Strange but True

Duck fight goose

Beijing may be the experimental capital of China， but Shanghai’s got a secret weapon: Duck Fight Goose. Started in 2009， the band grabbed critics’ attention with their debut “Flow，” a cerebral， frenetic， compelling EP that mixed math rock with warm melodies and fuzzdistorted guitars. With their recently released full-length，“Sports，” DFG shifts from angular experimentalism to a more conventional—if still complex—sound. The band layers swirling instrumentation with catchy beats and textured electronics， to offer a rich， at times psychedelic， array of post-punk dirges. - lIz tung (董怡)

Couple to parent eight newborns

China’s family planning and the onechild policy were not enough to stop one Guangzhou couple from giving birth to eight children. Azcentral. com reports that the couple enlisted the help of two surrogate mothers and fertility drugs in order to have all eight children born within a twomonth span.

The one-child policy applies to less than 36% of China’s population， but many affluent urban couples to whom the ban still applies get around restrictions by paying fines. Couples who are better off than others can have as many children as they like， provided they are prepared to pay the price.

while the feat in itself is impressive， observers have singled out the couple’s disregard for state law (a 2001 law prohibits Chinese medical institutions and personnel from performing gestational-surrogacy services) and the way the incident illustrates the growing wealth gap prevalent throughout the country(the procedure cost the couple US$160，000).

The family has hired 11 nannies to help care for the children.

Sting in the tale

Residents of an apartment complex in Shenzhen recently awoke to find hundreds of scorpions scuttling through their homes. In one case， a frightened home-owner stripped back the bedcovers to find a scorpion crawling on his body. After turning on the bedroom light， he found dozens more clustered about the room.

According to wftv.com， rumor has it that the scorpions， which appeared literally overnight， were dumped on the site in an underhanded attempt by real estate developers to force residents out of their homes. Local homeowners told the media they spotted a man carrying a large bucket of the creepy crawlers and dumping them through open windows.

The developers allegedly want residents to leave so that they can use the property for a more profitable project. Representatives of the real estate firm deny these allegations， claiming that their current deal with the construction company is ironclad， and that there was no need to force evictions.

Record new year for weibo

Gone are the halcyon days when Spring Festival greetings were arranged in couplets and inscribed on sumptuous red paper to be exchanged with family and friends. These days， Weibo is the medium of choice for exchanging New Year messages—at least it is for people who like to be punctual. The service set a new world record for the highest number of messages sent in a single second， with some 32，312 posts dispatched in the first second of the New Year， according to the website Do News. Overall， mobile texts still hold sway， with phone companies reporting over 30 billion messages sent over the holiday period， dwarfing Tencent Weibo’s 10 million. You can’t help wondering， though， just how heartfelt these messages can possibly be， if they’re either sent en masse or shared with thousands of other

users. – davId green (武劍)

Slashing prices

Massive multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) such as world of warcraft are huge in China. Visit any internet cafe and you are bound to see a number of young people gaming. Yet some individuals invest quite a bit more than simply their time. One man has reportedly purchased a virtual sword for US$16，000. MSNBC. com reports that Snail Games， a China-based company， is the producer of Age of wulin， a martial-arts themed MMORPG set in medieval China. Characters explore the virtual world in a way similar to the already very popular world of warcraft.

In addition to the sword， game producers also auctioned various other weapons， which sold for anywhere between US$1，600 and US$2，500. Other items such as pre-paid time cards sold for US$15 and enhancement materials sold for around US$30.

A study released earlier in the year valued the virtual economy for MMORPGs at roughly US$3 billion.

A stitch in time

It may be nearly 100 years later， but modern Beijingers are bound to recognize their hometown in Daniele Varé’s turnof-the-century tale of love， loss and mystery. First published in 1935，“The Maker of Heavenly Trousers” plunges readers into the world of an unnamed foreign bachelor， his mischievous Chinese servants and a lonely girl he takes under his wing. As their relationship deepens， the man battles colorful eccentrics， millionaires and Rasputin’s former mistress for mastery of the girl’s heart， only to find himself defenseless against a powerful Eastern hypnosis that threatens to bring his charmed existence crashing down around his ears. A brand new edition for the Penguin Modern Classics series revitalizes Varé’s timeless novel， and offers Sinophiles the world over a window into the frenzied Peking that spawned the modern city we know today. – d.g.

Crispy durian cake

Like Miracle Whip or EZ Cheeze， durian is a polarizing issue: you either love it or you hate it. Those with a soft spot for the so-called “king of fruit” enjoy its pungent fragrance and creamy texture—while the rest of us gag quietly at its stench of rotting flesh and resemblance to a deformed fetus. Even in largely pro-durian China， the fruit’s popularity has taken something of a hit: in a recent Weibo poll， Chinese respondents voted“crispy durian cake” one of the most revolting foods in the country. According to the durian apologists， the fruit has the same appeal as stinky tofu—it smells bad， but is addictively lip-puckering—while the confection is tender and buttery. Personal taste aside， the durian is valued by nutritionists for its high levels of vitamins， mineral elements and amino acids. Just try not to cook one up when there’s too many people around. – julIng he (何菊玲)

Purposeful pillow fighting

Every year since 2006， hordes of stressed-out Shanghaiers have gathered together to blow off a little steam. How， you ask? By whacking each other with pillows.

\"Nowadays there are many white collar workers and students who are facing huge pressures at work and at school，” said Eleven wang， the event organizer. \"Sometimes we have pressure [put] on us by our bosses， teachers and exams， so today we can go crazy，\" he added.

Reuters reports that participants begin by selecting a pillow and writing the name of a boss or anyone else responsible for ratcheting up their stress. Once all attendees have a pillow， the fighting begins.

\"I really enjoyed the fight，\" said 24-year-old Chen Yi. \"I thought it was pretty meaningful. I’ve just been working so much and never get to break out in a sweat， so it felt really good.\"