Short Walk Signal Results in Death on the Crosswalk

Interesting optimization problem. Utilitarianism at its highest.

Translation: 男子在斑马线处被撞身亡 协管员称绿灯时间太短 from sina.com

Yesterday morning at the intersection of East Jiangbin Avenue and Kuaian Street in Fuzhou (福州), a SUV ran over a pedestrian while he was still traversing the crosswalk. The man died instantly. One traffic warden told the reporter that the zebra crossing spans 8 traffic lanes and requires 65 humans steps to cross. The green walk signal, however, only lasts about 13 seconds, enough for 30 steps.


Right now, all that remains to show an accident had occurred was a leather shoe and blood stains on the opposite sidewalk. "The collision happened on this crosswalk, but the man's body landed on the crosswalk on the opposite side." Weng Yibo believes that the man came from Kuaian Street and was crossing Jiangbin Avenue before the SUV hit him.

The police have not been able to identify the deceased person due to lack of personal identification documents.

Jiang Bin Avenue has 8 traffic lanes. Six are fast lanes, and the other two spares.

"The pedestrian signal is too short, only allowing people to cross half of the road." According to one traffic warden, adults walking under normal speed need 65 steps to go from one side of the road to the other. But due to limited time, they must take 30 steps and then jog the rest of the way to the median divider, where they wait for the next walk signal.

Chief Chen of Mawei District's police patrol team said that they have already gone through several rounds of discussion concerning the walk signal. Vehicle traffic volume exceeds pedestrian traffic volume, and a longer signal can lead to traffic jams on Jiangbin Avenue.

The case is still being processed.

Comments:

2010-12-12 14:54:59 Beijing Cellphone User

The main reason is that you can't tax pedestrians. So of course pedestrians get little time.

2010-12-12 15:27:27 Beijing 大虎

In other countries, cars are required to stop for pedestrians on the crosswalk.

2010-12-12 14:52:24 Suzhou, Jiangsu Cellphone User

I suspect that SUV driver was intentional. The collision happened at high velocity, not when he was accelerating from a stop. I don't think he slowed down at all!

2010-12-12 14:34:38 Hebei Cellphone User

I recall similar experiences. Bicyclist and pedestrians have no rights anymore....

2010-12-12 16:23:42 Suzhou, Jiangsu Cellphone User

Yea, all you think about is traffic jams, never people who must walk. A man has to die to catch your attention.

2010-12-12 18:09:53 Shanghai squll2001

For the sake of common people's safety, China should convert zebra crossings to bridges.

CCTV Exposes Shanda's Porn Novel Business

Translation: 盛大文学靠黄色小说牟利 遭央视曝光 from QQ.com

Yesterday, CCTV's consumer news show Consumer Advocate gave full coverage on Shanda Literature's (盛大文学) porn novel business, pointing to several literature websites under the Shanda brand as sources of internet porn. It revealed the deeply negative influence Shanda Literature has on morality and online culture. It further called upon Chinese internet regulatory departments to exert more control over internet publishing and to purify the online environment. Shanda began as a highly lucrative game operator for the Korean MMORPG game The Legend of Mir 2 and occupied news headlines when its CEO Chen Tianqiao (陈天桥) became the richest man in China mainland. CCTV's accusations, which were broadcast amidst the government's nation-wide special mission to halt dissemination of pornography via web and mobile channels, placed Shanda once again in the spotlight.



According to CCTV, the reporter found extensive pornographic, vulgar contents in novels published by Shanda Literature. Murder Under the Incest (Qidian.com), Top Laughing, Bottom Screaming¹, Let's Roll, Wifey (jjwxc.net), Vixen Lover of a Fickle CEO (hongxiu.com), Professional Escort, She Comes from the Brothel (rongshuxia.com), Having a Baby with His Homosexual Royal Highness (readnovel.com), and She Beds Three or Four Men (Rongshuxia.com)...many book titles in these Shanda websites are unsightly, and the writings are filled with more explicit sexual descriptions. To attract viewers, authors create sensational chapter titles such as "Caution: Concentrated Sexual Content," "Purely Flesh," "Two Men Giving Birth," "Conditioning," "Time Travel," "Girl Becomes Boy," "Multiple Party Relationships," "Sadism Masochism," and "Milk Production."

Shanda Literature mostly showcases paid-to-read content. Take Qidian as an example. Since the customers read 5 billion characters per day, and the website charges 2 cents RMB for every 1000 characters in these "VIP" novels, Qidian can make more than 10,000 yuan daily. Shanda has other plans to generate revenue, including translating MMORPG games into novels and vice versa, i. e. producing novel-related games, published materials, or videos. Shanda Literature has become the source for pornographic, violent, and vulgar internet novels, creating a giant money-making chain.

Shanda reaps huge profits by packaging porn books and selling them as "internet literature." Shanda has captured 90% of the online publishing business through various buyouts.in the past few years. According to Shanda's financial statements, 3Q revenue from its online game segment declined by about 14%, while its publishing business grew 136% with revenue reaching 300 million yuan. Literature is becoming the new support for Shanda's continued growth.



Why is a prestigious company like Shanda willing to sell porn novels and damage its reputation in the process of doing so?

Analyst Yang Qun who monitors the internet industry explained: "This is closely tied to the performance decline of Shanda's core gaming segment." Based on Shanda's November 30 earnings release for its third quarter, net profit from both Shanda Interactive and Shanda Games decreased. Operating profit dropped to 155 million yuan, and net profit was 99.3 million yuan. Compare to the previous month, net profit declined 41%. Year-on-year decline was 77%. Shanda Games reported a total revenue of 10.96 billion yuan, which signified a 14% year-over-year decline. It drew in 289 million yuan in net profit, representing a drop of 21% compared to the same time last year or a drop of 3.8% compared to the previous month.


Currently, Shanda's internet business can be divided into 3 segments: Shanda Games, Shanda Online, and others. The weakening of the gaming segment, which comprises Shanda's traditional core business, is directly reflected in Shanda's performance. Moreover, Shanda Online also experienced a 10% year-over-year slide in revenue, and its current assets fell 48.98%. Nevertheless, Shanda still have about 5.368 billion yuan in cash and cash equivalents.

This year, Netease surpassed Shanda to become the number two largest online game operator. In contrast, Shanda has not released any new products for some time. This void, combined with a overall gaming industry downturn, has caused Shanda to fall farther behind Netease.


In one of its latest investment reports, Goldman Sachs gave Shanda Games a "Neutral" rating and lowered stock target price 10.5% to only 6 USD. Morgan Stanley advised caution in buying the stock, as Shanda's new businesses have not fully developed. RBS outright downgraded Shanda Interactive from "Hold" to "Sell" and lowered the price target from 39 to 34 USD. Even Auriga USA, who had always been bullish on Shanda, lowered the target price by 10 USD, citing the "surprising" drop in profits as reason.



¹ Gay porn terminology

---

While Shanda undeniably publishes dubious contents, I think CCTV aired its criticisms more because internet publishing in China is barely regulated (relatively speaking). Unlike traditional publishing, where a manuscript must go through numerous checkpoints before it is printed and sold to customers, anybody with a computer and internet connection can publish on-line. Such "books" are only reviewed by unprofessional editors after the fact, if they are reviewed at all. Also, I believe these marginalized stories are implicitly encouraged because they attract readership.

To comprehend the effect of the title of this news article, imagine an hypothetical headline: "Google/Yahoo/Blizzard Dives into Porn-Making as Its Core Businesses Decline"

Good heavens, the Mormon church finally stopped hassling me

Every Chinese who comes to the U.S. or Canada soon or later encounters missionaries who try to convert him/her. Some Chinese receive baptism. Others view churches as a place to network (or where they can receive freebies). Still, there are some who never convert, and a subset write about their experiences. Here is one of the blog articles recounting such experiences.

Translation: 天呢， 终于摆脱了摩门教的纠缠 by 美国进步中国女青年 on Wenxuecity

On a beautiful summer day in 2010 (Saturday), I held a yard sale by my house, trying to get rid of the numerous stuff I had accumulated.

After noon, the number of interested buyers dropped to almost zero. As I was resting in the cradle¹, two young, handsome, and cheerful white American men approached. I quickly stood up to say hi. One young man introduced himself as Edward, and the other Joshua. Both belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have heard about Mormons before but never met any believers. Out of curiosity, I chatted with them and thus stupidly torched myself, because when they perceived my interest, they became really enthusiastic.

