China’s ex-Tibet propaganda chief charged with bribery

A former Chinese propaganda chief who was responsible for promoting its official line on Tibet and human rights is facing bribery charges, prosecutors said on Wednesday. He was first placed under investigation for suspected corruption in July last year, making him the first ministerial level official to be purged after a major Communist Party reshuffle … Read more

The bizarre theme park abandoned down the road from Disney World

On opening day in December 1993, Americans weren’t sure what to make of Splendid China, and the theme park’s own marketing department certainly didn’t help. “The average tourist does expect a fantasy world, flashing lights and glitz,” the marketing director admitted. “This park is not that.” Splendid China was, America soon found out, a tangle … Read more

Chinese state media drops ‘Tibet’ for ‘Xizang’ after release of Beijing white paper

“Xizang” is the pinyin, or Chinese romanisation, of the Mandarin script for “Tibet”. Since the release of the November white paper, “Xizang” has largely replaced “Tibet” in several official Chinese media reports, with “Tibet” now used only in a few scenarios, including translations of already established geographical terms and names of institutions. Between November 10, … Read more