Follow South China Morning Post - Society, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/scmp11 Wed, 29 Sep 2021 01:06:04 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtunAZ-DxevQ5l1cWWor9YPv Educators and schools in China have explored teaching the case of Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou to “inspire patriotic enthusiasm among the students”.On Sunday morning, the day after Meng returned to China, Luye Elementary School in east China’s Shandong province had members of the Young Pioneers of China, a group for children run by the Communist Party, stand in front of the classroom and tell a version of Meng’s story to their peers.The district education bureau documented the…]]> Tue, 28 Sep 2021 15:00:31 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtunAZ-DxevQ5l1cWWor9YPv https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt_Dy9_OWBdK5s0ohxaO6Yr The Chinese government’s move to discourage abortions for “non-medical” purposes has been met by a public backlash, with many seeing this as an intrusive measure meant to raise the country’s birthrate.The State Council said on Monday it will: “reduce the rate of abortions needed for non-medical reasons”, as part of its efforts to improve women’s health, according to a series of new guidelines addressing issues related to women and children in the country. The policy did not elaborate on how…]]> Tue, 28 Sep 2021 13:00:23 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt_Dy9_OWBdK5s0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt4EhmeiHtIaylmFkX7M1Jw An online celebrity famous for her work with children in rural schools in central China has been exposed for collecting donations from the public without a charity licence.Gina Long Jingjing, who has a master’s degree in social work from New York’s Columbia University, which she has used to build her profile, was previously hailed in China as the “most beautiful rural teacher” with an overseas degree.Earlier this month a man surnamed Xu tipped off the Changsha Civil Affairs Bureau that Long’s…]]> Tue, 28 Sep 2021 03:15:13 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt4EhmeiHtIaylmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctsxk_yPSTTmvOzdsCmHakzH China is launching its first satellite to the sun and asking the public to give it a name, a newspaper under the Ministry of Science and Technology reported at the weekend.Designed to test China’s first solar observation satellite platform, Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE) will be launched later this year and mark the beginning of the country’s exploration of the sun, Science and Technology Daily said.Several organisations involved, including its main developer, state-run China Aerospace…]]> Mon, 27 Sep 2021 14:00:32 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctsxk_yPSTTmvOzdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvbsTc6Xfc4EJs0ohxaO6Yr A man in China says Tesla is suing him for defamation after the company paid him more than 1 million yuan (US$155,000) in a separate consumer fraud lawsuit.Han Chao posted documents of legal paperwork from Tesla informing him that the company was suing him for 5.05 million yuan (US$650,000) for defamation and demanded an apology.Pictures of the complaint posted by Han said the lawsuit stemmed from previous posts that described Tesla as a “rogue company”, “rubbish Tesla” and “such a quack”.The…]]> Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:47:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvbsTc6Xfc4EJs0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtverpHcFTGnJ-T5HJgy6HUf Soon after the plane carrying Meng Wanzhou touched down in Shenzhen, her husband – standing on the tarmac among a 100-strong crowd – waved to her excitedly as he shouted: “I love you”.“I love you,” the Huawei chief financial officer responded, as she waved back.And Chinese web users were sent swooning over the pair’s relationship, after a video clip of the romantic moment was widely circulated on social media.Meng arrived in Shenzhen, where Huawei Technologies Co. is headquartered, on Saturday…]]> Sun, 26 Sep 2021 14:30:21 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtverpHcFTGnJ-T5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuoeIbK1mSSWl1cWWor9YPv The rise and fall of the Tibetan empire could be closely linked to sun cycles, according to an international study.Unusually weak solar activity around 600AD brought more rain and snow to the Tibetan plateau, found the researchers, with the wetter climate helping create Tubo, the first unified empire in Tibet, in the mid-7th century.By the 9th century, however, ultra-strong solar winds had upended the regional climate, causing famine and social unrest that led to the Tibetan empire’s epic…]]> Sun, 26 Sep 2021 08:00:19 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuoeIbK1mSSWl1cWWor9YPv https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtsCisV-zpiYzJs0ohxaO6Yr China reported 10 Covid-19 cases on Friday, the lowest number since the latest outbreak started about two weeks ago.Eight were in Harbin, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, with the other two in Fujian in the southeast – in Xiamen and Putian – according to the National Health Commission.Harbin has become the centre of the newest outbreak, with a total of 34 cases since the first positive in Bayan county earlier this week.The municipal authorities have told local residents to reduce…]]> Sat, 25 Sep 2021 15:12:09 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtsCisV-zpiYzJs0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctsf5cHSA8Uw4CejEQ2Mq9rY Zhang Jianwei, 35, a home decorator in Beijing, led a frugal life during the Mid-Autumn Festival, eating simple food such as noodles, dumplings and visiting free-to-enter local parks.He plans to continue the belt-tightening during the week-long National Day Holiday, which starts on October 1. Unlike previous years, he plans to remain in the capital and will not be travelling to his hometown in Henan province during “golden week”.