tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35550291877009271172024-03-05T20:40:20.215+08:00The Peking Order京制Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-62186991303732516192010-02-03T20:11:00.003+08:002010-02-03T20:18:10.117+08:00A cheesy interview with Angry Editor<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><a href="http://www.angryeditor.com/">Angry Editor</a>, </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">My obsessive Chinese alter-ego, </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">was interviewed by my company's internal magazine. This may go some way toward explaining what all those strange Chinese tweets and Facebook updates have been about.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /></span><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“I’m English. I’m an editor at one of the world’s leading PR agencies. I’ve had enough!” This is how </span><strong style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Jeremy Webb</strong><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> introduces himself on his Chinese-language website, Angry Editor. The Buzz asked him a few questions about this increasingly popular blog.</span></span> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>What is Angry Editor?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Angry Editor deals with the mistakes and style issues I frequently encounter as an editor of written English in China. Previously, when I explained my edits face-to-face, my colleagues would be surprised that they had been making a certain mistake and extremely grateful that I had pointed it out. My blog is simply an extension of these conversations.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Why “angry”?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Writing posts in an “angry” tone hopefully makes an otherwise dry, academic subject more memorable and interesting to read. Of course, anyone who is in any way involved with writing will have developed a few pet hates. While these might wind me up a little, I never actually get angry.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Has Angry Editor offended anyone yet?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">No, I don’t see how it could. Angry Editor does not single out actual examples, and I have never explicitly mentioned Ogilvy, let alone individual colleagues.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Aren’t some issues simply a matter of personal writing style?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Of course. And so not all “Angry Edits” correct mistakes, as such. For example, the use of “to join hands” when describing cooperation between two companies might be perfectly acceptable to some people; to me, it is a cliché. When dealing with the aesthetics of language, I make it clear that such edits are based on my personal opinion and are therefore fully open to debate.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>What has been the most debated Angry Edit?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">There were over 200 comments – many in disagreement – on an impassioned case I made against the abbreviation “etc.” when used in conjunction with the expression “including.” Such online debate is beneficial for everyone, including me.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Are you qualified to correct people’s English?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I have done a fair amount of English writing, editing and translation. But more importantly, I am fascinated with how language works. What I don’t know, therefore, I will go to great lengths to figure out.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>What has been the biggest challenge with Angry Editor?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Writing regularly in my second language has not been easy, especially as readers show little mercy to my less-than-perfect Chinese. This is hardly unsurprising, and I imagine people thinking, “What right does this guy have to correct us if his Chinese is not perfect?”</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Don’t they have a point?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">My Chinese will never be as good as my English, and I am sure people understand that. At the same time, I am very careful to make sure that my articles make perfect sense and are easy to follow. I sometimes also ask Chinese friends to proofread.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>What is the next stage?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I am currently trying to write a book. One day, I would also like to deal with PowerPoint design issues that drive me crazy, and even use podcasts as a way of correcting common mistakes in spoken English.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Visit Angry Editor at <a href="http://www.angryeditor.com/">http://www.angryeditor.com</a> or <a href="http://blog.sina.com.cn/angryeditor">http://blog.sina.com.cn/angryeditor</a>.</span></p>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-90129373302122883362010-01-21T18:22:00.004+08:002010-01-23T18:47:19.369+08:00China Viral Video: Thailand brings another challenger<div style="text-align: justify;" class="entry inner"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;" ><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;" ><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;" >This online ad for Chinese car maker <a href="http://www.chery.cn/">Chery</a> </span><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">has been viewed 2,782,911 times on Youku and has received 843 comments since it was uploaded on January 9th. This is, therefore, a very significant viral video in China.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /><br /><embed src="http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMTQ0MjYzOTI4/v.swf" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" width="460" height="370"></embed><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Embedded link doesn't work? Try clicking <a href="http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQ0MjYzOTI4.html">here</a>.</span><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">A reference to a recent challenge made against Chinese kungfu by Thai boxers, the car featured in the ad defeats the foreign challenger before kungfu even has a chance. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;" >According to <a href="http://buzz.youku.com/2010/01/16/friday-fan-fave-fives-for-the-week-of-january-15-2010/">Youku Buzz</a></span><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">, which has also written about this “banal” clip, this was Youku’s most-viewed video last week. At the time of writing my post, there were twice as many thumbs up as there were thumbs down. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Despite this apparant support, the comments, which began overwhelmingly positive, end up being almost exclusively negative. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I think there are much more sophisticated ways of appealing to nationalism than this. This ad has none of the things I think make a good viral: it doesn’t make me laugh, it doesn’t evoke any emotion, and it doesn’t teach me anything.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Kudos is due, however, for getting the ad out in time to resonate with the recent martial arts showdown. This is the only legitimate reason I can think of why it has had so much positive attention.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">One recent comment suggests another theory, “The people that gave this a thumbs up were employed by the company…”</span></span></span></p> </div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-56293059106047133302010-01-08T01:26:00.004+08:002010-01-08T01:40:32.608+08:00China Viral Video - Where the hell in Guangzhou is Matt?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Below is a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago for Ogilvy </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.asiadigitalmap.com/">Asia Digital Map</a><span style="font-style: italic;">:</span><br /><br /><br />“Foreigner lights up Guangzhou by dancing like a weirdo,” (老外搞怪舞功燃烧广州), appeared a couple of weeks ago on Chinese video-sharing site Youku. At the time of writing, the clip had been viewed 648,791 times.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >The dancer, who is probably not called Matt, is dancing in Guangzhou, host of the upcoming Asian Games. The annoying catchy soundtrack tells viewers to put up their hands and cheer for Asia.</span><br /><br /><embed style="font-family: verdana;" src="http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMTM1NTQxNDY4/v.swf" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" width="480" height="400"></embed><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Look familiar?</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >It may remind some of another viral video phenomenon, “Where the Hell is Matt”, which also starred a white man dancing stupidly in various locations:</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zlfKdbWwruY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zlfKdbWwruY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="400"></embed></object></span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Although nobody appears to be claiming credit for the Guangzhou clip, it was probably commercially produced, most likely by an official body linked to the Games or by Jianlibao (健力宝), the beverage brand that appears toward the end of the clip.