Blogs » Society » Japanese department store Heiwado reopens Hunan stores after protests

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• Japanese department store Heiwado reopens Hunan stores after protests
• The Official Line On Those Ningbo Protests: Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing
• Buying Earphones
• ‘Watch: Mrs Xi Jinping, Peng Liyuan, Sings About How The PLA Saved Tibetans From Themselves’: Shanghaiist
• Camelia: Michelin Cred Cuisine in a Casual Atmosphere
• Pencil This In: Oct 29 - Nov 1
• Beijing-Based Sommelier Sets World Record By Holding 51 Wine Glasses In One Hand
• Watch: Thousands rally for gay marriage at Taipei pride parade
• Watch: Ningbo rallies against petrochemical plant
• Chinese-English Translation Of Fifty Common Legal Words
• Photo of the Day: Antiquity
• Wild Boar Breaks Into Office, Terrorizes Woman, Basically Ruins Everything
• Ningbo Protests Against Chemical Plant Heat Up As City Announces, Perhaps Dubiously, Halt To PX Project
• The Dark Side of Weight Loss Presentation (and other food events)
• Presented By:
• The Situation Is Excellent: The Week That Was At Beijing Cream
• Sign up for the Shanghaiist Hairy Crab & Sex Museum Tour!
• Following Ningbo’s civil protests over chemical project on Weibo
• An encounter with an anti-Japanese real estate agent
• Protests In Ningbo Over Chemical Plant May Get Ugly, Netizens Fear [UPDATE]

Japanese department store Heiwado reopens Hunan stores after protests Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:00 PM PDT Japanese department store Heiwado reopens two of its three stores in Changsha, Hunan, after attacks by protestors in last month's anti-Japanese demonstrations caused the company a loss of more than 40 million dollars. [NHK] [ more › ]

The Official Line On Those Ningbo Protests: Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing Posted: 28 Oct 2012 07:40 PM PDT Advisory: highway signs are being covered up in Ningbo because of some reason. That reason does not concern you. The highway signs are covered up in a city somewhere for no reason. There is no reason. The signs in a place are on the highway. No highway, actually. Not a city. @jaytao says the highway is in Ningbo's Beilun District near Guoran Road. But what the fuck does he know? Soon the tarp will arrive, covering everything. No one will suspect a thing. (H/T Reddit)

Buying Earphones Posted: 28 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT Learning Chinese? Our mandarin lesson for today features a short but simple dialogue covering the way real Chinese shoppers ask for prices and comparison shop. This is something that might come in handy the next time you're walking down the street and see imitation Apple products available for one-tenth of their normal retail price. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

‘Watch: Mrs Xi Jinping, Peng Liyuan, Sings About How The PLA Saved Tibetans From Themselves’: Shanghaiist Posted: 28 Oct 2012 07:27 PM PDT I once spent a morning watching musical performances by 'General' Peng Liyuan, wife of Xi Jinping, and I found her and the other performers to be great. After decades of watching Chinese variety programs, I've come to appreciate these shows. So, today when I saw one of Ms. Peng's videos on my rss feed that was new to me,  I watched immediately. Great costumes and dancing, and fine singing by the star. The lyrics weren't too interesting. ('Who is going to help us harvest barley?') But, that's the problem with a lot of patriotic songs. You probably need to be Chinese to get the full impact. Or perhaps Tibetan. After watching, I read the description on the original post in Shanghaiist. Turns out I was watching '…the "Laundry Song", a 50-year-old propaganda classic which purports to be sung by Tibetans desperate for the PLA and the Communist Party to liberate them.' Okay. Missed that, either too dazzled by Ms. Peng or too dense. More description: Tibetan overseas website High Peaks Pure Earth: The song tells the familiar Socialist narrative of the army and the people being one. For the Sino-Tibetan relationship though, the song puts the Tibetans firmly in a position of subservience, as natives, full of gratitude for the help of the benevolent People's Liberation Army. The trope of washing clothes fits in also with the Socialist preoccupation with Patriotic Hygiene, [since] observing hygiene rules came to be seen as patriotic. And, a final thought: 'There have been 57 self-immolations by Tibetan protesters since February 2009.' Needless to say, how you react to the video, armed with its meaning, depends on your stance here. For me, sure looked different the second time through. Have a look for yourself: "Laundry Song" Performed by Peng Liyuan from HPeaks on Vimeo.

