Hao Hao ReportThe best China news and blog posts

Starbucks Corp. opened its first outlet in China in 1999. In 7 years the coffee maker has brewed more than 200 locations.

Until 2004 China required foreign companies to ...

One sad thing about life in Beijing is missing American food. My boyfriend is sick of me hearing me tell him how much I miss milkshakes and bread. There is are a number of Western-themed eateries, Dairy Queen, a Sizzler (or two), Pizza Huts and of course ubiquitious McDonalds, in the city. And if you want coffee, there are a surprising number of Starbucks in the city.

The uproar over the Starbucks in Beijing's Forbidden City isn't really about the power of bloggers and citizen media in China, argues Rebecca MacKinnon. What's it really about? Well, that's more complicated. Best to just read the whole thing.

In the latest Lost Laowai post I find a bit of new hope for my otherwise jaded opinion towards free thought in China. It comes, oddly enough, in the form of a CCTV anchorman. He's no Ron Burgundy, but he's pretty cool none-the-less.

Whether he's telling Starbucks to get the hell out of the Forbidden City or telling Chinese to get the hell over their problems with the Japanese - CCTV's Rui Chenggang has thoughts that work outside the rinse-read-repeat system so common among China's "intellectuals".

An interesting, humerous look at Beijing's many Starbucks locations and what to expect at each one.

BEIJING - Starbucks has closed a coffeehouse in China's former imperial palace, the company said Saturday, ending a presence that sparked protests by Chinese critics who said it damaged a key historical site.

Legalized liquid crack for the masses....

I was at work when suddenly a mass of people moved along the street at the foot of our building. Here are the impressions I caught during a 5 minutes coffee break.

That is a famous quote by PT Barnum, and perhaps it is a phrase that best sums up how a foreigner can find himself paying 675USD for coffee on Nanjing Road.