China’s ten ugliest statues (and the ugly goddess that started it all)

Posted on 2013-01-10 by Barry van Wyk

Zhang Ziyi's boobs in Chongqing

In August 2012, a huge statue of a Buddhist goddess went up in Urumqi, Xinjiang. Without consulting anyone, the local government had erected it right on a busy intersection. 11 days later, however, the statue had disappeared. Again without consulting anyone, the local government had abruptly torn it down after sustained criticism on social media. What was wrong with the goddess? She was ugly, but she helped inspire some people at the website Sohu to launch an online poll to determine China’s ten ugliest statues from a shortlist of 59.

A full five million votes were cast, the competition was stiff, and as it turned out the ugly goddess in Urumqi was not one of the ten finalists. But no-one can deny her inspirational role. So here’s her brief, forlorn story, and the ten finalists of the ugliest, most obscene and confusing statues from around China – in all their glory.


The ugly goddess

The face that launched a thousand complaints: the short-lived Flying Aspara statue in Urumqi, Xinjiang

On 6 August last year, the 18-meter statue of the Flying Aspara goddess (whose image comes from the Dunhuang frescoes in Gansu province) for the first time towered over the intersection of Santunbei and Bahaer Roads in Urumqi, Xinjiang. The Buddhist goddess’ lower body was overlaid with grass, and the upper body, hung with ribbons, inclined towards the west. Constructed of around 12 tonnes of steel along with polystyrene and fiberglass, the structure weighed a total of 40 tonnes. According to a local government official responsible for erecting the statue, the intention with the design was to illustrate the moral virtue of openness and the yearning for a fulfilled life. And not only this, as the official pointed out, from a professional point of view it was up to standard, all its ratios were in order.

Yet there was one problem with the Flying Aspara goddess: it was heinously ugly. As soon as the statue was in place, comments started to appear on Weibo denigrating it as ugly, a blemish on Urumqi, and utterly lacking in creativity. Amid this tide of negativity, one voice appeared on Weibo not only to defend the statue but to assume its identity, as it were. An account called “The Goddess on Santunbei” (@三屯碑的女神), with a profile picture of the goddess and a byline that includes the phrase “The goddess is a living Lei Feng”, has since 6 August been updated almost 300 times and has more than 400 followers. On 16 August, a post with the following closing sentence appeared on this account:

It rained a little today, but the goddess is still there on Santunbei, looking down on all the cars coming and going and the tide of people rushing about, even though she’s not very warm and happy.

The very next day, however, posts started to appear on Weibo declaring that the goddess was in fact not there anymore. On 14 August the aforementioned official had still defended the statue, yet three days later it was quietly dismantled and flowers planted over where it once stood. Now people were saying that the hasty demolition had cost the taxpayer even more money, and the public was never consulted on the shambolic flip-flop.

But the goddess’ brief sojourn on Santunbei turned out to be not completely in vain, because the heated debate that accompanied her entire existence contributed to the launching (four days after the goddess was first erected) of an online poll called “China’s Ugliest Statues of 2012“on the culture page of the website Sohu.com. Visitors to the online poll site could vote for the ugliest statue in China from 59 choices across the country (we note that, sadly, the huge bronze bull that the county in Hubei province spent so much to put up was not included on the list), and one of these was the goddess in Urumqi, even though she now no longer existed. “The Goddess on Santunbei” Weibo account, however, was not at all bothered when the now non-existent statue was included on the poll. When someone on Weibo drew her attention to it, she replied “Ah, that’s old news, the goddess is immune!”

The ugliest statues in China

As it turned out, the goddess did not make the final list of the ten ugliest statues in China, which was announced on 19 December. There’s some variety among the ten finalists (see here for a slideshow), although all the human sexual organs are on display, and there are even animals getting in on the act.

1. “Life” in Wuhan, Hubei province (310,886 votes)

“Life”: The ugliest statue in China

The prize for the ugliest statue in China goes, ironically, to one that’s simply called “Life” (生命) standing in a park in Wuhan in Hubei province. With its metal tubes jutting in all directions, maybe representing the irregular nature of life, “Life” was erected in October last year. The structure had a few steel “eggs” added for effect, but these have already mostly been stolen. “Life” got around 310,000 votes, about 10,000 more than any other candidate.

 

2. “Remembering mountain city” in Chongqing (300,565 votes)

“Remembering mountain city”

In second place was something completely different. “Remembering mountain city” was installed outside the humanities department at Chongqing University in 2005, and was specially designed by professor Guo Xuanchang (郭选昌).

Explaining his design, professor Guo later stated that “Remembering mountain city” was “a perfect blend of realism and romanticism”, and was meant to imitate the traditional style of Chongqing houses suspended on stilts.

 

 

3. “Out of body experience” in Kunming, Yunnan province (273,084 votes)

“Out of body experience”

Designed by the artist Luo Xu (罗旭), “Out of body experience was erected in a public area in the city in May 2012. Even though it came in third place, a lot of people seemed to find it more scary than ugly. This Weibo user, for example, wrote that he heard it was the ugliest statue in China, but he confessed that he thought

it wasn’t really so ugly, its just a little terrifying, especially because they look so big on the street. Why the hell did they go and call the thing “Out of body experience”? Isn’t levitating skywards a spiritual experience for the immortal soul? But these red clothes that are left behind are just unsettling.

 

4. “Naked girl” in Daguan Park (大观园) in Kunming, Yunnan province (256,589 votes)

“Naked girl” on a man’s head in Kunming

Here’s our first taste of nakedness with the “Naked girl”, lying prostrate on her back with legs flailing, and balanced for some reason on a man’s head. This strange apparition was erected in the park in 2005 when the Kunming International Statue Festival (昆明首届国际雕塑节) was held in the city, and has ever since puzzled various observers as to what the intended meaning of this “immoral” statue might be.

 

5. “Welcome to Wangjing” landmark in Beijing (255,931 votes)

“Welcome to Wangjing” in Beijing

Is this a statue? It certainly seems like a cheap imitation of China’s Shanghai Expo pavilion. 18 meters tall and occupying a space of 100 square meters, this construction that blends layers of bricks with pseudo-classical fences and four red pillars has a huge tacky sign saying “Welcome to Wangjing” on the top.

The idea behind the structure was apparently to serve as a point of orientation for people moving about Wangjing.

