News

China reports 11th bird flu death: A 29-year-old woman has become the 11th person to die from the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu in China, state media have reported.

China's tax burden lower than world average: China's tax burden is still lower than that of most developing and developed countries despite its rapid growth of tax revenue in recent years, the State Administration of Tax (SAT) said in a report published over the weekends.

China military buildup destabilizing: China's growing military strength and its tense relationship with Taiwan are major destabilizing factors in East Asia, according to a strategy report issued on Monday by a think tank affiliated with Japan's Defense Ministry.

A quarter of Chinese study English: More than 300 million Chinese people, or nearly a quarter of the country's population, have studied English either as a major course or as an elective subject.

Story on International Adoption

Adoptions [without] borders: Parents say international route presents fewer roadblocks in journey toward happy families.

China Related TV

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

Featured Flickr Photo

Girl & Water Buffalo


(Courtesy of Rob Millenaar)

Lowest-Priced Digital Prints

Day-in and day-out, Photomax offers a super low price for digital prints -- 12 cents!

If you order a lot of digital prints (or would like to start), Photomax has a subscription plan where you get 100 prints a month for $9.95. That works out to less than 10 cents a print.

In addition to the great price on prints, the subcription plan gives you an additional 10 Gb of on-line storage, members-only promotions and discounts, and preferred pricing, where you get up to 25% off normal prices on other gift items. (This is a great deal -- the $10 you will save on a Movie Magic DVD pays for a month's subsciption right away.)

Once you log into Photomax, you can find the subscriptions page by clicking on the "Product Center" tab and clicking "Memberships" on the right of the page (near the bottom).

If you haven't already, check out the Photomax Registration page, where you will get 20 free 4x6 prints and a free 8x10 for creating an account (as well as 5 Gb of on-line storage for your photos).

I've been a very happy Photomax customer for the last couple of months. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail.

Local Story

Adopted in China, Seeking Identity in America: Molly Feazel desperately wants to quit the Chinese dance group that her mother enrolled her in at age 5, because it sets her apart from friends in her Virginia suburb. Her mother, though, insists that Molly, now 15, will one day appreciate the connection to her culture.

[Update: Ray points out in a comment that the New York Times version of this article has a nice audio slide show narrated by the author, Lynette Clemetson.]

Dog Flowers

These pictures are not necessarily China-related, but a friend sent them to me and I thought I'd pass them along.

Child Theft

Chinese government stealing children, demanding ransom for return: Farmers accuse family planning officials of taking away children born outside the 'one child policy' and demanding payment to return them. Victims are baby girls who are sent to unknown orphanages.

Local Story

Adopting children from other countries a balancing act: After adopting two infants from China, Jeff and Heidi Summey were determined to help their daughters feel comfortable with their dual heritage.

Off for a Week

I won't be posting to the weblog again until Saturday March 25. I hope everyone has a great week!