Beijing televises fiery footage
In an attempt to further discredit Falun Gong as crazy and dangerous, China's government-run news media aired stunning video images last evening of the five purported members of the banned group who immolated themselves in Tiananmen Square earlier this month.- Frank Langfitt

The Falungong phenomenon
In this three-part series, Francesco Sisci examines events leading up to the pivotal moment on April 25, 1999 when China's leaders awoke to find themselves besieged by 10,000 Falungong followers demanding recognition as an official religion - AsiaTimes

'A Giant Fighting a Ghost'
"Those who go to the square are the tip of the iceberg or -- as we say in Chinese -- just one hair on nine oxen," said the engineer. "They are willing to confront whatever the government will do to them. Most of us are not." - Elisabeth Rosenthal

Bitter harvest may await China's leaders
"What is needed is a new deal for farmers...they should be allowed a bigger say in determining procurement prices for produce ...We must allow farmers to organize themselves so that they are in a position to check and balance the powers of officials and entrepreneurs," - Willy Wo-Lap Lam

The Weblog On The Chinese New Year - Guardian Unlimited

Read China's media with a degree of skepticism
If we compare Xinhua's reports with those of foreign agencies, we can see that the former typically makes deliberate misinterpretations of Falun Gong doctrines, or even fabricates stories to slander the sect.- Flora Chang and Chang Ching-hsi

The Sayings of Chairman DiCaprio
Dapian, as China scholar Jonathan Noble explains, "is a market concept that clearly signifies a film whose budget and ticket sales are high." By any measure, Titanic is the biggest piece of dapian ever to hit the screen. - Scott McLemee

China targets power scams
Chinese officials said the investigation into wrongdoings within the State Power Corporation - successor to the power industry ministry - have focused attention on inefficiencies in one of China's remaining monopolies. - James Kynge

China Bid for Human Spaceflight Boosted by Shenzhou 2 Landing - Leonard David
An artist's rendering of the Shenzhou II -Simon Zajo/Space.com

"what you don't want yourself, don't do to others" - Analects 15:23.

China's tobacco industry to be Freon-free in six years
Wang Yanting, director of the Science and Education Department of the State Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, said that Freon (CFC-11) is mainly used in the tobacco industry in the production of inflated tobacco. The inflation process lowers the content of tar and nicotine in the tobacco, thereby reducing harm to human health, - ChinaOnline

Beijing to Enjoy Fresher Air, Better Environment by 2005
Wang Guangtao, vice-mayor of Beijing, announced here Friday that under a five-year pollution control plan, residents in Beijing will enjoy fresh air and blue skies for at least 255 days each year by 2005, about 91 days more than 2000. - Xinhua

In China - bonding gone bad?
A tradition of relationships and networking, called guanxi, facilitates widespread corruption. - Robert Marquand
Tangled web

Designed to Unite, Language Law Divides China
Rather than enhance national unity under a single language, Beijing may unintentionally spur an underlying culture of opposition based on preserving regional cultural identity. - Stratfor

The Joys Of Ownership
China's urbanites remake houses into homes - R.J. Michaels
Housing’s great leap forward

Chinese government says Tiananmen papers are fake
"If it has an effect on political reform in China it will be a bad one. It can't have a good effect," said Dai, now an author and frequent government critic. "It will make them even more obstinate." - CNN

Analyzing the Tiananmen Papers
In the end, the question was whether or not to publish. We concluded that if we didn't move forward, we would be in effect suppressing a significant body of source material. - Orville Schell

Tiananmen revelations raise new questions about massacre
The papers raise obvious awkward questions about the role of several current leaders and the collective responsibility of the Communist party which still rules China. They may also revive some critical arguments over the tactics of the pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square. - John Gittings

The Tiananmen Papers - Foreign Affairs
The Gate of Heavenly Peace

'Tiananmen Papers' highlight Chinese leaders' paranoia
If genuine, the documents offer a rare glimpse into the motivations and fears behind the communist leadership's decision to order the troops into Tiananmen Square, - Robin McDowell

Book Says Tiananmen Sparked Bitter Debate in China
Although analysts have always suspected a rift between reformers and hard-liners in the upper echelons of the Communist Party over Tiananmen, the transcripts -- if authentic -- would for the first time reveal the decision-making process in their own words. - Grant McCool

New Window on Tiananmen Square Crackdown
While largely confirming impressions of how the crackdown came about, the documents detail internal arguments, the fears of the elderly leaders and the ways officials used those fears. - Richard Bernstein
Who Wanted Troops in the Square, Who Didn't and What They Said About It

Banned Chinese Sect Is Spurred On by Exiled Leader
Civil disobedience by the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong shows no sign of slowing in the New Year and may be ratcheting up to a new level...the movement's exiled founder, Li Hongzhi, warned that Falun Gong followers facing persecution could rightfully "go beyond the limits of forbearance." - Craig Smith

Chinese prison officer fights for inmates' children
One city leader said "Why don't you care for children from decent families, such as laid-off workers or even martyrs?"... "Traditionally, people believe criminals and even their children deserve to be discriminated against and despised. To them, that's justice being done." - Calum and Lijia Macleod

China's Only-Child Generation Sound, Healthy
Dr. Feng, professor with the Central China University of Science and Technology, came to the conclusion after surveying more than 1,000 primary and middle school students...Children without siblings felt compelled to make friends with people outside the family and thus became more sociable. - Xinhua

A-mei, Back In The Spotlight
A-mei has little interest in politics, but Beijing’s leaders took a political interest in her. Two years ago, China offered the Taiwanese singer what anybody with a product to sell craves--access to the world’s largest market. - Mahlon Meyer

Trade plan's shortcomings criticized
But only Taiwanese vessels can ferry passengers and goods between these islands and the Fujian cities, while mainland ships remain barred from docking at Jinmen and Matsu. "How can you call such one-way traffic a direct two-way link between the two sides?" Xu asked. - Chinadaily

China's Baby Traffickers
It is best, one woman says, when they take the babies quickly. Otherwise mothers get too attached to their children. "I just fed my daughter," says a woman surnamed Zhang, who handed over her child 17 hours after she was born. "I wanted to give her something of me before she went away forever." - Hannah Beech

For a Fee, Chinese Firm Will Beg Pardon for Anyone
"But if you are sincere, you should go and apologize by yourself." - Elisabeth Rosenthal

Three Taiwan ferries arrive in Fujian with direct crossings
Three passenger ferries sailed from China's Taiwan region to the mainland on Tuesday in the first direct crossing between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits in half a century. - Chinadaily

More Chinese racing down the ski slopes
Swishing down snowy slopes, crouching into aerodynamic positions, falling on their behinds -- these are the thrills of skiing for China's new generation of skiers. - Reuters

Arthur C. Clarke looks back on '2001' -- and other visions of his time - AP

Matsu followers to set sail to China
Five hundred devotees of Matsu, Goddess of the Sea, are set to be among the first people from Taiwan to sail directly to China with the blessing of both sides of the Taiwan Strait...In the days leading up to her birthday, devotees carry statues of the goddess all around the island and then embark on a pilgrimage to Meichou in Fujian where she resided before being deified. - Kevin Chen and Richard Dobson

Kinmen ferry sets off for historic sailing,but returns midway
The ferry did not obtain official entry approval from the Xiamen authorities in advance as the "mini three links" initiative was unilaterally implemented under circumstances where there have been no consultations nor agreements between Taiwan and mainland Chinese authorities on the issue. - Deborah Kuo