New York Marriage Gets Animated

CHINA: Teen Sells Kidney For iPad

A teenager in China reportedly sold one of his kidneys on the black market in order to buy himself an iPad.

The 17-year-old, identified only as Little Zheng, told a local TV station he had arranged the sale of the kidney over the internet.The story only came to light after the teenager's mother became suspicious. The case highlights China's black market in organ trafficking. A scarcity of organ donors has led to a flourishing trade. It all started when the high school student saw an online advert offering money to organ donors. Illegal agents organised a trip to the hospital and paid him $3,392 (£2,077) after the operation. With the cash the student bought an iPad 2, as well as a laptop. When his mother noticed the computers and the deep red scar on his body, which was caused by the surgery, Little Zheng confessed.

China Bans Time Travel

TV Guide reports that China has banned the depiction of time travel on television and in movies because that "disrespects history."

In a statement on March 31, China's State Administration for Radio, Film & Television said that fictional time-traveling in programs "casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation." Time-traveling Chinese shows have been prevalent as of late, featuring protagonists going back to ancient times and writers taking liberties with events. "Producers and writers are treating serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore," SARFT said.

Comparing China's Population

The Economist places other countries in the Chinese provinces with a similar population.

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

CHINA: Fake Obama In KFC Ad

China To Create World's Largest City

Chinese urban planners will join nine large cities near Hong Kong into one sprawling 16,000 square mile city which will be 26 times larger than London. With 42 million people within its boundaries.

The new mega-city will cover a large part of China's manufacturing heartland, stretching from Guangzhou to Shenzhen and including Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Huizhou and Zhaoqing. Together, they account for nearly a tenth of the Chinese economy. Over the next six years, around 150 major infrastructure projects will mesh the transport, energy, water and telecommunications networks of the nine cities together, at a cost of some 2 trillion yuan (£190 billion). An express rail line will also connect the hub with nearby Hong Kong.

The project includes 3100 miles of new high-speed rail lines. By the end of the decade, China plans to create even larger mega-cities with populations of 50 - 100 million.

CHINA: 15-Story Hotel Goes Up In Six Days

Imprisoned Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who is one year into an eleven year prison sentence, was today awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a statement, the Nobel Committee said Liu, 54, was awarded the prize "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." Liu is serving his sentence at Jinzhou prison in Liaoning, hundreds of miles from his home and wife, Liu Xia, in Beijing. His wife reacted to the news by expressing her thanks that Liu's physical condition seems to have improved in jail, that he's allowed to read and that the two can exchange regular letters. "We have no regrets," she said. "All of this has been of our choosing. It will always be so. We'll bear the consequences together. I've known Liu since 1982. I've watched him change little by little year by year, and we know that we have to pay the price under the current situation in China."

China had warned the Norwegian government that they were not to consider Liu for the honor, claiming that he was ineligible. Liu was imprisoned in 2009 for signing onto a document calling for free elections and expanded human rights in China. He is the first Chinese citizen to win the prize.

Photo Of The Day - Apple Nets

Foxconn factories in China have installed nets to catch workers attempting to hurl themselves to their deaths. The company, which manufactures a large portion of Apple's products (as well as items for other electronics firms), has suffered a rash of employee suicides this year. Check out the Boston Globe's photo essay on life on China.

China Begins End To One Child Rule

China has begun ending its famous one child per family rule. The restriction will be lifted in five provinces next year with the rest of the country to slowly follow. But only two children will be allowed in the affected provinces, for now, and the new policy has an additional restriction.

In 2011, China will start pilot projects in five provinces, all of which have low birth rates, to allow a second birth if at least one spouse is an only child, says He Yafu, an independent demographer who is in close contact with policymakers. Beijing, Shanghai and four other provinces will follow suit in 2012, with nationwide implementation by 2013 or 2014, he says. "In the past, we only focused on slowing population growth," says Peng Xizhe, a professor at Shanghai's Fudan University. "It's much more complicated than we earlier thought." The National Population and Family Planning Commission, which enforces the "one-child policy," refused interview requests. The policy has prevented 400 million births in China, which has a population of 1.3 billion, according to the family planning agency. But a dramatic decline in birth rates and improved longevity over the past two decades have caused China's population to age at one of the fastest rates ever recorded, says the Population Reference Bureau, a demographic firm.

Female infanticide has left China with more than 30 million more boys than girls under the age of 20. Women who bear a second child have been subject to fines up to $30K.

Quote Of The Day - Morrissey

"Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies." - Vegetarian and pop singer Morrissey, speaking to the Guardian.

Morrissey later expanded on his remarks: "If anyone has seen the horrific and unwatchable footage of the Chinese cat and dog trade – animals skinned alive – then they could not possibly argue in favour of China as a caring nation. There are no animal protection laws in China and this results in the worst animal abuse and cruelty on the planet. It is indefensible."

China Hears First HIV Discrimination Case

For the first time in the nation's history a Chinese court will hear the case of a man who says he was denied a job because of his HIV status.

The man said he had passed written tests and interviews for the teaching post in Anhui province. But he warned down after medical screening revealed his HIV status, China Daily said. The newspaper reported that the case will be heard by a court in Anqing city, in Anhui province. The plaintiff, a recent graduate, was not asking for compensation but wanted to be given the job, it said. A lawyer for the plaintiff told the BBC that he would defend his client under existing Chinese laws. "The state already has laws and regulations forbidding discrimination against HIV carriers when they apply for jobs," Zheng Jineng said. "But the actual practise by some government departments and employers are in direct conflict with the laws. "The fact that the People's Court has accepted the case indicates that the rule of law in China is progressing."

