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Story Archives of 'China'Factory GirlsBy Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, November 25, 2008. Stop where you are for a moment, look around, and you’ll likely find a product made in China. Your sneakers, appliances, computer keyboard and cell phone were all likely manufactured in Chinese factories. These colossal plants support the industrial boom that has transformed China and the international economy. Fueling the boom is an estimated 130 million migrant workers, about 70 percent of them young women. That’s an entire generation of girls who leave rural villages and traditional families behind for the chance to make about $100 a month. These ambitious factory girls jump from one job to the next in search of better wages and better lives. They live by their wits, acute self-preservation skills, and mistrust of virtually everyone. Leslie T. Chang was China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal for a decade. Her new book Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China follows the invisible army of women who make the economy run. She focuses on the stories of two young women: Lu Qingmin, or "Min," and Wu Chunming, who work in the giant factories of Dongguan, on the Pearl River in the south of China - "a place without memory," as she puts it. (Photo by Chad Ingraham) listen:
  Flooding The Yangtze ValleyBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, October 9, 2008.Filmmaker Yung Chang was raised in Montreal by first-generation Chinese immigrants. Growing up, his grandfather told him stories about the mythical Yangtze River.
But the entire valley is currently being flooded to create the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric dam. And it’s expected to provide one-tenth of China’s energy needs. But it’s also driving as many as four million people from their homes. Yung Chang travelled up the Yangtze and found a river far different than the one his grandfather described. His documentary, Up the Yangtze, follows two young people who find work on a luxury cruise ship, ferrying wealthy foreigners on “farewell tours” of the valley. He joins Word of Mouth on the phone from Los Angeles. Watch the trailer for Up the Yangtze: (Photo by Jonathan Chang) listen:
The Music of China's Sa DingdingBy Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, August 12, 2008.
Musician Sa Dingding is huge in Beijing, and she’s starting to gain some notoriety in the West. She’s been called “the voice of the new China”. She’s 25, fabulously camera-ready, and she’s from a family of Mongolian nomads. She performs in flowing silk robes, and she sings in Mandarin, Tibetan, and a language of her own invention. We spoke with Sa Dingding during a recent visit to the United States. listen:
The Perilous Politics of the Beijing OlympicsBy Laura Knoy on Friday, August 8, 2008.The road to the Beijing Olympics has been unusually bumpy, with protests over Tibetan independence, human rights and China's relationship with Sudan. These negative reactions have led to feelings of anger and humiliation from both the Chinese government and the people, who say others have interfered in China's affairs for too long. We’ll look at the complicated international politics behind the 2008 Games. Guests
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China's Clean Revolution?By Avishay Artsy on Friday, August 1, 2008.The Summer Olympics are just about to kick off, and Chinese officials are hurrying to clean up the notorious Beijing air, limiting vehicular traffic and shutting down factories. Last month officials were embarassed when it was revealed the U.S. Olympic Committee would distribute a secretly-developed high-tech mask to its more than 600 athletes, to protect against the pollution. The Londonderry High School Band and Color Guard Are Off to ChinaBy Mark Bevis on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.At about 2:30 this afternoon the first of three busses full of Londonderry students is scheduled to leave the high school. Destination: Beijing. The Londonderry High School Band and Color Guard have been invited to play during a Pre-Olympic event called the Beijing Cultural Youth Festival. Pollyann Winslow is the mother of one of those students and an organizer. She tells NHPR's Mark Bevis that 253 students plus dozens of chaperones and parents will be on those busses headed for the adventure of a lifetime. listen: No audio currently available. Order on CD (pdf).
Granite Staters React to the Earthquake in Southwest ChinaBy Laura Knoy on Monday, May 19, 2008.Last week's earthquake in China's Sichuan province killed over twenty thousand; many more were injured, and rebuilding the area’s infrastructure will take years to complete. While this happened half a world away, there are those in New Hampshire directly affected by the tragedy. We speak to some of them to hear their stories and their experiences. Guests
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China and the 2008 ElectionsBy Laura Knoy on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.Tomorrow, Rivier College will take part in the national "China Town Hall", on the opportunities and challenges of China’s economic and military power and its role in global issues including the Olympics, the environment, manufacturing, trade and foreign policy. We’ll look at our current relationship with China, how it's changing and how much of an issue it may be in this year’s elections. Guests
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The People's WeatherBy Virginia Prescott on Monday, April 7, 2008.The opening date of the Summer Olympics in Beijing is drawing closer.
The games will be held during the summer's wet season, and Chinese officials are so concerned about rain interrupting the games, they've devised a plan to manipulate the city's weather. New York Observer writer Tom Scocca lives in Beijing, and wrote an article called "The People's Weather" in the April issue of Plenty Magazine. He spoke with Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott about China's efforts to keep the Olympic Games from getting rained out. Read Tom Scocca's article "The People's Weather" in Plenty Magazine (Photo by Addictive Picasso) listen:
Beijing's Building BoomBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, April 3, 2008.Chinese officials stepped up security when the Olympic torch stopped in Beijing this week on its trek around the globe. Government organizers of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics are taking no chances of repeating protests that robbed the spotlight at the flame-lighting ceremony in Athens last week. Clashes between Tibetan demonstators and Chinese police in Llhasa have drawn the world's notice, and put China's human rights record back on the front page. Getting less attention is the rapid transformation of Beijing as officials prepare to host the Olympic games.
Our guest, Philip Nobel, wrote for Metropolis Magazine about his five-day visit to Beijing last fall and the changes he observed. Read Philip Nobel's article "Delirious Beijing" in Metropolis Magazine See photos of Beijing's new architectural wonders (Photo by Ken McCown) listen:
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A third of China’s population lives along the river. It’s the lifeblood of the country. Peasants have farmed the Yangtze River Valley for millennia. 
The Olympic games in Beijing are shining a new light on China. We often hear and read stories about the country’s growing industrial and economic power, but its culture is less understood in the West. Some Chinese movies make it over to the States, but not as much pop music. At least, not yet. 
The city has put in new subway lines, and taken on trophy architectural projects and an urban renewal campaign that has transformed much of the old city. 