Camelia: Michelin Cred Cuisine in a Casual Atmosphere Posted: 28 Oct 2012 06:45 PM PDT Date: Oct 29th 2012 9:32a.m. Contributed by: geofferson

Pencil This In: Oct 29 - Nov 1 Posted: 28 Oct 2012 06:30 PM PDT Pencil This In is all the things you'd want to do this Monday through Thursday. On Monday night, you can see the result of the amazing 48 Hour Film Project. Tuesday night is another movie night, but not so much of the artsy variety: Sub-Cinema contributes a grisly zombie flict to the season of the witch. And while most of the big Halloween parties already happened last weekend, there's still a lot going on on Wednesday, particularly in the bars and lounges! Read on for all the details, or check out our calendar for more! [ more › ]

Beijing-Based Sommelier Sets World Record By Holding 51 Wine Glasses In One Hand Posted: 28 Oct 2012 05:00 PM PDT Here's a man who knows how to handle his wine glasses. Via the AFP video's description: "Beijing-based sommelier Philip Osenton breaks the world record for the number of wine glasses held in one hand. The previous world record was 39, set in Spain, five years ago by Reymond Adina from the Philippines." Local nightlife blogger Jim Boyce was definitely impressed. "'He isn't human!' screamed someone* on Saturday afternoon as Philip Osenton held 51 wine glasses in one hand at the Hilton Bei… (* That scream might have been to myself. I'm still checking for confirmation.)" I think we can all agree that it's just good, after all the world records that have fallen around China, that Beijing has a world record holder of its own. There are some pictures of Osenton practicing his impressive skill over on Boyce's site. Youku video for those in China after the jump.

Watch: Thousands rally for gay marriage at Taipei pride parade Posted: 28 Oct 2012 03:30 PM PDT Tens of thousands of people marched though Taipei on Saturday to push for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Taiwan as the island marked its 10th annual Gay Pride event in colourful fashion. [AFP] [ more › ]

Watch: Ningbo rallies against petrochemical plant Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:30 PM PDT Thousands of protestors marched through the city of Ningbo in a weekend of protests against the expansion of a petrochemical plant that residents believe is carcinogenic. More videos after the jump... [ more › ]

Chinese-English Translation Of Fifty Common Legal Words Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:29 PM PDT A long time ago (before we even started this blog, I believe) one of our summer associates, Ben Kostrzewa, compiled a Chinese-English translation of fifty common legal words. I have had that list on my computer ever since and I just come across it again and figured I would run it on here so others might take advantage of it. Not even sure why this list was compiled but it appears to have been aimed at least as much to assist the Chinese lawyers with whom we work as to assist our clients doing business in China. At this point I have my doubts that I would choose all fifty of these words for such a list, but since the translations are accurate and since they have already been compiled, we are going with it. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know my commenting below. Similarly, if you want to add to the list, please do so. 诉讼-Sue, Litigate 机构-Agency 上诉-Appeal 法案-Bill 案件/案例-Case 民法-Civil 控诉-Complaint/Charge 宪法-Constitution 合同-Contract 证明有罪/定罪-Conviction 有限公司-Corporation 法庭-Court 债权人-Creditor 犯人-Criminal 债户-Debtor 契-Deed 被告人-Defendant 义务-Duty 产业-Estate 证据-Evidence 行政-Executive 联邦制-Federal/Federalism 理由-Grounds 判决-Judgment 司法-Judicial 陪审团-Jury 法律-Law 责任/义务-Liability 制定/通过 法律-Legislate 抵押-Mortgage 动议-Motion 过失-Negligence 可转让的-Negotiable 文书-Instrument 意见-Opinion (Not Judge's Decision) 当事人-Party 原告/申诉人-Plaintiff 辩护-Plead/Pleading 财产-Property 管理/调整-Regulate 权利-Right 证券-Security (bond, stock) 判决-Sentence 法律-Statute 证据Testimony 产权书-Title 侵权行为-Tort 托拉斯-Trust 认定-Verdict 遗嘱-Will 见证/证人-Witness

