Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 188

Mao Zedong, 1962: «It is now ten o’clock. The meeting is in session»

In 1958 Chairman Mao launched the Great Leap Forward. By mobilizing the «masses» Mao wanted to take a shortcut to communism and overtake the U.S., the Soviet Union and everyone else. The leap ended three years later with millions and millions dead. At a Central Committee meeting in 1962, Mao admitted his shortcomings: «The situation in our country has not been very good for the past few years,

Mao Zedong, 1962: « It is now ten o’clock. The meeting is in session»

In 1958 Chairman Mao launched the Great Leap Forward. By mobilizing the «masses» Mao wanted to take a shortcut to communism and overtake the U.S., the Soviet Union and everyone else. The leap ended three years later with millions and millions dead. At a Central Committee meeting in 1962, Mao admitted his shortcomings: «The situation in our country has not been very good for the past few years,

Can China Curb the Online Harrassment of Women?

Online violence and coordinated troll campaigns are not exactly new, but the just-concluded Paris Olympics offer a powerful reminder that no one is safe from keyboard warriors. Just to name one high-profile incident, the toxicity surrounding a judging controversy involving American gymnast Jordan Chiles and Romanian Ana Bărbosu drove both athletes off social media.China’s Olympic team was hardly

Western airlines were excited about returning to China after Covid. But not anymore

When China finally reopened its borders after years of Covid restrictions, Western airlines seemed poised to return to the once bustling market. Last year, foreign carriers scrambled to reinstate direct routes to the world’s second biggest economy, previously known for its export of lavishly spending tourists. Some even touted plans to boost flight schedules.But fast forward a year, the mood

“THEY’LL STOOP TO ANYTHING TO REDUCE THE DIVORCE RATE”

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs has unveiled a revised draft law that would make it simpler to register marriages and potentially more difficult to divorce. The proposed changes, billed as helping to create a “family friendly society,” are generally viewed as an attempt to address a looming demographic crisis partly fueled by the nation’s plummeting birth rate. The draft law, which is open

Extreme Weather Sends Food Prices Soaring in China

Vegetable prices have soared to their highest level in nearly a decade in China, after a summer of extreme weather that has battered the country’s farming heartlands. According to China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the country’s average daily vegetable price rose over 40% between June 16 and Aug. 15, from 4.27 yuan ($0.60) per kilogram to 6.01 yuan ($0.84). In some areas,

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau Is Turning Into a Vast Grassland, Study Finds

A major Chinese study has found that climate change is already causing profound environmental changes on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, transforming the mountainous region into a vast grassland. Scientists have been worried about the potential impact of a warming planet on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau for decades. The area — which stretches from the Himalayas to the Kunlun Mountains in western China —

From China’s Past: Lingchi, The Chinese Execution Method Reserved For The Most Vicious Criminals

In China from the 10th century until 1905, those convicted of crimes like high treason and mass murder could be sentenced to death by lingchi, a gruesome execution method in which victims were cut apart piece by piece until they died. Lingchi loosely translates to “slow slicing” or “death by a thousand cuts.” As the name implies, it was a drawn-out and brutal process wherein an executioner would

India’s Modi arrives in Ukraine for talks with Zelensky weeks after Putin meeting

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv on Friday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that will be keenly watched in Russia as its assault on its neighbor grinds on. Modi’s visit, the first by an Indian leader since Ukrainian independence, comes just weeks after he traveled to Moscow in a symbolic first overseas trip of his new term as leader, where he held talks

Podcast: 'Master of Deceit': The trial of Shujun Wang

Shujun Wang is a 76 years old American who has lived for the last 30 years in New York as an impoverished scholar working in an insular community of pro-democracy advocates fighting for change in their homeland. That life turned upside-down when the FBI accused him of having a shocking secret: that he was actually spying for Beijing. He vigorously denied it but in August was found guilty on four