Empty fake pancake shop next to real pancake shop, during the day.

Projection of pancake shop next to real pancake shop, during the night.

By artist Wang Gongxin, hosted by the Arrow Factory, about Beijing-classic hutong pancake shops.

Goto Arrow Factory’s webpage, or the exhibition’s facebook page.…

Continue readingArt in Beijing: Pancake neighbors

A positive sign from a report recently released by the Climate Group:

Investment in renewable energy in China – almost USD $12 billion in 2007 – is almost level with world leader Germany as a percentage of GDP. Stronger policies from the Chinese government are creating increased demand for low carbon investment and China will require a further USD $398 billion (USD…

Continue readingConflicting signs for a green China

Sold at the Chinese New Year Festival/Market in Victoria Park, Hong Kong:

Via Casey’s Fist of Fun.

From Danwei:

The Black-Voda-Pod, also known as the Voda-Pod-Berry, encapsulates the dreams and realities of China’s average mobile phone user: It is a fake BlackBerry device, sporting a fake Vodafone logo, and running a fake iPhone operating system, including a fake Opera web browser. And it works too.

The owner, a local soldier, did…

Continue readingWhat an average Chinese mobile user wants

On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 303 intellectuals and activists signed and released a manifesto named Charter 08. Demanded changes include:

• Separation of powers
• Guarantee of human rights
• Election of public officials
• Freedom to assemble/form groups

(Translation courtesy of Perry Link at the New York Review of…

Continue readingFailure to market a revolution

Photo of Shanghai schoolchildren by alokemon on Flickr.

On his blog, Micah Sittig discusses choosing between international, local-Chinese and in-between schools for your children. The post focuses on Shanghai. Highlights include:

• Even at good international schools, the teacher turnover rate is high.
• Some international schools not only replicate the educational but…

Continue readingChoosing a school for your kid…

Check out Akufuncture’s website or their facebook page.

Hong Kong Hustle does a pretty good job of catching interesting exhibitions, events and parties around Hong Kong. It’s got a luxury, upper class feel for the most part, with occasional spots on local things.

For example, they covered Pecha Kucha, which is usually a hit-or-miss mix of interesting presenters and audience members.…

Continue readingCool hunting Hong Kong

Neocha profile header image from dogone.

The question posed:

Often times… people criticize the Chinese for not being very creative or not having much innovation. How do you look at that?

The answer given by B6, Neocha co-founder:

Actually, I agree very much with…

Continue readingNeocha co-founder on creativity in China

Highlights from translated article over at ESWN of an interview with associate professor Hu Yong of Peking University, School of Journalism and Communication by Li Guosheng for the Tianya Forum:

Therefore I say that our people are not citizens. The nurturing of civic awareness will depend on the next the stage of the Internet. I still feel that the Internet…

Continue readingThe internet as unfinished public sphere