Finally. Finally a journalist has sat down and hashed out a detailed, sourced explanation of how China’s Internet censorship works. May I just say, thank you Mr. Fallows.
James Fallows is The Atlantic’s “man in China”, and his article “The Connection Has Been Reset” is the first article I’ve seen that has given an extensive rundown of the technologies and policies the Chinese government employs in its battle with keeping the Internet a sanitary and “harmonized” place.
Fallows explains the censorship breaks down into four levels: 1. the DNS block, 2. the “Connect” Phase, 3. the …
With us expats in China deep into the country’s chilly months, perhaps we’re a little late for these tips - but none the less, here’s a bit of advice for anyone currently reading this with gloves on.
Now, quite obviously these don’t apply to big-salary expats that are living in apartments with floor-heating and double-glazed windows. But for the rest of us poor whelps that frequently get blown over by the drafts running through our apartments, some of these might help.
Several times recently I’ve been out at restaurants that I’ve been to frequently, only to discover they’ve been ripping me off for ages.
The trick is a smooth one and I can only blame my unfailing trust in humanity for allowing it to happen. The scam? The Laowai Menu.
Living in a tourism-supported city like Suzhou, even the smallest food spots in the downtown core tend to sport some form of English menu. Perhaps because the menus are quite clearly far-too-direct translations of Chinese dishes (ie. “the pig’s intestines soup”, “couple lung slices”, etc.), I always assumed the prices were as well.
However, after recently A-Bing the English and Chinese …
It’s times like these that I wish I didn’t live in this backwater hole in Dalian… Actually, I’m sure there’s a way to pay your bills online up here too, but likely just not in English yet.
Anyway, all you guys in Shanghai, consider yourself lucky - SHFFT has just created an online bills payment system and yes, Virginia, there is an English version. (Nevermind that their company name sounds like how you’d spell a fart - ha ha, SHHHFFFFTTTT!)
Here’s what you can get done via this website:
pay your mobile …
Under the influence of Thomas Newman’s haunting theme, something twirls and dances to the whim of the breeze and for a few minutes of movie history a white carrier bag is beautiful…
However, anyone who’s spent any time wandering down any streets in China can tell you that whilst a single carrier bag might be aesthetically pleasing, lots of the damn things blowing around, snagged in tree branches and sticking to your shoes are not.
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Since I came to China I’ve been waging a single-handed battle against a pet-hate of mine: the carrier bag. I’ve decided to share it in the hope that - in true Olympic spirit - others will take up the flaming baton and run with it.
I’ve observed the …
Recently I wrote a post about Racism in China, just before finding out about the Beijing Police Rounding Up and Beating of Black People at Josh’s blog. Rick also wrote a post dealing with this called Sino Xenophobia? It’s a really sad and unfortunate reality that racism exists in China, especially against black people and Japanese people. How many people in China are racist, and how racist these people are, is open to debate, but racism’s existence in China is a fact.
Knowing this, if you are or if you were black, would you come to live in China?
This is a question from a reader on the Racism in China post (clicking this will take …
Would you like to provide something useful to your readers? Would you like to have more people read what you have to say?
If so, the first thing you need to ask yourself is: What value are you providing to your readers?
If you can’t answer this question clearly & with a purpose, maybe it’s time to change, even if it’s just a little.
China bloggers: Sometimes Missing the Forest for the Trees
It’s pretty easy to see that most of the ‘easy’ topics in the China blog-o-sphere have already been done. If you have a blog about China, you probably have written about a number of such topics. Don’t beat yourself up about this, we all …
A friend of mine just turned me on to a British documentary that aired on Channel 4 back in May - Brits Get Rich In China.
For anyone contemplating exploring business opportunities in China, it should not be missed. An excellent primer, it shows exactly the amount of fortitude, patience and sheer luck you need to be successful here.
The film centers around three businessmen all looking to make their fortunes in the Middle Kingdom. The retired Territorial Army officer hocking his energy saving invention; the mild mannered cushion manufacturer praying just as hard for the concrete to dry at his factory as much as he is for scoring some big orders; and Vance.
With every word out of his mouth a four-letter …
Being a blogger in China comes with some cool benefits. Interesting content is generally only a trip to the supermarket away; every topic is controversial, so comments and conversation is a near guarantee; China’s a hot global topic, and so a reader-base is not something you need to pursue with much vigilance.
However, damned if it doesn’t seem like the powers that be in this country aren’t out to stop us, and our wily noodle-blogging ways. First it was Blogger and Wikipedia, then EVERY free blog platform, then Flickr’s photo servers, and now… FeedBurner.
Honestly, what the fuck?
FeedBurner, for those that actually come to this blog to read it, is a way for you to read your …
It’s a question that every expat faces when visiting another country. Do you or do you not have a right to comment, complain, or question the politics of your host country?
There is no shortage of such commentary in the Chinese blogosphere, and many foreigners in China (and I’m by no means an exception) turn to posting their opinions of China’s short-comings on the internet.
There is also no shortage of readers who will tell all these writers to shut up or go home.
I sincerely admire the China veterans like John at Sinosplice, who as his site claims, manages to stay completely apolitical in his commentary. Or the guys over at China Law Blog, who remain …
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