Shanghaiist Weekly Favorites

Beneath Shangri-La's superficial calm

Tony Cheng of Al-Jazeera pays a visit to Zhongdian County (中甸县) — which was renamed Shangri-La (香格里拉县) in 2001 to attract tourists — and finds that it is far from the mystical, harmonious valley as described by the British author in his 1933 novel Lost Horizon. Although the town is located hundreds of miles away from Lhasa, where riots earlier this year threatened to spoil the show for the Beijing Olympics, a heavy, military presence is on hand to ensure that violence doesn't break out again.

Child's Play: Malafi Photo Initiative

Anyone who's ever seen one of those fancy digital SLR cameras probably knows that professional photography ain't child's play. Right? Well, maybe not. Some friends of Shanghaiist marched into rural Sichuan a few months ago, and started up the Malafi Photo Initiative by handing out reloadable point-and-shoot cameras to a small army of volunteers. Oh, sorry; when we say small army, we really mean 14 little kids. And when we say reloadable cameras, we mean the ones that actually use film. You remember those, right?

Anyways, they've returned with some amazing shots, and a good selection of them will be going up in an exhibition called "Through Yi Eyes" on next Wednesday. All the prints will be up for sale, and all proceeds will be going back to orphans in the area to help pay for schooling and other basic necessities. It's a great way to support a great cause, so come down and check it out.

"Through Yi Eyes" will on for one month starting September 3rd at Boonna 3 Cafe on 1690 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Wuxing Lu ( 淮海中路 1690 ). Get more info here, or feel free to contact the Malafi Photo Intiative at friends@malafi.org.

Around Shanghai: Fake doctors, scat collectors and tattooed Louis Vuitton pigs

This pair of pigs tattooed with Louis Vuitton logos will be on exhibition Monday at the Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair together with eight other tattooed pigs. They're the unconventional works of Belgian conceptual artist Wim Delvoye who just sold a tattoo on the back of a Swiss man which depicts the Virgin Mary with a lifeless skull (click for image) for a record €150,000. The extraordinary transaction allows for the 35-hour work to be removed from the bearer's skin upon death and handed over to the buyer. The tattoo will also be on exhibition in Shanghai — attached to the man we assume.
A 38 year old man who has the habit of collecting his own urine and excrement in thousands of wine bottles at home found himself buried under them in a household accident and had to be rescued by a "very brave" fireman after neighbours heard his cries for help and rang the police. We think the fireman deserves an award.
A fire broke out yesterday in the construction site of the World Expo 2010 in Puxi.
A 45 year old man has just been jailed for 2.5 years for wearing medical gowns and posing as a doctor to trick patients out of their hospital deposits.
Shanghai police yesterday charged a jilted lover for stabbing his girlfriend in a failed murder and suicide attempt.

Photo from art218.com

Gong Li: Now a Singaporean?

The Singapore media is abuzz with rumours that screen goddess Gong Li (巩俐) — one-time girlfriend of Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) — has taken up Singaporean citizenship. It all started at a National Citizenship Ceremony last Saturday where about 150 new Singapore citizens were to take their oaths and receive their citizenship certificates. An Indian-born scientist Colin Gerard D'Silva, who works at Proctor & Gamble as associate director of external relations was seated in a chair next to the one marked for "Gong Li", and wondered to himself if it was really the acclaimed Chinese actress or just someone with the same name. He never found out that evening because "Gong Li" never appeared, but subsequent investigation by the Sunday Times and the Straits Times found that it was almost definitely the 42 year old actress, who married a low-key Singaporean tobacco tycoon Ooi Hoe Seong (黄和祥) in 1996. Immigration authorities in Singapore have remained tight-lipped, only going so far as to confirm that a person by the name of "Gong Li" was supposed to be present at the ceremony but stopped short of revealing her identity citing confidentiality issues.
Celebrity stylist David Gan was not surprised and suggested this was 'old news':

'I knew about it a few months ago. She told me she applied for a Singapore passport. I told her it's good and I even congratulated her,'

'Singapore is a good place. She travels a lot and it's convenient to hold a Singapore passport. A lot of stars like to stay here too. There's no paparazzi. When I walk down Orchard Road with Gong Li, nothing happens.'