They asked if I believed in God. I answered no. (My husband has been trying to convert me for the last 10 years with pitifully little success).

They asked about my beliefs and ambitions. I told them that I have no beliefs. Being born in China, all I knew at the beginning was Chairman Mao. God? Who is that? Besides I am old, so it is hard for me to suddenly welcome a God into my life. What I want from this life? Pot roast used to be the extent of my aspirations because I was frequently hungry as a young child. Now that hunger isn't an issue anymore, I just wish my houses could double in value. Yes, I am of those who are hopeless.

Amazed to find such a philistine as me, The fires of these young men's work zeal burned even higher. Edward said, It's okay, God has sent me to bring you salvation. I felt highly amused. Someone who isn't old enough to know anything is trying to save me!

They showed no signs of leaving. I mentioned that it was getting late, and I must clean up. Without needing another word, they started putting everything back in place. Since it was a hot day, I couldn't very well ask them to leave right after they helped me. I invited them to come inside. The polite young men drank some water and left. Before going, however, they asked for my phone number, promising to come back next week when I wasn't so tired. I pondered, here are 2 people who lent me a hand. Sure, I don't mind giving them my number and my email. That same evening, an email from Edward arrived. He expressed the pleasure of meeting me and wrote I was a good person. He hoped to have a chance of saving me. The letter ended with proverbs from the Bible. I replied out of politeness. Then Edward began emailing me once in the morning and again in the evening. I stopped responding. On Thursday, he called to say they would like to drop by. I thought that was totally not necessary--I mean, hadn't we just seen each other? But he expressed strong desire to see me again, so I had to agree. When he came, he was clearly in an elated mood, probably thinking he was doing God's great work and he wasn't far from victory. (Knowing this passion came from not being paid, I am very impressed). Edward came with Bible in hand and stayed for more than an hour, explaining the Bible the whole time. I basically spaced out and didn't hear a word. Finally, he stood up to go. He inquired about my thoughts, to which I replied I didn't have any. I said the Bible was written in ancient English, and I barely understood modern English. I told a lie just to get them to stop coming, but they already have a plan for the likes of me. Edward told me it was okay, that there are people in his church who speak Chinese.

The weekend after, 2 boys who looked like they could be members of the F4 visited my house. One was Malaysian Chinese. The other had Chinese-English ancestry. My, were they extremely good-looking. This made me revise my estimation of the ability of the Church that was able to recruit so many good-looking people. They arrived speaking awkward Chinese. I mentioned that I was busy. They indicated a willingness to wait. So, while I did chores, one taught my daughter piano, and the other taught my son how to draw. Two hours later, my guilty conscience finally drove me downstairs to sit through another Bible session.

This marked the beginning of a deluge of emails, phone calls, inquiries, and weekend visits. Eventually, I had to say I was going on weekend vacations, but that was no use because they had time on weekdays too. I couldn't do it during the day. They said they can come at night. I was occupied in the evenings. They said they can visit during the day. They were so polite and so nice that I didn't know how to refuse.

Finally, they invited me to their Church. I replied that my car broke down. They said, no problem, we will pick you up. Backed to a hard spot, I couldn't help but go. And were they enthusiastic when they saw me. Everyone came up to say hi. "We are so glad to have you here." I didn't dare to stay too long. But before I could go, one person stopped me--the Bishop would like to see me. I thought to myself, heavens, this affair just escalated. I went to see the Bishop, who was also a mature, attractive man. He asked how I felt. I answered, okay, everybody was nice. The Bishop asked if I had a desire to join their Church. I answered, no. He wanted to know why. I finally said: "I dislike polygamy when it is one husband possessing many wives. I would consider Mormonism when I get to have a few more husbands." The Bishop immediately ordered me to leave. And I never heard from them after that.


¹ She might mean a hammock.


Comments:

sanchahe wrote on 2010-11-12 13:09:51
Mormons are very devout, and they conduct missionary work out of faith. If you are not interested, then you must make it very clear when you decline. A lot of people think they are badgering, but really it is because Chinese and Americans express themselves differently. Anything less than a point-blank "no" will convince Mormons that we are receptive and prompts more visits from them. We can choose not to believe, but I think it appears shallow and frivolous to talk sarcastically about these devout believers and a religion that we don't understand.

bighousee wrote 2010-11-11 20:57:46
All these Christian churches recruit good-looking men and women for missionary work. I have met several groups already, and one person in the group always turns out to be a pretty girl. This is their marketing strategy.

忘记你忘记我 wrote on2010-11-09 14:14:40
Hehe, the very last reply is awesome.

Mormonism has now become a name only. The church forbids divorce, but a lot of Mormons I have met are divorced. The church also prohibits pre-marital sex. How many really follow that?

jun100 wrote on 2010-11-09 16:28:03
This is what you get for liking beautiful boys too much and taking advantage of them, even letting them teach your children. Everybody who dared knocked on our door were scared away by Confucius. Next time, tell them: Saint Confucius ordered us to stay away from ghosts and gods. The saint didn't have the courage to say there are no spirits, only that he was already mired by the responsibilities of this world, which left him no energy to contemplate the spiritual. If the great Confucius could not manage both at the same time, what can we do?...I have never met an missionary who managed an repartee to this...One wife and several husbands? You are too crude...But anyways, keep on writing and making us laugh

mikecwu wrote on 2010-11-10 13:28:52
I have been to many churches, include Mormon ones. In the end, they are all Christians with minor differences. I have learned a lot about western history and culture. The experiences expanded my horizon. I have witnessed the great things Christianity does for the psychology of its believers, and I greatly benefit from it.

The most important Western holiday, Christmas, is a religious holiday, whereas the most important Chinese holiday, Chinese New Year, has nothing to do with religion.

Religion is a component of Western culture--people's lives revolve around their religious beliefs. Our religion is our Chinese culture--we live for a splendid culture.

新晴 wrote on 2010-11-11 15:33:12
Mormons send two men out on these trips. Jehovah's Witnesses send out two women. I forget which sects send one man and one women. I have also met Mormons previously. They asked me what are my goals in life. I said, I never thought about this question. They asked what I believe in. I didn't mention Communism, but I did say I am a believer of physicalism. I wanted to know if they know about physicalism. They replied no. So I made up some stuff, which caused them to look at each other silently. They soon left and never came back. They probably think I couldn't be saved.

Reason Why Chinese Customers Aren't Receiving Their Packages

Some Chinese internet users are trying to find out why their packages take forever to appear (e.g. question posed on November 26th: Is shipping very slow these days? One of my packages got stuck in some random place for several days)

In response, Taobao, an Ebay-like company based in China, made the following announcement in its forum:

All Taobao members,

Hello. We would like to thank everyone for his/her long time support. Ever since the middle of October, we have been experiencing unprecedented trade volumes. This put enormous pressure on Chinese package delivery companies. Even after increasing the number of their employees, transportation vehicles, and making employees work overtime, the companies still cannot clear up the severe backlog of goods that need to be shipped. Furthermore, diesel rationing throughout China is compounding the problem. In the south, some 2000 citizen-owned gasoline stations have shut down due to lack of fuel supply, creating difficulties for the companies.

Because they couldn't obtain any diesel fuel, delivery trucks stopped running. Many packages that should have been on the road now sit in giant piles on the sorting facility floor. We ask that Taobao members to please be understanding, as Taobao is also actively managing the resources to ensure your goods are safely delivered. Thank you again for your support!

Comments (just picking a few because there are too many):

紫泪1 2010-11-05 11:18
I hope the buyers can be understanding too.

taoqi24 2010-11-05 11:19
Why aren't there any replies in this post? Yes, the shipping services have noticeably slowed. First Yunnan, later Sichuan, Guizhou, and Gansu. I sell food. This outage is driving quite a few customers mad, so I have to log on daily to explain to them the situation. I hope Taobao can put up an official explanation and help deal with the negating/neutral ratings I received because of this.

A month later

剑行天下1981 28 minutes ago
No wonder my customers still haven't gotten their winter coats. They have been telling me that if the clothes don't come soon, they might freeze to death. Please hurry up!

善为本22488 10 minutes ago
Why is my first Taobao experience turning out to be such a drag? The scarf I ordered has been on the road for half a month now. God! Why am I so unlucky!

kancizhang 1 minute ago
Such things are quite normal in China!

