Well almost “A-Team”…and it’s going to demand a standout on-screen performance from Liam Neeson to supplant George Peppard‘s memorable cigar-chomping steely image in our minds as the no-b.s., Wilkinson-sword sharp, always resolute under Katrina-force hurricane pressure, Col. John “Hannibal” Smith. Remember that dude? I certainly do. There I go dating myself again…

Anyways, the following sites are the five hot spots I check in with daily for my regular fill of Chinese blogging dish.

Thanks to the magic of global time zones coupled with the fact that the People’s Republic is well into early afternoon by the time I hunker down at the desk, mornings here in the Sketch Republic are usually flush with RSS content treasure as I kick off my daily grind at the warren. That means, I’ve got a heap of catching up to do within as short a stretch as possible, and believe me, every day it’s a delectable challenge.

Reading posts at these sites makes blogging all the more worthwhile. So come with me and learn why the following five are the gold standard of the English-language Chinese blogosphere.

Note: the following aren’t organized according to any sort of preference list. I just get to them when I get to ‘em. If the authors don’t post something on a given day, I of course have substitutes. I subscribe to other chewy, edible, and sustaining second-tier replacements, but these aren’t nearly as innovative or entertaining as the A-Team.

China Law Blog, presented (mostly) by Dan Harris & Steve Dickinson:

Through the magic known as the blogroll, I’ve been a dedicated reader of Dan’s China Law Blog (CLB) dish since I-don’t-know-when – let’s agree that it’s been ever since I got interested in all things “oriental.” One fine day I clicked a  link breadcrumb another one of those prolific “China bloggers” was kind enough to leave behind in their entry and – voila! – there I was. China Law Blog. Simple name. Tells everything about this haven of online real estate without additional brain cycles. Try doing that sometime, bloggers.

What’s really handy about Dan’s (and Steve’s, sorry) stuff is that he writes it in a way Everycat can enjoy. You don’t need to be a legal junkie (or even a AAA paralegal) to kvell over his his free-flowing paragraphs, even though it’s heavily salted with legal tips and tricks for how to win at the China business racket game. Read a CLB post and you suddenly want to take out a second mortgage on your house and invest in China. I don’t know why…

At CLB, Dan and Steve follow the battle plan to the letter: they fire the blogger’s equivalent of an M-16 rifle at precisely the right target: center body mass. They rarely soar over readers’ noggins, even though most of CLB’s fans are money-earning experienced legal practitioners (I can’t say the same about some of their commenters, though). They strike you smack in the solar plexus with ready-to-eat usable information. ‘Nuff said.

Entries score high marks (from me, at least) for instant utility, and the recommendations Dan humbly suggests in his posts are the sort which can be implemented immediately. Don’t even try tallying the billable hours in free consulting you’re saving, aspiring China entrepreneurs out there! Let’s just say you’re saving yourself a whole lotta RMB by heeding Dan and Steve’s daily advice!

But I warn you, CLB posts are usually heavily commented-upon: you risk blowing hours in CLB’s archive as you cover the engaging repartee of CLB’s loyal readership. I know I certainly have.

Silicon Hutong, written by David Wolf:

What’s a hutong, you ask?

Well, a hutong is a unique to Beijing residential phenomenon. Though if I must distill it to a single idea, it’s basically a close-knit alleyway community where neighbors hang out to discuss the latest national news, gossip, and happenings. It’s also a nifty spot to buy a cheap, though scrumptious, bowl of hot noodles and while away the time as the locals amble by. A perfect place for contemplation, and, well…blogging.

As a long-time China enthusiast and fan – David eschews the term “Old China Hand,” so I kindly respect his request – Wolf is someone who has his middle digit firmly on the throbbing pulse of the Chinese marketing and PR scenes. Grab a listen here as he chats about his Chinese professional odyssey with The China Business Network’s Christine Lu.

I make it a point to keep close tabs on the goings-on at Silicon Hutong because David does a mean job of issue analysis, slicing clear through the fat and noise to render convincingly clear opinions long after the thing has passed through the spin cycle. He’s also a maven with lingo, peppering his posts with a pinch of jargon here and a dash of pop culture references there, making the more complex, or bland, items eminently more edible. I’ll usually find myself cracking a smile over my Dell wondering: “Now why can’t I write like that…?”

History Fridays (or at least the late, great History Fridays!) are particularly sage, and a place where I pick up most of my new book reads.

Imagethief, served up by William Moss:

Loosely connected to Silicon Hutong, at least in spirit if not in deed, William Moss’ long-time China marketing/PR blog, Imagethief, ranks as the most entertaining professional-caliber blog I’ve read on just about any topic, not just China.

