Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year!

-- Walter

Sonya Lee

Fisher-Price makes an Asian Doll named Sonya Lee.

This sweet little girl loves to take care of others, especially animals! Big or small, boy or girl, she cares for them all the same. She's Sonya Lee and she's everything your little one wants in a friend—a smiling face, perfectly huggable size and ready to go anywhere your little one wants to go (especially in her take-along bag)! She even comes with her own collectible card to keep, share or display.

Sonya Lee also has her own book, Sonya Lee Visits the Doctor.

News

China's 'Haves' Stir the 'Have Nots' to Violence: What started as a mildly annoying encounter on Oct. 18 between a porter and a man who claimed to be a senior official in Wanzhou, in central China, turned into a full-scale riot, fed by resentment among poorer residents. [NYT: free reg. req.]

US company boss arrested in China: The chairman of Apex Digital, a major US importer of TVs and DVD players, has been arrested in China.

Tomb of Genghis Khan to Be Renovated: A large-scale renovation of the mausoleum of Genghis Khan is underway in Inner Mongolia.

3,000-year-old Woodcarving Discovered: The Chengdu Archeological Team discovered a 3,000-year-old painted woodcarving of a head during the second phase of excavation at the Jinsha site's ritual area. It is the oldest and most intact sculpture over its type ever discovered in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

News

Russia and China plan war games: Russia and China—former Cold War foes—will hold an unprecedented military exercise in the second half of 2005.

China's Jiang Zemin to Resign: China's former President Jiang Zemin will step down from his last remaining government post in March. Jiang, who holds the largely symbolic title of chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, has asked for permission to resign at the next meeting of the nation's legislature. [NYT, free reg. req.]

Down and Almost Out in Mongolia: The death knell for Mongolia's garment industry will ring on Jan. 1, when a decades-old global quota system is to end, freeing American and European fashion companies and retailers, in the long run, to buy as many clothes as they want from the lowest-cost producers, notably China, India and Pakistan. [NYT, free reg. req.]

Ancient Chinese Civilization

Exhibiton of ancient Chinese civilization held in Shanghai: A gilded bronze horse excavated from the Maoling Tomb of West Han Dynasty is displayed at the Shanghai Museum. [Link includes other great pictures!]

Shanghai Oriental Arts Center

An architectural symphony: Shanghai's music lovers have something to crow about as the Year of the Rooster approaches—for the first time ever the city has a world-class concert hall in a US$120 million entertainment complex.

Local Story

Avery's first family Christmas: Linda and Jeff Maeder and their daughters, Avery (on Linda's lap) and Elise, celebrated their first Christmas together. Avery became the youngest member of the Maeder family earlier this year when she was adopted from China.

Book Recommendation

Karen from the ChinaBooks Yahoo group recommends Hanna's Butterfly:

It is a beginning reading book that is beautifully illustrated and is about a child who finds a butterfly, learns about it, and then releases it. Here's the bonus: without any mention to multiracial families in the story line, the illustrations show an apparently Asian girl with her apparently Caucasian mom! It's a book I give out at all birthdays now :)

News

Quilt show held to support panda applying for Olympic mascot: Students from Chengdu, the capital of southwestern Sichuan Province, made a huge picture of a panda from pieces of cloth Monday to support the rare animal's bid to be the mascot of 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Beijing. [full picture here]

Construction Resumed on Olympic Stadium: China has resumed construction of the 100,000-seat "bird's nest" national Olympic stadium, designed as a centerpiece venue for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Twentysomethings Bear the Heaviest Pressure: A project researching major sources of stress for people during the current period of social transformation, organized by the Psychology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently finished its analysis. It says that people in their 20s are living with the heaviest psychological pressures.

Not Exactly China-Related . . .

. . . but if you are looking for a fun gift for a three-year-old, this was a hit at our house! You can see Merry Maggie—The Talking Sprayer at kidzdelight.com.

News

Many Killed, Hurt in China Riot: As many as 1,000 villagers battled police in southern China in a riot that left several people dead and dozens wounded. The riot started after security forces beat a resident to death.

