Free Republic

The biggest stories of the age...but everyone missed them? How’s that possible? Tofu dregs projects are now collapsing throughout China. From fine homes to skyscrapers, bridges, and malls, many, many thousands of these structures are so shoddy that they fall apart soon after they are constructed. Imagine that plastic rods are substituted for rebar. Plaster and sand are substituted for concrete. Five years ago, China was counted as the next superpower. Now it’s engaged in massive self-destruction. Here they are in 2025, real estate and financing have collapsed; even menial jobs are hard to find. The country is broke because...

China’s homegrown passenger jet, the COMAC C919, was supposed to be a national triumph—a gleaming symbol of independence from Boeing and Airbus. But as the world looks on, one thing is becoming clear: this aircraft might just be the aviation equivalent of tofu dreg architecture. It looks smooth on the outside, sounds patriotic in the press release, and gives passengers a front-row seat to a grand experiment in airborne state-sponsored optimism...

The steel scandal behind the collapse of Thailand’s State Audit Office (SAO) building has deepened after fresh test results revealed another failure by Chinese manufacturer Xin Ke Yuan Steel — marking the second time its materials have failed to meet Thai industrial standards. Yesterday, April 23, Industry Minister Akanat Promphan confirmed the findings, citing results from the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand (ISIT). The substandard steel sample was taken from the collapsed SAO building on April 11 and subjected to rigorous testing. “The Chinese company’s SD40T 20-millimetre steel bar failed the mass-per-metre test, consistent with the previous results,” said...

Chinese bosses have apologised after a hiker found a secret waterpipe which fuels the country’s tallest waterfall. A video shows a water main attached to the top of Yuntai Mountain Waterfall - China's tallest uninterrupted waterfall.