 

 

 

6. Zhang Ziyi naked in a spring outside Chongqing (250,774 votes)

Zhang Ziyi’s boobs in Chongqing

In 2004 the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) filmed an outdoor bathing scene as part of the movie House of Flying Daggers at a spring in Yongchuan (永川) Scenic Area outside Chongqing. In September 2011 the Chinese Internet was set alight when it emerged that a naked clay statue of the famous actress was now to be gawked at at the same spring. The management of Yongchuan had apparently intended for the statue to become an iconic tourist attraction. Yet they did not intend to place a pornographic statue of China’s most famous actress for all to see her naked chest in the middle of a spring, because in summer the statue is covered by leaves and water from the shoulders down. But then winter came and the water level receded, and there they are: Zhang Ziyi’s boobs in clear view.

 

7. “Old man” in Guilin, Guangxi province (244,174 votes)

“Old man” in Guilin

So moving on to the male sexual organ, this particular piece in Guilin (桂林) in Guangxi (广西) province is a real piece of work. Showing two fully naked women carrying a man with his legs pulled up and his member in full view at about head height, the statue has an plaque with the explanation that the woman on the left signifies a wife and the one on the right a daughter-in-law. The intended moral message here is supposed to be harmonious relations between family members, peaceful co-existence and mutual respect. For its sheer and unadulterated farce, this one would probably get my vote as the worst of the lot.

 

8. Frolicking pigs in Zhengzhou, Henan province (239,971 votes)

Frolicking pigs in Zhengzhou

Another statue trying to inculcate a virtuous message in a horribly wrong way, the seemingly copulating pigs next to the TV tower in Zhengzhou in Henan province appeared on sites like Shanghaiist and ChinaSmack last year. The officials involved explained that the statue shows a pig giving his mother (with her one breast hanging out) a back massage, but Beijing Cream revealed that the statue was actually ripped off a series of statuettes showing pigs having sex in all kinds of positions.

 

9. This thing in front of the library in Xi’an (210,857 votes)

A book, laurel wreaths and a globe

A statue of a globe (with only China on it) above laurel wreaths and a book (representing the constitution) that stands in front of the library at the Northwest University of Political Science and Law in Xi’an in Shaanxi province got more than 210,000 votes.

 

 

 

 

10. “Ten dragons on a turtle” in Jiangxi (210,041 votes)

“Ten dragons on a turtle” in Jiangxi

Rounding off the list is the “Ten dragons on a turtle” (十龙聚龟) in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province. Standing in a fountain on a busy intersection in the city, this 53-tonne, 17.8 meter statue shows three dragons (representing three rivers that converge in the city) standing on a turtle, the ancient symbol of Ganzhou. The seven smaller dragons on the back of the turtle represent seven tributaries of the rivers.

 

 

Links and sources

Tencent News: 乌鲁木齐飞天女神雕塑被拆 网友称其丑陋吓人
China Daily: Urumqi statue’s sudden arrival, departure create controversy
Sina Weibo: @三屯碑的女神 (“The Goddess on Santunbei”)
Yangtze Evening News web (扬子晚报网): 湖北贫困县回应耗资百万铸铜牛:来自捐款和自筹(图)
Sohu Culture page: 2012年首届全国十大丑陋雕塑揭晓
iFensi: 章子怡裸体雕塑惊现景区 遭调侃:本人没这丰满

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“Let the people have justice”: Xi Jinping calls for reform of “education through labour”

Posted on 2013-01-08 by Barry van Wyk

Sanxiang Dushibao 8Jan

“Education through labor” (劳教) has been the fate of many people in China since the 1950s: confinement to a labor camp to be reformed through hard work. The system is still very much in operation in China today, with more than 60,00 people apparently still confined in labor camps. Anyone can be sent to a labor camp for any kind of offense. Social society attempts to have the system reformed have in the last decade all been rebuffed.

Until yesterday. Xi Jinping, about to take the reins of government in China, yesterday made a somewhat passionate statement unequivocally calling for an end to “education through labor.” Today, China’s newspapers are full of portentous words such as “new era”, “complying with the interests of the people”, “fair justice for all”, “resolutely opposing unfair law enforcement and corruption”, “improving people’s safety and happiness”, and “the rule of law”.

The rhetoric is almost breath-taking. For now these are only words, yet you have to hand it to Xi Jinping, what words! Intending to capture the true essence of Xi’s momentous statements, the front page of the Sanxiang City Express (三湘都市报) from Hunan province today proclaims the end of the labor camp in China with the headline “Education through labor: 1957-2013″, along with a simple design of a wall broken through, a great barrier breached.
At exactly the same time as the “Southern Weekly incident” against state censorship in China is taking place in Guangdong province, yesterday at the Political and Legal Work Conference in Beijing, Xi’s comments included the following:

In every single legal case in China, we should work hard to ensure that the mass of the public feel they have received fair justice, so that the undertaking of socialism with Chinese characteristics can be guaranteed to progress smoothly.

As the Sanxiang City Express (三湘都市报) explains, the conference in Beijing is discussing the reform of a number of thorny issues. Chief among these are “education through labor” (劳教), a living relic of the Mao Zedong era in which individuals are sent to be reformed in labor camps for any kind of transgression; the population registration “hukou” system; and the mechanism of lodging public complaints via petitioning.

Following the editorial put out in the official Xinhua news agency (see Links and sources below), the Sanxiang City Express locates Xi’s comments within China’s transition to what is described as the “Chinese dream”:  a stable society ruled fairly by the law where “not only every individual has to obey the law, but every organized group, without exception.” In this Chinese dream “no-one will be accused wrongly and evil-doers will not be tolerated.”

China is undergoing fundamental change, it concludes, and the people’s need for a safe and secure China ruled by the law is urgent. It is just as urgent for Chongqing University student Ren Jianyu (任建宇), whose experience is raised as a case in point in the Sanxiang City Express. Ren was charged with subversion of state power in 2011 and sentenced to two years in a labor camp. His crime was to post a series of “negative” comments online. Ren appealed his sentence, but a higher court in Chongqing upheld the original verdict in December 2012.

So Ren and more than 60,000 others are still languishing in labor camps, and they will stay there until Xi comes good on his words.

 

Appendix: A short history of “education through labor” (Brief summary of Sanxiang City Express)
“Education through labor” was brought into existence in 1957, yet was confined to only select groups of criminals. From 1979, the types of people sent to such camps began to multiply, eventually encompassing almost every kind of criminal category. In the last decade there have been various calls for the abolition of the system, including an attempt through the National People’s Congress in 2005 and a joint letter by intellectuals to the State Council Legislative Affairs Office in 2007. None of these attempts met with any success.

In October 2012 the State Council Information Office released a White Paper on judicial reform in China. This document mentioned that reform of “education through labor” was being considered.

