Blogs » Society » 21 Must-read Books About Shanghai

---

• 21 Must-read Books About Shanghai
• Pencil This In: Feb 25-28 - Unbirthdays, cheap books, and Zeal-ous professionals
• Will China Ever Get Rich?
• China's divorce rate rises for seventh year in a row
• Second Bite Review: Edo Fish’M
• WIN passes to French Tuesday
• Shanghai Restaurant Week (and other food/drink events)
• Shanghai approves new expressway through northern suburbs
• How sanitary is that toilet? Count the number of flies
• Shenzhen civil servant ran online business from work
• Watch: CPPCC member trashes airport after missing flight
• No Dogs, But Also No Japanese, Filipinos, Or Vietnamese Allowed?
• Magician Lu Chen Will Not Be Appearing In Tonight’s Lantern Festival Gala Because People Are Still Upset At His Joke
• Global Times Becomes First Mainland Paper To Launch Bilingual Edition In The US
• Donnie Does Happy Valley, In A Donald Duck Costume
• Saturday Night Musical Outro: Yo-Yo Ma And Lil’ Buck
• Taiwanese media? More like TSAIwanese media
• Britain's 'pointless' foreign policy towards China will be 'severely punished'
• Man brings home rental girlfriend for CNY, impregnates her
• Shanghai Shuffle

21 Must-read Books About Shanghai Posted: 24 Feb 2013 08:32 PM PST Date: Feb 25th 2013 11:38a.m. Contributed by: s_k_cheung Get to know your city through the pages of these great books

Pencil This In: Feb 25-28 - Unbirthdays, cheap books, and Zeal-ous professionals Posted: 24 Feb 2013 08:00 PM PST Pencil This In is all the things you'd want to do this Monday through Thursday. Celebrate your Unbirthday, buy supercheap books and support a good cause, jam with other Musicians at Yuyintang. Or watch William Friendkin's 'Sorcerer'. Or network with professionals at Zeal. Read on for all the details, or check out our calendar for more! [ more › ]

Will China Ever Get Rich? Posted: 25 Feb 2013 03:28 AM PST I don't think so.  Just my view. Read an article in Forbes entitled, "What Could Derail A Middle Class China?" This article starts out by asking what could prevent China from becoming a developed country and then sets out what usually prevents countries from reaching "high-income status": The experience of countries that failed to make the jump to high-income status suggest that their inability to innovate and upgrade can be attributed to three broad factors: (1) macroeconomic, political and social instability; (2) persistent inefficient allocation of resources; and (3) insufficient support to physical infrastructure and human capital development. Though I agree with the above, I completely disagree with the way the article applies (or really fails to apply) these factors to China.  The article lists the following three things as most likely to derail China's path to riches: 1. Environmental Degradation.  "These problems, if not tackled quickly, are likely to reduce life quality, hamper productivity, drive away investment and, eventually, dim China's growth outlook." 2. Increasing Cost of State-Owned-Enterprises.  "SOEs may also contribute to fiscal risks, as both the state sector and local governments continue to face soft budget constraints, and become a source of social tension." 3. Financial Crisis.  "It remains an open question if China's banks and its financial system more generally could withstand the shocks likely brought about by financial liberalization and opening." I minimize all three of these. Both Environmental degradation and the cost of SOEs can be overcome and even if that does not happen, I do not see those failures as enough to prevent China from becoming a wealthy nation. Any financial crisis will have a short-term impact. No, at this point, what I see holding China back from developed status are far more systemic.  I simply have doubts as to whether China can innovate enough to move from a country based on heavy industry for others to a country that innovates sufficiently to develop big time products/services/ideas so as to make China a 21st century economic powerhouse. I also am skeptical of its ability/desire to substantially improve the living standards of more than half of its poorest 900 million. For more on China's chances of escaping the Middle Income Trap, check out the following: Will China Escape The Middle Income Trap? China, Malaysia, Korea And The "Middle Income Trap." Diversity Is Strength. Where's China? What do you think?

