Jezebel: China

Woman Gives Birth to the Biggest Baby in the Chinese History

Cassie Murdoch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

A woman in China will be getting quite a good arm workout while caring for her newborn son. He was born this past weekend and weighed in at a hearty 15.52 pounds. That is a lot of baby. His mother, a 29-year-old woman from the Henan province, gave birth to him via C-section, which is probably a good thing in terms of being able to keep her pelvis in working order. His parents, who are both of average size, named him Chun Chun. He is believed to be the largest newborn on record since the country was founded in 1949, but, as impressive as Chun Chun's birth weight is, he won't be claiming the Guinness World Record. That apparently belongs to a baby born in 1879 that weighed in at 23.7 pounds. Once they cross the 20 pound mark, maybe we should just skip calling them babies and classify them as newborn toddlers. More »

Report: Ninety Percent of Chinese Gay Men Marry 'Suffering' Women

Katie J.M. Baker — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:55:00 EST

A controversial new report claims that roughly 16 million Chinese women are married to gay men due to cultural pressure—that means that 9 out of every 10 gay men tie the knot with a woman. "Their wives are struggling to cope and their plight should be recognized," the professor behind the study told China Daily. His platform bothers some Chinese gay rights activists, who think the study oversimplifies the issue and perhaps even makes it worse. "To put gays' wives under the spotlight might cause more public misunderstanding or even hatred toward the gay population, which does not help defuse existing social discrimination against them," said Xiao Dong, a gay civil rights organizer. He added that the estimation is unsubstantiated and that he feels "it's pointless to research the issue." More »

Happy Chinese New Year!

Doug Barry — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:15:00 EST

Dancers with the Chinese Cultural Center perform the Handkerchief Dance in celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 at at the World Financial Center Winter Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) More »

Watch A Bunch of Fireworks Go Off Inside a Tunnel

Cassie Murdoch — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:35:00 EST

It's bad enough when anything falls off of a moving truck, but this is somewhat of a worst-case scenario for delivery drivers of everywhere. A truck in China was passing through a tunnel when a bunch of fireworks fell off the back of it. They started going off and the result was a total barrage of explosions, like the grand finale of a fireworks display set off indoors! It's not quite as wild as the fireworks display that was set off all at once, but it's still a pretty lively show—and a far more dangerous one. Fortunately, no one was injured, but it did take firefighters three hours to get the situation under control. More »

Old People Go Looking For Love At Shanghai's IKEA

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:50:00 EST

If you think of IKEA only as a place to get lost and then end up spending way more money than you meant to, you should start thinking outside of the flat-pack cardboard box. That's what senior citizens in Shanghai are doing, and, according to the Wall Street Journal, they've managed to turn their local IKEA into a hot spot for meeting potential love interests. More »

HIV-Positive Chinese Teachers Fight For Right To Work

Anna North — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:30:00 EST

Three teachers in China were denied the right to work by local authorities because of provincial rules stating "civil servants should not be carriers of an infectious disease." But now they're petitioning China's State Council to let them teach, saying a national law protecting employment rights for HIV-positive people should apply in their case. HIV activist Yu Fangqiang says, "The State Council has the responsibility to check if there is any contradiction between departmental regulations and the law of the state: if there is, the regulations of the departments should be removed." Let's hope the Council chooses to uphold the teachers' rights. More »

27 And Unmarried? In China, You're One Of The 'Leftover Women'

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST

Will your relatives be pressuring you about getting married today? Be thankful you don't live in China. According to a piece on the Ms. Magazine blog: More »

Michele Bachmann Wants Us To Be More Like China

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:50:00 EST

Did you know there was another Republican presidential debate last night? Well, there was, even though they just had one on Wednesday. Apparently these candidates are desperate for as many opportunities to open their mouths and end their candidacies as they can possibly get. This was the "Commander in Chief" debate, in which the candidates tried to talk about how qualified they were to be Commander in Chief. Michele Bachmann definitely proved she's up to the task, as long as what she's commanding is the People's Army of Confused Individuals. Here's what she had to say about where she'll lead us: More »

The More Sex-Selective Abortions In India, The More Husbands A Lady Gets?

