The Guardian profiles environmental activist Ma Jun, founder of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs: The ex-journalist switched to activism in 1997 after hearing Chinese hydro-engineers boast that the Yellow River was a model of water management, even though it was so over-dammed and exploited that it failed to reach the sea on more […]
Read MoreIn response to the growing chorus of public anger at environmental degradation, the government has announced plans to crack down on corrupt local officials that sanction polluting industries: Echoing the language of the Cultural Revolution, Zhou Shengxian called for a “struggle” against polluters, and said the public refused to accept the increasing degradation of the […]
Read MoreAccording to this article, “world’s biggest exporter faces a global crisis of confidence as scandals grow over the quality of many of its goods.” From The Guardian: China is facing a global crisis of consumer confidence as the country’s food safety watchdog acknowledged this week that almost a fifth of the domestic products it inspects […]
Read MoreA senior official responsible for construction is reportedly concerned that China’s lightning speed redevelopment project is destroying the country’s cultural heritage: Qiu Baoxing, the vice-minister of construction, said the damage to the country’s heritage was similar to that wrought during the cultural revolution. In the early stages of that 1966-76 period, Red Guards ransacked temples […]
Read MoreFrom Guardian: China suffers the worst brain drain in the world, according to a new study that found seven out of every 10 students who enroll in an overseas university never return to live in their homeland. Despite the booming economy and government incentives to return, an increasing number of the country’s brightest minds are […]
Read MoreFrom The Guardian: One of China’s most prominent human rights activists has been blocked from travelling to the UK, just a day after the foreign secretary Margaret Beckett called on Beijing to allow more freedom of expression during her visit to the country. Police detained Hu Jia, a pro-democracy campaigner and HIV-Aids activist, as he […]
Read MoreFrom Guardian Unlimited: Even before the doors of the securities trading hall opened at 9am, Yang Jingshan was queuing up to part with a huge chunk of his life savings and much of the ideological baggage of his youth. On the advice of his daughter, the 50-year-old Beijing shop manager joined the morning surge of […]
Read MoreThe Guardian reports on a radical idea by a top young architect in China for transforming Tiananmen Square: Ma Yansong, an award-winning urban planner, says the grey concrete symbol of China’s red politics should be given a green makeover. To heighten awareness about the environment, he believes the Beijing square should be transformed into a […]
Read MoreA court in China has sentenced to life in prison Wang Jianjun, a mine owner who covered up an accident which resulted in 21 deaths. This is the most severe sentence ever handed down to a mine owner for such an accident. From the Guardian: Last year, the government ordered the closure of his small, […]
Read MoreAs the Olympics fast approach, and old Beijing is rapidly being torn down to make way for new construction, a traditional siheyuan was reportedly sold for 110 million RMB: Despite government measures to cool growth, the Beijing housing sector has never been hotter. According to the local media, average prices in the city increased by […]
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