Chinese Students Shocked, Appalled at Obama’s Town Hall Meeting

Wang Zhuchen, a student in international relations at Fudan University, said he was surprised — and also impressed — to hear the U.S. president talk of his family and children. A Chinese leader, he said, would never discuss anything personal in public. Wang, a Party member, quickly added that this did not reflect badly on Chinese leaders but merely their “different... Read More

Expats to Street Food Vendors: “The Jig Is Up”

Foreigners outside metro stops citywide have been seen walking off in a huff, outraged by what seems to be an outbreak of race-related overcharging. “This is ludicrous,” muttered Daniel McKay of Portland, Oregon, rummaging through his wallet for another one-yuan note. “I don’t have time for this.” “Dwoh-shaow chee-yen?” McKay asked again,... Read More

The Supreme Court, Hollywood Style

Souter announces his retirement WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter said in a letter to the White House that he intends to retire. “When the Supreme Court rises for the summer recess this year, I intend to retire from regular active service as a justice,” he said in a one-paragraph letter notifying President Barack Obama of his... Read More

Mainland Sightseers Defend Against Attacks

Zhao Genda, a 63-year-old pensioner from Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, gained instant notoriety after Taiwan TV reported that he carved his name and that of his hometown on the rock face at Taipei Yeliu Geopark on Friday. Zhao’s story quickly spread to the mainland, where a report carried by the popular www.163.com has drawn more than 5,000 comments, with most respondents... Read More

Hu Jintao Just as Surprised as You About YouTube Being Blocked

This morning, Chinese President Hu Jintao called an emergency press conference and expressed shock at accusations that the Chinese Government was somehow responsible for the recent blockage of YouTube. “The allegations are completely untrue.  Just because the Government has haphazardly blocked websites containing content that it deems inappropriate in the past is no reason... Read More