Weekly Rewind: A Stolen iPhone 'Bromance,' the Sea Women of South Korea, and Dhaka's Transgender Crime Fighter
Buzzfeed writer Matt Stopera (right) with "Brother Orange," the Chinese restaurant owner who ended up with his stolen phone. (Qingqing Chen/BuzzFeed)
Welcome to Asia Society’s Weekly Rewind, featuring some of the best writing and multimedia you may have missed. This week:
Stories
I Followed My Stolen iPhone Across The World, Became A Celebrity In China, And Found A Friend For Life
Matt Stopera | Buzzfeed
Read the charming story of Buzzfeed writer Matt Stopera’s trip to track his stolen iPhone in China, where he finds Internet stardom and an unexpected bromance.
The Sea Women of South Korea
Andrea Denhoed | The New Yorker
“For hundreds of years, women in the South Korean island province of Jeju have made their living harvesting seafood by hand from the ocean floor.” Enjoy a photo gallery of Korea’s haenyeo, or “sea women.”
A Transgender Bangladeshi Changes Perceptions After Catching Murder Suspects
Julfikar Ali Manik and Ellen Berry | The New York Times
Meet Labanya Hijra, 21, a transgender woman from Dhaka who has been applauded for helping apprehend two murder suspects earlier this week.
In the Hills of Sri Lanka’s Tea Country
Robert Draper | The New York Times
Follow Robert Draper’s journey across Sri Lanka’s hill country, where he reflects on the nation’s history and tries “some of the finest tea in the world.”
Born Red
Evan Osnos | The New Yorker
How did Xi Jinping become China’s most authoritarian leader since Mao? Evan Osnos profiles the complicated president’s rise to power.
The Best Single Malt Whiskey in the World
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang | NBC News
Taiwan’s Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique has been named the Best Single Malt Whiskey in the world by the World Whiskies Awards. Find out why the judges selected their winner.
Multimedia
Photos: Inside India’s Illegal, Bloody Sand Mining Industry
Jenna Garrett | Wired
Sand is a key ingredient for concrete and a coveted natural resource in India, where a dangerous sand mining industry has emerged. Check out the slideshow, then read Vince Beiser’s in-depth feature.
Overheard This Week
“Brother Orange’s hometown is called Meizhou. It’s in southern China. Most people have never heard of it, even in China. There are 4.5 million people there. That would mean it’s larger than Los Angeles. Go figure. That’s so China.” — Buzzfeed writer Matt Stopera on his recent trip to China [Buzzfeed]
By the Numbers
50 million — The number of smartphone users in Indonesia; the figure is expected to double by 2018 [USA Today]
58,000 — The number of centenarians in Japan, the highest in the world [The Guardian]
46 — The number of countries that applied to become founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) by Tuesday’s deadline [China Daily]
Each week, Asia Blog will feature highlights from Asia-focused feature writing, photography, and multimedia. Do you have recommendations? Please email a link and any related details to [email protected] (we regret that we won’t be able to respond directly to each inquiry).
Opinions expressed on highlighted articles are solely those of the author(s), not of the Asia Society.