可可乐乐le just now
Your excuse sucks big time! Shame on you! I just called China Postal Office. They told me the seller chose the cheapest shipping method, and that's why my stuff haven't arrived after 7 days. Normal express shipments are never this slow, because the customers can demand a refund for bad service. So please answer me, if the problem were really fuel shortage, then everybody would be eligible for pay back. That would make the postal office bankrupt, their personnel not only working without pay but having to give money away. Tell me, what idiots conduct business like this? No gasoline? As a state-owned enterprise, can't China Postal Office use its privileges to get some gas?

Post Claims Teacher Inaction While Classmates Beat Student to Death

Translate: 网帖称初中生被同学打死 校长老师围观未制止 from Sina

The boy's body

Several children told me that the teachers as well as students witnessed the violence, but no one did anything to stop the brutality. Eventually, my child was beaten to death next to the school front gate.

--Mother of the victim

"Ninth Grade Student Wang Zhenyu (王振雨) from Qipan Middle School in Xinyi, Jiangsu Killed" was one of the hot forum posts on November 21st. The post described a lethal beating that occurred on the evening of November 17th. When Wang Zhenyu tried to stop three fellow students from punching his head class teacher, the gang turned on him instead. One photo showed Wang's body covered by bruises from head-to-toe.

The Post

According to the post, Wang Zhenyu was a star pupil in Xinyi's Qipan Middle School (新沂市棋盘中学). "Wang got out of night class around 7PM on the evening of 17th. Just as he was leaving school to go home, three classmates stopped him at the gate and killed him. The 3 students then fled. Witnesses say that school principal Mr. Xu and three other teachers watched the entire beating from the school yard. They did nothing. The child might have survived if they acted, yet they all turned a blind eye. Principal and teachers, do you deserve the honor and respect that the society bestows on you? You are supposed to lead the students, guide them, and care for them. Where has your conscience gone?"

"20 minutes later, one kindhearted teacher called 120 because he noticed that Wang was in grave condition. Wang's family immediately rushed to the scene. Despite of multiple inquiries, the school [to date] still has not given any reply regarding Wang's murder. Where is justice? Do we have to swallow Wang's senseless death?"

The post provided the victim's family phone number. Shocked by the story, Netizens exclaimed: How could this have happened? Why isn't the school doing anything? How could the students dare to openly commit murder?

Wang's Mother

The reporter phoned the number in the post. The person who received this call said that her last name is Yang and she is the child's mother. Choking back tears, she told the reporter: "My son went to take the English exam on the 15th. Several kids wanted to turn in their tests early, but the teacher proctor wouldn't let them. My son asked them to stop when he saw that the gang began hitting the teacher. They took offense. On the evening of the 17th, those 3 kids sought my son out and proceeded to beat him. Several children said that teachers as well as students witnessed the violence, but no one did anything to stop the brutality. Eventually, my child was beaten to death next to the school front gate. When I arrived at the school, the school principal, teachers, and students were still standing there, just looking on. No one stepped forward to check on my son."　　

Mrs. Yang said that the school has been unresponsive ever since the lethal incident.



Mrs. Yang continued: "I learned from some student witnesses that the school doesn't let them talk about the incident. All I know so far is that the last name of those 3 kids is Shen. One even has the nickname "Mayor Shen." Every year, fellow students must give him presents on his lunar as well as solar calendar birthdays. Either that or they are beaten up. Mayor Shen makes 20,000 to 30,000 yuan at school alone. I also heard that this kid has [powerful] relatives in Beijing, and the family is well-connected with people 'up there.' We are desperate. Going online and seeking help is our last resort. But our article was deleted as soon as it was posted. Even our internet connection is down." The reporter researched for related posts, and, sure enough, the local discussion board has already removed the thread.

Mrs. Yang said that she just want an explanation, but there was nowhere for her to turn. Dissatisfied with the school's silence, the family have placed Wang's dead body in the school building lobby.

Police Department and Middle School

On the 21st, the reporter called Xinyi's police department and Qipan's school office. None of the calls were answered.

Soon after, the reporter discovered a news item on Xinyi's official city website. It was dated November 19th: "At 7:50PM on November 17th, Qipian Middle School students Shen Number 1, Shen Number 2, and Shen Number 3 engaged in a fight with victim student Wang outside of school. Wang was killed. The 3 students have been detained by the police. Further investigation and other related compensatory work are currently in full swing."

The most popular comments:

天边的闪电 from Changchun, Jilin 2010-11-23 10:32:17

If my kid were murdered and the court didn't order the death penalty, I would personally kill the murderers. If they were merely sent to prison, I would kill them after they got out!!!

悟禅室主人 from Ningbo, Zhejiang 2010-11-23 07:48:26

"Every year, fellow students must give him presents on his lunar as well as solar calendar birthdays. Either that or they got beaten up. Mayor Shen makes 20,000 to 30,000 yuan in school alone." Who created this venomous snake?

xajwdy52 from Hangzhou, Zhejiang 2010-11-23 10:41:09

Anybody believes that these 3 will become useful members of the society? They are a social danger if allowed to live. Those who agree vote me up.

chenmo from Suzhou, Jiangsu 2010-11-23 07:27:54

If I were the parent, none of those teachers and students who let my kid die would live out the year!

xinzhongderiyue1 from Xuzhou, Jiangsu 2010-11-23 08:12:01

I teach at Qipan Middle School, and I would like to clarify a few things:

(1) The student was killed on a street outside of school grounds after school dismissal (the cause of death was head trauma by a brick). The incident did not take place at school.

(2) The school director received a phone call after the incident had taken place, and within 2 minutes, he arrived on scene. He simultaneously notified the principal and vice principal, who came 5 minutes later.

(3) The school management and teachers sent the child to the county hospital as quickly as they could, but he died on the way.

(4) It was not true that the principal and teachers turned a blind eye. If so, they don't even deserve to be called human, let alone teachers. Anyone with a conscience would not have done this. Do not trust in rumors.

(5) Xinyi laws prohibit alcohol, disallowing alcohol purchase with public funds on any evening during the work week. How could the school principal have been drinking? This is utter slander.

(6) The three killers have been arrested and will be dealt with according to law.

The latest developments:

There is nothing complicated about this incident, and the school personnel did not engage in any of the aforementioned shocking behaviors. I think bystanders should try to keep a level-head. Do not believe the parents' one sided story so blindly.

We express our deepest condolences to the family, and such a tragedy hurts us all. The teachers especially do not wish to see something like this happen. We shall take this case as a warning sign and do a better job at educating and managing students. But, we ask the parents to please be more reasonable. They think the school is the only party they can get something out of, so they place the dead child in school. Since tomorrow is Monday, I don't even know if the students' classes can go on normally. I think the society should pay a little bit more attention to the school and to other students' right to receive an education. Try to put yourself in our shoes and in other parents' shoes.

gsh442300 from Shenzhen, Guangdong 2010-11-23 09:25:05

I believe this is the truth. Most people who replied are retards. Really, there are many adults nowadays like Wang's parents. They don't tolerate any loss and will do anything to get back at others, even when the other parties had no hand in their suffering. What do they care about justice and conscience, as long as they get what they want?

Anonymous from Beijing 2010-11-23 10:00:14

Those who believe in what you just said are the real trash and retards. Do you possess any humanity? -- If this were your kid, would you still say the same thing?

平静如水 3 from Shanghai 2010-11-23 11:13:25

The school cannot shrug off all responsibility.

But the main culprits are those 3 rascals and their parents. Don't be confused.

提交4 from Jinan, Shang 2010-11-23 11:16:46

Oh, so, blame the school for everything. How shameless you are.

hawk from Shanghai 2010-11-23 11:22:24

Of course the school is accountable. What is their job? Isn't educating students in their job description? These bullies did not appear out of nowhere. Do you dare to deny that the school royally messed up when teaching them? Don't you think the school is responsible when its students started killing people on campus? Teachers, on the whole, enjoy one of the highest salaries in the country. Shouldn't that money induce some sense of responsibility?

jeeney2010 from Beijing 2010-11-23 09:09:41

I believe this teacher, but that doesn't totally excuse the school. Because the students are all from this school, it should bear the most responsibility, followed by the parents. The case appears similar to Li Gang killing. But Li Gang's son did not intentionally kill, while these Shen children premeditated the murder. They all have this mentality that they can get away with whatever they do, like that palace eunuch's god-grandchild Chang Wei from the movie Hail the Judge, yet their crime is much more serious than in the Li Gang case. The teachers and students must have known what kind of people these kids were, because the extortion had gone on for some time. Why do the kids bother to attend school in the first place? Li Gang came out. I think the Shen god-granddaddy¹ should show his face too.

