I published chinaSMACK’s first post on 2008 July 9.
After spending many hours translating the original Tianya Chinese post on into English, I discovered that EastSouthWestNorth had already translated it while searching for more information…and it was better than mine.
I was so angry.
I published the post anyway. I was really tired, and I did not want to feel like I wasted all my time.
It has been three months since that first post. Since then, many people have asked me many questions about chinaSMACK and about why I started this website. I hope I can answer some of those questions today.
Why did I start chinaSMACK?
Like many Chinese children, I started learning English when I was small, but maybe unlike most Chinese children, I have tried to continue improving my English by using it whenever I can and I try to make friends who also use English. I admire Chinese people who can write normal English instead of “translated English” and I hope one day I can also be so proficient.
Like many Chinese netizens, I like blogs and a place on the internet where I can share something with other people. But maybe unlike most Chinese people, I also really enjoy learning how to create and design a blog or website that is not the typical QQ or Live Space. So I try to teach myself and learn from other people. What I know now is not much, but I do think I have learned so many things even though I have never taken a computer or design class.
Before I started chinaSMACK, I did some research. I wanted to force myself to do this and not give up. I wanted to learn but I also wanted to create something fun, interesting, and maybe meaningful. At the beginning, I was not sure how I would do it, but I did have a specific idea of what I wanted to blog about. So I wrote down my reasons from the beginning and these are the reasons you can still see in the About section.
With the help of some friends, I borrowed US$166.80 (lucky number) to register the “chinasmack.com” domain name and pay for two years of website hosting. It took several weeks to design the website and one week and 5 posts after my first post to figure out what I could do and what chinaSMACK would be about.
chinaSMACK three months later…
Today, chinaSMACK has almost 70 published posts and over 2000 visits a day. It is not much, but it is more than I expected. Many of our posts are not from me alone, but from contributors who have volunteered to help. These posts are not about me, our contributors, or what we think. They are–I hope–about what many Chinese people think.
I always tell our contributors that the “main characters” of chinaSMACK are the Chinese people who share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the Chinese-language internet. We only translate their voice so they can be heard by more people, especially non-Chinese. If they can be heard, then maybe they can be understood better. There are many differences between Chinese people and people from other countries, but I think many things should be the same. I think that is important and I hope everyone can realize that.
Some people think the topics we show on chinaSMACK are bad, or make Chinese people look bad. Maybe, but I think the emotions in these stories and in the comments are very real and I think they should be similar to what people in other countries feel when they see similar things. I do not want chinaSMACK to be about politics. I want it to be about Chinese people living life. chinaSMACK cannot show everything, but maybe it can show some of it.
2008 CnBloggerCon
I would like to go to 2008 Chinese Blogger Conference (CnBloggerCon). This year, it will be in Guangzhou on November 15-16.
I have already registered but I am not sure if I will have the money to go. The conference price is 100-150 RMB and but I also need to pay for a train ticket, food, and maybe a hotel. Too bad it is not in Shanghai. Will any readers go also?
Jiong Jiong
On 2008 September 28, I added “Jiong Jiong” to chinaSMACK’s design. If you remember from the Chinese Lesson Time, “jiong3″ is a popular Chinese character often used by Chinese netizens on the Chinese-language internet. The original Chinese meaning for “jiong” is “bright,” but the main reason it is so popular these days is because the character itself looks like a face of someone who is “shocked, amused, or stupefied.” Like “Orz” represents a person kneeling or bowing down, that is what “jiong” now means and how people use it.
I think “Jiong Jiong” represents chinaSMACK very well.
Support chinaSMACK
If you enjoy chinaSMACK, I hope you will consider supporting us by visiting our new Support page and making a donation or purchasing a chinaSMACK t-shirt. I know this t-shirt is not much but it is one of the few things I can do because my art is not good enough to draw on the sidewalk. I hope you like “simple.”
I am using RedBubble for these t-shirts and they use American Apparel, which is anti-sweatshop and located in Los Angeles.
I have never been to Los Angeles, but I think it should be better than Qipu Lu here in Shanghai (Qipu sounds like “cheap”). I have read many good things about American Apparel so I hope this choice is good.
The small profit from each t-shirt will help me pay for my website hosting costs and help us further grow chinaSMACK. Maybe it can help me buy a t-shirt for myself and also help me go to CnBloggerCon too.
