ZGBriefs | October 29, 2015

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.

Featured Article

New areas of the Forbidden City open to visitors (October 27, 2015, Jottings from the Granite Studio)
The Palace Museum at the Forbidden City opened four new areas to the public this past month, a move which coincided with the 90th anniversary of the museum’s founding. The opening of new spaces, and the unprecedented care to their renovation and restoration, should be welcome news to travelers and Beijing residents who had previously dismissed the Forbidden City as a vast array of sameness and symmetry.

Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs

China tees off against golf, gluttony in anti-graft drive (October 22, 2015, Reuters)
China's ruling Communist Party has listed golf and gluttony as violations for the first time as it tightens its rules to stop officials from engaging in corrupt practices, while also turning an even sterner eye on sexual impropriety.

Chinese Communist Party Standards on Integrity and Self-Restraint – comment. (October 23, 2015, Forgotten Archipelago)
Together with the Regulations on Disciplinary Punishment, the Standards are one of the most important pieces of Party legislation.

China’s Communist Party Plenum: What to Expect (October 23, 2015, Sinosphere)
Since what happens in China increasingly affects people across the globe, this Fifth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party is worth watching. Here’s what to look for:

Confession Raises Questions About Corruption Crackdown (October 26, 2015, China Real Time)
A lengthy apology attributed to Liu was carried in the official Prosecutorial Daily in mid-October. The account – written in the form of a confession — paints a picture of how some cadres continue to try to resist Beijing’s seemingly ever-expanding anticorruption campaign.

5 Things to Know About the U.S. Challenge to China (October 27, 2015, China Real Time)
A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands claimed by China. It was a direct challenge to Beijing and raised the stakes in the growing territorial dispute. Here are 5 things to know:

Video: The Race to Control the South China Sea (October 28, 2015, China Real Time)
By sending a U.S. warship within 12 nautical miles of one of China’s artificial islands, Washington has signaled the start of an open contest for the future of the South China Sea.

Beijing Summons U.S. Ambassador Over U.S. Navy Ship Entering Disputed South China Sea (October 28, 2015, TIME)
U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus has been summoned to explain the perceived incursion into territory between the Subi and Mischief reefs that Beijing claims as its own, reports Chinese state news wire Xinhua.

China media denounce US warship in South China Sea (October 28, 2015, BBC)
Editorials in Chinese state media have denounced the presence of a US warship in the South China Sea, and warned that Beijing is prepared to take action. While urging calm from both sides, media outlets also said the US was "harassing China" and that Beijing is "not frightened to fight a war".

China's great wall of sand is theatrical bluster (October 29, 2015, Sydney Morning Herald)
Beijing will push and rattle sabres but it won't risk a catastrophic conflict against the United States.

Religion

Are Chinese Christians Particularly Suited to Reaching Muslims? (October 23, 2015, From the West Courtyard)
As the Chinese economy develops and the government is opening many doors in much-needed cooperation with Muslim governments, is it time for the Chinese church to send workers to Muslim nations?

Lausanne: 900 House Church Leaders from Mainland China Participate in Inaugural Mission China 2030 Conference (October 26, 2015, Gospel Herald)
The first Mission China 2030 Conference was convened in Hong Kong on 28 September – 1 October 2015. This conference was led by urban house church leaders and attended by 900 participants from mainland China. The Mission China 2030 vision is for China to send out 20,000 missionaries by the year 2030. 200 missionary commitments were made as the first step toward fulfilling this vision.

8 Things to Know about Wang Mingdao (October 26, 2015, From the West Courtyard)
One of the (many) interesting things about the Internet is that it provides a platform for leaders and influencers who are long gone to speak directly to the issues of the day.

Christian Businessmen’s Fellowships in Shandong (October 27, 2015, Chinese Church Voices)
As more Chinese businessmen and businesswomen turn to Christ, they are increasingly looking for ways to be salt and light in their communities. In one community in Shandong Province, local Christian businesspeople have formed a fellowship to more effectively serve local churches and society.