1123qs from Ningbo, Zhejiang 2010-11-23 09:01:16

Don't the teachers know they will be reprimanded for not doing anything? Of course they do.

But why didn't they? Because they are afraid of more terrible things happening to them. They did nothing out of self-preservation!

Many things have roots in the larger environment. Don't just criticize the teachers. There isn't a teacher in the world who doesn't like obedient good students!

wangxiong5566112 from Chongqing 2010-11-23 20:35:27

Some teachers are wolves wearing lamb skin!

qingp from Changsha, Hunan 2010-11-23 20:39:05

Don't be so harsh. The teachers have to eat, keep their job, and feed their families. What would they do if the school fired them? The politicians have too much power and too much money (can't compare with nouveau riche though). Too many wealthy people running around, and anything can be bought, including human life! What can a few teachers accomplish? The real issue here is that in this country money and status mean unlimited power!!!

Zhang Da from Beijing 2010-11-23 10:40:26

School has become another stratified society. Powerful parents produce bully children.

wruifeng from Beijing 2010-11-23 21:38:17

Don't rely on the society to give you any help. If you have any blood in you, find the 3 garbage specimens and exact blood revenge. This world has no justice!

¹ The Chinese word used here is 干爷爷. I know there is Godparent. What is the equivalent if the person belongs to grandparent's generation?

Anti-Japanese Crowd Forces Chinese Girl to Publicly Undress

Apparently this article (biased judging by the choice of words) contains sensitive material because many of the re-posts have been censored. As far as official media is concerned, only an opinion piece on Netease remains.

The event allegedly took place on October 16, when Chengdu citizens marched the streets protesting the Japanese government. One of the Baidu tieba posts containing many supposed evidence to prove that Sun Ting was not lying has been harmonized. So judge for yourself whether this is true and how much of it is true.

Translation: 致在成都胁迫一女孩脱掉汉服肇事者的公丅开信 and Mop

Chengdu girl Sun Ting (alias) had an infuriating encounter yesterday afternoon (October 16th). While eating out at a Dico's restaurant near Chunxi Street (春熙路), she came under attack from a group of college students. They forced her to take off the Han robe she was wearing at the time. As a result, she could not leave the place until a friend borrowed some clothes for her.

Sun Ting told this blogger that yesterday a girlfriend and she went to watch a movie near Chunxi Street. Both of them were dressed in Han Chinese clothing. Because of the place was crawling with people, they decided to eat at Dico's, located right across the street from Pacific Cinema. A group of college students began pointing at them once the girls sat down. Sun Ting did not pay attention at first, but soon enough, the restaurant became very noisy as the students rushed upstairs to where the girl sat, hysterically demanding that Sun take off her clothes!

The Han robe that Sun Ting wore on October 16

It took Sun Ting a while to realize that these youths had mistaken her Han robe for Japanese kimono, and she proceeded, with little success, to reason with the group. "It was like they all got high on meth. These people became mindless and kept on shouting 'take off your robe', 'you can't leave unless you take it off', 'burn it'."

Sun Ting believes that some fenqing had noticed their mistake, but by then, it was very difficult to reverse the situation. One student in the lead said: "I don't care. We have the pacify the emotions downstairs."

Bowing to the threats, Sun Ting heeded her friend's advice and took off her Han robe in the restaurant bathroom. However, this was not enough, and the group ordered her to hand over her pants as well. These fenqing disbanded after Sun obeyed. By that time, Sun was only wearing a T-shirt. A kind-hearted person finally lent his girlfriend's pants to her so that she can leave the bathroom and go home.

Sun Ting told the reporter yesterday: "I did not want to make a big deal out of this, mainly because I was publicly humilated, and letting more people find out will make me lose more face and bring harm to myself." But she was finally persuaded by friends and the blogger to expose the entire incident through media. She also uploaded screenshots from a video that someone took at the scene.

Sun Ting described the fenqing: "These youths know nothing about the culture of their country. As college students, they lack even the most basic qualities. After receiving so many years of education, they are still unlearned and uncouth, doing rude things though they possess an esteemed college diploma. Such incidents have very negative impact and must be made widely-known to educate the public.

It was reported that onlookers at the scene captured the violence on video.

One of the protesters holding the robe

Burning of the robe

---

Related links:
My personal account of the Han robe incident (in Chinese)

Important Announcement from Dalian University of Foreign Languages

This appeared on Shanghai Rexian (Shanghai Hotline), so I am assuming the article has been fact-checked.

Translation: (大连外国语学院的重要通知)

Important Announcement from Dalian University of Foreign Languages to Its Student Body

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is visiting our campus tomorrow. Due to security reasons, the school will implement martial law. There will be no classes on the day of the visit. The September 26th lessons (actually the 24th) are pushed back. Make-up sessions for morning classes will be scheduled for October 13th (Wednesday). Make-ups for afternoon classes will be held on October 20 (Wednesday).

All students must follow the next two orders:

1. Campus shutdown commences at 8PM tonight. Those who want to go home must leave quickly (otherwise you won't be able to come in or get out)

2. Students should restrict their activities tomorrow to dormitories, the multi-purpose building, and the cafeteria. Do not go to the basketball court! The south stadium will be under martial law. Those who venture outside of the boundary will risk being shot to death on spot!

3. Do no hang blankets and clothes out to dry. Balconies must be neat and the doors locked tight. Pull up all curtains. Do not crowd onto the balconies to stare, as there will be snipers on the roof.

All students please take precautions.

-------

(Online discussions between Netizens seem to confirm it. For example, one student from adouban group mentioned

Actually we couldn't see anything. The school told us not to leave our dorms. We were not allowed to go to the classroom or to the track field. All sorts of lockdown...

There were supposedly snipers on the rooftops, who would open fire if we came out. So we spent the whole morning trying to locate them...

其实我们都看不见 学校要求不须出寝室楼 不许去教学楼 不许去操场 各种封锁...

据说有狙击手在楼顶 出去就shoot 我们找了一上午...

But yea, anyone personally knows anybody from that university?)

Tianya Reactions to Chinese Asylum Seekers's 2-day Rooftop Protest

Australia recently saw several waves of illegal immigrants promising suicides if they were not granted asylum. The latest group to threaten death was Chinese, prompting a "lively" discussion on the popular Tianya forum...

Translation: 9 Chinese Nationals Climb Rooftop in Sydney on Mid-Autumn Festival and Threaten to Jump

First post by sydneyaus

On September 22, 2010, 9 Chinese nationals climbed onto a rooftop in Sidney and claimed that they would jump.

The group of nine includes both men and women who are staying in Australia illegally on expired visas. The Australian government has sent them to detention center to await deportation.

Yesterday, these 9 people climbed onto a 1-story high rooftop. They claim that if sent home, they will be subjected to persecution and torture at the hands of Chinese government. If Australia does not give them the green card and allow them to stay in the country indefinitely, they shall collectively jump to their death the next day.

Among them was a 20-something pregnant woman. She had been in the detention center for more than 6 months and is now 2 months pregnant. She is leveraging her pregnancy in her request for permanennt resident status.

Comments which rapidly degenerated into name-calling and cussing:

鹤发童颜美少爷　2010-09-23　10:29:24　

This group seems to meet none of the immigration criteria.

I hope they won't come back.

Those who always blame the sky, the earth, and the government--governments on both sides at that--should set up their own nation.

　　

不醉醒　2010-09-23　10:58:17　

The rooftop has the same height as the utility poles, and the poles are only two-men tall. What kind of human being would climb a short two-story building to threaten suicide? This is shameful. China should refuse them entry back into the border.

　　　　

zhj_mv　2010-09-23　10:23:33　

How is that woman 2 months pregnant when she has been in the detention center for 6 months?

马甲123　2010-09-23　11:01:25

Conditions of their prison stay are quite lax. Both sexes are allowed to mingle. She made very good use of her time

sydneyaus　2010-09-23　11:02:25　

6 months detention. 2 months pregnancy.

There were more than 5000 so-called refugees at the detention center.

The community is co-ed and people can move about freely.

