China’s pasty-faced warriors and wizards may soon be headed back to their indoor lairs.
Chinese Internet company Netease received approval Tuesday from the Ministry of Culture to offer the World of Warcraft online role-playing game, according to portal Techweb. The Chinese government agency’s Web site showed the game had passed its content examination.
World of Warcraft will still need an approval from another regulator, the General Administration of Press and Publication, or GAPP, before it can be relaunched. Analysts said that it’s very likely the game will be relaunched in late August or early September.
In April, World of Warcraft’s owner, Activision Blizzard of the U.S., picked Netease to replace a company called The9 in running the game in mainland China. NetEase and Activision Blizzard jointly issued a public letter stating that the first batch of game servers will be opened in late June.
But the game has been unavailable in China since June 7 as its operators awaited regulatory approval. That has led to grumblings among fans of a game that — as anyone who has stepped foot in an Internet café in China can tell you — borders on an obsession.
Thursday 23 July 2009
Thursday 16 July 2009
Stories from Ancient China: Humbled by the Great Ocean
Ancient Chinese placed great importance on the Yellow River, considering it to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. Farmers used its waters to irrigate their rice paddies. That is why they called this river “The River of God” or the “Heavenly River.”
According to legend, one fall season overabundant rainfall made all rivers run quite high. Many spilled over their banks into the Yellow River, which became ever broader, deeper and mightier. The Yellow River God was overjoyed and became cocky, imagining himself to be the mightiest body of water under heaven.
Traveling downriver, he came to the North China Sea. He looked east, but could not see the shoreline. From that moment on the River God was humbled and uttered to the God of the North China Sea, “I was boastful and overbearing, thinking I am greater than all others. Now I have seen the ocean’s might and recognize my smugness. Had I not traveled here, I would have remained unaware.”
Nevertheless, the North China Sea God remained unassuming and replied, “Between heaven and earth I am a mere small space between huge land masses. All the seven oceans taken together are nothing more than a grain of dust in the universe. I am far from being mighty.”
This story is the source for the Chinese adage, “Humbled before the great ocean,” which indicates that a person has discovered his limitations and is content with them.
According to legend, one fall season overabundant rainfall made all rivers run quite high. Many spilled over their banks into the Yellow River, which became ever broader, deeper and mightier. The Yellow River God was overjoyed and became cocky, imagining himself to be the mightiest body of water under heaven.
Traveling downriver, he came to the North China Sea. He looked east, but could not see the shoreline. From that moment on the River God was humbled and uttered to the God of the North China Sea, “I was boastful and overbearing, thinking I am greater than all others. Now I have seen the ocean’s might and recognize my smugness. Had I not traveled here, I would have remained unaware.”
Nevertheless, the North China Sea God remained unassuming and replied, “Between heaven and earth I am a mere small space between huge land masses. All the seven oceans taken together are nothing more than a grain of dust in the universe. I am far from being mighty.”
This story is the source for the Chinese adage, “Humbled before the great ocean,” which indicates that a person has discovered his limitations and is content with them.
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