Hao Hao ReportThe best China news and blog posts

As China's ruling Communist Party holds its most important conclave in five years, the government has launched an unusually harsh crackdown on potential troublemakers, say Chinese and international huuman rights groups.

Scores, perhaps hundreds, of petitioners, democracy activists, religious figures, and humaan rights workers have been abducted, imprisoned, or confined to their homes over the past six weeks, according to rights monitors.

The Humane Society on Wednesday said it will give China $100,000 to vaccinate dogs against rabies if it promises to immediately stop their mass slaughter in areas where humans have died from the disease.

Some 1,500 dogs in northeast China have died after eating animal feed tainted with the same chemical that contaminated dairy products

Will animal testing become the next outsourcing frontier? With canines and scientist in cheap excess, and an environment unwelcoming to animal activists, companies could be making their move to China.

"The People’s Alliance for Democracy (Pad) is a collection of rightwing activists, business people and former army chiefs…The movement wants to replace the country’s electoral democracy... Anyway, during the street fights one of the pro-government peasants, a 55 year old man, was killed. He was beaten to death with golf clubs." Golf clubs?

Dalian has China's only Guide Dog Training Centre. It has a turnover of 20 dogs per year. China has an estimated 12 million people with visual impairments. It is not possible to register a dog over 35 cm in height in most cities. The Olympic law allowing Guide Dogs in public places is about to expire and there is no clear replacement. Is it me or do things need to change?

Summaries and photos of the protest against the government crackdown on stray dogs that was held on 11 November 2006.

In China, guide dogs were allowed in public places from July 20 to Sept. 20 thanks to a temporary certificate issued by the authority for the Olympics. Now that the Games are over, what of the guide dogs.

China is holding elections for people's representatives at the county and township levels. The difference this time is that the usual practice of the communist government recommending candidates has been challenged, and some independent candidates and human rights activists are actively running for elections. However, analysts say these independent candidates, instead of receiving election funds, have been suppressed.