Sort of like house arrest. They just can't leave the detention center.

The woman started sleeping with a Chinese man, so she conceived.

最爱哈士奇　2010-09-23　11:12:08　

Despite of an uncertain future, she still remembered to continue the family line. You gotta respect her spirit.

DreamingKing1227　2010-09-23　13:08:17　

She should add one more statement: If I don't giver birth to my child here, China will force me to abort the fetus. Balabalabala.

The rooftop doesn't look too high. Little kids might get a broken bone or two. I hope they don't find out after making the jump that they can't even get a scratch. Then they might have to return to the rooftop and promise "We will jump again at 3:00 AM if you refuse our requests!"

坐火箭的猪胖胖　2010-09-23　10:53:17　

Good riddance. Jump, don't wait! We can't afford to lose more face. And is China as terrible as what they say? Persecuting them? What did they do?

番茄是　2010-09-23　11:00:42　

These things don't look like the type that China would persecute and toruture.

People who don't have what it takes will always be unsuccessful regardless of whether they are in China or Australia.

斜倚悠然　2010-09-23　10:59:17　

Correction--

Not everyone qualifies to be an asylee. Mostly people are illegal immigrations.

The conditions for becoming a refuge are strict. Since China is not afflicted by wars or catastrophes, it is hard to seek asylum.

As far as what people do to get green cards--these are not the worst. Some people will join Falun Gong so that they can stay in the U.S. once visas expire.

What they did isn't all that atrocious. After abandoning all they had in China, going through all this trouble to come to Australia, and then not be able to make money, they don't want to return for fear of neighbors' ridicule. To avoid losing face, they would rather die.

湖边的猫　2010-09-23　16:43:36　　　

Therefore they do their best to trash China. If they qualify for political asylum, they can get refugee visa. I mean, many foreigners already think Red China is evil; talking on the street lands you in jail or leads to death or something.

　　

I don't know how it is in Australia. But in Europe where I am staying, asylees must abide by all kinds of rules to receive sustenance. They regularly report [to the government] and once assigned a place, they can't easily go anywhere else. Once I met a man on the street who asked me to read a letter. It was a fine notice because he had traveled to another city for fun.

　　

I really don't understand people that go to strange places to receive the minimal subsistence while having to endure constant surveillance.

天神的眼泪　2010-09-23　10:38:37　

No wonder, Fujian people again. They come from Province of Illegal Immigration

何方妖涅　2010-09-23　11:10:54　

I also feel ashamed, but Fujian is not the only province to produce illegal immigrants.　

　

Fujianers want to go out only because many overseas Chinese are from here.

Not as many from other provinces go because there aren't anyone to care for them once they get to the other side.

I might not like Fujian, but I don't tolerate people criticizing her either.

外貌协会会长　2010-09-23　12:22:45　

This angers and amuses me at the same time.

Rooftops will be in high demand if the Australian government acquiesces to their requests.

Can they even die by jumping off an one-story building? At the worst, they can become crippled.

If they really wished to jump, why not seek out a skyscraper?

China is not at war, how can there be refugees?

And what could they have possibly done to deserve persecution?

Australia, let them jump. They can reincarnate as foreigners in the next life.

China doesn't want them back either.

出门探荷　2010-09-23　12:52:09　

They could be from the southeast coast region. Not sure about the province.

To them, deportation after they had borrowed money to leave China is a fate worse than death.

In those regions, people cannot lend you money to go to college but they can finance illegal immigration.

Those of you who surf the internet during work hours will never understand their predicament.

　　

漫天飞舞的滚滚　2010-09-23　12:52:41　

These people just want to be freeloaders in Australia, because China doesn't have the proper conditions for parasites.

Bad English, no work skills to speak off...

The government is obligated to take care of them once they receive green cards. They don't even have to work. What a fantastic plan.

Utterly unambitious 20 year olds. Wasted no time rolling in the haystack though.

Mkliuss　2010-09-23　13:43:36　

Australia should let them jump. They demand human rights? Well, you wanted to die, so we couldn't very well stop you or we would be neglecting your rights. Jump jump!

不再8了　2010-09-23　15:52:04　

Since they so badly want to be Australians, China should take back their Chinese citizenship.

白桦林的两个版本　2010-09-23　16:30:04　

Reading this post four hours later. They are still tarrying.

本后_啧啧啧　2010-09-23　16:55:17　

From Fujian...

One time when I was at the embassy for my visa, a student next to me had his application rejected all because his home town was in Fujian.

Why are these people bent on giving Fujian citizens trouble?

Just because they aren't making as much money, they resort to illegal immigration. Selfish bastards. Young, strong people can't make a living in China?

And they dared to talk about persecution. Even if the government doesn't do it, their hometown residents will kill them.

DONGXIE1　2010-09-23　20:54:16　

I believe that this news will only prove one thing, that is--Australian houses have really good rooftops, which can support the weight of 9 humans including a pregnant woman. These also are 9 fairly emotional individuals doing some stomping. Yet, the rooftop withstood all that.

I suggest Chinese buildings learn from their Australian counterparts.

丢失的酒瓶　2010-09-23　21:23:06　

I don't feel they caused Chinese to lose face. They only represent themselves, not me.

In contrast, the Chinese government caused us to lose face long ago. Like it would rather donate money to foreign countries than to its suffering citizens.

How nice it would be if 90% of Australians were Chinese.　　　　

寒雪孤鸿　2010-09-24　00:31:32　

It only costs a few thousand Australian dollars to purchase refugee status from Falun Gong. In return, one can never go back to China. Normal people aren't willing to make this sacrifice.

These 9 who would rather lose face than paying that money are truly some fine specimens.

Although this is bad of me to say, Australia should make them permanent residents so that they won't come back and harm China.

verypink　2010-09-24　07:45:43　

Why do I think Australia did this one purpose?

Look at the rooftop. They cannot possibly die from falling. Put a few air cushions underneath, and let the police drag them down.

Instead, Australia invited every news station large and small, carrying tons of cameras.

They even provided the 9 with food and water...making sure they have a great time up there, lest they come down.

Soon the whole world will learn of China's persecution and that these people would rather jump off buildings than face it.

wjqsbd　2010-09-24　08:51:01　

I'd rather die than going back to China. I can well imagine the hell China is. Everybody on that rooftop is quite sensible.

渡潇湘过五湖　2010-09-24　09:21:07　

Look at all these replies

"We all await the moment when they jump. 56 minutes. Counting down!!!"

"Chomping on apple while waiting"

"Eating plum while waiting"

"Drinking tea while waiting. Die. Find a Australian family to be reborn into, then they will become Australian citizens"

"Eating beef jerky while waiting."

"Happily waiting"

"Putting both legs up on the desk and waiting."

"Hubby taking a bath first and I am cleaning the rooms. They will probably have jumped by the time we finish bathing and cleaning."

These people look like they can eat blood buns. Let's first not discuss whether those young men did right or wrong. The replies fully show the inferiority of our nation which hasn't made progress in the past 100 years or so. Don't forget, your lack of sympathy for others means that in the future you will be on the receiving end of such jeering.

讨厌死机　2010-09-24　09:38:12　

Jump, don't worry about the Chinese face which has been lost long time ago. It makes no difference if you lose it again, at least you are fighting for a better future. God gave us rights. Good luck to you all.

lookforgun　2010-09-24　09:38:57　

These materialistic, low quality, treasonous illegal immigrants from Fujian and other coastal areas is the main reason other countries look down on Chinese. These are the true scums. They are our shame!

关公面前玩小刀　2010-09-24　09:43:11　

At first I was going to say how unfortunate these people are to die in a foreign country. After reading post I kind of wilted.

sozj　2010-09-24　09:43:04　

The pressures and stress of living in China are too much. Social warefare is terrible. I feel numb watching those news day in and day out. The people who finally escaped, of course they will do everything possible to stay.

杜博简 2010-09-24　10:05:21　

This forum is crawling with retards, who have nothing better to do than to gossip. They can't even show some sympathy for their brothers and sisters. This is the typical Chinese slave mentality: even though they belong to the oppressed class whose interests are trampled, they still like to consider problems from rulers' standpoint. The concept of nation and ethnicity in this case is too limited. We need to take a humanitarian view when talking about the pursuit of happiness.

