So therefore I conclude, this must be some crazy Expo meme that some bored netizen started. (Our friend Ryan from LostLaowai also posted an Expo meme on the Expo Trial Run.] Because I am a bored netizen too, let me share this translated version here in CNReviews. This is actually a fun guide when you go to the Expo Park soon.

Secrets About The Shanghai World Expo

(Which No Will Ever Tell You)

Secret No. 1: The Most Intriguing-Against-Each-Other Pavilions

Luxembourg Pavilion

Belgium Pavilion

The Most Intriguing-Against-Each-Other Pavilions simply must be Luxembourg and Belgium due to their geographical locations. Luxembourg though small is at the heart of Europe. Their pavilion maybe small but the name they are using is big—“Grand Duchy of Luxembourg”. Not really buying Luxembourg’s claim, Belgium has always deemed Brussels to be Europe’s center. And so these two countries are at each other’s throats and are not seeing each other eye-to-eye. In order to strengthen their claim as Europe’s center, Belgium spent a lot of their hard-earned capital to get one-third of the exhibition space with the European Union (the EU has never been part of the World Expo outside Union’s territory). Belgium also has their famous chocolate in the pavilion which they give away to visitors. Pavilion activities give visitors opportunities to win Belgium diamonds too.

Secret No. 2: The Most “I-Want-To-Be-The-Number-One” Pavilion

In the current Expo, the pavilion who really wants to be number one is none other than the Australian Pavilion. Due to the global financial crisis, many countries have experienced delays with regards to their pavilion constructions. But from the very first day, Australian was the first country to complete their pavilion. Although the Canadian Pavilion had similar goals, their materials were all ready and laid out and even invited Mark Henry Rowswell (also known as Dashan) who is an actor and well-known TV personality in China to boost the morale of the Canadian staff, in the end, Australia was still the first country which successfully completed their pavilion. As the first to be completed, they were unhurried, calm, and gave more attention to details and quality. Most importantly, because they were the first one to finish, President Hu Jintao visited the Expo site and the Australian Pavilion. He was the first one to sign the guest book.

Secret No. 3: The Most “I-Want-To-Be-Number-One-At-Night” Pavilion

In the 100 days duration of the Expo Pavilion contest, many have done their best. That is why certainly it is difficult to declare a winner. Consequently, many pavilions took notice of the night. The British Pavilion saw this as a decisive opportunity.  During the design process, they have this vision of simulating it at night and to see the effect during the evening. The outside of the British Pavilion has more than 60,000 tentacles attached pointing to different directions. At the end of each tentacle is a light-emitting diode. These LED tentacles will change color and play with lights and shadows to create a breathtaking feast at night. The British Pavilion looks strange during the day and can only earn points for being avant-garde. But at night, the British Pavilion, when lighted, can attract more visitors. It is exclaimed that the British Pavilion is new and different and definitely shows originality. You will appreciate that no smoke is used; only the lights and the visions will compete with each other. This is a battle of technology and innovation among countries.

Secret No. 4: The Most Intelligent Pavilion

Australia and UK are really remarkable. Also their exhibits reflect Eastern culture and wisdom. The Heilongjiang Pavilion is actually a strategist and paints a bigger picture through their pavilion. As part of the many exhibits in the China Pavilion and because of the many strong competition outside, winning the respect and favor of the other pavilions is a great challenge. The Heilongjiang Pavilion is not number one during the day or night. However, it wants to be first for the season. The theme of their pavilion is “the most beautiful snow and ice in the world.” Think about it, the Shanghai World Expo will run for a long six months, and the longest season for that period is summer. The Shanghai summer sun during the day and night is notoriously hot. With the sun scorching the visitors from June to September, who would not want to enjoy the snow in Heilongjiang world? The Northeastern Chinese certainly do not lack in the intelligence area.

Secret No. 5: The Most Stylish Pavilion

When it comes to fashion, how could you miss the French Pavilion? The French Pavilion is also one of the pavilions which will be retained. The catchphrase of the French Pavilion when they arrived in Shanghai is to give a gift to the Chinese people and let them experience the delicious French lifestyle. The French Pavilion has prepared lots of interactive activities really focusing on the people’s basic needs. They will invite the audience to put on the latest Paris fashions and strut their stuff in the catwalk. Those who dare model the latest underwear fashions get a special prize too. They are also giving away the most expensive perfume to those who have an urge to marry.

Secret No. 6: The Friendliest Pavilion

We must give top priority to the Saudi Arabian Pavilion. Because Saudi Arabia not only is the pavilion hall who gave the largest investment (RMB 1.3 billion), among the 50 self-financed and self-designed pavilion in the Expo, they were the only ones whose top priority is friendship.  The Saudi Arabian Pavilion’s theme is “Continuing on the Friendship of China and Saudi Arabia”. The fact that Saudi Arabia shipped everything from their country—from the palm trees and basically the entire pavilion—is like a representation of the Silk Road. Saudi Arabia has always been the friend of China. During the Wenchuan Earthquake, Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries who responded quickly.

Secret No. 7: The Most Attractive-To-Children Pavilion

Russian Pavilion

Dutch Pavilion

Summer is the time when the children will visit the Expo. It will be the busiest time during the Expo. Not only are the children the future of the country, they are also the future of the Expo. The Russian Pavilion and the Dutch Pavilion are competing in this category of being the most attractive to children, because they are the two venues that kids will find interesting. Most will be attracted to the 12 white and gold towers that are suspended in air. The Dutch Pavilion not only has a windmill with traditional Dutch-style houses but it also has a special spiraling section called the Happy Street.

Secret No. 8: The Most Similar-To-Chinese-Culture Pavilion

The most similar-to-Chinese-culture pavilion is the Polish Pavilion. Although the Polish president was the first who said he will not attend the Olympics, the Polish Expo organizers have repented and decided to use the Chinese paper cut as its pavilion façade. The paper cut tradition [supposedly] is similar to both Poland and China. If this is true, then the Polish president really is something (in Chinese, even death cannot wipe out your crimes).

Secret No. 9: The Most High-Tech Pavilion

There is no other way; even though we hate Japan, their people really have something to show. The Japanese Pavilion’s own investment is RMB 900 million. Although the pavilion is just a runner-up, but the Pavilion will debut 14 of the world’s most high technologies. Japan has attached great importance to the tradition of the Expo. Because they know that in the area of innovation and technology, they will become the pioneer in the coming decades in the use of leading technologies. From the telecommunications, construction and other industries of view, previous expos have proven this.

