An Online Scandal Underscores Chinese Distrust of State Charities

China’s insistence on controlling charity work has created suspicion that donations could end up going to a corrupt organization.

Confucius Statue Vanishes Near Tiananmen Square

A 31-foot bronze statue of the ancient Chinese sage was removed under cover of darkness, four months after it was unveiled.

China Curbs Fancy Tombs That Irk Poor

Some local governments would like those who succeed not to lord it over others, at least when it comes to paying final respects.

Opinion: Dangerous Arts

Salman Rushdie argues that governments of the free world must make sure artists, like Ai Weiwei, who courageously stand up against authoritarianism are safe.

Study Emphasizes Importance of China’s Transition to Electric Cars

With China’s oil consumption expected to rise to 11.6 million barrels per day by 2020, from 7.6 million in 2007, electric vehicles are taking on an increased importance.

Call for Protests in China Draws More Police than Protesters

A call for protests in 23 Chinese cities Sunday resulted in a tiny turnout but an enormous police presence and clashes with foreign journalists.

Where Are the Chinese Cars?

Despite their repeated promises, Chinese automakers haven’t begun to make a dent in the car market in the United States.

Chinese Man Who Bragged of Privilege Gets Six Years

A court sentenced a man for six years in a drunken-driving case that had drawn public outrage in China.

Wary of Egypt Unrest, China Censors Web

Two of the nation’s biggest online portals blocked keyword searches of the word “Egypt,” and the use of the word has also been blocked on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

China Might Force Visits to Mom and Dad

Under a proposal from the Civil Affairs Ministry, adult children would be required by law to regularly visit their elderly parents. If they do not, parents can sue them.

A U.S.-China Odyssey: Building a Better Mouse Map

The geneticist Xu Tian splits his time between Yale and China to pursue the key to what makes a mouse tick, gene by gene, and its implications for humans.

China Leader Encourages Criticism of Government

The Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao appeared at the nation’s top petition bureau in Beijing, where ordinary people go to file grievances.

For Chinese Leader’s Visit, U.S. to Take a Bolder Tack

Officials say President Obama will take an assertive stance as he greets his biggest global economic rival on Tuesday.

China Leader’s Limits Come Into Focus as U.S. Visit Nears

President Hu Jintao is preparing to visit to defuse tensions with the United States, but he might not be able to keep relations from growing worse.

Test of Stealth Fighter Clouds Gates Visit to China

A jet test was conducted only hours before Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with President Hu Jintao.

China Netizens React: Giffords Shooting

The point-blank shooting of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others has attracted substantial attention in China, where strict gun control laws make such attacks almost unimaginable.

Chinese stealth fighter revealed

Photos have appeared online showcasing China’s newest military toy: a prototype of a stealth fighter. The plane, China’s first stealth fighter, may prove that China’s military aviation programs may be advancing quicker than expected.

Wood from China

The World’s Mary Kay Magistad reports that most of the wood products imported into the US come from China. And one fourth of that wood is from illegally cut timber.

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.