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☆ A City’s Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Meets Die-Hard Bureaucrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Wenxin Fan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SHIJIAZHUANG, China—Memphis has Elvis Presley. Liverpool has the Beatles. The northern Chinese industrial city of Shijiazhuang has to make do with the Omnipotent Youth Society, a local indie-rock band that found national fame from a song unfavorably titled “Kill That Guy From Shijiazhuang.”Don’t stop believin’Local boosters are determined to build this city on rock ’n’ roll, no matter the hurdles. The effort has also run into discord from unhappy residents—and has to contend with the city’s own bureaucracy. Every music performance in China needs to be vetted, down to a band’s costumes and lyrics, and officials have long acted more like The Man than rock rebels.

Persons: Elvis Presley Organizations: Liverpool, Society, Shijiazhuang Locations: SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Memphis, Shijiazhuang, ”

HONG KONG (AP) — Shoppers in China have been tightening their purse strings, raising questions over how faltering consumer confidence may affect Saturday's annual Singles’ Day online retail extravaganza. Singles Day, also known as “Double 11,” was popularized by e-commerce giant Alibaba. Shoppers spent $38 billion in 24 hours on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms during Singles’ Day in 2019. “The hype and excitement around Singles’ Day is sort of over," said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. “I just feel that people don’t spend as much as before, possibly because they don’t have much to spend,” she said.

Persons: ”, Shi Gengchen, Shi, Shaun Rein, Rein, keener, Hu Min, Alibaba’s Tmall, ” Jacob Cooke, ” Cooke, Yu Bing Organizations: — Shoppers, Bain & Company, Shoppers, China Market Research, Consumers, WPIC Locations: HONG KONG, China, Chaoyang, COVID, Shanghai, Shijiazhuang, China's Hebei, China's, Beijing

People wearing face masks wait at an intersection in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), as the city is shrouded in smog, in China November 1, 2023. The weather in many parts of China had stayed stubbornly warm entering November, with cities in eastern and central provinces such as Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan still logging temperatures above 30C. In tandem with the warm weather, smog has also shrouded Beijing and its surrounding areas for days. In coming days, temperatures across northern China are expected to drop sharply. Other cities such as Beijing, Zhengzhou, Jinan, Xian and Shijiazhuang will see a sudden decline of 10C to 15C.

Persons: REUTER, Tingshu Wang, Ethan Wang, Ryan Woo, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Business, Rights, Beijing Daily, Xinhua, National Meteorological Center, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Henan, Hebei province, Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, Zhengzhou, Jinan, Xian, Shijiazhuang

☆ Haze lingers in Beijing as fog blankets parts of north China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Vehicles move on a street in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD) as the city is shrouded in smog, in China November 1, 2023. REUTER/Tingshu Wang Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Hazy weather hung over Beijing on Wednesday with conditions in other parts of north China possibly worsening, forecasters said, although cold air sweeping in from the northwest is expected to help dissipate the smog. Experts attributed the haze in Beijing, which has lasted for several days, to poor atmospheric diffusion because of unseasonably weak cold air currents from the north. Visibility in most parts of Beijing dropped to less than 500 metres (546 yards), the China Meteorological Administration said. But from Thursday night, cold air is expected to push temperatures lower, possibly to new lows.

Persons: REUTER, Tingshu Wang, Gao, We're, Liu, Liz Lee, Ethan Wang, Xiaoyu Yin, Robert Birsel Organizations: Business, Rights, Beijing, China Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, Hebei province, Tianjin, Hebei, Jinan, Zhengzhou, Shijiazhuang

☆ Rock ’n’ Roll According to the Chinese Communist Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Vivian Wang | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Rock ’n’ Roll According to the Chinese Communist PartyA man spends decades working a monotonous factory job. Then a local Communist Party group decided to rewrite it. Changed lyrics ORIGINAL REWRITE TITLE VERSE 1 VERSE 2 VERSE 3 CHORUS ORIGINAL TITLE VERSE 1 Changed lyrics VERSE 2 VERSE 3 CHORUS REWRITE TITLE VERSE 1 VERSE 2 VERSE 3 CHORUSChina’s government has long used censorship to control expression. As the Communist Party embraced market reforms in the 1990s, workers at state-run companies in Shijiazhuang, in northern China, faced mass layoffs. 日新月异二十年初心指向航向 Original aspiration: A common phrase in Chinese Communist Party propaganda about the party sticking to its founding principlesIt’s little surprise, then, that the two versions end in completely different places.

