One thing I've noticed over the past few years is a dearth of decent reporting in the mainstream press on what is going on in China. As a result, I've tracked down a few useful sources by people "on the ground" (or with some relevant experience) that might come in handy next time you hear something about China on the news.

http://seeingredinchina.com
http://www.thechinabeat.org
http://www.pekingduck.org
http://granitestudio.org
http://chinageeks.org