29th of January 2011
The Lion Awakes
Compare the News
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
China Daily
Import tariffs halved on electronics
Consumers to gain as China fulfills promise to WTO: analyst
BEIJING - China slashed its import tariff on some electronic products, such as laptops and digital cameras, by 50 percent, benefiting multinational companies, including Hewlett-Packard Co (HP) and Dell Inc, and stimulating their sales in the world's fastest-growing IT market.
According to a statement posted on the Ministry of Finance's website on Thursday, the import tariff on computers, digital video recorders and cameras will fall from 20 percent to 10 percent starting Jan 27.
"The Chinese government is fulfilling its promise to the WTO," said Wang Jiping, research manager at International Data Corporation (IDC) China, an IT research company.
During his visit to the United States last week, President Hu Jintao worked for closer bilateral ties between China and the US to stimulate global economic recovery. The duty concessions may help overseas companies gain a better pricing advantage in the Chinese market.
See Kaixin's - ECONOMIC CHINA
China prospers with world after WTO accession: Minister
DAVOS, Switzerland -- China has been prospering along with the world and thus achieved a "win-win" situation since it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) 10 years ago, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said Thursday.
The decade after WTO accession proved to be one of the best periods for China's development, Chen said during a discussion with WTO head Pascal Lamy, in front of global business, financial and political leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos.
China to double imports by 2015
DAVOS, Switzerland - Ten years ago when China laboriously won membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO), many were doubtful. Who would be the biggest losers, they asked, China, or the rest of the world?
Looking back and reflecting on the debates on China's WTO entry during that time, the organization's chief Pascal Lamy disappointed the doubters.
Admitting that China joined under terms much tougher than those imposed on any other developing country - a "bitter pill" which turned out to be "an insurance policy against protectionism" - he concluded during an interview with China Daily. "It seems that nobody has been a loser it is win-win."
Chen pledged that the country will further open its economy, forecasting another decade of prosperity for it and the rest of the world. This will be done by encouraging Chinese companies to invest overseas, increasing foreign purchases and boosting domestic consumption.
The US is still experiencing difficulties with toxic assets, Europe is in a public debt crisis, and the emerging economies are facing inflationary pressures. That being the case, Chen said China will cooperate to help promote global economic recovery, even though the world's second-largest economy also faces severe challenges itself, not least rising inflation.
Chen also said China's imports will double during the coming five years.
The Wall Street Journal MarketWatch Sunday 30th Jan
How to profit from consumers in emerging markets
Middle class gains strength, but inflation challenges stock investors
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — The rise of emerging market consumers, with their young populations and higher disposable incomes and spending, has contributed mightily to the growth of China, India, Brazil and other developing nations.
Now the consumer in these fast-track economies has been knocked off the shelf, along with investors who have banked on the growing middle class.
Kaixin OpEd – Kaixin has been saying this for some time. China (and the other BRICS in the wall) are an opportunity to be seized, not a threat.
Leading businesses have already moved in that direct, others are now starting to realise the potential and are looking in the right direction at last.
See Kaixin's - ECONOMIC CHINA
A tale of 2 cities for property tax reform
Top rate of 1.2 percent as Shanghai and Chongqing seek to curb prices
BEIJING - Shanghai and Chongqing will launch the first-ever property tax for second-home buyers, part of a series of government measures to curb soaring prices and real-estate speculation.
The two cities announced on Thursday night that they will levy the property taxes from Friday. The tax will target high-end, newly purchased second homes and will require buyers to pay between 0.4 to 1.2 percent.
See Kaixin's - China Real Estate
Hong Kong housing world's most expensive
HONG KONG - Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(SAR) housing is the most expensive in the world as negative real interest rates and ample liquidity boost demand while new supply remains tight, said Savills Plc in a research of four top cities.
China to ensure energy supplies
BEIJING - China will take measures to ensure energy supplies in 2011 to meet growing demand, a National Energy Administration (NEA) official said Friday.The government will boost energy production and control consumption, Wang Siqiang, deputy director of the NEA General Affairs Department, said at a press conference on China's 4th-quarter of 2010 energy situation.
'Important measures' to boost strategic emerging industries
China is mulling a slew of important measures in 2011 to raise emerging industries of strategic importance, said Zhu Hongren, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Shanghai Securities News reported Thursday.