Secret No. 10: The Most Gimmicky Pavilion

The main image of the Danish Pavilion is Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid’s shipment from Denmark to Shanghai caught the attention of the whole nation. The media even followed it for live tracking news. Because The Little Mermaid, for centuries, have never left home. Also, not only does the Little Mermaid carry the symbol of friendship to the Chinese people, it also brings with it a secret. The Little Mermaid has a hidden camera system, and she will record everything that passes by it. Expression of all visitors will be transmitted back to the people of Denmark. In addition, Shanghai artists will attempt to recreate The Little Mermaid.

We must be careful! Cannot lose face!

Secret No. 11: The Lowest Pavilion

The Mexican Pavilion has no construction at all. There is only one large and abstract kite fest. The exhibition itself is literally under the ground. The Mexican originality can be seen through a tunnel dug below.  Pictures of the lives of Mexicans, dressed in national costume, singing and dancing can be seen in the subterranean component. Because, according to points of latitude and longitude, directly opposite of Shanghai is Mexico.

Secret No. 12: The Sexiest Pavilion

Perhaps, there are a lot of pavilions who wants to go sexy. However, until now, Brazil’s hot and sexy performance group has been the sexiest so far. The Brazilian Samba dance troupe has participated for several years in the Shanghai Tourism Festival parade, therefore, how sexy is sexy—that’s on top of their pursuit.

Secret No. 13: The Most Unnecessarily-Complicated Pavilion

The Germans say their pavilion is based on the essence of the Chinese’s “I Ching” or the “Book of Changes”. I brought along a teacher who knows a great deal on the “I Ching” to check out the site. Friends who have been observing a long time said to me angrily: “What is this stuff? How is this the “Book of Changes”? This is simply obscene!” I think the teacher is over-the-top and offending, as a result I criticized him: “The benevolent see benevolence and the wise see wisdom; in front of ‘I Ching’ everyone is equal!” German Pavilion! Go your own way, and this is what the “I Ching” says.

Secret No. 14: The Most “I-Want-To-Take-The-World-Cup” Pavilion

The Spanish Pavilion highlights Spain’s national dance which is the flamenco thus taking on the contour of the flowy skirt used in the dance. They really need that place to be a no-smoking zone as by looking at the material, it is just made of rattan. However in that Spanish-straw-walls hides a huge secret. They are holding the European champions of the World Cup that which is the Spanish football team. This June when the World Cup will be held in South Africa, the Spanish football team will go to the Expo for an “eyeball match”. (Enough of the inside news already!) When the time comes, Casillas, Fernando Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Fernando Torres will visit the Shanghai World Exp. Football fans would not really believe their eyes.

Secret No. 15: The Most Ridiculous Pavilion

It is still the French Pavilion who wins this award! The French went as far as to dispatch 7 charter flights to transport van Gogh and 7 other artworks of artists who have never been exhibited abroad. These are the rare treasures of the French Pavilion. The Pavilion will be on full 24-hour security protection by the Chinese armed police force. You may be wondering why the 7 artworks have to be transported in separate charter planes. This is the answer of the curator of the French Pavilion: “The 7 artworks are France’s national treasures. We cannot place them in one charter plane only. In the case of a crash, all 7 of them will go away just that. I would be the greatest sinner in France’s eyes afterwards.” Enough ridiculousness. So this is the Western way of acknowledging risk and providing a sense of security.

Post from: CN Reviews

15 Shanghai World Expo Pavilion Secrets

Lupu Bridge

It was announced that there will be a grand fireworks display for the opening of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo the day before May 1. The fireworks display was to be held along the Huangpu River between Nanpu Bridge and Lupu Bridge. The official viewing point was at the Cultural Center while the other journalists and invitees positioned themselves in Bailanjing Park which is east of the Expo site.

What about the rest of the Shanghai locale who do not have any VIP passes to watch the opening itself? Many resorted to going to high-rise skycrapers like the Jinmao Tower or the JW Marriott Hotel along People’s Square. However, climbing these establishments costs money. Going up the Oriental Pearl Tower will cost you RMB 150. Another option is going up the Shanghai World Financial Center (I’d like to call the bottle opener.) which is only the third highest tower in the city. That will cost you another RMB 150. Jinmao Tower is cheaper at RMB 70.

But then, these establishments could only contain a number of people. For those who had no other options (no television, lives very far, low on cash…actually a niche group where we belong), a lot trooped over to the The Bund. It’s not exactly the best place to view the fireworks display. But boy, did we enjoy ourselves watching human psychology at work.

4.45pm We got to the The Bund to beat the anticipated crowd, and apparently a lot of people were thinking the same thing too. This niche group is actually bigger than I thought.

5.10pm We decided to eat dinner first at the Captain’s Bar along Fuzhou Road (perpendicular to The Bund which is along East Zhongshan Road No. 1. Lonely Planet cited it as having the best view of the The Bund. But you know, I’m always skeptical of these guide books.

The elevator ride is scary. (We were in the sixth floor).

The place looks dark and dingy.

But the food’s good. Though they have this policy that each person must spend a minimum of RMB 30 or else they’ll drag your butt down the rundown elevator again never to see the light of day.

My verdict: Well, you COULD try this place out. It’s a quaint little resto if you are in it for the view.

So anyway, back to the GRAND FIREWORKS DISPLAY.

The opening ceremony’s scheduled time was 8pm. The fireworks display will only start after the performances were over. But of course, we weren’t going to give up our seats in the already crowded veranda.

We even caught a Japanese reporter reporting live using Skype.

If only we weren’t in the wrong location…

Huge crowds have already formed down at The Bund.

A couple of minutes past 9pm, the fireworks have started. We can hear it. We can see the red lights. But we can’t see it completely. (Yup…we were definitely in the wrong place.) So we raced downstairs towards The Bund hoping to catch a glimpse of the display.

Crowds.

Crowds.

Crowds.

And more crowds.

Though it wasn’t a frustrating attempt (My friend did bring along his bulky SLR tripod especially for the occasion.), other people were probably getting a little bit crazier.

Some random photographer who's having the time of his life catching these crazy moments on camera.

Some resorted to climbing the walls blocking The Bund scenery tunnel.

It was the craziest thing ever.

Doesn't Shanghai have enough stairs anymore?

Apparently, not.

