Hao Hao ReportThe best China news and blog posts

From PRI: China is on the rise. And that's fueled nationalistic pride at home. It's also fueled a new pastime among some young Chinese. They've taken to strolling in the park in Han Dynasty-style clothing. The Han Dynasty lasted from about 200 BC to 220 AD. Some romanticize it as a time of superior morals, values, and philosophy. They say China today would do well to learn from it.

Talk everywhere is of crisis and panic emanating from the US financial centers. Yet in China, a different yet familiar kind of crisis is playing itself out.

78 women were found victimized as prostitutes in brothels in Vancouver, Canada... and useless Chinese Canadian leaders are off playing with their wankers elsewhere or looking for new photo ops

John references a Sydney Morning Herald article which reported that the iTunes store is blocked in China allegedly due to Olympic athletes downloading pro-Tibetan music in (not so) silent protest.

A young Chinese guy makes funny facial expressions while playing Audition (a Korean online multiplayer dancing game) in an internet bar in China. Netizens not sure if it is a disorder or he was just really nervous/excited.

Remember those long car trips with the family, nothing to do but to ask "are we there yet?" and play I-Spy? Well, in a moment of nostalgia, Steven has come up with I-Spy China, assigning points to the things us Laowai see each day here.

Check it out and be sure to leave your daily score!

China is one of the fastest growing destinations for tourists and businessmen, but many visitors are intimidated by the language barrier. Now there's a possible solution from China One Call (0845 500 2122; www.chinaonecall.com) a translation service at the end of the phone which launches on 16 October. You dial up a call centre and explain what you are trying to say, then hand your mobile to the taxi driver/waiter/receptionist who is given the message in Mandarin. You pre-pay blocks of call time - 60 minutes costs £39.

The economic indicators are gloomy. Exports have fallen drastically, factories are shutting down, and migrant workers are becoming jobless and restless. But if one has to look for a bright spot in the current economic crisis in China, look at the internet cafes. Chinese Internet cafes are packed, mainly of paying users playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

Having tried to 'passively' learn Chinese for quite some time now, I'm starting to realize that there are all sorts of tricky cultural conflicts that are working hard to stomp out any hopes of mastery. Here's one... well, two actually...