In the face of the Wuhan virus, Hubei officials are being called out for their poor handling of the situation. The latest press conference did not put Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang and Hubei governor Wang Xiaodong in a good light. Instead, it sparked off even greater internet wrath over the officials’ ineptitude. Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu examines the reasons for public anger.

Wuhan is now a quarantine zone with a death toll in China of 17 and more than 570 infected. Cases have also been surfacing elsewhere such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the US. In light of such rapid escalation, Yang Danxu questions why it has taken this long for the Chinese authorities to step up their crisis efforts.

The recent outbreak of a mystery pneumonia in Wuhan brings back memories of the 2003 SARS epidemic. How are the Chinese authorities responding differently this time, and are people sufficiently reassured?

Shanghai correspondent Yang Danxu observes that domestic consumption in China is getting a second wind from “first store” openings and a “China cool” wave led by time-honoured brands that have found the sweet spot between the old and new.

Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu talked to a Shanghai Didi driver whose family made nearly 20 million RMB (close to S$4 million) from the government's relocation exercises. His old properties measured just 35 square metres in total. What a way to get rich! But what are the problems that lie beneath the surface?

China's Amity Printing Co. (APC) produces an average of 70 Bibles per minute. This month, Jiangsu-based APC celebrates the printing of its 200 millionth Bible. Yang Danxu observes that its monopoly over the Bible economy helps to ensure that Christianity in China adapts to the context in China, as desired by the Chinese government.

The two most important award ceremonies of the Chinese film industry- the Golden Rooster Awards and the Golden Horse Awards- were held on the same day this past weekend, in Xiamen and Taipei respectively. Yang Danxu gives her take on each show and how little signs and symbols in each mirror the one-upmanship in cross-strait relations.

Why relying on domestic consumption to sustain China’s economy is putting one’s eggs all in one (wrong) basket.

In September this year, the Hangzhou municipal government started sending government officers to be attached to some private companies, sparking discussion and speculation over the motive behind such a move. What are these private companies concerned about, and are these concerns valid?