Shanghai Schools’ Approach Pushes Students to Top of Tests

Discipline helps explain why the city’s students outperformed those from about 65 other countries.

Revolution Isn’t a Party, but It Draws Tourists

Tourist attractions in Yan’an try to evoke the glory days of the Chinese Communist Party, and are profiting handsomely from “red tourism.”

STAYING POWER: Mao and the Maoists

Three new books — Patrick Wright’s “Passport to Peking” (Oxford; $34.95), Frank Dikötter’s “Mao’s Great Famine” (Walker & Co.; $30), and Timothy Cheek’s anthology “A Critical Introduction to Mao” (Cambridge; $27.99) — attest to the difficulty of definitively fixing Mao’s image, a project that amounts to writing a history of China’s present.

Finding the Facts About Mao’s Victims

Ian Johnson speaks with Yang Jisheng, author of Tombstone (Mubei), a groundbreaking new book on the Great Famine (1958–1961), which, though imprecisely known in the West, ranks as one of worst human disasters in history.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao begins Pakistan visit

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has arrived in Pakistan at the start of a three-day visit to boost trade and investment.

In India, Chinese Leader Pushes Trade

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China and Indian officials set ambitious economic targets, but made little progress on tough geopolitical differences.

As China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows

Some economists worry that inflation, government debt and asset bubbles could stall China next year.

Puppet Masters Try to Bring Art Out of the Shadows

Feeling spurned, the owners and curators of a Beijing shadow puppet museum want to take their collection to the United States.

Winner’s Chair Remains Empty at Nobel Event

Over China’s loud objections, the Nobel Committee honored the imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo in his absence.

19 Countries to Skip Nobel Ceremony, While China Offers Its Own Prize

The number of countries declining to attend the Nobel ceremony on Friday has tripled; China schedules its own prize for Thursday.

Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators

Shanghai students outscored counterparts in dozens of other countries in China’s debut in global standardized testing.