Even as North Korea mourned its leader Kim Jong Il last December, one surprising thing was on people's minds: fish.
Critics of the system greeted the announcement — which was slim on details — with cautious optimism.
Pressure to change the system has been mounting after a number of high-profile cases, including that of Ren Jianyu, who had been a young village official.
He became an outspoken critic of labor camps after spending 15 months in one.
So what is the secret to success in the corridors of power?
Here is a five-point guide to success, with tips gleaned from the pioneers of bureaucracy lit.
Lesson 1: Cultivate your connections.
A friend of mine is a lower-level civil servant. His boss had a passion for soccer.
Journalists at one of the country's boldest newspapers have published a new issue after a weeklong standoff that started when censors replaced a New Year's editorial.
Environmentalists say it's the worst pollution since monitoring began last year, while many others believe the levels are unprecedented in Beijing's history.
In two different countries, two grey SUVs were stolen with babies still inside, while the parents popped into supermarkets.
Meanwhile, the U.S.
Confronting the issue is a matter of political self-interest and survival for China's new leaders. The problem is how to root out corrupt officials when so many are quite literally invested in the system.
Consider the case of Huang Yubiao, a Chinese real estate millionaire with a charitable streak.
Thousands of North Koreans rallied in central Pyongyang, chanting "Death to the U.S. imperialists." Their leader, Kim Jong Un, has been calling for "scores to be settled" with the U.S.
This is just the latest phase in a propaganda war. Pyongyang also released a video showing an invasion of Seoul. In the video, North Korean forces fly across the border to destroy American bases in South Korea.
As China's economy booms, the marriage market has become just that: a market, with new demands by women for apartments and cars.
But are women really benefiting from their scarcity?
Let's Make A Deal
It's Derek Wei's big day: his wedding day.
With Chinese leaders and the state-run media now talking about the notion of the Chinese dream, we posed this question on our NPR Weibo account. In China, Weibo is the equivalent of Twitter.
That's the Orwellian step taken by local authorities in the southwestern city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. May 4 is a sensitive date commemorating an influential student movement in 1919.
The official press is full of praise for how "all Chinese have a reason to be proud of what the concerted efforts of the entire nation achieved in creating a new life for the survivors."
But an NPR investigation shows that behind the impressive facade the old problems still
For a moment, it looks like this high-end shopping mall in the southwestern city of Chengdu has been taken over by baby bankers.
