Some Great Stats on China's Growth

Check out this article and relevant stats in The Independent article...

160: Cities in China with populations that exceed a million. In the USA there are nine; in the UK just two

95: The estimated percentage of DVDs sold in China that are fake. Uncensored foreign films are widely available from 50p

0: Miles of motorway in 1988

30,000: Miles of motorway today

30: The number of different animal penises on the menu at Guolizhuang, Beijing’s ‘penis emporium’. A yak’s costs about £15, while a tiger’s (which must be pre-ordered) will set you back £3,000

No Cultural Events (Especially) Before the Olympics

This is an amazing post of how the organizers of Pangea Day in Shanghai had to pull off their exhibition. Unfortunately, I am in the States right now and was not there to see in Shanghai but I did watch the online broadcast here.

So after weeks of plotting, scheming and ceaseless fretting, our Friends of Pangea Day event in Shanghai has gone off without a hitch. For those unfamiliar with the situation, a brief explanation: the Chinese government has launched a serious crackdown on cultural events in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. Case in point: two weeks ago, exactly one week before the event was scheduled to begin, the government announced that it was cancelling China's largest music festival this year. The 'official' reason? Local police would not be able to provide adequate security for the event. The real reason? Government anxiety surrounding current pro-Tibet sentiments worldwide. read more...