German volunteer's best intentions are curtailed by censorship

A young volunteer captured the hearts of China in an interview with CCTV about his work teaching children in western provinces. However this love has quickly turned to sympathy from netizens, as his volunteering has been inadvertently highlighted in the plight of children abandoned by their parents in search of work in other cities, prompting the government to gag this volunteer and his blog.

The following article highlights the incredible debate being stirred on-line.

Uproar over website supporting mistresses

www.xiaosan.org has been caught in a storm of controversy for encouraging a culture of cheating. Not only is this hugely prevalent within most communities, but there is even talk of laws being introduced to punish "home wreckers".

CCTV - China laughs at itself

An old BBS posting that pokes fun at the predictable nature & crude tactics behind CCTV's news programming.

English: http://chinageeks.org/2010/05/anatomy-of-the-cctv-news/

Mental Health Concerns in China: Where to from here?

Foxconn suicides, coupled with the increasing number of knife attacks against children has brought the world's attention to China's social issues, with a particular lense on mental health. A recent study estimates there are over 100 million Chinese with some kind of mental concern, however nationwide there is only 5% awareness of mental illness. With poor infrastructure, lack of professionals and even weaker laws governing mental illness, there is no telling how the government or social response will evolve from here.

English: http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/05/another-attempted-suicide-at-foxconn-company-and-china-look-for-answers/

Chinese article on mental health statisctics: http://news.163.com/10/0529/03/67QQG3420001124J.html

著姐 “哥时代”进入“姐时代（多图) | 咋骚 - Sister Zhu has netizens talking

著姐 “哥时代”进入“姐时代（多图) | 咋骚 - from Wike

Everyone's talking about Sister Zhu, the cross dresser who's performing in the "Happy Boy" semi-finals. His sexuality is constantly in question, and netizens have responded by rallying around him.

This is just another example of how the spectrum of views and dialogue is continuing to open up in China (and how far Hunan TV will go for ratings).

Why is it interesting?
是的，一个外貌、打扮、声音都和女生一样的参加选秀的男生。

Is this part of a bigger trend in China?
可能是的，这位男生成为最近中国网络的热点话题，会对社会造成一定影响，改变大众的一些观念，同时也可能会被部分人模仿。

Part 1/6: Chinese Social Media Statistics

Part 1: Current and Future Statistics on Chinese Social Media

Ogilvy responds to teh top 10 reasons to be involved in China Social Networking

Top 10 Reasons To Use Chinese Social Networking

News | Ren Media

Lipton Happy New Year Viral

 

Case study video of the viral activity from Litpon Milk Tea

 

Old example, but nice usage of technology and the season

China News: China’s Online Population Passes 400 Million: State Media | China Digital Times (CDT)

China News: China’s Online Population Passes 400 Million: State Media | China Digital Times (CDT)

Children On Leashes Tied To Walls While Their Parents Work - chinaSMACK

Children On Leashes Tied To Walls While Their Parents Work

Original site: http://www.xici.net/main.asp?url=/b1188463/d117217758.htm

With all of China's social ill's and government criticism, one thing pulls at the heart strings of all people - the poor treatment of children. Some interesting discussions off the back of this post. Perhaps the welfare of children will play a huge role in shaping the dialogue around what is right & wrong in China.