Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hubei have detained an investigative journalist known for exposing official corruption on charges of “selling counterfeit medicines.”
Shangguan Yunkai was taken away by local police, hooded and handcuffed, from a teahouse in Hubei’s Ezhou city, and is currently under criminal detention after police found a skin cream imported from Taiwan in his possession, his son Shangguan Keke told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.
“This ointment is made in Taiwan, and is available on a number of e-commerce platforms in China, and … isn’t a medicine in the true sense – it’s more of a wellbeing product that is … only for external use,” Shangguan Keke said.
“All he did was put up an advertisement so people could contact him [to buy it],” he said.
Shangguan Keke said his father was detained following an apparent sting operation.
“On April 13 and 14, people from two addresses near the Ezhou municipal police department contacted my dad and said they wanted to buy the ointment,” he said. “When they had done so, my dad was arrested.”
Shangguan Yunkai is currently being held at a police-run detention center, where officers are refusing to allow a lawyer hired by his family to meet with him.
“The reception staff at the detention center told me that there was a note on the detention center system saying that Shangguan Yunkai wasn’t to be allowed to meet with any lawyers,” Shangguan Keke said.
“After we filed a complaint with the local state prosecutor, both our family and our lawyer received various kinds of threats,” he said.
He said he was contacted and warned “not to kick up a big fuss” around the case, and warned that he would be held responsible for “online words and deeds.”
Reporter who investigated graft
57-year-old Shangguan Yunkai, a former journalist at state-run paper the Rule of Law Daily, was detained after writing books, blog posts and social media posts taking aim at official corruption.
Some of his investigations had led to investigations and the punishment of hundreds of local officials and members of criminal organizations.
Undated photo of lawyer Li Qingliang. Credit: Provided by Li Qingliang
Lawyer Li Qinglilang, who has been following the case, said his detention was likely a form of political retaliation for his reporting.
“He’s an investigative reporter, and his work has prompted the downfall of hundreds of corrupt officials,” Li said.
“Selling [ointment and ointment-infused] plasters is very common in China,” he said. “I am guessing that his detention is due to selective and retaliatory law enforcement.”
“They use a formula that entails strict laws, widespread violation and selective enforcement,” he said, adding that the “counterfeit medicines” charge is a way of avoiding a more political charge like “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” and defusing public reaction to Shangguan’s case.
The charges carry similar maximum sentences of up to three years’ imprisonment.
In February 2022, Shangguan wrote an article revealing that Wang Bokun, who had been promoted to deputy director of the Huanggang Municipal People’s Congress, had transferred benefits to his private household during his tenure as Luotian County Communist Party Secretary, prompting Wang’s dismissal.
He also exposed violations of party discipline and law by Zhang Jingping, Huanggang People’s Court judge and executive deputy mayor of Ezhou’s Huangzhou district.
Shangguan Yunkai also ran a number of WeChat groups collecting clues and evidence against officials in smaller, prefecture-level cities in the region.
His detention came as official figures showed that more than 770,000 complaints of corruption were received by the Chinese Communist Party’s disciplinary arm in the first quarter of 2023, with 111,000 leading to punishments for officials, including nine at the provincial and ministerial level in the space of just 21 days.
Jiangsu-based current affairs commentator Zhang Jianping said anti-corruption operations, spearheaded by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, have been ongoing since supreme party leader Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
China on Wednesday confirmed it is holding a Taiwan-based publisher under investigation for “activities that endangered state security,” several days after he disappeared during a visit to Shanghai.
Eight Banners Press founder Li Yanhe, known by his pen name Fucha, is currently under investigation by state security police. Radio Free Asia reported his detention last week, citing Bei Ling, a key figure in the Chinese literary scene.
“[He] is suspected of engaging in activities that endangered national security,” Zhu Fenlian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s cabinet, the State Council, told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
“The relevant parties will protect his legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law,” she said.
In Taipei, the head of the government agency in charge of handling relations with China said the Chinese Communist Party is trying to exert “long-arm jurisdiction” in democratic Taiwan, which has never been ruled by Beijing.
