http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong China through my eyes Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:50:28 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 1.20 am. Zzzzz. Mobile phone rang. "Hello..." "Hi, this is the Media Centre. You may come and collect your media pass now." "Wot...? You mean you are calling from the Mei Di Ya News Centre, the media centre for the National Day Parade?" "Yes, at Mei Di Ya. Please come now or you may not ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2009/10/01/much-ado-about-chinas-60th-national-day/ The title reads like a Hollywood blockbuster, and the insights could yet shed new light on the concept of Freakonomics. Welcome to the intriguing life of Zhao Ziyang, former Chinese premier who was put under house arrest for refusing to impose martial law on the Tiananmen protestors 20 years ago. Today, he’s ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2009/07/08/the-forgotten-fighter/ The March 21-27 issue of The Economist has become my personal collectible with this cover: Here, we see the world from the Middle Kingdom's  point of view - that beyond Beijing's bustling Chang'an Street, artery of the capital and also the longest and widest in the world, US is in a ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2009/04/25/the-world-through-chinas-eyes/ In bureaucratic Beijing, covering official lines can be at times mundane and predictable. But once in a while, we do get refreshing perspectives from interview subjects who dare to deviate from the status quo. Many Chinese have a somewhat love-hate relationship with CCTV - they distrust its regular dose of communist ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2009/04/25/cctv-the-goliath-that-inspires/ Chinese people love to volunteer, or so it seems from recent events in the country. I would say volunteerism reached its peak in China during the Beijing Olympics -- 100,000 volunteers -- including a good number of the best and brightest from Beijing's most prestigious universities, participated with the aim ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2008/12/27/chinese-volunteerism/ Flashbacks of my dad writhing in pain from kidney stones in the middle of the night appeared before me as I punched out yet another story of a food scandal in China. That happened when I was barely 3. Yet, the image was etched in my mind because his agony was ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2008/10/10/some-types-of-milk-are-less-equal-than-others/ Watching the Singapore flag raised in the prestigious Olympics hall for the much-anticipated table tennis match brought a tear to my eye. It was one thing watching any Chinese team play against other teams in an Olympic venue - the cheering and support is overpowering; but rooting for your own country ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2008/08/24/bringing-the-house-down-in-red-and-white/ The media marathon in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics can be trying, and at times, exasperating. But it also brings out the most curious response from all of us who were, and still are, engulfed by Olympics hysteria... Overheard at a press conference… “I would like to know where that picture ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2008/08/24/overheard/ If there was one thing that the Beijing laobaixing might have learnt from the whole Olympics fanfare, it would be the Human Wave (or Mexican Wave to the Mexicans; or the Kallang wave to Singaporeans…), and the fun of letting their hair down cheering for players on the courts. I had ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2008/08/24/rooting-for-the-underdog/ As journalists, we are often caught up with capturing the moment of action. We get a kick out of freezing the most candid/emotional/telling/embarrassing expressions of our subjects. Rarely do we realize how WE ourselves may look through the lens of others. Mr Chia Hui Yong of Mercy Relief, who kindly gave ... http://blogs.channelnewsasia.com/yee-fong/2008/08/24/candid-moments/