Earn $16,900 for your adoption! :-)

A novel without a word telling a love story?: A writer from Shanxi Province is waiting for someone to decode his novel, a novel without a single word but a set of 14 punctuations, with a reward of 140,000 yuan (US$16,900).

It might be the shortest novel ever, and it might be the only novel without a word. But Hu Wenliang, the author the novel entitled <<.>>, claimed that he spent one year to write a novel with five sections as follows:

:?

:!

"'... ...'"

(.) <<,>>

;-

(via BoingBoing)

Unfortunate Saber Rattling

Top Chinese general warns US over attack: China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US if it is attacked by Washington during a confrontation over Taiwan, a Chinese general said on Thursday. "If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons," said General Zhu Chenghu.

Local Story

My Chinese baby: Toni Daniels has become the first single Bermudian woman to adopt a baby from China. She collected her new daughter from Nanchang, close to Shanghai, last month -- the emotional climax to a remarkable six-year quest. Ms Daniels, 34, endured the long, complicated and at times heartbreaking journey for one reason: "I knew my daughter was in China," she said.

Panda Cam

You can watch giant panda Mei Xiang and her new baby at the National Zoo's Panda Cam.

The panda cams provide a window into the world of the Zoo's new giant panda mother, Mei Xiang. She gave birth to a cub on July 9. Newborn pandas weigh just a few ounces, so the baby may be difficult to spot. You may see it being cradled and nursing.

China's Efforts to Buy Brand Names

NPR's All Things Considered ran the segment, "China's Efforts to Buy Brand Names" on June 29, 2005.

The Unocal bid is one of many recent Chinese deals to take over U.S. companies. Often, the Chinese are looking for more than an American company's assets. They want to buy the brand name. Because there is little business competition in China, Chinese companies don't develop recognizable brand names, so they have to buy them. Recent examples include IBM, Maytag, and Huffy.

Disney and China

Here is a link to a recent Time Magazine article on Disney and China.

Hong Kong Disneyland is taking the Walt Disney Co. to a new place: the wonderful world of China. The $3.6 billion park, scheduled to open Sept. 12, is Disney's boldest attempt to make Mickey Mouse as well known as Chairman Mao in the burgeoning Chinese market. With 1.3 billion increasingly wealthy people--290 million of them under 14, Disney's prime audience--China is the Magic Kingdom for a consumer company, and Disney wants to sell them everything from Mickey Mouse toys to animated movies to kids' magazines.

Skateboarding Over the Great Wall

Here is the webpage of Danny Way, the first person to skateboard over the Great Wall unassisted. There are some video clips on the page, or you can watch this one from ifilm.com.

News

Beauty of Shui Nationality costumes: Models present costumes with characteristics of Shui Nationality at a beauty pageant held in the Sandu Shui Autonomous County July 5. Contestants from villages and townships of Sandu come to display beauty of Shui Nationality's costumes and charms of girls of Shui at the pageant.

Widening income gap, the most serious social problem in China: The widening income gap was the most serious social problem in China in 2004, according to a recent survey conducted by the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. The survey also found that reform of the income distribution system in 2005 is the top concern of the respondents. Statistics showed that the ratio of the average annual disposable income between urban and rural citizens stood at 1:3.2 last year, compared with 1:2.6 in 1985.

China pastor on trial over Bibles: The leader of an underground Chinese church appeared in a Beijing court on Thursday, accused of illegally printing more than 200,000 Bibles.

Disney sets sights on China: In a sign of the times, Walt Disney is behind the kung fu retelling of its 1937 animated classic, which is part of an intensifying strategy to make inroads into the Chinese cinema market ahead of Hollywood rivals.

Local Story

Benton couple heads to the Far East for a new daughter: Stephen and Mary Malone decided their family was complete when their second daughter was born.

Local Story

ADOPTING SOPHIE: ONE COUPLE'S JOURNEY; CRASH COURSE IN CULTURE: Our daughter's name is Sophie Fahy Donna Yu Derr! My husband, Greg, and I like the name Sophie and my mother's Irish name, Fahy. Donna is in honor of my best friend who died of cancer four years ago, leaving two daughters.