Persons: Ji Geng, ”, 用, 锈, 河北, worldviews, 如此, 翻天覆地, 日新月异, It’s, 迎风 Organizations: Communist Party, Chinese Communist Party, Society, Communist Youth League, Pharmaceutical, Hebei Normal University Locations: Shijiazhuang, Beijing, Shijiazhuang 杀死, Shijiazhuang 杀, China, Hebei Province, Hebei

☆ China warns of crop, animal disease outbreaks in flood-hit areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Josh Arslan/File PhotoBEIJING, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Northern China warned of crop and animal diseases breaking out as flood waters retreated from rural areas, while some cities struggled to restore drinking water supplies after the worst flooding in six decades. Local authorities must step up measures to prevent and control major disease outbreaks caused by dead animals, pests and insects, Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian said after an inspection of affected areas on Tuesday. In Zhuozhou, the worst-hit city in Hebei, workers in hazmat suits sprayed disinfectant in built-up areas to prevent the spread of disease, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The Water Resources ministry has declared an emergency response to quickly restore drinking water supplies, including setting up supply points and dispatching water trucks. Even in Beijing, where at least 33 people have died in the floods, a team of nearly 600 people were "racing against time" to restore water supplies in a rural district.

Persons: Doksuri, Josh Arslan, Tang Renjian, Tang, Liz Lee, Ryan Woo, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Agriculture, Xinhua, Water Resources, Thomson Locations: Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China, BEIJING, Northern China, Hebei, Beijing, Farms, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai

Videos on Chinese social media show the frontman of the band Violent Champagne drop his shorts during a gig at the Rock Home Town festival in the city on Saturday. The recent return of live performances after years of pandemic lockdowns has been welcomed by music lovers in China. Videos on Chinese social media showed the singer dropping his shorts. WeiboShijiazhuang, the capital of the Hebei province surrounding Beijing, has been known for its indie music scene, something city officials have been keen to capitalize on. “Shijiazhuang wants to be the City of Rock, but do you have that gene?” said a comment on China’s Twitter-like Weibo following the singer’s detention.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, –, Ding –, ”, can’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Twitter, Society, Communist Youth League of Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shijiazhuang, Weibo Shijiazhuang, Hebei, Beijing, of Rock, Weibo, Shijiazhuang ”, Communist Youth League of Hebei

Hong Kong CNN —US drugmaker Moderna has signed a deal to make mRNA medicines in China as part of its first major investment in the country, despite escalating trade and political tension between Washington and Beijing. The company currently only markets its mRNA vaccines for Covid-19, but has a number of vaccines and therapeutics in its pipeline. Those focus on addressing infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases, according to the company. Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, which received emergency authorization from US regulators in 2020 and full approval in 2022, has not been approved in China. For most of the pandemic, China relied on more traditional platforms for its homegrown Covid-19 vaccines.

Persons: Yicai, Janet Yellen, Biden, Moderna’s, Johnson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Xinhua, CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, Pfizer Locations: Hong Kong, China, Washington, Beijing, The Cambridge , Massachusetts, Shanghai’s Minhang, Shijiazhuang

☆ China beats its own record for hot days over six months
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has registered the highest number of hot days over six months since records began, according to authorities, as the country confronts another record-breaking summer of blistering heat. The national average was calculated from the number of high temperature days recorded by weather stations across the country. Northern China, a heavily populated region with hundreds of millions of residents, has been particularly hard hit, with more heat waves expected in coming weeks. So far this year, Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, has seen 17 high temperature days, followed by Beijing’s 14 days. As the climate crisis intensifies, scientists say dangerous, record heat waves are set to become more frequent and more severe.

Persons: Beijing’s, Sheng Jiapeng, Zhou Bing, El Nino, ” Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Climate Center, Museum, China News Service, Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Times, El Nino, El, Xinhua Locations: Hong Kong, China, Northern China, Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Beijing, Sichuan

☆ China approves its first mRNA Covid-19 vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has approved its first Covid-19 vaccine based on mRNA technology, months after the country lifted strict pandemic measures. The vaccine targets the Omicron variant and was tested in China with over 5,500 people, it added. “This is a positive step because there is strong scientific evidence that mRNA vaccines do much better than non-MRA vaccines,” Jin Dong-yan, a professor in molecular virology at the University of Hong Kong, told CNN. Until now, China has approved only inactivated vaccines made by Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm Group, two Beijing-based drugmakers. The inactivated vaccines have been found to elicit lower levels of antibody response compared to ones using the newer messenger RNA technology.