The measures will guide and nurture the development of emerging industries of strategic importance, including clean energy, biotech, new materials and the next generation of information technology, said Zhu.
Efforts to harness Huaihe River will continue
BEIJING - China will further its efforts to harness the Huaihe River over the next five to 10 years in a bid to support the economic development of the regions along the river.
The 1,000-kilometer Huaihe River, the third longest water way in China, originates from Mount. Taibai, central Henan Province, and runs eastward between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, the two largest rivers in the country. It cuts through Henan and east China's Anhui and Jiangsu provinces before entering the Yangtze River via the Hongze Lake.
China, Switzerland launch free trade agreement talks
DAVOS, Switzerland - China and Switzerland formally launched bilateral talks on a free trade agreement Friday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chinese Commerce Minister Cheng Deming said the agreement talks between China and Switzerland have attracted huge attention and interest from the countries' leadership and business communities.
A worshipper touches a relief of a rabbit at the Bai Yun Guan (White Cloud Temple), ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Beijing Juanuary 28, 2011. The Lunar New Year begins on February 3 and marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese characters read, "Holy rabbit flying to the moon, symbols auspiciousness and happiness".
8,000 dishes for a grand family feast
Residents in Baibuting community in Wuhan, capital of Central China’s Hubei province, gather along one of many large tables covered with colorful dishes on Thursday, Jan 27, 2011. More than 8,000 families enjoyed a feast that boasted a record-breaking number of dishes.
Chinese wheat may avoid drought losses
A farmer walks on a dried up wheat field on the outskirts of drought-hit Heze, Shandong province January 28, 2011. North China wheat-growing regions, including Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Shanxi and Jiangsu provinces, have received little rainfall since October last year. The central government has already allocated 4 billion yuan (608 million U.S.dollars) for grain production and rural water conservation projects, according to a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.
My motherland, right or wrong?
Lang Lang's choice of music for a state dinner in the US was both lauded and chided, although it has evolved to be another folk song about love of country.
Depending on your view, pianist Lang Lang either pulled off a sucker punch or committed a diplomatic faux pas last week. He played a tune from a movie that has anti-American subject matter at the Jan 19 state banquet US President Barack Obama gave to the visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao. Even though it did not evolve into a diplomatic skirmish, it created some hoopla on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
I believe Lang Lang when he explained afterwards he did not know the origin of this song. Its popularity has far outstripped the movie itself. While everyone in the Chinese mainland can hum it, relatively few have seen the movie or can immediately connect the "jackals" in the lyrics with the American soldiers fighting in the Korean War, or what we in China call the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
I believe Lang Lang when he explained afterwards he did not know the origin of this song. Its popularity has far outstripped the movie itself. While everyone in the Chinese mainland can hum it, relatively few have seen the movie or can immediately connect the "jackals" in the lyrics with the American soldiers fighting in the Korean War, or what we in China call the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Lang Lang 郎朗 - virtuoso Chinese pianist
Chinese Song - My motherland 我的祖國 (Plus English Translation)
SLIDESHOW - Finally, here comes the Chinese Slam finalist
MELBOURNE - Li Na is on fire to become the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam final, as she kicked out world No.1 Catholine Wozniacki 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in Thursday's semifinal of Australia Open.
Qipao, sexy elegance
Qipao, originating from the Manchu costume, is popularly known as cheongsam in Cantonese dialect, simply meaning "long dress." Its neck is high, the collar closed and the sleeves may be short, medium or full length, depending on the season and individual taste. Buttons adorn the right side and a loose chest smoothes into a fitted waist with long slits up the length of the skirt. All these combine to highlight the beauty of the female figure.
Her robe is a cloud, her face a flower. Time flies and styles change, yet her Chinese dress is forever fashionable. Qipao creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness, and is the dream of every Chinese lady.
Henan offers peek into whole nation
ZHENGZHOU - If there is one province in China that could demographically represent the world's most populous country, it might be Henan.
With more than 100 million people, the most among all the provincial-level regions, the Central China province is, like the country as a whole, facing challenges such as fast growth and low per capita income.
But Henan plans to increase its opening-up and further sharpen its competitive edges - such as a low cost of production - to catch up with other regions in the world's second largest economy, said Guo Gengmao, governor of the province.