Go to our Support Page »
Purchase a “Project Zero” T-Shirt »
08/10/10 UPDATE: If you buy a t-shirt, I hope you can send me a nice picture of you wearing it (you do not need to show your face if you are shy). I would like to show it on chinaSMACK or make a nice collection of them. Maybe you can be creative with your picture too and it will be very fun for everyone to see.
08/10/10 UPDATE: Many people have offered to give a small donation instead of buying a t-shirt (maybe they do not like Jiong Jiong). At first, I was not sure I want to accept donations because I prefer to “earn” money. However, a lot of people in the comments and especially in email told me I was being silly and convinced me that it is okay to accept donations for chinaSMACK. A friend help me set up a PayPal account and you can now help support chinaSMACK by donating to support@chinasmack.com or clicking on this button:
If you make a donation, I want to recognize your support so I will make a list with all the people who donated. If you would like to be on this list, please write your name and/or website (including website address) in the “special Instructions” area on PayPal OR you can email me with the same information and the confirmation number of your donation.
Thank you…
Many people, both friends and strangers, have helped me and helped chinaSMACK become better.
I thank our contributors, Kris Chen, Yang Shaohua, Joe Xu, Ian Stalter, Kaier Tan, and Xia Boyang, for the posts they have written and for being part of chinaSMACK.
I thank our visitors and subscribers and especially our commenters. Thank you for supporting chinaSMACK and thank you for caring about what Chinese people talk about online, even if it is sometimes silly or strange to you.
I thank other bloggers and websites for linking to chinaSMACK.
Finally, I thank the Chinese netizens and BBS forums who have always given us so much to laugh, cry, scream, and talk about. I especially want to thank KDS and my fellow “tu fei” (bandits) because I can always find something funny there.
Thank you,
Fauna & chinaSMACK
P.S. – Also, thank you to my friends who help me revise and improve the English in this post and many other posts.
Read Emails I Have Received »
See chinaSMACK’s Traffic Statistics »
Related Posts:
- Announcement notice that chinaSMACK will be changing hosting service and moving this Sunday, 2009 March 8. The move should be complete by Monday, 2009 March 10. » 3 comments
- South China Morning Post becomes a sponsoring advertiser on chinaSMACK.com. Also, chance to win a free chinaSMACK T-shirt by answering why you visit chinaSMACK. » 33 comments
- chinaSMACK and Fauna thanks everyone who has supported us and helped us grow over the past few months. » 17 comments
Important Notice: chinaSMACK Is Moving This Sunday 
SCMP.com & Free chinaSMACK T-Shirt Contest 
2008 Thanksgiving: Thank You & Vote For Us! 
It’s pretty interesting, seeing all those crazy tianya content and nationalistic thrashtalking being translated for the world to read.
For those of us not interested enough to read Tianya etc this website is a haven of everything interesting/amusing.
2000 uniques per day is not at all bad work. Really really good in fact over just 3 months for a blog.
If you can provide a paypal link, I will be really pleased to donate $10 for this website.
Thanks for this nice website and congratulate for this great success. 2000 views is really a good value for such a young project.
Despite the fact that I am living in China and I am able to speak elementary English, I still enjoy to read your block. Thanks for the additional information!
I really want to support you but 25 US Dollar is a big amount for somebody living in China. I would never spent so much money to purchase a T-Shirt.
Maybe you can find another way how to support you. A paypal link would be a nice idea.
I’d love to get a shirt…… but I’d prefer the design with out the Jiong Character…. just chinaSMACk “Hot internet stories, pictures, & videos in China. What’s popular, scandalous, or shocking that have the Chinese talking.”
your tag line might be a bit long……. but something kind of design like that would be cool.
Look forward to buying one of your t-shirts at CNBloggerCon!
Nice shirt . . . but I don’t know if I can pull off pink on black without looking gay. And catching the eyes of female Chinese overseas students is 90% of the reason I’d wear the shirt anyway.
I will sponsor you to CNBloggerCon in return for some “fashion consulting” from you for my blog. I feel so unfashionable compared to ChinaSMACK! ;) Just emailed you…
This site has been a daily staple ever since my first visit. Just like to thank you for all the great work you’ve put in. No way any other blog/site would have covered as many of the topics you posted and this is one of the few windows which allow me to see into the minds of the Chinese netizens.
