Danwei
Danwei is a website about media, advertising, and urban life in China. With frequent reference to and translations from Mainland Chinese media, we publish fresh information about China that you won't find anywhere else.
Dongda Proctology Hospital accused of fraud
(Sep 6)
 Xinhua Daily Telegraph, September 6, 2010
"As I was handing my registration to the doctor, and before I'd even dropped my trousers to let him see the afflicted area, I was told to have an enema." "It was only when the anesthetic was being injected into my buttocks that I noticed that the presiding surgeon was not the 'famous doctor' from the advertisement." "The moment the cutting started was when I realized that the doctor's so-called 'painless' procedure was actually a 'scream'."
So begins Xinhua's report on one of Beijing's most famous medical institutions, the Dongda Hospital for Proctology and Intestine Disease (北京东大肛肠医院).
The hospital is so well known because of its extensive advertising campaign. Posters and ads blanket public transportation and public restrooms, and Dongda flyers are ubiquitous. And among English speakers, the hospital used to be the butt of jokes under its former name: Dongda Hospital for Anus and Intestine Diseases.
Today's Xinhua Daily Telegraph r...
Wang Xiaofeng: Fang Zhouzi and China as a modern medieval state
(Sep 3)
 Bruno didn't behave either ( Wikipedia)
In late July, "science cop" Fang Zhouzi, known for exposing academic and scientific fraud, was attacked by thugs wielding an iron hammer and anesthetic spray. The case has been widely reported in Chinese and western media, and most commentary has called for the capture of his attackers. In a blog post that labels China a modern medieval state, journalist and author Wang Xiaofeng writes that it's most important to identify not the attackers, but their accomplice.
Who is the accomplice?
by Wang Xiaofeng/ translated by Julian Smisek
Professor Fang was attacked. People are all very upset and wish the police to capture his assailant. I feel this will be hard. Even if the police capture someone, my guess is it won't be the mastermind behind the attack. In the end, a scapegoat will be locked away for a couple of years. He'll certainly receive considerable compensation given that he probably has a lot of nasty things to say about the true culpri...
Lightning strikes Nanjing
(Sep 3)
 Modern Express, September 3, 2010
Nanjing was visited by 370 lightning strikes yesterday, nearly 50 of them in the main urban area.
One such strike hit the Jiaozishan landfill at roughly 4pm and left two scavengers dead. The two, a Mr. Dong and the wife of a Mr. Sun, had been among the few who dared to continue picking through the rubbish as the rain picked up. They had been holding wood-handled metal prongs.
Over on the Yangtze River Bridge, a tourist named Li also died during the storm, but the newspaper was unable to determine whether he was hit by lightning or electrocuted.
The front page of the Modern Express practically screams the news: "One thundercrack takes down two Nanjingers." That eye-catching image? A composite...
Links and Sources
Modern Express (Chinese): Two people struck by lightning in Nanjing
Tags: lightning, Modern Express, Nanjing
This article is from Danwei.org 
Spoof video for 7-Up by Hu Ge
(Sep 3)
A video commercial for 7-Up by spoof video king Hu Ge. For more information, see Ads of China, He Ge's Sina page (Chinese) or this Danwei post about Hu Ge's first hit. Video also in Youku.
Tags: 7-Up, Hu Ge, video
This article is from Danwei.org 
Li Ao's son enrolls in Peking University
(Sep 2)
 Shanxi Evening News, September 2, 2010
Yesterday marked the start of the school year. Today, many front pages show students － Shanxi Evening News featured the son of Li Ao (李敖), the Taiwanese political commenter, novelist and essayist, who had enrolled in Peking University.
Li Ao is a political activist who was instrumental in campaigning for the democratization of Taiwan. Now, he criticizes both parties and had many books banned. His program on Phoenix TV, Li Ao Wants to Talk (李敖有话说) is a popular political program.
Li Kan (李戡), his son, made headlines recently for choosing to study at Peking University rather than in Taiwan. Li Kan was born in 1992 and was accepted to both Taiwan National University and PKU, but chose the latter after being disappointed with his home province's education system (detailed in his first book).
Other items on the front page:
Japan begins to destroy chemical weapons left in China
An interview with Taiwan pop queen Jolin
Are many m...
Formerly blacklisted actress Tang Wei to play Mao Zedong's first girlfriend in Party film
(Sep 2)
 Tang Wei as Tao Yi, the Chairman's first girlfriend
Actress Tang Wei (汤唯), who was blacklisted from appearing in Chinese films or on TV for a time, has been rehabilitated: she is to play Mao Zedong's first love in a new film called The Founding of the Party, a prequel to the state-produced smash hit The Founding of a Republic that was produced in 2009 to celebrate 60 years of the People's Republic of China and Communist Party rule.
