Blogs » Society » Trailer: The Grandmasters (with English subtitles)

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• Trailer: The Grandmasters (with English subtitles)
• Hangzhou’s Subway Opened On Sunday, And People Are Already Pissing In Its Carriages
• Fans Upset Over Tracy McGrady’s Paltry Playing Time Litter Court With Debris
• Four tastier alternatives to turkey for Thanksgiving
• China sets up firefighters at Tibetan monasteries, solves self-immolation crisis
• City Weekend TV: The First Episode
• We won't have Jiang Yu to kick around anymore ladies and gentlemen
• Presented By:
• Henkes: Mr. Willis Goes to Jing'an
• ‘André Loesekrug‐Pietri: Very Few Chinese Outbound Investments Are Successful’: China Money Podcast
• Honorable businessman is dead-drunk
• Here’s A Petition To Free Zhai Xiaobing, Arrested For His Infamous “Final Destination” Tweet
• Now they're just messing with us: David Beckham linked to Shanghai Shenhua
• Laowai Comics: Pickup Basketball With Chinese Characteristics
• China’s Party Factions Prep For The 2022 Leadership Succession
• Murder-Suicide Under The Palest Blue Sky
• An exciting few days for Panda-related news
• Dish of the Day: Good Fortune Characteristic Spring Fried Rice @ Chunfu Shui Jiao
• Climate change at the heart of “age-defining” struggle against the old elites
• The Americans are coming! NY Philharmonic signs four-year partnership with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra

Trailer: The Grandmasters (with English subtitles) Posted: 21 Nov 2012 08:00 PM PST The Grandmasters is an upcoming Hong Kong martial arts biopic of Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man (who famously trained Bruce Lee). Written and directed by Chungking Express creator (and Shanghai son) Wong Kar-wai, the film will star Tony Leung (Lust, Caution; Infernal Affairs) and Zhang Ziyi (House of Flying Daggers, Memoirs of a Geisha). The Grandmasters is set to be released in China on December 18th. [ more › ]

Hangzhou’s Subway Opened On Sunday, And People Are Already Pissing In Its Carriages Posted: 21 Nov 2012 08:49 PM PST Hangzhou's Subway Line 1 opened on Sunday with a four-day "free subway" campaign. That was a bad idea, it turns out. On the third day, Tuesday, passenger volume reached nearly 70,000 by 5 pm, reports People's Daily, which ran the above photo (and the ones after the jump) in a story headlined "Uncivilized behaviors on newly opened Hangzhou subway." According to PD, emphasis mine: "While people could enjoy the convenience and comfort brought by new transportation, some passengers, shouting, eating, fighting and even pissing in the carriage, ruined the good spirits." That looks like a kid relieving him/herself, by the way… again. This is why we can't have nice things, people. (H/T Alicia)

Fans Upset Over Tracy McGrady’s Paltry Playing Time Litter Court With Debris Posted: 21 Nov 2012 08:17 PM PST Qingdao had its final preseason tune-up on Tuesday away from its home court in Binzhou, Shandong province in a contest that probably wouldn't have filled half the arena if Tracy McGrady weren't in the house. McGrady scored five points in 2 minutes against a team of foreigners — 98 seconds, to be exact — then took a seat on the bench. He sat for the next 46 minutes, until the final buzzer. As Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall — a site that, even in preseason, never takes a seat — reports: Anticipation turned into disappointment, disappointment turned into anger… and then, upset that they wasted their money on a ticket to merely see Shang Ping play, fans inside the stadium did what Chinese fans usually do when they're mad. They chucked stuff onto the court. You can watch in the above video and the one after the jump. McGrady, under prompting from team officials, returned to the court to address the crowd (sound quality is subpar, so transcription may not be completely accurate): First of all, thank you all for coming out here tonight supporting both of these teams. Sorry I wasn't able to play tonight… certain circumstances and conditions… I want to say again thank you guys for your support, your love, your appreciation for what I've done in the game of basketball. Over the past 15 years you guys have stuck by me through the good and the bad. While it's safe to assume most spectators had no idea what he said, it's the definitely the thought that counts. He could have read them Dr. Seuss and still gotten cheers. Pastuszek notes that T-Mac then threw souvenirs into the crowd. Stephon Marbury. Gilbert Arenas. Tracy McGrady. They're all in China! The season can't start soon enough — it will this Saturday when Shanghai visits Beijing. Fan's view:

Four tastier alternatives to turkey for Thanksgiving Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:25 PM PST      If you like turkey more power to you, but before you decide to cram fowl-zilla in the oven tonight, take a gander at this rundown of tastier, better value poultry found in the city. [ more › ]