REUTERS/Tingshu WangHONG KONG/BEIJING/SHANGHAI, March 3 (Reuters) - As unprecedented protests against China's zero-COVID policies escalated in November, Li Qiang, the man recently elevated to No.2 on the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, seized the moment. Meanwhile, some local-level party workers and healthcare officials were grappling with growing challenges in implementing the zero-COVID policy. "From my perspective, it's not that we set out to relax the zero-COVID policy, it's more that we at the local level were simply not able to enforce the zero-COVID policy anymore," the official said. In mid-November, when Xi was still in Southeast Asia, he ordered Chinese authorities to "unswervingly" execute the zero-COVID policy, said two of the people, after which some cities retightened curbs. Xi's vacillating led to renewed debate on COVID policy among top leaders during mid to late November, one of these people and another person said.

☆ China COVID infection fears fuel medical stock bets
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China's healthcare index (.CSIHC) gained almost 1% on Monday morning, despite a 0.8% drop in the benchmark CSI300 Index (.CSI300). Hu Qiang, fund manager at Yunchuang Investment, said demand for antigen testing had just taken off. Listed medical firms are also busy fielding investors' queries about how they are preparing for a potential worsening COVID situation. Lepu Medical Technology (300003.SZ), which produces cardiovascular and diagnosis devices, told investors it would adjust production plans to meet market demand for COVID testing. Easy Diagnosis said on an investor relations platform that it was able to ramp up production quickly, as cancellation of nucleic acid testing in many places would boost demand for antigen testing at home.

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Investors caught off-guard by China's dramatic COVID policy pivot are betting on both greed and fear as the economy starts to gradually reopen, snapping up shares in businesses from travel agencies and casinos to funeral companies. Providers of death care services, including Hong Kong-listed Fu Shou Yuan International Group (1448.HK), China's biggest cemetery operator and funeral service provider, have also drawn investors. The positioning for both the bright and dark side of China's COVID pivot reflects growing concerns from investors surprised by the rapid policy change, especially as COVID vaccination rates among the elderly remain relatively low. "But we still think that the way China can flatten the curve of new COVID cases without doubling down on tightening looks quite challenging." Morgan Stanley Chief China economist Robin Xing said China's economy may remain sluggish for another quarter or two, but growth will pick up after Spring.

The Chinese pharmaceutical giant may revive a buyout of its 32%-owned traditional medicine arm listed in Hong Kong. The state-backed group's latest bid for China Traditional Chinese Medicine (0570.HK) looks generous. China TCM's woes are a stark contrast to mainland-listed rivals, including some with heavy exposure to drugs presented as fixes to Covid-19. Assuming some of that enthusiasm can rub off on China TCM, that makes Sinopharm's latest offer look like a steal. Follow @mak_robyn on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSSinopharm is considering reviving a bid for China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 7, citing people familiar with the matter.

BEIJING, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Chinese residents have rushed to snap up COVID-19 antigen kits and medicines for fevers and colds, as the country's recent easing of prevention measures triggered widespread concern among the public that they could now catch the virus. "People around me are all buying antigen kits and I also bought 50," said 40-year-old Beijing resident Huang Yuqi, working for an entertainment company. "Now the country is entering a new phase in terms of pandemic policy and I'm unsure about what will happen next. Shandong-based pharmaceutical company Buchang Pharma (603858.SS) told local news outlet Cailianshe that its factory making a Chinese medicine for lung disease was working around the clock due to "huge demand". The rush to stock up on COVID treatments drew scorn in state media.

☆ Former NBA star Jeremy Lin fined for comments about Covid quarantine while playing in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Police fanned out across Shanghai, Beijing and other cities to try to prevent additional protests. A representative of Vision China Entertainment, which says on its website it represents Lin, didn’t respond to a request for comment. Jinzhou in the northeast lifted curbs on movement and allowed businesses to reopen. On Thursday, the metropolis of Guangzhou in the south, the biggest hotspot in the latest infection spike, allowed supermarkets and restaurants to reopen. Other major cities including Shijiazhuang in the north and Chengdu in the southwest restarted bus and subway service and allowed businesses to reopen.

☆ Inside China's fight over the future of zero-COVID
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

After nearly three years, a significant loosening of zero-COVID measures has been signalled by senior government officials and public health experts. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said on Thursday that China's health system had "withstood the test" of COVID, allowing further adjustments to state policies. "You can have zero-COVID, but you can't have a healthy economy, and you can have a healthy economy, but you can't have zero-COVID." Laura Yasaitis, a public health expert at the Eurasia Group think-tank who follows China's zero-COVID policies, said fear of the virus likely varied widely across the country, as well as within cities or provinces. Officials have repeatedly said that China's health system would be unable to cope with a surge in cases, with medical resources unevenly distributed across the country.