If the rumours are anything to go by, Gong Li would have renounced her Chinese nationality as neither Singapore nor China recognise dual citizenship. It may also mean she will relinquish her role as an elected member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), in which she made a proposal on environmental issues as recently as last year.

Sentiment among the Singaporean public remains mixed. While some were more than happy to hear Gong Li has become a Singaporean, her no-show at the citizenship ceremony has also drawn flak.

Photo from Lemy Caution

CCTV camera captures the mysterious death of 8 year old girl

Recently, an 8 year old girl visiting the factory where her grandmother worked died under mysterious circumstances that were captured by the factory's security camera, as seen here in this report by Zhejiang TV (浙江电视台). The CCTV footage shows the little girl Yang Yang hopping merrily into the factory in Hangzhou's Yuhang district (余杭), and then resting her body against the electric security gate — the type that you often see around in schools, factories and hospitals around here. The girl then appeared to suddenly be sucked into the gate, and lost control of her body. Within a few seconds, her body grew limp, her head fell backwards and she fell onto the ground, lifeless. After viewing the footage, Yang Yang's mother is convinced that she accidentally kicked her shoes off while playing and was electrocuted. Tests concluded that there was a 12V leakage from the gate — still below the 36V level which is safe for the human body, says the factory representative. A reporter also found out that an autopsy commissioned by the factory had been mysteriously cancelled. When questioned, the factory representative said he cancelled the autopsy report when he found out that results would not be out before a month. He had earlier thought that this would take only a weekend. Now that the girl had already died, he argued, there was nothing else that would bring her back to life, and so there was no great need to find out the cause of her death. He wanted to bring an end to this episode as soon as possible, both for himself and the parents. The reporter then asks the father of the girl if he didn't wish to find out why her daughter died. He responded, "I agree with everything he [the factory owner] has said." It is understood the parents have received compensation of RMB305,000 from the factory, and agreed not to press further charges.

The verdict on accused cop-killer Yang Jia

Yang Jia was sentenced to death today for the murder of six and injuring four police officers. The Beijing resident attacked the Zhabei police station in an act of revenge after being detained for renting a stolen bike. This outcome was expected despite great public sympathy for Yang who was seen as a hero on the Internet and speculation as to whether he would receive a fair trial.

A month of big jazz concerts

George Benson and Al Jarreau this Saturday

If you haven't heard about this concert yet, then you probably don't ride in taxis, watch TV, browse any of Shanghai's bigger magazines or websites, and don't have friends who are into this kind of music. Either that or you're really good at ignoring advertising and your friends. In any case, it's likely to be a good show since either of these two individually put on a great show as it is, at least according to everyone we know who have seen either of them live before.

We've got our tickets already. You can get yours from a few places, including mypiao and ticketone. Or call mypiao at 400-620-6006.

George Benson and Al Jarreau
Saturday, September 6, 8:00pm
YunFeng theater, 1700 Beijing Xi Lu near Jiaozhou Lu
ticket prices: 480rmb-1280rmb

And of course, the Shanghai Jazz Festival

This jazz festival, great as it's going to be, won't actually feature so much jazz as it does other kinds of music. But that's the beauty of a good outdoor music festival, variety to keep the ears feeling fresh. From world-renowned DJ Gilles Peterson to Taiwanese jazz-pop singer-songwriter Joanna Wang, as well as the best of Shanghai's own jazz groups like Abraham Carmona, Coco Zhao's Possicobilities, and the Lawrence Ku trio, the festival should be a great couple of days.

For tickets to the Shanghai Jazz Festival, call 021-962388 or online at Smart Shanghai. For general information about the festival, call 021-54030187 or check the festival website.

The 2008 Shanghai Jazz Festival
September 19-21
Jing An Park, with gates on Nanjing lu, Huashan lu, and Yan'an lu
Tickets: 100rmb/day (70rmb/day for students)

Shanghai activists rescue 800 cats

About 800 cats escaped the Guangdong dinner tables this weekend, as activists from Shanghai Animal Protection Association freed them from "cat dealers" in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. The animals had been locked in small bamboo cages, stacked in a truck, and were to be transported to Guangdong. According to an activist quoted in the Shanghai Daily, about 1500 cats were on the truck, but activists only managed to release around 800 of them.

