Can a “Moral Models Campaign” Solve China’s Morality Problem?
The Civilization Office of the China People’s Congress Central Committee announced Friday the assistance plan to 14 of the 53 national moral models who are in financial difficulty. The plan involves paying 24,000 RMB to 100,000 RMB to the models for their life assurance, housing cost, tuition, living expenses, daily necessity cost. The moral models […]
We all go down together: lianzuo (collective responsibility) in China
Imagine doing jail time — or worse — just because you were related to the offending party. If you want to understand just how far collectivism goes in China, look no further than lianzuo — or collective responsibility. Throughout China’s 2,000-year feudal history — from at least 7th-century BC all the way to the turn […]
One big happy family — on paper: how the one-China policy affects your writing in China
I’ve never been to Macau, but I have visited Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and Spain. What’s wrong with that sentence? Well, if you were publishing something in writing in China, you’d be in violation of the one-China policy. The one-China policy is where politics meets publishing. It’s one of those odd rules in China that […]
Don’t let your Chinese translation become a pain in the you-know-where
While searching for Chinese Jujubes on the internet, this seller stopped me in my tracks — and not because she’s offering a great product. I scratched my head, wondering if anyone would ever buy her “Chinese Jujube with Ass Glue.” We may laugh — but the real laugh is on the seller, whose unintentionally vulgar […]
Lingering anxiety and lost talent: the college-entrance exam economy in China
College entrance exams in China usually end in June and a new term starts at the beginning of September. But the anxiety among students and parents from college entrance exams is still lingering. Students and parents not only care about whether they can enter college, but also whether they can enter a prestigious school. Anxiety, […]
Up in smoke: the role of tobacco in Chinese culture
As an avid nonsmoker, I was determined to have a smoke-free wedding in China. But my brother-in-law, Hao, had already bought one of the finest Chinese cigarette brands, and everyone in the family — even my mother-in-law — insisted on distributing them at the banquet. How can you ask your guests to refrain when you’re […]
Face Shopping: the role that “mianzi consumption” plays in consumer choice in China
When I walked into the wedding flower shop in Tonglu, China — my husband’s hometown — I knew exactly the kind of flowers I wanted: roses, just like the roses on my wedding dress. The shop owner, however, didn’t ask us what type of flowers we wanted. Instead, she asked us how much we were […]
The latest sign of Chinese pride? Tang-style clothing for the “average Wang” in China
Just yesterday, while doing a little post-nuptial shopping (in China, new couples also need new clothes), my husband and I came upon a typical store with the usual suspects for clothing. He and I were about to write the place off our list until I spied this red thing of beauty on the shelves, nestled […]