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Many of the people who have left comments are similarly suspicious, while many others appear to be genuinely impressed and moved.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >A couple of the clip’s viewers also point out the similarity with Matt’s video, calling it a “rip-off Where the Hell is Matt.”</span><br /></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-14919422163806971352009-12-16T21:04:00.004+08:002009-12-16T21:14:04.975+08:00Stingy characters – are Chinese microblogs more generous than Twitter?<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">Yes, another Ogilvy blog. View the original, complete with cheesy bio, <a href="http://www.asiadigitalmap.com/2009/12/stingy-characters-%E2%80%93-are-chinese-microblogs-more-generous-than-twitter/">here</a>.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">---------------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">Chinese microblog platforms have one major thing in common with Twitter, they limit updates to 140 characters. However, since a Chinese character generally conveys much more meaning than a single letter of the Roman alphabet, a Chinese microblog update can say a lot more than one in English.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">As a very rough guide, four Chinese characters (新浪微博) are used to describe one of China’s leading microblog platforms, while fourteen characters are needed to write its English translation, Sina Microblog.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">Similarly, 推特 - the Chinese for Twitter, does in two characters what English does in seven.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">In addition, Chinese sentences do not need any spaces to make sense, even after punctuation marks.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">Admittedly, posts on Chinese microblogs are often a mixture of English words and Chinese; and the online cultures of China and the English-language speaking world abbreviate in different ways.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">However, despite these qualifying factors, by offering the same 140-character limit, microblogs are being much less stingy to Chinese writers than people updating in English.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">So, a company or an individual can say a lot more. And quite often, they do just that. First, look at this fairly typical Twitter update from microblog aficionados, Dell (@DellOutlet):</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1298" src="http://www.asiadigitalmap.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/twitterdell.png" alt="twitterdell" width="403" height="114" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">Below is another update, also from Dell (@delldirect), on Chinese “twitter-like” site, Zuosa.com:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1299" src="http://www.asiadigitalmap.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/sinadell.png" alt="sinadell" width="457" height="99" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">In just 114 characters, this Dell microblogger had managed to say the following:<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:maroon;">Dell’s National Day Sale will run from Sept 11 to Oct 8. To celebrate the 60<sup>th</sup> anniversary w. the motherland, Dell Home Computers is offering 6 cool gifts & </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color:maroon;">deals on </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color:maroon;">10 computer </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color:maroon;">models</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color:maroon;">. These exciting offers will run non-stop for 4 weeks.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color:maroon;"> Also, get a free upgrade to color casing & a 512MB </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color:maroon;">independent </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color:maroon;">graphics card, as well as other service upgrades. All offers are on a first-come-first-serve basis. What R U waiting 4? Act now!</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color:maroon;"><br /></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" face="verdana" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">It doesn’t look so “micro” now, does it? By using only part of their allowance, Dell managed to say the equivalent of 430 English-language characters.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="verdana" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" face="verdana" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">When it comes to microblogs, I am less likely to read long updates; fat blocks of characters – English or Chinese – put me off.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:small;">Of course, not everyone is as lazy as me. However, companies should think about whether they should take advantage of these slightly less “micro” opportunities by writing longer updates. Personally, I think they shouldn’t. In this case, less is definitely more. </span></span></p>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-72665770300141349922009-12-07T21:16:00.003+08:002009-12-07T21:34:57.672+08:00Blogilvy: China’s first government microblog feed<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Below is a more serious entry. It is related to my job at Ogilvy PR. Until I convince anyone at work to let me get properly involved in a real social media campaign, blogging for them will have to suffice.<br /><br />Here is the original link: http://www.asiadigitalmap.com/2009/12/yunnanmicroblog/<br /><br />For those that can be bothered to read on, you will notice a conspicuous lack of wordplay. I am shy. Puns will have to wait.<br /><br /></span>On November 21, the southwestern province of Yunnan launched China’s first official government microblog feed.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlmSa9c-6sCM4jizpSR4kVJFRAeeCki5imNH07rzjAlUsqPPXweMHt1ekrqqbp_c3m14fQL4KRTUnazB2CysTYWHAJlvrLXXBxFXwISocwq4tpfAvlpe_y3unvMbuupMSRJVNxjlfFuIg/s1600-h/YunnanMicroblog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlmSa9c-6sCM4jizpSR4kVJFRAeeCki5imNH07rzjAlUsqPPXweMHt1ekrqqbp_c3m14fQL4KRTUnazB2CysTYWHAJlvrLXXBxFXwISocwq4tpfAvlpe_y3unvMbuupMSRJVNxjlfFuIg/s400/YunnanMicroblog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412484865006124994" border="0" /></a><br />Among the first entries, which are published on the “Twitter-like” Sina microblog platform (新浪微博), was a post about a recent protest in the city of Kunming. The 130-Chinese-character response to the incident was rapid and relatively open.<br /><br />Since its first post two weeks ago, the Yunnan government has updated its microblog 27 times, using the service to make various announcements, from manufacturing safety records to a drinking song competition in the province. At the time of writing, “Yunnan Microblog” (@云南微博) had 13,087 followers.<br /><br />Governments use microblogging platforms to achieve various goals. A good microblog, for example, can allow governments to present a more “human” face. Yunnan Microblog, however, is currently little more than a news feed. Posts are written by “Yunnan,” rather than a person with a real name; and, with a couple of exceptions, the language used is dry and official sounding.<br /><br />Governments can also use microblogs to monitor public sentiment. One of the ways Sina’s microblogging platform is different from Twitter is that it allows comments under each post. The Kunming protest entry, for example, received 41 comments. However, since Chinese social media platforms engage in self-censorship, Sina Microblog is unlikely to provide opportunities to speak out against government. As one person joked, “No comment… too afraid.”<br /><br />This same feature could also have been used to create more interactive dialogue between netizens and the government. Yunnan Microblog, however, is yet use the platform to respond to any of its comments.<br /><br />While conservative use of the platform, combined with China’s Internet restrictions, may limit the platform’s potential for meaningful engagement, Yunnan is certain to benefit in some way from this involvement in the online conversation. The provincial government and the public have a new direct link to one another. This, at the very least, is a step in the right direction. </span></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-63853076233437526572009-11-08T13:44:00.004+08:002009-11-08T13:58:12.722+08:00German man killed in hijacked Beijing taxi<div style="text-align: justify;"> <meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <link style="font-family: verdana;" rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/Jez/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:宋体; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:Hei; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1 0 16778254 0 262144 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:77; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:宋体; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </div><p style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span>
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">At around 05:00 this morning, police found a 21-year-old German man dead in a Beijing taxi. The car had hit a tree beside Beijing’s East Fourth Ring Road, between Siyuan Bridge and Xiaoyun Bridge. A woman lay injured on the backseat.
