ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | July 7, 2016

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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 tyranny of characters (July 5, 2016, The Economist)
Linguistically, China wants to be like America—a country where language and script are unified. In reality it is like medieval Europe—a continent full of different languages, nominally united by a written lingua franca. Before the 20th century, regional Chinese literati could communicate on paper in classical Chinese, but barely in conversation, just as European scholars communicated in Latin.


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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

The Man Who Nailed Jello to the Wall (June 29, 2016, Tea Leaf Nation)
Westerners said the web could never be controlled. Lu Wei, China's departing internet czar, proved them all wrong

China Delays Trial of Sichuan Activist at Last Minute (June 30, 2016, Radio Free Asia)
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan have delayed the planned trial on public order charges of a veteran rights activist who visited the grave of a Tiananmen Square massacre victim, his lawyer said. […]  The court gave no clear reason for the decision, nor had it issued a revised trial date, Ran said, adding that considerable financial losses have now been incurred. The move has also caused great anxiety among Chen's family and supporters, he said.

Ningbo Issues Handbook on Correct Cadre Conduct (July 1, 2016, China Digital Times)
A Party handbook released in Ningbo lists 68 “improper words and actions” that Party officials should avoid uttering or doing. A report from state-run new media outlet The Paper describes some of the content in the book, and a journalist’s reflection on it.

China discovers the soft power of bad rap (July 1, 2016, The Beijinger)
"This is China" by the obscure Sichuan rap outfit CD REV mixes lines about the harsh realities of China (pollution, melamine and vaccination scandals, corruption, greed) with a positive patriotic refrain: "This is China / We love the country, we the Chi-phenomena / The red dragon ain’t no evil / But a peaceful place / The beautiful land with rich culture remain."

Taiwan mistakenly fires supersonic missile killing one (July 1, 2016, BBC)
A patrol boat was undergoing a drill inspection in Kaohsiung when the Hsiung Feng III missile was fired, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported. It launched in the direction of mainland China, and hit a fishing boat off the Penghu islands, CNA added.

Hong Kong protesters march over abducted booksellers (July 1, 2016, The Guardian)
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Hong Kong to demand the resignation of its unpopular leader and answers over China’s alleged abduction of five local booksellers. The march comes a fortnight after a simmering row over China’s detention of the five boiled over again when, after being released, one of the men publicly accused Beijing of sending special forces to take him into secret custody.

Italy’s biggest Chinese community clashes with police near Florence (July 1, 2016, The Reuters)
Violent clashes broke out this week between police and the Chinese community in a suburb of Prato, near Florence, in central Italy, home to one of the largest concentrations of Chinese-run industry in Europe.  Tensions had been rising in the town, Italy's textile capital, where people began emigrating from China in the mid-1990s. Some 50,000 Chinese work in the area, making clothes and handbags with the prized "Made in Italy" label.

Communist Party of China Turns 95 (July 1, 2016, The World of Chinese)
So what are typical birthday activities for the Communist Party? Well, singing “red songs” and reciting “red poems” that commemorate the significant moments in the Party’s struggles and accomplishments are some common ones. Schools, enterprises and residential communities have also held red-themed concerts, chorus competitions, art exhibitions, and knowledge contests on Party history.

Former Chinese presidential aide sentenced to life in prison (July 5, 2016, CNN)
Ling Jihua, who served as the top aide to former Chinese President Hu Jintao, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of accepting bribes, stealing state secrets and abusing power. Prosecutors had accused Ling of accepting more than 77 million yuan ($11 million) in bribes either directly or through his family members, according to Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.

Japan’s fighter jets ‘light up’ Chinese jets patrolling East China Sea (Juy 4, 2016, Christian Science Monitor)
Two Japanese fighter jets took "provocative actions" at a high speed near a pair of Chinese fighter jets that were carrying out patrols in the East China Sea on June 17, said China's defense ministry.

China says to crackdown on fake news from social media (July 3, 2016, Reuters)
China's internet regulator will launch a crackdown on the reporting of news gathered from social media, as part of what the government calls a campaign against fake news and the spreading of rumors. In a statement late on Sunday, the Cyberspace Administration of China said that online media cannot report any news taken from social media sites without approval.

