Stories about East Asia from May, 2016
When Immigrants in Spain Can't Find Work, Some Resort to Selling Beer on the Street
"I don’t like selling beer because I have no job, but I need the money for sending [home to my family]."
Vietnam's Growing Number of Pet Lovers Are Challenging the Meat Industry's Treatment of Dogs
Việt Nam is still a long way from becoming a safe and friendly country to pets, but changes are happening.
The Meteoric Rise of (Recently Censored) Chinese Internet Celebrity Papi Jiang
Only a few days after Internet censors took down most of her clips for foul language, she sold advertising space on her weekly videos for $3.5 million.
How a Hmong Song Tradition Is Kept Alive in the American Midwest
Kwv txhiaj has its origins in southern China and Southeast Asia, is several centuries old and is kept alive through its singers. One of them calls the US Midwest home.
Myanmar Wants the World to Stop Using the Word Rohingya for Persecuted Ethnic Group
"Rather than arguing over terminology, it is crucial to initiate a dialogue between the Buddhist majority and Muslim minority and negotiate a lasting solution."
How Beauty Trends Have Changed in Japan Over the Past 100 Years
From long hair to short, from heavy make-up to more subtle, beauty conventions in Japan have undergone a fascinating transformation over the past century.
‘I Do Not Want Any Children to Develop Cancer Like Me’, a Fukushima Resident Says
An independent filmmaker interviewed a young woman from Fukushima Prefecture, ground zero of the March 2011 nuclear disaster, who has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
China’s Independent Journalists Face High Risks — And Are in High Demand
Outside the umbrella of the media institution, independent journalists face many risks, but their work is becoming increasingly influential in China's media ecology.
Now's Not a Good Time to Wear a Hammer and Sickle T-Shirt in Indonesia
"Fear of communism, fear of liberalism, fear of LGBT, fear of Chinese and foreign powers: personalities of those with inferiority complexes. Fearing their own stupidity."
In Japan, the Panama Papers Are Met With a Collective Shrug
"If the government doesn't get mad and stays quiet, it's the Japanese people who will have the last laugh."
How a Self-Taught Translator Created a Literary Masterpiece One Word at a Time
Deborah Smith only started to learn Korean six years ago. Her translation of Han Kang's book "The Vegetarian" just won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction.
On Not Becoming a Buddhist
Did a visit to the Japanese Buddhist temple of Tada-ji and the statue of Yakushi Nyorai help save a sick infant? Is it even possible to know?
Chinese Demand Harsher Laws to Stop Bullying After a Teenager's Beating Death
"We can't clean out the weeds by pulling them out one by one. School bullying, teenage violence, all these uncivilized behaviors are rooted in society and family."
A Japanese City Uses Frightening CGI to Teach Residents Tsunami Survival
Do you know where to run if a tsunami strikes? The city of Kamakura has created a simulation that aims to help residents answer this question.
Protests and Banners Await High-Ranking Chinese Official on Visit to Hong Kong
Despite this promise of care and love, Zhang Dejiang's visit has been accompanied by thousands of police officers, who vow to take "decisive action" against protesters.
Filipino Farmers Hit by El Niño Are Protesting and Demanding Food Aid
"We can look for alternative crops to plant. But right now there is simply nothing – just hectares of dust that even weed won’t grow on."
Singaporeans Are Urged to Eat Less Rice, As Fears Grow About Links to Diabetes
Does eating rice pose a greater risk of diabetes that consuming sugar? Singaporeans are duking it out over this very question.
Beijing Police Really Want You to Know a Man Who Died in Custody Was Accused of Soliciting a Prostitute
As if that really matters. The troubling case has left some netizens believing that police are trying to cover up a young environmentalist's death after he was arrested.
Chinese Censors Crack Down on ‘Illegal’ Live-Streaming, Including Erotic Banana Eating
As it is impossible to pre-screen live-streamed content, China's public security bureau has set up a police station at the office of major live-streaming platform to oversee what is broadcast.
Anti-Counterfeiting Group Ousts Alibaba, Chinese Consumers Unsympathetic
"Stay at home. If your counterfeits are high quality and cheap, Chinese people will support you and no one will disqualify you."
Taking Back Japan, One History Textbook at a Time?
By pushing for the omission of certain ideas from history textbooks, the current Japanese administration is promoting a revisionist view of the country's past. Will they succeed?
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