Photo of the Day: Antiquity Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:56 AM PDT Want to see your picture here? Share your photos with us on Instagram and Flickr using the tag #shanghaiist! [ more › ]

Wild Boar Breaks Into Office, Terrorizes Woman, Basically Ruins Everything Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:20 AM PDT Sky News has this funny video captured Friday in Shantou, Guangdong province. A wild boar apparently broke into an office and, because it's just that kind of wild, destroyed a bunch of things and scared the crap out of everyone before — again, that kind of wild — smashing through a window to make its escape. Bad boar. Sky provides these details: A cook working there picked up a plastic stool and attempted to use it to scare away the boar, but it gnawed at the stool and pushed it away. In a final bid to escape the room, the boar charged into a glass door before running outside. "I was very scared. That boar weighed about 50kg and looked quite ferocious. It was brown," recalled the cook. But the boar wasn't quite done being cray cray. It returned, ran through a parking lot, then destroyed some water pipes. Damnit, boar! According to the bus centre's director, a group of people ended up working together to capture the wild boar and carry it away. Where it was released into its natural habitat and everyone lived happily ever after, I'm sure.

Ningbo Protests Against Chemical Plant Heat Up As City Announces, Perhaps Dubiously, Halt To PX Project Posted: 28 Oct 2012 10:01 AM PDT Another widespread protest against a factory in China has yielded, at least on paper, another victory, following the one in Shifang, Sichuan province in July. Does it matter that no one believes the city government's statement saying it'll halt its construction plans? First the background: In Ningbo, Zhejiang province, thousands of locals have clashed with police this week over plans to build a refinery that produces the hazardous ethylene and paraxylene, a.k.a. PX. The company pushing this is Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company, a subsidiary of Sinopec. The protests began Monday and climaxed Saturday, though we wouldn't call them over just yet, as protesters remained in the city center yesterday, according to NY Times. But a glimmer of good news? AFP reports this statement, which appears (again, on paper) to be a concession from the powers that be: "Following research with investors, Ningbo city has decided: (1) not to go ahead with the PX (chemical factory) project and (2) to halt advance work on the chemical refining project," the government of Ningbo's Zhenhai said on its website. The statement has understandably been met with skepticism. Reports AP: Liu Li, 24, a Ningbo resident, said the crowd did not believe the government's statement. "There is very little public confidence in the government," she said. "Who knows if they are saying this just to make us leave and then keep on doing the project." Sina Weibo has been buzzing about this incident, but you wouldn't know it by doing a search for "Ningbo." Most posts related to the protests are only allowed to stay up for a few minutes, if not seconds, before they're pulled down. China Digital Times has an ongoing list of "sensitive words," including "tear gas," which police allegedly used on protesters. Also: We want to survive, we want to get by (我们要生存 我们要活命): Slogan seen on a banner carried by protesters. Obviously, just because images are officially blocked here doesn't mean they don't exist. You can find many pictures via Ministry of Tofu, some of which we've sampled on this post, China Digital Times and Tea Leaf Nation. (All via Sina Weibo.)