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">Approximately one hour after police discovered the vehicle, the taxi’s driver appeared on the scene, claiming that the foreign man had stolen the car.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">According to the driver, the woman hailed the taxi near Lido Hotel at around 04:00, asking to be taken to Baiziwan. Before the driver set off, a man suddenly began banging on the car door. After dragging the driver out of the car, the man drove off with the woman in the backseat.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">“I had no idea what was going on,” said the driver.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">The woman is currently recovering in a Beijing hospital, and according to doctors, is not in a critical state.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span>
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">Because the incident took place in a remote area, there were no witnesses. Police are investigating the matter.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span>
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">The above is based on an article today’s Beijing News that I found reposted online:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">http://fzwb.ynet.com/article.jsp?oid=57544885 (Chinese).</span>
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p face="verdana" style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-10770584829054432622009-10-06T12:04:00.017+08:002009-10-06T15:15:52.026+08:00Social media in China - Sina Twitter & Douban<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Due to the "technical difficulties" of living in China, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The Peking Order</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> has not been updated for quite some time. Apologies for that, it should be OK for a while now.<br /><br />In the meantime, a combination of boredom, frustration and professional interest has driven me to Chinese social media equivalents of foreign sites that are inaccessible within China. The two that I have found most interesting so far are </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Sina Twitter </span><span style="font-size:85%;">and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Douban</span><span style="font-size:85%;">.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Sina Twitter</span> (Chinese: 新浪微博; Xīnlàng wēibó)<br /><br />Following a purge of Chinese "Twitter clones" that took place earlier this year, Chinese internet giant Sina has recently brought out its very own micro-blogging service, Sina Twitter.<br /><br />Although no official English name is clearly displayed on the site itself, in the official bilingual email that invites users to the site, the site is referred to as "Sina Twitter". The Chinese name translates directly as "Sina Microblog" (Perhaps Biz Stone et al. would be happier with that translation?!).<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Sina's</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> Twitter is very similar </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Twitter's </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Twitter. Apart from the fact that you don't need a VPN to access it in China and that functions have been given Chinese names, there are a few notable differences.<br /><br />At the moment, there seems to be no desktop app like Tweetdeck or Twhirl that can be used with Sina Twitter. "Tweets" must be made either at the website or via text message, which is free of charge for China Mobile and China Unicom users.<br /><br />The other main difference I have noticed is the amount of celebrities that already use this site. Most famous users are film or pop stars, but currently with the most number of followers (51,193 at the time of writing) is Lee Kai-fu, the former head of Google China.<br /><br />Identical to Twitter, each post must be no longer than 140 characters. However, since a single Chinese character can represent entire words or concepts, a single tweet can convey far more than an English-language Twitter post.<br /><br />For more detail, read Steven Milward's <a href="http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/sinobytes/post.htm?id=63013834">report</a> on CNet.<br /><br />To keep up-to-date on what I am doing, follow my very own Sina Twitter feed at <a href="http://t.sina.com.cn/angryeditor">http://t.sina.com.cn/angryeditor</a>.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Please note: Still in the beta phase, Sina Twitter can only be used on an invite-only basis. For an invite, please let me know in the comments below. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >2. Douban.com </span><span style="font-size:85%;">(</span><span lang="zh" style="font-size:85%;">Chinese: 豆瓣</span><span style="font-size:85%;">; <em>Dòubàn</em>)<br /><br />Established in 2005, Douban is social network that, in some ways, is identical to Facebook: Users maintain a profile with basic information, add friends and post messages on the profile pages of other users.<br /><br />Douban distinguishes itself from Facebook by focusing more on users' interests, with discussion groups and fan pages of bands, brand names and celebrities etc. On their personal pages, users can list books they have read, the music they have listened to and the films they have watched. Based on these interactions, people add can friends based on common interests. Unlike Facebook, therefore, a large amount of a user's friends are often people that they do not necessarily have a "real-world" relationship with.<br /><br />According to an <a href="http://www.danwei.org/internet_culture/ah_bei_ceo_of_doubancom_on_th.php">article</a> on Danwei.org, which includes an interview with the founder, the website has dominated the online cultural scene for the last four years."<br /><br />And according to a Chinese friend, Douban is predominantly used by 文青. She describes this group as "hipsters", or "young people interested in cultural phenomena". I would go for something like "young, educated, artsy types".<br /><br />My Douban profile can be found at: <a href="http://www.douban.com/people/11610289/">http://www.douban.com/people/11610289/</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When I have time, I may write more about these Chinese sites. To be updated, please subscribe to The Peking Order RSS Feed (see sidebar).</span><br /></span></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-20906920962793887042009-09-21T20:04:00.003+08:002009-09-21T20:22:49.874+08:00"To the foreigners" - A notice from the local police<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The following appeared outside my door earlier this evening:<br /><br /></span>To the foreigners:<br /><br />October 1st, 2009 is the 60th anniversary of founding the People's Republic of China, Celebrations and Eve Gala Evenings will be held accordingly. The close down and cordon off area will include the area that you live in curtain period. For the smooth going of your daily life, we take pleasure in announcing the following issues:<br /></span></div><ol style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Please reduce your going out as possibly as you can. While having to go out, please definitely take your passport and the <temporary>temporary accommodation register form.</temporary></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">You had better refuse the visitors who possibly cannot arrive at your abode.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Please save certain of living necessity, then the peripheral store won't can provide convenience.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Please obey the policeman's direction and control. Your co-operations are most appreciated.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Please pay attention to the government's announcement about traffic control, and work well your route of travel arrangement in advance.</span></li></ol><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Dong Cheng District Public Security Bureau wish you having a happy life in our magistracy!<br /><br />Dong Cheng District Public Security Bureau<br />September 4, 2009<br /></span></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-87839761794927950662009-09-16T20:27:00.011+08:002009-09-16T21:18:52.971+08:00Vintage Beij 3: Chinese girls for US soldiers<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">。</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">。</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwTpAqADhAStDcOeE5X2GCRMD1hI-mEA6qG919BG80JNY7n0vTIjSwFuNUTfCQEVBLecE49kOeHEyyDjXV-7JlQSh1k-xs16ojCnM9wCbb-qlfUSJJcYPA2XXlbOOFSLvi4y_wFsF5loH/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 87px; height: 366px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwTpAqADhAStDcOeE5X2GCRMD1hI-mEA6qG919BG80JNY7n0vTIjSwFuNUTfCQEVBLecE49kOeHEyyDjXV-7JlQSh1k-xs16ojCnM9wCbb-qlfUSJJcYPA2XXlbOOFSLvi4y_wFsF5loH/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382045338515515666" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >By popular demand, more of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Guide to China </span>- a introduction to China for US soldiers in 1943.<br /><br />An edited version of the Guide, which has had the lovable wartime racism of my <a href="http://thepekingorder.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-webb-how-to-spot-jap.html">earlier post</a> removed, can be read <a href="http://www.archive.org/stream/PocketGuideToChina#page/n13/mode/2up">here</a> at the <a href="http://www.archive.org/index.php">Internet Archive.<br /></a><br />Perhaps the highlight for me was the booklet's timeless advice on Chinese girls:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">THE modern Chinese girl, in her long, closely fitting gown, her bare arms and short hair, is often very pretty. Yet it is well to remember that in China the attitude toward women is different from ours in America. Chinese women in some ways are more free than they </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">are here in America — that is, they do some things which American women don't yet do. They are in the Army, they fight side by side with the guerrillas. But in their relations with men they haven't the same freedom as women have in America.<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">There are Chinese girls in cabarets and places of amusement who may be used to free and easy ways. But the average Chinese girl will be insulted If you touch her, or will take you more seriously than you probably want to be taken. A mistake in this may cause a lot of trouble. </span><br /></span></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-31515785273302060032009-09-13T14:28:00.015+08:002009-09-13T15:35:08.655+08:00Bald Grass Mud Horses - 草泥光头马<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span>
<br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass_Mud_Horse">grass mud horse</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">cao ni ma</span> (草泥马) - is a popular Chinese Internet phrase used as symbolic defiance of Internet censorship in China. The Chinese words for "grass mud horse" sound very similar to the common profanity 肏你妈. which translates as "fuck your mother".
<br />
<br />Videos, cartoons and merchandise of this mythical animal, which resembles the alpaca, have been widely circulating online since early last year. However, it was only recently that I received these photographs of <a href="http://thepekingorder.blogspot.com/2008/10/restraint-of-beasts-my-work-is-done.html">my family farm</a>'s very own grass mud horses looking quite unlike the bushy creatures that attempt to subjugate the Chinese government's attempts at control.