China sets up firefighters at Tibetan monasteries, solves self-immolation crisis Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:00 PM PST The Chinese government, demonstrating the type of forward thinking that has made it the world's second largest economy, has now solved the self-immolation crisis, in which at least 77 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009. [ more › ]

City Weekend TV: The First Episode Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:51 PM PST Date: Nov 22nd 2012 11:26a.m. Contributed by: geofferson

We won't have Jiang Yu to kick around anymore ladies and gentlemen Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:00 PM PST Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu has guided us through the bad times and the good, who could forget her incisive comments on the whereabouts of disappeared bloggers? Or her fearless admonition of the US over its human rights record? Sadly, every sun must set, and the China Daily reports that Jiang Yu has been replaced. [ more › ]

Presented By: Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:00 PM PST

Henkes: Mr. Willis Goes to Jing'an Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:20 PM PST Date: Nov 21st 2012 3:17p.m. Contributed by: dan We review Craig Willis' new restaurant, Henkes.

‘André Loesekrug‐Pietri: Very Few Chinese Outbound Investments Are Successful’: China Money Podcast Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:47 PM PST CHINA Debate doesn't highlight the terrific work of Nina Xiang, founder of China Money Podcast, nearly enough. So, today, enjoy her excellent interview, 'André Loesekrug‐Pietri: Very Few Chinese Outbound Investments Are Successful' (transcript on the website):

Honorable businessman is dead-drunk Posted: 21 Nov 2012 05:57 PM PST By HUO SHUI Society Correspondent 'I'm just gonna drink this coffee, hurl, then head back to the office' CHENGDU (China Daily Show) – A Chinese businessman was escorted intoxicated and helpless from a small Sichuanese restaurant yesterday, local residents claim. Eyewitnesses report it was approximately four-thirty in the afternoon. The red-faced entrepreneur was seen attempting to pay his bill for the third time – even though his wallet was on the floor – while angrily refusing any money from his companions. The man later stumbled and cleared a whole table of beer and hongshaorou reaching for the wallet. Fellow diners have also confirmed that the 38-year-old executive repeatedly reminded onlookers– in sometimes-explicit terms – that he was not only "a businessman" but also "honorable." Passers-by outside exchanged indifferent glances at the sight of the hardworking father-of-two being assisted to a nearby car and handed his keys by a trio of laughing, similarly inebriated associates. Neighbours afterwards were quick to pass comment on the atypical scene. "It's not even dark yet," tutted local gossip Hua Jin. "I'm just disappointed there are no children around to witness this outrage." And law enforcement had a message to pass on, too. "Man, that guy is majorly fucked-up," chuckled policeman Wang Du. "What time is it – nearly five? That's impressive." For China news you can trust, follow us on Twitter at @chinadailyshow

Here’s A Petition To Free Zhai Xiaobing, Arrested For His Infamous “Final Destination” Tweet Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:04 PM PST Zhai Xiaobing, the financial worker who was arrested on November 7 for tweeting under his @stariver Twitter account that the National Congress would be beset by calamity a la Final Destination the movie, is still in jail. To recap: a man — not even an activist — is in jail for tweeting — that's behind the Great Firewall — a joke culled from a terrible Hollywood movie. If you're as flabbergasted as the rest of us, there's a petition currently circulating that you might consider, drafted by "Bei Feng (Wen Yunchao), Hong Kong, media professional" on November 17. Petition the Public Security Bureau of Beijing to Free Zhai Xiaobin On November 7th, 2012, the day before China's new leadership transition began, Chinese Twitter user @Stariver was taken away from his home in Miyun, a northern suburban county of Beijing, by state security police for a tweet he had sent on November 5th. @Stariver 's family has since received notification of him being "criminally detained" for "spreading false and terrible information." He is currently held in the detention center of Miyun County. His family has not been able to see him since the 7th, nor has his lawyer. The tweet in question reads: #SpoilerTweet #Enter-at-your-own-peril "Final Destination 6" has arrived. In which the Great Hall of the People collapses all of a sudden. All 2,000+ people meeting there died except for 7 of them. But afterwards, the seven die one after another in bizarre ways. Is it a game of God, or the wrath of Death? How will 18, the mysterious number, unlock the gate of Hell? Premieres globally on November the 8th to bring you an earthshaking experience! Since his detention, friends of @Stariver in Twitter's Chinese community has identified him as Zhai Xiaobin (翟小兵) . Zhai Xiaobin was born in 1976 and studied ancient Chinese literature in the Chinese Department of Peking University. He was once a journalist but now works in financial sector. He is also an amateur martial art coach. Legal professionals point out that "spreading false and terrible information," of which Zhai Xiaobin was accused, refers to "making up terrible information about bombing, biochemical, or radioactive threat that causes serious disruption of social order" (Article 291, Criminal Law of PRC), but Zhai Xiaobin's tweet makes it clear that it's fictional and would in no way cause public panic and disruption of social order, and accusation against Zhai Xiaobin based on this tweet is absurd. We hereby petition the Public Security Bureau in Beijing to respect China's own law, refrain from persecuting citizens for exercising their lawful right of free expression. There has been tremendous good will towards the new leadership in China, and it is not wise to destroy it in front of the world. We ask for immediate, unconditional release of Zhai Xiaobin. Again, the petition is here (behind the Great Firewall because it's powered by Google Docs). Here's Wall Street Journal's excellent summary of events. Yaxue Cao of Seeing Red in China has a good post about Zhai, while China Digital Times collected and translated some of his tweets.

