Beijing Meets the Press: The Rematch
For the record, after a lull the Olympics press conferences have resumed. Perhaps the Beijing organizers and the International Olympic Committee spokespeople just needed a breather after the bruising...
View ArticleSlovenia: Olympics Champion?
China ranks by total gold medals. The U.S. counts all medals equally. By now, it comes as no surprise that countries often rank Olympic medals by convenience. But the sparsely-populated New Zealand has...
View ArticleLiu Xiang: The Conspiracy Theory
Since China’s star athlete withdrew from the 100 meter hurdle on Monday, China’s state media, official sponsors and government officials have expressed nothing but condolences and get-well-soon wishes....
View ArticleChina’s Best Foot Forward: Volunteers
The legions of volunteers swarming around this city are hard to miss—there are more than 100,000 of them. Outfitted in blue shirts and unfailing smiles, these university students give directions, tell...
View ArticleAn Accounting of Press Harassment
The Foreign Correspondents Club of China today released a summary of more than 30 cases of official interference with the work of foreign journalists during the Olympic Games. Most alarmingly, 10 of...
View ArticleBritish Woman Jailed in Beijing
The Telegraph reports 41-year-old Amanda McKeown will be jailed for 10 days without trial for taking part in a Free Tibet protest in Beijing. This takes some nerve on China’s part, given Prime Minister...
View ArticleInside the Olympic Mecca
Walking through the Olympic Green on Friday afternoon en route to a diving match, a parade with five floats based on the fuwa mascots passes by. The crowds go wild, jostling to get the best views. One...
View ArticleElaine Chao at the Closing Ceremonies
China has lifted nearly 400 million people out of poverty since opening up its economy in the early 1980s. Still, many Chinese over the years have emigrated to democracies in the hope of a better life....
View ArticleEight U.S. Citizens Detained in China
The U.S. embassy has just issued a press release detailing the unusually prolonged detention of eight American citizens in Beijing. All eight citizens were involved in various forms of pro-Tibet...
View ArticleLooking Forward to London
One of the most striking things about the Olympic Closing Ceremony was the contrast between the teaser for the London Olympics in 2012 and the rest of the show. The Beijing organizers showed off some...
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