China in blogs

@RANDOM

The government briefly created a "virtual policeman" icon that floated across the screens of Chinese bloggers, reminding them that Big Brother was watching.

Sinocidal, that genius band of five bloggers who came up with posts on the Houhai High Noon, Olympic Mascot bashing, shameless self-aggrandizement, sexual innuendo from Hung et cetera, finally retired this year.

ChinaBounder, apparently a foreigner teaching at a Shanghai university, sparked a furore with candid and sleazy accounts of his sex life in Sex and Shanghai, currently readable only by invitation.

He was furiously attacked by many Chinese readers. And mystery was added to controversy when some suggested that perhaps ChinaBounder was a) not actually resident in China, b) a performance artist looking for a reaction, c) a liar.

Though it's hard for outsiders to track the best of Chinese blogging, given language constraints, here are some of the more interesting English-language blogs.

http://www.beijingboyce.com
Among the many expat/foreigner living in China blogs, Beijing Boyce's guide to the bar scene stands out because of its sharp focus.

Also because of the verve and pizzazz with which Beijing Boyce lampoons the expat's obsession with posts on squat toilets, the Western media's obsession with fried scorpions-onna-stick, and the insistence of lady bar touts that he come in for a free massage right now.

http://middchina.blogspot.com
A far more typical expat blog is "How to Succeed in Communist China Without Really Trying". A personal blog by Clark and Ben, this offers useful insights on crazy drivers, why sea urchin tastes better than dog, and how to avoid being mauled by a panda.

For a more insider look, try Peking Duck, (www.pekingduck.org), which covers the story of the doctor who witnessed the carnage at Tiananmen, the perplexing problem of algae and the forthcoming Olympics, and other issues of note.

http://www.chinalawblog.com
There are several useful business/management blogs. One of the best is the China Law Blog, written by Dan Harris, a lawyer based in the US, and Steve Dickinson, a lawyer in China.

They cover issues as diverse as whether the China government spies on foreigners (probably), should you pay bribes in order to expedite business (no), should you register as a foreigner with the police station within 24 hours (yes), etcetera. Their blogroll offers a great list of links if you're looking to do business in China.

http://managingthedragon.com
Several of the new business sites are written by experts who've also penned books.

One of the more interesting is Managing the Dragon, based on the book by Jack Perkowski. Instead of limiting his blog to excerpts from the book, Perkowski does a wonderful job of enabling a conversation between old and new China hands.

http://www.eatingchina.com
Eating China limits itself to a few posts a month, but each one of these is worth it. Stephen Jack has been writing about Chinese food culture and history for years, and his curiosity and knowledge come through.

The quote with which he launched his site was taken from an ancient Chinese proverb: "The incorruptible government official will have nothing but salt to eat with his rice."

Luckily for us, Jack roams from rice (and how to deal with rice weevils) to larger subjects: ginseng chicken soup, the importance of kitchen feng shui, the exact difference in taste between white and black rooster balls, and pictures of 4,000-year-old noodle fossils.

(nilanjanasroy@gmail.com)