Money’s the word this week in China. From venal affairs involving the Red Cross to salacious ‘matchmaking’ events open only to millionaire men, we the netizens applaud, deride or enrage at money used and money using.

The Strange

1) Meat Market in Wuhan – Contestants in Bikini Parade for the Rich

Source: www.chinasmack.com

On the afternoon of June 25th, a matchmaking contest was held at the East Lake beach of Wuhan, in Hubei province.

The 60 female contestants, cherry-picked after an initial screening, were invited to strut the catwalk and parade their curves in bikinis, to the onlooking pleasure of the male guests, who had to unload themselves of the modest sum of 99,999 Yuan in order to gain access to said contest.

Additionally, these men were also required to either be holders of 30 million Yuan in assets or to have an annual income of one million Yuan. Cost of participation for the meat, sorry the women, was free.

For more pictures, click here. See how far you can scroll down that list without associating the red contestant numbers with price tags.

2) Blogger Fined 45,000 RMB for Criticizing Restaurant Food

In 2008, Liu Ying-hui, a Taiwanese food blogger, reviewed a noodle shop she’d just been to, describing the food as “very bad” and “too salty”, the owner as a “bully” and the shop as being “unsanitary” due to the unappetizing presence of cockroaches.

The verdict came down this week and the Taichung court ruled against her, fining her $200,000 NT (45,000 RMB) for defamation, claiming only one meal in the noodle shop was not enough to make an informed decision on its overall quality, and thus did not warrant such bitter words.

She was also given a 30-day jail term with two years suspended sentence only after she agreed to compensate the owner. This is apparently not an isolated case of peculiar rulings, as a woman in Taiwan was fined $1.5 million NT for calling her dentist "rat droppings".

3) Stingy Wife! Help a Fellow Out

Source: ozsoapbox.com

Chen, a 41-year-old middle-level factory manager working in Sizhou, showed up at the door of a women’s organization asking for advice on how to deal with his stingy, ball-breaking wife.

Cashing in on 4,000 RMB every month, Chen reported his wife managed the money pot, only providing him with an allowance of 10 RMB for three days. We imagine the man weeping in helplessness, as he further related she often cut the water off when he took showers and howled at him for using too much shampoo.

He begged the organization for mediation and advice, though it appears that’s not what’s really missing.

The Discussed

4) Authorities Crack Down on…New Anti-Bribery Websites

Source: autismcustodybattles.wordpress.com

Last week, we told you about the emergence of new whistleblowing websites aimed at reporting the endemic presence of bribery around the country. Since then, authorities have taken the expected route and have successfully maneuvered to shut them down.

They went on to report that while they endorsed the purpose and aim of such websites, they also had to remain within the limits of the law. Lack of proper control and unsubstantiated accusations, they said, would lead to unnecessary excesses.

The original website, ibribery.com, received 200,000 unique views over the course of two weeks before its users were banned from accessing it. Chen, the webmaster, was by then understandably worried, and shut it down.

The original article, with examples of venality at its finest, can be found here.

5) Scandal Spiral for Red Cross over Spending Irregularities

Source: news.at0086.com

Moving on, then…

With a string of scandals highlighting a glaring lack of transparency and, to put it mildly, financial responsibility, the Red Cross in China has seen its image dragged through the mud.

And rightly so. Last April, an invoice from one of its Shanghai branch’s dinners emerged online, revealing the salty note of 9,859 RMB for only 20 attendees. Last week, a 20 something woman named Guo Meimei, claiming to work at the Red Cross, blogged about her lavish lifestyle. The organization denied the story, but the damage was done nonetheless.

In addition to all that, reports have now surfaced that the philanthropic (we feel it’s important to highlight this word) institution is guilty of overspending on their equipment procurement budget by 4.2 million RMB ($647,500) in December 2009, as well as supposedly paying 300,000 RMB on a web management training that is yet to take place.

Subsequent surveys done online logically showed a massive drop in public trust for the organization.

6) Latest Thunderstorm Drowns Beijing and Kindles Anger

Source: www.chinadaily.com

If you were in Beijing last Thursday, you were lucky enough to be caught in the worst thunderstorm in a decade. Torrential rains blocked traffic in many parts of the city, submerged 2,000 cars, cascaded down the steps of subway entrances, and led to the death of two migrant workers, whose bodies were found on Saturday after being sucked in one of the drainage system’s manholes.

In the wake of the storm, many were left wondering how the country’s capital, the most populous city in the country, could come to a complete standstill simply due to a storm. Not surprisingly, fingers were pointed at the drainage systems, which are outdated in a city that has exploded both in size and number since its inception.

The root of the problem now lies with the government, which has to decide whether to make a massive financial investment to overhaul its underground circuits, or see Beijing trembling at the sight of every dark cloud.
 

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