Keep up the good work Fauna I’m definietely eyeing one of them shirts =]
Great site. And like others have said – set up a paypal account.
I would like to commend you for the runaway success on your pilot blog (Chinasmack). That being said, this blog is reminiscent to talktalkchina, sinocidal, but what distinguishes this from the formers is the translations of the responses of the average Chinese people (Tianya, sina et al). This puts a leveled playing field for certain ‘debates’ along with bridges the gap of understanding between Western readers of this blog vis-a-vis Eastern readers. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy reading each interesting posts as it brings vivid evidence the mistakes China is encountering (due to haste development) but is changing for the better due to them. As a Huaqiao and someone who went to the States at the age of three, China is my motherland and constructive criticism aside I wish the best for the country where my roots are.
Thank you for operating such a great blog!
Hey Fauna, Thanks so much for this website. It is fantastic. As for being able to write normal English instead of translated English, you’re there! Good luck in the future and congrats on your 3 month anniversary.
Best of luck, this is a great website.
good to know
you’are the best
a great site and very interesting selection. thank you.
look forward to your T-shirt, though i am really a non-fan of american apparel — against free market with a bad business model (may work in US but i predict its china outlets to be closed very soon)
+u
and ur T-shirts look nice
On a funny note, how come that word on the T-Shirt reminds me of the scream mask somewhat lol.
hi, nice blog.
I am a Singaporean and I find your blog content very rich. I first came across your blog from Stumble Upon and from then on i have fall in love with it. Chinasmack is the first China blog I have Feed in my Google Reader.
Keep up the good work!!
Nice work! Even though i’m a new comer. but i like it so much! keep going on!
I love it too, my Chinese friends are dumbfounded when I touch on these subjects!!!!
Just want to say.. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you and good luck with the next 3 months and thereafter
Hey, just writing to say thanks so much for this blog. I read many China-Blogs, but am always most interested in ChinaSMACK, because it’s rare to see day-to-day opinions from Chinese people written in (or rather, translated into) English.
I know all that translation can be extremely time consuming, so I sincerely want to say thanks to you and all your contributors. Please keep this up! It’s wonderful!
Finally, I’d like to echo what other people said about PayPal. I think you’d be surprised at how many donations you’d receive.
Hi everyone,
Thank you for the support. As I have emailed some people about donating money with paypal, I am still thinking about it. I would rather earn money somehow instead of accept free money. That is why I try to make the t-shirt but I know it is not everyone will want one. I will think about it more. Thank you again.
LoL, wow, I go on vacation (actually, to everyone I know, I was just really really busy working), and all this madness happens.
@ Fauna:
Congratulations to chinaSMACK. This has definitely been one of my favorite blogs and RSS feeds for some time now and it is a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of the more politically-oriented posts on other big English-language China blogs. Fauna, not sure how much of this post was polished by your friend but I think your English is already exceptional for someone who has never been outside of China and you should be proud of it. The translations you and your contributors provide are great and they certainly help reveal the very human face of the Chinese. I still get a kick at how the posts here can range from being sexually immature, violent, outrageous, to even inspirational and touching. But that’s society, right? I love it. Keep up the good work.
BTW, the t-shirt looks great. I think it is admirable you want to earn your way but don’t be afraid to accept a helping hand sometimes. I don’t know how much you make (if you work) but I know all these translations must take forever and a day to do so I think you’ve already “earned” any donations you (hopefully) would get.
@ John Kennedy:
My favorite GVO blogger rears his head! Actually, I doubt these t-shirts are going to be sold at CnBloggerCon unless a) RedBubble has a booth there, or b) Fauna buys a bunch, carries them to Guangzhou, and hawks them there. 1. I don’t think Fauna has the money to do that, and 2. I’d probably feel really really heart-wrenchingly bad watching Fauna having to do something like that.
@ Henry:
LoL! Dude, that’s brilliant. Unfortunately, not so applicable for me…but, you know, I wonder if it’d work with non-Asian girls also…
Hot Non-Asian Girl – “Hey, that’s funny, what is it?”
Guy w/ Jiong T-Shirt – “Well, see, there’s this Chinese character called…”
Hot Non-Asian Girl – “Oh wow, you’re so international, want my number?”