Deconstructing China’s Jerusalem? (October 28, 2015, From the West Courtyard)
Reading Cao Nanlai’s classic Constructing China’s Jerusalem in light of the highly publicized attacks on Wenzhou churches, the obvious question is whether the “Wenzhou model,” as Cao describes it, is still intact, or whether government intervention has significantly altered the formula of church growth and cultural transformation.

Society / Life

Photos: The Last Days of the 6 RMB Hotel (October 21, 2015, China File)
In 2009, Jiang Rongfa began photographing the hotel and interviewing many of its residents. Last year, after 33 years of operation, the hotel was forced to close when Wuxi demolished it to clear the way for new development.

China professor's wife-sharing proposal sparks ire (October 23, 2015, BBC)
A Chinese professor's controversial suggestion that poorer men could share wives has sparked debate online on how to solve China's gender imbalance. Zhejiang University economics professor Xie Zuoshi's proposal has been met with heavy criticism that it is immoral.

‘Kingdom of Daughters’ in China Draws Tourists to Its Matrilineal Society (October 25, 2015, The New York Times)
Lured by the promise of spectacular natural beauty and exotic cultural experiences, hundreds of thousands of visitors, mostly Chinese, are making the journey to Lugu Lake, nestled on a plateau in the mountains between Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.

Two-Child Policy Is Too Little, Too Late (October 25, 2015, Bloomberg)
When Chinese leaders convene this week for a four-day meeting on the future of the country’s economy, the biggest news might have to do with babies. According to reports in Chinese media, the government may be ready to relax the notorious “one-child” policy, in existence since the late 1970s, and allow Chinese parents to have two kids.

100 million couples would be eligible under a universal two-child policy (October 26, 2015, China Daily)
The central government initially eased the family planning policy in late 2013, allowing couples to have a second child in situations where one spouse was only child. As of June, only 1.5 million of the 11 million eligible couples had applied for second child. No specific date for an announcement on further changes to the rule has been scheduled, but many pundits have suggested it was likely to come soon.

Leaving China? Your books, maps and DVDs may be confiscated (October 26, 2015, Los Angeles Times)
In the last year, China has significantly stepped up border controls to prevent the import of banned materials, particularly Chinese-language books published in free-speech havens such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. But less well known are efforts by Chinese authorities to confiscate books, maps, globes, DVDs and any printed material they deem objectionable from people departing the mainland.

China 'social credit': Beijing sets up huge system (October 26, 2015, BBC)
he Chinese government is building an omnipotent "social credit" system that is meant to rate each citizen's trustworthiness. By 2020, everyone in China will be enrolled in a vast national database that compiles fiscal and government information, including minor traffic violations, and distils it into a single number ranking each citizen.

The night time 'McRefugees' of Hong Kong (October 27, 2015, BBC)
Earlier this month, an elderly homeless woman died in a crowded Hong Kong McDonald's restaurant. No-one noticed her for seven hours. The BBC's Juliana Liu spent a night in one 24-hour restaurant to meet the people the city has dubbed "McRefugees".

Beijing Retirees Looking to Keep Active Volunteer to Walk the Beat (October 28, 2015, The New York Times)
For the Yongshan Persuaders, a group of older Chinese volunteers who patrol their neighborhood of Fengtai in southwest Beijing, no infraction is too small in the service of public order.

Economics / Trade / Business

You shall go to the mall: UK visit exposes China's fake royal carriage trade (October 23, 2015, China Real Time)
While the state visit of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to Britain this week might, in the words of David Cameron, kick off a new era in UK-China relations, it has also exposed an unusual Chinese trade in fake royal carriages. This trade includes copies of the luxurious diamond jubilee state coach that delivered Xi and the Queen to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

Chinese premier says 7% growth target is not set in stone (October 25, 2015, The Guardian)
Li Keqiang said it was not necessary for the economy to grow by the 7% target for this year. Li set the goal in March after China narrowly missed its 7.5% target for last year. China’s economic growth dipped to 6.9% in the third quarter of this year after recording 7% rises in the first two quarters of 2015.