It will, meanwhile, continue to focus on building its grain production capacity so it can contribute to the nation's grain stockpiles, Guo said.
Widely regarded as the Cradle of Chinese civilization along with Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, Henan is known for its historical prosperity and periodic downturns. The economic prosperity resulted from its vast, fertile plains and its location at the heart of the country. However, its strategic location also means that it have suffered from nearly all of the major wars in China. In addition, the numerous flooding of Yellow River also causes significant damages from time to time. Kaifeng, in particular, have been buried by Yellow River's silt seven times due to flooding.
Henan 河南 is a Chinese province located in the central region of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" (yù), named after Yuzhou (豫州 Yù Zhōu), a Han Dynasty state (zhou) that included parts of Henan. Although the name Henan means "south of the river" approximately a quarter of the province lies north of the Yellow River, also known as the "Huang He".
Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan (中原 zhōngyuán) or Zhongzhou (中州 zhōngzhōu) which literally means "central plains" or "midland", although the name is also broadly applied to the entirety of China proper. Henan is the birthplace of Chinese civilization with over 5,000 years of history, and remained China's cultural, economical, and political center until 1,000 years ago. Numerous heritages have been left behind including the ruins of Shang Dynasty capital city Yinxu and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the Eight Great Ancient Capitals of China, Luoyang, Anyang, Kaifeng, and Zhengzhou are located in Henan.
With an area of 167,000 km2 (64,479 sq mi), Henan covers a large part of the fertile and densely populated North China Plain. Its neighbouring provinces are Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Hubei. Henan is China's second most populous province with a population of over 94 million. If it were a country by itself, Henan would be the 12th most populous country in the world, behind Mexico and ahead of the Philippines.
Henan is the 5th largest provincial economy of China and the largest among inland provinces. However, per capita GDP is low compared to other eastern and central provinces, and Henan is considered to be one of the more backward areas in China. The economy continues to depend on its dwindling aluminum and coal reserves, as well as agriculture, heavy industry, tourism, and retail. High-tech industry and service sector is underdeveloped and is concentrated around Zhengzhou and Luoyang. (Wikipedia)
See Kaixin's - A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINA
'Golden channel' to boost trade links
BEIJING - The Kunming-Bangkok Highway has every prospect of becoming a "golden channel" connecting China and Southeast Asia with annual trade increasing by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years, said an official in the capital of southwestern China's Yunnan province.
Talking about the 1,807-km road, Zhu Xiaoyang, director-general of the port office of Yunnan province, sees a promising future.
"The road has its problems, but they can be solved," said Zhu, who is also deputy director-general of the province's Department of Commerce.
Running from Kunming, through Laos to Bangkok, the road is the shortest of the four major links between China and Southeast Asia.
The road runs for 688 km in China, 229 km in Laos, and 890 km in Thailand.
It is yet to reach its ultimate goals including transporting goods worth more than $400 billion, carrying millions of tourists and shortening the travel time between Kunming and Bangkok to 20 hours.
But the road, which was opened in March 2008, could eventually become a "golden channel" connecting China and Southeast Asia, Zhu said.
CCTV9 - Kunming-Bangkok Expressway links China and ASEAN countries
Jointly funded by China, Laos, Thailand and the Asian Development Bank, the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway is the first international motorway from China.
It starts at Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province in southwest China, and ends in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Totaling 1 thousand 807 kilometers in length, it traverses China, Laos and Thailand.
It stretches south from Kunming to Xiaomengyang （小勐养）and across the Lao border at Mohan（磨憨）, then through the jungle and highlands in Laos before entering Thailand at Chiang Khong. The Kunming-Bangkok expressway has been open to traffic since March 2008. Travel time between the two cities is now just 20 hours.
China, ASEAN eye stronger ties
KUNMING / BEIJING -Foreign ministers from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday agreed to further promote strategic cooperation, which analysts believe sets a positive tone for China-ASEAN relations this year.
It is in the fundamental interests of both sides to further promote China-ASEAN strategic cooperation, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at the China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, the first held in China.
To maintain and develop good relations with ASEAN, China is willing to work with ASEAN to implement the second five-year-plan in their strategic partnership, Yang said.
ASEAN said that it is also seeking ways to expand cooperation with China, including promoting connectivity and cultural exchanges, enhancing strategic coordination in global and regional affairs and safeguarding common interests, to promote peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region.