Erin Gloria Ryan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:40:00 EDT

According to the latest census figures, for every 1,000 boys under the age of 6 in India, there are only 941 girls. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon from Einstein Oppenheimer University to figure out that when these children are adults, there's about to be a pretty dramatic wife shortage. So what's going to happen to India's extra men? More »

Michele Bachmann Would Be A Great President In The Imaginary World She Made Up

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:40:00 EDT

Presidential candidate, vaccination expert, and executive level fearmonger Michele Bachmann has impressed many during this primary season with her public poise, debate sharpness, and seeming command of facts. Unfortunately, the facts that Michele Bachmann commands are made up facts from Planet Whackadoo that aren't actually true at all. And more and more people are starting to notice. More »

Meet Tofu Boy, China's Answer To SpongeBob Squarepants

Whitney Jefferson — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:45:00 EDT

Quick, name an animated Chinese movie for kids! No answer? Exactly. Chinese animators have long remained in the shadows of Japanese anime and gigantic American companies like Disney and Pixar. But Variety reports that the Dean of Beijing's Film Academy, Sun Lijun, is hoping to put Chinese animation on the map with Tofu Boy (working title), a feature-length movie that's a take on Pinnochio, set in present-day Shanghai. Alongside Magic Dumpling Entertainment, Sun recently enlisted an ex-Disney alum Kevin Geiger to help the film break out internationally. Says he, "I think the Chinese culture element is very important, but we need a better way to carry it to the rest of the world. Kevin (Geiger) can give us a more international platform." The movie is slated for a holiday 2013 release. More »

Michele Bachmann Claims China Blinding US Satellites With Science

Erin Gloria Ryan — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:10:00 EDT

One doesn't need to be a political junkie to know that GOP Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and Science are no longer on speaking terms. She further assured that Science wouldn't be sending her a Christmas card this year with yet another dubious claim, this time that China was using lasers to blind American satellites, which not only didn't happen, but is not currently scientifically possible. More »

Police Terribly Sorry About Not Discovering Sex Torture Dungeon

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:30:13 EDT

Police in Luoyang, Henan province, China have discovered an underground dungeon where a man forced women to have sex for money and perform in pornographic movies. In all, six women were enslaved for periods of 2 to 21 months, and two of them were eventually murdered. The operation went on for two years without police discovering what was going on. They're really sorry. More »

Chinese Teacher Fights To Have Rape Charges Taken Seriously

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:30:00 EDT

Usually a woman accusing a local official of rape isn't international news. However, one upcoming rape trial is attracting attention because it's taking place in China. Having a powerful man charged withs sexual assault isn't easy anywhere, but in China it's nearly impossible. More »

Why Did China Cancel Super Girl?

Anna North — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EDT

Super Girl?" alt="Click here to read Why Did China Cancel Super Girl?" src="http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/images/39/2011/09/small_super_girl919.jpg"/>

A show reminiscent of American Idol has gained popularity in China. But now authorities are cracking down on it and other "vulgar" programming, and planning to replace them with more wholesome, government-approved fare. More »

Republicans Use Chinese Policy As An Excuse To Talk About Abortion

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:25:00 EDT

In one of his patented off-the-cuff blunders, Vice President Joe Biden made a remark on Sunday that made it sound like he supports China's one-child policy. Cue the attack by Republicans, who are suddenly very concerned about human rights violations in China — because it gives them an opportunity to talk about abortion. More »

Why Don't Asian Women Want To Get Married?

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 12:31:00 EDT

Long have advocates of the traditional family unit bemoaned the death of marriage and long have internet smart alecks made fun of their ridiculous claims that it's being destroyed by gays, divorce, or the Kardashians. While the institution of marriage is changing in America, in Asia, it's sharply growing more and more unpopular, and much of that is due to the choices of women. This has some experts alarmed. More »

Wendi Deng, Hero?

Erin Gloria Ryan — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EDT

Depending on who you talk to, Rupert Murdoch getting cream pied in the face was hilarious, deserved, disgraceful, embarrassing, silly, or some combination thereof. For Murdoch's wife, 43-year-old Wendi Deng, the act was a call to arms- or rather, hands. Footage of the incident shows Deng leaping to her husband's aid and delivering a series of devastating blows on the pie wielding prankster before the man was escorted from the room. More »

Conservatives Love Sex-Selective Abortion

Irin Carmon — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:10:36 EDT

Conservative commentators have found a handy silver lining to disquieting information about sex-selective abortion: It allows them, conveniently, to declare that all abortion should be banned, ever. Forgive us if we're less than credulous about their universal commitment to gender equality. More »

Taiwan To Investigate, Punish Sex-Selective Abortion

Irin Carmon — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:10:57 EDT

In Taiwan, there are 1.09 male births for every female born. The worldwide ratio is 1.06. (For what it's worth, the gap is worse in China and India, despite it being illegal to reveal the sex of the fetus). And the Taiwanese government wants to do something about it. More »

What Will China Do About Its Woman Shortage?

Anna North — Fri, 13 May 2011 09:50:00 EDT

Because of the one-child policy, China's birthrate is heavily skewed in favor of boys. Result: by 2030, 1 in 4 men in their thirties will be unmarried, many not by choice. What will become of this generation of single men? More »

Plastic Surgery Booms In China

Sadie Stein — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:12:00 EDT

In China, plastic surgery shows you've made it. And more and more people are making it. More »

California "Birthing Tourism" Center Shut Down

Irin Carmon — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:05:56 EDT

A "birthing tourism" center in Southern California has been shut down, drawing new attention to the phenomenon of affluent Chinese and Taiwanese mothers traveling to the U.S. to give birth. More »

China Saves Cash Because Because It Lacks Ladies?

