Richard.H’s Blog

Deborah just informed me that the programme is online now. Click here, follow the link shows above and you will see it.

This is the second time I am contacted by BBC. Last time was when the typhoon attacked Shantou and a journalist find me through MyShantou.net. But this time is about the Chinese New Year.

The BBC world service is having a discussion on Chinese New Year in “Have you say” programme on Sunday 18 February at 14:00 GMT. I was originally invited to have a live chat about my hope for the new year. But later I told that I can record myself online and send the video over, which I can be in vision as well. Interesting!

Also, Will Hutton, who just published his book “The Writing on the Wall: China and the West in the 21st Century” will be the guest speaker on the day. It will be interesting to hear his opinion about what will bring China in 2007.

You can see the programme online I think. The link can be found on their page. Deborah Hawkes, who contacted me for this interview, is encouraging you to take part in the programme as well, you can do so by phone and email the following number and address. Or you can send your video with a short message as well.

BBC HAVE YOU SAY:
Phone: +44 20 8749 5353
(lines open 12:00GMT on Sundays)
E-mail: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

SMS: +44 7624 800 100
MMS: +44 7725 100 100

I think my blog is mentioned by one BBC journalist blogger, because when I checked my traffic stat. today there were 21 visitors come from a link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/ these two days.

It’s a password projected page but I can tell this is a blog by the link address. So I am wondering does BBC have their internal communication network, like blogs or forums. The answer is yes, and here is an article about their internal network communication, sounds very efficient.

I am wondering what did that blogger write about my blog though, but guess must be something to do with the last post.

When I checked my email just now I found an email titled “Interview request from BBC, TODAY”. It’s from a BBC journalist who wants to know the situation about the biggest typhoon in my hometown Shantou now. I have been receiving text messages from Shantou’s local network company about the latest update on this typhoon in my Chinese mobile, it sounds very serious. But because Maggie is the one in Shantou now, I emailed them her number and maybe they will call her later.

What surprised me was that they found my email from my other blog myshantou.net (intro). I read an article about how blogs gradually becoming the sources of traditional news agent, and now I indeed experienced. This happened to another famous Chinese blogger Wangjianshuo before, and I think one of the reasons his blog became popular was he kept blogging latest news in Shanghai when China was attacked by SARS in 2003. His blog was even quoted by some major media outside China.

Regarding the typhoon in Shantou now, I just called my family and they said it’s gone already, the weather is sunny. However it was indeed very strong a few hours ago and they could experience it’s the strongest one in recent years. Some old streets are flooded by water which up to knees, and my dad had to go to his company to make sure all products and signs were well protected from beening blew away. I wrote about typhoon before when I was in Shantou last summer. Since Shantou is a costal city, every year there are at least a few typhoons will hit the city in summer and badly influences agricultures and many aspects of life there. It’s only May now and already came just a big one, I am worrying about how many more are going to come in this summer. Global warming is scary, check out this video.

::: Update :::
Maggie wrote about this typhoon in myshantou.net already, here is the link.