“China is trying to impose its long-arm jurisdiction here in Taiwan, which is a clear attempt at intimidation, and at the suppression of Taiwan,” Mainland Affairs Council chief Chiu Tai-san told lawmakers on Wednesday, according to the island’s Central News Agency.
Publisher of critical works
A Taiwanese publisher who published many books banned in China, Li is believed detained in Shanghai, according to Bei Ling, sparking comparisons with the cross-border detentions and kidnappings of five Hong Kong booksellers in 2015.
Li had come to mainland China to visit relatives and tend to the graves of his ancestors, a reference to the grave-sweeping festival of Qing Ming on April 5.
His disappearance has sparked comparisons with the cross-border detention and kidnapping of five Hong Kong publishers from the Causeway Bay Bookstore in 2015, including Lam Wing-kei, who later sought refuge in Taiwan from an ongoing crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.
Li, who is ethnically Manchu, founded the Eight Banners imprint under Taiwan’s Book Republic publishing group in 2009, using it to publish non-fiction works on China’s overseas infiltration and influence operations, the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, and other work critical of Beijing.
Li was born in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning and joined the Chinese Communist Party after graduating from university, before rising to become vice president of the Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House.
He married a Taiwanese woman in 1996, and settled in Taiwan in 2009. His last Facebook post was made on March 12.
Party leader’s detention
Chiu also hit out at the ongoing prosecution of Taiwan National Party Vice Chairman Yang Chih-yuan, who was detained in August 2022 under China’s national security law as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
Yang was arrested by state security police in the southeastern city of Wenzhou and accused of having founded the pro-independence Taiwan National Party, with the aim of “promoting Taiwan to join the United Nations as a sovereign and independent country.”
He was placed in “residential surveillance at a designated location” from Aug. 4, 2022, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, meaning that he was held with no access to a lawyer or to family visits for six months.
Lee Ming-cheh, a Taiwanese community college manager who served a five-year jail term in China for “subversion” linked to his activism in the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said that while some of his activism had connections to China, Yang’s activities had all been carried out in Taiwan.
He said Yang’s arrest and prosecution should sound a warning to any politically active Taiwanese, and not just regarding travel to China, Hong Kong or Macau.
Secret police operations
The warnings over China’s “long-arm” law enforcement came a day after Taiwan’s national security chief said Beijing could be running secret police operations on the island.
“[They] could be surveilling Chinese nationals or their spouses in Taiwan, through connected individuals or organizations,” National Security Bureau director Tsai Ming-yen told the island’s Legislative Yuan.
“They do exist … we are currently investigating,” Tsai told lawmakers in comments reported by the Taiwan News.
Asked if Li was “lured” or pressured into returning to China – one of the key tasks of dozens of overseas secret police stations, according to the Spain-based rights group Safeguard Defenders – Tsai declined to comment, but said Li had been detained for publishing books in Taiwan containing “politically sensitive” topics frowned on by Beijing.
Beijing has shut down a number of the offices in the wake of a September 2022 report from the Spain-based Safeguard Defenders group listing dozens of such operations, which sparked investigations and orders to shut down from governments around the world.
For transgender women in China, transitioning can feel like a mythical quest, a fresh obstacle arising just after one has been cleared.
Treatments are expensive, difficult to obtain and can require years of fighting unwilling doctors, red tape and familial disapproval.
In recent months, a difficult process has become even harder, according to Chinese trans women who spoke to RFA. In December, the Chinese government banned on onlines sale of cyproterone acetate, a widely used antiandrogen drug, and estradiol, a widely used estrogen drug.
The drugs are used in hormone therapies for a range of issues like prostate cancer and menopause. Both are needed for people who were born male to transition to female.
The government says the restriction was part of a process to add new safeguards to China’s relatively free-wheeling online drug market. But the ban is creating another problem for trans Chinese women: Many can’t find access to medicine through legitimate channels at all, driving them deeper into a black market where they are vulnerable to being scammed.
The situation has compounded a mental health crisis already gripping the community, leading to a rise in the number of suicides, trans women, known colloquially as “medicine girls,” told RFA.