Yay Fauna! I love chinaSMACK very much! I agree with Kai–your English is really superb for someone who’s mother tongue isn’t English.
I would love to have the Jiong shirt which is really cute and funny. But USD 25 for them is a bit expensive. (Am a citizen of a 3rd world~~ :P)
@Henry RE: “looking gay”
You would be surprised how much difficulty many Chinese women seem to have in identifying straight/gay guys. Their gaydar is definitely far less evolved the average foreign woman – what looks gay they would probably think just means you’re fashionable and cool (cough) rather than fruity and love to play bottom. Hanging around China for a long time, I have noticed a lot of really, really attractive women with an obviously gay guy and can only shake my head “Such a waste…”.
@Kai RE: “so international”
Hard to identify but, I hope you’re just joking, I don’t imagine any relatively attractive woman saying that…ever :D
@Fauna
As some have pointed out, this blog is likely tallying up the same type who frequented Talk Talk and Sinocidal before they shut their doors. There aren’t many good places for a mix of Chinese and Foreign to discuss issues together, and this has become one – most of the posters are relatively passionate in their opinions and that creates an interesting place to discuss and share thoughts…and you get credit for facilitating all of this. Thanks.
Dear Fauna,
Congratulations ! I became a regular visitor of your blog – at least once a day. I think I became addicted.
Be sure that you don’t give a bad image of China : you give a very vivid and diverse image of your country. You do much more and much better for the image of China in the outside world than CCTV international or CRI!
Go ahead. I hope to be able to see you at the blogger summit in GZ in November…
I agree, the $25 bucks is a bit steep for anyone accustomed to the prices in China. That’s what, 167 RMB? I won’t lie, I’ve seen plenty of t-shirts at that price here, with the nice labels being even more expensive, but that’s a lot when you think you can feed yourself on the streets for about 10 kuai a meal. Then again, that’s also like only 2-3 drinks at a decent nightclub/bar here in Shanghai.
So, this goes back to the whole problem of people wanting things for cheap but sometimes feeling morally reprehensible when they’re made by piecemeal labor, sometimes even child labor, in developing countries. No doubt both American Apparel and RedBubble are getting a cut (I checked, their base price is $19.95 per shirt) but I guess that’s the price for custom t-shirts on demand, and for American Apparel to pay their immigrant labor wages well above minimum wage (while taking sexy pictures of them).
Problem is, I reckon Fauna doesn’t have the capital to “invest” in a print run of t-shirts made here in China. It’d be cheaper per shirt but Fauna would have to order in bulk…and then pack and ship, all of which is costly, and takes time away from servicing us by being a Chinese-to-English translation minion.
What to do, what to do…
@ Rick in China:
LoL, yeah, that was a joke…but hey, one can dream, right? ;)
Love the website. keep it coming. Some of this stuff is too much for me though. Stuff I don’t really want to see and care about. But the real life of China in this website is undeniable and quite fascinating. The translation and photos help so much. This is China in English… raw and unedited.
Be careful and keep them coming. Love the t-shirts too!
hey, i love this website and check it often. I’d definitely get a shirt but it’s just a bit pricey even if though i live in the US. If you set up a paypal account, I would be happy to donate a couple of dollars.
Congratulations and looking forward to meeting you at cnbloggercon, happy to know Elliot would like to sponsor you. :)
For Tee, RedBubble might be more targeted to ppl live in the US, you can also try some local customized Tee sites to sell it in China.
i feel honoured to see a receipt from an email i sent you ;)
as i said, your blog is really great and helps to overcome the language barrier a lot!
some kind of feature request: i think it would be amazing if you provided a link to the original comment in the box with the translated comment so it would be possible to see the chinese and the english version of it. people like me, trying to learn chinese, would be able to learn in a very colloquial way, nothing you will ever see in textbooks.
i think your english is very good and i would be quite happy if my chinese was like that.
keep up the good work!
Hi,
Guess all the posts above say it all.
Keep up the good work.
Will get a few shirts!
I had no idea you’re Chinese. Your English is perfect. This website is perfect. I love it! I will order a shirt soon.
Hi everyone,
Thank you for your nice words and many emails. If you would like to make a donation, I will be very thankful and promise to continue doing a good job with chinaSMACK. Please read my update above for a link to donate to chinaSMACK with PayPal.
