Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 1329

In Lee Kuan Yew, China Saw a Leader to Emulate

With the death of Singapore’s founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, on Monday, China lost a figure who, in the eyes of Communist Party leaders, showed that economic prosperity could be achieved under crisply efficient one-party rule, immunized from the temptations of liberal democracy. Read more

Urging Treatment for Activist in Jail in China, 16 Are Briefly Detained Themselves

Sixteen people who went to a Beijing detention center on Friday to push for medical treatment for one of five detained women’s rights activists were themselves taken into custody, according to one of the 16 detained and a website that documents rights violations. They were all released by 3 a.m. Saturday. Read more

China’s Tradition of Public Shaming Thrives

This Chinese tradition has flourished in new forms in the past two years since President Xi Jinping took the helm. The Communist Party under Mr. Xi has made public shaming an exquisite Chinese art, like our fine silk and porcelain. Read more

Myanmar’s Fight With Rebels Creates Refugees and Ill Will With China

Myanmar has been afflicted with fighting between its various ethnic groups and the army for decades, but the current battle, fueled by rebels armed with weapons bought with the proceeds of a flourishing drug trade, is potentially more serious because it touches on the country’s sensitive relationship with China. Read more

Q. and A.: Chang-rae Lee on His Tale of Migrants From an Environmentally Ruined China

Starting with his first novel, “Native Speaker,” the Korean-American author Chang-rae Lee has written of immigrant experiences in the United States. His latest novel, “On Such a Full Sea,” centers on a Chinese woman named Fan who is a laborer in a city called B-Mor. Read more

Lee Kuan Yew, Founding Father and First Premier of Singapore, Dies at 91

His leadership was sometimes criticized for suppressing freedom, but the formula succeeded. Singapore became an international business and financial center admired for its efficiency and low level of corruption. Read more 

The Sinocism China Newsletter, March 22, 2015

Get smarter about China. Read more

The Sinocism China Newsletter, March 18 2015

Get smarter about China. Read more

The Constant Adaptations of China’s Great Firewall

China’s Great Firewall is one of the most sophisticated Internet filters in the world. It’s also constantly changing in response to new technologies and events. Read more

Thai celebrity’s video of rude foreign tourists at Korean airport goes viral

On March 15th,  a Thai celebrity uploaded a 2 minute video to Facebook where she spoke of the unruliness of Chinese tourists during her time at Jeju’s airport. She and her travel companion had queued up at the airport to receive their tourist tax refund, however, as she turns her camera around, a crowd that continues to push and shove it’s way toward the desk appears in the frame. Read more