As one of them, “Mel”, put it: “There’s no way to survive. We can’t survive. People are dying every day.”
Already difficult
It took Mel three years from the moment she walked through the doors of the hospital to obtain a certificate of diagnosis to begin the transition process to actually acquire it at 23. Without the approval of her immediate family, she had to travel overseas to have gender-confirming surgery.
Mel, like other trans activists quoted in this story, requested to be identified by a pseudonym to protect herself from abuse and potential questioning by the Chinese police.
Being a transgender woman in China poses challenges in almost every aspect of life, she said – from discrimination in school and work, to the hardship of the physiological transition itself.
Treatments are expensive, and the process is costly in other ways. After Mel changed the gender on her ID card, the money for her social security, medical insurance and housing provident fund were removed. She needed to borrow money in order to make up for the loss.
But Mel’s hardships are less stark than those faced by other Chinese transgender women, she said – most are not even able to complete the transition process and have to rely on smuggled medications purchased online.
But since December, “the [new drug] policy directly blocked the way, leaving no way out,” Mel said.
Sales ban
Some transgender activists who spoke to RFA said they believe the new restrictions, which were imposed by the National Medical Products Administration, specifically target transgender people, while others speculated that they may be related to China’s efforts to reverse its population decline by encouraging childbirth.
Five other drugs that were banned alongside cyproterone acetate and estradiol are either contraceptives or abortion pills.
A ban on online sales of hormone therapy drugs has led to pleas for help from transgender women in China. This January tweet refers to an antiandrogen produced by Bayer. Credit: RFA screenshot from social media
Chinese authorities have not explained their reasoning behind the changes in any detail, as often happens with policy shifts in the country. In the documents accompanying the ban, the NMPA stated that the listed drugs are “high-risk” and are prohibited in order to “ensure the public to take drugs safely.”
In 2021, Chinese media reported on a mother who discovered that her 15-year-old son was secretly purchasing and injecting hormone drugs to attempt gender transition, believing that he had been “lured by bad people” from the “medicine girl” online chat room.
Local police set up a special investigation team after the mother reported her son.
Regardless of the intent, the trans community has been deeply affected by the tighter controls on online sales.
Trans activists told RFA they have observed an increase in suicides since the ban’s implementation, and pleas for help have emerged in online chat rooms and social media posts where transgender women find support.
“There has been a marked increase in cases [of suicide], far more than in previous years during the same time period,” said “Hanlianyi,” a trans activist who provides shelter and other forms of assistance to transgender women in China.
Greater acceptance, but hardships remain
In some ways, China has become a more accepting place for transgender people. There is a greater awareness of the issues they face, and even sympathetic stories from the country’s controlled media outlets.
There is no official data from the government on the number of transgender people in China.
In a 2014 article published in The Lancet medical journal, five Chinese surgeons estimated that there were approximately 400,000 transgender men and women in the country and suggested that less than 800 patients have been treated in the past 30 years.
In 2018, doctors at Peking University Third Hospital opened a transgender treatment clinic, followed in 2021 by Children’s Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai.
But trans people say they still face widespread discrimination, as trans people do in other countries, including the United States.
In China, students with gender dysphoria can be suspended for being non-gender conforming, and trans adults have a hard time finding work. Trans people say they are routinely subjected to police and online surveillance due in part to the government’s suspicion of minority groups.
Nearly 93% of the respondents to the National Transgender Health Survey Report, released by the advocacy group, Beijing LGBT+, in 2021, said they had attempted to obtain a diagnosis related to gender dysphoria in China reported varying degrees of difficulty.
Researchers found a higher rate of suicide attempts, anxiety and depression levels, and psychological stress in the transgender community versus the general population. Among the survey respondents, 71.7% were found to be at risk of depression.
The mental health issues registered in the survey have been made worse, trans women told RFA, by the online drug sale ban.
‘Please help’
Trans women find support through platforms including QQ and on Twitter and Telegram, which are banned in China but still accessible with a VPN.
RFA learned of the crisis sparked by the online drug sales ban through social media accounts and online pleas for help.
