Stop press
EVERY so often in this Billingham-on- Yangtze come reminders that head office is watching, and will not let things get out of hand. One day the International Herald Tri- bune does not appear. Apparently it had a picture of a politically incorrect person on its front page. Instead the Liberation Daily urges Shanghainese to learn from the example of Xu Hu. This model of socialist virtue, honoured by President Jiang Zemin himself, is Shanghai's most dedicated plumber, famous for his readiness to repair defective lavatories at all times. A glance down the list of activities for which foreign investment is prohibited tells its own story. After horse-racing, prostitution and Chi- nese medicinal herbs comes journalism. The Chinese are sanguine about these things. Taiwan is pouring money in here, unshaken by the rockets from the main- land. A Taiwanese businessman was heard justifying his investment: 'After all, Shang- hai is the last place they'll bomb.'
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