What’s Next for the U.S. and China in Cybersecurity (July 5, 2016, China Real Time)
It took the threat of sanctions and a flurry of last-minute negotiations to get China to sit down for serious talks about cybersecurity with the U.S. Now comes the hard part.

South China Sea: Beijing begins military drills ahead of key territorial ruling (July 5, 2016, The Guardian)
China has kicked off a week of military drills in the South China Sea ahead of a hotly anticipated and potentially destabilising court ruling on its territorial claims in the region. CCTV, the country’s state broadcaster, said the manoeuvres were due to start at about 8am Beijing time on Tuesday.

China Says Hong Kong Bookseller Must Return or Face Parole Violation Penalties (July 5, 2016, The New York Times)
The police in mainland China say that a Hong Kong bookseller who went public about his monthslong detention there must return to the city of Ningbo or face penalties for violating parole, Hong Kong news outlets reported on Tuesday.

Religion

Domestic Abuse is Coming Your Way: Are You Ready? (July 1, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
My first glimpse into the world of domestic abuse China-side came in 2005. “My parents won’t become Christians because my sister’s husband beats her,” a friend said, “and he’s a Christian.” Then she sighed and shrugged. “But all men in that region of China just do it that way. They don’t know how else to resolve conflict.”

A Monument to a Swedish Missionary (July 5, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
One of the monuments commemorates the life of a Swedish missionary named Anna Karlsson; her name is carved on the stone in English. Chinese names were listed on the other monument, perhaps the names of early Chinese Christians in the region.

China's Complex Relationship With Islam Is Reflected in Ties to Hui (July 2, 2016, NBC News)
Ma Lijuan is one of the faces of state-backed Islam in officially atheist Communist China. Female imams like her are unique to China's Hui, a Muslim minority group — as are their women-only mosques. Ma hails from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a sparsely populated province straddling an arid plateau on the Yellow River basin in north-central China.

In western China, authorities grapple with how to handle Ramadan (July 5, 2016, The Washington Post)
Years into the high-profile “war on terror” in the country’s far northwest, China’s officially atheist ruling party wants the world to know that it respects and honors Muslims — and that the feeling is mutual. 

Society / Life

These 9 Chinese Notebooks are All the Inspiration You Need (June 30, 2016, Small Town Laowai)
If you’re looking for a creative boost, a muse to whisper ideas to you, or just something to give you a kick in the pants, look no further than your local Chinese stationery store. Instead of dismissing the bizarre English the notebooks here are generally covered with, use them to your advantage. Take their adages to heart, and you might just find the guru you’ve been searching for.

In China, the ‘Noisiest Park in the World’ Tries to Tone Down Rowdy Retirees (July 3, 2016, The New York Times)
People’s Park has become famous for its colorful din. For years, choirs, bands and dance groups, mostly run by older residents, have jostled for space, audiences and glory. What they lacked in polish, they made up for with vigor. Residents gave the park the unofficial title of the “noisiest park in the world” — a boast for some, a lament for others.

Flooding in China leaves more than 100 people dead or missing (July 5, 2016, The Guardian)
Flooding in the Yangtze river basin in China has left 112 people dead or missing in recent days, with more damage feared from a typhoon expected to land within days. About 16 million people have been affected by heavy rains that have engulfed vast areas near the Yangtze, China’s longest river, the Beijing News cited the civil affairs ministry as saying.

Amid floods in China, Pigs are thrown a lifeline (July 5, 2016, The New York Times)
On Monday, the Chinese news media showed pictures of Li Zuming, a worker at a pig farm in Anhui Province, who was distraught as he waded through rising waters that threatened to drown thousands of pigs. Some animals gathered around another worker, as if to ask whether there was anything he could do.

Economics / Trade / Business

Starting a China online marketplace. No, don’t! (June 30, 2016, China Law Blog)
If China learns what you are doing (and it no doubt eventually will) its tax authorities will come after your company (and maybe you as well) for both company income taxes on the income you are generating from your doing business within China (probably around 25%) and for employer taxes and employer benefit payments on everyone you are using within China (probably around 40%), plus interest, plus penalties.

Chinese indulge in post-Brexit shopping spree as Pound plunges (July 4, 2016, The Guardian)
It has brought misery to millions and warnings that Britain has entered a calamitous tailspin towards a future of recession, isolation and international irrelevance. But in China, consumers have lauded Britain’s decision to quit the EU, taking advantage of the plummeting pound to go on post-Brexit spending sprees for Hermes handbags and Hugo Boss scarfs.