“Emergency!!! I know someone from the (transgender) community who has been off Androcur for 5 days and can’t find candy,” a Jan. 23 Twitter post from a transgender woman said. “It’s very urgent … please help.”
Androcur, an antiandrogen medicine produced by Bayer, is illegal to import but is sometimes smuggled into the country. The nickname “candy” refers to androgen blockers and estrogen pills in general.
(RFA is not disclosing the account handle as these accounts can be subject to reprisals, such as being scrutinized by police surveillance.)
The ban on online sales is thought by some to have been a response to concerns transgender youths were self-medicating without a doctor’s supervision. But since December, when the new restriction was implemented, some trans women have used their own bodies to experiment with homemade versions of the drugs, and, as seen in this photo, published their recipes on the internet. Credit: RFA screenshot from social media
People with prescriptions theoretically can still purchase their medicine in pharmacies, but trans women say they often face resistance when doing so. Some pharmacists refuse to fill prescriptions for female hormone drugs – which are used in a variety of endocrine treatments – if the purchaser’s ID card refers to them as male, sources said.
Many trans people also prefer the privacy of online purchases where there is less risk of having to endure humiliating encounters with pharmacists or other customers.
Dubious drug merchants
With little alternative, transgender women in China are turning to questionable online sellers that claim to have smuggled drugs from overseas, despite the ban.
“Mika,” a transgender woman who has undergone gender reassignment surgery but still relies on estrogen, said online dealers charge around 300-400 yuan ($43-57) per box for Androcur, which can last for a little over a month.
But as the demand rises, more scammers are disguising themselves as drug merchants to con people out of money, only to send fake pills or nothing at all.
The consequences for trans women can be deadly. One of Hanlianyi’s friends took her own life after paying about 1,200 yuan ($172) for drugs that were never delivered, she said.
“Being cheated is often the last straw that breaks the camel’s back,” she said.
The trans women RFA spoke with said various strategies are passed around online in response to the drug ban, including taking veterinary hormone pills that are easier to acquire or trying to purchase the raw materials and fashion a facsimile of the medicine themselves.
In October “Hilda,” a transgender woman, started to use her own body as a lab to make a gel containing estradiol.
“I have achieved self-sufficiency and can also help some people,” she told RFA.
Hilda said she knew about 10 other transgender women who began to make their own drugs between November and February.
Extreme responses
The obstacles trangender women face have led some to take action even more extreme, including self-castration, according to the women who spoke to RFA, news reports and social media posts.
“Felicity,” a transgender activist who grew up in China but now lives overseas, said before the recent online sales ban a woman live-streamed the process in a group chat, prompting a frantic online effort to send help to stem the bleeding.
Chinese media have also reported some transgender women in the country have operated on themselves or others.
Trans women in China say finding estradiol, a widely used estrogen drug, is much harder since the ban. Some are turning to versions of the hormone used on animals that are easier to acquire. Credit: RFA screenshot from social media
In one case, a transgender woman helped another with surgery after having successfully removed her own testicles; in another, an individual was sentenced for illegally practicing medicine without proper qualifications.
“If a time comes when candy becomes completely unavailable, going abroad is not an option, and black market surgery in China is out of reach, I will provide a guide on self-castration,” a Feb. 11 tweet from a transgender woman said. “So, fret not, there is always a solution, right?”
In an Apr. 20 tweet, the woman said she had performed the self-castration and included a photograph of her on a bloody bed with surgical instruments nearby. But she added that she had almost died during the procedure and warned transgender women not to follow suit.
Activists Felicity and Hanlianyi told RFA that they fear the online sales ban will lead to more incidents of self-castration.
‘We can’t survive’
Previously, Mel said she has turned down interview requests from foreign journalists because she believed the Chinese government would address the problems.
Now, she’s begun to speak out.
She and her friends recently created a webpage to raise awareness of the consequences of the online sales ban, which is now in its fifth month.
It includes references to instances of transgender women being targeted by police and a running tally of people whom Mel says have taken their own lives since the start of the year.
The last count, posted on the page a month ago, was 91.
London, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The second edition of the annual World Citizenship Report, reveals how high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) and the mass affluent are in search of greater freedoms – whether that means being able to enjoy better social safety and security for oneself and family, increased access to better employment prospects and business opportunities or being able to live in territories with higher social and institutional stability – the post-Covid ‘normal’ has global citizens looking beyond the confines of their own borders when thinking about their own future, and the future of their families.
With so much change happening so rapidly around us – inflation, broader macroeconomic volatility, geopolitical instability, energy uncertainty – it can be challenging to keep up with how all these disparate factors coming to bear on the prevailing attitudes toward global citizenship.
The World Citizenship Report is the world’s first-ever endeavour in investigating the value of citizenship through the lens of the global citizen. It answers how can we keep abreast of the shifting kaleidoscope of citizenship values and priorities using the World Citizenship Index, an innovative tool that takes a holistic approach to rank the world’s citizenships across multiple dimensions.
The World Citizenship Index is the product of a research-driven approach that goes beyond ordinary concepts of passport strength by placing greater emphasis on the diverse attitudes regarding key facets of citizenship. Unlike other rating tools, the World Citizenship Index ranking is designed to reflect a citizenship’s value through the lens of the newest generation of global citizens: the mass affluent population.
Biggest motivators to invest in alternative citizenship include quality of life, safety and security and financial freedom
The World Citizenship Report measures 188 countries across five motivators that are most relevant among the newest generation of global citizens – Safety and Security, Economic Opportunity, Quality of Life, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom.
This year, the Quality of Life ranked in first position of the five pillars, overtaking both Physical Safety and Financial Freedom.
Quality of Life looks at territories’ ability to provide its citizens with essential services required for a good standard of living, including higher standards of education and healthcare facilities.
Monaco, Denmark and Hong Kong took the top three spots in the Quality of Life pillar.
The United States came in at 29th position. African countries took the bottom 10 positions, with Somalia taking 185th place.
We are unfortunately living through a period where the standard of living is falling at the fastest rate in over a generation.
At the end of 2022, the UK Office for Budget Responsibility reported that UK households are set to suffer a 7.1 per cent fall in living standards over the next two years, the largest decline in six decades. And, according to the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report published at the end of 2022, living conditions in 90 per cent of the world’s countries deteriorated in 2021 – something that hasn’t been seen since the height of the previous global recession caused by the financial crisis in 2007. Moreover, it marked the first consecutive year of decline in the 32-year history of the Human Development Index (HDI).
This data shows why quality of life is so highly coveted among global mass affluents, and indeed all individuals.
The Safety and Security motivator assesses how people in a certain country have the ability to enjoy greater social safety and security for themselves and their families and whether they have a safety net against being trapped in a territory with civil disorder.
Iceland took first place in the Safety and Security motivator, New Zealand came a close second place and Switzerland took third place. Afghanistan scored the lowest in this pillar.
Safety and Security remains an obvious top priority for the average mass affluent global citizen. This comes as no surprise given the uncertain state of the world – one need to look no further than the war in Ukraine as a painful reminder of the relative fragility of peace. Western nations now have a growing preoccupation or sense of danger around the prospect of war, having an active war so close to home compared with conflicts in Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world.
The Financial Freedom motivator measures the ability of a country to provide a favourable and stable regulatory climate for the establishment and functioning of businesses, as well as the holding of personal and business assets.
Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore took the first three spots in this pillar.
The growing desire for citizens to conduct their own financial affairs such as wealth management and estate planning without undue surveillance and burdensome regulations appears to be a feature of the current economic climate. While 43 per cent of World Citizenship Report survey respondents placed the heaviest emphasis on the employment opportunities typically associated with economic performance, those that placed importance on investments, estate planning, and wealth planning combined for a total of 37 per cent.
These sentiments reflect the growing perception that the rising costs of living and broader economic uncertainty are being accompanied by a creeping tax burden as state expenditures continue to escalate due to rocketing debt-servicing costs brought on by a tightening monetary landscape, rapid demographic changes, and other factors.
