China's 1.3 Billionth Baby

China welcomes 1.3 billionth citizen: A baby boy, China's 1.3 billionth citizen, was born at 0:02 Thursday in a Beijing hospital. "Both mother and son are in good condition."

It's a Boy as China Marks 1.3 Billionth Person: China named the first baby born at a Beijing hospital Thursday as the 1.3 billionth person of the world's most populous nation, more than two decades after a one-child policy was introduced to keep its numbers in check. [NYT: Reg. Req.]

China to continue population control efforts: China will continue its population control policy in a long period to come though it has become a low birth rate country, the State Commission for Population and Family Planning said Wednesday.

Reining in World's Largest Population: Official recognition that "The Day of 1.3 Billion" has arrived gives a small cause for celebration. China reached this much vaulted figure four years later than predicted.

Population policy coming of age: . . . All this shows the expertise of policy-makers to strike a balance between population growth, human needs and China's long-term social development.

Population Editorial

This editorial cartoon is from China Daily. It shows an over-sized plane labeled "China" and asks, "Can't we fly any higher?" The answer is "No way! Too many passengers!"

Local Story

Babies from same orphanage adopted by Stratham neighbors: Stratham residents Joe and Melissa Mastin lived within walking distance of Kevin Stickney and his wife, Michelle Dunklee, but the couples had never met. Both families had been working for more than a year with the same Brookline, Mass., adoption agency, China Adoption with Love, and had completed the application process. They first met last fall at a meeting of the Seacoast China Families Support Group while waiting for babies to be referred to them.

Local Story

China trips build family in Manalapan: Pamela and Rich Stockwell moved to Manalapan from South Carolina just over three years ago. At the time, the Stockwells were a family of three with a daughter they had adopted in China. Now, with the adoption of two more Chinese babies, the family has grown to include two 5-year-olds and one 14-month-old.

Who's Your Daddy -- Lot's of Bad Press

'Who's Your Daddy?' is a ratings dud: Television viewers gave a collective shrug to Fox's attempt to turn a daughter's search for her birth father into a game show.

Fox's Daddy Doesn't Draw Crowd: Fox's much-maligned Who's Your Daddy reality special was no match for "Who's your top college-football team?" -- the Nokia Sugar Bowl Monday night -- or Fear Factor on NBC, or Still Standing on CBS, for that matter.

Fox reaches a new low with 'Daddy' show: The process of helping any child grow into a caring and confident adult is hard enough. But to do so in an ever-coarser culture where a person's deep psychological or physical needs are fodder for a game show? It's almost too hideous to contemplate.

Tibet

Buddha's Warriors: The Story of the CIA-Backed Tibetan Freedom Fighters, the Chinese Communist Invasion, and the Ultimate Fall of Tibet has received very positive reviews from Amazon.com:

Buddha's Warriors is the first book that brings to life Tibet before the Chinese communist invasions and depicts the transition of peaceful monks to warriors with the help of the CIA. . . . Set in a narrative framework but relying heavily on the oral transcripts of the Tibetan men who actually fought the Chinese, Buddha's Warriors tells, for the first time, the inside story of these historic developments, while drawing a vivid picture of Tibetan life before, during, and after Mao's takeover. The firsthand accounts, gathered by the author over a period of seven years, bring faces and deeply personal emotions to the forefront of this ongoing tragedy. It is a saga of brave soldiers and cowardly traitors. It's about hope against desolation, courage against repression, atheism against Buddhism. Above all, it's about what happens to an ancient civilization when it is thrust overnight into the modern horrors of twentieth-century warfare.

Fodor's Beijing and Shanghai

Fodor has published a new travel guide for Beijing and Shanghai:

Hike to the top of the Great Wall, sample the street life on a riverfront boulevard, watch the sun set over the Forbidden City, spear a steamed pork dumpling or be soothed in Suzhou's age-old sculpted gardens—Fodor's Beijing & Shanghai, 1st Edition offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout these cities to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for China's fastest growing cities, be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing. With a glossary of Chinese phrases, and essays on Chinese culture, this guide is a must for any trip.

News

Renovated Shanghai Concert Hall to Mark Its 75th Birthday: The Shanghai Concert Hall is gearing up to celebrate its 75th birthday by unveiling a new logo early this month, just three months after its striking return with an almost full concert schedule for the new year.

Confusion Still Reigns Over Road Rules: Local implementation of widely debated national traffic laws went into effect in Beijing this month. According to the regulations, drivers of all motor vehicles in the capital will be liable to pay compensation to pedestrians or cyclists with whom they are involved in accidents. This is regardless of who was at fault.

Size of China's Aid Marks a Policy Shift, but Is Still Dwarfed by That of Richer Countries: China's response to the tsunami disaster is showing the nation's limitations as an aspiring superpower, despite its new and growing influence in Asia. [NYT reg. req.]

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.]