☆ Wrong Covid test results in China raise concerns 'the pandemic may never end'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBEIJING — Local frustration with Covid controls in China has increasingly targeted virus testing requirements and the big business they've fueled. The article listed several instances of allegedly forged virus test results this year across the country, including in Shanghai and Beijing. Last week, Lanzhou city health authorities blamed one of those companies for reporting some positive virus test results as negative. In the U.S., a surge of pop-up virus testing stations raised concerns of fraud as well as identity theft. In May, the central government promoted the idea that in large cities, a Covid testing station should be within 15 minutes' walking distance.

☆ Chinese farmers let cabbages rot as COVID curbs disrupt sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The situation is exacerbated by a fragmented supply chain, where small farmers sell to middlemen who purchase for large wholesale markets in cities. Cui typically sends up to 20 large trucks of cauliflower, cabbage, and lettuce to markets daily in this season. Henan produced 76 million tonnes of vegetables last year, or about 10% of the nation's supply, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday it had launched an initiative to sell Henan vegetables at large wholesale markets, selling 4,677 tonnes last week. It also set up a hotline to connect farmers with sellers, and said it would find cold storage facilities to stock winter vegetables.

☆ Protests leave China facing a terrible trilemma
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Such behaviour undermines arguments that abandoning Xi’s zero-Covid policy will instantly stimulate economic activity. Even before factoring in Beijing’s response to the unrest, the International Monetary Fund expects a measly 3.2% GDP growth for China this year. Covid-19 cases began spiking in China in early November following a week-long public holiday. The government reported 40,347 new infections for Nov. 27 in an update issued Nov. 28. Beijing announced 20 relaxations of the country’s pandemic policy on Nov. 11, including shorter quarantine periods and more narrowly targeted lockdowns.

☆ Breakingviews: Protests leave China facing a terrible trilemma
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HONG KONG, Nov 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Officials’ muddled response to spiking Covid cases has set off three consecutive days of demonstrations spanning cities and social classes. Such behaviour undermines arguments that abandoning Xi’s zero-Covid policy will instantly stimulate economic activity. Covid-19 cases began spiking in China in early November following a week-long public holiday. The government reported 40,347 new infections for Nov. 27 in an update issued Nov. 28. Beijing announced 20 relaxations of the country’s pandemic policy on Nov. 11, including shorter quarantine periods and more narrowly targeted lockdowns.

☆ China reports new daily record COVID cases, curbs tighten across country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China on Friday reported another record high of daily COVID-19 infections, as cities across the country enforce measures and curbs to control outbreaks. Excluding imported infections, China reported 32,695 new local cases on Thursday, of which 3,041 were symptomatic and 29,654 were asymptomatic, up from 31,444 a day earlier. China's capital, Beijing, reported 424 symptomatic and 1,436 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with 509 symptomatic and 1,139 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed. Financial hub Shanghai reported nine symptomatic cases and 77 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with nine symptomatic cases and 58 asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported. Chongqing reported 258 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 6,242 asymptomatic cases for Thursday, compared with 409 symptomatic and 7,437 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government authorities said.

Easing Covid measures means accepting a rise in cases that is likely to get worse as winter approaches. Residents buy medications at a pharmacy in Shijiazhuang, China, last week. “There will always be complaints.”Though many people in China still support “zero-Covid,” the strict measures have also stoked growing resentment. China is thus now facing a dual challenge, said Donald Low, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “You’re going to see the Hong Kong story played out on a much larger scale” in mainland China, Low said.

☆ Guangzhou Covid-19: China locks down key transportation hub; markets fear economic fallout
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN Business —China has locked down a major transportation hub in the south, as the country’s grapples with its largest nationwide Covid outbreak since April. The lockdown also follows rising cases in Beijing, which reported the country’s first Covid deaths in nearly six months. Asian markets and oil prices slid on Monday as investors fretted about the prospect of China re-tightening Covid rules. Guangzhou, one of China’s largest cities with nearly 19 million residents, imposed a five-day lockdown in Baiyun district, which is home to one of the country’s busiest airports. Goldman Sachs analysts said Monday that the latest news on China’s Covid management has been “confusing” to investors.

☆ Several Beijing districts shut schools as China COVID cases rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China is fighting numerous COVID-19 flare ups, from Zhengzhou in central Henan province to Chongqing in the southwest and for Sunday reported 26,824 new local cases, nearing April's peaks. It also recorded two deaths in Beijing, up from one on Saturday, which was China's first since late May. It also suspended dine-in services and shut night clubs and theatres in Tianhe, home to the city's main business district. This sparked worry among some local residents. The capital Beijing reported 962 new infections, up from 621 a day earlier.

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