Getting home was a problem that night. No more buses were plying the roads. It was midnight for crying out loud. The police barricaded the metro entrances due to the huge number of people trying to get in. Illegal taxi operators were taking advantage of the situation by charging exuberant rates, while the legal ones were choosing which passengers they want to service.

Waiting

Blocked metro entrance

Lots of people still on the road even after 12. This was a stampede waiting to happen.

And as expected, lots of trash were left on the road.

In fairness to the dining establishments nearby, business was good. Very good in fact. And that’s an understatement.

Since it was a few hours before the official World Expo Opening Day, others thought they might strike it rich that night.

Well, the night did not end in vain at least for us anyway. We were still able to catch the Pearl Tower explode.

You just need to tilt your head a little to the left.

And we got to take a picture of the historical “1 Day Left” Expo Countdown marker.

Here are netizens’ reactions about that night’s event–

We waited 7:00pm to 10:00pm and all we got was the Pearl Tower exploding for 10 seconds. I wonder how many people were duped tonight also?

I waited 5:00pm to 10:00pm, am dying of dizziness already. And I didn’t see a thing. I think the number of people at The Bund was not less than ten thousand. The organizers didn’t even inform us thus wasting a lot of people’s time.

I’ve been standing here since morning. (Me: That’s stupid.) By 10.30pm, I was ready to jump in the river. National Bureau of Statistics, could you please tell us how many people were there too?

You don’t feel good?????? Do you know how many people went through the effort of organizing this? You must have no conscience whatsoever. Could you plan a better World Expo than this?

What a tragedy. What people are going to remember is how others felt repulsed by the huge turnout.

Hello?! You’ve been to The Bund for less than 2 hours. How can you estimate the number of people? If you can’t say, then please shut up.

What I don’t like is the news not even saying anything in preparation for the event.

It’s you being foolish. Obviously the grand fireworks display is at the Expo Garden. Why would you go to The Bund?!

You should have looked at the newspapers yourself. If you didn’t know any information about it, that means you didn’t read the news.

Oh, so all the 10,000 people weren’t thinking.

I’m getting sick with all this number discussion.

It felt like 2012. Seriously.

Post from: CN Reviews

Shanghai World Expo Opening @ The Bund, Netizens Reactions

But the nitty gritty news like what’s happening in the pavilions, etc.–you got to read the local dailies in China to know about them (or watch a lot of CCTV news). Even at least CCTV 9 (because that’s the one in English).

Probably Josh from FarWestChina says it best–

If you don’t live in China and haven’t kept up with daily news here, there’s a slight chance you haven’t heard much about the 2010 Shanghai Expo.  If you do  live in China and have no clue about the Expo, then…that’s a pretty big rock you’re living under.

What I’m going to do here (aside from writing about my China rants and what-nots) is to post and highlight interesting Expo news from the Chinese dailies and/or blogs (in English because we’re an English-language China blog after all) so that at least we’re a little bit more informed. And it’s going to force me to practice my Chinese too.

Excuse me while I browse and snoop around. In the meantime, why not subscribe to our RSS feed (or subscribe through e-mail) and/or follow us on Twitter to keep updated on our ramblings here in CNR?

Post from: CN Reviews

English-Language Shanghai World Expo News

Today, April 21, 2010, is the National Mourning Day for the Yushu Earthquake victims as ordered by a State Council notice issued yesterday.

Urgent Notice From the Office of the Ministry of Culture Concerning the State Council Decision on “National Mourning Activities”

Notice is hereby made to all Provincial, Administrative Region, and Municipality-level Culture Departments, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Culture Department, the Cultural Market Administrative Teams of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing, and all subordinate work unites:

To express the profound grief that people of all ethnic groups across the country feel for their compatriots who fell victim to the Yushu earthquake, the State Council has decided to hold a National Day of Mourning on April 21, 2010. Flags across the country and at overseas institutions will be lowered and all public entertainment activities will be suspended. To carry out the spirit of the State Council decision, notice is hereby made of the following measures:

1. According to the instructions in the State Council notice, culture administration departments at all levels across the country, general culture market administrative agencies, and culture work units that fly national flags will lower them to half-staff in mourning.

2. Departments and work units in the national culture system will suspend any entertainment activities they organize.

3. Cultural and entertainment venues across the country will suspend their entertainment activities. All cinemas and theaters, dance halls, recreation venues, and game rooms, as well as all culture centers (or cultural palaces or stations) and community activity centers will suspend all entertainment, performances, screenings, and gaming activities. Internet service providers will suspend all entertainment activities including games, music, and video. Online cultural operators will suspend all online music, online games, online animation, and online video.

4. Culture administration departments and general culture market administration agencies at all levels should carry out strict observation of how the cultural and entertainment venues and their operators implement the State Council’s decision, and shall deal with violators according to the law.

Office, Ministry of Culture

Baidu (And Select Websites Like Google, Etc.) In Mourning Clothes

Baidu published the following blog post yesterday April 20 7:46pm (translated excerpt):

The disaster is still there, but hope still exists. The Yushu Earthquake rescue is on its eighth day. Along the ruins of more than 20,000 square kilometers, the rescue team is suffering from altitude sickness and huge and dramatic temperature differences throughout the day and the night. They are racing with death and doing all they can to rescue each person fighting for their lives. Time does not allow us to slack-off as every minute is precious. At this point, we would like to hold-up the whole country.

Today, both in the North and the South, people young and old, all at the same time will observe a moment of silence. We will show our reverence all in the name of life. The mountains and the rivers will sob; the heavens and the earth will grieve. Today, the flag will be raised for those who died for the country. We will sound a mourning call for the victims.

People can still remember what Premier Wen Jiabao promised: make people’s lives happier and more dignified. In this national day of mourning, the victims can share the same promise. Our hearts pray that the deceased (in another world) will never face an unhappy situation.

Yushu will not fall.

Shanghai World Expo On Half-Mast

In its second day of test run, the Shanghai World Expo has instead stopped all activities in respect to the National Day of Mourning with all their flags on half-mast.

Other places of entertainment like movie houses and perfomance theaters were also ordered to stop or delay activities and issue refunds as needed.

Qinghai Pavilion (At the Expo China Pavilion) Offered “White Tears” For The Victims

The staff at the Qinghai Pavilion came together 10am this day too to mourn the victims of the Yushu Earthquake.

Fudan University Students Gathered Together To Mourn

Amidst the drizzle, five students from the Qinghai province sounded the bronze century bell today 7:49am. Afterwhich a three-minute moment of silence was followed.

