Author Archives: Barry van Wyk

The big, slick Buddha of Luoyang that looks like an entrepreneur

Posted on 2013-06-03 by Barry van Wyk

In late April a strange golden Buddha statue was erected in an amusement park in Luoyang, Henan province. With protruding belly, big smile and long ears, the statue in various ways resembled many other Buddha statues. Yet right at the … Continue reading →

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Wild woman found living in a cave in Gansu

Posted on 2013-05-31 by Barry van Wyk

The “White-Haired Girl” (白毛女) was one of the first films made in the People’s Republic of China. Originally a Chinese opera and later a ballet, the film depicts the miserable life endured by a peasant girl whose poor father is … Continue reading →

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“I was here” graffiti all over Yunnan

Posted on 2013-05-28 by Barry van Wyk

When a Chinese teenager named Ding Jinhao (丁锦昊) in Egypt last week was revealed to have defaced an ancient frieze with the graffito “I was here” (丁锦昊到此一游), there was widespread condemnation of the teen vandal who did so much to … Continue reading →

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Beijing to add charging stations, e-taxis and subsidies

Posted on 2013-05-23 by Barry van Wyk

This post is an extract from the Danwei Bulletin, a briefing of company and market news collected from the Chinese news and social media before the information appears in English language reporting and sent to premium subscribers of the FT’s China Confidential and … Continue reading →

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Small Hubei community has been free from fireworks for eight years (and loving it)

Posted on 2013-05-22 by Barry van Wyk

For eight years already now, a small workers’ residential community in Jingzhou, Hubei province has “quietly” been living a revolution. In 2005, errant fireworks caused a fire on a balcony in this community, and drawing the (painfully obvious yet in … Continue reading →

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Man finds his brother’s killer after 16 years

Posted on 2013-05-21 by Barry van Wyk

Sometimes the wheels of justice turn slowly. And sometimes you have to make them turn yourself. The Guizhou Metropolis Daily today has a front page headline that reads “He’s lying!” (他在扯谎), which was the phrase uttered by a man who heard his … Continue reading →

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AQSIQ: Excessive lead detected in L’Occitane exfoliant

Posted on 2013-05-17 by Barry van Wyk

This post is an extract from the Danwei Bulletin, a briefing of company and market news collected from the Chinese news and social media before the information appears in English language reporting and sent to premium subscribers of the FT’s China Confidential and … Continue reading →

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Migrant workers forming “temporary couples” in the cities

Posted on 2013-05-13 by Barry van Wyk

The millions of migrant workers in China have a tough life. Leaving their homes to find work and separated from their families almost all year round, they toil in the cities for little pay and reside in ramshackle lodgings. Yet … Continue reading →

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Whitening toothpaste safety scare

Posted on 2013-05-10 by Barry van Wyk

This post is an extract from the Danwei Bulletin, a briefing of company and market news collected from the Chinese news and social media before the information appears in English language reporting and sent to premium subscribers of the FT’s China Confidential and … Continue reading →

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Fake sanitary pads: Massive margins driving rampant piracy

Posted on 2013-05-03 by Barry van Wyk

A typical sanitary pad customer will use the product for several decades, so a company with a strong brand and good distribution has a license to print money. And where there is money in China, there are pirates. Southern Metropolis Daily 南方都市报 … Continue reading →

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