 

Links and sources
Sanxiang City Express (三湘都市报): 中国将推进劳教、户籍等制度改革
Xinhua (新华): 新华时评：政法机关要顺应人民新期待
Beijing Daily Messenger (北京娱乐信报): 习近平要求政法机关顺应人民新期待，在每一个司法案件中——让群众感受到公平正义

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Wanton tree destruction in Ningbo and other stories from China’s front pages today

Posted on 2013-01-07 by Barry van Wyk

Xiandai Jinbao 7Jan

When a user snapped and posted on Weibo a picture of trees mysteriously uprooted on a road in Ningbo and then left there to die, a journalist picked it up and decided to investigate. What he found was no massive corruption scandal, flagrant malfeasance or incompetence; just bad management and professional neglect that left all the many trees over a ten kilometer stretch of road uprooted, and slowly dying in the open, one by one.

Also, we mention a few other stories from China’s newspaper front pages today:

  • From Beijing Morning Post (北京晨报): The first job fair in Beijing in two years at which 43,000 graduates turned up with only 18,000 jobs on offer
  • From the Henan Business Daily (河南商报): China’s first female astronaut returns to her home in Henan saying she feels “warm inside”
  • From Modern Evening Times (新晚报): A girl with a master’s degree takes a job as a street cleaner in Harbin and says she “likes it just fine”, and
  • From Yangzi Evening News (扬子晚报): Do we eat 60 tons of food in an individual lifetime, or just nine?

A few days ago a Weibo user (@唯唯丹丹) posted a picture on Weibo of a road in Cixi county (慈溪市) in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, showing some trees on the median strip that had been uprooted and piled up unceremoniously and then left there, for four days and counting. So yesterday a journalist from Contemporary Gold (现代金报), a paper from Zhejiang province, decided to investigate and was greatly surprised to find that all the trees of a full ten kilometers of the road in question had been uprooted. Some of the trees, he noted, had already died.

When the journalist walked along the 10 kilometer stretch of road, some of the workers there asked him if he wanted to buy any of the trees. They were selling for 200 kuai per tree. The journalist was not impressed with this scene of wanton tree destruction, and turned his back to leave. Just as he did so, however, he saw someone approach on an electric bike and grab some of the saplings before speeding off. Seeing this, the journalist used a Chinese traditional saying (成语) to express his disgust: 顺手牵羊 (to lead away a goat in passing, i.e. to take advantage of a crisis for personal gain).

The journalist then made contact with the Cixi transport office, and ascertained that a new overpass was to be built on the road, and hence the trees were uprooted to be planted elsewhere. Yet why, the journalist wondered, had the trees been uprooted in the middle of winter and then left to die on their own? (自生自灭). No-one at the office could give him a satisfactory answer, so he persevered and eventually got to speak to a certain Mr Sun (孙), a director, who assured him that they were aware of the issue with the uprooted trees. Yet the problem, Mr Sun explained, was that the area where the trees were to be transplanted to had seen a lot of snow and conditions were not suitable for the transplanting at present. At the end, Mr Sun acknowledged that his department was not fully in control of the situation, and would hurriedly get a grip.

Perhaps a few of the trees were still alive, in any case.

 

Here’s a few other delightful stories that’s making front page headlines from around China today:

  • As the Beijing Morning Post (北京晨报) reports today, the first job fair in two years took place in Beijing yesterday, and the turnout was just as overcrowded as had become the norm in previous years. Around 43,000 graduates turned up to vie for the around 18,000 available jobs
  • On the front page of the Henan Business Daily (河南商报) today, China’s first female astronaut Liu Yang (刘洋) returned to her home town of Zhengzhou in Henan province, saying she felt “warm inside“
  • The Modern Evening Times (新晚报) from Heilongjiang province reports today that a girl with a master’s degree has taken up a job of street cleaner in Harbin and “likes it just fine”, and wants to keep doing it
  • The Yangzi Evening News (扬子晚报) from Jiangsu province today has a front page feature discussing whether humans eat 60 tons of food in an individual lifetime, as certain “experts” have stated, or only nine tons, as the talk on Weibo has it, with the caveat that whoever finishes his/her nine tons first will also pass away first

 

Links and sources
Contemporary Gold (现代金报): 近十公里绿化树被连根挖起, 工人向记者兜售:200元一棵要不要

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Legal Daily report on mass incidents in China in 2012

Posted on 2013-01-06 by Jeremy Goldkorn

Image from ESWN: The Shishou Mass Incident (2009)

The Legal Daily 法治日报 has published a summary of their ’2012 Mass Incident Research Report’ 2012年群体性事件研究报告, quantifying and analyzing ‘mass incidents’ in China – riots, civil unrest, and protests. The data sources and methodology behind the report are not made explicit in their introduction (which says the full report can be provided if you contact them; Danwei has not yet obtained a copy of the full report).

The summary does not give an absolute number of mass incidents in 2012, and the numbers in the geographical distribution section which seem to indicate, for example, that Guangdong only had eight mass incidents, do not make sense when compared to previous reports by Chinese government organs that talked about 80 to 100,000 mass incidents a year nationwide.

The report highlights Weibo as an increasingly significant factor in mass incidents, and makes recommendations that local authorities take “positive” steps like making official announcements and dealing with the person responsible for the situation, rather than using “negative” methods such as information blackouts, forced dispersals and arrests.

Some key statistic of the report are summarized below:

Duration of mass incidents
Most incidents end within a day; the report says the duration of mass incidents in 2012 was:

• 1 day: 75.6%
• 2-7 days: 20%
• 7 days to 3 months: 4.4%

Geographical distribution – Most restive provinces
Guangdong, Sichuan and Henan provinces had the most mass incidents with 8, 5 and 4 respectively. Note the caveat about the numbers above.

Causes
The report says that in 2012 there was a greater variety of causes of mass incidents than previously, and lists the following:

• Environmental rights defense 环境维权 8.9%
• Ethnic conflict 族群冲突 8.9%
• Conflict between officials and the people 官民冲突 13.3%
• Forced demolitions / removals 征地强拆 22.2%
• Conflict between police and the people 警民冲突 22.2%
• Social disputes / issues 社会纠纷 24.4%

Public interests vs private interests
The reports says cases where the public interest is harmed (公共利益受损) are the most common types of mass incident causes — 57.8% — whereas harm to private interests (个人利益受损) is the cause of 42.2% of mass incidents.

