Some very nice from the National Day parade, celebrating the big 60 in Beijing, from Dan Chung of the U.K.’s The Guardian. Edited with the obligatory, ominous slow-motion for the tanks. Numerous comments here, many of which note how much better this footage was than what ran on Chinese television. I don’t really know, personally: [...]

Some very impressive military discipline on display here in a BTV report from Tian’anmen Square, where the three branches of the PLA are parading in rehearsal for the big day, now only 10 days away.
I’ve heard that they actually had sharp tacks in the collars of their uniforms to make sure that they kept their [...]

If you weren’t able to catch the live broadcast of China’s President Hu Jintao at the official observance of the anniversary of the Wenchuan Earthquake, you can see it here. President Hu went to Yingxiu Township, the hardest-hit town in Wenchuan County, the quake’s epicenter. The monument is in front of the collapsed Xuankou Middle [...]

Naturally it wasn’t going to take long before Cai Mingchao, the mystery man who’s become a hero to many patriotic Chinese, would be celebrated in song. With accompanying video. This is titled “I’m Not Paying” (就不付你钱）and it comes to us courtesy of H.O.T Video Studio (H.O.T视频工作室).
Cai Mingchao, as you may already know, was [...]

This tremendous piece of oratory, many passages of which deserve to be chiseled in marble some day, has been translated now into Chinese. I encourage all of you who have Chinese friends who would be interested in hearing it to share this link.
The dawn of a new day!

I don’t get Ultraman at all. My son Johnny, who turns three in March, is absolutely obsessed with him and involves Ultraman’s signature poses in the interpretive modern dance he does to Daddy’s Heavy Metal music. Playtime for him always begins with, “你是怪兽、我是奥特曼!” (”You be a monster, I’ll be Ultraman!”). How this crappy, personality-free ’60s [...]

Barack Obama’s younger half-brother Mark Ndesandjo, who lives in Shenzhen, was featured on this news clip that appeared yesterday on Youku. Mr. Ndesandjo, who is apparently quite an accomplished pianist, gave a rare fundraiser performance for Chinese orphans in an event organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of South China. He’s been reluctant, it [...]

Much moved by the evident warmth of Barack Obama, Family Man, a Youku user uploaded this somewhat saccharine collage of Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia. Comments are overwhelmingly positive, and the few racist remarks come under vociferous attack.
Watch the video and read the comments on the Youku site here.