Last Friday was the maiden voyage for China's first regional commercial jet, the ARJ-21. The test pilot was complimentary of the new jet's handling, but then again he probably wanted to keep his job. This humorous report explains that such compliments following a maiden voyage are a common practice in the airplane-making business.

The Shanghaiist reports on the city's newest and tallest tower - aptly named The Shanghai Tower. Upon completion (some six years from now) it will dwarf the Jin Mao (421m) and only recently built World Financial Center (491m) at a whopping 632m high over the span of 138 floors.

Oiwan Lam at Global Voices Online translates a campaign letter circulating to encourage participation in a Guangzhou taxi strike tomorrow - the most recent of many taxi strikes going on across the country, largely in protest of tight regulation coupled with illegal competition from "black cars".

Getting an accurate read on what people in China think about the prosecution of Chen Shui-bian is difficult because Taiwan's former president isn't too highly thought of here. To the extent people have an opinion they seem to be glad he's in trouble because, well, Chen's a troublemaker.

CA governor Schwarzenegger has asked actor Rob Lowe to speak with Chinese officials about global warming.

Yang Jia, the guy that went on a cop-killing spree this past July, has been put to death. Some might remember that Yang garnered quite a bit of public sympathy under allegations that he had been tortured by police. It, evidently, wasn't enough to save his life.

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it had discovered the toxic chemical melamine in infant formula made by an American manufacturer, raising the possibility that the problem was more extensive in the United States than previously thought.

China's Social Security Minister Yin Weimin has described the unemployment situation as "critical".

China’s propaganda mandarins are experimenting with a new policy to manage their message in the age of the internet: reporting the news as it happens. This marks an important shift for the ruling Communist Party, accustomed to deciding what will be reported and when.

One hundred years ago Friday, a crime was committed behind the imposing oxblood-red walls of Beijing's Forbidden City. It was the ultimate crime: the murder of an emperor. But it remained a rumor or had been covered up. Until now. He was just 38 years old at the time of his death. He had been the victim of a palace coup following political differences with his aunt, the Empress Dowager Cixi.