Expo Volunteers Tied Yellow Ribbons

More than 400 Shanghai Jiaotong University students (who are also Expo volunteers) tied yellow ribbons on their arms to signify their mourning period.

“As volunteers, we not only strive to serve in the World Expo but also try to give more hope to the society through the harmonious and caring volunteer spirit,” student Tao Zhenhao said.

Post from: CN Reviews

Yushu Earthquake: Expo Volunteers, Students, Etc. Mourn

I suggest that the Shanghai World Expo urgently construct a Yushu memorial hall to grieve the victims of the Yushu earthquake incident. This will also show that the Chinese people are indomitable in the face of natural disasters. After all, the time of the World Expo and the Yushu earthquake incident is not far from each other, just less than a month. The World Expo can not ignore this incident. If you agree, please pass. – Zheng Yuanjie, 10:09am

The many pavillions in the Shanghai World Expo will be torn down once the event is over. Regarding the time for house reconstruction of the victims’ homes and because the Expo will run until the start of next winter, I propose that the demolition be suspended for the meantime and to prioritize the moving and settling down of the victims. First do the rebuilding so as to send the victimes to their new homes. Afterwards, deal with the dismantling. The World Expo will therefore be known as the World Expo for Love. If you agree, please pass.  – Zheng Yuanjie, 10:22am

After the first weibo was posted, within 4 hours, more than 640 fans have forwarded it to more than 300 users. For his second post made on 10:22am, it was observed that by 13:50, it was forwarded to 1952 people already thus producing 819 comments and giving him a total of more than 3000 weibo fans.

Some of the netizens responses were not that positive:

When during the construction there will be no water, what will you, Zheng Yuanjie, do? Why not just let the victims live in your place?

Is that Zheng person not thinking well? I think there are many insincere people taking advantage of this situation. The earthquake victims do not need a memorial hall. What they need is real help.

Zheng Yuanjie, you’re better off writing fairy tales. Regarding this, who do you think you are? You’re just useless.

I’m a fan of his fairy tales when I was a kid. But right now, looking at him taking advantage of this news interest, it’s all very unrealistic–just some ego-boosting idea that’s looking for trouble.

Better spend the money in areas that are more in need.

Zheng Yuanjie, are you making an exhibition out of yourself in this World Expo?

There are some rich people who will use their money to help solve a problem. But there are others who just use it so that peope will notice them.

Don’t you need money to build that memorial hall??? Better use it in other areas that are truly in need.

He has written too many fairy tales already.

This man just wants to be famous!

Can this memorial hall save people?

Only idiots with brain problems can think up of this proposal. This type of people will just bring more economic problems to the country.

The completion of the Qinghai Pavilion showing the 3 great rivers of China is not affected. As of press time, the project will still push though.

From the official 2010 Shanghai World Expo site–

Qinghai Pavilion demonstrates how the Yantze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River originating from Qinghai have nurtured riverfront cities and civilization, and reveals the supportive and restrictive role of the ecological conditions at the source of the three great rivers in urban development.

What do you think of Zheng Yuanjie’s proposal?

Post from: CN Reviews

Proposed Yushu Earthquake Pavilion: Good Idea Or Not?

Of course I was far from the danger zone. But even my father who is not in China was still affected.

Just this afternoon, I noticed that Baidu changed the design of their logo (they updated it yesterday 7:21pm) and released a press statement about the Qinghai earthquake.

Here, I attempt to translate their statement in hopes of showing oneness with the Chinese people in this time of grief. If you notice something off with the translation, I would appreciation you leaving a comment so that I could correct it.

From Baidu–

地震是在日出之后不久发生的。4月14日清 晨，青海省玉树县的人们像往常一样，大人准备上班，孩子要去上学，不少人还未苏醒。然而在7点49分，脚下传来的剧烈震撼打碎一切沉寂，这一天注定无法与 往常一样。

几十秒内，玉树县的民房几乎全部倒塌，暮色降临，人们习惯迎接朝阳的瞳孔目睹了一场骇人的灾难。发生在2010年的这场地震，将地处青藏高原东端的 美丽县城顷刻间夷为平地，目前遇难者已逾400人，未来几天，罹难者的人数仍将继续攀升。

心碎而无助的人们在平均海拔4000米、仍处冷季的高原上，在这座昔日平和淳朴今天断壁颓垣的县城奔走呼号。我们曾历经灾难，但我们永远无法习惯目 睹生命湮灭。灾难从不留情，我们注视生命的目光、祈愿平安的意志、分担痛苦的心灵、守望相助的双手也永远不会妥协。

此地距离08年特大地震发生地汶川直线距离约600公里。两年前的八级强震，共造成近十万人的死亡和失踪。玉树县位于非常活跃的巴颜喀拉活动地块， 与汶川同属一个块体。地震发生时，西北大地刚刚苏醒，但很多人仍在睡梦中。

庆幸的是，玉树地区的建筑类型多属于土培房。专家称，这种房屋在倒塌时也许不会造成太多的死亡，但会造成数量惊人的伤者。最新的报道称，所有的救治 场所人满为患，数万伤员找不到地方进行集中治疗。而且，粉碎性的坍塌，不便于救援队快速实施救援。在电视画面中我们可以看到，各地专业的救援人员整装待 发，他们神情自信而放松。他们中的多数，都经过了两年前汶川救援的洗礼，相信他们此次能不辱使命。救援者需要注意的是，玉树地区属于高海拔地区，对于救援 队员和救援设备，都是一种新的考验。

我们仍然会像两年前那样，盯着电视直播，不停刷新网站，关注救援的最新进展。比起两年前，我们的情绪似乎平和了不少。我们尽力保持乐观，希望更多的 生命从废墟中被拯救。在灾难面前，政府和民众都比两年前表现得更为镇定、有序。汶川之难，给我们上了印象深刻的一课。我们惟一需提醒自己的是，希望我们的 镇定，不至于异化为无动于衷，或者某种应激性的疲劳。我们仍可以选择值得信任的渠道，通过各种方式，向灾难中的人们伸出援手。在这个几乎每一天都可以看到 灾难报道的时代，每一个仍能保持内心柔软的人，都应为自己感到庆幸与欣慰。

祈愿灾难中的人们平安。此刻，他们正在零下的低温中、在亲人离散的苦痛中度过震后第一夜；此刻，我们无法安眠，因为那些虽然陌生但曾经绽放笑颜的面 孔，如今沉浸在悲痛和惊惶之中。在这痛苦的时刻，我们所有人都会把注意力投向玉树，投向灾难中的你们。在这片广袤的土地上，我们与你们同在。

Translated–

The earthquake occurred shortly after sunrise. Early morning on the 14th of April, the people in the Yushu County, Qinghai Province were as usual, preparing to go to work and to go to school. Not a few people were still sleeping. However at 7:49, a violent earthquake shattered this silence. This day was forever doomed to be different from the rest of our days.

