detention by Chinese Police (June 29, 2016, The New York Times)
The director, Pema Tseden, whose work includes the film “Tharlo,” was detained by the police on Saturday at the airport in Xining, where he had flown from Beijing. During his detention, Mr. Tseden “displayed health problems” that required hospitalization on Monday, the guild said in a statement.

“Political Star” Rises to Cyber Chief (June 29, 2016, Medium)
China’s official Xinhua News Agency confirmed today that Xu Lin (徐麟), a deputy director at the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) since June last year and formerly propaganda chief of Shanghai, will take over from Lu Wei (鲁炜) — the high-profile cyber chief who famously met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a visit to the US in 2014 — as head of the powerful internet control and regulatory body.

Will China’s New Foreign NGO Law Affect Me? (June 29, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
If you’re with a non-profit organization that has activities in China, the new law applies to you, regardless of whether you are actually located in China.

Religion

Chinese Urban Churches Engaging Culture (June 24, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
An urban church leader said to me several years ago, “We know how to operate and survive in the shadows; now we want to come out and be seen in the light, but we don’t know how.”

Testimony of a Domestic Abuse Victim (June 28, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
For victims of domestic violence, talking about it is never easy. However, in telling her story, Chinese Christian Wang Fang showed immense strength and courage.

Society / Life

Historical Shanghai Street Faces Uncertain Future (June 23, 2016, China Real Time)
Jinling Road, marked by verandas that shield its sidewalks and display windows of violins and pianos, is a distinctly historical street in modern Shanghai. Now there are questions about its future.

Large-scale floods soak south-west China – video (June 23, 2016, The Guardian)
South-west China has been swept by heavy downpours. Firefighters and passersby in Guizhou province rescued dozens of people from floods. In the city of Zhaotong, in Yunnan province, 2,100 people were evacuated. In the nearby village of Lianghe, floodwaters swept away a three-storey building.

China: Severe weather, including rare tornado, kills scores (June 24, 2016, CNN)
At least 98 people were killed and 800 more were injured after a tornado — accompanied by hailstorms, thunderstorms and lightning — hit eastern China early Thursday afternoon, the government said. The extreme weather, packed with winds up to 125 kilometers per hour, destroyed homes and factories and tossed cars into the air in parts of Yancheng City in China's Jiangsu Province, according to a statement posted online by the local authorities.

China Censors WeChat Rumors, Including the One About Robots Taking Over (June 24, 2016, The New York Times)
To the list of things that should not be uttered in modern China, add these: Padded bras cause cancer. The earth is on the brink of falling into a period of darkness for six days. Robots will soon conquer entire industries and eliminate the need for human labor.

China's twin towers? Hangzhou skyscrapers look strangely familiar (June 24, 2016, The Guardian)
Their shape is so similar to the old one and two World Trade Center buildings that, on first glance, it’s hard to quell suspicions that this yet another case of China’s obsession with copycat architecture. Hangzhou already has its own version of the Eiffel Tower, while in Tianjin, north-east China, a version of Manhattan is being launched.

Nigerian In China: Why Are People Here So Racist Towards Black People? (June 27, 2016, Huffington Post)
However, there is a context here that may be helpful to shed some light on why some Chinese people seemingly respond negatively to blacks, whites and people of other ethnicities (yes, it’s not just a black thing).

‘Destined to Disappear’: The Last Generation of China’s ‘Bang-Bang Army’ (June 28, 2016, The New York Times)
Mr. Niu, 62, may belong to the last generation of itinerant porters, known as “bang-bang,” who have become a symbol of Chongqing, a city that clings to the towering hills where the Jialing River flows into the mighty Yangtze in southwest China. The streets here once teemed with a “bang-bang army,” as residents call the porters. Now they are disappearing.

Battling domestic violence in China (June 28, 2016, East Asia Forum)
China’s first national law against domestic violence came into effect on 1 March 2016. The law marks a significant step forward from the country’s existing legislation by legally defining domestic violence and extending legal protection to victims. Yet a fundamental cure for the epidemic of domestic abuse — which disproportionately affects women — requires further efforts to change persisting misperceptions about women’s moral responsibilities and domestic violence itself.

China driver splurges £100,000 on ‘lucky’ number plate – then stopped eight times by police (June 29, 2016, The Telegraph)
The driver, who was named as Mr Zhou by Chinese media, believed he would be blessed with good fortune on the road after he invested one million yuan (£113,000) on a plate which bears five lucky number eights. But his plan backfired when police stopped him eight times on the first day he took his GM pickup truck out on the road, as they believed the plate was not authentic, reports in China say.