Fast food takes bite out of Chinese culture : As the world's most populous nation continues its transformation from a former outpost of communism into a place where spending power reigns, it has come to this—China's cuisine is increasingly being altered by the growing consumption of fast food, with Chinese now more likely than Americans to eat takeout meals, according to a survey.

Greater numbers speak putonghua: More and more Chinese nowadays are able to communicate using Chinese Mandarin, says a survey that indicates that 53 per cent of the population can communicate with the standard spoken language also known as putonghua.

Triplet Tigers

Triplets tigers lie in an air-conditioned cave in the Chinese Tiger cultivation base in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. An eight-year-old tigress gave birth to triplets there Dec. 24, 2004.

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Christmas in China

Christmas in China: Christmas, a religious holiday originated in the West, is prevailing in China where only 1.15 percent of Chinese are Christians.

Local Stories

Adoption like a fairy tale for the Huntsmans: Five years ago Tuesday, Governor-elect Jon Huntsman Jr. and his wife, Mary Kaye, brought their new baby home from China to join their family. "She is our greatest Christmas present ever," says Mary Kaye.

A Christmas Decision: The Zinskys' quest for a family led them from Homewood to Beijing, from Chicago's skyscrapers to a dirt road in China.

DNA helps adoptees in a foreign land find family links: On a recent Sunday afternoon, 10-year-old Anna Hinkeldey and Emily Shields were together as sisters in Los Angeles' Chinatown. For weeks they had been counting the days until this three-day weekend—the families' first get-together since they heard the DNA results.

Beautiful China

Merry Christmas!

I'll be taking time off from this blog, starting back up on Dec. 26. Until then, thanks for stopping by and have a Merry Christmas!!

Chinese Art

There is lots of great stuff from the webpage of artist Nan Rae, including Art Prints, Greeting Cards, Original Art, Art Lessons, Art Supplies, Art Books, and an Introduction to Brush Painting.

Nan Rae's Chinese brush painting combines the grace of the Literati style with an impressionist approach to color.

The Literati style seeks to transcend the mere representation of a subject to capture its ch'i, or life force, by using a minimum of brush strokes for maximum effect.

Nan Rae has also published a book, The Ch'i of the Brush: Capturing the Spirit of Nature With Chinese Brush Painting Techniques, which has received excellent reader reviews at Amazon.com.

Adventures of Samantha!

The Adventures of Samantha! is a great example of how fun and easy it can be to create and maintain a weblog.

This Is a Blog On my Little Sister Samantha who was Adopted From China in July 15 2004 she is now eight years old.

Ladybug Items

PerfectlyYours.com has a line of ladybug items, including bed sets, crib quilts, pillows, jackets, and this hat.

(Thanks Kristen from APC!)

Snow Sculpture

Tourists look at a snow sculpture at the 17th International Ice Sculpture Festival in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The Early Show -- Exploring Adoption

Mom, Why Was I Adopted?

Adopting a child can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things people can do. Whether they adopt because they can't have children of their own, or because they want to give a child a good home, most adoptive parents are eternally thankful for the opportunity.

There are, however, several important psychological issues that arise after an adoption. As part of The Early Show series, "Exploring Adoption," child psychologist Robin Goodman vists to discuss a few of the ones parents must think about.

News

Ancient Irrigation System May Disappear in 25 Years: The number of the wells of a 2,000-year-old irrigation system in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has reduced from 1,784 to 614 during the past half-century.

China to introduce trial by jury: China is to introduce jury trials next year as part of reforms to its legal system. Jurors will be elected to serve a five-year term and must have at least two years of university education, court officials were quoted as saying.

China rules on religion 'relaxed': China has announced new rules on religious groups which it says will end discrimination on grounds of belief.

SARS more likely in warm winter: China's top SARS expert has warned people to be alert against a return of the deadly disease as this winter's unusually warm weather is conducive to the growth of viruses.

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Beautiful China

News

China crowns Miss Plastic Surgery: A 22-year-old student has been crowned China's first ever Miss Artificial Beauty at a pageant exclusively for women who have had plastic surgery. [Also here and here.]