BEIJING: China Plans Huge Buses Which Passenger Cars Can Drive Under

As part of a plan to relieve street congestion, China is planning to build huge articulated buses which passengers cars can drive under. Via Engadget:

Despite the silly picture and the eccentric "3D Express Coach" branding, this cunning project by Shenzhen Huashi Future Car-Parking Equipment actually makes sense. The idea is to make use of the space between regular-size cars and bridges, thus saving construction costs as well as minimizing congestion impact by allowing cars to drive underneath these jumbo buses. Fancy hitching a ride? You better start planning your move to Beijing's Mentougou district, which is where Huashi will commence building its first 186km of track at year's end.

Amazing, if it works.

A Chinese Take On Steve Jobs

From the Hong Kong-based Next Media.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jim)

The Wives Of Comrades

Support groups and websites have sprung up in China for the "wives of comrades," women who are married to gay men.

"The condition of these ‘homowives is extremely tragic," wrote Li Yinhe, a professor of sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and one of the leading advocates for these women, in a recent blogpost. "Most days they wash their faces with tears." Despite this, many of the women remain in the marriages. "Only a few of these women choose to divorce their husbands," says Zhang. "Usually these have a higher educational background and are more independent financially. Also, most of those who choose to get a divorce don’t have children with their husbands." This was not the case for Wen, who eventually decided to ask for a divorce a year after finding out the truth. "I struggled with the decision, especially since we had a daughter together and I didn’t want her growing up without a father. But I didn’t want her growing up in a twisted family either," she explains. "While gay husbands cannot satisfy their wives sexually, some can still be good fathers and care for their families," says Zhang. "But to these wives, the hardest thing is mental or emotional abuse rather than physical abuse. Their husbands don’t love them, some are even disgusted by any physical contact, and this is the hardest thing for any women.

According to the above-linked story, the vast majority of gay men in China still marry women for appearances sake.

Stay Right, No...Left

China is planning a massive 22-mile bridge connecting its mainland to Hong Kong. However Hong Kong drives on the left and China drives on the right. Above is the rendering of a Netherlands design team's solution to the problem by splitting the bridge mid-span and crossing the lanes under each other. Lots more about the planned bridge at the link.

Shanghai: 1990 Vs. 2010

Via Business Insider, a startling look at the transformation of Shanghai in the space of a mere 20 years. Has any city in the world ever changed so rapidly and dramatically? Abu Dhabi, maybe? Meanwhile, here at home, Ground Zero remains a raw gaping wound upon the city almost nine years after 9/11.

Chinese School To Toughen Up "Sissies"

An elementary school is China has launched a program intended to squash unmasculine tendencies in its young boys.

Qinlinglu Elementary School in Zhengzhou, Henan province, has launched an initiative called 'Looking for a Real Man' to encourage boys to act more like boys. As part of this the youngsters are taught how to act more masculine and must take an oath swearing to act like 'real men', reports the Dahe Daily. Wang Jianhua, who has been teaching at the school for 14 years, says he has noticed that boys have become "more and more girly". He said: "During class breaks their favorite game is elastic band skipping, which is a typical girl's game. "And the boys are very fragile. If we just scold them a bit they will cry out loudly." In contrast, he says the girls at the school are becoming wilder and wilder. "They not only like physical fighting, but also are quite straight-forward and have strong characters," he added.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bryan)

CHINA: Suicides Plague Apple Factory

Workers at a massive Apple factory in China are killing themselves at an alarming rate. Eight employees have offed themselves since the beginning of the year. With 400,000 workers, Foxconn makes the iPhone and iPod, as well as devices for other electronics companies.

For those who believe the spate of suicides is statistically in line, given how many people work at Foxconn, consider this: the company says it has prevented a further 30 people from trying to kill themselves in the past three weeks alone. Clearly, something out of the ordinary is going on. What is happening in Shenzhen has the hallmarks of a “suicide cluster”, when the notion of suicide spreads rapidly through a group of people, often teenagers or young adults. Foxconn says it is at its wits’ end as to how to tackle the problem, and has even drafted in a Buddhist monk to try to purge its factories of evil spirits. Others have said the current generation of migrant workers, who have opted to move from other parts of China to seek their fortunes in the country’s coastal factories, are not as tough as their forbears. Usually better educated than their parents, they are prone to existential angst when confronted with seven-day weeks and 15-hour days of repetitive manufacturing. The nine Foxconn workers involved in suicide leaps this year were all aged under 25 and had worked for the company for less than six months.

The factory's workers say they aren't paid enough to purchase any of the items they manufacture.

China Lifts HIV Travel Ban

Similar to a recent move by the United States, China has lifted their ban on visitors with HIV.

Days before travelers worldwide are to begin arriving for Shanghai’s world exposition, China has lifted a two-decade ban on travel to the country by people who carry the virus that causes AIDS or who have other sexually transmitted diseases. The action also removed a longstanding ban on travel to China by people with leprosy. The government approved amendments to a 1986 law governing quarantines and a 1989 law regulating entry by foreigners, removing prohibitions related to people with H.I.V., which causes AIDS, China’s State Council, a body roughly equivalent to the White House cabinet, reported on its Web site late Tuesday.

Unlike the United States, which took many months to implement the change, China's move is effective immediately.