Beijing (LA Review of Books) – In southern China, the rural town of Fang pulled itself out of poverty thanks to a simple scam. “Cake uncles” approached bakeries outside their hometown to deliver cakes, then faked the …
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Q&A: Crime and the Chinese Dream
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Sinica Podcast: Joanna Chiu On Hong Kong’s Illicit Wildlife Trade
Joanna Chiu of Agence France-Presse joins Kaiser to discuss the illicit wildlife trade in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Joanna went undercover in the two cities to search for stores that would illegally sell her two items …
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Hong Kong shops defy ban on trade in pangolin scales
Hong Kong (AFP) – On a winding Hong Kong street where shops keep a dizzying array of dried produce, one highly valued ingredient is still being sold despite being subject to an international ban: deep-fried …
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China mulls three years’ jail for anthem disrespect
Beijing (AFP) – Disrespecting China’s national anthem could carry a prison sentence of up to three years under a new draft law amendment, which may also affect Hong Kong and Macau, state media reported Tuesday. …
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Dark days for China’s democracy dream
Beijing/Hong Kong (AFP) – The death of Liu Xiaobo deprives China’s dissident movement of a crucial figurehead at a time when political activism on the mainland is being forced ever deeper underground, and pro-democracy forces …
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Hong Kong’s allure fading in mainland China
Beijing (AFP) – When Naomi Wu was a teenager, she and her friends would ride the train from mainland China to Hong Kong several times a year to shop for clothes and designer handbags. But …
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The one and many ways of being Chinese
This is the first in a series of essays for SupChina, a new platform featuring original reporting, commentary and a daily newsletter on China’s business, political and cultural news. SupChina – Although I possess only a Canadian …
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Hong Kong could withdraw from UN torture convention, leader suggests
By Christy Choi with reporting from Joanna Chiu Hong Kong (dpa) – Chief Executive CY Leung’s suggestion that he would consider removing Hong Kong as a signatory to an international torture convention has set off …
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What next for Hong Kong’s democracy movement?
Hong Kong (dpa) – Hong Kong lawmakers on Thursday successfully blocked a Beijing-backed election reform package that triggered the biggest unrest in years in the Chinese territory. Legislators voted to reject the controversial plan that …
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Chinese lawyers, activists question Beijing report on rights record
China has released an annual report extolling the country’s “unique pattern of protecting human rights.” But activists and lawyers say 2014 was “appalling” for the country’s human rights record. Beijing (dpa) – China released a …
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Here’s what’s next for Hong Kong’s embattled democracy movement
GlobalPost — Pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong have entered their third month, with protesters in parkas and toques now camped under Christmas lights. But while some vow to step up confrontations with police, protest leaders are …
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Hong Kong’s protests: Poor conversation
The city’s leader suggests democracy could give the poor too much power From the print edition, The Economist – IT WAS a scene that must have made China’s leaders squirm with uncomfortable memories. On October 21st senior …
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Hong Kong’s protests: Chipping away
From the print edition, The Economist – MORE than two weeks after failing to shift pro-democracy protesters with tear gas and pepper spray, police in Hong Kong have begun to step up pressure on the …
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Police and pro-democracy protesters clash in Hong Kong
Hong Kong (dpa) – Police were struggling to keep crowds off main roads in Hong Kong late Friday after nearly three weeks of demonstrations for open elections in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Protesters in the “Occupy” movement used …
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More argy-bargy: Hong Kong heats up again
The Economist, Analects – MASKED men attacked pro-democracy protesters for the second time in as many weeks on the morning of October 13th in Hong Kong’s Admiralty business district. The scuffles prompted bankers walking to work …
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Thousands return to Hong Kong streets in protest
Sylvia Hui and Joanna Chiu, Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of protesters poured into a main road in Hong Kong for a pro-democracy rally late Friday, reviving a civil disobedience movement a day …
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Hong Kong protests: Ebbing but maybe not ending
Analects, The Economist – THE number of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong has shrunk from tens of thousands at the demonstrations’ peak to a few hundred scattered across three districts of the city, as people return …
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Hong Kong street brawl reveals limits of protest leadership
A large but mostly ‘leaderless’ movement is struggling to control supporters scattered throughout the city Al Jazeera America – Hong Kong protest leaders watched helplessly from afar as hostile mobs destroyed encampments and attacked demonstrators in …
