Destination: China
Jan Wong: Looking Back at China’s Darker Days
by Eva Holland | 10.02.09 | 5:26 PM ET
In a powerful column, Jan Wong, the author of Red China Blues: My Long March From Mao to Now looks back on her complicated love affair with China—from studying abroad in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution to covering the Tiananmen Square massacre from a hotel room uncomfortably nearby. As the country celebrates its 60th anniversary this week, it’s good to see some thoughtful reflection on the dark times in China’s past, too. (Via @DougSaunders)
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Yahoo! BuzzChina Closes Tibet to Foreign Travelers
by Jim Benning | 09.23.09 | 2:25 PM ET
Why, you ask?
According to the AP, the closure is designed to ensure stability during celebrations of the 60th anniversary of communist rule in China, which will be marked Oct. 1. The closure will remain in effect through Oct. 8.
Officials have also curtailed kite flying in Beijing.
Critics will shake their heads, but I can think of no better way to celebrate authoritarian rule. Nicely done, China.
China: 60 Years of the People’s Republic
by Eva Holland | 09.21.09 | 1:33 PM ET
The People’s Republic of China will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary on October 1. The Big Picture has yet another stellar photo essay of the elaborate preparations for the big day.
Americans Fight Tourist Kitsch in China
by Michael Yessis | 09.09.09 | 11:00 AM ET
In China, “‘ancient’ villages are being redeveloped in a kitschy, gift-shop-heavy way,” James Fallows writes in the Atlantic. Americans Brian and Jeanee Linden are fighting the trend. They’ve “worked with party officials to secure something rarely accorded foreigners: the right to use a ‘Class A’ historical relic and restore it—its tiling, wooden arches and fretwork, painted murals.”
Yunnan’s ‘Treats’
by Jeffrey Tayler | 09.03.09 | 10:27 AM ET
In one of Kunming's finest restaurants, Jeffrey Tayler samples the dragonfly larvae, bamboo bugs and grasshoppers
Photo We Love: Two Faiths, One Prayer
by World Hum | 09.02.09 | 4:27 PM ET
REUTERS/Pichi Chuang The Dalai Lama listens to his interpreter as Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi of Taiwan’s Catholic church says a prayer during a religious dialogue in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
McWorld Goes Local
by Jim Benning | 08.28.09 | 12:16 PM ET
Further evidence (not that we needed it) that a globalized McWorld does not necessarily mean global homogeneity: Increasingly—though it has been going on for years—fast food franchises around the world are rolling out menu items created for local tastes.
Domino’s pizzas come topped with squid in Taiwan, black beans in Guatemala and feta cheese in Greece. In China, Kentucky Fried Chicken sells rice congee, while Col. Sanders in India woos vegetarians with offerings like the Chana Snacker, a chickpea burger topped with Thousand Island sauce.
Is Ikea ‘The Disney World of China’?
by Eva Holland | 08.25.09 | 5:03 PM ET
Gawker is inexplicably bemused by an L.A. Times article about the Beijing Ikea, where—apparently this is a shock—locals go “just to hang out.” What, New Yorkers don’t like to lounge on the dining room sets with no intentions of buying? And here I thought that was something people worldwide could agree on.
Welcome to ‘Queuing Day’ in Beijing
by Eva Holland | 08.12.09 | 11:04 AM ET
The Olympics might be long over, but it seems Beijing isn’t done with its campaign for civic improvement.
In the lead-up to last summer’s Games, we covered the efforts on the part of local officials to tidy up everything from small talk to restaurant menus, and now, one year later, they’re tackling line-ups too—or rather, the lack thereof. The director of Beijing’s Capital Ethic Development Office is implementing monthly “Queuing Days” to encourage waiting in line at subway and bus stops, instead of the standard mad rush. The Globe and Mail’s Mark MacKinnon has the full story.
The Shanghai Qi Pao Club
by Kellie Schmitt | 08.06.09 | 2:36 PM ET
Photo by Kellie Schmitt They gathered to celebrate the sexy, figure-hugging traditional Chinese dress. Kellie Schmitt joined them for a journey into the country's past -- and future.
Photo We Love: On the Rocks in Shanghai
by World Hum | 07.14.09 | 3:00 PM ET
REUTERS/Stringer A worker walks on the bank of Huangpu River. Shanghai is getting a citywide facelift in advance of the 2010 World Expo.
Coming Soon: Neverland China
by Eva Holland | 07.10.09 | 1:19 PM ET
If you can’t make it to Neverland Ranch to pay your respects to Michael Jackson, don’t fret: There’s a Chinese replica in the works near Shanghai. (Via @KelseyTimmerman)
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Beijing’ by Patrick Watson
by Jim Benning | 07.09.09 | 1:00 PM ET
Photo We Love: Serious Stretching in Beijing
by World Hum | 06.29.09 | 1:45 PM ET
REUTERS/Grace Liang A man stretches during a morning exercise session at a Beijing park.
Michael Jackson: A Global Force in Life and Death
by World Hum | 06.26.09 | 11:07 AM ET
REUTERS/Patrick De Noirmont See the full photo slideshow »