Economics / Trade / Business

Reactions to Brexit in Chinese (Social) Media (June 24, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
Britain’s vote to leave the EU is dominating the headlines worldwide. On June 24, ‘Brexit’ also made it to the number one spot of Weibo’s trending topics list under the hashtag of ‘Britain out of EU Referendum’ (#英国脱欧公投#). For many Chinese media outlets and netizens, the outcome of the Brexit referendum shows the risks of democracy and populism.

Going Global: More Chinese Companies Take the World Stage (June 27, 2016, China Real Time)
Rapidly growing companies in China and other emerging markets are seizing market share and outperforming competitors in industries from technology to aviation, according to a report from Boston Consulting Group.

Online payments in China: Spreading without limits (June 27, 2016, Sapore di Cina)
While in the West it is preferred to use credit cards for online payments, Chinese buyers trust payment systems such as Alipay and TenPay which make transactions more simple allowing it to be associated with credit or debit cards directly and downloadable apps on their phones.

The ‘Crazy’ Pace of Chinese Tech Company Baidu (June 28, 2016, China Real Time)
Two years into his gig as chief scientist for Chinese internet giant Baidu Inc., Andrew Ng, the former Google executive who founded the company’s artificial-intelligence unit, is pushing Baidu to become a leader in artificial intelligence.

Photos: Top 10 China's most valuable brands in 2016 (June 28, 2016, China Daily)

China’s Home-Built Passenger Jet Makes Debut (June 28, 2016, The Wall Street Journal)
Aviation officials, executives and journalists were among the first passengers aboard the ARJ21 regional jet on the Chengdu Airlines flight, which departed the central city of Chengdu after some fanfare featuring ribbon-cutting and a posse of panda mascots. The plane landed in Shanghai just over two hours later, according to state media, which declared the flight a success.

Shanghai Mall, Famous for Fakes, Set to Shut Down (June 29, 2016, China Real Time)
Located opposite Shanghai Media Group’s newsroom on the city’s version of Broadway, Nanjing Road, Han City is no secret. “A mind-blowing maze of knock-off merchandise,” says City Weekend, a local magazine catering to expats.

Education

Foreign Schools in China: The Legal 101 (June 23, 2016, China Law Blog)
A School for Children of Foreign Workers is the only type of school that China allows to be 100% foreign controlled and owned. The path for this is sort of school is as follows:

A look inside the only school in China that's just for children with HIV (June 27, 2016, Shanghaiist)
A few days ago, reporters paid a visit to the Linfen Red Ribbon School, to see for themselves the only school in China set up specifically for children with HIV. The school, located in Linfen city, Shanxi province, is the only one of its kind in China, and has been providing education and medical treatment to children suffering from HIV or AIDS since December 2011. Currently, there are 32 students from all over the country living and studying at the school free of charge.

List exposes 30 fake Chinese colleges (June 27, 2016, Xinhua)
The fake colleges are located in 12 provinces and regions including Beijing, Shanghai and Shandong. Unlike in the past, when most of the exposed schools used deceptive names and official websites that resembled those of well-known universities, 22 of the 30 fake universities imitated the names of private institutions that provide training courses for the national adult education examination, which can also be used to seek a university degree.

Chinese anger over 'sex degrades girls' textbook comment (June 28, 2016, BBC)
A Chinese sex education textbook describing girls who have premarital sex as "cheap" has sparked a backlash on micro-blogging site Weibo. Premarital sex had a "tremendous negative psychological and physical impact on girls", said the High School Sex Education book.

Health / Environment

Why Beijing (and 45 other cities in China) are sinking (June 27, 2016, Christian Science Monitor)
According to the Chinese government, 46 cities across China are sinking into the ground. In the last decade alone, Beijing has sunk 14 inches. The city continues to sink at a rate of nearly 11 centimeters per year.

Elderly ladies in Xi'an claim that lying on hot rocks under the sun will improve their health (June 27, 2016, Shanghaiist)
This summer, the hottest new trend in Xi'an among middle-aged and elderly ladies is to lie on hot rocks in order to restore your health. In the city, wherever there is a big rock, a few old ladies can be spotted leaning against it, lying on top of it or even hugging it under the blazing sun.

Science / Technology

China's 'Cape Canaveral' lifts lid on secretive space program (June 26, 2016, CNN)
Hainan, sometimes known as China's Hawaii, is the location of China's newest space launch site at Wencheng, in the northeast corner of the island. Wenchang city planners and tourist officials are developing the area around the launch site with hotels to accommodate tourists to the beaches, the launch site, and even a space-related theme park.

China announces stricter rules for all mobile apps (June 28, 2016, Tech in Asia)
If you’re a mobile dev with an eye on China, be warned: the regulatory environment is about to get stricter. On Tuesday, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued new regulations aimed at tightening control of China’s mobile app environment.