<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span>
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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglv04XYRnOpM4s8jBhBwM9W1EjfMcU1lBDtYD5U0EKBX9Qzzv9T700A2cQrpq8Yglg8LE3tjdLv3ggAYvOpAel8QT-Vgp1MtrI1XlJRAtFTuzOm1DMjeexPzkH2JrVeWSrVdkZutKJqHtr/s400/alpaca+shearing+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380839494860064258" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >.</span>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" lang="EN-US" >Since the grass mud horse, or<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" lang="EN-US" ><span style="font-style: italic;">cao ni ma</span>, is</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" lang="EN-US" > used as defiance of censorship in China</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >, I wonder if there is any different hidden agenda of Brickfield Farm's very own Bald Grass Mud Horses, or <span style="font-style: italic;">cao ni guangtou ma</span> (草泥光头马)?</span>
<br /></div>
<br />Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-34519688317402176082009-09-08T21:59:00.007+08:002009-09-08T22:27:50.416+08:00On the Webb: How to spot a jap<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >How does one "tell the difference between the Japs and our oriental allies?"</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Well, I had no idea before I read the handy Pocket Guide to China - a 72-page booklet distributed to US soldiers during their stay in China during World War Two [Click images to enlarge]:</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQd8MqGNpZTcYaiXr96iyLaM8FDOJgo6B6c_A5quFeUNV3p6cA0s_tceFsBnPtbcsbZaoovg5EFTr0bTDD6cFDo3EZmx0WUVE6MMRi7zQPVxmTrieaOF97LLeJ-va2hh_yXuiPBWVYdqI/s1600-h/J1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQd8MqGNpZTcYaiXr96iyLaM8FDOJgo6B6c_A5quFeUNV3p6cA0s_tceFsBnPtbcsbZaoovg5EFTr0bTDD6cFDo3EZmx0WUVE6MMRi7zQPVxmTrieaOF97LLeJ-va2hh_yXuiPBWVYdqI/s320/J1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379097697521907378" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmodeQYQ1956Hy5znfbQg-y549HJc6j7XU7svxBJm1wWkScgx-QYsB6JuUbwaHdRrENmcpqkrA-frN7jiSYXtDx02_JaAOQPcIINP2Ho6C_0QfHmPs5e35uVds5wCcL-AE5mgbpY1YFkPf/s1600-h/J2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmodeQYQ1956Hy5znfbQg-y549HJc6j7XU7svxBJm1wWkScgx-QYsB6JuUbwaHdRrENmcpqkrA-frN7jiSYXtDx02_JaAOQPcIINP2Ho6C_0QfHmPs5e35uVds5wCcL-AE5mgbpY1YFkPf/s400/J2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099945432713874" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSTdebfJHrHmdDyKCg0PzEBKnoAHLCW-_tPagOZr9UHFF36lAZmuz4LrAdkx-B0xJQhulibGyo_d_YbsNBUZVg_yQbbQNEWXlpL6niz7sFPYT2Rw8c0B1dweCzoIKTbRZ8Er2XSGXPeKT/s1600-h/J3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSTdebfJHrHmdDyKCg0PzEBKnoAHLCW-_tPagOZr9UHFF36lAZmuz4LrAdkx-B0xJQhulibGyo_d_YbsNBUZVg_yQbbQNEWXlpL6niz7sFPYT2Rw8c0B1dweCzoIKTbRZ8Er2XSGXPeKT/s400/J3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099672161671890" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXoS-lfgpBjhnSE0tlJi9x4gbxWBZig_JYYU0kEWhscg8RwtSeUcRa0FE-pRxkAST1EL2FZ5MBLeM1-w_OYN5d4iIjQrs09VRKTcZnH24yuHU98OpDFAzwxyRGmHGlVgqGEj4xQhTZMpe/s1600-h/J4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXoS-lfgpBjhnSE0tlJi9x4gbxWBZig_JYYU0kEWhscg8RwtSeUcRa0FE-pRxkAST1EL2FZ5MBLeM1-w_OYN5d4iIjQrs09VRKTcZnH24yuHU98OpDFAzwxyRGmHGlVgqGEj4xQhTZMpe/s400/J4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099663559960162" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolwoYAWfAlrgpZxWy7NTvSPRaa4lDyYT5fBDcgDPqWvKkOj0aynJf6DFAK0eaf9GHWWOWkSnRdZVGKmqmQBqzW0kAouoAER38xAWQJGMtsHvm2A9ugwHY3xRoq9ZdbAbTde0Nk86oxHip/s1600-h/J5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolwoYAWfAlrgpZxWy7NTvSPRaa4lDyYT5fBDcgDPqWvKkOj0aynJf6DFAK0eaf9GHWWOWkSnRdZVGKmqmQBqzW0kAouoAER38xAWQJGMtsHvm2A9ugwHY3xRoq9ZdbAbTde0Nk86oxHip/s400/J5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099651668394322" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMS7-QL5HOYkbTw5E_ccOqLi_St_T7KsO075ziDPEUl5LJVlsykKUniOGsT58M1r50PNDfLohDjfc5ylLZtnG_fYsmMk4SFiO6bkHTqOKv9LMPFTvMKkn5y2Ci9WqwMJttjfv7V61T3Z1/s1600-h/J%5E.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMS7-QL5HOYkbTw5E_ccOqLi_St_T7KsO075ziDPEUl5LJVlsykKUniOGsT58M1r50PNDfLohDjfc5ylLZtnG_fYsmMk4SFiO6bkHTqOKv9LMPFTvMKkn5y2Ci9WqwMJttjfv7V61T3Z1/s400/J%5E.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099638122242642" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Ppe2RIY1EKuFDyjofzOsn_Iotn4fBisZDbtMMO5yIvD9mQeDlfaLLJJKmFjpaTqZHfmz_KWu8K_6SQ5o4nm5y-oOP1FTD0FcQp48DADA0lnVZTl7nz-663eBomb6jwpxBTy27GvOHY6d/s1600-h/J7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Ppe2RIY1EKuFDyjofzOsn_Iotn4fBisZDbtMMO5yIvD9mQeDlfaLLJJKmFjpaTqZHfmz_KWu8K_6SQ5o4nm5y-oOP1FTD0FcQp48DADA0lnVZTl7nz-663eBomb6jwpxBTy27GvOHY6d/s400/J7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099647220282850" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Read a recent post on the <a href="http://www.post-concrete.com/blog/?p=1601">Institute of East Asiatic Venomology</a> for Chinese translations. </span><br /></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-10021970278553055252009-09-01T21:56:00.013+08:002009-09-01T22:48:46.850+08:00Chocolate girl – racism and reality TV in China<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...<br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; text-align: left; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="">m</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVLS1bmo3fgN0FuSWgrTrymhgaJ48Kh02PoogKzARGXw_rwudTZVi2U-29RCiijcw32an-22YOLokReK36MIpHlSuX2tzOk7RB2RzgUBV335pXPaamQndKQIhji5HfF40if_1oHvP40wm/s320/Lou+Jing" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376500162043451810" border="0" /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Meet Lou Jing (</span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">娄婧</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">), a mixed-race Chinese girl who is tormented in the following clip by presenters of the show Let’s Go! Oriental Angels (</span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">加油!东方天使</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">). The contest, in which Lou Jing got to the final rounds of the Shanghai heat, has been running throughout August on Dragon TV. <span>For those that need don't know Chinese, or who can't see the clip, a rough translation follows.</span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMTExNzMxNDAw/v.swf" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="400" width="480"></embed><br /><br /><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The patronising female presenter begins by asking: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“Lou Jing, so you’re mixed race, how come your Chinese is so good?”</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">This is not the first time Lou Jing has been asked this irritating question. Un-phased, she replies:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> “My mum is Shanghainese, and I grew up in Shanghai.”</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The questioning continues, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“And your father is…”</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Amid nervous laughter, Lou Jing slips in that her father is American. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">However, presenter number two doesn’t let her get off the hook that easily. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“Right up until Lou Jing was 16, she thought her father was Shanghainese… Ro</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">ll the clip!”</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Next, cue the harrowing music. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“20-year-old Lou Jing was born into a single-parent family. Her father was a black man of American nationality, who didn’t know he had made Lou Jing’s mother pregnant... He left Lou Jing’s mother and returned to the US... Lou Jing’s mother had no choice but to raise her daughter alone…” </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Following what is edited as a horrific news item, two presenters go on to ask her whether she ever wanted to know more about her father. After all sorts of nonsense, the presenters really manage to bring on the waterworks by suggesting that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“Daddy could be in some corner of the world listening to you now...”