More on the trial of accused cop killer Yang Jia

Cara Anna of AP writes that the increasingly sensitive trial of Yang Jia, the "cop-killer", which was postponed till after the Olympics, is likely to end in a death sentence for the man. However, many among the Chinese public are sympathetic to the man after Xinhua's report of Yang's earlier rejected claim for psychological damage and Southern Weekend's long, sympathetic front-page story which asked what could have made a young, quiet man who liked travelling want to take so many lives. In a telephone interview with AP, Yan Lieshan, editor of the highly respected Guangzhou-based paper, said:

"That's the so-called 'open, fair trial... I think people get what's going on. Let's see how this thing gets a happy ending."

The doubt surrounding the transparency and fairness of the trial has been underscored by an editorial last month in The Beijing News which:

called for Yang's appointed lawyer, Xie Youming, to drop the case because he's a legal adviser for Shanghai's Zhabei district, which oversees the police station where the attack occurred. An application by two Beijing-based lawyers to represent Yang at his father's request was rejected.

Xie is refusing to take phone calls from the media, a colleague at Shanghai's Mingjiang Law Firm, Di Zhanjun, said. The Shanghai No. 2 People's Intermediate Court, where Yang's trial was held, wouldn't comment. And a Shanghai police spokesman on Wednesday only said the trial was over, with the verdict to be announced within a few days.

Also:

A Beijing-based lawyer and legal blogger, Liu Xiaoyuan, said Wednesday that more than 30 of his 40-plus blog posts about Yang's case since it began had been blocked.

"Yesterday, I wrote one about why the Shanghai court didn't put the notice of the trial's schedule on its Web site, which the law says they should do three days in advance," Liu said.

That post was blocked too, he said.

While papers based in other parts of China have voiced their doubts over the legal process in this case, AP notes that Shanghai-based media have been pretty much silent on the issue. To be fair to them, we're sure they're working on other more important stories. Like the Expo.

Photo of the Day: Power nap

Photo by scene at the antiques market on Dongtai Lu, Shanghai by NoLimitsTW

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here).

Is the iPhone finally coming to China?

Tech super blog TechCrunch tells us of a rumour swirling around that China Mobile will be "offering the iPhone at a heavily subsidized discount in order to court the massive Chinese population". An article at it.hexun.com which cites a member of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as its source says:

China Mobile will procure the handsets for their full price, and then on-sell subsidized handsets to consumers. The source explained that China Mobile could buy a 3G iPhone from Apple for USD 299 – an example price – and then sell the handset to users for USD 199, treating the additional USD 100 as compensation to Apple. [Translation by Marbridge Consulting]

All fingers (and toes) crossed now that the above rumours are true!

Shanghai government helps residents consume less salt with tiny spoon

Look what we received in the mail today! It seems that Shanghai authorities are taking a creative step forward in helping residents to consume less salt with this nifty package. Encased is a small plastic spoon that holds 2 grams of salt (as seen inverted at the top of the handle) and on the package, it advises residents to consume only 3 spoonfuls of salt a day to prevent high blood pressure. On the flip side, it details suggestions on how to lessen salt consumption when cooking and for residents over 35 years old to test their blood pressure.

Foreigners and growingly health-conscious locals often complain about the saltiness of Chinese food which takes all forms including soy sauce and the notorious MSG. Sometimes, after a heavy meal, we get a numbness in our tongues, followed by temporary blindness. We’re kidding, we’re kidding. Our foot tends to just fall asleep.

6 grams, in our personal opinion, seem to be rather generous, but change is best undertaken in small doses, hence, the 2 gram spoon. Regardless, we say kudos to the Shanghai government. One spoonful (each) for Shanghai residents, one big leap for China’s health! On the left, it says “Healthy Shanghai World Expo, Healthy Shanghai.’ That's right folks, 606 days to go.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 features Shanghai golf course

The new Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 game for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, and PSP, which was released last week, has put Shanghai golf on the (digital) map. Finally, you can afford to play Sheshan Golf Club (seriously, we think an Xbox might be cheaper than a round there).

