Local Story

Bringing home Kai Ya: Jane and Bill Cowan travelled to China to adopt a baby girl called Kai Ya. Before they set out, they knew only that she was 18 months old and an orphan, abandoned by her mother when she was two days old.

Local Story

Lunar New Year goes to the dogs: "Throughout the year, we give families the opportunity to learn more about their child's culture, in addition to giving opportunities to adoptive families to get together to see families that look like theirs," said Heather Carter, coordinator of the Chinese adoption program and of the Lunar New Year celebration.

China Related TV

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

Featured Flickr Photo

Huangguoshu Falls
Went on a trip to the 'Mightiest Falls in China' as it was advertised. And indeed it is a very nice waterfall and park. In the Western world it would be swarming with tourists, but here just a couple of people were enjoying the scenery.

(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

News

China Hasn't OK'd Release of 'Geisha': Two weeks before its scheduled debut in China, the government still hasn't approved the release of the Hollywood film "Memoirs of a Geisha." The movie's possible delay comes amid speculation that Chinese officials are worried that the sight of ethnic Chinese actresses portraying Japanese geishas may spark a public backlash.

All Aboard: Millions of Chinese are traveling for the annual Spring Festival. But what happens if the automobile replaces the train as the preferred mode of transportation?

In Beijing, it's (boom!) New Year: This year, Beijing becomes the latest Chinese city to rescind a ban on fireworks during the Lunar New Year, the country's most revered holiday.

Learning the Language

From the Jan. 26, 2006 front page of USA Today:

• Number of children in China studying English -- 200,000,000
• Number of children in the USA studying Chinese -- 24,000

Local Story

Exploring land of their birth: They began their lives in China, but now they have Southern accents and Mississippi childhoods. To help their adopted children establish a link with their homeland, a group of North Mississippi parents have established a Chinese cultural school.

China Related TV

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

Featured Flickr Photo

River of Green


(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan Adopts Baby Girl From China: Meg Ryan is set to join Hollywood's elite adoptive mothers. Reports are that Meg had spent a long time trying to adopt and heard that she had been approved late last year.

Meg Ryan To Adopt Chinese Baby?: Meg Ryan is set to join Hollywood's adoptive mothers after reportedly signing up to play mother to a Chinese baby.

Chinese Cartography

Last Monday, I linked to an article about a map suggesting the Chinese had discovered the Americas before Columbus. You can read more about it at this article in the Economist.

The detail on the copy of the map is remarkable. The outlines of Africa, Europe and the Americas are instantly recognisable. It shows the Nile with two sources. The north-west passage appears to be free of ice. But the inaccuracies, also, are glaring. California is shown as an island; the British Isles do not appear at all. The distance from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean is ten times greater than it ought to be. Australia is in the wrong place (though cartographers no longer doubt that Australia and New Zealand were discovered by Chinese seamen centuries before Captain Cook arrived on the scene).

Hogs in the Middle Country

Harley-Davidson going to China: For Ray Ma, freedom on the open road means riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle behind two police cars through the Chinese countryside.

Featured Flickr Photo

Guilin mountains


(Courtesy of fuzheado)

News

China says has new human death from bird flu: A Chinese woman in southwest China has died from bird flu, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday, in what would be the country's six human death from the virus if was confirmed.

Guangdong Embattled by Prolonged Drought: South China’s Guangdong Province has been suffering the effects of a drought for the last three months. The provincial meteorological bureau said on Tuesday that the drought might take a turn for the worse.

NPR -- Tackling HIV and AIDS in China

Tackling HIV and AIDS in China: By the end of 2004, an estimated 78 million people worldwide were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. China is not immune to the epidemic. According to 2003 statistics compiled by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, as many as 1.5 million Chinese were thought to be infected with HIV. UNAIDS says China has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world.

News

Bird flu conference opens in China amid pandemic warnings: A two-day international donors' meeting that aims to raise 1.5 billion dollars to help fight bird flu opened in Beijing amid warnings of a "great risk" of a global pandemic.

How hard is it to learn Chinese?: An independent school has become the first in the UK to make Mandarin Chinese compulsory for pupils, reflecting the growing importance of China on the world stage. But it's not an easy language to master.

NPR -- China Moves Against Unsafe Coal Mines

China Moves Against Unsafe Coal Mines: China's government is closing thousands of coal mines in a bid to clean up the world's most dangerous mining industry. China punished more than 100 officials last year for coal mining accidents that killed nearly 6,000 miners. But thousands of unsafe mines remain in business in China, often protected by corrupt officials. Anthony Kuhn reports.

Kim at White Swan?

China hotel battens down amid Kim visit rumors: Tight security around a five-star hotel in southern China on Friday fed speculation North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is visiting as diplomatic efforts to restart talks on the North's nuclear program gathered pace. Hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police swarmed in and around the opulent White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, putting up road blocks leading to the hotel. Passers-by and bystanders were turned away.

It was also rumored that Kim was able to get a Coming Home Barbie after considerable negotiation . . .

Local Story

Coming home: Angelina Jolie, Julie Andrews and Mia Farrow made headlines by adopting children internationally, but celebrities are not the only people who adopt overseas. Several families in Johnson County have adopted children abroad through Holt International.

News

China map lays claim to Americas: A map due to be unveiled in Beijing and London next week may lend weight to a theory a Chinese admiral discovered America before Christopher Columbus. The map, which shows North and South America, apparently states that it is a 1763 copy of another map made in 1418.

A Piracy Culture: On a recent afternoon at Beijing's famous Silk Street Market, a vendor displayed a wide selection of Burberry rain coats. Price: $40, subject to negotiation. Like virtually all of the luxury goods for sale at the market, the coats were counterfeit.

Giant Panda has a new sub-species: Chinese researchers specialized in giant panda have discovered a new species, Qinling sub-species of panda. . . . One kind is like a cat with a round head, the other is like a bear with a long head, Qinling panda and Sichuan panda are different kinds of pandas.

Wealth Grows, but Health Care Withers in China: When Jin Guilian's family took him to a county hospital in this gritty industrial city after a jarring two-day bus ride during which he drifted in and out of consciousness, the doctors took one look at him and said: "How dare you do this to him? This man could die at any moment." The doctors' next question, though, was about money.

China Related TV

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

Featured Flickr Photo

Corner Building


(Courtesy of lealting)

Pictures -- Hall of Supreme Harmony

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City is closing to be restored. Here are a few pictures.

News

Panda Politics: Once again the rival regimes in Beijing and Taipei are engaged in a war of words, but this time the topic is pandas. Specifically a cute, cuddly, just-can't-resist pair of giant panda cubs which Chinese authorities have offered to Taiwan as a "goodwill gesture." Problem is, Taiwanese authorities are trying hard to resist what some call the mainland's "panda ploy."

Two more bird flu deaths in China: Two more people have died of bird flu in China, bringing the total number of fatalities there to five. The two victims reportedly died in December - one in Guangxi province and the other in Jiangxi province.

Another Chinese Export Is All the Rage—China's Language: Conquering the world is not supposed to be easy, but that's exactly how things must look some days to Xu Lin, head of the government's new effort to promote the Chinese language overseas.

New Chinese Doll

Ana Ming Doll

Grand palaces, splendid feats, bustling marketplaces. The vitality and glory of the ancient Orient-home of her mother's ancestors-fascinate Ana Ming.

Thanks to her great-aunt, Ana Ming can step back to the Eastern empires of long ago. Aunt Cordelia bequeathed Ana Ming and her cousins a glorious jewel. That moonstone gem magically transports Ana Ming to wherever she wishes.

Local Story

Sterling couple open their home to Asian orphans: Peter Lamb knew his wife, Denise, wouldn't have the heart to let go of Yihan Kang once they began caring for the severely burned 3-year-old Chinese orphan boy at home.

Year of the Dog Stamps

Australia issues Chinese "Year of Dog" stamps: Australia published the commemorative postal productions Jan. 5 to celebrate the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year, or "Year of Dog", starting from Jan. 29.

News

A Bigger Stick Against Chinese Fakes: A Beijing court ruling holds that a market owner is responsible for letting its vendors sell fakes, raising hope among companies stung by counterfeiters.

Editorial--Adopting accountability: For people who adopt from overseas, the operating assumption is that children who need a home were abandoned by their birth mothers and somehow delivered to an orphanage. Yet the circumstances of each baby's background often remain elusive.

Cafe Press Year of Dog

This Cafe Press Store has more Year of The Dog T-Shirt and Gifts than you can shake a stick at.

Pictures -- Volcanic Cluster National Geopark

Geopark opened in south China city: The Shishan Volcanic Cluster National Geopark in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province. The geopark, together with the first Haikou volcanic culture and tourism festival, was opened on Saturday.

News

N.Korea's Kim Jong-il may be visiting China: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may have entered China by train on a visit, South Korean news reports said on Tuesday, quoting sources in China and South Korea.

China uses cards to teach bird flu prevention: China is using playing cards to teach people how to protect themselves from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, as the world's biggest poultry producer finds novel ways to spread awareness.

Beijing declares war on spitting, littering: Beijing has vowed to eradicate five boorish behaviors among its citizens this year, including spitting and littering on the street.

China thins military by 200,000: At the end of 2005, China completed the task of trimming the ranks of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by 200,000, bringing its total number of troops to 2.3 million.

News

China to Spend $3 Billion to Clean River: China will invest $3.3 billion over the next five years to clean up the Songhua River, a key source of drinking water for tens of millions of people that was polluted in November by a toxic spill that reached into Russia.

China Begins to Salvage Precious Ancient Ship: China's cultural heritage protection department has begun to salvage an 800-year-old ship, the most precious ancient ship found so far in the world.

China's migrant men seek paternity tests after long separations: Paternity tests in China's hospitals are surging as many of the millions of male migrant workers return home for Lunar New Year suspecting the fidelity of their wives.

Chinese nannies are the latest NY trend: Chinese au pairs are New York's latest fashion: Manhattan's elite wants to prepare its progeny for the economic world of tomorrow.

Local Story

Waiting can be hardest part: Jennifer and Jerry Spencer tracked the shipment and took the day off work to wait for the special package from China. It contained the identity of their adoptive daughter, Jiselle, and the picture of her that now hangs on their refrigerator.

Pictures -- Harbin Snow and Ice Festival

Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival kicks off

China Related TV

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

Orphans in China

China has 573,000 orphans: China currently has 573,000 orphans, among whom 66,000 have been adopted by government-sponsored orphanages, said Li Liguo, China's vice minister of civil affairs.

Reading about Mao

Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans, has recently published a new book on the life of Mao, Mao: The Unknown Story. A review by Nicholas Kristof is available on-line through the New York Times. (Reader reviews are divided on Amazon.com.)

From the Amazon.com website, 5 Things You'll Learn from Mao:

1. Mao became a Communist at the age of 27 for purely pragmatic reasons: a job and income from the Russians.

2. Far from organizing the Long March in 1934, Mao was nearly left behind by his colleagues who could not stand him and had tried to oust him several times. The aim of the March was to link up with Russia to get arms. The Reds survived the March because Chiang Kai-shek let them, in a secret horse-trade for his son and heir, whom Stalin was holding hostage in Russia.

3. Mao grew opium on a large scale.

4. After he conquered China, Mao's over-riding goal was to become a superpower and dominate the world: "Control the Earth," as he put it.

5. Mao caused the greatest famine in history by exporting food to Russia to buy nuclear and arms industries: 38 million people were starved and slave-driven to death in 1958-61. Mao knew exactly what was happening, saying: "half of China may well have to die."

This is a recent BBC article about Mao's influence in China today:

Mao still powerful in modern China: Many in China know very little about the persecution and bloodshed orchestrated by Mao Zedong's Gang of Four. Mao is still hailed by the authorities in China as an inspiring symbol.

Featured Flickr Photo

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, Temple of Heaven (the CNN view)
Beijing, China, 2004

(Courtesy of lil)

Local Story

Tiny gift from China: Whitney Elizabeth Lane celebrated her first birthday many thousands of miles from the rural Chinese village where she was born. On Dec. 20, tiny Whitney dined on her first cupcake after a traditional meal of Chinese food as she spent the day surrounded by her new family in the Lane household of Phoenix.

News

Thousands trapped in China snow: Almost 250,000 people in north-western China have been trapped by heavy snowfall, as the country faces its worst winter in 20 years. Temperatures have plummeted to -43C [-45F], and snow is blanketing large parts of Xinjiang province.

Microsoft Shuts Blog's Site After Complaints by Beijing: Microsoft has shut the blog site of a well-known Chinese blogger who uses its MSN online service in China after he discussed a high-profile newspaper strike that broke out here one week ago.

Privacy rule angers China police: Police in the Chinese city of Nanjing are angry at a new demand to disclose details of their private lives. The new order, part of an effort to stamp out corruption, requires police officers to tell their superiors if they are getting married or divorced.

Cantonese Is Losing Its Voice: Speakers of the spicy tongue that can make words of love sound like a fight are having to learn its linguistic kin, the mellower Mandarin.

Birth Mothers

Brian Stuy's Research China Blog has an entry about his interview with two birth mothers.

I grew excited, and machine-gunned questions at Lan to ask. I couldn't believe it! After all these years, I was finally going to be able to find the Holy Grail -- a birth mother of one of my girls.

He adds some additional comments at this link.

News

Blizzards force evacuation of 97,000 people in Muslim part of China: Violent blizzards have forced the evacuation of 97,000 people in a largely Muslim region of western China, as the nation braces for its worst winter in 20 years.

Great Wall competes for new world wonders: The Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal are among the 21 global landmarks chosen as final candidates in the New Seven Wonders of the World.

More than 126,000 people died in accidents in China last year: More than 126,000 people died in nearly 728,000 industrial, road and work accidents in China last year, although there were fewer fatalities than 2004, the government said.

Bird flu found in China's Sichuan: A new outbreak of bird flu has been reported in China's south-western province of Sichuan.

Featured Flickr Photo

Prone Pandas
One year old pandas on their backs.

(Courtesy of Polyphonic Kitten)

Local Story

Adoption families unite for holidays: The Wood River Families with Children from Asia recently celebrated the holidays at the home of Annie and Greg Bloomfield in Bellevue. More than a dozen families in the valley have adopted, or are planning to adopt, from Asia.

Picture of the Day

This photo shows the night view of Chenghuangmiao, or Town God Temple, in Shanghai, east China. Tourists and local residents gathered here to enjoy various snacks and brilliant night scene during the New Year holidays.

NPR -- Chinese Court Rules for Starbucks

Chinese Court Rules for Starbucks: A court in Shanghai hands a victory on intellectual property to coffee giant Starbucks. The court has ordered a competitor -- Xingbake (pronounced shing bah-kuh) -- to stop using the chain's name and logo. The Chinese company's owners have been ordered to pay Starbucks about $62,000 in damages and come up with a new name for their cafes.

News

Chinese language catching on in U.S. classrooms: Twenty-four young faces in the kindergarten class at Woodstock Elementary School watch intently as their teacher holds up a construction paper cut-out of a large red circle, and waits for them to identify the shape. Piece of cake for a roomful of savvy 5-year-olds, except that teacher Shin Yen is looking for the shape's name in Mandarin Chinese.

Hall of Supreme Harmony to Be Restored: The most important building in one of China's top tourist attractions is closing for two years for renovation work. Repairs on the Hall of Supreme Harmony Taihedian in Chinese at the Forbidden City, or Palace Museum, are due to begin on Friday. They are expected to be completed by 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Beijing drops out of top 10 "best city" list: Beijing is the nation's capital, but according to a recent survey, it does not even rank in China's top 10 cities in terms of suitability for living. The city came 15th in the list, as compared to third in 2004, due to its bad traffic, high housing prices and heavy pollution.

Well-off Chinese learn manners fit for Queen: Their star may be rising in the worlds of business and international affairs, but the manners of the Chinese are lagging rather further behind. Now one woman is campaigning to change that, starting by training her fellow countrymen to be "ready to dine with Queen Elizabeth II".

News

Child theft up in China despite baby-buying ban: The eerie pencil outline of 6-year-old Cheng Ying, drawn by her father one night last summer before she went to sleep, remains on the wall above the bed. Her parents haven't seen her since they sent her off to school in a black-and-white-checked coat more than two months ago. The school was no help in finding her, they say. The police weren't, either, even refusing to fill out a missing person report.

Big freeze to sweep over China: China, already enduring its coldest winter in 20 years, is preparing for a cold snap that will see temperatures drop by as much as 16 degrees Centigrade (29 degrees Fahrenheit).

China confirms new bird flu death: China has confirmed its latest bird flu fatality following tests carried out on a factory worker. Xinhua news agency said the 41-year-old woman from the southern Fujian province had contracted the lethal H5N1 strain of the virus.

Billionaire Builder of China: There are only 10 known billionaires in China, and he is one of them. His name is Xu Rongmao, and he is no Donald Trump, Sam Zell or Mortimer Zuckerman. He's bigger.

China Related TV

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

Happy 2006!

Featured Flickr Photo

Guizhou pastoral scene
Ricefields and Karst mountain formations make a unique landscape.

(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

Local Story

Tiny adoptee from China completes Phoenix family: Whitney Elizabeth Lane celebrated her first birthday many thousands of miles away from the rural Chinese village where she was born. On Dec. 20, tiny Whitney dined on her first cupcake after a traditional meal of Chinese food as she spent the day surrounded by her new family in the Lane household of Phoenix.