It must also be noted that governments themselves are being stressed by this tightening fiscal landscape due to the rising costs of servicing their debt – a factor that is fuelling the trend of rising tax burdens globally.
“In the 2022 edition of the World Citizenship Report, we only surveyed high-net-worth individuals (HNWI), this year, we expanded the survey to include a wider audience in order to gain a better perspective of what people prioritise in terms of their own nationality. The expanded audience of over 1000 participants included both HNWIs and the mass affluent from across the globe. Findings from the survey showed that while the research participants came from varied backgrounds and cultures, all with different needs and pain points, they all had one common goal: freedom,” concludes Micha Emmet, CEO of CS Global Partners.
Hosted with renowned Producers and Chefs at some of the most prestigious restaurants, Domaines, and hotels Crurated events connect wine lovers to their favorite winemakers
Crurated Winemaker Dinner Featuring Wines from Domaine Pierre Girardin May 17 in NYC
May 17: Crurated will host an unforgettable evening of fine dining and exceptional wines at Legacy Records in New York City. The team, along with the winemaker Pierre-Vincent Girardin, will be serving a variety of wines from Domaine Pierre Girardin all in Magnum size; including Meursault Les Narvaux 2021, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021, Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens Bas 2021, Vosne-Romanée 2020, Échezeaux Grand Cru 2019, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 2018, and Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2020. Participation in this exclusive event is for paying members and by invite only.
Crurated Winemaker Dinner July 11 with Pierre Vincent Girardin from Domaine Pierre Girardin
July 11: Ecologically inspired Sabina Ibiza welcomes Crurated and 16 attendees to their five-star clubhouse for a delicious lunch-time experience. Food will be served from restaurant La Paloma and guests will meet the producers and taste wines from Domaine Vincent Dancer and Domaine Pierre Girardin.
Crurated Winemaker Dinner at Asador Etxebarri October 6 2023.jpeg
October 6: Crurated will host an exclusive winemaker dinner for 12 guests at one of the most celebrated restaurants, Asador Etxebarri, located in the Basque Region, a global gastronomique center of the world. Meet the winemakers and taste a selection of wines from Pomerol’s La Conseillante and Champagne Pierre Péters. Guests will also enjoy a deliciously paired menu from Basque Chef Victor Arguinzoniz.
Crurated Event in Chamgane June 12 -14. Featuring dinner at Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.JPG
June 12-14: Join Crurated for a special trip for only 10 lucky guests to the Champagne region with visits to top estates. Attendees will also dine at family maisons and exclusive restaurants and meet producers that include Mathieu Roland-Billecart, CEO of Billecart-Salmon, Frédéric Rouzaud, owner of Louis Roederer, Alexandre Chartogne of Chartogne-Taillet, Raphaël Bérêche of Bérêche et Fils, Rodolphe Péters of Pierre Péters. Luxury accommodations will be provided by Residence Eisenhower.
Crurated Winemaker Dinner Featuring Wines from Domaine Vincent Dancer.jpeg
November 6-11: An exclusive group of wine lovers will have the chance to experience winemaker dinners in either Bangkok, Hong Kong, or Singapore with Vincent Dancer of Domaine Vincent Dancer.
Crurated Winemaker Dinner Nov 6 thru 11 in Asia with Vincent Dancer.jpeg
November 6-11: An exclusive group of wine lovers will have the chance to experience winemaker dinners in either Bangkok, Hong Kong, or Singapore with Vincent Dancer of Domaine Vincent Dancer.
Crurated Winemaker Dinner featuring Arnoux-Lachaux wines November 6 thru 11 in Asia
November 6-11: An exclusive group of wine lovers will have the chance to experience winemaker dinners in either Bangkok, Hong Kong, or Singapore with Charles Lachaux of Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux and Charles Lachaux
Crurated Winemaker Dinner November 6 thru 11 in Asia with Charles Lachaux
November 6-11: An exclusive group of wine lovers will have the chance to experience winemaker dinners in either Bangkok, Hong Kong, or Singapore with Charles Lachaux of Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux and Charles Lachaux
LONDON, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crurated, the London-based membership wine community designed to connect connoisseurs with world-class producers, today announced the 2023 schedule of events. Hosted at some of the most prestigious restaurants, Domaines, and hotels in the world, Crurated events connect members with their favorite winemakers. Event attendees also have the chance to taste tailored menus from world-renowned chefs in luxurious environments. To learn more or register visit https://crurated.com/events/.