Why should we be doomed to servitude just because we are Chinese? Yes, the rich and powerful can legally sent their scions abroad to experience life in the abyss of misery called captialism , but is their money really clean? Why can't normal people fight for a better life? Is money that come from corruption or tax evasion any different than loot?

Illegal immigration is popular in Fujian because everybody who left China are able to improve their lives. So they would rather die in a foreign land than come home. Now who should be reflecting on this?

flw9804m　2010-09-24　10:37:45

Bro, I strongly support you. Those SBs aren't human. People are about to kill themselves, yet all the SBs can say are "die quickly, why haven't you died yet?" If this were their neighbors back in China, they probably would also say, "drop dead; don't taint our community reputation. You deserve to die. The important thing is I live well." A bunch of idiots. Worse than brutes.

DONGXIE1　2010-09-24　10:43:55　

Do you really think their shameful action is justified? Is it right to threaten suicide and lose face so that they can get green cards?

　　　　　　

China sucks, any country is 100% better than China, is this what you think?

Even if China were terrible and other countries more humanitarian, I have to point out again that tourist visas only require a few thousand yuan. Collect enough trip fare and you can all be on your way to the imaginary happy life.

flw9804m　2010-09-24　10:50:30　

Regardless, these are your country men. Though you would like to deny it, the same blood flows in our veins. They are just like you and me.

All other issues can be resolved, but life is too important. Netizens who goad people to jump are lower than animals. In this post, I have glimpsed into the dark psyche of many Chinese. What a group of SB idiots.

兰露雅　2010-09-24　11:09:01　

Just to be clear, they would rather die than be your country man. Calling you a peacock [narcissistic] insults the peacock's intelligence. Besides, I don't consider sell outs my compatriots.

fengleiiloveyou1　2010-09-24　11:31:05　

Sigh, I don't know what to say, but I want to leave China too. Housing prices are too high, wages too low, no security in life, kid tuitions too much. I am afraid to get sick, because I have no money to pay for doctors and medicines. I would willingly die if doing so can procure a better life for my children.

未央柳如眉　2010-09-24　11:41:45　

All you elitists quit jumping up and down. China is poor. There is a gap between China and Australia. But this does not justify their SB actions.

　　

Consider a poor family and a rich family. Some poor SB sneak into the rich people's house, see that a few lazy bums are having a good time, so they decide to squat. They demand that the rich people feed them for the rest of their lives; otherwise, they would hang themselves. This is some messed up logic!

　　

They are making us lose face big time. Die and be born elsewhere.

thisisengland　2010-09-25　07:19:56　

I live in England. You can't imagine how many Fujian illegal immigrants are here. Most of them have legal status--the asylum seekers. Even though China doesn't have war or turmoil, as long as Fujian people can get into England, toss away their visa, and tell the police that they want asylum, then they can't very easily be deported.

　　

Due to nature of my employment, I have come into contact with quite a few illegals. I was sympathetic at first. After a while, 9 out of 10 make me angry. They are exactly the ignorant and backward Chinese Lu Xun wrote about. They come here, receive government subsidies, live in government housing, or pay for housing with government money. They enjoy free medical care and are reguarly visited by social workers. However, they take all this for granted, and then, they find some way to work illegally.

　　

During the two years of my work, I have rarely met any grateful Fujian refugees.

　　

Countless Netizens before have urged us to have more sympathy. Some even talked about human rights. I totaly agree that every man has a right to pursue happiness, as long as he doesn't hurt others, complies with social norms, and abides by the bottom lies. The ones I have seen are focused solely on gold digging. They think getting higher education and learning English (even the most basic) are baloney. When others help them, it is because these people want to help them [so they owe the helpers nothing]. But as soon as a hurdle appears, they start cussing the awful British government and complain about England. Fuck, didn't you ask to come here first? You climbed mountains, crossed rivers, rode cars and boats, risked your lives, and paid tons of money to the snakeheads, because you thought all you had to do is show up in England and start harvesting money.

　　

So these men come from Fujian villages. Due to the current situation in China, local investments in education are lacking and some regions have not developed. Since birth, these people has had much fewer opportunies than children born in Beijing and Shanghai. Nevertheless, the lagging rural develpment isn't confined to Fujian. What about the northwest? What about poor provinces located inland? Fuqing Fujian is by no means the poorest. Should the poorer regions kill themselves too? The impressions I have of these refugees is that they don't care for education or living a better life via their own ability. Their concept for improving their lot in life is: instead of going to school unnecessarily, they should illegally enter another country while they are still young and make a few bucks, be it in U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, or Japan.

　　

I also believe that illegal immigation in Fuqing Fujian regions is not a problem to be solved in one day. A huge network has formed over time, consisting of contacts, snakeheads, and people to help them settle in after they arrive. The locals have many fixed ideas concerning all this.

　　

Thus, I firmly support Western nations' efforts to crack down illegal immigration. Tolerance in the past has made these "refugees" eager and fearless. If the governments don't mete out punishment and make a case, then they are indirectly encouraging human trafficking and transnational organized crime.

　

I don't have even a penny worth of sympathy for these 9.

Post-90s Girls Fight Over Boyfriend; Slap Each Other More than 50 Times

Chinese news can be totally whacky sometimes.

Translation: (两90后女生列车上为争抢男友 互抽耳光五十余下 from Yangtse Evening Post via Sohu news)

On the morning of September 1, a verbal argument between two post-90s¹ girls who were riding on the west Nanjing to Chengdu K722 train escalated into a fight. By the time security guard arrived on scene, they had already slapped each other more than 50 times.

Around 9AM when the train was heading towards Hefei, security guards on board received a report about two young women hitting each other in the hard seat section. Personnel who handled the case recall hearing loud slapping sounds while he was still far away from the particular carriage. At the scene, two fashionable-looking girls no more than 17 or 18 years old angrily stared at each other and ferociously smacked each other's face. Surrounding passengers appeared stupefied at the outbreak.

It turned out that the two girls were traveling with another boy, who was fiddling with his cellphone throughout this fight, and they had been in arguments ever since the trio embarked on train in Nanjing. At first they were only bickering in low voices. Suddenly, one of the girls extracted several debit cards from her purse, saying to the boy: "My cards have 50,000 yuan." Not to be outdone, the other girl took out hers and declared, "I have 70,000 yuan. Be my boyfriend." This verbal exchange immediately drew other passengers' attention. The boy sat silent, looking a little resigned. The two females then launched a contest. They bragged about family backgrounds first. Next they began to compare clothing, watches, and shoes. The losing side got angry and slapped her opponent. The other girl immediately requited the favor.

During questioning, the three told the police that they live in Nanjing and were classmates in one of the high schools there. The two girls are Xiao Xiao and Min Jia; the boy is Zi Xuan. At only 18 years of age, they are recently graduated from high school. Both Xiao Xiao and Min Jia come from well-off families. Zi Xuan is not rich but does well in school and is handsome. Although he gained the favor of Xiao Xiao and Min Jia, Zi Xuan had always declined their attentions. After graduation, Zi Xuan was admitted into a Hefei university with high marks. Xiao Xiao and Min Jia also applied for schools in Hefei and were accepted. As soon as they learned that Zi Xuan was going to Hefei by train, they each bought a ticket and managed to switch seats with other people to sit by Zi Xuan's side.

The trio got off the train at Hefei station. Police noticed that the girls still closely trailed the boy after they disembarked.

Most popular omments:

回着头 2010-09-01 16:37:09

One word, cheap.

Two words, very cheap.

Three words, truly very cheap.

Netizen from Dalian 2010-09-02 03:45:23143879513

This is one difficult choice facing a boy who just reached adulthood. He cannot just look at the amount of money on the debit cards. I believe it is more important to compare total family assets, if the girls are only child (preferable), and whether their parents have properties or work as government officials. Make a decision only after full consideration. Once the choice is made, get her pregnant. At least now marriage is permitted in college. Make sure the relationship can't be undone, and then plan his next step accordingly.

Netizen from Jiangsu 2010-09-01 17:37:03

Lucky boy. Let's hope he won't become a womanizer. He needs to either clearly choose one or refuse both.

james0007 2010-09-01 17:49:30

Do you think you are Qiong Yao writing romance novels? Get some journalistic ethics, please.

Netizen from Wenzhou, Zhejiang 2010-09-01 17:37:16

I didn't even know people like this existed! I learned something new!

¹ It means people born in during 1990-1999 period.