China's divorce rate rises for seventh year in a row Posted: 24 Feb 2013 07:00 PM PST Chinese singles may have good reason to fear getting married, as the country's divorce rate rose for the seventh straight year in 2012, according to a survey by Tsinghua University and the CPC's Xiaokang magazine. [ more › ]

Second Bite Review: Edo Fish’M Posted: 24 Feb 2013 06:04 PM PST Date: Feb 25th 2013 9:46a.m. Contributed by: miss_ng_in_action This simple Japanese spot is perfect for a quick healthy meal

WIN passes to French Tuesday Posted: 21 Feb 2013 06:08 PM PST Date: Feb 25th 2013 10:12a.m. Contributed by: katvelayo

Shanghai Restaurant Week (and other food/drink events) Posted: 24 Feb 2013 07:30 AM PST Restaurant Week: Oh yeah it's that time! From March 4-10 Restaurant week is back with more restaurants than ever before, including Ecole Institut Paul Bocuse Le Restaurant for the first time. [ more › ]

Shanghai approves new expressway through northern suburbs Posted: 24 Feb 2013 05:00 AM PST Shanghai's municipal development and reform commission recently approved a highway project proposal that will better connect the city's northern suburbs, strengthen inter-city east-west transportation flow, and balance the overall traffic network. [ more › ]

How sanitary is that toilet? Count the number of flies Posted: 24 Feb 2013 04:00 AM PST China is finally beginning to take a hard line on pervasive public toilet hygiene concerns. It's going to require a bit of counting, however. [ more › ]

Shenzhen civil servant ran online business from work Posted: 24 Feb 2013 03:00 AM PST The Chinese civil service is famous for its size, history, complexity and, at times, efficiency. It is less famous for its free-market, enterprising dynamism. Bucking this trend, the Guangzhou Daily reports that a civil servant from the Guangdong city of Shenzhen has been fired for managing an online business from her office. [ more › ]

Watch: CPPCC member trashes airport after missing flight Posted: 24 Feb 2013 02:00 AM PST Has narrowly missing-out ever made you want to kick something? Did you manage to restrain that urge? Well this man, CPPCC member Yan Linkun, fails miserably to show any restraint after missing his flight at Kunming's Changshui airport. [ more › ]

No Dogs, But Also No Japanese, Filipinos, Or Vietnamese Allowed? Posted: 24 Feb 2013 12:00 AM PST So, it seems that some people have yet to fully understand why racism is a bad thing. With tensions in the South China Sea remaining high, we're still being treated to bizarre examples of unhealthy nationalism. The latest can be found here in Beijing: the proprietors of a snack shop in Houhai called Beijing Snacks [百年卤者] have put up a notice refusing customers from countries engaged in maritime disputes with China.  The bilingual sign above, via Rose Tang, reads: "本店不接待日本人菲律宾人越南人和狗 — This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese, and dog." This kind of sign would result in a hefty fine in most places and instant removal, but here, it's more likely that a restaurant gets in trouble for "hurting the feelings of Chinese people" by referring to sensitive history. About a year ago, a restaurant in Shanghai was fined 47,500 yuan for mentioning the "French Concession" in an ad. Love for country in the form of overt discrimination? No problem! (H/T @badcanto and Rose Tang)