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Profile: Prominent figures in the Hong Kong democracy movement
Hong Kong (dpa) – Over the past week, thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong have blocked government buildings as well as major roads in five key districts of the Chinese territory. The protests have been …
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Hong Kong students shelve talks with government after mob attacks
By Joanna Chiu and Benjamin Garvey Hong Kong (dpa) – Protest leaders shelved scheduled talks with the Hong Kong government Friday after opponents to pro-democracy demonstrations destroyed a rally site and drove away protesters in …
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What Beijing really fears: Hong Kong protests spreading across the country
HONG KONG, GlobalPost — Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters turned their backs on the Chinese flag Wednesday morning as it was flown over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor in celebration of the country’s National Day holiday. Tens …
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Protesters to HK boss: Quit or we occupy buildings
HONG KONG, Associated Press — Student leaders of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong warned Wednesday that if the territory’s leader doesn’t resign by the end of Thursday they will step up their actions, including occupying …
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Hong Kong protesters try to win over tourists
HONG KONG (AP) — The luxury boutiques of Hong Kong’s Tsim Shai Tsui district are so mobbed with vacationing Chinese customers that store owners have put up red velvet ropes to control the crowds. Pro-democracy …
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Pro-democracy “Umbrella Revolution” spreads in Hong Kong
By Joanna Chiu with reporting from Erin Hale, dpa Hong Kong (dpa) – Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong said Monday they would continue their occupation of key parts of the metropolis, despite warnings from officials …
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Hong Kong Activists Start Bigger Protest Amid Standoff
By Joanna Chiu and Kelvin Chan for the Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong activists kicked off a long-threatened mass civil disobedience protest Sunday to challenge Beijing over restrictions on voting reforms, escalating …
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Hong Kong students on strike
See more of my coverage of Hong Kong and Macau for The Economist here. THOUSANDS of students in Hong Kong are boycotting classes this week to lie on sprawling lawns outside government headquarters and discuss topics such as “post-totalitarianism” and George Orwell’s …
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Chinese internet giant Alibaba launches Asia IPO roadshow
Hong Kong (dpa) – Chinese online retailer Alibaba Group kicked off its Asia roadshow Monday in Hong Kong, to promote an initial public offering that could become the biggest in history. The internet giant continues with a …
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Hong Kong referendum: Voting to vote
Analects, The Economist – MORE than 400,000 votes were cast online Friday in the first day of an unofficial city-wide referendum on democratic reforms in Hong Kong, according to organisers, who have alleged that forces …
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Hong Kong’s politics: No paper tiger
Analects, The Economist – PEOPLE in Hong Kong have responded with alarm, and some defiance, to a white paper issued by China’s leaders about the city’s political future. In rallies outside Beijing’s representative office in Hong …
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Bitcoin in Hong Kong: Still different
The Economist, print edition – INSIDE the world’s first Bitcoin store in Hong Kong, a visitor from Tokyo hands over a wad of thousand-dollar bills and waits for a clerk to process the transaction on …
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Where the Flame Still Burns
The Economist – DESPITE choking heat, a record number of more than 180,000 people gathered in Hong Kong tonight, according to organisers, for the annual candlelit vigil to remember people killed when the Chinese armed forces suppressed the …
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Stop the Traffic
Commentary for Herizons magazine. Views expressed are my opinions only. Before I moved to Hong Kong, I had planned to write about the domestic helpers whose cheap live in labour helped the city’s economy flourish from …
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Journalism in Hong Kong: Beat the Press
From the print edition of The Economist – As he got out of his car on the morning of February 26th Kevin Lau Chun-to was approached by a man who stabbed him in the back and …
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Exclusive: Money still can’t buy my love, says Gigi Chao after tycoon father doubles ‘dowry’ to HK$1b
Even a billion dollars would not be enough to find a man that Gigi Chao, the lesbian daughter of property tycoon Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, would be willing to marry. “I don’t think my dad’s offering …
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Indonesian helper, 23, in critical condition after alleged beatings by Hong Kong employers
Hong Kong police have refused to pursue an investigation into the case of an Indonesian domestic helper who has been left in a critical condition after she was allegedly abused and beaten by her Hong …
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Boomtown for bitcoin?