Irin Carmon — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:40:00 EST

A Chinese academic suggests that the Chinese savings rate is due to men trying to accrue assets to compete for relatively-scarce women. (If sex-selective abortion had resulted in more women, who knows what might have happened? Shoe shopping!) More »

One Of These Pandas Is Not Like The Others

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:15:00 EST

[China, February 20: Zoo-keepers dressed up as giant pandas attempt to put Cao Gen the panda cub into a basket. The panda was released into the wild on Sunday as part of a program to work towards the training of pandas to live independently in the wild. Image via Getty.] More »

College Application Process Now Includes Swimsuit Competition

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:40:00 EST

[China, February 17: Prospective students are given a physical as part of their college entrance exam in Qingdao, Shandong province of China. College admissions in the U.S. suddenly seem a lot less stressful. Image via Getty.] More »

It's Time To Shut Up About Michelle's Damn Dress

Jenna Sauers — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:40:00 EST

As you may have heard, Michelle Obama recently wore a red Alexander McQueen evening gown to a state dinner held in honor of the Chinese president, Hu Jintao. This apparently made a lot of people very unhappy. More »

Oscar de la Renta Has Opinions On How Michelle Obama Should Dress

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:55:00 EST

The designer argued that Mrs. O's choice to wear McQueen was a faux pas, that she should wear something designed by an American instead. Talking about the First Lady like she's your personal paper doll: fashionable. More »

Hey, Nice Outfit

Lauri Apple — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 15:20:23 EST

[Chicago, IL, January 21: Dancers from McCormick Elementary School perform a traditional Chinese handkerchief dance for Chinese President Hu Jintao. Image via AP.]

Sasha Obama Practices Her Chinese With Hu Jintao

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:32:00 EST

Sasha Obama, who like most 9-year-old Americans is learning Chinese, practiced speaking the language with Hu Jintao during the state dinner. There's no word on what she said, but we suspect it was something about Tibet or U.S. monetary policy. More »

A Heavily Photoshopped Khloe Kardashian Does Most Random, Bondage-y, Fashion Cover Ever

Jenna Sauers — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST

Khloe Kardashian, her late, lamented red hair, and a mask apparently made of plastic packing straps and a packet of studs from the nearest Michaels star on the cover of NY skate shop Yellow Rat Bastard's in-store mag, YRB. [Racked]

Hark The Adorable Angel Sings

Irin Carmon — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 12:08:00 EST

A girl dressed up as an angel plays during a Christmas Eve Mass service at the official Catholic church South Cathedral in Beijing, China, Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. Image via AP.

"Eyelid Slicing" And Tummy Tucks On The Rise In China

Sadie Stein — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST

A "higher standard of beauty" — read: "the leggy, skinny, busty Western ideal that has become increasingly universal" — is leading to a dangerous plastic surgery boom in China. More »

Target Reneges On Promise To End Anti-Gay Donations

Jenna Sauers — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:15:00 EST

After Target, which styles itself an LGBT-friendly employer, was caught giving thousands to rabidly anti-gay political candidates, it said it would stop. Well: Target has since given over $30,000 to anti-gay-rights candidates and causes. [The Awl]

Monday Morning Double Thighlight!

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:56:00 EST

[China, November 22: China's Shi Tingmao and Wang Han compete in in the women's synchronized three meter springboard diving final at the 16th Asian Games. China won the gold medal. Image via AP.]

Leapin' Ladylegs!

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:10:00 EST

GUANGZHOU, CHINA - NOVEMBER 21: Runners enter the water jump in the women's 3,000m steeplechase final at Aoti Main Stadium during day nine of the 16th Asian Games. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Fencer Finds A Jumping Off Point

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:50:00 EST

[China, November 18: Tan Xue of China competes with Au Sin Ying of Hong Kong in the Women's Fencing Individual Sabre during day six of the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010. Image via Getty.]

12-Year-Old Designer Is Proof Our Culture Has Gone Very, Very Wrong

Jenna Sauers — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:35:00 EST

Precocious-in-the-bad-way tween "designer" Cecilia Cassini, who sells $500 dresses, says she took "like, three" sewing classes, but quit because her teacher was "like, rude." We have a feeling one day soon Cassini will be horribly embarrassed of all this.

Chinese City Seeks Female Police Officers, Non-Sexies Need Not Apply

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 17:40:00 EST

Crap employment notice from some dudes: Authorities in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China are looking to improve their city's image by amassing a stable of new police officers. Applicants must be young, female, and attractive. More »

Swimmer Gets A Helping Hand At The Asian Games

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:12:00 EST

[China, November 12: Synchronized swimmers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 at Haixinsha Square. Image via Getty.]