Now they're just messing with us: David Beckham linked to Shanghai Shenhua Posted: 21 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST Now that Beckham is leaving Galaxy, retiring from his retirement as it were, it is expected that a number of teams will attempt to snap him up, more for the marketing opportunities and extra ticket sales the Beckham brand brings than his ageing footballing skills. Shanghai Shenhua has been suggested as one possible buyer. [ more › ]

Laowai Comics: Pickup Basketball With Chinese Characteristics Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PST Laowai Comics is a biweekly webcomic. Beijing Cream is proud to debut its Thursday comic every week. Full archives here. [Monday's Comic]

China’s Party Factions Prep For The 2022 Leadership Succession Posted: 21 Nov 2012 11:26 AM PST The Jiang Zemin-led Shanghai faction's predominance among the members of China's new Politburo standing committee at the expense of outgoing President Hu Jintao's has been widely noted, including by this Bystander. It seems a throw back to an earlier generation … Continue reading →

Murder-Suicide Under The Palest Blue Sky Posted: 21 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST Take note, Hollywood directors: if ever you wanted to depict the smallness of man, our inability to control our destiny no matter how we strive, head out to this beach on the shores of Minjiang River in Yibin, Sichuan province, and remember this story. On Monday morning, a scavenger was walking around when she saw two bodies on a heap of garbage in the distance. Scared, she ran back and called the police. Word spread, and onlookers went to the spot to explore for themselves. What they saw was a woman with stab wounds on her thigh, neck and chest, and a man who was foaming at the mouth, dead of apparently poison. The man, Zhao Gang, was a butcher from Cuiping District's Jinping Town who recently fell on hard times. A pork scandal forced the city to raise the standards on food, a standard he could not reach. The girl was his live-in girlfriend. Nothing else is known at this time. Pictures via Sohu

An exciting few days for Panda-related news Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:55 AM PST On Friday the Hongkou National Natural Reserve began preparing two of its giant pandas for release into the wild. Located in Sichuan Province, the reserve has a "wildlife training" program that it will begin with Qizhen and her daughter Zhenzhen in January. [ more › ]

Dish of the Day: Good Fortune Characteristic Spring Fried Rice @ Chunfu Shui Jiao Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:00 AM PST It's a luscious compilation of rice, salted and fresh greens, eggs, onions, peppers, and pork strips. The fresh eggs are scrambled quickly at high heat, rendering them fluffy and delicious, and the oil is clean-tasting and therefore doesn't give you that sickly, bloated feeling. The rice is the culinary equivalent of Rogue from X-Men, absorbing the flavor of each ingredient it touches. [ more › ]

