Last year Adam Daniel published a post which hit nerve on many Chinese bloggers. It created a lively discussion which spread to other blogs as well. He complained that the blogosphere is crowded with English-language Chinese blogs of low quality; blogs which don't add any value but only regurgitate the same news that have been published everywhere else.
Explosion of blogs can be seen everywhere and not only in Chinese blogosphere; I assume that in the future there will be even more blogs around. It is the natural consequence of the ease with which anybody can leave his footprint online. But there are good news as well. Those who search for the relevant information or fresh news will have more tools to help them find what they are looking for. Also, some people – and we already see it happening – will make it easier for others to consume the huge amount of information by curating the existing content. Finally, I believe that the search engines will also adjust and in the long run only the high-quality blogs will stay on the top.
And now let me head to the purpose of this post. Below you will find list of the best Chinese blogs [by categories] I have recently compiled. I hope it can help readers to navigate the sea of Chinese blogosphere. Of course, this list is neither complete nor objective. So, you are welcome to write a comment and fix any mistakes or omissions I've done.
1. Chinese Blogs – General: Seeing Red in China
Owners of these blogs do not narrow their niche to any specific topic and simply write their observations about anything that is related to China: politics, culture, people, current events and so on.
The number of blogs in this category is very big (and many of them are truly awesome!) Thus, it was really difficult to choose the best one. But being a fresh blogger myself who yet hasn't befriended other bloggers, I feel free to make the choice based on my true feelings rather than "internet friendship".
And the best general blog about China, in my opinion, is Seeing Red in China.
Why? Firstly, even when writing about the same things that are discussed anywhere else Tom (and his friends) always succeeds to add a new angle to the well-known topic. Secondly, I think that this blog has a good balance in its general attitude towards China and its culture. In other words, there is not too much of China bashing which is so characteristic to the most Chinese blogs in English language (and of which I am guilty myself). Finally, the blog's owners obviously have a lot of ideas and topics to write about sticking to a schedule of one post per day on a consistent basis.
And before anybody suspects me of being somehow affiliated with "Seeing Red inChina" I want to name other excellent blogs in this category.
The Peking Duck – one of the classic Chinese blogs.
ChinaGeeks – analysis and translation of modern China.
Danwei – web magazine about China and the Chinese world.
ChinaHopeLive – Canadian-American family of expats writing about China.
All of the listed blogs are exploring the Middle Kingdom from Western perspective and are at times critical of the state of matters in China. If, however, you are interested to look at the same problems and stories from the opposite side – you can check the blog Hidden Harmonies whose creators undertook the mission of defending China from the criticism of Western media.
2. Chinese Blogs – News Curation: Shanghaiist
In the beginning of this post I mentioned that one of the ways in which bloggers help readers to deal with information overload is the curation of news. It is the process in which the most relevant pieces of information are chosen from the news stream and bundled together.
Number one player in this field is Shanghaiist. If I would be allowed to follow the news about China by reading only one Chinese blog – Shanghaiist would be my choice. They do a little bit of everything – curation, translation, commentary – and they do it well!
Fair competition to Shanghaiist is coming form a very informative China Digital Times which aggregates and comments on the news about China from around the Web.
3. Chinese Blogs – Translation of Chinese BBS: chinaSMACK
Whatever is your opinion about this kind of blogging – it's hard to argue that the best translator of juicy stories from Chinese internet is ChinaSMACK. I have already written the post explaining why ChinaSMACK is possibly the most popular blog about China and won't repeat myself here.
I'd only like to mention that it's possibly this kind of blogs about which one can say – "You've seen one, you've seen them all."
But tastes are different and if for some reason you want to choose another provider ofChinese BBS translations, you can opt for any of the following: ChinaHush, China Buzz, Ministry of Tofu.
All of them are doing a good job of keeping you up-to-date with what is hot among Chinese netizens.
4. Chinese Blogs – Business, Services, Brands: China Law Blog
This is another big category. Its popularity can be explained by the growing interest in Chinese economics and business opportunities. Though I am not an avid reader of these blogs, choosing the best one wasn't too hard.
China Law Blog doesn't need introductions. It's more than just a blog – it's brand! Run by two experienced lawyers it is a trusted source of information for the legal aspects of doing business in China.
But this is not the only site worth of reading. Below is the list of more gems.
China Car Times – explaining the Chinese car industry.
Jing Daily – the business of luxury and culture in China.
Asia Healthcare Blog - Southeast Asia's healthcare challenges and business opportunities.
Prof. Chovanec's Blog – Patrick Chovanec (professor at Tsinghua University) on Chinese economics.
China Hearsay – China law, business and economics commentary.
5. Chinese Blogs – Technology and Gadgets: M.I.C. Gadget
Not everything produced in China is "shanzai" (imitation). And there are blogs dedicated to Chinese technology and gadgets which are ready to prove it.
The best to do it is M.I.C. Gadget – blog for geeks about life in China and Chinese tech knockoffs.
I am not sure, however, if I was right to take the laurels of the best in this category fromPenn Olson. Even though they write about technology in all of Asia, but they have at least one post related to China every day. And the quality of their articles is simply top-notch!
Finally, one more interesting site to mention is TechRice .
6. Chinese Blogs – Social Media: China Internet Watch
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and many other darlings of social media are blocked in China. Instead there are Renren, Weibo, Youku and so on. These platforms, however, are not just copycats of the English-language counterparts. Thus, one needs some "inside information" to efficiently use their services. Fortunately, there are few blogs sharing the know-how onChinese social media.
