Author Archives: Joel Martinsen

It’s summer — time to get circumcised!

Parents in Hangzhou are having their sons circumcised to beat the heat.

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Faked credentials, a ghost-written autobiography, and a diploma mill

Did Tang Jun fake his resume to falsely claim he holds a PhD from Cal Tech? Fang Zhouzi is on the case!

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Chongqing rejoices at corrupt official’s execution

Wen Qiang is executed in Chongqing. Banners are hung out to celebrate.

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Annoying fake accents on Chinese TV

Movie and TV critic Meng Jing (孟静) writes for Xinmin Weekly about actors adopting dodgy accents for regional TV dramas.

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Courts can mediate, but enforcement is another matter

In one Beijing district, half of all defendants who agree to court mediation don’t follow through, reports the Beijing Youth Daily.

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The obscene battle-cry of a Ming Dynasty war hero

General Yuan Chonghuan said “Fuck his mom! Hit the hard!”

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UFO identified in Xinjiang

A UFO spotted in Urumqi is identified as an American Minuteman 3 ICBM. 2009.07.05 riots go unmentioned in Xinjiang newspapers.

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Beijing to merge downtown districts

Chongwen and Xuanwu Districts to disappear, reports The Beijing News. Also, a history of Beijing’s administrative divisions.

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Party time

The People’s Daily celebrates the 89th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

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Court receives warning letter from local authorities in frog compensation case

The Beijing News reports on a land requisition lawsuit brought by a local frog farmer in which the court received a warning letter from a local party committee before handing down a verdict in the town’s favor.

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