Pampered Young Chinese Splurge on Weddings: Children of China's "one child" generation are splashing out on weddings, spending as much money as their parents managed to save in a lifetime.

Women in China finally making a great leap forward: Not long ago, less than 20 years, the bride's family did not attend her wedding, let alone speak at the ceremony. Brides were sent out the door by parents to the groom's family, where they were obliged to serve with duty and alacrity.

Local Story -- Crazy Daisies

Homemade bags help fund couple's dream to adopt: Jessica and Greg MacNeil want nothing more than to adopt a baby Chinese girl, but it could cost between $15,000 and $30,000 . . . An avid quilter since 2001, Jessica MacNeil came up with the idea of starting her own company Crazy Daisies to sell her homemade totebags, coin purses, bracelets and other accessories this fall. All the proceeds go to baby MacNeil's arrival.

The hand-made totes can be ordered through the Crazy Daisies website.

Crazy Daisies Bags are handmade using the finest fabrics and craftsmanship. We carefully select our fabrics and colors to create individualized and unique products. We can make custom bags according to your selection of colors and fabric types. Or you can select a bag from the Current Stock section. Each Bag is handmade with a custom embroidered Crazy Daisies logo patch.

News

Babies born joined at the chest abandoned in east China: Twin boys born joined at the chest were found abandoned in eastern China on Friday and taken to an orphanage, where staff were trying to care for them and raise money for an operation to separate them.

China to enact anti-secession law: China has announced it will enact an anti-secession law, in a move analysts said was aimed to stifle any ambitions in Taiwan for formal independence.

Dust storm migration begins in China: The Chinese government has begun moving large numbers of people from the country's north in response to the huge, choking dust storms which regularly sweep out of Inner Mongolia, over Beijing, and out towards the Pacific.

Cookie Cutters

You can get country-shaped cookie cutters from Country Cutters.

We have all the cookie cutters you would ever need. Handmade tin with the average size of 2-1/2" to 3".

These wonderful cookie cutters make great gifts for adoptive parents in waiting, adopted or birth children, anyone who loves cookies!!

The second image is a ladybug, not a country!

Book on China's Northwest

Wild West China: The Taming of Xinjiang

Closed to the world for half a century, like a black hole in the Asian landmass, the wilderness of Xinjiang in north-west China is returning to the light. The picture it presents is both fascinating and disturbing. Despite a savage landscape and climate, Xinjiang has a rich past: sand-buried cities, painted cave shrines, rare creatures and wonderfully preserved mummies of European appearance. Their descendants, the Uighurs, still farm the tranquil oases that ring the dreaded Taklamakan, the world's second largest sand desert, and the Kazakh and Kirghiz herdsmen still roam the mountains. The region's history, however, has been punctuated by violence, usually provoked by ambitious outsiders—nomad chieftains from the north, Muslim emirs from Central Asia, Russian generals or warlords from inner China The Chinese regard the far west as a barbarian land. . . . This portait of Xinjiang should be essential reading for travellers and for anyone interested in today's China and the fate of minority peoples.

Adrienne Mong writes in the Jan. 8, 2004, Far Eastern Economic Review,:

Wild West China is the first book to concentrate on the region's perspective, but many of the early historical stories have appeared elsewhere and in far more robust narratives. Tight restrictions on access and information mean there's little first-hand reporting, apart from the few private interviews Tyler conducts with activists and dissidents. Furthermore, Tyler—who expresses sympathy for the Uighurs while remaining even-handed—affects too dry a writing style. Nonetheless, Wild West China fills a gap in Central Asian history, particularly for general readers.