Moss really knows how to scribble, folks. He’s a Shaolin sifu with the English language chops to match. Moss bends words, whipping them senselessly like the huevos rancheros they are, conjuring up new lexical permutations which always catch you completely unawares. Before you know it, you’re ROTFL-ing uncontrollably. I know I always do.

I present Exhibit A, the very first paragraph from imagethief’s March 16, 2010 chronicle of Will’s recent business trip to Honolulu (via Osaka):

So here’s how it goes. Someone inconveniently dies on your airplane just as it is about to take off. You experience an odd mix of feelings. On the one hand, you sympathize with the family and feel bad for their tragic loss in the least dignified of circumstances. No one should have to die in the economy class of a non-moving airplane. On the other hand, you think to yourself, man, is my connection screwed. You are a bad person and will burn in hell.

See what I’m talking about?

Catch the rest of the post but just ensure there’s nothing in your yob so you don’t go projectile giggling something at the couple sitting the next table over. The above paragraph is part of a duo of posts you won’t want to miss, if only because you desperately need some Patch Adams’-like giggle therapy.

Through the thick icing which is Will’s unique brand of humor, Moss, like David Wolf, drills down deeply to the core of the matter in question, duly imparting a lesson. It’s no secret why imagethief’s creator is often feted, wined, and dined – not to mention how he teefs all of those business-class frequent flier miles – by clients and conference organizers the world over for his unique perspective on the events affecting our time.

china/divide, brought to you by Kai Pan, Stan Abrams, and Charles Custer:

This is one of the newest blogs on the hutong block, but if early days are anything to go by, china/divide is set to become the spot to while away your online hours as you zero in on the cutting-edge issues of our age.

I admit to not reading much of Custer’s stuff, but if the art that Kai and Stan have been shipping recently is anything to go by, Custer has huge moccasins to fill and a heavy testicle sac he’ll need to swing around. Both Stan and Kai are Mega-Brains with a “capital-B,” meticulously annotating their entries with a compendium of facts as they snag various source materials from all around the block. All funny, all the time. All of this then goes into the primordial churn which is the roiling china/divide puree. By the time everyone’s done, the stallion is not only long-since dead; you can’t even recognize the thing!

For some scintillating analysis of the recent Sino-Google melee, have a read of Stan’s latest post, and then read its comments section. If you’re anything like me, prepare to wonder what other brainy substances – besides the obvious – go into that instant Chinese-bought Nescafe Stan’s guzzling to constantly propel him forward.

As for me, I seriously chose the wrong profession; I should have become a lawyer.

china/divide, from the outset, has enjoyed a very regular following. Read it for one week, and you’ll be permanently hooked.

Asia Health Care Blog, injected into you by Damjan DeNoble and James Flanagan:

Asia Health Care Blog (AHCB) has truly lived up to its once-humble origins. Perhaps a small anecdote would suffice before launching headlong into why AHCB is soaring into the stratosphere at supersonic speed.

Story goes that DeNoble met Flanagan back in Beijing while Damjan was still slinging pizza pies and lager steins at the city’s popular Kro’s Nest, a bi-level bistro that serves Beijing’s 2nd-best crispy pizzas and beer (and a place I had the good fortune to spend several hours with James when I was last in Beijing). The two of them met, sat down, and realized the both of them were deeply interested in China health care issues. They observed the astonishingly glaring vacuum of online information about the surging Chinese health care sector and decided – on the spot — to start blogging about it. Hence AHCB was conceived, gestated, and born all on the same evening, an Immaculate Conception that’s delivered the duo no uncertain internet celebrity.

Rumor also has it that AHCB’s “long march” — from how it began, to how it appears today — is the premise of Damjan’s future novel. And if sneak previews – which have since, and smartly, been pulled down from the main AHCB site – are anything to go by, expect a small press page-turner.

What I respect most about AHCB is how fastidious the both of them – like china/divide — are with their source materials. They coax stuff in from practically all corners to bolster the topic under discussion, whether it’s:

• the perplexing Chinese penchant for abortions and C-sections.
• medical malpractice in the Chinese hospital system, or
• the rampant graft which hampers and devastates the chronically-underfunded PRC health sector, more generally.

Their writing is long-form newsy and the intelligence which imbues the various pieces shines through clearly.

Do you subscribe to these? If not, all I ask is that you follow them for just a week and then see how you feel. I suspect after seven days we’ll find ourselves with similar-looking RSS readers.

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