“I avoid long-distance travel,” Zhang said. “By doing so, I can…]]> Sat, 25 Sep 2021 05:00:14 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctsf5cHSA8Uw4CejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctteal2zgbIJVJs0ohxaO6Yr Another category of online influencers have run afoul of Chinese regulators amid the government’s internet clean-up campaign: people who try to exploit Buddhist temples for attention.The influencers, who do not appear to be monks, typically share social media posts showing them performing “Buddhist activities”, such as praying, meditating or practising calligraphy in temples.They are often women dressed to the nines and flashing expensive handbags.Some simply walk into a Buddhist temple and do…]]> Sat, 25 Sep 2021 03:00:19 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctteal2zgbIJVJs0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctu7vuprTR_nW8b1naedg1wr A three-year-old girl in Shenzhen died during the Mid-Autumn Festival after she was left in her parents’ car for three hours in hot weather, a problem that has emerged in China as the rate of private car ownership rises.The family said they forgot the toddler in the car after returning home from a lunch outing on Tuesday, according to a report on Guangdong TV.A neighbour said the family went outside for an unknown reason, but never looked into the car where their daughter was stuck. It was…]]> Fri, 24 Sep 2021 12:00:26 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctu7vuprTR_nW8b1naedg1wr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtszrmDL8NGqdpVjH6qdYdAk Mid-Autumn Festival is a special occasion to gift people mooncakes, but there is another seasonal food in mainland China that might be more valuable: hairy crabs.Coupons, or “paper crabs”, are used to redeem Yangcheng Lake crabs, considered the best of the hairy crabs that are in season every Autumn from around late September to December.Hairy crabs are a popular delicacy in mainland China and Hong Kong, and while they are farmed elsewhere, including Japan and Taiwan, the ones from Yangcheng…]]> Fri, 24 Sep 2021 05:57:34 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtszrmDL8NGqdpVjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CttTK3ybrTz4q-zdsCmHakzH Not many people can expect to receive a personalised flower basket from one of the most powerful people in the world, but for Nobel laureate physicist Yang Zhenning, a happy birthday greeting from Chinese President Xi Jinping comes with the territory.According to Xinhua, a delegation from the Ministry of Education delivered the flower basket to Yang at Tsinghua University, where he is the honorary director of the Institute for Advanced Study.So who is Yang Zhenning? And what did he accomplish…]]> Fri, 24 Sep 2021 03:00:23 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CttTK3ybrTz4q-zdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuYfzDXlnFXASlmFkX7M1Jw Next month’s United Nations environment conference in southwest China will include a declaration on building a global ecological civilisation and preserving biodiversity, according to a government official.“The Kunming Declaration will be one of the main outcomes ... it is a call for action to all parties to respond to the call to build a community of life on Earth, to stop the loss of biodiversity, to enhance human well-being and to achieve sustainable development,” Cui Shuhong, an official…]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 15:22:16 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuYfzDXlnFXASlmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtsipeRQbRLOn5s0ohxaO6Yr A video of a visitor at a Chinese theme park giving a robot modelled on the Transformers character Megatron the middle finger and provoking an angry response from the robot has gone viral.The video was taken at a section of the new Universal Beijing Resort called Transformers Metrobase where people can meet several well-known characters from the Transformers franchise. It is a popular attraction with people often queuing to take photos with the robots and interact with them.In the video a man…]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 14:00:15 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtsipeRQbRLOn5s0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvQKMjqtG-F4Hn9ye8UNv30 A major Chinese fashion brand has apologised for children’s clothing with images of purgatory, Indian people being shot and the words “welcome to hell”, and “let me touch you” on them.JNBY, a leading local brand for both adults and children, said it has pulled all products with the design after a Chinese mother posted online that her family accidentally bought one of the shirts for her 4-year-old son.The mother, named Mogu Mogu on the platform, shared photos on Monday of a white shirt with the…]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 11:30:25 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvQKMjqtG-F4Hn9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctvge2OmlD7bBCejEQ2Mq9rY One of China’s most famous directors called a suggestion by an entertainment industry executive to force celebrities to pass knowledge exams impractical.The suggestion from Zhang Haijun, the director of the Beijing Trade Association for Performances, came amid a national crackdown on celebrity behaviour following high-profile instances of illegal and immoral behaviour.According to China News Service, Zhang said the industry should force artists to get a licence and undergo training on Chinese…]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 03:00:26 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctvge2OmlD7bBCejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CttKdyFt-v-W6iejEQ2Mq9rY More than 100 puppies and kittens believed to have been purchased online as ‘blind boxes’ were found abandoned in suburban Shanghai earlier this week, the latest case in China’s notorious live animal mail-order craze.More than 30 puppies and 70 kittens packaged as blind boxes, also known as ‘pet mystery boxes’, were found dumped near a petrol station in Shanghai’s Jiading district and saved by animal rights activists and local authorities on Monday night, several volunteers who took part in the…]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 13:00:13 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CttKdyFt-v-W6iejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Cts-9nt6JCRkI6CY3L745TL_ Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China would stop building new coal-fired power plants abroad, representing a historic shift away from coal before the United Nations climate summit in November.“China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad,” Xi said in pre-recorded remarks to the United Nations General Assembly.The president’s announcement was welcomed by the…]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 11:27:27 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Cts-9nt6JCRkI6CY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtubdAJHzY7k3Js0ohxaO6Yr A construction project near Beijing’s Forbidden City forced authorities to publicly debunk rumours that they had discovered one of China’s most famous lost artefacts.Last week, an excavator was spotted outside the Dong Hua Gate at night, sparking a debate about whether volumes of the mostly-lost Yongle Dadian, or Yongle encyclopaedia, had been discovered.The debate became so popular that authorities had to issue a statement that said they were performing routine electrical work and had chosen…]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 10:37:39 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtubdAJHzY7k3Js0ohxaO6Yr