Climate change at the heart of “age-defining” struggle against the old elites Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:15 AM PST Climate change has never been an environmental issue and we've lost time deluding ourselves it is, says John Ashton, formerly the UK's most senior climate diplomat. Business as usual died in 2008. Publics understand that. Elites, on the whole, do not. In the UK, our economy is now almost one sixth smaller than economists were saying five years ago it was going to be by now. Young people understand that they are the first generation for over 300 years who, as they look at their future, see a prospect that might well be worse than the one their parents contemplated a generation ago. People know that something has gone seriously wrong. We need a new growth model that is less vulnerable to shocks; that rebalances from excessive debt and casino finance towards the creation of value in the real economy; and that greatly reduces the stress that a growing and increasingly affluent population puts on the resource base including the climate. This is not a minor adjustment. It demands a substantial redesign of the economy and of the system of power relations that underpins the economy. That is not how things look to many elites around the world. Some profit too much from the old system to countenance the thought of anything different. Others are imprisoned within an economic theory that under current conditions has lost its power to make useful predictions. The struggle between incumbency elites and those who see the need for change will be the defining struggle of our times. It will demand a monumental effort to build a new consensus between those who govern and those who are governed; between the over 40s and the under 30s; between those who said "trust us" and those who are no longer willing to take it on trust that elites must know what they are doing. Going back to 2007 is not an option. Either we will strive successfully to build something better or we will suffer something worse. Climate change and the response to it will be at the heart of this struggle. Climate change is all about energy, and energy lies at the foundation of the economy. After all, the industrial revolution that gave rise to the modern economy was driven by a new found ability to harness the energy stored in minerals to satisfy our needs and desires. Transform the energy system and you transform the growth model. A successful response to climate change will require the most far-reaching transformation of the energy system since the industrial revolution itself. It will be a story of electricity. We will need to use electricity in smarter ways to meet more of our needs, especially for mobility and heating. We will need at the same time to build an electricity system that is essentially carbon neutral in not much more than a single generation. We know how to do this. We have the technology now. We have the capital now. And we can do this in most countries in ways that, far from doing short-term harm to the economy, will support rebalancing, modernise infrastructure, boost competitiveness and reduce our vulnerability to volatility and shocks in oil, food and other resource prices. Insecurities over food, water and energy are coming together in a nexus of systemic risk. And the risk multiplier is climate change. In a high-carbon world locked into fossil energy, this nexus will become unmanageable. In a low carbon world, there will be less climate stress on food and water supplies, less competition for limited hydrocarbon resources and more political space to deal through diplomacy and cooperation with the tensions that remain. Dealing with climate change, staying within 2°C, is not something that is desirable for the environment. It is imperative for security and prosperity. In that sense, climate change has never been an environmental issue and we have lost a great deal of time deluding ourselves that it is. New forces stirring How are we doing? The truth is that, by the only measure that matters, we have not even begun. In the real economy, we are locking ourselves further into carbon dependency faster than we are building a path beyond it. Looking back, the approach to the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 was the high point so far of political momentum. The tide has now gone out. Since then, the attention of leaders has been further distracted by the economic crisis and by big political transitions in some countries. I have never known a time, in 15 years involvement in the politics of climate change, when it has received less political attention than leaders are giving it today. And yet, if you look carefully, new forces are stirring, and nowhere more than in China. Here are some of the headlines: US$1.6 trillion of public investment under the current Five-Year Plan in strategic industries critical for the transition. China becoming a global leader in smart grids, electric vehicles, energy-efficient buildings, solar and wind energy, driving key technologies down their cost curves faster than anyone had believed possible. Low-carbon pilot zones, experimenting with bold low-carbon development policies encompassing over 300 million people. The "China 2030" report, published this year by China's State Council and the World Bank under the sponsorship of vice premier Li Keqiang is the most radical and compelling official prospectus for a new development model that has appeared anywhere since 2008. As part of a broader blueprint for a new development model, it argues that China's national interest is to move now in building a low-carbon economy, to get ahead of the competition. Meanwhile, the debate in the US is hostage to a deeper political, even cultural struggle that is raging for America's soul. While it is in progress, the US cannot be a global leader on climate change. For all the positive things that are happening in some of its cities, states and corporations, it cannot summon the will at federal level to put in place the domestic programmes necessary to sustain a position of leadership internationally. Even if China and India were to take on legally binding carbon caps tomorrow, I doubt it would be possible to persuade the US Senate that the US should do so too. The choice for everyone else is therefore whether to wait – essentially to give up on climate change, because waiting is the one thing there is no time for – or to press ahead so that those in the US who want to move forward can warn about the danger of being left behind in the race to transform the global economy. I am confident that the positive forces at work in my country cannot be turned back. British business wants policy certainty not deregulation, and is ready to build a low carbon economy given clear policy signals. But we will all be able to go faster if we feel that what we are doing is part of a common endeavor. That is why the UN climate negotiations are so important. The agreement reached last year at Durban has given us a chance to build by 2015 a legally binding framework that embodies our collective will to keep climate change within 2°C. That is what we now have to do. Top-down agreement still essential There are some who still say that a top-down legally binding climate agreement can never be reached. We should instead rely on voluntary, so-called bottom up approaches. But nobody has ever suggested that voluntary activities should not be allowed. You don't need a global agreement to do what you would have decided to do anyway. The real choice is whether or not this should be accompanied by a top-down, legally binding framework to set the pace and the level of ambition. If it is not, people will rightly conclude that governments are only willing to do what it is easy to do, not what needs to be done. They are not willing to guarantee the outcome, even while they claim it is imperative. The problem is not one of architecture but of will. Copenhagen did not fail because we were wrong to aspire to binding commitments. The will was lacking to make them and it is what we now need to build. This article is based on a speech given by John Ashton at the Asahi World Environmental Forum 2012 in Tokyo.

The Americans are coming! NY Philharmonic signs four-year partnership with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:00 AM PST The New York Philharmonic have just signed a four-year partnership with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Along with a two-week residency in China, they will also be involved in a training program starting in 2014. [ more › ]

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