When Lyn and I started the Virtual China blog back in February 2006, it served as an online notebook and promotion vehicle for an Institute for the Future program of the same name. And indeed, some of what we posted did make its way into that year’s Virtual China program. But there were also many posts that did not make it.

Fast forward two and a half years, this blog remains our online notebook. But it is no longer the blog vehicle for an IFTF program; nor are our posts exclusively focused on artifacts from “virtual” China anymore.

Virtual China (the blog) was becoming much more a reflection of how Lyn and I view the latest, often strange, Chinese objects or events. Yet, we were always struck by the uneasy feeling that we were betraying the “Virtual China” name and original mission.

So we put our heads together and reframed what we were doing (a brand refresh if you will).

If you’ve read this far then, please, follow us to our next endeavor, to the 88 Bar.

The craft also carries a companion satellite, which will be released once the astronaut capsule is in orbit. Flying in close formation, it will relay real-time images of the spacewalk back to Earth.

“China wants to get the flight in full 3-D glory to maximize the publicity,” says Eric Hagt, China programme director at the World Security Institute in Washington DC. “This is going to be the Hollywood mission.”

See the full article on Nature.

ijoi’s Chinese name is 视觉我享, which roughly translates to “I Enjoy Sight.” ijoi is a web platform to promote design(ers) from and in China. They showcase work, conduct interviews and have plans to roll out podcasts (video & audio).

For example, here’s an excerpt from the video interview (subtitled in both Chinese and French) that was done with Weestar 魏星宇:

Translation: In fact, I’ve really liked drawing ever since I was a child.

ijoi was started by Gabriel Jorby, who we profiled here.

It’s a pretty impressive effort so far, and reads like a good and glossy design magazine: Visit ijoi now.

But where PPDai focuses on the fast and high returns, Qifang takes it a step further:

Translation of left side:

An open style scholarship platform: Need help? Want to help?

Get in now > Safe, Simple, Free.

By focusing on loans for people who can’t afford education, they’re appealing to a belief in the power education, which may just have enough altruistic sway to sidestep people’s distrust of others, and is certainly a much better story than empowering petty village commerce that does who-knows-what.

Think of donating to education as the China equivalent of people in the US donating to small entrepreneurs in the developing world (e.g. Kiva: Loans that change lives).

And as proof of their social mission, the right block on the screenshot above says:

Post-disaster reconstruction communication platform: Enter now.

Help someone get through school in China at Qifang now.

Aricsqueen. He’s from America, but living in China. He video blogs a “Shanghai Diary.” His mission is to give an alternative and honest view on China. The news and views typically take a critical position on China; stories include how an American got jailed in China for, a watchdog piece on pre-Olympic changes, and a preview of five Chinese rock bands.

The citizen journalist format is interesting , but in this case, sometimes the white American dude point of view has its limits.

I’m late to the show, and Aric’s currently on a break from Shanghai/China.

Luckily, it’s still all online and hosted by Current TV: See episodes from the series here.

(Thank you Parisa from CurrentTV for sending this over, and Micah for correcting me on some details!)

An interesting detail: “All MOKOMOKO apparel sizes are Asian standard, which is slightly smaller than European standard. Please reconfirm your order to account for this difference.”

See their store with designer shirts and plush dolls.

Photo credits: Aurelie Glorieux.

They’re made of foam, for kids, and the fathers apparently kept putting theirs kids next to them to take pictures.

If you’re in Hong Kong, why don’t you try a few set up by Mr. Lau Kin-Wai:

• Yellow Door
• Kin’s Kitchen
• Kin’s Terrace

I went to the Yellow Door some years ago and both the setting and food were unique experiences

Via Thomas Crampton.

An ad for Wellcome (one of the big supermarket chains in Hong Kong) based on the premise that if the little daughter saves enough, one dollar at a time, that she can buy back some of her father’s time spent at work.

But why does it stir my emotions? Because Hong Kong people are famously overworked and their children are increasingly raised by housekeepers. A story that touches on both of those at the same time — excellent.

See the ad on Youtube.