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The Chinese market has dived by 17% so far this month. Johnny Reed in Shanghai analyses why it has been falling so dramatically while others worldwide are on the rise
Read full article...CHINA’S car sales last month were up 48% year-on-year. Even allowing for oil-price jitters a year ago, which might have put off a few buyers, that’s a healthy increase
It ain’t what you say, it’s the way that you say it, as Ella Fitzgerald might have sung. Reading Chinese newspapers is a bit like that. Understanding the language is not enough, you need to be able to interpret the meaning
When Deng Yujiao stabbed to death a government official who was trying to force his attentions on her, things didn't look good for the defence
Despite recent strengths, there are gloomy predictions for the Shanghai stock market during the rest of the year. A wave of new issues and poor corporate results are just two of the negatives being trotted out. More gloom, less spend. Not what the government ordered.
Like all elephants, the Shanghai jumbo is having a long pregnancy. Formally conceived a year ago, it's only just beginning to grow
Ten million high-school students went through three days of hell last week. It was university entrance exam time. Every year the same three days in early June are etched into the school calendar and student consciousness throughout China
Taking your Hummer for a drink in Shanghai became even more expensive last week. The latest hike in petrol pump prices was widely predicted but turned out to be less than expected. Unlike a year ago, there were no long queues or fights at petrol stations to fill up before it kicked in
There can't be many things as boring as economic statistics. Mention GDP or PPI to your neighbour at dinner and you find yourself talking to a pair of shoulder blades. It's all small numbers about large subjects. They go up and down a bit. But if you can't remember what they were in the first place, interest wanes pretty quickly.
To buy or not to buy? That's the question. The Shanghai stock market has put in some impressive growth in recent months but is it just a bear market rally or the beginnings of another bull run? Whichever way you look at it, nobody really has a clue.
With May Day celebrations down to a long weekend, nobody was expecting much of a result on the consumer front over the holiday. The spectre of swine flu and memories of Sars had been keeping many behind masks and closed doors
Displaying wealth in China has historically been a risky business. Too big a house and the Emperor took it, probably with your head as well. Come the revolution, it was still unwise to let the party official or Red Guard see what you had in case they took a fancy to it.
It's transport fortnight in Shanghai at the moment. Last week was the Boat Show, the weekend saw the F1 circus, and now it's the Motor Show. All very upmarket and crunch-testing.
Whatever is happening in the outside world, nothing stops the great Shanghai Expo 2010 machine rolling forward. We've just passed the 400th-day countdown and the pace is quickening. Money is being spent by the lorryload but not just on the actual exhibition. Everything must be perfect.
Among talk of reserve currencies and other G20 posturing last week, it was good to see Shanghai get a plug from China's state council. In the obscure world of Chinese politics, not much needs to be said to be significant. The council gave clear support for Shanghai's plans, particularly on the expansion of finance and shipping.
Learning to read and write Chinese is a mighty task, not just for the foreigner but also Chinese children. It's not for the absent minded. There's no alphabet, so each Chinese character has a meaning. It takes a prodigious feat of memory to learn the 2000 needed for even simple documents.
Ancient and modern coexist quite happily in Shanghai. Take the new car owner. One of the first trips is often to the nearest temple
Politics is a seasonal business in China. Most of the year not much happens, but come January, things begin to stir. It's the beginning of the political meetings season. There are lots of them. They start at the district level, move on to the provincial and culminate with the nationals in March.
Mobility of labour wasn't a feature of Mao's China. You were planted somewhere and there you stayed, whether you liked it or not. Many didn't. But once assigned a location and work unit, that was that.
Ever since 1909 when it hosted the first flight in China, Shanghai has been obsessed with aviation. The fact that the first aviator came to an unfortunate end over the racecourse tends to be ignored. The modern safety record is excellent but, in commercial terms, aviation in China is still risky.
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