The Dark Side of Weight Loss Presentation (and other food events) Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT What you didn't know about weight loss: On November 4, Sprout wellness center dispels the bloated myths surrounding weight loss with a presentation that gives you strictly the facts. Topics include the risks of being overweight, the relationship between hormones and weight loss, and why most diets are a bunch of BS. [ more › ]

Presented By: Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT

The Situation Is Excellent: The Week That Was At Beijing Cream Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:59 AM PDT October 22 – October 28 Ai Weiwei and friends published a Gangnam Style video that I thought was awful. The New York Times was blocked in China for exposing Wen Jiabao's family riches; we ask: when do you think they'll be back up? Correct answer in this office pool will get a prize. And another question for you: does this look like a fallopian tube? We are truly excited to announce that Laowai Comics will be appearing every Thursday morning on this site. Justin Mitchell contributed a story of compassionate China that's a necessary counterbalance to all the negative news you hear about. This creative, funny, dark, and twisted video features kung-fu, and is awesome. The fallopian tube link is thanks to Xinhua, and speaking of them, here's their version of dick in a box, and here they are going full porno by featuring a picture from Ultimate Surrender. We had some fun with an expat meltdown in Dongguan. Tracy McGrady landed in Qingdao on Wednesday and absolutely got mobbed. TAR Nation: everyone can go eat a dick. Grandmother vs. Microsoft: who wins? Ningbo residents vs. riot police: censors win. Kindergarten teachers behaved very badly this week. As did this iPhone thief. And a lot of people on Taiwan's roads, who let a drunk man get hit by a car. Finally, a driver who ran over a German in Shanghai over the summer was sentenced to three years and three months in jail. Comment of the Week: Bobby, on criticism of Ai Weiwei's Gangnam Style: The author raises some good points. To be a political artist, the goal is surely to reach as large an audience as possible. Parodying the viral inanities that give us subject matter in our office spaces, and doing so to make a point, will soon become the only way to get anyone to pay attention. As such, this is a missed opportunity. |Week in Review Archives|

Sign up for the Shanghaiist Hairy Crab & Sex Museum Tour! Posted: 28 Oct 2012 05:55 AM PDT Hairy crab season is rapidly approaching its zenith! And because Shanghaiist knows not all hairy crabs are created equal, we've decided to take it upon ourselves to take you to that one place in China that ensures you get the REAL DEAL -- Yangcheng Lake. Join Shanghaiist editors Kenneth Tan and Benjamin Cost on an oralgasmic getaway with Shanghai's most famous staple right at the source, happening on the weekend of Nov 3-4. FIND OUT MORE & SIGN UP HERE. [ more › ]