</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Personally, I would have been upset enough about the way the show was put together. However, for Lou Jing, who became lovingly (?) refered to as “chocolate girl,” and her mother, things were about to get a lot worse as Chinese netizens sunk their teeth in.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Most of the attacks are aimed at the mother, who according to one netizen is a “whore” for messing around with a black guy. China Hush, where I originally found this story, has translated number of comments and opinion (read commentary translations </span></span><a href="http://www.chinahush.com/2009/09/01/shanghai-black-girl-lou-jing/"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">).</span></span></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:verdana;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">This is a touching story. One that might have been touching enough to constitute the first half of a Disney movie plot, if only her voice had been a bit easier to listen to. If you can bear it, listen below to more of chocolate girl. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><embed src="http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMTE1MDc5NDI4/v.swf" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="400" width="480"></embed></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 14px;font-family:verdana;font-size:12px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-45105404670377049022009-08-17T21:35:00.005+08:002009-08-17T22:13:24.062+08:00On the Webb: Tatt’s China for ya!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">An recent </span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2588264/Etch-a-fish-craze-is-condemned.html#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=China"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">article</span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"> in </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The Sun</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"> about some “fishy” goings on in China reveals that lasers are being used to “etch images on the scales of parrot fish.”</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhev1nwJ3jHWi9GxOzyHIQDq1TxS9pGpvIPeJHsXpDQkTBoWRy7INxSz_77bHE8ACLgiBsJuzZ_oddy3JQViDk4eKyU16G97utHTmlfiPXS0q9q3e3NdKO0Vv2CBUAlZPL8u_KAAPCkvwyt/s320/tatooed+fish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370934668116741714" /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Have I got tattoos for you!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The report implies that this is a new “craze,” claiming that this bizarre practice began recently in the Chinese city of Chengdu. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">However, at least a couple of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Peking Order</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> readers will disagree; some friends and I once saw these interesting “characters” in markets in the southern province of Yunnan, as far back as 2006. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While this report will come as no surprise to my travelling companions, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Sun</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> goes some way towards explaining how those characters came to be on the fish, a question that has been troubling my friends and I for years. According to the article, “Fish are placed in special tattooing machines and emerge the other end with images permanently engraved on their skin.”<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The report quotes a pet shop owner as saying that "The machine is quite choosy about which fish it can cope with. Most of the fish tattooed are parrot fish, since they have a high survival rate."<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sick as a parrot fish? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The article goes on to quote a marine expert who condemns the practise, saying: "It is cruel and unnatural. For every one that survives, there are dozens that die in laser accidents." </span></div></span></span>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-58998948143585124162009-08-13T19:56:00.010+08:002009-08-13T20:37:00.830+08:00On the Webb: Debunking the MSG myth<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 10px; ">.</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 10px;">.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">In an </span></span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/12/msg-allergy-chinese-restaurant-syndrome-myth"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">article</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"> on the Guardian website yesterday, Jeremy Goldkorn states what I suspected all along: MSG is nothing to worry about.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The story is based on various articles and academic studies, which all agree that the food additive MSG (monosodium glutamate) in normal concentrations has no effect on the overwhelming majority of people.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 10px; ">.</span><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The article also mentions a couple of things I did not know:</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">“Chefs who don't use glutamate crystals use soy sauce in most recipes, and soy sauce tastes good precisely because it's chock full of glutamates.”</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">One quoted article featured a random test where an “MSG complainer” was secretely fed a meal full of the additive. He did not complain, because he did not know he was eating it.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">Parmasan, Marmite and seaweed is also packed full of glutamates.</span></span></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">I never believed "MSG complainers" - not one of them had ever told me exactly what the stuff is, what it does to you, or even what it tastes like.</span></span></div> <!--EndFragment-->Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-15554342858070995442009-08-10T20:49:00.007+08:002009-08-10T21:32:10.821+08:00China, cheesier than ever...<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >.</span><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; 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<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV5lqPJwbMNk9_sRHf2IWtsB8H-TEwTS6zyuT4JISXGXI3TffBoMOmEODzFuERCNQHvFyI_N1ggJA-EoFxbmwpB45jqsmSULRr00QwGdL1NlRd6J9boBORlef_VVAz2SYUILX_STuFK0B/s1600-h/BeijingCheesemaker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV5lqPJwbMNk9_sRHf2IWtsB8H-TEwTS6zyuT4JISXGXI3TffBoMOmEODzFuERCNQHvFyI_N1ggJA-EoFxbmwpB45jqsmSULRr00QwGdL1NlRd6J9boBORlef_VVAz2SYUILX_STuFK0B/s320/BeijingCheesemaker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368317589871324626" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: center; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Say Cheese...
<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Liu Yang learned his craft in France while studying management. After befriending a shepherd who taught him how to make goat's cheese in Corsica, he<o:p></o:p> enrolled at the local agricultural school. "All the people studying with me came from cheese-making families and they were all French. I was the only foreigner and I couldn't make cheese," he is quoted as saying.
<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">On his return to China, he set up shop, importing equipment from France and asking a local engineer to make him a cheese-making vat. Mr Liu makes blue cheeses and a Camembert with the slightly disappointing name, "Beijing Grey."
<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Having thought hard about Chinese cheese names suitable for The Peking Order, I came up with a controversial mild Dutch cheese made on the Yangtze River, the “Three Gorges Edam.”