A common desire to further enhance cooperation was the prevailing spirit of the meeting, rather than the thorny issue of some ASEAN nations' sovereignty disputes with China over some islands in the South China Sea, as some media outlets had speculated prior to the gathering.
Yang said that both sides have similar positions on international and regional affairs and coordinate with each other to safeguard regional peace and stability.
Yang also noted that the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea that the two sides jointly issued is an important contribution to promoting mutual trust and maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.
See Kaixin's - ECONOMIC CHINA
Try putting yourself in China's shoes
The seminar "China in the world" at Columbia University on Thursday brought together a panel of respected China scholars from the US and Australia. However, as you may have noticed, there was something missing in the conversation.
At least one Chinese panelist from China at the seminar on Thursday would have made the event more relevant.
The Americans kept talking about the hot issues in China with US national interests in mind, while the Australians focused on their own concerns. Most talks in the West about China lack representation from China, and few seem to care much about what Chinese people want.
This is a big problem with debates on China today - everyone chooses to be obsessed with their own agenda.
Many in the US like to tell China what it should do - appreciate its currency, consume more goods and less energy, spend less on the military.
Few Americans pay much attention to what the US should do - save more and cut down on its energy use, which is four times that of China per capita. As I sat in the heated Columbia Faculty House in just a shirt despite the freezing cold outside, teachers and students in Shanghai, where I am from, have to wear thick down coats in unheated offices and classrooms.
Tiger Mom hears roar of opposition
Beijing - As more Chinese parents adopt a Western style of parenting that allows children more freedom and encouragement, Amy Chua and her book lauding strict Chinese parenting as superior ignited unprecedented attention among Americans.
"In my opinion, compared with highly strict Chinese parenting, the Western way exerts more positive influence on children's mental health," Cui Yonghua, a leading psychiatrist at Beijing Anding Hospital, told China Daily on Tuesday.
See Kaixin's - Tiger Mum - Amy Chua 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'
Marks from Falun Gong's flames still hurt
BEIJING - Ten years after the tragic moment that changed her life, Hao Huijun, a former Falun Gong believer who survived setting herself on fire, is still struggling with remorse and pain.
"Please tell those who are still practicing Falun Gong to keep away from it and be sober-minded," Hao, 58, told reporters who visited her ahead of the Chinese lunar new year.
On Jan 23, 2001, Hao and six other Falun Gong followers, including her then 19-year-old daughter, set themselves on fire at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing to attain the "all-around fulfillment" claimed by Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong's leader.
Hao and her daughter Chen Guo were burned beyond recognition, while two were burned to death on the spot and another severely injured. Two others were prevented from causing harm to themselves.
After long medical treatment and rehabilitation paid for by the government, Hao and her daughter tried to start a new life.
They now live in a courtyard in the city of Kaifeng in Central China's Henan province. Their 30-square-meter sitting room is furnished with a sofa, table, television, air conditioner and other appliances.
Hao, whose face was heavily disfigured and whose hands have been amputated, said the government hired helpers for her and her daughter and they receive a monthly living allowance from the government.
"The government also hires psychologists to provide us therapy from time to time and bought my daughter a computer for her to study new things," she said.
Hao was once a music teacher in a middle school in Henan, and her daughter was a student at the Central Conservatory of Music, the most prestigious music academy in China. Now, with several fingers amputated, Chen no longer plays music.
Hao expressed remorse and worry about her daughter's condition. "Guo Guo's condition is not quite stable. Sometimes she smashes stuff on the ground, sometimes refuses to eat, or stays up all night," she said, while wiping away tears.
Hao's sister said Chen Guo occasionally expresses a grudge against her mother, plunging Hao deeper into her sense of guilt because she led her daughter into practicing Falun Gong.
"Falun Gong destroyed us and brought our families endless pain," said Hao.
The Chinese government banned Falun Gong in July 1999.
Suspect in deadly campus crash set to face court - "My father is Li Gang"
BEIJING - A man suspected of attempting to avoid charges stemming from a deadly traffic accident by invoking the name of his well-connected father will go to trial on Wednesday, the China Youth Daily reported on Monday.
Li Qiming, also known as Li Yifan, will face charges of "perpetration of a traffic accident" in Wangdu county of North China's Hebei province, according to the newspaper. The China Youth Daily obtained the information from Chen Lin, the brother of a victim in the crash.
