It’s May 1st – International Labour Day, no less. Up the workers and all that. And the world’s largest communist country* celebrates in true socialist style. By giving the middle classes the day off while all the actual working class have to go to work as normal. The street sweepers are still sweeping streets, the [...]
Not at all put of by their failure to have the place declared a “Civilised City” despite covering the city with propaganda telling people to be er.. civilised, the locals authorities have clearly had a meeting and are now trying to get us to be a healthy city. The way to do this is to [...]
It is impossible to walk around Liuzhou without someone trying to pass off some waste paper on you. I usually decline these offers on the grounds that I am not a waste recycling middleman, despite appearances. I am, of course, talking about the leaflets advertising anything from breast enhancement to new dentures, via the inevitable [...]
Here is a the front page of today’s edition of 南国今报, South China Modern Times, Liuzhou’s most popular newspaper. As you can see, there’s one large headline, a few minor headlines, then loads of advertising. Here is the front page of today’s edition of 广西日报, Guangxi Daily, the autonomous region’s most boring paper. As you [...]
I’m not even going to comment on this piece of chaos I just received as a text message on my phone, other than to say that Wednesday next week is Qing Ming Festival. This means “Clear and Bright” and is an ancestor worship event. I detailed in a previous post the mind games they play [...]
Some time back, on the Liuzhou Overseas website, I used to meticulously detail and regularly update the flight timetable for Liuzhou’s toy town airport. I kind of gave up because they changed it every time the chicken entrails in the management’s banquet hotpot fell the wrong way. Or when the wind changed direction. They randomly [...]
I would be failing in my duty if I did not bring this to your attention. The local rag’s front page picture today is of two chickens. According to the caption and the accompanying story these Liuzhou chickens are wearing glasses! What becomes clear on closer inspection is that it’s the newspaper staff who need [...]
I usually have a quick look at the BBC news site’s daily round up of news photos. Not every day but most. Today, Liuzhou turned up. It is a picture of the local constabulary incinerating supposedly confiscated “fake” cigarettes. This is something they do every now and again as a propaganda stunt. Sometimes cigarettes, sometimes [...]
For the last thirteen years or so, I’ve done much of my food shopping in Guangya Market. It isn’t my nearest market, but is the one I know best and the nearer one is a dirty, unpleasant place. I particularly like to go to Guangya at the weekend. The chengguan who are employed Mon – [...]
Criticism has been levelled by various people - mostly in China Daily – about an apparent attempted cover up of the cadmium leak which led to Liuzhou’s drinking water crisis. Questions rightly being asked include “why was it not until Chinese New Year’s Eve (January 22nd) that there was any newspaper report in Liuzhou (and [...]
Google News – Liuzhou