<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Another suggestion for Mr Liu is a tribute to China’s first emperor and his mausoleum in Xi’an, the “TerRICOTTA Warrior.”</span></p> Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-16469731517950488352009-08-05T08:50:00.005+08:002009-08-05T19:26:05.608+08:00Over 1,000 websites feature “problem maps”<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >According to an <a href="http://epaper.thebeijingnews.com/xjb/html/2009-08/05/content_392550.htm">article</a> in today’s Beijing News, as part of a recent drive to correct “geographical information,” authorities in Beijing have found that over 1,000 websites contain maps with “bits left out” or “incorrect bits.”</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >Approximately 10,000 websites were reviewed, including large Chinese sites like Sina and Netease. Most of the 1,000 problem websites were identified because of irregularities relating to Chinese territory.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >The article goes only some way to clarify the vague terms used, saying that in some cases, Chinese territory, including the disputed Diaoyu Islands and Taiwan, had been marked as being outside of China. In other cases, “state secrets” had been divulged.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >Various departments, including the Beijing planning authority and the Ministry of Commerce, will form a joint taskforce to audit the sites. According to a government official quoted by the newspaper, websites will be dealt with according to nature of the irregularities., with the most serious violators being shut down. </span><br /></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-75869171313470360782009-07-29T21:55:00.018+08:002009-07-29T23:12:59.176+08:00Beij 3: MOKOnut<span style="font-size:78%;"><i style=""><span style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /></span></i></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><i style=""><span style="">The Peking Order</span></i></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> is committed to seeking out exciting phenomena in China, especially when those exciting media phenomena involve half-naked women. This week, <i style="">Beij 3</i> features <a href="http://www.moko.cc/">MOKO.cc</a> – an extremely popular Chinese social network that appeals both to the narcissism of women in China and the lust of humans, well... everywhere.</span></div><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5HSbK9bYGnQX8nlvtvmjKrbdfsIJXpjsq3sYgcqC6cReLJ2gxUwwyJ8b3i3WZiiJb_VDBtIysPT8VBOMg5xBdNpnZGBGt1563Fcut9asLbsMal7yxS5nO3gwN3uZh7ZciY6-8xf-AuW7/s1600-h/panshuangshuang"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5HSbK9bYGnQX8nlvtvmjKrbdfsIJXpjsq3sYgcqC6cReLJ2gxUwwyJ8b3i3WZiiJb_VDBtIysPT8VBOMg5xBdNpnZGBGt1563Fcut9asLbsMal7yxS5nO3gwN3uZh7ZciY6-8xf-AuW7/s400/panshuangshuang" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363884784169719186" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p></o:p>The premise is simple, just like Myspace or Facebook, members have a personal profile that allows them to list basic information and upload photos. So that members can be spotted and make network connections, they can be listed under various titles, i.e. Actor, Still Model, Car Show Girl, Producer, etc.<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">However, the reasons that MOKO looks so good are also the things that make it different from other social network sites:<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b style=""><br /></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b style="">1. There is a selective registration process</b>. According to the site, </span><span style="font-size:78%;">only 10 percent of applicants get through the initial screening. What it is not mentioned are the criteria are used to choose members. Although it could be that the unlucky 90 percent did not fill out their form correctly, a quick look at member profiles </span><span style="font-size:78%;">(a "quick look" will be impossible for many) </span><span style="font-size:78%;"> would suggest it has a lot to do with looks.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kICjGLlW1lWKy-vcUm8IPyO7IBq8j4Z3dxXUF6GAzooLY-v74kGfZNe6b41qChQqF6s_eLIrRZ2KF_ksXwlkcDlMrSP3oQziGcsy3RLzA7McvPCvhRAXQzVNkZM0xA6AIdpQJcu29hdA/s1600-h/moko-top-girl-gaoxuezi-01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kICjGLlW1lWKy-vcUm8IPyO7IBq8j4Z3dxXUF6GAzooLY-v74kGfZNe6b41qChQqF6s_eLIrRZ2KF_ksXwlkcDlMrSP3oQziGcsy3RLzA7McvPCvhRAXQzVNkZM0xA6AIdpQJcu29hdA/s400/moko-top-girl-gaoxuezi-01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363886195204719698" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>2. The site has an offline presence</b></span><span style="font-size:78%;">. MOKO has a number of successful partnerships with magazines like Maxim and FHM, as well as Beijing nightspots, like LAN Club, which hosts regular MOKO parties.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3FmmDDv6ll6T0FthdCAsBUZV_YG2rNU4Ht3WjMAo5OWYyRBsQbLhJL4qWMVqclAFurwA5WEA1C88Ehv5t8qcxtVLPT7SIBJa98wT89s67JjtRxgtySaYh7JTNukDt0E4gfFnDS4fIdAH/s1600-h/MOKOparty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3FmmDDv6ll6T0FthdCAsBUZV_YG2rNU4Ht3WjMAo5OWYyRBsQbLhJL4qWMVqclAFurwA5WEA1C88Ehv5t8qcxtVLPT7SIBJa98wT89s67JjtRxgtySaYh7JTNukDt0E4gfFnDS4fIdAH/s320/MOKOparty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363881306569671842" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>3. MOKO makes photos look good.</b></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Once a member, people can apply to be a MOKO Top Girl (or a MOKO Top Man). Once accepted, members are invited for an interview and a photo shoot, all free of charge. The photos taken at the shoot are the photos you see all over the site. If you wonder why the some of the girls look too good to be true, they probably are - MOKO boasts that it photoshops the photos, also free of charge.<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddBNT924Xcv3ib3-Sg-mSBn6fPTb_ejomX46U9ua0SdrDUVeyWTCr5BRO2a9iCDhJF5BDlCyJjdSSgmBL9fTrgGmdINocENlJhbkKGPDzPpHiNmk9uoKXvbiTmVQ8IaIr6xkkPAU50a5L/s1600-h/Lucia"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddBNT924Xcv3ib3-Sg-mSBn6fPTb_ejomX46U9ua0SdrDUVeyWTCr5BRO2a9iCDhJF5BDlCyJjdSSgmBL9fTrgGmdINocENlJhbkKGPDzPpHiNmk9uoKXvbiTmVQ8IaIr6xkkPAU50a5L/s400/Lucia" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363890874144183106" border="0" /></a></p><p face="verdana" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><b>4. There is a voting system.</b></span><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span><span style="font-size:78%;">The votes of unregistered viewers are worth one point, the votes of members are worth five. Meet</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> Zhang Yinghan, who currently leads the MOKO Top Girl ranking with </span><span class="maincolorfont16" style="font-size:78%;">164,802 votes:</span></p><p face="verdana" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span class="maincolorfont16" style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQ7KLzfOhzirEEzXwg2S7GW-0y_YsTiAdGpxEVKz8R_ew1Bs8_eahzaS4PpHsGCqRrrN8VAcgWaCjfh0ukyt-tv-Eo44GpA1yhc1m1vI4V6_hqMNC6U0oJzt4t151GixPNUBQR1fxFo8v/s1600-h/Zhang+Yinghan"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQ7KLzfOhzirEEzXwg2S7GW-0y_YsTiAdGpxEVKz8R_ew1Bs8_eahzaS4PpHsGCqRrrN8VAcgWaCjfh0ukyt-tv-Eo44GpA1yhc1m1vI4V6_hqMNC6U0oJzt4t151GixPNUBQR1fxFo8v/s400/Zhang+Yinghan" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363886202035585538" border="0" /></a></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-28583578678437270122009-07-27T22:15:00.006+08:002009-07-27T22:39:13.627+08:00On the Webb: Blackie's KONGKAST<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ddd</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUz7Js1dlYOqh8QTmSlZtlqn5TFpXwbgiPq0BnLOvPzUFx-uLoYHgOsbmgnbF2jaAKJWmLUeDT3vSC-xtcTjj8FXoM6Tg42dfxcbYPA7AQ3fyk4opo7Q2PYs60XG_TVNvujgF-DW3jMua/s1600-h/kongkast94_blackie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUz7Js1dlYOqh8QTmSlZtlqn5TFpXwbgiPq0BnLOvPzUFx-uLoYHgOsbmgnbF2jaAKJWmLUeDT3vSC-xtcTjj8FXoM6Tg42dfxcbYPA7AQ3fyk4opo7Q2PYs60XG_TVNvujgF-DW3jMua/s400/kongkast94_blackie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363144051045556210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://kongkretebass.com/kkblog/">Kongkretebass</a> have been organizing and promoting drum & bass events in Hong Kong since early 2006. In addition to regular events, this HK crew produce the KONGKAST podcast, which, with</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> several thousand listeners every month, </span><span style="font-size:78%;"> features guest mixes from DJs and producers around the globe.