The trial will begin at 9 am on Wednesday at the county's people's court, both Chen Lin and the county's publicity department confirmed.
Previously, legal experts had debated whether Li should go to trial on a charge of "perpetration of a traffic crime", or on a charge of "a dangerous offense against public safety". The latter crime, if proved, carries harsher penalties, including the death sentence, while the lesser charge often results in prison sentences lasting from three to seven years.
On Oct 16, 2010, Li Qiming was speeding in a car on Hebei University's campus, in the province's Baoding city, and ran over Chen Xiaofeng and Zhang Jingjing. Both victims were then students of the university. Chen Xiaofeng later died from wounds she suffered in the crash, while Zhang was lightly injured.
The case set off a massive outcry both online and offline, especially after reports circulated that Li Qiming had tried to threaten security personnel on campus by shouting "My father is Li Gang!" - in reference to a local deputy police chief.
On Oct 24, 2010, Li Qiming was arrested on the charge of perpetration of a traffic accident.
The following month, Li Gang reached a restitution deal with Chen Guangqian, Chen Xiaofeng's father, agreeing to pay the Chen family 460,000 yuan ($67,700).
The family, meanwhile, has signed a letter of forgiveness with Li Gang and will only be allowed to sit in the audience in the approaching trial, said Hu Yihua, a lawyer representing the Chen family.
In this photo taken on Oct 29, 2010, Chen Guangqian holds a portrait of his daughter Chen Xiaofeng at a hotel room in Baoding in North China’s Hebei province. The young woman was killed by a speeding car driven by Li Qiming, who will go to trial on Wednesday.
Son of 'Li Gang' confesses to accident
WANGDU, Hebei - A senior police official's son accused of killing a young woman while driving drunk confessed in court on Wednesday that he caused the woman's death, in a case that fueled public outrage after reports he invoked his father's name to evade responsibility.
Li Qiming, 23, also called Li Yifan in previous reports, appeared at Wangdu county people's court at 9 am, charged with causing death through traffic offenses for a fatal road accident on Oct 16 last year in Hebei University in Baoding city of Hebei province.
Ancient royal games return after 100 years
People dressed in the Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911) royal costumes play "Bingxi," or ice game, on a frozen lake in the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, Jan 26, 2011. The game, dating back 1,000 years, became a regular sports activity in the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was regularly performed for emperors. Wednesday's performance was the first the royal game had been played in more than 100 years.
Focusing on the Miao for new photo display
BEIJING - Canon (China), the giant camera maker and global multimedia corporation, will hold an exhibition about the cultural heritage of the Miao in Beijing in February following a one-year protection project it undertook.
Canon started the project involving the ethnic group in May under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture. It is the company's second such program after undertaking one involving the Qiang ethnic group in 2009.
Canon sent a team of 20 into 16 counties in Guizhou province trying to find people with traditional Miao skills such as playing bamboo pan flutes and making Miao embroidery and silver jewelry. The team spent two months in remote areas in the province and took thousands of pictures and also shot moving images.
"I didn't know making our traditional clothes and embroidery was something important for our culture before," said Li Qiong, 27, a Miao woman. "Now I have started teaching my daughter how to do it because they are unique skills only we Miao people have. We should be proud of it and pass them on."
See Kaixin's - 56 Ethnic Peoples of China
Anhui’s legacy
A major character in the era of the Three Kingdoms was the warlord Cao Cao. Almost two thousand years later, he is the central figure who may bring more tourists to Bozhou. Lu Hong walks the path of history.
Bozhou, in Anhui province, is a tranquil place for tourists to get a feel of China's history. The city, often overshadowed by Anhui's better known scenic Huangshan Mountain and Mount Jiuhua, is a little off the beaten tourist track, but here you get the chance to slow down, stroll around, talk to the locals and soak in a sense of the past that still permeates.
This is the hometown of heroes, including one straight from the pages of ancient history - the warlord Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280), who was born and raised here until he was 14.
In his later years, he would return and recruit his army from his hometown.
Cao Cao is now once again in the limelight. Last year a large graveyard was found in Anyang in Henan province, and there were claims that this was Cao Cao's tomb, quickly refuted by archaeologists.