“Our events are intimate affairs bringing together world renowned producers and the people who love their wines,” said Alfonso de Gaetano, Founder of Crurated. “Our team carefully crafts experiences that are unlike anything people have previously experienced. From one-on-one chats with winemakers to stays at some of the best locations on the planet and food from award winning chefs, these events are not to be missed.”
May 17: Crurated will host an unforgettable evening of fine dining and exceptional wines at Legacy Records in New York City. The team, along with the winemaker Pierre-Vincent Girardin, will be serving a variety of wines from Domaine Pierre Girardin all in Magnum size; including Meursault Les Narvaux 2021, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021, Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens Bas 2021, Vosne-Romanée 2020, Échezeaux Grand Cru 2019, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 2018, and Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2020. Participation in this exclusive event is for paying members and by invite only.
June 12-14: Join Crurated for a special trip for only 10 lucky guests to the Champagne region with visits to top estates. Attendees will also dine at family maisons and exclusive restaurants and meet producers that include Mathieu Roland-Billecart, CEO of Billecart-Salmon, Frédéric Rouzaud, owner of Louis Roederer, Alexandre Chartogne of Chartogne-Taillet, Raphaël Bérêche of Bérêche et Fils, Rodolphe Péters of Pierre Péters. Luxury accommodations will be provided by Residence Eisenhower.
July 11: Ecologically inspired Sabina Ibiza welcomes Crurated and 16 attendees to their five-star clubhouse for a delicious lunch-time experience. Food will be served from restaurant La Paloma and guests will meet the producers and taste wines from Domaine Vincent Dancer and Domaine Pierre Girardin.
October 6: Crurated will host an exclusive winemaker dinner for 12 guests at one of the most celebrated restaurants, Asador Etxebarri, located in the Basque Region, a global gastronomique center of the world. Meet the winemakers and taste a selection of wines from Pomerol’s La Conseillante and Champagne Pierre Péters. Guests will also enjoy a deliciously paired menu from Basque Chef Victor Arguinzoniz.
November 6-11: An exclusive group of wine lovers will have the chance to experience winemaker dinners in either Bangkok, Hong Kong, or Singapore with Vincent Dancer of Domaine Vincent Dancer and Charles Lachaux of Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux and Charles Lachaux. More details about these exclusive events will be available in the coming weeks.
Watch the Crurated social media channels and register at Crurated.com to become a member and stay up to date.
About Crurated
Launched in 2021 with an emphasis on France and Italy, Crurated is a membership-based wine community designed to connect connoisseurs with world-class producers. A team of specialists provides personalized services and authentic experiences, while Crurated’s seamless logistics service guarantees quality and provenance thanks to secure wine cellar storage and innovative blockchain technology. To become a member visit crurated.com.
The #1 Mexican import beer brand in the U.S. reunites with small businesses to infuse authenticity into Cinco de Mayo celebrations
Modelo Mercado
Modelo® and Mexican Actor Jaime Camil Team Up to Inspire Fans to “Cinco Auténtico” with Virtual Modelo Mercado and “Museum of Cinco” in Los Angeles
CHICAGO, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the beer born in Mexico nearly 100 years ago, Modelo is bringing back its “Cinco Auténtico” campaign to spotlight Mexican traditions, artistry and culture, and help fans authentically celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Fans can “Cinco Auténtico” with the return of the Modelo Mercado, a limited-time online marketplace filled with authentic Mexican products made by Mexican and Mexican American artisans. New this year, the Modelo Mercado will come to life at the brand’s first “Museum of Cinco” at the Placita Olvera Cinco de Mayo Festival in Los Angeles on May 7. The educational and engaging pop-up will highlight the history of the holiday and feature a collection of decor, traditional clothing, pottery, and other crafts, curated by Mexican actor, producer and TV personality, Jaime Camil.