Types of people involved in mass incidents
Mass incidents in 2012 involved the following types of people:

• Foreign nationals 外籍人士 2.2%
• Minorities 少数民族 4.4%
• Students 学生 11.1%
• Migrants 外来人口 17.8%
• Farmers / rural residents 农民 46.7%
• Residents of cities and towns 城镇居民 51.1%

How mass incidents develop
The report recommends local governments put a lot of effort into preparing emergency response mechanisms to deal with mass incidents, as it breaks the timing an nature of mass incidents into the following categories:

• Suddenly breaking 临时突发的 53%
• Organized in advance 事前有组织 31%
• Progressively / gradually unfolding 递进式开展分别占到总体的和 16%

Means of organization: ‘social media cannot be ignored’
The report says the following methods were used to organize mass incidents in 2012:

• Unknown 不确定: 2.2%
• Instant messaging 即时通讯: 4.4%
• Forum 论坛: 4.4%
• Weibo 微博: 13.3%
• Personal (face to face / phone call) 人际(当面／电话): 95.6%

The report says that although the majority of mass incidents are organized face to face / in person or by telephone call, social media ‘cannot be ignored’. From the report:

It’s worth noting that in 13.3% of mass incidents new media Weibo was used as an organizational tool. One can see that the nature of mass incidents is changing with the development of the Internet, and there are more and more methods of organizing people who have never met before into an interest group that encourages a mass incident to break out. In these circumstances, all local government departments need to professionalize their use of official Weibo accounts and their monitoring and control of public sentiment on the Internet.

值得注意的是，微博作为新媒体，13.3%的群体性事件把微博作为人员组织工具。可以看出，群体性事件的组织形式随着互联网的发展呈现出新特点，即组织方式多元化，他们把彼此不认识的人组成利益群体，推动群体性事件爆发。这种情形下，各地政府部门对官方微博的专业化经营和网络舆情的实时监控都有利于控制事态的发展。

Aftermath of mass incidents
The report recommends careful consideration of how to ‘achieve win-win endings’to mass incidents, and gives the following numbers for the end-results of mass incidents in 2012:

• Fatalities 人员死亡: 8.9%
• Peaceful resolution和平解决: 11.1%
• Injuries人员受伤: 71.1%
• Damage to property财产损失: 73.3

Negative and positive measure to deal with mass incidents
According to the report, government organs dealing with mass incidents n 2012 used the following types of responses:

• Negative measures 负面应对措施 62.2%
• Positive measures 正面应对措施 57.8%
• No measures taken 无应对 15.6%

Positive measures are defined as:
• Official announcement官方声明
• Thorough investigation 深入调查
• Dealing with responsible person 处理负责人
• Consoling / persuading / advising concerned parties 慰问／劝说当事人
• Publicizing policies, laws and regulations 出台政策法规

Negative measures are defined as:
• Information blackout 封锁信息
• Dispersal using force 强硬驱散
• Arresting and detaining concerned parties 逮捕／拘留当时人

Links and sources
Legal Daily: 2012年群体性事件研究报告, 法制网发布《2012年群体性事件研究报告》
ESWN: Statistics of Mass Incidents (2006); image also from ESWN: The Shishou Mass Incident (2009)

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China’s “most severe traffic law in history”

Posted on 2013-01-04 by Barry van Wyk

Dongfang Jinbao 4 Jan

China’s newspapers are today mulling over what is being portrayed as a sea change on China’s roads, a new regulation that has caused some consternation: Running a yellow light (note yellow, not red) will now be severely punished with an automatic deduction of six points! Thus cartoons and graphic depictions of cars, traffic lights and other nondescript yellow things (see gallery below) all bellow out that running a yellow light (闯黄灯) is now no longer cool.

Yet when a journalist from Orient Today (东方今报) from Henan province yesterday went to observe the traffic in Zhengzhou (郑州), capital of Henan province, he found the usual black Audis and other cars jumping yellow lights, some drivers talking on their mobile phones while they did so, as if there were no new “most severe traffic law in history” in force in China.

Here’s a few other yellow traffic light-themed front pages from around China today:

The revised “Motor Vehicle Driver’s License Application and Use Regulation” (机动车驾驶证申领和使用规定), otherwise labelled by the newspapers as the “most severe traffic law in history”, came into effect on 1 January 2013. The new regulation includes the provision that drivers running a yellow light will be deducted six points. Judging by the online feedback elicited by this new regulation, however, some have labelled it a near reign of terror on the road where “running a yellow light is almost as bad as being suspected of engaging in illegal erotic activities (如今“闯黄”比“涉黄”更紧张).

So to see for himself whether the new law was being obeyed, a journalist from Orient Today (东方今报) from Henan province went to observe the traffic at a busy intersection in Zhengzhou (郑州), capital city of Henan province. And lo and behold, a few hours later he reported that “there are still some drivers who are running the yellow light.” One of the highlights of his observations involved a black Audi. When said Audi approached the intersection at some speed, the light turned from green to yellow and the driver slammed on the brakes while the tyres screeched. But as the journalist observer was handy to point out, the Audi’s front wheels came to rest a few meters AHEAD of the stop line. Various other drivers, the journalist reported, still sped over the yellow light, some talking on their mobile phones as they did so. Later the journalist found out from the local traffic police that no-one in Zhengzhou had yet been prosecuted in any way for jumping a yellow light.

There was heated discussion of the new traffic regulations on Sina Weibo. A survey asking respondents what they thought of the six points deduction for running a yellow light found that over 70% of participants found it unreasonable.

Links and sources
Orient Today (东方今报): 新规实施3天 郑州暂未处罚闯黄灯

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Liu Jing and his comic book history of China, Volume Two

Posted on 2013-01-04 by Barry van Wyk

Understanding China through Comics Volume Two

In November 2011 Danwei published a brief excerpt and short Q&A with Liu Jing, a Beijing-based entrepreneur and comic book artist. Our post showcased Liu’s Understanding China through Comics, Volume One, a comic book on Chinese history for iPad and Kindle (Amazon and iTunes). The first volume in the series focused on the Yellow Emperor through the Han Dynasty (ca. 2697 BC – 220 AD).

In 2012 Liu released Understanding China through Comics, Volume 2 (Amazon and iTunes), focusing on the Three Kingdoms through the Tang Dynasty (220 – 907). As Liu himself put it, “To the Chinese, China’s rise to world power in the 21st century is called ‘the great restoration.’ But we learn from history that this rise is the result of embracing other cultures, not isolation or prejudice.” In Volume 2 Liu illustrates a key driving force in Chinese history, namely the evolution of Chinese philosophy. Thus he notes that without adopting Buddhism, which originated in India, the Tang Dynasty China would not have reached the heights it did.

There are still two forthcoming volumes in the series, namely Volume Three: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms through the Yuan Dynasty (907 – 1368), and Volume Four: The Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 – 1911).