Following Ningbo’s civil protests over chemical project on Weibo Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:43 AM PDT The third major wave of NIMBY protests out of environmental concerns erupted in China's southeastern city of Ningbo in Zhejiang province. But what makes it different from the previous two, one in Shifang, Sichuan province and the other in Qidong, Jiangsu province, is that the flow of information about the protest is obstructed on Chinese social media. The opposition to the local government's decision to expand a petrochemical plant in the coastal city's Zhenhai district started on October 22, as residents became worried that the project, once completed, can cause toxic pollution and wreak havoc on health of locals, fetuses in particular, in the long run. 200 villagers petitioned to the district government by besieging the office compound and blocking nearby roads. Children in Ningbo wear mouth masks in protest: "PX (P-Xylene, the main product of the petrochemical plant), Get the Hell out of Ningbo!" "PX. (P-Xylene, the main product of the petrochemical plant)You Can Remain Silent, But Do Not Be A Coward. Protect Zhenhai, Protect Ningbo." In the next few days, an increasing number of protesters congregated at one of the city's squares as more and more residents were briefed on the potential health hazards the project poses by word of mouth and flyers passed around by volunteers. On October 26 and 27, when the conflict reached its climax, riot police used tear gas and fire hose against protesters and detained many for taking photos, wearing mouth masks with slogans. Multiple protesters were roughed up and beaten up by the riot police. A foreign cameraman covering a large NIMBY protest in Ningbo, China, gets lifted up by local people who are eager to get the message out when the domestic media are ordered to ignore them. But on Sina Weibo, Chinese Twitter and a platform that proves extremely effective for publicizing and raising awareness of protests, information about what has been going on in Ningbo is scanty and fragmented. "Beijing Chuzi" ('Beijing Chef' ), an online activist, even complained, "I remember during the Shifang incident, I learned about the origin, the status quo and the goal of it in one single microblogging post, and what I needed to do was simple: to share. I recall at the time, the number of shares just soared within a sec. This time it is really weird: what is on Weibo is all snippets and impossible to share. Do people in Zhejiang really suck at using Weibo?" Probably. The fact that environmental activists in Ningbo did not blanket Sina Weibo with their petitions and grab the nation's attention may have given the Ningbo authorities and censors at Weibo plenty of time to maneuver. At the end of June, even before the demonstrations broke out in Shifang, volunteers had been networking online to plot the protests and seeding Weibo with their concerns about the toxic side effects of the copper molybdenum plant – in their posters and catchy slogans. By the time local residents took to the streets, pictures and posts that flooded Weibo had already made it impossible to sweep Shifang's problem under the carpet. Searches for the word "Shifang" were not even blocked on Weibo, and few postings, except the most inflammatory and unsettling ones, got deleted. This time, the Ningbo authorities, having learned the lesson of Shifang and been given enough time to preempt, stemmed the spread of the news by shutting down communications with outside Ningbo: many residents report that they cannot upload onto Weibo photos they have taken with their smartphones or use instant messaging tools unless they change location settings and turn off WiFi connections. Moderators at Sina Weibo are also frantically taking down undesirable content. It is even revealed that journalist and celebrities, who have a wide following, have been told not to relay any message related to Ningbo's project. Notifications from Sina Weibo for removal of "inappropriate posts" about protests in Ningbo One net user's claim: "I asked my journalist friends and celebrity friends. They all got told not to share messages related to this. It seems the information has been suppressed…We can only depend on Ningboer's own strength." However, Chinese netizens always outsmart and outrun moderators. Ministry of Tofu has sorted out related Weibo posts that seeped out (some of which no longer exist) in Ningbo to give you a detailed look into the events. @阿拉伯水烟专卖:Flyer printed by an old granny. Is this the truth? @宁波正能量: Even at such an age, the old man has come to the street. Deeply moved. 豌豆黄瓜汤：When the construction was planned, did any of you consult us for our opinion? After the construction was completed, did you supervise it strictly? The government needs PR in crisis, but it shouldn't be on a high horse like this. Remember, the people are your parents that give you clothes and food and not your slaves. You should speak for the people, not throw tear gas at them. @伊塔smile：We demand back our green air. Demand our fellow villagers that are of one heart be released. Release them. Release them. @皑恭喜: Witness who came back said, there were little babies on the scene, who cried out loud after the delicate eyes smarted (from the tear gas). The funny thing is, the police, after using tear gas, fled in their own vehicles… @傑克牌风扇: [Last night's Zhenhai (District)] I hold tight in my hands my heart filled with attachment and devotion to my motherland, but in return I got the heinous batons and tear gas! @玊砳：The motorcade transporting the riot police on the highway leading to Ningbo… @阿拉伯水烟专卖： [Black Saturday] The black uniform can be seen everywhere in the square packed with people. Today's Ningbo was dyed pitch dark. @阿拉伯水烟专卖：They've taken away all of the mouth mask wearing people. Damn. @阿拉伯水烟专卖：Here comes a heroine. The young girl. The people in Ningbo will thank you. @mishow916：I just got a phone call from my mom. The paramilitary police in Zhenhai has just started to beat people up. They hurt people with batons, by breaking their ribs, and then hauled them onto the police vehicles. They don't allow medical aid! Don't allow photography! They said it is according to the order from Ningbo! What kind of government is that! What kind of country is that! I feel like crying! @罘藟: I saw it with my eyes three were arrested. Now they are beating people up. (My) tears keep racing down. There just aren't enough people. @奥利奥Oreo: All Weibo images are blocked. The police beat up whoever they see. Tear gas is used. Even the fire hose. They reward 20,000 yuan to any civil servant that does not participate in this movement; 50 yuan to any ordinary citizen (that does not participate). They falsify poll. Is it still the people's government? @醉在陶中：I got arrested! Argued bitterly with the police officers on my way to the police station! Now I am rescued by my fellow Ningbo townspeople! Temporarily free! What impressed me most is a father and a daughter cried out loud while trying to rescue me! Deeply touched! iHoome胡俊：Just now, a young man in his 20s was dragged into a police car and got beaten by five or six thuggish police officers. I saw it with my own eyes! @张洲:Hehe, awesome. I've seen this stuff before. Only the paramilitary SWAT team has it. This type of iron glove is often used against armed people. The outside is a layer made of iron. The inside is a soft padding layer. When hitting on hard objects, your hand feels as if it is hitting cotton, but the people you hit most likely will suffer bone fracture. The four things that look like nuts are nicknamed "teeth armor." You definitely need it when you wish to break one's teeth. @赵楚：From Shifang to Ningbo, all types of tear gas, all types of vicious beating by the paramilitary police and riot police. They even have the gall to arrest people for wearing mouth masks. All of these are for a single industrial project! From the absurd combination of guns and industry, we an see the most ridiculous logic about power in the era: Since political power can grow out of the barrel of a gun, money can surely also grow out of the barrel of a gun. Having ruled for over six decades, they still have a blind faith in gun. 连鹏：Today's Ningbo Evening Post spreads an advertisement for an emigration agency across the page, and today's top headline: "Joy from Flying Away." Is it silent protest? Behind the smart sarcasm is sadness. When the media is prohibited from reporting freely, and the public cannot speak freely about things around them that they have a stake in, what can they do except escaping? @Sea_木木：They start their frenzy of deleting files again! Almost everything we posted at the scene got deleted! The police start their force again! But I am moved. When we were singing the national anthem aloud, tears came down against my will… Beasts! They showed even no mercy to the old man in his 60s or 70s! You guys were also born and raised by your parents, our "People's Police"!!! We are also taken into the car, simply because we've posted things on Weibo!!! More photos:

An encounter with an anti-Japanese real estate agent Posted: 28 Oct 2012 02:47 AM PDT Shanghai-based American expat Jacob Flowers writes in to warn us of an anti-Japanese real estate agency, Furenju Realty (福人居房产), located in Putuo district's Brilliant City compound (中原两湾城), with which he had the following nasty encounter Thursday evening: [ more › ]

Protests In Ningbo Over Chemical Plant May Get Ugly, Netizens Fear [UPDATE] Posted: 28 Oct 2012 12:45 AM PDT Reuters reports that more than a thousand people gathered in Ningbo, Zhejiang province yesterday to protest plans for a petrochemical plant that is a subsidiary of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation. And according to the BBC, witnesses said authorities used tear gas and have arrested some people. Searches on Youku for "Ningbo" turn up nothing. Sina Weibo hasn't completely censored the incident, but it's clear they're not allowing everything, either. We'll see how fast some of these posts get taken down. Here's one message, 12 minutes ago, by @来-xc的微薄: Sorrowful Ningbo… sorrowful China… our thirst for a beautiful and harmonious homeland… I love Ningbo. And here are reactions from others who are CCed on that thread, featuring a photo of what appears to be a foreign cameraman atop someone's shoulders: @L1_L1_L1_请将我的2马赛克: Truly sad. @J依依_MUSE吧: China's common people, up to this moment, can't rely on China, can only rely on foreign media. Bitterly disappointed @Darling–大玲: Go Ningbo residents! And then there is the picture from the top of this post, from @激辣Gekikara about 30 minutes ago, which show special police in front of Baoshan station clutching bullet-proof shields and anti-riot gear. "Please return to us Ningbo's students," the post reads. "Return us those residents who have been seized. Ningbo, don't be afraid. We are very formidable!" Some more pictures, via @Amy8912: And one more: UPDATE, 6 pm: The posts from all the Weibo accounts below except Amy's have been censored. Also see this post. (H/T Katie)

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