1. Paralyzed Chinese Gymnast Welcomes Baby Boy
During the 1998 Goodwill Games in the US, rising Chinese gymnast Sang Lan (桑兰) shocked the country when she fell during a vault routine and became paralyzed from the waist down. Confined to a wheelchair ever since, she made the news again recently after giving birth to a healthy baby boy on April 14. Congratulations, Sang Lan! (Perhaps you’d like to submit his photo and details to our New Arrivals column?)
2. NLGX Food Stalls Shut Over Public Health Concerns
Perenially-crowded Nanluoguxiang (NLGX) has tons of little snack stalls with lines snaking out the door. We weren’t too surprised to find out that they were recently shut down over hygiene concerns. The reason? Too much garbage littering the streets. According to official figures, the number of food stalls has been reduced from 80 to 22. The extra space will be taken up by more “eco-friendly” shops.
3. One Hundred Doraemons to Descend on Beijing
From April 19 to June 22, 100 Doraemons will descend on Joy City Chaoyang. In case you’ve never heard of him, Doraemon is a cult figure from a Japanese animated series of the same name; he’s a blue robot cat from the future who can pull out fantastical tools from the pouch on his belly. Each of the 100 Doraemons in Beijing will have such a tool, including the “dream-come-true machine,” “door-to-any-destination,” “bamboo copter,” and time machine.
Chinese Social Media Roundup is a regular column that spotlights hot stories in the local media that may be of interest to expat families. It is written by Morgan Shang, beijingkids editorial assistant and born-and-bred Beijinger.
Photos: sohu.com, bj.people.com.cn