See below a few sample pages from Volume Two.

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China’s leading entrepreneurs of 2012

Posted on 2012-12-31 by Barry van Wyk

Qiyejia Ribao 31 Dec 12

The entrepreneur that makes it big in China makes it very big, reaching rock star levels. The Entrepreneurs’ Daily (企业家日报) today is one of a handful of Chinese papers that published a retrospective of the year of 2012. As befits its business focus, the front page today displays the newspaper’s selection of China’s leading entrepreneurs of 2012, which it couches under the headline of “Relaxed and confident, measuring their forward march” (从容与自信 丈量他们前行步伐). Included in the newspaper’s special 2012 business retrospective are in all four sections, which the front page summarizes as follows:

  1. “While the global stock market rose in 2012, China’s A-share market continued the decline from 2011 and found itself in 2012 once again at the bottom of the global stock market”
  2. “Along with improving product quality and greater competitiveness, Chinese businesses in 2012 started to deploy a concerted global strategy on natural resources as part of ‘going global’
  3. “In 2012 China’s entrepreneurs continued to exhibit the entrepreneurial spirit, displaying anew the Chinese model of entrepreneurship on the global stage”
  4. “Innovative marketing brought new value in 2012; ten unique marketing plans brought about new branding wealth”

On the page expounding on point 3 above we find brief descriptions of the near super-human business achievements of 12 men (yes they are all men) in 2012, ranging from vast increases in company and personal profit, being awarded this or that prize, inclusion on rich lists, and all the other trappings that accrue to China’s leading businessmen in 2012.

Briefly, the content of the other three pages can be summarized as follows:

  • In the first page of the special section looking back at the performance of China’s stock market in 2012, the newspaper lays out in depth the performance of global stock markets and the less-than-admirable performance of the stock market in China. Included are statistical tables of the best performing global as well as Chinese stocks of 2012
  • The second page discusses the state of competitiveness of Chinese businesses in 2012, including a range of statistics on mergers & acquisitions by Chinese firms during the year, revenue and earnings, and notable foreign deals (among others)
  • The fourth and final page discusses the results of innovative marketing techniques in China in 2012. In particular the newspaper highlights ten marketing campaigns that were launched in China in 2012, including Starbucks’s two-dimensional code campaign on Weixin (Wechat), Nike’s “Social DNA” campaign, and Volvo’s “Jeremy Lin Chinese line” campaign

Moving then to the gods of Chinese business, the dozen men included in this best-of-the-best of China’s entrepreneurs made the list because (as Entrepreneurs’ Daily puts it)

“they displayed great ambition and great skill in strategy and tactics (雄韬伟略); they thoroughly embodied the entrepreneurial spirit (such as dedication, innovation, and sincerity); they are global men-of-the-moment; they are often found on the Forbes or Hurun rich lists….”

And on it goes, endless adulation for these men whose business acumen saw them rise to the top and achieve the ultimate dream in China. They are rock stars, on the pages of Entrepreneurs’ Daily anyway. So who are these big men? Here’s a brief recap along with the main reason why they’re included on the list (note the brief summaries below are not exhaustive of each man’s countless awards and deals and other such amazing deeds):

  • Ma Huateng (马化腾): Founder of Tencent (腾讯) , provider of Internet and mobile services and online advertising. Tencent’s mobile social app Weixin (Wechat) this year exceeded a rollicking 200 million registered users
  • Jack Ma (马云): Founder of Alibaba, B2B online marketplace. Alibaba had a huge 2012, with its Taobao online mall, for example, recording a record sales total for one day of 19.1 billion yuan
  • Robin Li (李彦宏): Chairman of Baidu, China-based Internet search engine. Li was responsible for Baidu’s shift in focus to cloud computing in 2012
  • Yu Liang (郁亮): CEO of Wanke Property Development. Under Yu’s leadership Wanke in 2012 completed foreign acquisitions and entered a number of western markets
  • Yang Yuanqing (杨元庆): CEO of Lenovo, Chinese electronics firm. In 2012 Lenovo became the world’s leading seller of PCs
  • Ren Zhengfei (任正非): Chairman of Huawei, networking and telecommunications equipment and services company. While Huawei is going from strength to strength, Ren entered the Forbes Rich List in 2011, and was named as China’s most influential global business leader by Fortune magazine in 2012
  • Liang Wengen (梁稳根): Founder of construction machinery firm Sany. Also a high ranking feature of lists of the rich and influential, Liang’s Sany made a high-profile acquisition of a German firm in 2012
  • Fu Chengyu (傅成玉): CEO of Chinese oil and gas giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). In November Fu was chosen by his peers as Global Oil Industry Leader of 2012, and under Fu’s leadership CNOONC has ventured into shale gas development in 2012
  • Wang Jianlin (王健林): CEO of Wanda Real Estate. In 2012 Wanda completed the acquisition of a cinema chain in the United States, making Wanda the world’s largest operator of cinemas
  • Lei Jun (雷军): CEO of Jinshan Software Company (金山软件公司). Lei won a number of awards this year for his innovations in mobile Internet systems, including CCTV’s prize for Economic Cutting-edge Personality of 2012
  • Zhang Ruimin (张瑞敏): CEO of consumer electronics and home appliances company Haier. Zhang has a rich pedigree of attending business schools in the west, and in 2012 Haier made an important acquisition in New Zealand
  • Liu Yonghao (刘永好): Founder of New Hope, China’s largest producer of fodder and largest livestock company. In 2012 Liu was prominent in government circles for developing food plans for farmers and urban centers

 

Links and sources
Entrepreneurs’ Daily (企业家日报): 2012 A股全球再垫底资金布局西部板块; 2012 中国企业全球竞争力; 制造中国企业精神的创业家; 2012创新营销大盘点

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The benefits of allowing free land trade – reflections on land allocation in China

Posted on 2012-12-30 by Julien Leyre

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This is the 1510 Digest, a weekly roundup of recent essays and articles published on the Chinese web, with links to translations on the Marco Polo Project.

Although China controls an extensive territory, pressure on land is high. A large proportion of the country is not suitable for human habitation, and the government exerts strict control on land allocation.
The pieces in today’s digest propose various perspectives on land allocation mechanisms in China. Economist Mao Yushi suggests that a more flexible market for farm land would have positive social and economic effects. Zhou Qiren describes administrative procedures for deciding what area will be considered urban or rural. Finally, Tu Motuo’s ‘On mountains’ presents a meditative counterpoint, by offering a more personal reflection focusing on the significance of inhospitable landscapes.