Fox Network -- "Who's Your Daddy"

Many of us in the adoption community are disgusted by Fox's recently announced reality show, "Who's Your Daddy":

Fox announced Tuesday it will ring in the new year with a heartwarming, 90-minute special in which a woman, put up for adoption as an infant, quizzes eight men in the hopes of determining which is her biological father. If she's right, she wins a reunion and $100,000. If she's wrong, she still gets to meet her father, but the guy she incorrectly pegged as her parent wins the cash. [article from E! Online]

If you have something to say about this, here is some contact information:

The Fox Broadcasting email address is askfox@foxinc.com

FOX ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Investor Relations
E-mail: investor@newscorp.com
Address: The News Corporation Limited
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 852-7017
Fax: (212) 852-7145

Peter Chernin, Chairman
Fox Entertainment Group
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036-8799
Phone: 212-852-7111
Fax: 212-852-7145

Mitsy Wilson, Senior VP
Diversity Development
Fox Entertainment Group
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036-8799
Phone: 212-852-7111
Fax: 212-852-7145
E-Mail: diversityquest@fox.com

Angela Shapiro, President
Fox Television Studios
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900
Phone: 310-369-2731, 310-369-3881
Fax: 310-369-5175, 310-286-6334

Justin Pierce, Senior VP Corporate Communications
Fox Television Studios
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900
Phone: 310-369-2731, 310-369-3881
Fax: 310-369-5175, 310-286-6334
E-Mail: justin.pierce@fox.com

Scott Hallock, Kevin Healy, Producers
Hallock Healey Entertainment
4130 Cahuenga Blvd. #305
Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Phone: 818-754-6360

(Thanks to many for posting contact info!)

News

China pandas face food shortage: Giant pandas in parts of southern China are facing food shortages because a favourite staple—arrow bamboo—is blossoming and therefore inedible. The official Xinhua news agency said that the plant normally takes a decade to complete the blossoming process.

Workers Demand Union at Wal-Mart Supplier in China: Wal-Mart has been much in the news recently in China, with the government insisting that the retailer do what it refuses to do in the United States: allow all its workers to join unions. [NYT: free reg. req.]

US 'anger' at Israel weapons sale: The Israeli defence ministry has confirmed that it faced questioning by Washington over arms sales to China.

Ox or Donkey? Tiny Animal Stirs Huge Art Debate: A donkey or an ox—the question is still open—may be at the heart of a controversy surrounding one of China's most treasured national art works.

Snow in Beijing

Additional pictures here and here.

News

The Price of Coal, Jan-Nov—5,286 Lives: From January to November, 3,413 mining accidents were reported in China, claiming 5,286 lives, a decrease of 253 incidents and 451 people from the first 11 months of last year.

Gansu UFO Believed to Be Meteorite: Hundreds of people in northwest China's Gansu Province saw a UFO on the night of December 11. Witnesses said that a strange shining object swept through the sky at 11:36 PM, followed by a loud blast that resembled bombs dropping. People within a 100-square-kilometer area around Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu, reported feeling the earth tremble.

Climate change threatens China food production: Climate change could cut China's food production 10 percent by 2050, said an official report at a major UN conference.

Cute Picture of the Day

Asian Christmas Stockings

SabahGirl has a number of Asian-related items for sale, including Christmas stockings.

(Thanks KH from APC!)

News

China to crown first Miss Artificial Beauty: China will soon host the finals of the country's first beauty contest in which every contestant has gone under the knife. Twenty "man-made" beauties will parade their surgical nips and tucks Saturday in the hopes of taking home the country's first Miss Artificial Beauty crown. [Also here.]

China Criticizes U.S. on Sanctions: China criticized the United States on Monday after a U.S. panel upheld a ruling that will allow higher tariffs on Chinese-made furniture to reduce its impact on American producers.

China Briefly Detains 3 in Intellectuals Crackdown: Chinese authorities briefly detained at least three liberal intellectuals, sources close to the three said on Tuesday, as part of an intensified crackdown on government critics. [free reg. req.]

Local Stories

A new life for little Eve: The arrival of a new baby is a joyful occasion for any family, but it's made poignant when the baby's first few months were spent abandoned in a Chinese orphanage and foster care.

Found treasure: Gene and Cindy Williams fell in love four years ago with a boy they only knew from the pages of an adoption agency magazine. [free reg. req.]

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

Taiwan

From the BBC News:

Country profile—Taiwan: Taiwan is the island which has for all practical purposes been independent for half a century but which China regards as a renegade province that must be re-united with the mainland.

