Author Archives: Barry van Wyk

May Day aftermath: 180 tons of trash left on Gulangyu Island

Posted on 2013-05-02 by Barry van Wyk

Another public holiday in China, another mountain of trash. The front page of the Haixi Morning Post (海西晨报) from Xiamen today is one of a few newspapers around China looking back on a public holiday of gridlocked traffic, congested scenic spots and – … Continue reading →

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Corporate earthquake donations and social media

Posted on 2013-04-26 by Barry van Wyk

Soon after the Sichuan earthquake of 2008, donation fever gripped China as individuals and companies lined up to donate funds for disaster relief. Some of this enthusiasm turned sour: Internet users drew up a spurious list of the top ten … Continue reading →

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Traffic policeman leaves black Audi with fake plates blocking gate

Posted on 2013-04-25 by Barry van Wyk

The black Audi has a reputation in China as the car of choice for the rich and powerful. Or for anyone pretending to be rich and powerful. And sometimes the dividing line between reality and pretense can become blurred. With … Continue reading →

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Weeping over broken pots in Ya’an

Posted on 2013-04-23 by Barry van Wyk

“In the Ya’an earthquake disaster zone I sobbed twice, and both times were by the side of cooking pots”. The Chongqing Times newspaper today has a special section on the earthquake that occurred in the city of Ya’an (雅安) in Sichuan … Continue reading →

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Gold rush in Guangzhou

Posted on 2013-04-18 by Barry van Wyk

The global price of gold has tanked, and Guangzhou’s gold market is booming. The front page of the Guangzhou Daily (广州日报) today has images of long queues that formed the last few weeks in the city of people seeking to part with loads of … Continue reading →

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Chengguan makes video to “clear up misunderstandings” of his profession

Posted on 2013-04-15 by Barry van Wyk

This is probably not going the get the hated chengguan any love, but one of their number has made a short video in the style of a popular recent television advertisement to try and “clear up some misunderstandings” surrounding his profession. His … Continue reading →

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“Don’t let your stomach become an animal graveyard”

Posted on 2013-04-12 by Barry van Wyk

The newspaper Daily Sunshine (晶报) from Shenzhen in Guangdong province today includes a special section entitled “Evil returns from the grave” (恶的还魂) (or perhaps another translation could be “The recycling of evil”) as a “reflection on the relationship between animals and humans”. The largest … Continue reading →

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Meet Swallow, China’s champion search and rescue dog

Posted on 2013-03-28 by Barry van Wyk

Just see Swallow in action – China’s champion search and rescue dog in the making.  The semi-finals of the All-China Search and Rescue Dog Championships, organized by the fire department of the Ministry of Public Security, have just concluded. As … Continue reading →

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Five floating dead black swans join China’s animal apocalypse

Posted on 2013-03-27 by Barry van Wyk

At the north-eastern corner of Anhui University’s old campus in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, there’s a scenic pond that’s inhabited by a bevy of black swans. The swans have been there for more than a decade already, and were … Continue reading →

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Hubei farms and dead floating pigs

Posted on 2013-03-26 by Barry van Wyk

In the city of Huangshi in Hubei province there’s a lake called Cihu Lake. Situated close to the Yangtze River, the lake area appears to be an idyllic scenic spot. Yet, especially in light of recent events, Cihu Lake is … Continue reading →

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