Most consistent in providing the fresh news in this niche is China Internet Watch.
Other good sources include: China IWOM Blog and Sinotech Blog.
7. Chinese Blogs – Learning Chinese Language: Chinese Hacks
Possibly one can't learn the foreign language by reading blogs. But they definitely can provide some useful tips and make the learning process more entertaining.
Since the goal of such blogs is well-defined (helping Chinese language learners) – my criteria for choosing the best site were entertaining posts, posting schedule and ease of navigation.
In my opinion, currently the right to sit on the top of the podium belongs to Chinese Hacks.
However, diligent students will definitely want to check out other blogs, as well. I would recommend the following ones:
Sinosplice – dig into the rich archives of this blog
Laowai Chinese - tips and strategies for learners of Mandarin Chinese
Confused Laowai – student of Chinese language shares his experiences. He also runsSocial Mandarin where different scoops related to learning Mandarin are gathered together.
8. Chinese Blogs – Culture and History: The China Beat
Here is some reading for intellectuals interested in Chinese culture. No sensationalism or cheap China-bashing here. :-)
My pick for the best blog in this category is The China Beat. This is the collaborative effort of China scholars and journalists who review the books about China and discuss various cultural events.
Other notable blogs include:
Jottings from the Granite Studio - commentary, analysis, and opinion onChina and Chinese history.
Paper Republic – Chinese literature in translation.
Frog in a Well - blog focusing on the study of the history of China.
Shanghai Jazz Scene and Rock in China – well… it's clear from their names what these blogs are about.
9. Chinese Blogs – Photography: Expatriate Games
Naming the best Chinese photo blogs is a difficult task. Mainly because some remarkable sites featuring Chinese photography are not really blogs. So, I want to apologize in advance that I included only sites which mix images with text to tell their stories.
The best and obviously most popular Chinese photo-blog is Expatriate Games.
Also don't miss the following sites:
Chinesense - telling Chinese stories through pictures.
Land of No Cheese - blog exploring quirky Hong Kong through the lens.
Borrowed Culture - young graduate explores China.
10. Chinese Blogs – Travelogues: Wild China Blog
Almost every Chinese blogger has written at least one post about his/her travels. But there are not so many blogs which concentrate exclusively on traveling in China. Well… possibly such kind of travelogue is not easy to maintain for one person.
That's why I vote for Wild China Blog – a collaborative work of few bloggers – as the best travel blog about China. The founder of this blog Mei Zang seems to be very professional in what she is doing (and writing about): check, for example, her critique of Lonely Planet's Guide to China.
Another good source of information for those who work on their Chinaitineraries is the blogTo China… and Beyond! which has a good compilation of posts neatly categorized by destination. Unfortunately, it's not active anymore.
11. Chinese Blogs – Regional: Far West China
If you want to travel in China and see more than the usual tourist traps (which might be fine for your first visit), it's better to take your time and explore some specific region or province. In your preparations for such trip a great help can be regional blogs.
For me the best example of such blog is Far West China. As Josh Summers writes about his site, it presents a westernChina free from political commentary focusing instead on the research of Xinjiang's history, ethnicity and customs. Additional bonus for the readers – travel guide to Xinjiang which you can download from the site for free.
Another great regional blog is Notes from Xi'an. Reading it one can feel the author's sincere love for that place.
12. Chinese Blogs – Food: Appetite For China
I am not sure if I've checked all sites belonging to this category. But among the blogs which focus primarily on Chinese cuisine, Appetite for China is the undisputed leader.
Other tasty blogs are:
Beijing Boyce – bars, pubs, clubs, wine, beer and drinks in Beijing.
The Chinese Soup Lady – recipes of Chinese soups.
ShowShanti – Shanti Christensen travels China meeting families who teach her their favorite home-style recipes.
Wok With Me, Baby – cooking non-Chinese food in China!
Life on Nanchang Lu – Shanghai food, life and adventures.
13. Chinese Blogs – Expats: Lost Laowai
Are you planning to work or study in China? Or just stay in China for a longer time? Then you will join the big army of expats. There are many things you should learn and some of this learning you can do in advance by reading the blogs for China expats.
The most vibrant community of blogging expats is gathered in Lost Laowai. So, it is possibly the winner in this category.
But you shouldn't miss excellent articles from the archives of Middle Kingdom Life – a real guide to working and living in China.
Finally, ESL teachers shouldn't forget to bookmark The China Teaching Web.
14. Chinese Blogs – Relationships: Speaking of China
A curious thing regarding Chinese blogs about relationships is that most of them are written by females.
It is also the case with its best representative – Speaking of China. Jocelyn is doing excellent job researching the topic of intercultural relationships by using her own example and running a questions-and-answers section where Western women married to Chinese men share their experiences.
Another great blog is run by witty Christine Tan from Shanghai Shiok. You gotta love her style just for a brilliant piece of satire parodying Amy Chua's article about Chinese parenting.
15. Chinese Blogs – Humor: China Daily Show
Satire is possibly the most difficult niche of blogging. Although those who write about China cannot complain about the lack of material for a good laugh. It's not easy, however, to keep the balance and not fall into cheap mocking of everything which is Chinese.
As a winner in this category I would crown the blog China Daily Show. For the example of their writing – read the post inspired by the recent case of little Yueyue.
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