Huaxi Lou (Opera Theater) is famous for its exquisite carving and colorful murals. Today, there are performances held regularly in the annex wing of the theater.
VIDEO - Old Beijing in pencil painting
Yang Xin, Folklorist
"I have liked painting since I was in third grade. After graduating from middle school, I was accepted by Hebei Normal College and majored in art. I was writing articles and taking news photos for a newspaper for almost 20 years after graduation. During this time, I was too busy to paint. In the 1980s, Beijing developed rapidly, and thousands of Hutongs were demolished. As a photo journalist, I took a lot of photos, which was the easiest and most direct way to record how Hutongs were changed. But as time went by − in 1998 and 1999 − I realized that I couldn't express my deepest feelings through photos, because it's not recreated, but record. So I started to paint pictures again.
At first I got into trouble trying to paint, because I majored in oil painting and it's hard to depict the change of Hutongs in oil painting. As we all know, a Hutong is a typical structure of Beijing and typical living space for ancient people. Oil painting takes a lot of time, and it's a Western form of art which I think has certain limitations. Therefore, I asked for advice from experts, artists and good friends. We discussed which way is the best way to illustrate, and finally I decided to use the colored pencils.
Actually colored pencils have been widely used in Europe and other countries in the last century. But Chinese people regard the colored pencil as a simple tool which cannot express deeper feelings. Despite that popular belief, I made up my mind to draw the pictures with colored pencils. From this came the first batch of pictures about Hutongs. On one hand, I wanted to express the feelings evoked by Hutongs. On the other hand, I wanted to find out whether I could create a different way of painting.
So I started to try German pencils, French pencils, Taiwan pencils, Japanese pencils, American pencils...I tested a number of the pictures in the sun again and again only to examine the discoloration. Finally, I developed my own way of painting. Until now, I have dedicated myself to painting ancient Beijing for more than ten years."
Finest Cuts: The emperor’s old clothes
When it comes to the intricate imperial robes of ancient royalty, only one family can do a makeover. Wu Yiyao visits a clan of specialists in Suzhou that has been doing that for six generations, and counting.
Even the emperor's best clothes are subjected to wear and tear, especially after hundreds of years. So it did not surprise Wang Jialiang when officials from Beijing's Palace Museum turned up at the doorsteps of his suburban Suzhou workshop bearing the imperial jacket of the Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796). They wanted repairs done for the centuries-old robe, and Wang and his family of kesi craftsmen were the only people who can do the job. Kesi is an intricate weaving process and the word literally means "carving with silk?
Chinese New Year
2011
China Daily Special
CCTV9 Special
China's railway system is put to the test
As millions take to the rails, bad weather awaits
BEIJING - The national railway system is going through a harsh test, with increasing pressure from passengers who lined up all night for a train ticket and the icy weather in the southern part of the country that could disrupt transport at any time.
A flood of people have waited in line before ticket windows at Beijing's several railway stations over the weekend, and tickets for all trains leaving Beijing were sold out in only 30 minutes after being put on sale on Saturday morning, the Beijing Times reported.
Tickets sold over the weekend are for ordinary trains leaving in the few days before the eve of the Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 3 this year.
Disrobed, famed and stranded
SHANGHAI - A man who took his clothes off at a local railway station office in East China to express his anger at being unable to buy a ticket home remained stranded and anxious for help on Sunday.
Chen Weiwei, a migrant worker from Central China's Henan province, earned national attention and sympathy when a set of pictures depicting Chen, clad only in his underwear, and confronting an officer, circulated widely online.
He had lined up for 14 hours at the west Jinhua railway station in East China's Zhejiang province on Jan 17 and 18 only to find the tickets he wanted to buy were all sold out.
A report by a Shanghai newspaper said on Friday that Chen had received five tickets with assistance from staff members at Jinhua railway station.
But Chen Wanjun, spokesman with the Shanghai Railway Bureau, said on Sunday that the report was not true.
He said the tickets were sold out, and that there was no possibility to help him, though railway authorities went all out to help passengers home during the travel peak.
Chen Weiwei, dressed in his underwear, challenges a railway station official after he failed to get a train ticket home.
China begins annual Spring Festival travel rush
BEIJING-- China's annual Spring Festival travel rush began Wednesday in freezing weather, with some 700 million people, or half the nation's population, expected to travel within the country during the 40-day-long travel period. China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) estimates that 2.85 billion passenger trips will be made during the period, 11.6 percent more than last year.