From the game's official blog:

Now we head to the Far East, China, home of Sheshan International Golf Club. Sheshan International is most noted for hosting the European TOUR's opening event, the HSBC Champions of which Phil Mickelson is the current defending champion. Pretty fresh, the course opened in October 2004 and was designed by Neil Haworth. The natural forestation was integrated into the course design. 10,000 trees and natural foliage were preserved providing a very pleasing experience to the eye. Two 1000 year old ginko trees grace the 4th hole. 16 million cubic meters of dirt was moved to create elevation, bunkers and valleys.
This majestic course plays to a Par 72 with a length of 7,195 yards. And the natural beauty and rolling hills make it both a spectacular and intimidating golf course. The most noticeable holes are the 16th and 17th, which play over a water filled, rare quarry, which is very much in play on the 16th for those players opting to go for the green on the short par 4.

And then the risk/reward par 5, 18th is sure to provide some drama with water sweeping along the entire right side of the hole and then surrounding the front and right of the green. Try not to lose focus as you marvel at its beauty and see if you can stay dry.

But seriously, Shanghai, get out and support Justin Rose. That one guy in his gallery looks lonely.

The Bund goes gay with new Club D2

Ok, so here's a bit of Shanghai nightlife gossip for you. The Bund (or at least close to the Bund) is going gay this Saturday, September 6 with the soft opening of a new gay mega-club called Club D2 (perhaps a tribute the sorely mourned Club Deep).

The gay community is no doubt rejoicing about this as we're sick of hearing the moaning about Shanghai not having a good gay club these days. Lounge 18 is just not cutting it, apparently. We'd like to see Attica turn into a gay club, as it's hurting so badly as a straight one. Fingers crossed that it will be the next addition to the fabulous gay Bund.

The three-floor Club D2 is located in the “Cool Docks,” a five-minute walk to the Huang Pu river's new harbor. D2 provides a mezzanine, a lounge/bar, and main room with a huge dance floor. D2 plans to bring Asia's biggest names in the circuit electronic dance-scene coupled by some of Shanghai’s best local talent.

Club D2 is open everyday except Sunday, Monday and Tuesday from 20:30 till late

Address: 505 Zhong Shan Road (South), The Cooldocks, near Fu Xin Road (South)
Reservation: 021- 61526543
Email: info@ClubD2.cn
Click here for a map.

Chinese Soundbites Podcast: US Presidential Election

Welcome to the newest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese.

This week Jenny and Amber jump into a topic that's on (almost) everyone's lips -- the US presidential election. If you're in China this Fall (and especially if you're an American), you'll need to be able to answer the inevitable question of who holds the keys to your hanging chad.

Vocabulary:

总统 [zǒngtǒng] president (of a country)
大选 [dàxuǎn] general election
麦凯恩 [màikǎiēn] John McCain
奥巴马 [àobāmǎ] Barack Obama

[Download Link]

More on the Bank of China terrorism case

NTDTV speaks to Natan Galkovitch, one of 100 victims of terror in Israel who are now suing the Bank of China for not preventing money that was transferred to the Hamas, and Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an attorney for the plaintiffs. Among the claims of the suit:

...beginning in July 2003, the Bank of China executed dozens of wire transfers for the terrorist groups totaling several million dollars. Many of the transfers were initiated in the Middle East, sent to branches in the U.S. then to an account at a bank branch in Guanzhou, China, the suit said.

The money was then wired to terrorist leadership in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip "for the purpose of planning, preparing for and executing terrorist attacks," the suit said.

In April 2005, Israeli officials met with officials from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and China's Central Bank seeking action to prevent the Bank of China from making more transfers, but the practice continued, the suit claims.

There Will Be Nuggets: Shanghaiist's Usain Bolt Appreciation Party this Thursday

A few updates on the Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Sasha's this Thursday:

First, chicken nuggets will be served. RMB 15 a portion. It just wouldn't be a Usain Bolt party without nuggets.
Second, the Just Beer beers on offer will be: James Boag's Premium Lager, Crown Lager and Pure Blonde.
Crown Lager will be the beer that comes with the 50 kuai entry fee. And we are told paid attendees will also get a free baseball cap. Yay!
In addition to the drinks listed below, Sasha's will be serving a drink called "Jamaica Me Crazy!," Usain Bolt's favorite drink in the whole world.¹
We have a reggae soundtrack of 94 songs ready to roll ... and less than half of them are by Bob Marley. (Frankly, we were expecting more Marley, but BitTorrent was good to us.)

And here are the basics again:

What: Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Sasha's (11 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu, 东平路11号
近衡山路, Tel: 6474-6628).

