China blogs: Comedian Joe Wong, Uyghur grammar, garden cities draw complaints :: Go Chengdoo
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Ever wondered how an American stand-up comedian would go down in China? Joe Wong provides a case study. Wong, a Chinese-born American comic, is proving popular in the States, but judging from Chinese netizen reactions translated on ChinaSMACK, the comedy doesn’t translate too well.
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Chinese American comedian Joe Wong’s routine
If you’re having a hard time learning Mandarin, try to be grateful that it’s possibly one of the easier of the many languages found in China: Porfiriy The New Dominion details his struggles learning Uyghur and introduces a confounding aspect of Uyghur grammar–a seemingly endless list of verb conjunctions that take into account where you learn the information and what mood you wish to convey.
Er Lake Park in Dali underwent redevelopment as part of plans for Dali to become a “garden city.” Veggie Discourse translates a lengthy report on the process of the development and complaints from residents who were displeased with the result; the main attraction, Lover’s Lake, has been mostly filled in, and the “park” is dotted with luxury townhouses. Chengdu also has announced its intentions to become a modern world-class garden city as well. (Requires proxy from within mainland China.)
Wen Jiabao penned an essay this week reminiscing emotionally about his time working with Hu Yaobang, the General Secretary of the CCP who died in 1989 and sidelined by the media ever since. This sudden editorial has sparked speculation about Wen’s political motives and possible behind-the-scenes political maneuvering; Bill Bishop at Sinocism has written an excellent post with analysis from various sources and his personal theories, while China Geeks has the full translation.