It’s been a busy week here in Beijing. The Olympic year is not yet two weeks old and China is already doing its damnedest to serve up a whole stir-fry of crazy.
First off, 2008 has thus far not been kind to CCTV. While the state-run station has never really considered itself either yellow or violent, this reliable source of unintentional comedy for those of us living in Beijing has done its best to force that phrase into the cultural lexicon. (Plastered T-Shirts needs to get on this right away, how could they not?) EastSouthWestNorth has also provided a handy list of the top ten ‘very yellow, very violent’ websites for your surfing convenience.
Not to be outdone by the news division, CCTV sports, or, as it is now known, The Olympic Channel, staggered out of the gate when the amorous wanderings of sportscaster Zhang Bin drew the ire of his wife at the official kick-off ceremony. Hell hath no fury like a women scorned with access to cameras, microphones, and a soundstage. The money quote in my book: “Until China is able to start exporting its values, it won’t be able to become a great power. For us to