–In Jia Zhangke’s 2004 film “The World,” a tour guide at the Beijing attraction World Park notes, “America has lost her Twin Towers, but we still have ours.” The Beijing theme park that features miniature replicas of famous sites—such as the pyramids, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and, yes, the pre-9/11 Twin Towers– has got one man up in arms. [Curbed]
–Citizen journalist Zola has found a way to recover a Chinese journalist’s censored blog posts that provided a firsthand account of the initial responses to the Weng’an incident. Here’s a translation of some, with more here in Chinese. [China Digital Times]
–Some plausible insights into why Beiijng is preparing for the Games by becoming a fortress city. [James Fallows]
–The meaning of the Olympic colors, as defined for the Beijing Games (h/t Beijing Olympics FAN!). [Beijing-Travel-Guide.com]
–Think global, drink local. Making the case for Beijing bars to use the Olympics as an opportunity to step up and promote Chinese tipples. [Beijing Boyce]
–Chinese auto makers are seeking more global expansion, but how competitive are they really? An interview with China business hand Jack Perkowski discusses the issue. [Managing the Dragon]
–Chinese social networking site Xiaonei recently launched a much-anticipated platform for developers to contribute applications that can be used on the site, but this review finds that it’s not quite as open as rival Facebook’s. [China Web2.0 Review]
–The south China metropolis of Shenzhen has long served as a sort of laboratory for economic experimentation in China. The city is also acting as a testing ground for the rights of Chinese workers. [China Labour Bulletin]