Hi. You’re doing a very good job on your blog. I am from Singapore and your blog has indeed granted me insights into China. Anyway, I am not certain what you mean by “I admire Chinese people who can write normal English instead of “translated English” and I hope one day I can also be so proficient.”
Are you referring to Han Yu Pin Yin?
In my opinion, I think that your proficiency in the english written form is already quite good. I am not proficient in chinese despite having ten years of basic education on it. Sigh…
i like your website, very interesting read and persepectives, although most of which are translated.. keep up the good work!!
I’ve been visiting this site for about 1 month and it’s been my homepage for just as long. I haven’t found anything like this, most other China blogs are just about travels or language. I must agree with other comments here that the best thing about your posts (apart from the topics you choose) is the fact that you include comments from Chinese bulletin boards.
For now, I guess, Fauna is enjoying quite a support from donations already. :)
Collect money then possibly see about looking for business partners.
Woah! From blogger to businesswoman! Way to go, Fauna!
shao Hua;
Get a paypal link. I think this is the way to go. Many people (like me) can not afford $25.00 T-Shirt, but would be more tah willing to donate small amounts $5.00 to $10.00, now and then when we can afford it. Your blog has enrich me a lot. I would not say that it has given me pleasure, as this would be an insult to the desparately poor in financial, but rich in spirit and determination of the people in your reports.
Congratulations on 3 months of blogging!
I think that you’ve created an important resource here at ChinaSmack. International interest in China is probably sharper now than at any point since 1989 (or maybe ‘97). Your site does a great job of pointing out that between the People’s Daily and CNN are the voices of ordinary Chinese people. People who are as smart and as stupid, as prejudiced and as compassionate as anybody else.
A lot of reporting in the West this Olympic year has portrayed China’s citizens as either a nation of cowed automatons, or a handful of courageous activists. ChinaSmack goes a long way to correcting such simplistic views. Keep it up!
Oh yes, your English is excellent; your T-Shirts are cool.
Yesterday i found your blog just surfing the net and clicking some link here and there.
It is a very interesting and very well done blog.
I am foreigner living in Shanghai and although i have many chinese friends, sometimes it’s hard for me to get/guess their feelings and thoughts.
I can speak a little chinese, but sure not enough to follow chinese forums and blogs ;)
Thank you.
Congratulation guy! I have been following your blog since its early start. Very interesting and impressive content.
I am a Shanghainese living in Shanghai. And I have been a “KDS TF” for many years…
Look forward to finding out an opportunity to talk to you further more regarding all these China Internet Culture, Social Media stuff both you and I are interested in.
hello, i’ve discovered this blog from haohaoreport last month, i think. now i haven’t got any chance to visit the haohaos but still coming back here from time to time.
anyway, i heard some gossips about the prime minister’s attempt to prove safety of china’s milk by drinking it in public which turns into something else when he wash rushed to the hospital for kidney and abdominal pains.
do you the translation for that? i believe it has been roaming the bbs now ;-)
Wow…I think ChinaSMack is fast becoming my favourite blog in China. My mandarin is not that great, so it takes me hours to sift through tianya etc trying to figure out what is hot and what’s not. Quite often I end up reading boring stuff and missing the juicy bits! So I love that you’re making it easier for me to access the vast, messy web of china online.
great site, love it.
anyone get their t’s yet?
Fantastic site – It’s in my hot links. I will send you 10 bucks. Everyone do the same and let’s get him to the conference! Keep it up!
I have been visting the site for 2 months. It is the first time for me to write sth.
Support you LZ.
Thanks for nice blog!
I totally understand the reasons and way you are doing these postings here. Not about politics, business, or some higher destiny, but about, “real everyday life in China”! Thats why I like it.
To see some topics discussed in Chinese BBS:s that are sooo different from my own culture, and on the other hand totally feeling the similarities also in the some posts and their comments that you have translated too! And that is what was your intention with this blog too, so for my own part: I say my deepest thanks to you guys running this site.
I got interestesd in China-topic blogs after two months in Shanghai this year and this is one nice addition to the bunch of others which are mainly:business and politics. So, once more, welcome addition to the blogosphere! :) Thank you!
ps. I like the contemporary Chinese lessons you are throwing in in the extra explanations. Those are great part of the blog too, keep those extra-explanations flowing!
From Finnish reader in Thailand :)