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >Released yesterday, the 94th KONGKAST stars life-long friend of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Peking Order</span>, DJ Blackie. This is how Beijing's very own D&B superstar is introduced on the website: </span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" > <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Since his arrival in China back in 2004, Dj Blackie has swiftly connected with Beijing’s electronic music scene and become a celebrated dance floor killa, known for his driving dnb sets. Apart from performing for his crew The Syndicate, Blackie is also regularly seen in the spotlight alongside uber-respected promoters ‘02culture’ at the popular Yen parties.</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Download Blackie's KONGKAST </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.kongkretebass.com/mixes/guestmixes/kongkast_94_blackie_exclusive_kongkretebass_mix.mp3">here</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">!</span></span></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-4597022978829333042009-07-26T20:07:00.009+08:002009-07-26T21:32:12.500+08:00Nanluo nail house?<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">d</span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja728BqgnpjnSDLXkkQQOtYQTK-xSzLavhwLQQ5cR895LG1H8_HPJd2SV5ywPtOEfeguSkCZbHYUs81Fl8CNcE5j9wWW0f-IZXc-EIDordr2owNNAzhWZJ9eh1KHuox7cEZSo_2zg4ojCm/s1600-h/Nanluoguxiang.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja728BqgnpjnSDLXkkQQOtYQTK-xSzLavhwLQQ5cR895LG1H8_HPJd2SV5ywPtOEfeguSkCZbHYUs81Fl8CNcE5j9wWW0f-IZXc-EIDordr2owNNAzhWZJ9eh1KHuox7cEZSo_2zg4ojCm/s320/Nanluoguxiang.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362757616948187634" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:78%;" >k</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">The <span style="font-style: italic;">Beijing News </span>followed up today with further reporting on the construction at Nanluoguxiang. While the main <a href="http://epaper.thebeijingnews.com/xjb/html/2009-07/26/content_388190.htm">article</a> claims that evictions are going smoothly, a brief side story talks about a family who are unlucky enough to live in a <span style="font-style: italic;">gongfang</span> (公房)- a type of public property - within the demolition area. </span><span style="font-size:78%;">Below is a direct translation:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">To the north of Di'anmen Dongdajie and to the east of Nanluoguxiang, blue construction barriers obscure a single gateway. Most of the buildings behind this have already been demolished. However, further into the courtyard, standing among rubble, a single home remains. Both telephone and TV have been disconnected. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">After letting us in to her home, Mrs Fu explains why she has not moved out: "No agreement has been reached over compensation."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Along with her family of three, Mrs Fu has lived in this home - a 30-square-meter <span style="font-style: italic;">gongfang</span> - for the last 20 years.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"We have had several discussions with the demolition company, who, after initially promising compensation, went back on their word. We have still not signed any contract." While Mrs Fu refused to reveal the exact amount that she is asking for, she told us that she is hoping for enough money to be able to buy a three-bedroom property within Beijing's third ring road.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;">A potential <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_house"><i>nail house</i></a> (<b>钉子户</b>)</span><span style="font-size:78%;">, right on my doorstep? </span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-31524145482342478362009-07-25T20:28:00.012+08:002009-07-26T20:05:59.469+08:00“Knock-down” prices in Nanluoguxiang<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:78%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Authorities deny that astronomic amounts of compensation are being given to those currently being evicted from Nanluoguxiang, according to an </span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.northnews.cn/news/2009/200907/2009-07-25/216643.html"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">article</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> in today’s </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Beijing News</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-size:78%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:78%;" ><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPa7wyIrE3tFEU_jmGEai3Km5OTKLbKXNYbJxKwjXEaKpJaiixV39mXJwa4Vap93bt8EhMEl0u-W9vZv61jddgRUSOD6hBG9J6O8nbjZKe83H4wOwWSzlgx7NxCSOtgvV8klfu2k4lpK7/s400/45_992676_6aa9d24e41bc3c7374757aae0558223a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362381135623880338" border="0" /></span><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Behind the blue construction barriers that obscure much of the south end of Nanluoguxiang – a traditional Chinese alley filled with small shops, bars and hostels – much of the picturesque architecture has already been flattened. Shops and bars within the demolition area are currently offering discounts and promotions, with a sign seen yesterday offering drinkers “one last night of craziness.”<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">According to authorities, buildings are being pulled down to make way for the construction of a new subway station. Due to be completed in 2012, the development is part of the planned extension of </span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_8,_Beijing_Subway"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Line 8</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">, which will connect the National Art Museum in the south and Huoying (Line 13) in the north.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The Beijing News article is a response to earlier reports and rumours that suggest that occupants of buildings earmarked for demolition were to receive as much as 300,000 yuan per square meter in compensation (average property prices in Dongcheng District are around 10,000 yuan per square meter).<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">“Compensation above 100,000 yuan per square meter?” said a spokesperson for the planning department yesterday, “That’s impossible.” According to the official, demolition and evictions were progressing smoothly, and average compensation would be more like 50,000 yuan per square meter. Payment of compensation would shared by the Dongcheng District Government and the subway construction company.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">However, despite official optimism, some businesses within the demolition area are showing no signs of closing, and media reports have indicated that evictions are not going to plan. According to </span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">People’s Daily Online</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">, 20 occupants are yet to reach agreements over compensation. The report goes on to claim that the authorities, having entered into negotiations, may begin to forcibly evict occupants that are demanding exorbitant levels of compensation.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">------------------------------------</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-size:78%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">On a happier note, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">The Peking Order</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> would also like to wish Ned’s – an Australian bar located half way up Nanluoguxiang – a very happy 1st birthday! Close friends of this blog, the owners made the right decision when selecting the venue for Ned’s. If it was not for the fact that a deal to rent premises at the south end of the street fell through at the last minute, tonight’s anniversary party could well have been the final piss up before the bulldozers roll in! </span></span></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-64856792998507127592009-07-22T23:16:00.007+08:002009-07-22T23:36:02.262+08:00Order of the Day: Tortoise knocks girl senseless<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KHWN3dYRJ_wOaEDHBm4S4lp7YpuicBQcdweLTOR7b_SvxrxgQeiXEObPncGga4ec0H_Njj0QOVCtYXPSLFgCiXD8S7mp2l9FpsjczKGHydlMKj45hi6b2weEJ9rx18-sN_SFQX1TS2i5/s1600-h/Img265371854.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KHWN3dYRJ_wOaEDHBm4S4lp7YpuicBQcdweLTOR7b_SvxrxgQeiXEObPncGga4ec0H_Njj0QOVCtYXPSLFgCiXD8S7mp2l9FpsjczKGHydlMKj45hi6b2weEJ9rx18-sN_SFQX1TS2i5/s320/Img265371854.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361307108041542786" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">A "shell-shocked" girl </span></span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">has lost her memory after being hit on the head by a pregnant tortoise, reads an article in today’s Sun newspaper.</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">Unsuspecting Chengcheng was struck by the 3lb creature as she walked with her aunt in Chongqing, central China.