China´s spending spree starts at Single´s Day, and ends with Spring festival, but even Christmas has gained support among the consumers, writes financial analyst Sara Hsu in the Diplomat, although it a a indigenous Christian celebration.Read More →
Former factory worker, and now author Zhang Lijia looks on her weblog into the fate of Xu Lizhi, a 24-year old Foxconn worker, who of many who jumped to death on September 20. Xu was not only a migrant worker, but also a poet, she tells us.Read More →
Remembering the gruesome past of the Cultural Revolution has been a touchy issue, suppressed by the government, even though many at the current leadership have been victims themselves. Journalist Ian Johnson describes how things might be changing in the New York Review of Books.Read More →
China is getting a law to protect women from domestic violence. An important step forward, although many have been critical about the draft law, writes author Zhang Lijia at her weblog, and it is far from enough to change the attitude of men. Read More →
Price and quality might be leading criteria for Chinese consumers, but surprisingly social responsibility of producers is also an issue. Author Paul French points in EthicalCorp.com at two recent surveys, featuring increasing social conscience in Asia and China.Read More →
President Xi Jinping´s call for a “new type of thinktank with Chinese characteristics” has triggered off a old debate on the position of intellectuals towards their government. Author Zhang Lijia argues at her weblog the government should no longer silence the voice of its scholars.Read More →
Blatant discrimination on the job market is one of the major challenges for women in China. But they are gearing up to sue companies and institutions in court, if their adds search for ´male only´, notes author Zhang Lijia in ChinaFile. Read More →
Three generations of Chinese women, her grandmother, mother and herself used author Zhang Lijia to illustrate the changing position of women in China. “We benefited from the revolution led by Mao,” she said in a speech, published at her weblog. Read More →
Farming has been for 4,000 years the keystone of China´s civilization. But today it is dragging its economy, changed into a burden rather than an asset, writes journalist Ian Johnson in the New York Times. The government wants to move farmers to the cities, sometimes against their will.Read More →
Some blamed heavy media censorship for the lack of interest at mainland China for the protests in Hong Kong. Author Zhang Lijia discovered mainlanders are genuinely not interested in Hong Kong. Her analysis at her weblog. Why the mainland and Hong Kong are drifting apart.Read More →
The ongoing conflict between Hong Kong protesters and the central government in Beijing can still move into different directions, writes financial analyst Sara Hsu in The Diplomat. But a violent crackdown would be worst of three scenario´s, not only for the Hong Kong protesters, but also for the global economy, she argues.Read More →
This week millions of Chinese tourists will visit foreign countries, for many the first time. And they will shock the natives of the guest countries by their loud voices, spitting habits and pushy ways to jump queues. Author Zhang Lijia ponders at her weblog why it is so hard to teach Chinese some manners.Read More →