Louisa Lim

China's Artist Provocateur Explores New Medium: Heavy Metal

Louisa Lim — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:17:00 +0000

The man ArtReview magazine named the most powerful artist in the world is trying his hand at rock stardom. In 2011, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei spent 81 days in detention. He was later let go and charged with tax evasion.

Children Of China's Wealthy Learn Expensive Lessons

Louisa Lim — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:05:00 +0000

In China, having too much money is a relatively new problem. But the rapidly growing country is second only to the U.S. in its number of billionaires, according to Forbes magazine. And now an enterprising company has set up a course for kids born into wealthy families, who are learning how to deal with the excesses of extraordinary wealth.

For a moment, it looks like this high-end shopping mall in the southwestern city of Chengdu has been taken over by baby bankers.

Five Years After A Quake, Chinese Cite Shoddy Reconstruction

Louisa Lim — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:05:00 +0000

Five years after the massive Wenchuan quake in China's Sichuan province left about 90,000 dead and missing, allegations are surfacing that corruption and official wrongdoing have plagued the five-year-long quake reconstruction effort.

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

To Silence Discontent, Chinese Officials Alter Calendar

Louisa Lim — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:05:00 +0000

How do you prevent protests in China? Move the weekend.

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.

Chinese Dreams: Freedom, Democracy And Clean Air

Louisa Lim and Angie Quan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:13:00 +0000

"What is your Chinese dream?"

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.