China Daily, a must read paper is often transparent (the way it turns around the news) but sometimes puzzling.
Over the years it has changed content and of course, this wouldn’t be China, it does not explain why. Here some of the “disappearing acts”
– Years ago we have weekly survey tables on the pollution figures in the major cities. When the figures became worse, they “adjusted” the definitions of good, poor, bad etc. so the charts would look not as somber. I remember seeing cities often with levels of API 400 to 500. I guess having the Olympics coming that was too negative news so the charts completely vanished.
– Before we had TV programs listed. They normally came too late to be of use unless you had express delivery at 5am to read the paper. The details were also sketchy. Poof, gone one day. Of course you could say, the Internet tells you all. Wrong again. Try figuring out the programs online of CCTV9: the webmasters are permanently on holiday (or in government meetings).
– Stock market charts: we never had anything interesting, only the “charts of the day” of the markets in Shanghai, Shenzhen etc. Who wants to know? Meaningless. You’ll never see charts covering 1 week / 1 month / 3 months / 1 year etc. like in SCMP. Probably because it looks too scary.
– Most puzzling – I’m still trying to find the tables – the daily Exchange Rates have gone. Is the government up to something? The website still has a slimmed down currency converter but the former tables were very handy, giving different rates like for US$ and Euro (middle rates, buy / sell etc.). Weird. Any good explanation? I still have some I cut out. Will be a good souvenir to be framed.