When: Thursday, September 4, 8 pm to midnight.

Drink Specials: Selected drinks half price, including beers from Just Beer. Included drinks: Bottled Beer - James Boag's Premium Lager, Crown Lager and Pure Blonde; All soft drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails; House Spirits with Mixer (not including Red Bull or cranberry juice) - Russian Standard Vodka, Gordon's Gin, Bacardi White Rum, Cuervo Gold Tequila, J & B Rare Whisky; Cocktails - Jamaica Me Crazy!, Bloody Mary, Sex on the Beach, Cosmopolitan; Wine - Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc Santa, Wolf Blass Shiraz.

Music: All Reggae, all the time.

Food: Chicken nuggets, Usain Bolt's pre-race meal of choice, RMB 15 per portion.

Entry: 50 RMB, includes one Crown Lager from Just Beer ... and a baseball cap.

See you soon!

¹ Highly unlikely this is true.

Olympic marketing: How did sportswear brands do?

For sports apparel brands, the Olympics are arguably the most important stage for marketing. So how did the sports marketers fare with the Chinese market in these Olympics? Here's a look at how things played out for Adidas, Li-Ning, Nike, Puma and Speedo.

Adidas

Adidas reportedly shelled out 70 million euros to be an official Olympic sponsor. Adidas gear was also all over Olympians, great for television exposure. But aside from shoes and uniforms, Adidas wasn't particularly visible in Olympic venues. It had no special presence on the Olympic Green, but its beautiful flagship store in Sanlitun near the Workers' Stadium and Workers' Gymnasium saw lots of foot traffic.

Its Olympic ad campaign, though beautifully designed and fitting in concept ("Together in 2008, Impossible is Nothing"), came up short in the personnel categories. That campaign had four primary faces, in sports that are very popular in China--diver Hu Jia, footballer Zheng Zhi, basketball player Sui Feifei and a few women's volleyball players. Hu pulled out due to injury, Zheng and the men's football team had an embarrassing performance and Sui Feifei was only sixth in scoring on Team China. The women's volleyball team played strong in a very tough field, but in the end only came through with the minimum result acceptable to the hometown fans, a bronze medal.
Li Ning

China's biggest sports apparel brand had the biggest marketing coup of the games—its founder, Li Ning, carrying the Olympic flame on a three-minute slow-motion run to the top of the Bird's Nest, where he lit the Olympic cauldron. The company's stock went up the next day, and Li Ning will always have his stamp on what seems to be an especially important part of the Olympics to Chinese fans.

Li Ning also had its name on the uniforms of China's diving and table tennis teams, who delivered dominant performances, as well as the Spanish men's national basketball team, which gave Team USA a tough match before losing in the gold medal game.

Nike
Nike's two biggest bets on Chinese athletes were Yi Jianlian and Liu Xiang. Yi was solid but not explosive, averaging 9 points a game. The Chinese national team, wearing Nike jerseys, didn't really exceed expectations, but certainly didn't come up short, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to Lithuania. But Chinese fans were more excited about catching a glimpse of Team USA, who were also sporting Nike's hot new jersey, available in stores all over Beijing.

Nike had to deal with the toughest spin job of any Olympic marketer this year—how to salvage its investment in China's biggest sports star, Liu Xiang, when he didn't even compete in the games. Nike's immediate answer--a full-page ad celebrating the love of sport even in defeat--succeeded in becoming part of the stream of catharsis after Liu bowed out. But Nike got some negative publicity for its efforts to hunt down netizens who alleged that the shoe company had coerced Liu to drop out rather than lose to Robles.

Liu and Yi weren't the only athletes that Nike put is name behind. It was all over China's teams, and ready with full-page ads in China Daily and front-page ads in Titan sports news when any of its athletes won a medal or had a strong performance. Swimmer Zhang Lin (silver medalist), boxer Zou Shiming (gold medalist) and beach volleyball duo Tian Jia and Wang Fei (silver medalists) were just a few of the lower-profile high-achieving athletes that Nike celebrated in its Olympic campaign.