For 10 seconds, the citizens and the houses of Yushu County collapsed. During dusk, the people who make it a habit to accompany the sun set witnessed a great disaster. This catastrophic event of 2010 caused the beautiful Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to be destroyed with more than 400 casualties. And in the coming days, the numbers will continue to rise.

Living four thousand meters above sea level in this cold plateau, the people are heartbroken and helpless. We know how it is to experience disasters, but we will never get used to seeing life being destroyed. Disasters do not retain emotions. We should pay attention to life now and pray and hope for peace. We share the pain and protect each other without compromise.

Last 2008, a great earthquake happened in Wenchuan which is just 600 meters away. Two years ago, this magnitude-8-earthquake’s total casualties added up to 10,000 including the dead and the unaccounted for. During this earthquake, the Northwestern earth was just starting to wake up, but many people were still asleep.

Fortunately, the houses in Yushu County were built over cultivated soil (?). Experts claim that the housing collapse may not cause too many deaths but an alarming number of the wounded instead. The latest reports say that in places where overcrowding is occurring, tens of thousands could not get proper treatment. Moreover, the people could not be rescued immediately. In the television, we can see that the professional rescue workers are ready to go. They looked confident and relaxed. Most of them have seen Wenchuan 2 years ago. They know that they will not fail this mission. Rescuers just need to note that Yushu is a high-altitude-area. This will present a new challenge to the rescue team.

We still remember how it is like 2 years ago—staring at the television, constantly refreshing the Internet web pages, paying close attention to the rescue operation of the victims. Two years ago, we were very calm. We strived to be optimistic hoping that more lives will be rescued from the ruins. In the face of the disaster, the government and the masses were unperturbed. This disaster in Wenchuan left us all with a deep impression. We only need to remind ourselves that we must be calm and keep our cool. We can reach out to a lot of people in a variety of ways. For the next few days as we uncover more about this catastrophe in the news, may each of us still feel grateful and have a happy heart.

Let’s pray for the safety of the people involved. At the moment, they are living in sub-zero conditions, spending their first night after the quake away from their families. At the moment, we also cannot sleep; because the smiling faces of the people though unfamiliar before are now covered in sadness. In this painful moment, our eyes are all paying attention to Yushu. Because in this vast land that is China, all of us are with you.

Post from: CN Reviews

Baidu Mourns Qinghai Earthquake

If you’re not familiar with BON, you’re not the only one. Apparently, however, it’s “a brand new, pioneering television network producing a wide range of objective English language content bringing the human side of China to homes across the Western world.  BON goes live on air in Summer 2009 in the United States.” You can read more about them here.

I’ve personally never heard of David Moser but that’s probably because I spend too little time rubbing elbows with major figures in China academia and media and waste too much of my time slumming it at chinaSMACK . Apparently, Moser has even been a host for everyone’s favorite CCTV. Either way, he seems like a nice guy.

Jeremy Goldkorn and Michael Anti, however, are both names long-time China watchers are probably familiar with. South African Goldkorn is the founder of  Danwei (Danwei.tv for those behind the GFW), one of the largest, oldest, and most influential English-language blogs covering China, updated multiple times a day with links to great reading as well as plenty of original content, including tons of excellent translations. Michael Anti is the Chinese journalist-blogger with the cool name, having worked for a number of known and reputable news organizations both domestic and foreign.

Reviewing the two part video took some time, as the videos often would not stream smoothly and happily, if at all. To help you decide if you want to try loading them up, I’ve included some of my notes from each part below the embedded videos here:

Part 1

Interesting Points:

• Goldkorn: SARS situation in 2003 and American political blogs helped inspire him to start Danwei, he felt there wasn’t enough English information available on China’s media to adequately reflect its “vibrancy and diversity”.
• Anti: China is so large that it is fragmented with influence only extending so far. “Internet is the first time in Chinese history we have a national community.”
• Anti: English blogs like Danwei and ESWN have a “two-direction effect” that benefits and “is crucial” for both English-readers and Chinese. Websites like these help the outside world better understand China and also help “make public” the Chinese voice. “If something isn’t written in English, it does not really exist in the world.”
• Anti: Bridge-blogging becoming bridge-tweeting.
• Moser: Questions the word “blog”. Is “blog” the right word? Or is “website” better because “blog” suggests “personal expression”. How should we refer to these “English blogs about China”?
• Moser: Brings up word “aggregator” and asks if ESWN’s content is Roland Soong’s own content or he just “translates and copies” other people’s material.
• Goldkorn: “Sex scandals, people doing disgusting things” and “scandalous” BBS comments are things chinaSMACK does well.
• Anti: Reference News translates English news into Chinese to help Chinese know more of how the outside world is looking at China.
• Moser: On blogs replacing the fourth estate, discusses downside of blogs not being vetted, being “wild”.
• Goldkorn: Says blogs and newspapers can both make mistakes, vetting or not, but reputation and trust is built up over time.
• Moser: Alludes to process journalism.

English Blogs About China Mentioned:

• Danwei
• EastSouthWestNorth
• chinaSMACK
• RConversation
• Global Voices Online
• Sinosplice

Part 2

Interesting Points:

• Goldkorn: On financing Danwei, they make “some” money on advertising, “a little more” on job advertising/recruitment advertising, and make “most” of their money on research services for corporate customers.
• Goldkorn: Says most people use blogs as “loss-leaders” to build influence and reputation for other things like consulting.
• Anti: Blogs cannot depend on advertising because of possibility of being blocked.
• Moser: Suggests that English blogs have “a certain immunity” because most of the audience is English and overseas.
• Goldkorn: While Moser and Anti discuss Anti-CNN, jokes about American nationalists being scarier than their Chinese counterparts.
• Goldkorn: “So difficult when discussing China in English to get the right mix”, referring to always being criticized by someone for writing critical or complimentary pieces about China.
• Anti: On power of new technology like Twitter, Kaiser Kuo tweeted about Xinjiang riots 1 hour before Xinhua English news reported about it.
• Anti: Described NYT’s “agenda” as being “weird” for himself and many Chinese people because Chinese people come from a “propaganda society” where the media is usually used to promote or inspire people to do things, “positive media report”, but the NYT and most foreign media is mostly “negative reporting”.
• Anti: On fact-checking: “Don’t trust anything until someone denies it.”