Popular husky-voiced actress Zhou Xun who did not appear in The Founding of the Nation will also be in the new film. Liu Ye plays a young Mao Zedong.
From the blog Roast Pork Sliced From A Rusty Cleaver (link below, post includes plenty of photos of cast):
A press conference was held at Beijing Film Studio with many of the cast members in costume but Tang Wei and Zhou Xun were clearly the highlight of the event. Lu Chuan and Sheng Ding will direct parts of the film besides chief director Huang Jianxin. And unlike last time, the cast will not be ...
Wen Jiabao corrects a geography textbook
(Sep 1)
 Beijing Times, September 1, 2010
The eye-catching front-page photo on today's Beijing Times comes from the scene of a massive accident on Beijing's north Fifth Ring Road. Early yesterday morning, an overturned truck spilled its cargo across all eastbound lanes near Guangze Bridge, blocking traffic and leading to two five-car pile-ups. There were no deaths, and the roadway was cleared by 5 am.
The Beijing News also featured the accident on its front page, but the story was oddly nowhere to be found on the cover of the Beijing Youth Daily.
Although the Beijing Times does cover today's big news stories — mobile phone service now requires an ID, a China Express airplane that scraped a wingtip on the ground while landing at Beijing Airport — the paper's top story is a local follow-up report about Premier Wen Jiabao and a geography textbook.
In 2009, at the beginning of the fall term, the premier paid a visit to a Beijing middle school where he studied math, literature, geography, res...
Second trial of home appliances tycoon upholds original ruling
(Aug 31)
 Daily Sunshine, August 31st, 2010
Huang Guangyu, former president of Chinese home appliances chain GOME has been appearing on newspaper covers frequently since his arrest in November 2008.
Yesterday, Huang's second trial concluded in Beijing's high court. The court upheld the ruling of his first trial including a 14-year jail sentence and a fine of six hundred million yuan.
In his original trial held between April 22 to May 18, Huang was convicted of insider trading, bribery and illegal operation. The same court also found Huang's wife Du Juan guilty on insider trading and dealt out to her a sentence of three and half years plus two hundred million fine.
Yesterday's trial reduced Du's sentence to three years and she was freed on parole. The alleviation of sentence was decided on the grounds of Du's timely payment of the fine and her show of penitence. Yesterday's ruling is the final.
The top headline announces the meeting of last Friday between President Hu Jintao and nor...
Microblogs react to Fang Zhouzi's violent ordeal
(Aug 30)
 Dongguan Times, August 30, 2010
Fang Zhouzi (方舟子), a crusader against fraud in academia, escaped being beaten up by thugs yesterday. Today's Dongguan Times reflects concern in the media world at yet another anonymous attack. The headline reads "Who beat up Fang Zhouzi?"
In the article inside, the microblog comments of various media personalities were collected:
Ai Weiwei (famous artist): Support Fang Zhouzi all the way! Punish the gangsters severely!
Luqiu Luwei (Phoenix TV journalist): Law implementation organs have a responsibility to investigate any citizen attack and to apprehend the attacker. Judiciary departments have a responsibility to impose sanctions on the law-breaker, whether the motivation was revenge or a fight. And the reason that Fang Zhouzi was beaten is due to the work he has been doing all along, which obviously belongs to the public sphere, and therefore the truth needs to come out to the public.
Ning Caishen (writer, script-writer): If the metal hammer h...
Wang Li on mealtime hospitality
(Aug 27)
 Just say no ( Wikipedia)
Many consider Wang Li (1900-1986) to be the founder of modern Chinese linguistics. Along with other linguists, Wang Li developed a new Chinese framework of linguistic analysis, and after 1949, he worked extensively on reforming the Chinese writing system. In addition to his linguistic contributions, Wang Li also wrote several essays. Below is "Mealtime hospitality," originally published in 1943.
Mealtime hospitality
by Wang Li / translated by Julian Smisek
Mealtime in China is the best demonstration of our cooperative spirit. Ten or twelve people can share a dish and a soup. At banquets, we emphasize a synchronous use of chopsticks. Each person simultaneously places food in his mouth, with only a few chewing out of rhythm.
An old joke goes like this: once upon a time, a foreigner asked a Chinese person, “I hear you Chinese have banquets where 24 people share food around a table. Is this true?” The Chinese person replied: “It’s true.” Astounded, the fo...
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