The benefits of allowing free land trade
By Mao Yushi, 23 November 2012

Economist Mao Yushi proposes that developing a free market for farm land would contribute to reducing poverty among farmers. China experiences land pressure, for which Mao Yushi identifies two main causes. One is China’s geography: only 12% of China’s huge territory can be easily used for human activities. The other is administrative: land allocation mechanisms are entirely controlled by government, resulting in a number of contradictions and sub-optimal allocations.
A shift to market-based mechanisms for land allocation would be a source for economic growth and social benefits. Mao Yushi quotes five likely consequences to this change.
1. Farmers would become considerably wealthier, as they would find themselves in control of a tradable resource.
2. Land prices would come down, and so would housing costs.
3. Increased wealth and reduced prices would enable migrant workers to become more stable city residents.
4. Migrant workers better settling in cities would result in increased overall social stability
5. The creation of wealth resulting from this shift would increase domestic consumption and bring about economic growth.

Marco Polo translation: The benefits of allowing free land trade
Original link: 允许土地自由交易的好处

Procedures to establish a city and urban boundaries
By Zhou Qiren, 06 November 2012

In this post, economist Zhou Qiren brings attention to an administrative question with numerous social implications: how are the boundaries of China’s ‘urban areas’ determined? Zhou Qiren’s reflections on the social and economic consequences of urban policy appeared in a previous digest, Urban redevelopment, a city’s life and death.
The distinction between ‘urban’ and ‘rural; area is not a spontaneous natural phenomenon, but the result of an administrative decision; and this administrative process is stricly controlled by the government. Policy guidelines do exist – mostly based on population density – but these guidelines are vague, leading to potentially arbitrary decisions. Another problem is that the process of administrative change is entirely controlled by the central government, leading to long delays for change, as well as poor understanding of local situations.
In the 80s, the main process for setting up a new city was to ‘cut off’ the most densely populated area in a county, and redefine it as an urban area. The territory of this new city was to be ‘in the shape of a point’. There are benefits to this model: land preservation, better infrastructure development – but also downsides – increased administrative costs (as the rural and urban area require their separate administrations), and an abrupt gap between rural and urban area. Another model exists, which was first trialled in Zhejiang, and has since become the most popular: change the status of a whole county, from ‘rural’ to ‘urban’.
Zhou Qiren does not conclude with any recommendation, but an encouragement to consider the question further, as it has numerous social, environmental and economic effects.

Marco Polo translation: Procedures to establish a city and urban boundaries
Original link: 设立城市的程序与城市边界

On Mountains
By Tu Motuo, 22 September 2012

In this meditative piece, Tu Motuo reflects on the significance of mountains – a key element of the Chinese landscape, and a traditional source of fascination for poets and artists.
Growing up in Beijing, Tu Motuo’s only direct experience of mountains was climbing the ‘Xiang Shan’ hill behind the Forbidden City. Later, his travels took him close to many mountains. He realises then that the hardest mountains to climb are not necessarily the highest – and describes more particularly the “Tower Mountain” of Argentina, perpetually clouded in mist. There, he meets a group of climbers retreating after ten days at the camp, unable to reach the summit. This leads him to wonder: what makes mountains so appealing?
The answer comes to him later at a bar in Yunnan, during a conversation with a professional climber. The man does not like climbing, but he does the memories of the journey, remembering the details of the landscape, and the view from above, in the quiet of his room. Tu Motuo concludes: mountains are fascinating because they are radically not suitable for human habitation; we can never stay on them, but from their summit, we can see the world in a different perspective.

Marco Polo translation: On Mountains
Original link: 山说

All articles in this digest and a large range of other Chinese readings are accessible at Marcopoloproject.org. Some are available in English, French and Spanish translation. (You can join the project if you’d like to help with translations.)

Danwei is an affiliate of the Australian Centre on China in the World at The Australian National University. This posting is a result of one project that is part of that on-going collaboration.

The China Story, China Heritage Quarterly and East Asian History are publications of the Australian Centre on China in the World.

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China’s ten biggest criminal cases of 2012

Posted on 2012-12-28 by Barry van Wyk

Qinghai Fazhibao 28 Dec

The Qinghai Legal News (青海法制报) from Qinghai province today published the newspaper’s editorial selection of China’s ten biggest criminal cases of 2012. In a somber tone, the newspaper prefaces its selection with the following summary:

This year, all the many public charges that ensued from criminal investigations gave many people a profound impression, leaving in their minds a lingering mark of the criminal cases involved. In the ten criminal cases listed below, there are some people who will never be able to be reunited with their families; there are some people who got rich quick only to have their fake dream world shattered; there was fraud; and there was the question of the safety of the school bus that is still haunting people’s consciences….. The people involved in these ten criminal cases in 2012 left behind footsteps that echoed loudly and terrifyingly.

The ten biggest criminal cases of 2012 are the following (detailed descriptions follow below):

  1. “Sticky Rice” Kang (aka Waxy Kang) and the massacre of the Chinese sailors (糯康案)
  2. The homicide of Bo Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun ((薄谷开来、张晓军故意杀人案)
  3. Wu Ying’s fund-raising fraud (吴英集资诈骗案)
  4. The Gansu school bus accident (甘肃正宁校车事故)
  5. The 488 million yuan Sichuan pyramid scheme (四川4.88亿特大传销案)
  6. Luoyang sex slaves (洛阳性奴案)
  7. Liao Dan and the fake treatment form (廖丹“刻章救妻”)
  8. “Almighty God” cult “全能神”邪教
  9. Zhou Kehua (周克华案)
  10. Mayor of Haitang Bay in Sanya causes loss of 700 million yuan (三亚海棠湾原镇长李骥致国家损失7亿)

1. “Sticky Rice” Kang and the massacre of the Chinese sailors (糯康案)

On 6 November, attention was focused on the Intermediate People’s Court in Kunming, Yunnan province, where a sentence was about to be read out. The man in the dock was Myanmar national and self-styled criminal overlord of the Mekong river basin, Nuo Kang (糯康), or as some people have called him, “Sticky Rice” Kang (the character Nuo [糯] means sticky rice). Kang and his accomplices had earlier in the year massacred Chinese sailors on the Mekong river, an act so heinous that a joint investigation was launched by police forces from China, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. There was an outcry in China for the Chinese government to step up protection of Chinese nationals both in and outside the borders of China, and this criminal case was as a result pursued with great vigor by the Chinese police.

Sticky Rice got the death penalty.