Timeline—Taiwan: A chronology of key events.

News

Nanjing Massacre commemorated: A ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre was held in East China's Nanjing City.

China 'no longer needs food aid': The UN World Food Program is urging China to become a bigger donor instead of a recipient of its aid.

China's deadly fix for modern pressures: Drug use is high among young men from rural villages in this area, fuelled by poverty, a lack of opportunity and easy access to narcotics.

China Detains Leader of Church: China has detained a prominent minister of an unofficial Protestant church in a crackdown on Christian groups that defy Communist Party control.

Beautiful China

Salad Bowl Hacking

This is something I encountered while in China, but hadn't realized it was a standard practice! From BoingBoing:

This is a photo from a Chinese PDF manual. The manual explains, via text and a lot of fun photos, how to cram as much food as possible on one of those tiny Pizza Hut bowls at the salad bar. They're only allowed one trip.

(Thanks Kirby!)

Local Story

Adoption to fulfill couple's lifelong dream: Since she was 3 years old, Theresa Gilman has wanted nothing more than to be a mother. When her doctors told her pregnancy wasn't in the cards for her and her husband, Theresa didn't lose hope.

News

Nike apologises to China for ad: Sportswear giant Nike has apologised for a TV advert that was banned by China for being "blasphemous". The ad shows US basketball player LeBron James battling and defeating a cartoon kung-fu master and a pair of dragons.

Microsoft outprogrammed by Chinese: Domestic software developers beat Microsoft to win a 2 million yuan (US$240,000) deal with the provincial government of Shanxi, North China. It is another setback for the US software giant after a US$3.5 million deal with the Beijing municipal government was cancelled late last month amid complaints that local governments are not buying enough domestically developed software.

Breakthrough made in China's chicken genome research: The world-famous scientific magazine The Nature issued three thematic scientific papers on Dec. 9, illustrating the major achievements the Beijing Genome Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made in polymorphous research on jungle fowl and chicken genomes.

Gov't Aims to Fatten Wallets of Farmers: The central government will redouble its efforts to replicate this year's favourable results in China's grain production and farmers' incomes for next year.

The Wealth Gap

In pictures—China's Wealth Gap

China's rapid economic progress has transformed its cities and coastal areas. But life for many millions of Chinese in the country's vast, rural hinterland is in some ways the same as it always was. BBC News Online visited two of China's poorest inland provinces, Ningxia and Guizhou, to hear views on the growing gap between rich and poor.

High-End Crib

If you want a unique crib with an asian theme, and you have about $1,000 to spend, check this one out.

There will be nothing but sweet dreams in this luxurious crib. 42" diameter will accommodate a child until they are 35" tall. Made of a combination of solid birch, beech, poplar and maple hardwoods, this crib is durable and sturdy. There is an iron mattress cross-brace to provide proper support for your child. For added safety, this round crib uses a double latch release mechanism (the center panel drops down when depressing the two latches simultaneously). Also, includes four rolling casters (and two brakes) for easy mobility. Bedding not included but is available below. Optional 5" foam mattress.

(Thanks Tina from APC!)

News

Ship Collision Creates China's Largest Oil Spill: The biggest oil spill since the founding of the People's Republic of China began on Tuesday when two containerships collided in the South China Sea near the mouth of the Pearl River on Tuesday.

"Professional exhaustion" harassing Chinese society: The phenomenon of "professional exhaustion", or "burnout", which is widely spread in world scale, is harassing the working population of China. This is shown in a large-scale online survey sponsored by China Human Resources Development Network, an attempt to figure out the exhaustion degree of the society.

China Blocks World Meeting on Workers' Rights: China on Wednesday abruptly blocked a meeting of global union and business leaders scheduled for next week that aimed to press Beijing to do more to protect workers' rights. [NYT: free reg. req.]

News

Farmers Being Moved Aside by China's Real Estate Boom: Like other land transactions in rural China, negotiations had been one-sided: Yulin officials, citing an obscure legal clause, ordered farmers to leave and offered them $60 per parcel of land. The farmers had screamed robbery. But farmers in China cannot be robbed of land because they are not allowed to own it. [NYT: free reg. req.]

