Unlike many other large cities, China has been avoiding the establishment of large slums and related instability, argues author Jeremy Wallace in an interview with journalist Ian Johnson at the New York Times. The abolishment of the hukou system is not expected any time soon, since it serves the government well.Read More →
The number of dollar billionaires in China will be larger than those in the US in two years time, estimates China Rich List founder Rupert Hoogewerf in GQ. Why China is the growth market of the futureRead More →
Just like in November 2014, China´s central bank is expected to easy its monetary policies also in 2015 to push economic growth, writes financial analyst Sara Hsu in the Diplomat. More liquidity is needed in the market.Read More →
After a boycott over the past three years, Japan is back as a favorite in 2015 for Chinese tourists, now relations are more stable, tells business analyst Shaun Rein to WSJ wealth editor Wei Gu. Hong Kong is passe, and domestic travel is in, especially for youngster who do not focus on shopping anymore.Read More →
Coal used to be literally gold in China, but those days are over. Formal coal capital Lüliang has now been the center of president Xi Jinping´s anti-corruption drive, writes journalist Ian Johnson in the New York Times. A case study on disrupting the Party establishment.Read More →
Capital punishment is declining in China, although the country still executes more than the rest of the world combines. Author Zhang Lijia paints in the New York Times the struggle of daring lawyers who fight for their clients, and the slow success of their campaign. Read More →
China´s spending spree starts at Single´s Day, and ends with Spring festival, but even Christmas has gained support among the consumers, writes financial analyst Sara Hsu in the Diplomat, although it a a indigenous Christian celebration.Read More →
Facebook has suspended the account of the exiled Chinese author Liao Yiwu, writes journalist Ian Johnson in the New York Times. Not or the first time, the censorship of the internet giant hits the wrong person. Liao opposes the move: “I didn’t knuckle under the Communist Party, and I won’t knuckle under Facebook.”Read More →
Former factory worker, and now author Zhang Lijia looks on her weblog into the fate of Xu Lizhi, a 24-year old Foxconn worker, who of many who jumped to death on September 20. Xu was not only a migrant worker, but also a poet, she tells us.Read More →
Remembering the gruesome past of the Cultural Revolution has been a touchy issue, suppressed by the government, even though many at the current leadership have been victims themselves. Journalist Ian Johnson describes how things might be changing in the New York Review of Books.Read More →
Until last week both Jack Ma of Alibaba and Wang Jianlin were in the race to become the richest man in China in 2014. A poor IPO in Hong Kong spoiled his chances, explains China Rich List founder Rupert Hoogewerf, in the China Daily. But it is not the end of the game.Read More →
Economist Arthur Kroeber argued last week that China´s leadership accepts that its authoritarian strength triggers off collateral damage: it will never become a leader in technology or soft power, including censorship. Journalist Ian Johnson disagrees in the ChinaFile, the people might not accept that trade-off.Read More →