Author Archives: Jeremy Goldkorn

A village with only one restaurant

Below is a translation of a joke that is currently being circulated widely on Sina Weibo and other Chinese social networks: There is a village that only has one restaurant. Everyone in the village has to eat at that restaurant. Villager: Why can’t … Continue reading

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The erhu

Perhaps no musical instrument is more evocative of China than the erhu (二胡), but its origins are in central Asia: The erhu is one of several instruments including gaohu, zhuihu and jinghu that were historically known as “huqin” (barbarian’s fiddle) … Continue reading

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A Chinese student on 9-11

This image is currently being circulated on Weibo. It’s a series of screenshots from a Phoenix TV program on the tenth anniversary of 9-11. The screenshots show an interview with a student in Beijing. These are the captions: Q: What was … Continue reading

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Kuang Kuang and the 38th Parallel

Here is another episode of Kuang Kuang’s Diary, featuring Kuang Kuang, the primary school boy with a permanent bloody nose, and his girlfriend Xiao Hong. This episode is called The 38th Parallel, a reference to the border between North and South … Continue reading

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Blowing up the school

Early this year, an animation showing a group of bunnies oppressed by tigers and then rising up in rebellion became an overnight hit in China, soon making it to international TV news, including Australia’s ABC. The video was part of an … Continue reading

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Qaddafi’s imminent fall – some views from China

The news coming out of Libya this morning has been reported without much commentary by Xinhua News Agency and most newspapers and websites in China. That has not stopped editors from using the news to sell papers; see for example … Continue reading

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Big in China

An adapted excerpt from Big In China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising A Family, Playing The Blues and Becoming A Star in China, just published this month. Author Alan Paul tells the story of arriving in Beijing as a trailing spouse, starting a blues band, raising kids and trying to make sense of China.

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Holding up half the search engine

Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan talks to Baidu’s female vice president of search technologies Wang Mengqiu on the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

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Say hello to Low-Carbon Chen!

Chen Guangbiao, the billionaire chairman of a Jiangsu-based recycling company, has changed his name to Low Carbon Chen.

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Swimsuit contest to enter college

Today the front page of Hubei newspaper Chutian Jinbao is a hodgepodge of news, a wonderful snapshot of contemporary China:

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