Underground Banks Trace Roots to the Sicily of China (October 27, 2015, China Real Time)
Situated at the eastern end of Guangdong province, Chaoshan – a portmanteau of its two main cities, Chaozhou and Shantou – is a fiercely entrepreneurial enclave. It is known for its distinct dialect and teahouse customs but also has increasingly become associated with smuggling, counterfeiting, amphetamine, gun running and criminal syndicates.

Video: Winners of China’s New Economy (October 27, 2015, China Real Time)
China’s slowdown hasn’t hit all global companies equally. The companies that do well in China’s new economy are those that appeal to the middle class. Here’s a look at the new wave of winners and losers.

Shanghai Is Now the Most Expensive City in Asia for Luxury Living (October 27, 2015, China Real Time)
n the survey of 11 Asian cities, Shanghai was the most expensive market for goods like jewelry, luxury cars and fine wine. It is the second most expensive city when it comes to services costs such as a business class flight to New York, a wedding banquet at a top hotel, and golf club membership.

Paternity Leave in China: Regional Policies and Differences (October 27, 2015, China Briefing)
China does not have unified legislation for paternity leave. Paternity leave policies are implemented on a municipal or provincial level by local population and family planning regulations, and can vary from 0 to 30 days. Learn more about China's paternity policies here.

China’s Five-Year Plan Now Has Its Own Psychedelic Music Video (October 27, 2015, China Real Time)
In case you weren’t bopping in your seat over China’s economic planning, the country’s propaganda mouthpiece can help with that. China’s official Xinhua News Agency posted a jaunty English-language theme song Monday night about the importance of the thirteenth five-year plan.

China’s state-owned enterprises to remain Party animals (October 28, 2015, East Asia Forum)
But the guidelines also reinforce and strengthen the role of the Chinese Communist Party in the leadership of SOEs. The bottom line: not only are SOEs here to stay, they will be ‘stronger, better and bigger’.

Education

Chinese students who cheat on exams could now face up to 7 years in prison (October 27, 2015, Shanghaiist)
Cheating in exams will now carry a maximum of a 7 year prison sentence in China. This is due to an amendment to section 284 of the Chinese Criminal Law Code which will take effect on November 1st. The amendment stipulates that those who cheat or plot to cheat will be given a 3 year jail sentence, while more serious cases will be given a sentence of between 3 to 7 years and a fine.

Health / Environment

China Health Care: Kudos Are in Order (October 26, 2015, China Law Blog)
It is both easy and important to be critical of China. But in being so, it is also easy to ignore the amazing strides China has made on so many fronts, including health care. I thought of that today when I received an email on two China healthcare studies published today in Lancet.

Chinese People Are Living Longer, New Study Shows (October 27, 2015, China Real Time)
A new study published in the medical journal The Lancet says life expectancy in China has lengthened dramatically, rising an average of 8.5 years from 1990. Reductions in infectious diseases, diarrhea and infant mortality have delayed premature death.

Science / Technology

Great Firewall rising: How China wages its war on the Internet (October 26, 2015, CNN)
Since China began controlling its citizens' Internet access in the mid-1990s, the censors have been engaged in an arms race with activists and developers to block tools that helped people jump over the Firewall and close loopholes that popped up. Experts warn that as Beijing dedicates more and more money and effort to the fight, it may become increasingly one-sided.

WeChat Infographic: Who, Where, When & What (October 27, 2015, China Skinny)
WeChat’s reach and influence is unrivalled in China’s online space. It touches everything from consumers communicating with their nearest and dearest, to sharing their most special moments, to buying everything from cinema tickets to taxi rides.

Smart street lamps in Shanghai offer free WiFi access (October 27, 2015, China Daily)
Fifteen lamps, each 8 meters tall, have been erected along Dagu Road in Jing'an district. Each is equipped with a touch screen and an emergency button. By pressing the button citizens can get immediate access to the city's public service platform which in turn will coordinate the operation with different services. Other major features include free WiFi access, information inquiry and a charger for electric cars. The features have been selected to offer a public service and safety as well as energy efficiency,

History / Culture

Confucianism is needed in people's daily lives, scholars say (October 28, 2015, China Daily)
Experts on Confucianism used a seminar today in Beijing to urge China's top leadership to imbue the spirit of Confucianism into the daily lives of its people.

