China Related TV

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

Tattoos

A few days ago, I gave a link for temporary tattoos. In case you were thinking of getting a permanent tattoo, you should read this story first.

A teenager who paid [$180] to have his arm tattooed with Chinese characters got a shock when he learned the message read, 'At the end of the day, this is an ugly boy.'

Local Stories

The Lucky Ones: When Christine Johnson and her husband, Andre Roy, adopted their eldest daughter, Li-Ma, in 1990, they were among the first Quebec parents to adopt in China.

Parents fight for citizenship rights for adopted Chinese daughter: Eight years ago, Qiao Qi Jiang left her village in China and embarked on a daring journey to America. She was only 12 at the time. But with her parents' blessings, she was smuggled into the United States so she could one day get her wish, a college education.

Beautiful China

Local Stories

Year of the Rooster: More than 60 children and adults welcomed the year of the Rooster in rural Morris Saturday. The annual celebration started when a few families, who had adopted children from China, gathered at the Hong Kong Chop Suey Restaurant in Morris.

It was love at first sight for little China girl: When Derby mum Jane Vinson discovered that she couldn't have children she came up with another way of having a family. She decided to adopt a child from China, and it's been such a success she hopes to do it again.

Single women choose motherhood by adopting Chinese girls: More than anything, Linda Bigelow wanted to be a mom. The traditional route -- romance, marriage, pregnancy -- would have been great, but she couldn't manage to grab hold of it.

Temporary Tattoos

Now you can sport that large, Chinese-style tattoo without the worry! Check out the designs at Tattoofasion.com, all which are temporary. They have lots of Chinese symbols as well as various dragons.

Local Story

New year, life for Chinese adoptees: About 40 families belong to the local FCC chapter, which was formed a decade ago by some of the first Billings residents to adopt from China. Trudel Pierson-King, whose daughter Isabella Mei Lu is 10, was a chapter pioneer.

Mei Magazine

Mei Magazine is new magazines for girls who have been adopted from China.

In every issue of Mei, there will be articles on school-related issues, seasonal crafts, and health or fitness. Other features will include an advice column dedicated to personal problems and solutions and a forum in which readers will share their feelings and opinions. You'll also find a reader profile that will highlight a unique girl and her special achievements. Mei is dedicated to instilling pride in our readers by providing information on the People's Republic of China as well as featuring Asian-American woman. Above all, Mei promises to handle the issue of adoption in a caring and open manner.

China Related TV

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

Local Story

Couple adopted girl from China, named her after new hometown: Kite Girl helped Eddy and Donna Whisenhunt settle on a name for their adopted daughter from China. Each had made a list of possibilities, hoping to have at least one name in common.

News

Online Forbidden City Badge Design Selected: The number one on-line design for the Forbidden City Badge has been selected. The design, featuring the Wumen Gate, will be used for 80th birthday celebrations of the Imperial Palace Museum this year.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry... But Pay the Price: The holiday season is a difficult time for those trying to stick to a healthier diet. Health experts have warned that the incidence of diseases related to eating and drinking too much has risen in recent years, especially during holiday seasons when people tend to eat and drink more but take less exercise.

China planning large-scale introduction of genetically-engineered rice: China is on the verge of introducing genetically-engineered rice on a large scale as it seeks ways to adequately supply the basic staple to its people.

Chinese May Have Been First to Use Diamonds: Ancient Chinese craftsmen might have learned to use diamonds to grind and polish ceremonial stone burial axes as long as 6,000 years ago, according to a report published in the February issue of the journal Archaeometry.

Beautiful China

News

As Girls 'Vanish,' Chinese City Battles Tide of Abortions: The warning hanging above a main street could not have been more blunt, its big white characters set off against a bright red banner promising to "firmly crack down on the criminal activity of drowning and other ways of brutally killing female babies." [NYT, free reg. req.]

China emerges as global consumer: China has overtaken the US in the consumption of basic agricultural and industrial goods. With a booming economy and 1.3bn people, it is now the world's largest consumer of grain, meat, coal and steel.

CIA issues warning on China's military efforts: The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency has warned that China's military modernisation is tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait and increasing the threat to US forces in the region.

Frictions between Japan and China surge: Hardly a month goes by without new irritants in relations between Japan and China. Recent grievances range from a soccer riot and submarine intrusion to dominion over a lighthouse and the granting of a visa to an octogenarian.

Local Story

Two couples fight for girl: A Chinese couple continued their five-year battle to regain parental rights to their 6-year-old daughter, Anna Mae, on Wednesday in the Tennessee Court of Appeals in Jackson.

News

Firecrackers Boom in Spite of Ban: Firecracker booms rocked urban Beijing with bright flashes during this year's Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, challenging the city's 12-year-old ban on the festive but often dangerous explosives.

Chinese mine explosion kills 203: At least 203 miners have been killed after a gas blast at a coal mine in China. The accident, in China's north-eastern city of Fuxin, is the most deadly reported mining disaster since the communist party took power in 1949.

China net cafe culture crackdown: Chinese authorities closed 12,575 net cafes in the closing months of 2004, the country's government said.