Twitter estimates that it has 10 million users in China (July 5, 2016, Tech Crunch)
Previous estimates have pegged Twitter’s China-based following as being as high as 35.5 million users, but the actual number appears to be much lower. According to a source inside Twitter, who spoke to TechCrunch on the condition of anonymity, its service has around 10 million active users in China.

Forget Brexit, China's currency is falling again (July 5, 2016, CNN)
Turmoil triggered by Brexit may have masked a more troubling market move — China's currency is falling again. Since British voters' shock decision to leave the European Union, the yuan has lost 1.3% against the dollar.

Health / Environment

China environmental press awards – in pictures (July 1, 2016, The Guardian)
From exposing environmental crimes to a campaign to save a wildlife reserve, the awards, created by chinadialogue and the Guardian in 2010, recognise journalists making outstanding contributions to the field in China

Science / Technology

China puts finishing touches on world’s biggest radio telescope (July 2, 2016, The Guardian)
China has hoisted the final piece into position on what will be the world’s largest radio telescope, which it will use to explore space and help in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. The Five Hundred Metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, or Fast, is the size of 30 football fields and has been cut out of a mountain in the south-western province of Guizhou.

10 million Android devices reportedly infected with Chinese malware (July 5, 2016, CNet)
At least 10 million Android devices have been infected by malware called HummingBad, according to cybersecurity software maker Check Point. Check Point, which has been tracking the malware since it was discovered in February, has released an analysis of the threat. For months, the number of infections were steady but they spiked sharply in mid-May.

History / Culture

Handover Day (July 1, 2016, Outside-In)
I handed the passport to Mr. Y. and explained that Mr. G. was going to Hong Kong, so would need an exit visa. “But when he returns in July,” I said, “Hong Kong will be a part of China….so will he need a re-entry visa?” My question stumped Mr. Y, so he decided to call the local Public Security Bureau, which was in charge of actually issuing visas. The conversation went something like this:

Arts / Entertainment / Media

China is dictating terms to Hollywood (July 1, 2016, USA Today)
It’s a natural outcome of China’s aggressive foray into the film industry, as the Asian superpower ramps up competition — and tensions — with Hollywood. U.S. companies are fighting in court to protect their intellectual property at the same time they are trying to please Chinese audiences and the censors who control what they see.

‘Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road’ Review (July 5, 2016, The Wall Street Journal)
Amid scrolling florals and colored flames, a large Buddha sits, his face a featureless mass of clay. This is a full-size copy, created by hand on the basis of detailed scans and myriad photographs of a grotto carved into cliffs that edge the Gobi desert in northwestern China. It is as faithful to the colors, designs and brushstrokes artists used in A.D. 538-39 as it is to the deterioration and damage that nature and man have since wrought.

Travel / Food

The Best Noodles in Xi’an, China (September 14, 2012, Ferreting Out the Fun)
The house specialty is the 4-meter-long noodle, which comes folded up in a bowl and covered with assorted veggies and a scrumptious meat sauce. The waitress expertly served each of us our own giant noodle and divvied up the toppings.

Video: Shipton’s Arch | World’s Tallest Arch (June 30, 2016, Far West China)
Shipton’s Arch, also known as “Toshuk Tagh” in the Uyghur language or 阿图什天门 (Ātúshi tiānmén) in Chinese, is considered to be the tallest natural arch in the world.

Language / Language Learning

Accessing Chinese culture through cartoons (July 5, 2016, Hacking Chinese)
To put it briefly, there is a huge body of culture that we don’t necessarily need to know very well, but that we should at least be aware of, because they pop up as references all over the place. Understanding theses stories might also be part of the key to understanding Chinese culture and society in general.

Books

Writing China: Xi Jinping, Pope Francis, and the imperfect analogy (July 1, 2016, China Real Time)
What do China’s President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis have in common? Did the fall of the Berlin Wall strengthen China’s Communist Party rather than weaken it? And since the wall fell, how easy is it to spot the difference between post-communist Moscow and still-communist Beijing?

Image credit: Chinese Calligrapher, by David Bote Estrada, via Flickr
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Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio