Chinese Cinderella

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society, by Adeline Yen Mah:

Born into a family of wealth and privilege in 1940s Shanghai, Chinese Cinderella (CC) is sheltered from the harsh brutalities of the Japanese invasion in China. But after enduring abuse at the hands of her cruel stepmother, CC seeks refuge at a martial-arts school and joins a secret dragon society. There, under the guidance of Grandma Wu, she trains with a trio of orphaned acrobats and is introduced to the exciting world of espionage as a part of the Chinese Resistance movement. And when CC and her new comrades take on a daring mission to rescue a crew of American airmen, they prove that true bravery knows no age barrier.

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society is a compelling blend of martial-arts adventure and historical fiction. With honesty and compassion, New York Times best-selling author Adeline Yen Mah has written a triumphant novel reminding us that children can overcome tragic circumstances and create their destiny.

News

A Village Grows Rich Off Its Main Export—Its Daughters: There are two kinds of families in this village: the relatively rich, who live in tiled villas with air-conditioning, and those who still hunt in the wooded hills with bow and arrow and send their sons off to become Buddhist monks when there are too many mouths to feed. . . More and more these days, relative prosperity is tied to which families have daughters, many of whom go to Thailand and Malaysia to work in brothels. [NYT reg. req.]

Chinese Mainland Population to Reach 1.3 Billion: The population in Chinese mainland is expected to reach 1.3 million on January 6, according to a prediction the National Bureau of Statistics.

Chinese Cars May Be Coming to U.S. Roads: The man who brought the Yugo and Subaru to this country and built a gull-wing sports car bearing his name has a new project: selling low-cost Chinese-made cars in the United States. [NYT reg. req.]

Tonight on Fox Magazine

This Sunday's edition of FOX Magazine:

The touching story of a 13-time Grammy Award-winning musician who changed his life by adopting children from another country. For more information, visit: www.shaohannahshope.org

The show airs at 11pm ET/10pm CT and 8pm PT.

New Years Fireworks in Shanghai

Shanghai launches fireworks to welcome year 2005.

Tsunami Aid from China

Buddhists from Chinese mainland and Taiwan donate for tsunami victims: Buddhists from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan donated a total of $1.2 million US dollars in a prayer service in Lingguang Temple in Beijing to the tsunami-hit countries in Southeast Asia.

Tsunami Donation Drive in Full Gear in China: The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs encouraged Chinese citizens and non-governmental organizations to donate to the tsunami-hit Asian countries Saturday. So far, the Red Cross Society of China has transferred US$660,000 to the disaster-stricken regions, and another US$24.2 million will come soon.

China Increases Tsunami Aid to US$63 Million: Premier Wen Jiabao announced Friday that China will offer an additional US$60.5 million of humanitarian aid to the earthquake and tsunami-hit countries.

Ferocious tsunami starts donation drives across China: Bombarded with devastating TV pictures on tsunami-ravaged South and Southeast Asian countries and a rising death toll, Zhou Jin, 78, an average Chinese in Beijing, rushed to a local donation center Saturday and left 1,800 yuan (about 217 US dollars). "I am too old to have much expenditure. Here is the cash I have with me. Take it and make use of it for the needy there," Zhou told civil affair officer Zhang Ye.

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!]