A Lesson in Dishonesty

Translation: (From Zheng Yuanjie's microblog)

A true story that took place in one of Beijing's key elementary schools: the class head master asked students to anonymously write down their opinions of her, promising no retaliation regardless of the content. Two children voiced negative opinions. The head master was enraged. She demanded that whoever wrote these negative comments to surrender and confess. The class fell silent. Sneeringly, the teacher proceeded to read the eulogies. Once she finished reading, the writer had to come up to claim ownership. Thus, she was able to screen her pupils one by one, in the manner of the movie The Message. Finally the two culprits were caught. This marked the beginning of their hellish fates. They might be better off dead.

The tweet has been re-posted numerous times on Chinese websites, newspapers, and forums. As someone so eloquently put it, the teacher was too good in that she managed to decimate the only two honest kids in her class. The deed must be recognized.

P.S. Have been adapting to some recent major life changes. Will try to update more regularly now..

High School Seniors Compete in Children Swim Meets to Raise Gaokao Scores

Translation: 浙江多名高三生参加小学生游泳赛获高考加分

"It is obvious from the results and rules of the 2010 Zhejiang Province 30th Spring Festival Cup for Children that they [the high school students] are just in the competition to receive national second-level athlete certification," said Mr. Lin from Hangzhou, who provided evidence for this year's gaokao fraud in Zhejiang.

Since Zhejiang appears reluctant to penalize the 63 students who received extra points on gaokao for dubious athletic merits, Mr. Lin felt obligated to do something: "My conscience and social responsibility demand that I speak up. Only then can more Zhejiang gaokao fraud cases be exposed."

Mr Lin stated his opinion to China Youth Daily: "I am not without ability and connections to make my son national second-level athlete and get extra gaokao points. In fact, I had to repeatedly decline offers from kind friends, school officials and teachers. I do not wish my son to raise his gaokao score in such a way."


In the 2010 Zhejiang Spring Festival Cup, the age groups are 14 (born 1996), 13, 12, 11, and 10 and younger (those born 2000 or later). Participants are forbidden to compete outside his/her group.

Yet, 2010 names list published by Zhejiang Ministry of Education reveals the following: Chen from Ningbo Yinzhou High School (鄞州中学), Ying from Yinzhou Wuxiang High School (鄞州五乡中学), Jia from Ningbo No. 2 High school, Zheng from Hangzhou No. 9 High School, Liu from Westlake Advanced High School (西湖高级中学), Zhao from Jinhua Pujiang High School (金华市浦江中学), Ou from Wenzhou No. 51 High School and several others all entered the 2010 Spring Festival Cup Winter Swim Competition for Children, and subsequently got 20 additional points on the national college entrance exam.

"Most high school seniors were born in 1991 or 1992. That poses an obvious problem because the 2010 Spring Festival Cup required participants to be born in the 1996 to 2000 time frame." Mr. Lin said, "These twelfth grade 'big brothers' and 'big sisters' are competing with junior high school and elementary school children. What a grand joke. The whole process is an outright fraud to fake gaokao scores."

Additionally, China Youth Daily discovered that 4 other students (Ji, Yu from Jiaxing Pinghu High School, Lu from Pinghu Danghu Advanced High School, and Zhu from Hangzhou No. 2 High School) improved their exam scores by entering or placing first in the 2009 championship game. Chen from Ningbo High School participated in the 2008 championship swim competition.

China Youth Daily reporter verified that both 2008 and 2009 required athletes to be at most 14 and forbade competition outside one's own age group. The five students just mentioned are far older, and, without exception, they registered for swim competitions a few months prior to gaokao.


China Youth Daily reporter was unable to find these older students' registration forms. Netizen"feiyang" who is acquainted with the situation told the reporter: "Those gaokao students pertain to a special group that 'hitch rides' to competitions."

The reporter found some clues in the competition rules: qualified athletes may apply ahead of time as long as they pay 100 yuan per category or 150 for all around at registration. They must produce their resident identity cards at the competition. And students who register through this venue should make a note in their paperwork.

To give more examples of how the fraud machine is run, during the 2010 Spring Festival Cup, Jia swam alone during the Female 50 m Butterfly. Ou only competed with one other child during 50 m Backstroke. High school seniors Liu and Zheng were the only two people to show up at 100 m Freestyle. Chen in Male 50 meter Breaststroke and Ying in 50 m Butterfly each competed with two other kids. At the most, Zhao during 50 m Backstroke saw 5 competitors.


Ou from Wenzhou No. 51 High School completed her 50 meter in 43.60 seconds. This was slower than the 42.42 second performance by fellow athlete, a 14 year old girl finishing last during 50 m backstroke (all around group) and was thus disqualified.


According to the October 1, 2005 national standards concerning athlete skill levels, to apply for any swimming recognition or to qualify as national second-level athletes, a person must have competed in city-wide and more advanced official swim events. The person must also meet certain performance standards. Ou fell short of the national time of 38.50 by 5.10 seconds. But in the 2010 Spring Festival Cup results published by Zhejiang Sports Administration, her time was listed as 34.7 seconds.

"With no competition, it is dubious how motivated these high school students were to perform. People don't even bother modify the times, and this remission is what exposed them." Mr. Lin pointed out.


The 100 or 150 yuan registration fees are only tip of the iceberg. One coach who had contacted Mr. Lin various times said: "Your son just has to go through a little training and participate in one competition. You can even hire another person to swim for him. We merely need some record of time to apply for national second-level athlete status. The total cost is around 20,000 yuan."

"Athleticism fraud in gaokao is tightly associated with special interests. The waters are just too deep." Mr. Lin has high hopes that the government together with public criticism will make the testing environment more just and fair.

China Successfully Fights Off Invaders in 20XX

With the following weapons in its arsenal, China will achieve resounding victory

1. the experience that real estate developers have accumulated over the years crushing stubborn nail houses
2. sandstorms blocking satellite views
3. dried up rivers to prevent ship mobility
4. toll roads and hospitals promising to extract every single penny
5. police stations specializing in bone crushing
6. drainage oil, melamine and other chemical substances
7. Sister Furong and Sister Phoenix
...

Those within the GFW: http://www.56.com/u49/v_NTM2MDg2NzA.html

Millionaire Aids Capture of Robbers With Personal Helicopter

Translation: 遭抢包富豪动用私人直升机追贼, originally from Guangzhou Daily

Mr. Liu in Sichuan, May 2008

Mr. Liu's helicopter

Yesterday evening around 6 PM, Mr. Liu drove by Changping Town Tian Village (常平镇田美村) in his Porsche. His son and an plane pilot were the two other passengers on the car. When Mr. Liu witnessed two men on a motorcycle snatching a pedestrian's bag, he immediately revved up the engine and gave chase.

Realizing that someone was determined to be a "busybody," the robbers accelerated to attempt escape. Due to concerns for the safety of many pedestrians, Mr. Liu refrained from extreme motions. Three kilometers down the road, the two vehicles found themselves in an area with less people. The Porsche finally ran the motorcycle down.



The two robbers immediately split up, abandoning their motorcycle. Mr. Liu got off the car and went after the driver, while his son and the pilot tried to catch the bag snatcher. The second robber was caught near a hill.


Meanwhile, the just-arrived policemen and citizens joined Mr. Liu in the chase. When they were about to make a capture, the robber jumped into a big pond.

Later during the news interview, Mr. Liu said that he shouted at the robber and told him to come out of the pond. The robber would not. Mr. Liu then remembered his personal helicopter and requested police permission to use it.

"I piloted the helicopter close to the water surface. The strong winds could create waves which hopefully would force the robber to leave the water." Mr. Liu recalled. The robber stubbornly refused to come ashore even as he choked on the helicopter-induced waves and had to cover his mouth with clothes. Finally Mr. Liu found a 6--meter long pole. He flew over the pond once again and used the pole to herd the man to solid ground.

However, the robber somehow wrested the pole from Mr. Liu and attacked the helicopter with it. Mr. Liu was afraid of damage, so he finally gave up on the helicopter idea.

By this time, he had already spent more than 20 minutes in standoff against the robber.



Though the helicopter could not do the job, Mr. Liu still didn't give up. He brought out his private motorboat. By this time, a boat sent by the Changping Police Department had also arrived, along with more local law enforcement officers and firefighters.

After some discussion, the police decided on double envelopment. Experts maneuvered the boats to surround the robber. They called the man to surrender while seeking opportunities to capture him. The criminal turned to be a good swimmer and an elusive catch.