English Blogs About China Mentioned:

• China Digital Times
• China Media Project

Post from: CN Reviews

English Blogs About China: Moser Interviews Goldkorn & Anti

The Players

From oldest to newest…

EastSouthWestNorth

EastSouthWestNorth is the personal blog of Hong-Kong-based Roland Soong and the oldest — even most influential — blog of this bunch. It is also the simplest, a no-frills affair cobbled together and maintained with arcane late 1990s Microsoft Frontpage 5.0 desktop software. While many of Soong’s translated news articles draw heavily from Hong Kong media sources, Soong has a wonderful habit of occasionally diving head first into the deep end of major incidents, collecting — and contrasting — the reporting from sources around the world. He’s also not afraid to tackle underreported subjects either. As a statistician by training and trade, Soong’s blog also regularly features translated poll and survey results about all manner of topics, a quick way to gauge what people (often Chinese, Hong Kong, or Taiwanese) feel about something or another, provided you’re conscious of how such polls work and the most they can reveal. Unlike most blogs, ESWN does not allow reader comments, which is maddening for readers wishing to discuss the topics he covers but nonetheless a conscious decision by a Soong that doesn’t want to worry about criticism. Updated daily.

Global Voices Online China

Global Voices Online is a massive blog with hundreds of volunteer bloggers publishing reports and translations from multiple countries, in multiple languages, and a self-proclaimed “emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily heard in international mainstream media.” It is part of the non-profit organization Stitching Global Voices, founded by Rebecca MacKinnon and Ethan Zuckerman. GVO’s China section itself has several different contributors reporting on different issues, providing not just background and summaries but also translations of opinions and perspectives from Chinese bloggers and other Chinese netizens. Updated multiple times per week.

chinaSMACK

chinaSMACK popped onto the scene a little over a year ago, ostensibly created by a young Shanghainese girl named Fauna. Along with a small army of irregular contributors, chinaSMACK translates internet posts and topics that have become popular on China’s major discussion forums like Tianya, Mop, NetEase, Sina, etc. Most of these topics are social or cultural in nature, often shocking, scandalous, or silly and generally always entertaining to behold. One thing that makes chinaSMACK somewhat unique — even popular — is their aversion to strongly political subjects, something most blogs about China revel in. Another thing is a their strong emphasis on including translations of Chinese netizen reactions and comments with their translations of the original posts or news they’re reporting, even more so than GVO above. They even have a special glossary defining common Chinese internet memes, slang, and expressions. The grand scheme? To give non-Chinese readers a glimpse into what many Chinese netizens find interesting, what they’re talking about, and how many of them behave…for better or for worse. Updated daily.

ChinaHush

ChinaHush was started by a Chinese-American guy named Key nearly a year ago and was quickly derided by many as a shameless copy-cat of chinaSMACK in too many ways ranging from its name and design to its content and self-professed mission. However, there’s certainly more than enough interesting content coming out of China’s internet space for there to be more than one chinaSMACK, and ChinaHush aims to establish itself in that niche. Like chinaSMACK, ChinaHush reports on popular Chinese internet stories, minus the consistent inclusion of translated Chinese netizen comments. More impressively, ChinaHush posts ever so slightly more often than chinaSMACK. For us selfish readers of both sites, the best scenario is for each site to cover the material the other one misses. Can ChinaHush get out from under chinaSMACK’s shadow? Only time will tell, and Key’s consistent postings and continued efforts to differentiate from the latter will only help. Updated daily.

China News Wrap

China News Wrap appeared at the start of this year with its early posts being translations of headlines on the front page of major mainland China newspapers (similar to Danwei, which can be accessed behind the GFW here), publications, or news websites. It soon evolved into each post being translations, or sometimes summaries, of the individual Chinese articles themselves. There’s not much information about who runs the website except that it may be a certain Marc Howe in or from Australia. Most of the selected articles are skewed towards international economics and politics though there are some social and human-interest articles as well. Updated multiple times per week.

The Awards

Now that you’re familiar with the main contenders, we’ve got a few random awards to give out, partly to honor (or gently rib) these websites and partly to give you, dear reader, some more interesting information and commentary.

Most Prolific – EastSouthWestNorth

Roland Soong is a veritable one man juggernaut, generally translating  more original Chinese content into English than any of the other blogs listed here. In fact, he probably publishes more content overall, and has been doing so longer than all the rest of these blogs combined. Given ESWN’s bare bones design and atypical blogging format, however, it can be a bit difficult keeping tabs on all the content he hemorrhages nearly daily if you’re relying on an RSS subscription. The reason is because much of his content is placed on a rolling homepage that isn’t syndicated to RSS. Fortunately, a CNR reader previously set up a Page2RSS feed that scrapes ESWN’s content and syndicates it via RSS, albeit with a lengthy delay. Still beats visiting the site constantly.

Most Lively Community – chinaSMACK

Of all the websites here, chinaSMACK owns the rest when it comes to reader participation and comments. Not only does their content almost always include translated Chinese netizen comments, each of their posts gets an avalanche of comments from their visitors. On average, a post of their’s will quickly accumulate up to 50-80 comments within the first couple of days while their most controversial posts will easily hit 300-400-500 comments as their readers argue, debate, or troll each other. No one comments at China News Wrap, those who would like to can’t at ESWN, and though they started only a few months after chinaSMACK, ChinaHush only manages a couple comments per post on average. One caveat though, chinaSMACK’s comment section is as lively as it is often demoralizing.

Most Investigative – EastSouthWestNorth

This category because everyone has their own opinion on what deserves further attention and digging. To be clear, none of these websites do any “investigative journalism” in the traditional sense, as they’re not journalists out in the field traveling and interviewing subjects of interest. They’re just bloggers reporting on what they see and can find on the internet, piecing things together into a coherent and hopefully clearer picture for their readers. With perhaps the exception of China News Wrap, all of these blogs have had their moments revisiting a story or posting a follow-up, but prolific ESWN wins this award for the sheer amount of information Soong can collate when he sinks his incisors into something. Just take a look at his coverage on the recent Urumqi riots or the infamous Edisen Chen Sexy Photos Gate.