Local Stories

Parents fight for citizenship rights for adopted Chinese daughter: Eight years ago, Qiao Qi Jiang left her village in China and embarked on a daring journey. She was only 12 at the time. But with her parents' blessings, she was smuggled into the United States so she could one day get her wish, a college education.

From China with love and youth: It was a celebration of the Chinese New Year, the year of the rooster, but there weren't any birds at the Eagan Auditorium at the University of Scranton. There was, however, a little boy in a dragon costume and a group of young girls chasing after him.

Chinese New Year a tradition for adoptive families: For one afternoon, it was a little like home. Both children and adults were dressed in traditional Chinese garb. There was a Chinese marketplace, a dragon parade, dancing and a meal. Chinese, naturally.

Picture of the Day

(Photo from People's Daily Online.)

DVD

China—The Panda Adventure is available on DVD.

China Related TV

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

Beautiful China

Local Story

New parents celebrate Chinese New Year: More than a dozen little girls clad in silk Chinese dresses helped usher in the year of the rooster Wednesday in a courtroom filled with balloons, stuffed animals and plenty of proud parents.

News

Chinese Say Goodbye to Monkey and Welcome 'Rooster': People across China have been celebrating the advent of the traditional Lunar New Year's eve since Tuesday night and the ensuing week-long holiday, saying goodbye to the year of Monkey and welcome the year of Rooster.

Chinese Celebrate Year of the Rooster: A holiday calm fell over normally bustling cities Wednesday as ethnic Chinese communities across Asia celebrated the start of the lunar Year of the Rooster with visits to crowded temples and family banquets.

Local Story

Local families learn about ancient Chinese customs: Each year when the lunar holiday rolls around, parents John and Heidi Tippett get out all their books and travel logs from China. They sit down with their daughters—Anna, 6, and Elena, 31/2—and talk about the 7,000-mile journey they took to get them from an orphanage on the other side of the world.

Google

Google celebrates the Chinese New Year.

News

Chinese rush to wed before 'widow's year': The two were outside a drab government office, anxious to wed before the start of the Chinese New Year on Tuesday. The reason? An ancient superstition arising from a calendar quirk that makes the coming lunar year a "widow's year."

:-) Nu Yr: Making phone calls and sending text messages will be the two main ways Chinese intend to express good wishes this year at Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year.

China Stocks Arsenal With Russia Weapons: Blocked from buying U.S. and European arms, Beijing has stocked its arsenal with Russian-made supersonic fighters and other high-tech weapons, and is investing in the development of its own cruise missiles.

Great Wall Plundered for Road Paving: According to Ningxia Daily, almost 100 meters of the Great Wall in Xinxing village, Zhongwei City was destroyed last month after being plundered for road building materials.

Local Story

An unlikely bundle of joy: Despite her snug, high-collared Chinese dress, Caitie seemed like a little holiday firecracker on this afternoon—hugging visitors' necks and making kissing noises, leaping from a coffee table into her sister's arms, snatching a "fried devil"—a crispy bread dough treat—from her mother's plate.

Rooster

(Image from ChinaDaily.com.)

Local Story

Agency focuses on finding homes for young Chinese: As the eyes of the world are riveted on southern Asia and the plight of the tsunami orphans, Jan Welsh is trying to open hearts to another need: Chinese children awaiting adoptive families.

China Related TV

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

Beautiful China

Monkey King

Kirby, a China-adoptive parent and Disney fan, pointed out this link, which includes a "cool 26 second video of the Monkey King performing at the China pavilion at Epcot."

Slow Boat to China

The Straight Dope informs us of the origin of the phrase "Slow Boat to China."

Where did he get the phrase? His daughter, Susan Loesser, author of a biography of her father, A Most Remarkable Fella (1993), writes: "I'd like to get you on a slow boat to China" was a well-known phrase among poker players, referring to a person who lost steadily and handsomely. My father turned it into a romantic song, placing the title in the mainstream of catch-phrases in 1947.

(Thanks Kirby!)

News

China Rescues 44 Babies from Traffickers: China, where strict family planning rules allow couples normally to have just one child, has broken up a baby-trafficking ring, arrested 40 people and rescued 44 infants.

China to Cut Taxes on Farmers and Raise Their Subsidies: Chinese officials are promising to reduce taxes on peasants and increase farm subsidies to improve the lot of 800 million rural residents left behind in the fast-growing economy.

Local Story

Asian culture finds a home, too: When Sandi Jacobs and her husband, Mark, came back from China a year ago after adopting their daughter, Emma, they thought it could be difficult to fit in with the rest of the community—especially when Emma was ready to begin Hebrew and Chinese schools.

News

Fearing Future, China Starts to Give Girls Their Due: For farming families in the lush mountains of coastal Fujian Province, the famous crop is oolong tea and the favorite source of labor is sons. The leafy bushes of tea fill the hillsides the same way young boys fill the village streets. [NYT: reg. req.]

China Targets Phone Fortune Telling: The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has banned "birthday decoding" and "new year fortune-telling" text message and telephone services on the grounds they promoted superstition.

China battles meningitis outbreak: China has issued emergency orders to try and stem a meningitis outbreak that has killed at least 16 people and infected 258 in the last month.