With its appetite for entrepreneurship, cryptocurrency experts argue, Hong Kong is uniquely placed to exploit disruptive financial technologies. By Joanna Chiu and Danny Lee When 16-year-old Casper Cheng Tsz-chun of the New Territories started creating, …
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Beijing can ‘help bring stability’ in Middle East
China stands a good chance of becoming an effective mediator in Middle East conflicts but its increasing importance in the region threatens America’s interests , a leading Middle East scholar and former adviser to US …
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Hong Kong’s parallel trade: days of wine and milk powder
The Economist – Wine and milk, it really should go without saying, do not mix. These days bountiful supplies of both are sloshing about in Hong Kong, a special administrative region which enjoys lean rates of taxation on its …
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Hong Kong Silent on Snowden Extradition
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong was silent Saturday on whether a former National Security Agency contractor should be extradited to the United States now that he has been charged with espionage, but some local …
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Snowden says US targets included China cell phones
HONG KONG (AP) — A former National Security Agency contractor says that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation’s mobile-phone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs in the latest allegations as …
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Exclusive: Hong Kong freemasons angered by cash controversy ‘cover-up’ / Assault trial of Freemason in 2012 ‘unusual’
“Hong Kong freemasons angered by cash controversy ‘cover-up'” Published in the South China Morning Post on April 28, 2013. It is an organisation synonymous with secrecy, but one trying hard to change its image. However, confidential documents …
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How HK$500 million manhunt led to a new Gigi Chao
After her father’s dowry offer became a global sensation, the low-key executive was forced out of the closet – emerging as a powerful activist This was published in the South China Morning Post on April …
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Students do holiday drill in the demilitarised zone
While Kim Jong-un was threatening America, HK school party on an eight-day trip to North Korea saw smiling faces … and lots of statues Most parents would probably hesitate about allowing their children to visit …
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Unlucky in love…or just left out of the market?
The number of never-married women has increased in both Shanghai and Hong Kong over the last decade. But while these so-called leftover women are largely derided on the mainland, attitudes are different here, according to …
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Book review: Shanghai Lalas
Shanghai Lalas: Female Tongzhi Communities and Politics in Urban China by Lucetta Kam Yip-lo HKU Press This review was published on February 17, 2013 in the South China Morning Post The lives of lalas and transgender people …
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Exclusive: Psychologists say quacks are posing as counsellors
Impostors are passing themselves off as psychologists and the government is doing nothing to stop them, advocates for the profession warn. “Anyone can call themselves a counsellor or a psychologist in Hong Kong,” said Dr …
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Never the Twain Shall Meet – Conversations with Pankaj Mishra and Niall Ferguson
When Pankaj Mishra picked holes in historian Niall Ferguson’s ode to imperialism, the Indian author kicked off a feud that has seen both antagonists call Hong Kong to the witness stand. Joanna Chiu steps into …
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“SlutWalk” march challenges bias about rape victims
This was published in the South China Morning Post on November 26, 2012. Hundreds of conservatively dressed men and women marched yesterday in “SlutWalk”, a protest against social attitudes that blame victims of sexual assault …
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Oiling the wheels of China-Africa trade
This feature story, co-written with Lilly Zhang, was published in the South China Morning Post on August 23, 2012. Hong Kong will be a crucial cog in China-Africa ties–but it has to work on bridging …
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The Squalid Truth
We’ve all heard about the miserable lives of people in subdivided flats. But Joanna Chiu decided to go further. She realised she could only really understand the problem by moving in herself This was published …
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Leading women in Hong Kong ponder the political glass ceiling
This was published in the South China Morning Post on July 27, 2012 A panel of leading local women discussed the “glass ceiling” that limits women’s roles in Hong Kong politics, touching on Margaret Thatcher …
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Helpers demand right to live away from employers
This was published in the South China Morning Post on July 12, 2012. Photo gallery to come. Domestic workers complained of being treated like “slaves” yesterday as they protested against a ban on living outside their employers’ homes, …