Best Designed – chinaSMACK

Ah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this beholder (with two eyes, not one large one and many smaller ones on tentacle stalks) has to bestow this award upon chinaSMACK, despite the somewhat garish exploitation of hot pink. Of course, that hot pink has also rightfully defined chinaSMACK’s brand (along with 囧) and, while some parts of their website still feature too much of it, the website overall is tastefully balanced with dark and light grays. More importantly, an obvious amount of effort was put into the design so that images and text all have their place in a logical, coherent whole. We’ve even taken cues from them here on CNR. The design isn’t perfect, but its good enough to beat the rest of these sites…though just barely so over the cool pastels and fancy satellite map eye candy of Global Voices Online. Just barely.

Worst Designed – ChinaHush

No offense to Key, but ChinaHush edges out ESWN for this dubious award. Why? Because there’s a difference between trying and failing and not trying at all. ESWN is the latter. Originally, ChinaHush looked like a cheap shanzhai version of chinaSMACK, but with some blunt prodding (by me over e-mail to Key), the design has changed with substantial differentiation, albeit with little overall aesthetic improvement. Some main culprits include: its the harsh color contrasts (you think hot pink is bad, try blocks of black and white ), the distorted or improperly resized images, the clunky featured content slideshow on the sidebar, and the general in-cohesiveness of the overall layout and design. Oh sure, I’m being mean, but I’m also pushing Key to improve it for ChinaHush’s own long-term benefit.

Most Unreliable Website – chinaSMACK

Whether it is due to its own popularity, external hacking attacks by enemies, or some mysterious technical reason, chinaSMACK is too often bogged down or outright inaccessible. YMMV but, these days, not a week goes by without an attempted visit to chinaSMACK resulting in several 500 Internal Server Error or 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable messages being thrown back in my face. This is a big problem and one it needs to take seriously because it hurts everything they’ve accomplished so far. A pretty design is useless when the page won’t load and a lively community isn’t so lively when its members can’t post their comments.

Most Advertising – chinaSMACK

I’m generally not opposed to websites having advertisements, as long as the ads don’t pop-up or take over my screen. After all, they’re offering free information, entertainment, or services and they deserve to get some compensation for their hard work. We have ads on CNR too. That said, ads still take up real estate and can sometimes be distracting. chinaSMACK and ChinaHush have the most advertising spots of this bunch. ChinaHush’s off-center 728×90 Leaderboard ad at the top of its page is pretty annoying (mostly because it stands out), but it is nothing compared to chinaSMACK’s sidebar-topping triangle of doom, especially when all three show the same advertiser (for me, it’s often Ctrip).

Most Scandalous – chinaSMACK

This was a tough call between chinaSMACK, ChinaHush, and ESWN. ChinaHush was quickly ruled out simply because its too much an emulation of chinaSMACK with very similar content but lacking the distinction of being first to the game. That left chinaSMACK and ESWN. Neither website shies away from featuring controversial content including salacious or grotesquely violent images, and while both sites also feature less shocking content, chinaSMACK gets the edge simply because ESWN dilutes its shocking content more with non-shocking news articles and poll numbers. chinaSMACK has, by some measures, toned down over time, particularly with content including nudity, but the scandalousness of its commenter community somewhat compensates for that. Oh, and they even have an online personals service now. ‘Nuff said!

Are we missing any China blogs that emphasize English translation of original Chinese content? Have a good idea for an award? Let us know in the comments below!

Post from: CN Reviews

Great Translators: China Blogs That Translate Chinese Content

It is not easy to comment on Tibet. Even after a two-week trip there, I still have quite limited knowledge about the whole area. During the trip, I kept asking myself the same question: ‘how to describe the relationship between the Han Chinese and the Tibetans’. It seems that we are living in two worlds. Though most of the Tibetans I came across were kind and honest, I still felt a little bit uneasy to discuss that sensitive issue with them. However, on the Han Chinese side, I was continuously intrigued by the fact that many of them have stereotypes and prejudices when talking about Tibetans.

…

Similar scenarios came up during our trip to Shigatse, where we had a chance to visit typical local residences. On the way back, many travelers expressed that the Tibetan living style was primitive and their religious beliefs superstitious. What annoys me slightly was that when Han Chinese travelers were talking to local citizens, they kept asking questions such as how much money they made and, to some extent, judged all things in a sense of material wealth. As a Chinese, I think we have a better understanding than the Americans that Tibet is not a Shangri-la paradise. However, instead of romanticizing Tibet, it seems that many Han Chinese, at least some visitors, lack basic respect for the Tibetan culture and religion.

These observation are impressive, especially if you’ve seen more than your fair share of Han ethnocentrism, where Han opinions and observations about Tibet and Tibetans always seem to be limited to how much Han China has bettered them. While rational and well-balanced Han Chinese views on Tibet abound, they’re usually overshadowed by the less rational and less-balanced ones. Yet here, here we have a Han Chinese guy walking into Tibet consciously observing the dynamic between Han and Tibetan, and then making strong criticisms of the on-the-ground attitudes Han people have towards Tibetans.

After a paragraph explaining how the problems of ethnic disunity in the former USSR pushed China’s leaders to reflect on their own, Tony makes an incisive criticism of China’s “ruling elites”:

It is necessary to acknowledge the vitality of national and ethnic solidarity. But I am afraid such principle has gone too far in contemporary China. Instead of frankly pointing out the tensions between racial groups and the flaws in our ethnic policy, the ruling elites, from time to time, blamed ‘evil external forces’ for crimes. Admittedly, various international actors were partly responsible for the accidents. However, we should not overlook the severe flaws and obvious weaknesses within China’s domestic ethnic relations. Acknowledging these problems and having a transparent investigation of why someone committed an act of violence should not be condemned as unpatriotic. After all, it is a formidable task we have to undertake so as to prevent the situation from worsening.

Then and finally, Tony offers a “possible solution”:

In a nutshell, since Tibet and other ethnic problems have become the forefront of the Sino-Western conflict, one possible solution to avoid miscalculation is to establish a well-managed channel for China and Western countries, thus letting secret talk become open dialogue. Instead of helplessly looking at the escalation of international conflicts, this should be a cost-effective way to let both sides understand the real situation and help our Western counterparts see what might or might not work in China when tackling its ethnic problems.