2. The homicide of Bo Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun (薄谷开来、张晓军故意杀人案)

The spectacle of the Bo Gu Kailai (薄谷开来) murder trial occurred in the Hefei (合肥) Intermediate People’s Court in Anhui province in August. Bo Gu Kailai and her accomplice Zhang Xiaojun (张晓军) were found guilty of deliberately planning and executing the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, and Bo Gu herself was stripped of her political rights and given a death sentence with a two-year deferment.  Zhang was sentenced to nine years in jail. Bo Gu and Zhang both declined to appeal.

3. Wu Ying’s fund-raising fraud (吴英集资诈骗案)

Wu Ying (吴英) was the legal representative of the firm Zhejiang Inherent Quality Holdings Limited (原浙江本色控股集团有限公司) when, in March 2007, she became a suspect in a criminal case of embezzling public funds. In 2009 a court in Zhejiang found that in the period May 2005 to February 2007, Wu Ying used fabricated information and high interest loans to embezzle around 770 million yuan. She was sentenced to death and deprived of her political rights, but she appealed.

In January 2012 the court rejected her appeal and affirmed the original sentence. In April, however, the Supreme People’s Court of China had not yet authorized the death penalty, and sent the case back to the lower court in Zhejiang, which finally in May deferred the death sentence by two years. A significant factor in Wu Ying’s case was an online campaign for her to be spared the death penalty.

4. The Gansu school bus accident (甘肃正宁校车事故)

On 16 November 2011, a minibus from the Little Doctor Kindergarten in Shaanxi province (榆林子镇小博士幼儿园) was travelling in Gansu province when it collided head-on with a goods van. The minibus had a capacity of nine people, yet it was crammed with no fewer than 64 children, nineteen of whom died in the accident. 21 people died in total, and 43 others were injured.

On 20 July 2012, Li Jun Gang (李军刚) was standing in the dock at the court room in Zhengning county in Gansu province (甘肃正宁). Li was chairman of the board at the kindergarten in Shaanxi province and was held responsible for the great loss of life. He was sentenced to seven years in jail. He appealed the sentence, but subsequently withdrew his appeal.

5.  The 488 million yuan Sichuan pyramid scheme (四川4.88亿特大传销案)

In 2009 Chen Li Jun (陈利军) set up the company Sichuan Xingfuyuan Agricultural Development Limited (四川省幸福缘农业开发有限公司) to manufacture nutritional products and to sell certain services. A few months later the company had accumulated 150 million members across China who had invested 488 million yuan in the company. Yet it was one massive pyramid scheme.

In June 2012 a court in Sichuan (四川) heard the “multi-level marketing campaign” fraud case. Chen was sentenced to ten years in jail and a fine of five million yuan, while his accomplice Peng Chunqi (彭春棋) was sentenced to five years in jail and a fine of one million yuan.

You can still see the company’s page on Baidu Baike as if nothing was amiss.

6. Luoyang sex slaves (洛阳性奴案)

On 30 November 2012, the Luoyang (洛阳) Intermediate People’s Court in Henan province delivered its verdict on Li Hao (李浩), who stood accused of murder, rape, organizing prostitution, detaining people against their will and manufacturing and distributing obscene materials. He got the death penalty.

Before passing sentence, the court heard that in August 2009, Li had excavated a burrow underneath the cellar of his house. He then tricked six women into his house, imprisoned them in the burrow, and held them as sex slaves. In 2010, Li murdered one of the women. In March or April 2011, Li uploaded a video on the Internet in which he forced the imprisoned women to perform obscene acts. In June or July of the same year he forced three of the women to kill one of the other imprisoned women.

7. Liao Dan and the fake treatment form (廖丹“刻章救妻”)

Five years ago, Liao Dan’s (廖丹) wife, Du Jinling (杜金领), became ill with uremia and was laid off from her job. Liao Dan had already not been working for ten years, and after six months of expensive dialysis treatment for his wife, Liao Dan decided to take matters into his own hands. He found someone to fake a treatment form for his wife at Beijing Hospital so that his wife would be able to obtain dialysis treatment free of charge. Liao Dan got away with it for a full four years in which he cheated the hospital out of 1.7 million yuan in hospital fees.

For his crime, Liao Dan got a lot of sympathy from people online. In December a court in Beijing sentenced him to three years in jail for fraud and an additional fine of 3,000 yuan.

8. “Almighty God” cult (“全能神”邪教)

On 30 October a court in Inner Mongolia charged eight people with being members of a cult organization called ”Almighty God”. On 14 December, the court delivered sentences on the accused  ranging from four years to five years, respectively.

9. Zhou Kehua (周克华案)

Zhou Kehua (周克华) was originally from Chongqing (重庆). Ever since 2004 he was on the run and cropped up from time to time in several provinces in China, carrying a gun and using it to commit robberies, murdering six people in the process. In recent years Zhou started gaining wide notoriety in the press for his vile deeds, but he was cornered by the police in Chongqing in August this year and shot dead.

10. Mayor of Haitang Bay in Sanya causes loss of 700 million yuan (三亚海棠湾原镇长李骥致国家损失7亿)

Haitang Bay in Sanya, Hainan province (三亚海棠湾) is a scenic holiday spot that has also recently experienced a construction boom. Yet in June 2011, a series of reconstruction compensation irregularities came to light in the area. Only in December 2012 did the Hainan provincial Party disciplinary authorities announce that the mayor of Haitang Bay, Li Ji (李骥) had accepted massive bribes and was responsible for the loss of 700 million yuan.

A court in Sanya subsequently sentenced Li to death, but deferred the sentence for two years.

 

Links and sources
Qinghai Legal News (青海法制报): 2012十大典型刑事案例

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China’s hottest “styles” of 2012

Posted on 2012-12-24 by Barry van Wyk

Jinchen Liu Dian 24 Dec

The Six O’Clock This Morning (今晨六点) from Shandong province today has a special feature rounding up the newspaper’s selection of the hottest “styles” of 2012, using an English word that has been popularized in China this year because of the global pop song hit ‘Gangnam Style’. Intending to capture some of the humor and pedantic banality of our social media-obsessed world, the special round-up of 2012 is divided into six categories:

  1. “Funny (幽默) Style”
  2. “Strong (实力) Style”
  3. “Emotional (感情) Style”
  4. “Surprising (惊诧) Style”
  5. “Lateral Thinking (偏锋) Style”, and
  6. “Controversial (争论) Style”

To put the whole section in its proper context, the newspaper prefaces it with the following quip:

In this year of 2012 sports and entertainment stars performed all kinds of remarkable deeds; they accomplished acts of great strength; they made some unconventional winning gambits (剑走偏锋); they got a lot of attention by means of marriage and divorce; and they swaggered around endlessly leaving you dazed and confused. No matter what kind of Style, these were all hot in 2012. They fully deserve the right to be called hot, and yet we are still mystified at why they became hot.

