Saturday 6 August 2011

Chinatown







China People

Ever since the Internet has spread like wildfire in China, people have become famous through the Internet, sometimes unintentionally. In Chinese netizen-speak, this is known as being “red” (more of a reference to fire or vibrance than the usual Communist connotation) which can be translated as being “hot,” or maybe “the rage.” Now that 2009 is coming to an end (also the year where the number of Internet users in China has surpassed the US population), there are various tallies on who the “hottest” Internet celebrities are. It doesn’t seem there has been any sort of official vote yet, but there seems to be a general consensus among all the forums and websites who the “red” people are. I chose 11 that seem to appear in all the lists and show the variety. If you want to see the original Chinese sites, check out this and this.

China People
China People
China People
China PeopleBEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A political advisor said Monday that China should reform its mineral resources management system, as the current licensing system fails to reflect the true value of mine assets.

"The licenses only give licensees the rights to explore for mineral resources or develop mines, not the ownership of the resources. But the licensee are not paying for the resources they sell, which means the state's ownership of all mine assets is never realized," said Wei Xiaochun, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a political advisory body. >>>
China People
China People
China PeopleThe point of this post is not to necessarily be an official ranking, but to give you an idea of the grassroots nature of how Internet fame is manifest in China, the disproportionate emphasis placed on pretty girls, and the seemingly complete randomness of who becomes “red.”

1. The most handsome traffic policeman of Chongqing (重庆最帅交警): The host of a TV show called “Transportation for Everyone” has been deemed “the most handsome traffic policeman” by netizens based on his classic good looks, bright demeanor, and a winning smile.

Great Wall of China

Beginning in 220 B.C., Qin Shi Huang, the founder of the Empire of the Ten Thousand Generations, undertook to restore and link up the separate sections of the Great Wall which had been built in the 3rd century B.C., or perhaps even earlier, and which stretched from the region of the Ordos to Manchuria. Towards the west, he had the fortifications extended in the valley of the Huanghe all the way to Lanzhou. Thus was the first cohesive defense system of which significant vestiges still remain, completed, shortly before the accession of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.). During their reign the Great Wall was extended even further, and under the emperor Wudi (140-87 B.C.) it spanned approximately 3700 miles (6,000 kilometers) between Dunhuang in the west to Bohai Sea in the east. The danger of incursion along northern Chinese border by the federated tribes of Mongols, Turks and Tunguz of the Empire of the Xiongnu, the first empire of the steppes, made a defense policy more necessary than ever. Alternating military actions with intensive diplomatic efforts, this policy entailed massive relocation of Chinese peoples within the frontier zone. In 102 B.C., there were 180,000 peasant soldiers in the "command posts" of Gansu.

Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China