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 17.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The 12-year-old girl [pictured right], was knocked unconscious and l</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">eft with a deep gash wound across her head.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 17.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 17pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkx_JeHTmGIkv9cQhE077ngpOyGP9Dpo2kJHoH_AAmZeIuyzafspRgsP9D0rY30aImPD0NoSR_uzrYin1OAuUj1RzE-vokhaS2IwxQuebTiAe9nLvxbwYbKn_BOXYbo42_BP-iROSx9K3i/s320/Img265371855.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361307413713055474" /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 17.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The tortoise [pictured above] survived the initial fall but after laying several eggs, died from its injuries.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 17.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">"Given the force of the blow," said a police spokesman, "this tortoise, which weighed 3lbs, must have been thrown from a reasonable height and we have questioned 16 flat owners, all of whom have denied responsibility."</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The injured girl's father, Liu Xingbing, said: "I am furious at this irresponsible behaviour."</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-56696083555233400002009-07-21T20:50:00.009+08:002009-07-21T21:45:27.405+08:00Beij 3: There ain't no rack in the Union Jack<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Beij 3 is back! And this time with even more tenuous reasons than ever to put pictures of beautiful women on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Peking Order.</span> For an attempted justification of why I feel it necessary to share this material with my readers, please refer to some earlier <a href="http://thepekingorder.blogspot.com/search/label/Beij%203">Beij 3 girls</a>. </span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce Yi Li (依力), who almost jumped out of my brand-new July edition of Chinese Maxim:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81PNBYa3iDjtfMLLcPclcDh9mj4dikRU6ecKhk7CB8Os29N23O0d-rBYuSUPJoMDLuL82ZscPMreziCHUh0hdVKZGeLdMnILMVWWGzHjPF2rM2xtJOkisL43_4gwKHi6X_ELwZ90mr6UX/s1600-h/Union+Jack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81PNBYa3iDjtfMLLcPclcDh9mj4dikRU6ecKhk7CB8Os29N23O0d-rBYuSUPJoMDLuL82ZscPMreziCHUh0hdVKZGeLdMnILMVWWGzHjPF2rM2xtJOkisL43_4gwKHi6X_ELwZ90mr6UX/s400/Union+Jack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360906614388586754" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIjszVb57Yq5ogDQ4fjYndmn_si9Tdn1RGV0r0bcgls4PhKyUSS5MxmHzp7uw3B84BoD6ssvYDBZEYX3yx9wBl2Gv6Cb7TykGztzFmBYc0C3aazNz51k0xgs7domAhzuUyLSuxSAWvaXb/s1600-h/Union+Jack+Big.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIjszVb57Yq5ogDQ4fjYndmn_si9Tdn1RGV0r0bcgls4PhKyUSS5MxmHzp7uw3B84BoD6ssvYDBZEYX3yx9wBl2Gv6Cb7TykGztzFmBYc0C3aazNz51k0xgs7domAhzuUyLSuxSAWvaXb/s400/Union+Jack+Big.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360906622261113842" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >And the reason for Miss Yi's appearance in the <span style="font-style: italic;">The Peking Order</span>? The title of this entry - a sexist play on the words of a popular British racist chant - came to me as soon as I saw this two-page spread. I couldn't resist sharing it.</span><br /><br /></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-74466860319768960192009-07-20T20:39:00.006+08:002009-07-20T21:25:57.329+08:00On the Webb: Critic loses face...<div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">...or should that be, "Face loses critic?" </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">“Face” is the name of the latest restaurant that was unlucky enough to be reviewed by yours truly. Like many restaurants in Beijing, the food is average and overpriced.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A website that I review(ed) for, however, will tell you a different story.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In its bid to “monetize,” </span><a href="http://www.bestfoodinchina.net/"><span style="text-decoration: none;text-underline:nonecolor:#0024F4;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">BestFoodinChina</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> crudely cuts out negative comments on reviews of restaurants that are potential buyers of advertising. This is how I summed up Face:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><i><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“Average-to-good Thai food in an environment that is comfortable enough to justify the large bill. Perhaps this could be called “Face value”.”</span></span></span></i><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The following paragraph was also given short shrift:</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">“If I were hungrier - it was only a little past midday – I might have been a bit more positive about what came next, a platter of Thai appetizers. This dish reminded me of something you might buy in the frozen section of a western supermarket - it would be part of a range called something like “Taste of the Orient”. There was plenty of the obvious - spring rolls, fish cakes, prawn cakes – but what should have been delicate and flavoursome, was crude and oily.”</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In addition to deleting the above, dozens of negative words were pulled and several incorrect corrections were made to my grammar and style. I wouldn’t recommend you do, but you can read the edited article </span><a href="http://www.bestfoodinchina.net/node/1150"><span style="color: rgb(74, 36, 134); text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> As requested, the editor removed my name.</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-89735576297818797542009-07-19T19:08:00.006+08:002009-10-11T15:06:31.455+08:00On the Webb: Syndicate Podcast<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">According to the hosts - DJ Blackie and Co. - this is "A Monthlyish podcast that includes the biggest Drum and Bass tracks doing the damage on the scene in Beijing." </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Download the latest version here:</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmixes.jing-dnb.com%2Fsyndicate-podcast-12_jing-dnb.com.mp3&h=c3e8a79d1f3bd81e9750982d4581fa03"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></span></a><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmixes.jing-dnb.com%2Fsyndicate-podcast-12_jing-dnb.com.mp3&h=c3e8a79d1f3bd81e9750982d4581fa03"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://mixes.jing-dnb.com/syndicate-podcast-12_jing-dnb.com.mp3</span></span></span></span></a><br /></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3555029187700927117.post-70639519729325718162009-07-13T22:43:00.006+08:002009-07-19T19:18:02.774+08:00A perfect blog post<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIj0ixU4rDTM9kmZeSKZ49_jBag-KU8VUrq_hGX-kKloSI7OQxgXQqiaYxY4SLeLj5bXTAAFnXEpoMAX-9el_LeP1LSyywLi1dkdrHon6L5Hldp-85BVOb9lUwZrHEJJSYdk3ucDimsqlv/s1600-h/CIMG7806.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIj0ixU4rDTM9kmZeSKZ49_jBag-KU8VUrq_hGX-kKloSI7OQxgXQqiaYxY4SLeLj5bXTAAFnXEpoMAX-9el_LeP1LSyywLi1dkdrHon6L5Hldp-85BVOb9lUwZrHEJJSYdk3ucDimsqlv/s400/CIMG7806.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357961567221539618" /></a><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Note that a nail has not been used where the diagonal strut meets the straining post, made possible by chiseling a neat(ish) hole, inside which fits a strut that has been cut to the correct angle so it lies flush with the post. Nails are a totally uncool way of constructing strainer assemblies like the one in the picture, they look ugly and cause the wood to split, which brings on rot.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I have not updated my blog for such a long time, partly because I have been in England, and partly because </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Peking Order</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, along with all other Blogspot pages, Facebook and Twitter, is now unavailable in China. I am using a proxy server to write this; If you are in China, you are using a proxy to read this.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now that I work for a trendy PR firm, I feel the need to upgrade my "new media" credentials. Check </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Peking Order </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">regularly</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">which I will update when possible, and look out for me on Twitter, which I am told is good. </span></span></span></div></div></div>Jez Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08829933333361939426noreply@blogger.com24