So without further ado, here’s the newspaper’s slightly dubious round-up of the hottest “styles” of 2012:

 

“Funny (幽默) Style”

1. Gangnam Style (鸟叔 江南STYLE)

Yes that one.

2. “Du Fu is very busy” (杜甫很忙) online spoof (恶搞)

If you enter the words “Du Fu is very busy” (杜甫杜甫很忙) in any search engine, you’ll find countless spoof images of the dignified and contemplative visage of the 8th century Chinese poet Du Fu. This spoof (恶搞) of Du Fu is the latest in a series of such spoofs of ancient Chinese literati, following other popular ones such as “Li Bai (李白, ancient painter) is not convinced” (李白不服气了). Go ahead, Google them.

3. Yuan Fang, what do you think? (远芳,你怎么看?) 

This phrase  is probably the most famous one to emanate from Chinese television in 2012. From the television series Legendary Detective Di Renjie (神探狄仁杰), Li Yuan Fang is Di’s assistant and is often asked this question by the master sleuth.  The phrase became very popular on the Chinese Internet and even in general conversation as a question that can be used for any kind of situation. Yuan Fang’s response to the question became almost just as popular, as he was prone to answer, “I think there’s something fishy here” (我觉得此事有蹊跷).

 4. Feng Zhe (冯喆) does cross-talk

The Chinese Olympic athlete Feng Zhe (冯喆) performed his own cross-talk comedy routine to ridicule his coaches and illustrate his experiences at the London Olympics, winning him many new followers online.

“Strong (实力) Style”

1. Mo Yan (莫言), Chinese winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

“China’s most important cultural event of 2012″.

2.  Chinese swimmer Sun Yang (孙阳) beats adversary Park Tae-Hwan at the Olympics

All the drama of Sun’s victory over South Korean swimmer Park Tae-Hwan (朴泰桓) in the 400 meters freestyle swimming final at the London Olympics.

3. Ye Shiwen’s (叶诗文) grand slam at the Olympics

Chinese female swimmer Ye Shiwen’s (叶诗文) record-breaking achievements in the pool at the London Olympics and the accusations of doping that followed.

4. Jeremy Lin “ethnic Chinese marvel”

Jeremy Lin, ethnic Chinese NBA player, “Linsanity”, etc.

“Emotional (感情) Style”

1. Lin Dan defends gold and gets married / Zhang Yimou 

Chinese badminton player Lin Dan (林丹) successfully defended his Olympic gold medal at the London Olympics and this year also married his girlfriend of eight years, Xie Xingfang (谢杏芳), in a moving ceremony.

This happy story is contrasted with the relationship troubles that Chinese film director Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) experienced in 2012.

2. Actress Yao Chen(姚晨) marries Cao Yu (曹郁) / Actor Li Ming (黎明) divorces his wife

Marriages and divorces of the rich and famous.

3. The saga of Olympic diver Guo Jingjing (郭晶晶) and husband Huo Qigang (霍启刚) / Zhang Ning’s (张宁) melodrama

The Olympic diver Guo Jingjing (郭晶晶) finally married husband Hou Qigang (霍启刚) in 2012 after a long relationship (and many rumors).

This is contrasted with the melodrama surrounding former Olympic badminton champion and current head coach of the Chinese women’s badminton team, Zhang Ning (张宁). Ning gave birth to a girl in December and caused an uproar when the identity of the father seemed to be in doubt and when people pointed out online that she attended the London Olympics while being pregnant.

4.The acrimonious divorce of Dong Jie (董洁) and Pan Yueming (潘粤明)

In October news broke on Weibo that the fairytale wedding of the two actors was over.

 “Surprising (感情) Style”

1.  The shocking mascot Lele (砳砳)

In November, the mascot of the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics was revealed as the strange apparition called Lele (砳砳). Derided as a multi-colored frog, Lele did not go down well online.

2. The divisive figure of Italian footballer Mario Balotelli

Contrasting opinions on the wild child of European football.

3. The strange sounds of Wu Mochou (吴莫愁)

This summer, a girl wearing weird clothes and strange make-up made it into the final round of the singing game show “The Voice of China” (中国好声音). With her exaggerated performance, Wu Mochou (吴莫愁) caused quite a stir, with some viewers complaining that the sound of Wu’s voice made little children cry.

 “Lateral Thinking (偏锋) Style”

1. “The Voice of China” (中国好声音)

The singing game show “The Voice of China” was the hottest show on Chinese television this year, according to the Six O’Clock This Morning. The newspaper describes certain novel aspects of the show that made it worthy of inclusion on this list.

2. Cao Qi (曹琦) selected for film role

Young actress originally selected by Six O’Clock This Morning was in 2012 appointed to an important film role (this seems like plug by the newspaper for itself)

3. Zhou Lulu (周璐璐), most notable Chinese athlete at London Olympics

Of all the Chinese female athletes at the London Olympics, Zhou Lulu (周璐璐) stood out, literally. She wore clothing that was five times larger than normal, and her weight (130 kg) was far in excess of all the other female athletes as well. Yet Zhou Lulu not only won a gold medal at the Olympics, she also broke her own world record.

4. “China on the Tip of the Tongue” (舌尖上的中国)

Cooking show broadcast on CCTV in May that garnered rave reviews from the public.

 “Controversial (争论) Style”

1. Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang (刘翔)

The controversy of the famous 110-meter hurdler and his second Olympic injury flop at the London Games.

2. Han Han (韩寒) provokes Fang Zhouzi (方舟子)

Heated exchanges between author and Internet celebrity Han Han (韩寒) and campaigner against academic malpractice Fang Zhouzi (方舟之) rumbled on through spring 2012 as Fang accused Han of using a ghost writer. The matter ultimately fizzled out.

3. Li Zongrui (李宗瑞) and his secret sex films and pictures

In July the scandal of Li Zongrui (李宗瑞) broke with him admitting to drugging around 60 women and then secretly filming them naked or “in the act.”

4. Guo Degang (郭德纲) disciple causes trouble

A disciple of the Chinese cross-talk artist Guo Degang (郭德纲) somewhat blackened his mater’s name by getting into fights with journalists.

 

Links and sources

Six O’Clock This Morning (今晨六点): 抢镜STYLE; 幽默活宝粉丝不少; 实力干将声名远扬; 分分合合折腾不停; 另类的花儿别样红; 剑走偏锋也能成功; 文体奇葩层出不穷

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