TED, as usual, has the most amazing videos on any kind of topic possible that should become a daily watch for anyone interesting in… well, everything.

The title of the video below is “Who is General Tso and why are we eating his chicken?” by Jennifer Lee. I highly recommend watching the video, but here are some snippets that should entice you to watch.

• Beef with Broccoli (西兰牛肉): The common theme of what you see with broccoli is actually from Italy–Chinese brocooli is completely different and was not combined with beef.
• Fortune Cookies (财富曲奇 [not sure this is correct]): I even knew this was not a Chinese thing, but had thought this was created within the United States. Turns out this was actually first invented in Japan!
• General Tso’s Chicken (左宗棠鸡 [not sure this is correct]): If it’s boneless, sweet, and fried–you can pretty much guarantee this was not the original dish.
• Chop Suey (杂碎 [not sure this is correct]): This one was created a very long time ago in the US.

Another one that was missing from the presentation was Mushu, but truth be told, Kung Pao Chicken (宫炮鸡丁) is a real Chinese dish, just not with cashews.

If you know of any other dishes claiming to be Chinese send them my way!

Google China has finally launched its localization initiative in China against Baidu by launching its own mp3 music search and mimicking Baidu’s successful mp3 search, first found through Music 2.0 and later noted through Search Engine Land. Music 2.0 has the basic scoop:

[T]he much talked about Google MP3 Search service is here at www.google.cn/music [a]nd it’s certainly game on as they take on Baidu’s very illegal mp3 search with legal links from its search results provided by local music service Top 100.cn for free streaming, free mp3 downloads and lyrics supported by advertising revenue, and paid Caller RingBack Tones (CRBT) via China Mobile - with rights being cleared by most major labels (with probably one major holdout), publishers and a number of domestic labels for mainly Chinese music[.]

However, Music 2.0 notes that Jay Chow songs had yet to be allowed for download believing that no deal had been established yet, but when looking at it now, there are in fact many Jay Chow （周杰伦) songs able to be downloaded (下载), so likely Google rolled it out before it had searched for those songs:

What has really ticked me off was the fact that Google China decided to side itself with the hated regional restrictions that many DVD player makers on computers like to restrict–if you live anywhere outside of China, you get the following note:

抱歉，谷歌不在您所在的地区提供您所需要的服务。

[loosely translated: Sorry, you are not in the correct area for Google (mp3 search) to service you.]

Ironically, it is also showing this to Google’s own bot making the page very non-SEO friendly:

Now, you can always just check your IP, learn about IP proxies, and get a China open proxy (transparent), to avoid this Internet censorship, but you would still have to search (and understand) Chinese to find music you want.

So, Google once again enters in very late, does some evil, but at least is doing something to compete through localization, even if it it has to copy Baidu:

So, what does Google China’s mp3 search offer?

• Very basic level of music trends (Baidu’s is far superior offering multiple trends on one nice page)

• Ability to download songs without DRMs for the first time

• The words from the song so you can sing along (always useful)

• Streaming, but be prepared to accept the ever-so-fun EULA:

北京欢迎你！

现在你们都听过很多美国媒体对中国不好；说，写，表现不好。有的中国人断言抗议，有的别人支持一个中国的省。

请你们记得国语不是我的本机语言，所以先问我奇怪的句子，然后你可以客气地回答。

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我是谁？如果你看我的博客，你已经知道我是美国人（犹太人），跟上海女孩结婚，三次去中国，五年学习汉字，住在旧金山/硅谷。

我懂美国媒体对中国不好；我知道那个媒体用错的照片，知道那个媒体没有人去中国的省看看怎么样，知道那个媒体不了解中国历史。

我是谁？我的中文名字是邓守信。我觉得邓小平了解中国肯定开放。

1980以后，中国快地发展，发展很多中国人的生活。中国经济发展，买很多美国政治的钱。我看过厦门，上海，北京，广州发展，看过上海健康很多摩天楼，给中国人能买现代的东西，有一个现代的生活。我明白，支持中国政治经济的政策。

我是谁？每天我听中国音乐，常中国歌（不好的）。

2003 我先去中国时候，（我不是普通的外国人－－他们不喜欢跟中国人去玩玩，他们不喜欢跟中国人了解中国）我自己去看看上海，自己去英角跟中国人用说国语聊天 （记得我的中国水平不高）。当然我不了解万事，不过会问为什么做这个，然后回答为什么美国打伊拉克（我不选择了布设！）。非典来时候，我不回来美国，事实 上我呆在上海继续学习中文，上班。为什么？我爱中国，我爱上海，我爱中国人，我爱中国文化。