As this year marks the 160th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the U.S.1, Modelo aims to honor the tenacious and bold story of the holiday at the thriving Los Angeles street festival that brings together some of the best aspects of Mexican American culture. The “Museum of Cinco” will display unique creations from the Modelo Mercado artisans and provide historical and cultural context on the holiday to enhance fans’ Cinco de Mayo celebrations through acknowledgment of the day’s history.
“Cinco de Mayo is an important but often misunderstood holiday, so Modelo and I are helping fans celebrate authentically and gain a better understanding of the day’s roots,” said Camil. “Los Angeles has ties to the beginning of Cinco de Mayo celebrations, so we’re elevating the city’s rich cultural history at the ‘Museum of Cinco’ and honoring artisans who beautifully showcase the vibrancy of Mexican heritage through their craft.”
Fans 21+ can visit the interactive, educational pop-up on historic Olvera Street in Los Angeles on May 7 from 12 – 6 p.m. PDT. For more information on the festival, visit https://bravogroupla.org/.
Fans outside Los Angeles can “Cinco Auténtico” and purchase hand-crafted goods for Cinco de Mayo celebrations by visiting the Modelo Mercado vendors’ websites through the Modelo Instagram page today through May 7. The limited-time online platform features six Mexican American small businesses from around the country who embody the Mark of a Fighter and honor Mexican American culture through the items they create and sell.
Discover Mas (Saline, Michigan) works closely with Mexican artisans in Zinacantan, Chiapas to create traditional, one-of-a-kind Mexican textiles, as well as home decor, clothing, accessories, jewelry and more.
Guelaguetza Designs (Grand Rapids, Michigan) provides an array of colorful decor pieces including coaster sets, clay vases and table runners. The founder Nancy collaborates with Mexican artisans to inspire her collections.
My Mercado Mexican Imports (Rio Hondo, Texas) offers handmade paper decorations including multicolor flowers and banners to liven up authentic Cinco de Mayo parties.
Artesanias Mexicanas (Fort Worth, Texas), specializes in finding craftspeople who follow generations-old traditions from across Mexico and offers a collection of pottery and handmade crafts.
Jumping High (Los Angeles, California) features its collection of handcrafted pottery with design inspirations from various areas of Mexico.
Mexico By Hand (Berkeley, California), an established reseller of Mexican artisans, highlights a special collection of intricately detailed pottery and tableware that are perfect for authentic Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
“As a cerveza rooted in Mexican heritage, Modelo continues its ‘Cinco Auténtico’ campaign to encourage genuine cultural appreciation and understanding of Cinco de Mayo,” said Greg Gallagher, Vice President Brand Marketing, Modelo. “We’ve reunited with the Modelo Mercado merchants to not only amplify their goods online, but to bring them to the center of one of the biggest Cinco de Mayo celebrations – in an area with one of our largest fanbases – as part of our effort to offer consumers additional easy yet intentional ways to learn about and honor Mexican American culture.”
Through its efforts, Modelo aims to show fans that there are plenty of ways to “Cinco Auténtico,” including drinking auténtico with the beer born in Tacuba, Mexico. While Modelo Especial leads as the #1 import beer in the U.S.2, the brand continues to innovate with new products that celebrate the strong Mexican culture seen throughout the U.S., including the recent introduction of Modelo Oro, Modelo Spiked Aguas Frescas, Modelo Chelada Sandía Picante, Modelo Chelada Especial 12 ounce 12 packs and more.
For more information and to purchase items from the Modelo Mercado, visit @ModeloUSA on Instagram.
About Modelo®
Born in 1925 in the small town of Tacuba, Mexico, Modelo has been bringing distinctive high-quality beer to people ever since, including Modelo Especial®, Modelo Negra®, a flavorful lineup of Modelo Cheladas, and new this year, Modelo Oro – a golden light beer deserving of the Modelo name. As the #1 imported beer in the U.S., Modelo Especial recently surpassed 150MM cases sold in 2021. The Modelo family of beers are exclusively brewed, imported, and marketed for the U.S. by Constellation Brands.
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