The police was afraid of accidents that could result from a forceful capture. So they bided their time. After an hour-long stalemate, the police special task force spotted a chance and caught the robber at 9PM.


Mr. Liu owns several hotels in Changping Town. He is also the first person in Dongguan to obtain the license to operate a delta-wing aircraft. Mr. Liu personally owns 2 helicopters, and the roof tops of his hotels have helipads.

Mr. Liu enthusiastically participate in activities to improve public welfare. In the aftermath of 2008 Sichuan earthquake, he served on the frontline of disaster relief as the Vice President of Changping Chamber of Commerce. He also mobilized fellows members of the Chamber of Commerce to donate to the quake-hit areas.

Stock Prices Fall 16% Due to Media Revelation of Carcinogenic Substances in Bawang Shampoos

Translation of 媒体曝霸王洗发水含致癌物质 股价大跌16%

According to Hong Kong news reports, three products from B&W International Holdings Limited have been found by Hong Kong notary agency to contain dioxane, a chemical classified by the U.S. as carcinogen (The names of these shampoos are 中草药洗发露, 首乌黑亮洗发露, and 追风中草药洗发水, in case anyone uses the products). As of July 14, 11:53 am, the negative news have caused a 16.16% plunge in Bawang stock share price to 4.93 Hong Kong dollars. Bawang CEO Wan Yuhua (万玉华) responded by saying that most other shampoos on the market likewise contain the chemical. She stressed that dioxane in low levels is harmless to the human body.

Bank of American and Merrill Lynch issued a research report on the incident. If the media accusations pertaining to dioxane are true, then sales of all Bawang products and even the brand image will be negative affected. Today Bawang has to face the backlash from the market.

• ESWN also has an entry on this, explaining the details regarding dioxane: Jackie Chan Is A Mass Murderer?
  

• Danwei.org talks about all the celebrities who have endorsed Bawang in the past, and the legal repercussions that such endorsements can bring.

Part of a July 16 report 冯海宁：霸王“致癌门”更是“检验门”

Only a few Shenzhen stores have decided to pull Bawang shampoos off the shelves. Bawang claimed in a overbearing statement that there will be no recalls or returned products. Despite of Bawang's vigorous denials of its shampoos being carcinogenic and that most stores continue to keep them in stock, the public is not buying the claims. According to poll results from a portal website, 60% of the netizens believe that Bawang shampoos cause cancer, and 70% say they will stop buying the products.

It is obvious at this point that Bawang will try to obtain exonerating chemical test results from a third party.

Why Diploma Fraud Won't Be the End of Tang Jun?

The debate is still raging, but essayist and blogger "hecaitou" (和菜头) has already made his prediction of the outcome.

Translation: 为什么文凭打不倒唐骏

The argument over Dr. Tang Jun's (唐骏) academic credentials is sad, because his scholarly record merely is an insignificant detail in the grand scheme of things. Whether Tang Jun obtained his Ph.D. from PWU or from CIT's computer science department (better known as Caltech to some) does not matter. The real issue is this: why is there always a market for people with a tall tale, and why does the public proceed to deify them?

Yan Xin (严新) claimed that he could direct a missile or put out a forest fire in the Greater Khingan, with thoughts alone. Mou Qizhong (牟其中) talked about his plan to convert plateau to green grassland by blasting the Himalayas. And our very familiar Hongzhi Li --according to his boasts, so many Buddhas had fallen and died while trying to climb high enough to see him. There are also the quack doctor who treated everybody with sodium sulfate, the farmer who produced fake photos of endangered tigers, and the just now exposed doctor who proclaimed mung beans to be a cure-all. The past few decades have spawned an endless string of niubi criminals. It was an era during which speculators and opportunists commanded great forces and bewitched the hearts.


To be fair, compared to other niubi criminals, Tang Jun has more substance under his belt. Maybe Bill Gates didn't enthusiastically invite him to stay for another term, but Tang had indisputably been the president overseeing the then relatively small China market. If time could roll back, Chen Tianqiao (陈天桥) might not think that Shanda's IPO needed Tang Jun, but Tang still became a president and director of Shanda. Even now Tang's position in Newhuadu Industrial Group is real. By today's standards, Tang Jun is a success story in the business circle. He continuously received promotions, not demotions. What more can a career person ask for?

After admitting his success, you should then come to realize one thing: diploma is not Dr. Tang Jun's Achilles tendon. Since the Chinese are a strictly pragmatic people, neither PWU nor Caltech affects how the public view him. In fact, a PWU diploma is better [than a Caltech diploma]. Having no diploma would actually be perfect--as one of the beloved Chinese proverb says, "birth is much but accomplishments mean more." In a nation where a majority of the population do not have bachelor's degree and where academics directly affect job placements, an illiterate hero will be welcomed by most citizens as one of them. The longer those intellectual elites dwell on the diploma, the more support this illiterate hero will receive from the masses. A prolonged diploma debate will only make more people sympathize with Tang. Many of Tang's attackers do not understand this, because they have never lived among the masses. They don't understand how people think, and they can't emulate common thinking.


Instead, one valid question could be: did Tang lie? Did he lie on his resume? Did he lie in his autobiography? (see how Tang tries to get out of this one and if you can read Chinese, visit 蓝狮子与唐骏博士之绝配 to read what one writer said about his personal dealings with the publisher) Did he lie during his speeches and promotions? People very much desire an answer.

It is more important to focus on the crux rather than the minutiae of the problem. All great scam artists religiously follow the teachings of Wei Xiaobao: they will tell the main event truthfully but embellish it with such details, and they are not afraid to lie. Their bluffs blow only when these embellishments begin to dominate their lives. It is like that intolerable dish where the carved carrot decorations cover the entire plate. But even when people question the details, as long as the main story holds true, the player can still go through the crisis unscathed.

Luckily, Chinese are a very self-conflicting breed. They are extremely utilitarian and pragmatic, yet they can be as innocent as the Puritans. They respect xiaoxiong (枭雄, a fierce and ambitious person; for example, Cao Cao and Napoleon; Hitler also qualifies). Even if the success came through illegal and dishonest means, these xiaoxiong will be praised as "skilled" and "knowing the ways". At the same time, Chinese impose harsh standards on mainstream heroes, who must exhibit almost perfect morality, for there is zero tolerance for any small defect. Tang Jun is a xiaoxiong pretending to be a hero, so the only force that can cause damage to him is morality: the issue of integrity cannot be circumvented, and it is the only point on which his attackers have a stand.


I am very pessimistic concerning the outcome. There will be no solid results, because too many successful people switch between their xiaoxiong and hero personas. When the hero front is questioned, challenged, and defeated, they immediately become xiaoxiong and emphasize their accomplishments. Suddenly the questions and investigations just become a matter of "the loser is always vilified." Everybody then concedes that he is indeed "skilled" and stops obstructing his road to money and prosperity. Think back to the last few decades, which single public figure was severely punished for lying? When did the shit digging ever achieve anything? Did Richard Li's fake academic records affect his company? Or did Bruno Wu's Sun Media investments fail due to his purchased degree?

There has been one exception to the rule. The man went to jail. His name is Zhou Zhenglong (周正龙). And he is a farmer.


Only till this point have we come to the real questions that must be asked in the wake of Tang Jun news:

Why do niubi criminal succeed more easily?

Why are lies more profitable than integrity?

Why is the society so fixated on success and fortune?

Why are lying, bluffing, and niubi the only routes to more opportunities?

If a society were truly founded on principles of equality, and the procedures fair, will scam artists still succeed?

Does a dishonest alliance exist? So that nobody willingly exposes the fraud because he either profits from the lies or does not want the bigger embarrassment of admitting he has been duped? Or, perhaps, there is a consensus: integrity means nothing.



Finally, why is our media busy glorifying these public figures, why do our universities open doors to them, and why do we drink up the stories told by these con artists, only waking up when the tales become intolerably bizarre?

I think we must be missing something, lost something along the way. Our lives are much sweeter because of this loss, since a fixation on success distances us from the reproaches of the conscience. Once pragmatism gives us the boldness to scale all ethical fences, we achieve great victories one after another. Now tell me: do you really care about whether Tang Jun had lied?


Tang Jun, Yan Jun, any fast running horse is a fine horse (Note: a pun on Jun, which means good steed). Amen!

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