我是谁？我毕业高中学校时候，已经知道我想学习中国历史，古代文化，语言，人民，音乐，现代文化。

我去北京时候，每个学习的成为经验。我去紫禁城，看到活的历史。我去长城，感觉我有满足感。

那，真的我是谁？可能一个中国通？大概你老外的朋友。

你 们都应该发现中国进入世界贸易组织，使全球化的世界。中国政治做什么，全的世界会看到。你们不可以说’我们家的事要你管’了！每个动作有一个反对的动作。 因为中国有很多的美国钱，如果中国改变人民币的价值，美国就影响。如果美国政治给美国农夫钱所以他们可以卖米，中国就不可以便宜地卖米。欢迎到全球化来。

我是谁？我学士是国际关系，博士是太平洋的国际关系。

如果不可以说’我们家的事要你管’了，怎么办？学习国际历史，学习美国历史，学习别的国家做什么。一个美国人抱怨中国的知识产权？告诉他美国投英国的知识产权所以可以发展。一个美国人抱怨中国的林木？告诉他1800时候，美国砍倒很多林木。你别骂人，你讲为什么他们不对。

我是谁？我是独立的人，而且发现没有人，没有政治是完成式。

爱中国，不爱国家主义。你对一个人一点不好，而且对一个人很多好，那个人只记得你对他不好。这个情况和政治一样（比如说美国和伊拉克）。英文是世界的语言，很多美国人会看英文，所以中国媒体翻译，学习国际外交，然后外交地写报告。很多中国媒体写，翻译太悲惨的，所以老外会继续觉得中国政府不是好的政府。

记得把，我是谁？我学习中国（可能不好），已经爱中国，支持中国。你自己问，怎么使确信别的外国人吗？

Baidu is quite well known in China as being the place to get free mp3s by just searching for songs at mp3.baidu.com and then downloading the song from the respective website. Now, this can be done still in Google with some advanced search commands (eg: filetype:mp3 aerosmith), but what could be done for Baidu specifically?

A search for “Linkin Park” (without quotes) elicits the following (click to expand):

However, if you know a few Chinese phrases–such as the word for song (歌), then the search suddenly changes. Change the phrase to “Linkin Park歌” (once again without quotes) and now you get the following (click to expand):

Click on “试听” and now you have the website showing up along with the ability to hear the song as well.

So much for trying to hide those songs to English speakers.

在2003年时候，见面我老婆。在2007年时候，我们结婚。她常常说很多上海的俚语和女孩的然后我真听不懂，真怎么懂？我一共住在上海一年，学习土话不够，对不对？反正，她。。。有时候帮，教我她的俚语，给你有些例子：

• 神经病 - crazy, odd, weird - 原来觉得这个俚语不好的意思。现在我知道他对我开玩笑。
• 你毛病？ - Are you crazy? What the heck? - 好像她说我电脑坏了。。。哈哈。
• 你才神经病！- No, you’re weird! - 我喜欢这个句话是因为我可以用说这个说得很多。
• 嗯。- Uhm…
• 嗯。- Yes.
• 嗯。- No. -　这个‘嗯’跟美国听的反对。她说：嗯(是的），好像她说不要。真好烦。
• 你个傻瓜 - you’re silly, silly - 她常常说这个句话，我真不知道为什么。。。
• 你很笨 - you’re stupid, stupid - 有时候说这个，有的开玩笑有的生气时候。
• 滚！ - Get out! - 不常说这个

So, I wanted to be able to somehow convince my wife to make a music video with me of Love’s Angel (爱的天使) by Jolin as a romantic thing, but she’s rejected that idea before. Now, I came up with a great idea that she could buy an LV bag (that would be $1000) as long as she and I could make a music video similar to the one that Jolin has.

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我先去中国时候，一个朋友告诉我很多中国人用QQ，所以我觉得如果我想提高我写的中文水平，应该下载QQ。一年以前我不用QQ乐是因为大部分的朋友现在用MSN，但是最近跟老婆打QQ堂发现我QQ号码没有了。真讨厌！哎。。。反正我再注册新的QQ号码所以可以打QQ堂。真好玩。

This is a guest post by Ivy:

新年的中国一派歌舞升平，国际上，“中国崛起”也几成共识。当然，不那么“和谐”的杂音依然有的是。

中国国家主席胡锦涛元旦前夕到天津看望和慰问基层干部群众，誓言千方百计稳定物价，解决低收入群体住房难的问题。北京理工大学的胡星斗教授指出，其实解决这两个问题难度极大，绝非短期内所能完成。

曾于1998-2001在世界银行担任公司治理顾问的香港中文大学财务学讲座教授郎咸平则提出中国的八大危机说。如：宏观调控的目标错误，地方政府以 GDP为纲的理念造成了整个经济结构的失衡，中国金融业将为外资所席卷，外资银行可以经营人民币业务，等等。搞不好就会一蹶不振，直至“死掉”。

郎咸平1956年生于台湾，1986年获得宾夕法尼亚(University of Pennsylvania)大学沃顿商学院(Wharton School)财务学博士学位，曾经执教于美国沃顿商学院、密歇根州立大学、俄亥俄州立大学、纽约大学、芝加哥大学等。他最早对中国国有企业产权改革公开提出批评。

中国可能要经历10年通货膨胀
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