Kailee Wells

Small child, huge challenge: Kailee Wells is ready. She dreads the cold, sharp needles that sting her arms and legs, and the plastic tube they will snake down her nose. It scratches her throat. She shudders to think of being confined to a hospital room for six weeks or more, missing Christmas, no friends allowed. But time is running out, and Kailee, who is 7, knows it.

Treetop Angel

Mandy's Moon has an adorable Asian Treetop Angel.

We are very excited to introduce "Jing Wei" - an Asian Treetop angel made by the Precious Moments Doll Company EXCLUSIVELY for Mandy's Moon! This beautiful treetopper is 12" tall. She is dressed in a beautiful red & gold silk embroidered dress and holds a lantern. Her face and hands are made of rubbery plastic just like the Precious Moments dolls, (so she isn't breakable!!!) and she has realistic type hair. She is a gorgeous addition to any tree!

Language Development

This was sent to me by a reader of this weblog:

Hi, I'm the father of a 3-year-old from JiangXi province. A friend of mine recently forwarded these two items with (good) news about language acquisition skills of international adoptees, which I thought your readers might find of interest...

RESEARCH EXPLORES WHY SOME INTERNATIONALLY ADOPTED CHILDREN EXCEL WHILE OTHERS STRUGGLE

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS FIND ADOPTED CHINESE CHILDREN LEARN ENGLISH AS WELL OR BETTER THAN NATIVE BORN PEERS

Lots of News

Child suicides high in Shanghai: A recent study revealed that one-quarter of the children (ages 8 to 15) in China's wealthiest city have considered taking their own lives. Perhaps more surprising is that the results were made public.

China's ailing health care: A survey recently released by China's Health Ministry found that 36% of patients in cities and 39% in the countryside did not go to see the doctor because they were unable to afford medical treatment.

China Bans Nike TV Ad for Cultural Disrespect: The State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has banned a Nike television commercial depicting top NBA rookie LeBron James battling an animated kung fu master, two women in traditional Chinese garb and a pair of dragons.

Chinese activists 'risk torture': China's growing number of human rights activists risk detention and torture, a report from Amnesty International said.

The following articles require free registration from the New York Times:

China Bans Video Game for Breach of Sovereignty: China, sensitive about issues of national sovereignty, has banned a computer sports game that classifies Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Tibet as countries and has threatened to fine Web sites that supply the game and net cafes that let patrons download it.

Ancient Chinese Consumed Fermented Drinks: The Chinese were consuming fermented beverages — possibly wine — as long as 9,000 years ago, according to scientists who used modern techniques to peer back through the mists of time.

China's Textbooks Twist and Omit History: a visit to a Chinese high school classroom and an examination of several of the most widely used history textbooks here reveal a mishmash of historical details that many Chinese educational experts themselves say are highly selective and often provide a deeply distorted view of the recent past. [Note: History textbooks in the US are not without some level of sanitation! -- Walter]

Local Stories

Have you ever stopped to think...?: Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be adopted? Have you ever stopped to think about what really makes a family? I would like to tell you what it really feels like to be adopted, and explain a little more about how families are made in different ways.

One family, two worlds: Cindy Brock is pretty good at styling her 3-year-old daughter's hair these days, but it's taken a while to get to this point. Brock, 35, is white. Her adopted daughter, Elayna, is African-American.

China Related TV

China Sprout posts a much-appreciated weekly guide for China Related TV listings.

News

Survey shows big drop in smoking: A survey released Thursday said the smoking rate in China has dropped significantly over the past decade. The smoking rate among Chinese 15-years-old and above decreased from 32 percent in 1993 to 26 percent in 2003, the survey said.

Rising Medical Bills Hold Back Patients: A survey released Wednesday said that medical expenses are growing faster than the average income in China. "In the past five years, the annual income of the urban and rural residents rose by 8.9 percent and 2.4 percent respectively, while the medical expenses in urban and rural areas rose by 13.5 percent and 11.8 percent."