Puma
Dollar for dollar, Puma might have gotten the most of its Olympic investment. Its hopes ran on two spiked shoes-- those of sprinter Usain Bolt, who loped across the finish line to set the 100-meter dash world record. China loves a winner, and Bolt and the dominant Jamaican team were very well-received in Beijing. Jacques Rogge can complain all he wants, but most Chinese don't mind a guy who's willing to revel in his moment.

Speedo

If you weren't wearing a Speedo LZR Racer in this Olympics, you might as well never leave the Water Cube's warm-up pool. Nine out of every 10 swimming gold medals went to LZR wearers. The only complaint that people had about the LZR was that it made swimmers too fast, world records too common. The suit was considered such an integral part of success that Nike agreed to let its swimmers wear LZRs instead of Nike suits. Speedo doesn't have a big presence at Chinese sports retailers—swimwear here tends to be generic instead of branded—but China, along with the rest of the world, has no choice but to see Speedo as the leader in swimwear technology.

For more China sports news, check out China Sports Today.

Chinese manufacturers kill producers of Ramadan lanterns and keffiyeh's in the Mid East

Ramadan, Islam's holiest season has just begun, and as Muslims around the world begin a month-long period of prayer and fasting, manufacturers across the Middle East have little reason to smile as they find themselves edged out with increasing numbers of Chinese producers flooding their markets with products that are cheaper and better than their own. Adding salt to injury is the fact that many of these products are symbols of their own cultural and history. Gulf News reports that made-in-China Ramadan lanterns are all the rage now, much to the chagrin of traditional Egyptian craftsmen:

Since walking into the vocation of lantern-making more than 30 years ago, Ahmad Abdul Gafour has been attached to Ramadan.

"We had to work all year in my father's workshop in order to meet the high demand for the traditional tin and glass lanterns celebrating the month of Ram-adan," Abdul Gafour, 53, told Gulf News. "But gone are the days."

"Over recent years, Chinese lanterns, made of plastics and powered by batteries have invaded Egypt, upstaging the local lanterns," he explained.

Chinese-made lanterns, which play music, have attracted many people in this predominantly Muslim country of 80 million due to their attractive look and cheap prices.

Every Ramadan, Chinese manufacturers are keen to introduce into the Egyptian market lanterns of various shapes. The most popular lanterns this Ramadan are those shaped like tuk-tuks (three wheelers) and camels.

Meanwhile, as the iconic Palestinian keffiyeh (pictured above) has been carried across the globe by anti-war activists and fashion wannabe's, the black-and-white checkered scarf (first worn by Yasser Arafat in the 1960s), has become increasingly disconnected from the land in which it was born and the struggle it represents. AFP reports:

...for Yasser al-Hirbawi, the owner of a keffiyeh factory in the southern West Bank town of Hebron, the growing demand has brought increased competition from Chinese manufacturers which are capturing local markets.

"Before they started importing from China we had 15 machines running 20 hours a day. Now we only use four, and we only work eight hours," Hirbawi says above the roar of the looms inside a dark, mostly unused warehouse.

When the 75-year-old started his factory in 1961 the keffiyeh was not yet a political symbol but a normal part of local dress.

"This is our national dress. You don't see them much now in the summer, but in the winter everyone wears them because it keeps the cold out," Hirbawi says, pulling the corner of his loose-hanging keffiyeh across his face.

He wears the scarf with an ankle-length grey robe, a tweed sportscoat, and brown sandals, the standard outfit of Palestinian men of his generation.

But since China's rise in the 1990s, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, like much of the rest of the world, has been flooded with mass-produced goods.

And in the global fervour that followed the outbreak of the 2000 Palestinian uprising foreign manufacturers were much better placed to benefit from the increased demand than merchants like Hirbawi, who does not export.

"Today the customers, especially the foreigners, prefer the imports. God only knows why," he says as he pinches tobacco from an old silver case and rolls a cigarette. "They should buy from us and support the local industry."

The above news should come as no surprise. For a long time now, Chinese manufacturers have been making everything from statues of Guru Nanak (revered by the Sikhs), to Hindu gods such as Shiva, Vishnu and Ganesh, to the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico.

Photo by Andrew Coulter Enright

Final Reminder: Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Sasha's tonight!

Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Sasha's, 11 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu, 东平路11号近衡山路, 8pm till late! Full details here..