China Seeks On-Off Switch for Internet (June 29, 2016, Voice of America)
A controversial cyber security law that is under review in China will give authorities the power to shut down the internet and block all communications online when so-called “emerging social security events” occur.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

Who Is the Hooligan? A Review of Wang Nanfu’s New Documentary (June 19, 2016, China Law and Policy)
Director Wang Nanfu did not intend to make the movie that became Hooligan Sparrow, the opening feature at this year’s Human Rights Watch film festival.  But it’s hard to avoid creating such a tour de force when you become enmeshed in the absurdity that is the life of a Chinese rights activist.

Next Yao Ming? China's Zhou Qi Taken by Houston Rockets with 43rd Pick in 2016 NBA Draft (June 25, 2016, The Beijinger)
Zhou is now in line to be the first active Chinese player in the NBA since Yi Jianlian came home to the CBA in 2012, and the sixth Chinese player overall to play in the NBA (the others being Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Menke Bateer, Sun Yue and Yi).

Chinese Variety Show “Heroes of Remix” Brings Electronic Dance Music to the Masses (June 27, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
China’s new music reality show Heroes of Remix has become a hot topic on Chinese social media since its first airing on Jiangsu TV. The show gives electronic dance music a Chinese flavor and has heightened the popularity of the music genre in China.

Lady Gaga “Banned” in China After Dalai Lama Meeting (June 28, 2016, China Digital Times)
American pop diva Lady Gaga has reportedly found her music banned in China after she met with the Dalai Lama last weekend in Indianapolis and live-streamed the summit on Facebook. Lady Gaga, who enjoys a wide following in China, was blacklisted by Beijing between 2011 and 2014 for “creating confusion in the order of the online music market, and damaging the nation’s cultural security.”

Travel / Food

XJ Q&A #2: Is it Safe to Travel to Xinjiang? (June 23, 2016, Far West China)
It’s a legitimate question, particularly since most of what you’ve probably read in the news or heard from friends seems to indicate that you’re putting your life in danger by making a journey to Xinjiang. But is that really the case? Is all of this overblown?

Chongqing! (June 27, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Chongqing is one of China’s four municipal districts directly run by the central government. This means that, even though it is called a city, it is the size of a small province. In fact, it is larger than the autonomous region (province) of Ningxia. 

Forbidden City, Great Wall Named Two of Asia's Most Beautiful Places (June 28, 2016, The Beijinger)
China and Japan topped the list with seven sites each. Other places in China included Lhasa, Tibet, and the Reed Flute Cave near Guilin. Other major global sites include Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the Taj Mahal in India.

Language / Language Learning

Hao Laoshi: Learning Mandarin is All Fun and Games With Ninchanese (June 23, 2016, The Beijinger)
We built Ninchanese as an engaging app to learn to read, speak, write and understand Mandarin Chinese for all levels. Behind Ninchanese's concept is the belief that a combination of game mechanics, scientifically-proven language learning techniques, and a colorful and engaging atmosphere are keys to reaching one's goal of conversational fluency in Chinese.

See How Your Mandarin Measures Up With These 5 Digital Proficiency Tests (June 24, 2016, The Beijinger)
Learning Mandarin is a daunting endeavor, especially in the very beginning. In fact, many of us newbies don't even know where to start. Fortunately, there are some handy digital resources out there that can quickly help you gauge your level, so that you'll know what to target before hitting the books in earnest. Don't worry: chances are your Chinese is better than you realize, a galvanizing proposition that the tests below can offer.

Top 258 Most Commonly Confused Chinese Characters (June 28, 2016, carlgene.com)
The following is a list of characters that are most likely to confuse Chinese learners of different levels. I recommend you have a go at the dictation practices first to see how many you can write from memory.

Books

Writing China: Law, Land and Power (June 23, 2016, China Real Time)
Robert Bickers, a professor of Chinese history at the University of Bristol, is the co-editor with Isabella Jackson of a newly published collection of essays, “Treaty Ports in Modern China: Law, Land and Power.” He spoke to China Real Time in an edited interview below.

Writing China: The Compromise of China’s Millennials (June 27, 2016, China Real Time)
Six of them are the subject of Beijing writer Alec Ash’s book “Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China,” which traces the lives of a group of youth from around the country, from a boy addicted to online gaming to a hipster with entrepreneurial ambitions to an aspiring punk rocker who goes by the English name “Lucifer.”

An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2016 – New Publication from Dezan Shira & Associates (June 29, 2016, China Briefing)
An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2016, the latest publication from Dezan Shira & Associates, is out now and available for complimentary download through the Asia Briefing Bookstore.

Image credit: by Seb, via Flickr