…and, frankly, I’m disappointed. For one, I’m somewhat confused. My initial reaction was to ask, “why is this guy suddenly thinking about a ‘Sino-Western conflict’” and then postulating “a well-managed channel” for China to communicate with Western countries? Weren’t we talking about the friction between Hans and Tibetans, acknowledging it, and doing so hoping to “prevent the situation from worsening”? Why are we now talking about conflicts with Western countries?

The solution itself even sounds like the tired Chinese government refrain of “if they only knew the truth…”, one that usually is heard as “if only they’d believe what we told them.” Now, I’m willing to grant that I may not have understood the full implications of what Tony is suggesting here…but part of me can’t help but interpret this last paragraph of his as being far too preoccupied with how China looks in Westerners’ eyes (China’s “face”) than with how the current Chinese-Tibetan relationship looks in the eyes of the actual Chinese and Tibetans involved.

Now, it’s interesting to note how Tony acknowledges, even accepts, the issue of Tibet as being an international one, whereas the Chinese government and many other Chinese have repeatedly demanded that it be respected as a domestic, internal issue that everyone else should butt out of. That said, after several paragraphs of good, honest reflections on Han prejudices against Tibetans, his solution is still too much about managing how outsiders, Westerners, perceive China over this situation than how China could actually improve this situation amongst its people. After all, what contributes more to the current ethnic tension in Tibet: What Westerners think? Or what Hans, Tibetans, Uighurs, and other ethnic minorities think about each other?

Read Tony’s full post about ethnic tension in Tibet over on Six »

Tales of Han discrimination and ethnocentrism specifically with regards to Uighurs and Xinjiang were also seen in a comment posted on the UighurBiz forum and translated by John Kennedy over at Global Voices Online in a post titled, “Considering Han Chauvinism“:

In fact, Han in many places in Xinjiang don’t just discriminate against Uighurs, but don’t even see them as human. For example, six years ago I was in Xinjiang on a business trip. I was standing on Yan’an Nan Road in Ürümqi trying to get a taxi, and one Uighur girl came up next to me and was trying to get a taxi too. It always takes a long time to get a cab in Ürümqi in the winter. We were freezing and finally when one empty cab did pull up, it went right past that girl and stopped right in front of me. Strange, I thought, and after I got in I asked the driver why he didn’t stop for the girl. The (Han) driver said: we don’t pick up those leatherhats (Uighurs). I asked why. He said once he picked up an Uighur who gave him fake money, so I asked if he’d ever had Han customers who gave him fake money. He said he had.

I said if you treat Uighurs like this, aren’t you worried about the ethnic conflict getting worse? The driver said, they don’t dare, we have guns. Then I had nothing more to say. I was there for three days, and every time I got in a cab I asked if they were willing to take Uighur passengers, and got the same answer every time: Uighurs have bad tempers, can’t be reasoned with, they won’t stop for them, etc.

“We have guns”.

…damn.

For every intelligent traveling Chinese business man, there’s at least one dumbass Chinese taxi driver.

Damn.

Read John Kennedy’s full post on Han Chauvinism over on Global Voices Online »

Post from: CN Reviews

Stories Of Han Discrimination & Prejudice In Tibet & Xinjiang

Kaifu Lee "running away" from Google. Source: YNET

On Saturday, Google China President Kaifu Lee resigned. On Sunday, CNReviews tracked the news on his next step, Innovation Works, an early-stage investment fund and startup incubator. To track the Chinese blogosphere, BloggerInsight asked Chinese bloggers for responses to three questions:

Q1 : Why did Kaifu Lee resign from Google China?

There was early speculation that government politics led to his resignation (which Kaifu Lee has adamantly dismissed), but internal Google politics do seem to have played a role. Remaining at Google China meant enduring continual corporate pressure and cultural conflict. Google didn’t offer him the freedom to grow Chinese entrepreneurship as he envisions it.

Blogger comments:

“Because of the suffocating constraints of a large company, Kaifu Lee was not free to localize Google into China. He was likely a mere figurehead, unable to capitalize upon his abilities or realize his dreams.”

“To outsiders it looks like Kaifu Lee lived the high life as Google China President, but there must have been hardships that we cannot imagine. He mentioned his entrepreneurial aspirations as early as August 2008, but had to shelve them because of the financial crisis. While sick in the hospital this June, he became determined to make his move into entrepreneurship.”

Q2: How will Kaifu Lee’s resignation impact Google China?

Opinions are mixed on how Kaifu Lee’s resignation will impact Google China. While his efforts led Google market share to double (from 16.1% in 2006 to 31% at present), the consensus is that Google still has a long way to go in China.

Blogger comments:

“With the loss of a man of Kaifu Lee’s character and vision, there will certainly be a slight change at Google China. It’s uncertain if his successor will be able to localize Google’s products as well, a key determinant of the company’s success in China.”

“[Kaifu Lee’s resignation] will not have much influence on the competitive balance between Google and Baidu. With its extensive coverage online and in the traditional media, it may even bring Google extra traffic!”

Q3: What can we expect from Innovation Works

Chinese bloggers’ expectations are tempered by realism. Angel investing is in its infancy in China, so it will likely take at least ten years to reach success. Finding a model to identify, assist, and profit alongside Chinese innovators will take time.

Yet that doesn’t stop bloggers from having lofty dreams for what Innovation Works could incubate—if not the next Google, then something close. And if anyone is up to the task, it’s Kaifu Lee. With his extensive R&D background in China, Kaifu Lee has a deep understanding of how to nurture innovation. Perhaps his strongest asset at Innovation Works will be his personal charisma and ability to connect budding entrepreneurs: the next Larry and Sergei with Eric, or Bill Gates with Steve Ballmer.

Blogger comments:

“The primary challenge will be how to screen people. With the domestic education system as it is and the underdevelopment of creativity, Kaifu Lee with have plenty to ponder.”

“Success at Innovation Works will not come easily or quickly. The first concern is that VCs are well-established, so Kaifu Lee will have to convince the market that his model is also viable. The second challenge will be managing relationships. Will young Chinese entrepreneurs embrace his model? How will they share profits? Will entrepreneurs submit to management from Innovation Works, and if so, in what format?”

“The first hope is that he will incubate companies of Google’s caliber with Chinese characteristics. This may just be a dream of course, but it’s a dream shared by all of China’s technology industry.”

Contributed by Kai Lukoff & Ying Xue.

Post from: CN Reviews

Kaifu Lee: Constraints at Google and Dreams at Innovation Works