The Week June 18, 2010

Yawn!

Summer is here, but school is still in session until July for most Chinese kids. It's hard not to yawn when you see schoolboys like this one who just can't seem to stay awake in class. He's become a big hit this month among Internet fans who have dubbed him the “pretend awake brother.” Doesn't it remind you of some of your co-workers at boring office meetings? Let's give him an A for an amazing effort to pay attention.

The Karate Kid in China

Of course, it would be hard to fall asleep with Chinese superstar Jackie Chan as your teacher. He and American superstar Will Smith's son, 12-year-old Jaden Smith, were in Beijing this week for the local premier of their new hit movie, “The Karate Kid,” which was filmed in Beijing.

Check out the moves of these two, whose movie, which featured more than 560 Chinese crew members, already opened at No 1 at the box office in the US last week.

What Jackie Chan also brought to Beijing was a great new tourist attraction for his fans worldwide.

All wet in China

Choosing a new movie might just be a fun way to stay dry in this rainy month of June in China. Otherwise, don't leave home without your umbrella. They're no Karate Kids, but there is a new kind of super hero out on rainy streets around the world, with umbrellas instead of martial arts moves to help keep people dry.

Are there umbrella heroes right here in Beijing, too? The Week investigates …

More World Cup craziness

They're driving some fans crazy. But other fans in China and around the world love the noisy plastic horns called Vuvuzelas, the unofficial noisemaker of the 2010 South Africa World Cup. According to National Business Daily, 90 percent of the Vuvuzelas now making noise at the World Cup were made by plastic factories in South China. Earlier this week, South African officials rejected calls by some complainers to ban the noisy trumpets.

Certainly, you can hear them here in Beijing.

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About the broadcaster:

Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant. She came to China from the United States.