China Looking to Close Starbucks in Forbidden City

by Neil Woodburn on

Globalization is always a big topic here at Gadling. Sure, it’s great that our fellow countrymen are running successful businesses abroad, but there are certainly times when I’m half way around the world and find myself cringing at a nauseating slice of pop culture or fast food imported from my homeland.

Most recently, we posted about the arrival of KFC in Hanoi. Now, the news from Beijing is that a local Starbucks is causing all sorts of controversy amongst the Chinese.

It seems that people are upset that such an icon of American capitalism is entrenched in the heart of the Forbidden City–the emperor’s palace and one of the holiest of Chinese landmarks. As a result, a petition signed by 500,000 Chinese is requesting that the government evict the caffeine-peddling, American usurpers.

Starbucks, which has been in the location since 2000, deserves some credit, however. They were able to occupy the space by promising to donate proceeds towards much needed reconstruction of the palace grounds.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. The company has managed to somewhat blend in with the surroundings as you can see from the photo above, and they are undeniably helping out. I guess I’m just glad it’s not a McDonald’s.

Photo of the Day (1/31/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on


This photo makes me laugh inside trying to imagine what type of conversation (if any) took place when snapping away at the little 2008 Olympic mascot, Ying Ying, in Beijing. Ying Ying is only one of five of the official mascots and is a Tibetan antelope which symbolizes health and strength according to our photographer, Bernard Siao. This shot doesn’t really scream China or Chinese travel, but it was too darn cute to pass up.

Top 5 Human Gatherings Around the World

by Justin Glow on

Every time I slowly make my way through the mob on Bourbon Street in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, I look around and see what seems like millions of drunken people surrounding me. This is nothing, I’ve learned, compared to other gargantuan human gatherings around the world, of which I’ve tallied the 5 largest and presented them below:

  1. 70 million: Allahabad, India – The number one spot (along with 2, 3, and 4) go to none other than India. The most recent Hindu festival of Ardh Kumbh Mela in Allahabad (pictured) saw an estimated 70 million people gather in one spot in January 2007.
  2. 70 million: Allahabad, India – Hindu festival Ardh Kumbh Mela strikes again! This time in 2001, another 70 million showed up to kick off this famous pilgrimage.
  3. 30 million: Ujjain, India – OK, this is getting ridiculous: same festival — Ardh Kumbh Mela — but in a different town this time. In April of 2004, some 30 million people attended what is, without a doubt, the most popular festival in the world. Give someone else a chance, India!
  4. 15 million: Tamil Nadu, India – In 1969, the former Chief Miniester of Indian state Tamil Nadu, C.N. Annadurai, died and 15 million people attended his funeral. Dying sucks, but you might as well go out with a bang!
  5. 11 million: Beijing, China – Finally, we’re out of India! In 1966, about 11 million Red Guards joined together in Tiananmen Square, making it the 5th largest gathering of humans in the world.

Sorry, New Orleans — you’ve got nothing on India in terms of people gatherings. You throw a mean party though.

This list was put together with the help of Wikipedia. Thanks, Wiki!

Protecting Antarctica from Tourists

by Dave Luna on

Chinese government officials have asked Chinese citizens to avoid Antarctica as a travel destination. Officials cited the fragility of the continent’s ecosystem as the driving force behind the request. The country has not made this an official travel restriction, but the government has plans to regulate its travel agencies if South Pole tourism continues.

The number of all vacationing travelers visiting Antarctica has quadrupled over the last eight years, and this has scientists worried. Conservation and preservation of the icy land may be impeded by the rising tourism market. If left unchecked, the number of tourists might keep rising, and the environmental repercussions could be damaging. Also, more tourists might lead to hotels, and that might even lead to an Applebee’s here or a Trump McMurdo Casino there. As I’m sure you’re aware, once we change that landscape, it will be very difficult to return it to its previous glory.

The Reuters article did not mention the current impact of Antarctic tourism, but China’s appeal left me questioning my own interest in visiting the penguin haven. I was a bit interested in an educational Antarctic trip I recently found in Road Scholar, but now I think I’ll mull over a more eco-friendly way to explore the polar region. Wikipedia, perhaps?

Chinese Counterfeit British Town

by Neil Woodburn on

Here’s something very strange.

The Chinese, experts at copying everything from Levis to Gucci bags, have now applied their expertise to a proper British town.

Thames Town, in the suburbs if Shanghai, is a small town/housing project that has been designed as though it were a real British town. According to an article in The Telegraph, the town includes a pub, neo-gothic church, Victorian style houses, and a fish and chips shop. What makes this even stranger, and so typically Chinese, is that the pub and chip shop are exact replicas of the Rock Point Inn and Cobb Gate Fish Bar in the British town of Lyme Regis. Even the names were ripped off–although somehow one of the B’s was lost on the Cob Gate Fish Bar in China.

Naturally, the owner had no idea that her pub and shop in Lyme Regis had been counterfeited on the other side of the globe. She has considered legal action but since Chinese officials claim there is no law prohibiting the copying of buildings, she has no choice but to sit around in England wondering how the Chinese are butchering her fish and chips.