Magician Lu Chen Will Not Be Appearing In Tonight’s Lantern Festival Gala Because People Are Still Upset At His Joke Posted: 23 Feb 2013 11:39 PM PST In the immediate aftermath of Taiwanese magician Lu Chen's withering joke during the CCTV Spring Festival Gala — simultaneously seen live by millions, then re-watched over and over in the proceeding days, even after it got censored from subsequent reruns — we were told that all parties involved were cool with it. That might not have been the case. Let's revisit the incident. On February 9's big CCTV show, Lu tried to make a joke that plays off the public perception that Li Yundi and Leehom Wang, two famous young stars, are gay lovers. Lu and Li were on stage for a simple disappearing trick when Li whispered something in Lu's ear to set up a punchline. Lu's quip, however, was extempore. "Looking for someone?" he asked. "Who? Leehom?!" The audience gasped and laughed and cheered. Leehom Wang, backstage, must have blanched. Multiple people wrote that they saw the pop singer, who was scheduled to appear in a separate act, slap Lu. The two publicly denied it, but the controversy continued. Lu's camp said the joke was Li's idea, while Li denied that. And then Leehom Wang unfollowed Li on Sina Weibo, and vice versa — but he still follows Lu. We're now finding out that the fallout runs deeper. On February 21, Lu's publicist said the magician will not be appearing in tonight's Lantern Festival Gala to mark the end of the 15-day Spring Festival. Reports Sina: According to his agent during an exclusive interview with Chinanews.com, Lu has been so deeply vexed by the incident of late that he decided to "take a break" in the hope that he would be spared from future offense and criticism. The agent denied that Lu's exit was due to his poor relation with CCTV. He also appreciated the understanding and support by Ha Wen, the chief director of the upcoming gala. Note to everyone: this is not how you handle a joke. Whatever happened to the idea that all publicity is good publicity? Magician quits Lantern Festival gala over Leehom joke (Sina, h/t Alicia)

Global Times Becomes First Mainland Paper To Launch Bilingual Edition In The US Posted: 23 Feb 2013 10:43 PM PST Describing it as a "popular Chinese daily newspaper," Xinhua has announced that the Global Times is now available in the US, in both English and Chinese. Take that, China Daily! The Global Times said the U.S. edition would provide readers with sharp reporting and perceptive analysis. It seeks to cover world events from a Chinese perspective, and introduce a dynamic, complex and changing China to the world in vivid, accurate reporting. The English version apparently runs at 24 pages, while the Chinese version is 16. GT has a circulation of more than 2 million in China. The more you know. As China now stands under the glare of the global spotlight, the newspaper aims to showcase for a global audience real voices from across a transforming China, guiding it through China's fast-growing economy and ever-changing society, the newspaper said Friday in a briefing. The article doesn't say which cities the paper is available in. I actually saw a China Daily in New York being sold next to prominent subway stations. Those of you in America: if you see a Global Times anywhere, please, let us know.

Donnie Does Happy Valley, In A Donald Duck Costume Posted: 23 Feb 2013 09:30 PM PST Quickly becoming one of our favorites, here's Donnie again with another episode of Donnie Does, this time from Happy Valley Amusement Park (we assume the one in Shanghai). "After that I said fuck it," he says at the end. Yeah, that's about right for a life philosophy, sometimes. Fuck it.

Saturday Night Musical Outro: Yo-Yo Ma And Lil’ Buck Posted: 23 Feb 2013 05:30 AM PST Happy weekending, everyone. We have a big fun post scheduled for Monday. You might be in it. The embedded video was uploaded in 2011 by Spike Jonze, who wrote, "The dancing is Lil Buck's own creation and unlike anything I've seen." Read more about Lil' Buck here.

Taiwanese media? More like TSAIwanese media Posted: 24 Feb 2013 01:00 AM PST Taiwan's answer to monolithic media dictator Rupert Murdoch, Tsai Eng-Meng has set his sights on procuring a 32 percent majority share in his biggest rival company, Next Media Group, which will make him helmsman of just under half of Taiwan's newspapers. [ more › ]

Britain's 'pointless' foreign policy towards China will be 'severely punished' Posted: 24 Feb 2013 12:00 AM PST In a scathing editorial, the Global Times makes clear that Britain, with a floundering economy scarce recovered from recent economic crises and headed towards a triple dip recession, is not in a position to negotiate with China on political or moral grounds. [ more › ]

Man brings home rental girlfriend for CNY, impregnates her Posted: 23 Feb 2013 11:00 PM PST Very fittingly considered a 'leftover man', a 38 year old surnamed Gao hired a rental girlfriend to meet his parents for Chinese New Year, before inadvertently knocking her up. [ more › ]

Shanghai Shuffle Posted: 23 Feb 2013 11:28 PM PST Date: Feb 24th 2013 3:25p.m. Contributed by: katvelayo

You are subscribed to email updates from Update » Blogs » Society To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610