Beijing warns EU on weapons ban: China has warned the EU that it risks damaging bilateral ties unless it lifts a 15-year embargo on selling arms to Beijing. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui said the ban, imposed after the 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square, was "outdated".

'Shrek 2' Latest Front in China's War on Piracy: China is using a recent campaign against pirated copies of the animated hit movie ``Shrek 2'' to show it is getting serious about stemming copyright fraud. The National Copyright Administration said on Friday it had confiscated more than 1,100 pirated ``Shrek 2'' disks, closed two stores and levied 58,000 yuan ($7,000) in fines in a national sweep covering 2,600 units producing fake CDs and DVDs between October and November 30.

Beautiful China

Local Stories

Sisters to spend college break in China helping country's loneliest orphans: The Gilbert girls are getting ready to head to China next month. For three weeks, they'll volunteer their time in a Chinese orphanage, taking care of babies who recently underwent surgery.

God's Family Picture: For Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, adopting children from overseas has done more than change the size of their family—it's changed the hearts of their biological children as well.

Oprah

Today's Oprah show will include the "joyful story Lisa Ling is most proud of...her incredible journey to China."

This link will give you times and channels for your area.

News

Kunqu Opera at the Heart of Tradition: To love, or not to love? This is the question bugging Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Making great achievements during his reign, he is also plagued by the conundrum which has perplexed men and women throughout history.

China 'gray lists' its intellectuals: In a move intended to muffle the voices of some of China's most prominent and independent scholars and activists, hard-line elements in the new Hu Jintao government are seeking to eradicate the concept of "public intellectuals" in China.

China 'blocks Google news site': China has been accused of blocking access to Google News by the media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders.

China faces up to Aids challenge: In 1989, local officials found almost 150 heroin users were HIV positive - the first confirmed cases in China. And since then Aids has devastated poor farming communities in the area.

More News

China Hurries to Animate Its Film Industry: Seen from outside, there is nary a hint of the Magic Kingdom about this ambitious young animation studio nestled amid magnolias and palms on the campus of Shenzhen University. A glimpse inside one specially secured building, accessible only with a smart ID card that one swipes through a reader to gain entry and move about inside, soon gives up the game. [NYT, free reg. req.]

The 'blog' revolution sweeps across China: In August 2002, Isaac Mao, who worked at the Shanghai office of the chip maker Intel, was one of only a handful of people in China who had heard the word “blog”. A regular web surfer, he was fascinated by the freedom these online journals gave to ordinary people to publish both their own and their readers’ views online.

(Thanks Kirby!)

Pictures -- Chinese Ethnic Costumes

Chinese Ethnic Costume displayed in Rome: A Chinese model displays traditional costumes of a Chinese ethnic group in a Chinese Ethnic Costume Tour Display held in Rome Nov. 29, 2004.

Local Stories

Love is an action word: A 6-foot-wide wooden fan from China spans a wall in the Slaight family's foyer. Janet Slaight's brother gave it to her last month. He brought it back from one of his trips to the Orient, but the fan seemed to belong in his sister's home. After all, the Slaights are in the process of adopting a baby from China.

Bring the children home: Adopting children from another country involves scads of paperwork, interviews galore and trips to the country of the child's origin. Frankly, it's a hassle, but there are agencies designed to help parents get through the process.

Safford couple adopts Chinese baby: Yellow sticky notes litter the walls in Craig and Annette Watson's Safford home, reminding Craig of the Chinese names for just about everything. He and his wife will leave Friday morning for Guang Hzou, China, to pick up their new daughter, Allison Li Jianping, and to complete her adoption.

Korean Princess Doll

Barbie Collector Pink Label — Dolls of the World — Princess of the Korean Court

Inspired by Korea's historically traditional costume, the Princess of the Korean Court wears a hanbok in the beautiful colors of spring. It is customary to celebrate Sol Nal, New Year's Day, on the first day of spring, which is also the first day of the first month of the new lunar year. It is a happy day of joyous celebration and honors the heritage of the princess and her family.

The PLA Issues New Uniforms