Japan hotel chain compromises on right-wing books

Fly direct to Hangzhou from the U.S. for as little as $493

Celebrate the Year of the Rooster with United Airlines on the only nonstop flights to Hangzhou from the U.S. Purchase by February 1, travel throughout most of the year. Fares start at $493 roundtrip. Visit United.com for details and booking.

• APA pledges to remove right-wing books after threat of China boycott / Xinhua
  On January 15, two guests staying at an APA chain hotel in Japan uploaded a video on Weibo showing books placed in hotel rooms that deny the Nanjing Massacre. The video went viral on Chinese social media, with many netizens demanding a boycott of the hotel chain. APA’s CEO refused to apologize and remove the books, after which the Chinese government ordered domestic travel agencies and websites to avoid the hotel chain. APA agreed Wednesday to remove the books from rooms of its hotel designated for athletes of the 8th Asian Winter Games in Sapporo. This was not enough for most Chinese online commentators: typical comments are “What about other rooms?” and “Too late. I will boycott it forever.” You can find much of the discussion (in Chinese) here.

• There have been Chinese Australians since 1818, but have we ever (truly) belonged? / BuzzFeed
• Will China go gaga for ‘La La Land’? / WSJ (paywall)
• Chinese fans are slow to warm up to ice hockey / NPR
• China’s massive Lunar New Year travel rush: Where are they going and how? / SCMP
• Xiamen completes world’s longest ‘cycling skyway’ / Shanghaiist