Arts / Entertainment / Media

China’s best Obama impersonator looks the part, but speaks ‘fake English’ (October 23, 2015, Washington Post)
For Xiao Jiguo, a Chinese Obama impersonator, it’s all about the eyebrows. The migrant-worker-turned-actor lacks the U.S. president’s stature and, with limited English, can’t easily mimic the stop-and-start cadence of his speech.

China's Ai Weiwei starts a global LEGO hunt: Can you spare a brick, brother? (+video) (October 26, 2015, Christian Science Monitor)
Danish toymaker LEGO declined to sell bricks to dissident artist Ai Weiwei for an exhibition in Australia. Now he plans to collect donated plastic bricks around the world. 

Censors May Depart: New Jia Zhangke Film Will Grace China’s Big Screen (October 28, 2015, China Real Time)
Now, the acclaimed Chinese director is out with a new work that, while it didn’t bring home an award at Cannes, has won the thumbs-up from China’s censors: “Mountains May Depart” has been previewed in various cities and will have its official China premiere on October 30.

Travel / Food

8 must-eats in Nanjing (October 21, 2015, CNN)
The emperors may have left town, but the food in China's ancient dynastic capital of Nanjing is still fit for royalty. In a nation obsessed with food, the dishes served up here are among the most delicious and delectable.

Beijing to build national park with neighboring province (October 26, 2015, China Daily)
Baoding, a city in Hebei province southwest of Beijing, will join hands with Beijing's Fangshan district to turn the region's rivers, forests and wetland into a national park over the next three years, the Baoding government said.

Fried rice record: Yangzhou stripped of title (October 26, 2015, BBC)
A Chinese city that broke the world record for the largest serving of fried rice has been stripped of its title after some of the dish was used as pig feed. Yangzhou, a city in east China, broke the record held by Turkey, cooking 4,192kg of fried rice.

You Probably Won’t Be Able To Cross This Bridge Without Freaking Out (October 26, 2015, Matador Network)
Hanging bridges are pretty terrifying as it is — they sway in the breeze, They shake as you walk on them, and it’s hard not to be painfully aware that such a rickety, fragile structure is keeping you from plummeting to your death. But the Shiniuzhai Geopark in Hunan, China, has upped the ante. They’ve built the world’s longest hanging glass bridge.

This Dreamy Drone Footage Will Challenge Your Idea Of What China Looks Like (October 27, 2015, Matador Network)
Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hunan Province of China that has nothing to do with the crowded streets of Beijin or the polluted waters of the Yangtze river. It’s a large area made of 3,000 narrow sandstone pillars and peaks, ravines, gorges with streams, pools and waterfalls, natural bridges, and caves.

A Chinese wedding banquet (is always a small adventure) (October 28, 2015, China Hope Live)
The other kind of adventure eating is the the kind that seeks you out. You’re just going about your business, accepting a neighbour’s dinner invitation or attending a friend’s wedding feast, and you’re served “cicada monkeys” 知了猴:

Language / Language Learning

Tone Corrections from a 3-year-old (October 22, 2015, Sinosplice)
When my daughter was still learning to talk, she used to occasionally make tone mistakes, and this amused everybody. Now she’s almost 4, attending a Chinese pre-school, and her tones are pretty perfect.

Hello Chinese app

Books

Beijing Bull: The Bogus China Model (October 22, 2015, The National Interest)
Daniel A. Bell argues that the world can learn from the undemocratic “China Model.” Yet the China he lauds is an illusion.

Hemingway’s Literary Escape (October 23, 2015, China File)
‘The Old Man and the Sea’ Resonates Both with Political Dissidents and Xi Jinping.

How to Learn Chinese – The FREE Ebook (Living the Language)
Let 10 world famous Chinese language learners tell you in the free Ultimate Guide Ebook to Learning Mandarin Chinese their tricks, advice and what they recommend as the best ways to learn Mandarin.

Image credit: Joann Pittman, via Flickr