Guo Jingjing denies Hong Kong 2012 rumors

If Guo Jingjing (郭晶晶) isn't in the pool, she must be in the tabloids. Post-Olympic rumors have the diver taking her gold medals and moving to Hong Kong, where the buzz is that she may marry her boyfriend Kenneth Fok and compete for Hong Kong in the 2012 Olympics.

According to this AFP story she has denied the rumors, saying at a press conference in Hong Kong: "I have no plan to move to Hong Kong. I am still a member of China's national diving team and there will be many new plans and new goals to follow."

But because the next best thing to actual news about China's top-earning female athlete is speculation about possible news, the papers are not letting this one rest. Some Hong Kong media are reporting that Guo's wedding plans have "entered the final sprint, with a wedding next September [2009]," according to a report on mainland sports portal Titan24. Moreover, the reports assert that Guo will not retire as the reigning "queen of diving" but will become a Hong Kong resident and represent Hong Kong in the 2012 Olympics in London.

"As soon as the Chinese Olympic champion representative group touched down at Hong Kong's airport, Guo Jingjing became Hong Kong media's number one target," the report said, "This has become the hottest topic of conversation among Hong Kong's sport and media circles."

According to that story, Guo has not been clear on whether she intends to marry or whether she'll compete in London at all. The story also cited inside sources saying that should Guo want to represent HK in London, she'll need to talk with the China Olympic Committee and China Swimming Association. Conventional wisdom in China's sports circles seems to be suggesting that should she want to represent HK, neither organization will give her much trouble. This is likely because she'll be 31 years old in 2012, and is unlikely to be perceived as a major gold medal threat.

For more China Sports news, check out China Sports Today.

Photo of Guo Jingjing from Singtaonet

Today's Links: Kaifeng Jews, legless dissidents and stranded tourists

1,000 Jews cannot be wrong [YNetNews]
"Descendants of centuries-old Jewish community in China's Kaifeng rediscover Jewish heritage after near complete assimilation in local community"
I have nothing more to lose [Electric New Paper]
" THIS legless dissident did his bit during the Olympics by doing nothing. Mr Fang Zheng, 42, stayed clear of any trouble in Beijing just as the Chinese government hoped he would. Now, he's waiting to see if they will fulfil their promise of giving him a job."
300 Chinese tourists stranded in Phuket [China Daily]
"More than 300 Chinese tourists have been stranded in Phuket since Friday because anti-government protesters have forced the suspension of services at the Thai island's airport."
Shanghai's World Financial Center may prove to be a white elephant [The Daily Telegraph]
"China's tallest skyscraper, the half-kilometre-high World Financial Center (WFC) in Shanghai, has opened its doors, just as the country's property bubble shows every sign of being on the verge of collapse."
China planning 'world's fastest train' from Beijing to Shanghai [The Daily Telegraph]
"New technology will enable trains to travel at 380 km or 236 miles an hour, 30 km per hour (18mph) more than the current generation of bullet trains, according to the ministry's deputy chief engineer."
8,000 soldiers deployed for China quake rescue [ABC News]
"China has deployed more than 8,000 soldiers and military reservists to help search and rescue efforts in the south-west after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 killed 38 people."

Photo by fateless_gypsy

Carry your shopping in a Helping Hand

Here's a good new way to help out a local charity, and avoid paying the scandalous prices some businesses are now charging for carrier bags (we're looking at you Waga's...)

Helping Hand SH is offering a series of products with all profits going to one of four local charities.

Their first product is a re-usable shopping bags featuring logos of four local charities and is on sale now. The bags cost 50rmb for 3 units or 100rmb x 7 (plus delivery) with all profits going to whichever of the four charities you chose.

Charities involved in the scheme are:

Suicide prevention in Shanghai schools

In a move to prevent suicide among the city's children more than 3.000 sixth grade pupils in 21 of Shanghai's middle schools will be asked to fill out questionnaires mapping their mental health, with the aim of finding out who might be considered potentially unstable. Those who are found to be at risk will receive psychological assistance from the East China Normal University's counseling center.

The project will be launched by the end of this year. Measures to prevent suicide in this age group seem quite urgent, as four suicide attempts have already been made by middle school students in Shanghai since the beginning of the new semester on September 1. Three of these children survived, but the fourth, a 12 year old boy, died after he jumped out of a sixth floor window.

Photo from sh.eastday.com via ChinaSmack