The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New year, is the most important traditional festival of family reunions. This year, it falls on February 3.
230 million expected to go home by train
BEIJING - The volume of China's railway passengers during the coming Spring Festival peak period is expected to hit a new high of 230 million, an increase of 12.5 percent over last year's figures, officials said on Saturday morning.
See Kaixin's - Chinese Folk Customs
Lunar new year merchandising market
A woman smiles as she shops at a Chinese new year merchandising market in Shanghai January 17, 2011. Hundreds of millions of Chinese geared up to welcome the Year of the Rabbit next February 3, packing temple fairs, entertainment parks, setting off fireworks and firecrackers and hurrying to train and bus stations to get home for the traditional holiday.
Writing Spring Festival couplets
A man (right) writes Spring Festival couplets for residents of a neighborhood in Yining, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Jan 23, 2011. Almost 100 calligraphers gathered in the neighborhood and wrote couplets for residents as Spring Festival gifts.
A child selects decorations for the upcoming Spring Festival which starts on Feb 3 at a market in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province
Chen Guangbiao, a famous Chinese philanthropist, shows checks and bank cards company owners donate during a ceremony in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, Jan 23, 2011. An entrepreneur charity group led by Chen held a donation activity on Jan 23 to announce a 127-million-yuan donation for low-income residents and schools in Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou and Gansu.
VIDEO - Anhui eats up tofu feast to celebrate Spring Festival
Spring Festival is celebrated all around the country. And in central China's Anhui Province, the Tofu Feast is a traditional must. Chefs have come up with over 300 ways to use bean curd to tempt the palate.
Tofu, or bean curd, is a Chinese standard that's made its way to international tables. The southern region of Anhui Province is said to be the birth place of Tofu, which first appeared two thousand years ago.
Generations of chefs have used their imagination and taste buds to create various dishes. And it's natural that chefs in Anhui are among the experts.
Zhu Jianglong, Chief, said, "Tofu is an ordinary food in Chinese people's daily life. But it can be turned into many dishes with different shapes and tastes."
Tofu is favored by local residents also because it sounds like the word for happiness in Chinese.
Su Xinhua, Anhui Native, said, "Tofu, Tofu, mouthful of 'Fu'. We Chinese can't spend the Spring Festival without eating Tofu. The food can bring good luck to the whole family. "
Tofu is also winning over people's hearts and stomachs for its health benefits. The high protein and low fat make it a first choice for many modern people.
Going home for Spring Festival
Geng Libo, a migrant worker from Southwest China's Yunnan province, waits for his train at a railway station in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, Jan 26, 2011. January 19 marked the beginning of the annual Spring Festival travel rush, with an expected 2.56 billion passenger trips in the coming 40 days.
Traditional paintings salute the New Year
A child plays at a nianhua (New Year picture) workshop in Zhuxianzhen near Kaifeng city of Central China’s Henan province, Jan 26, 2010. Dozens of workshops in Zhuxianzhen are busy making woodblock New Year paintings as the Chinese lunar New Year draws near. As a national intangible cultural heritage, the Zhuxianzheng woodblock New Year paintings first appeared in Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and gained prosperity during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). According to traditional Chinese customs, the paintings are usually placed on doors and walls during the Spring Festival to prevent evil spirits and bring good luck to the family.
Spring Festival E-Cards (Send on to a friend)
A BRIEF HISTORY
OF
CHINA
Zhong Ming's Book of Insects
It's a big world of the world's smallest creatures - from Zhong Ming's lens to the compelling close-up shots here.
Beautiful -- but perhaps different from traditional beauty -- through an entomologist's eyes, the microcosm of insects is perfectly demonstrated by Zhong. He sees it as a way of getting closer to Nature.
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
Global Times
Global Times 2010 Year in Review
Davos debates China's status
The 41st World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, kicked off Wednesday with delegates gathering to try and paint a comprehensive picture of the post-crisis world they now inhabit.
One of the main topics of debate is who the principal artists of this new fresco will be: the established schools of the US and Europe, or the innovative movements of the emerging world, coming from China, India and Brazil.
As these "new realities" are being discussed, cautious optimism has dominated the meeting so far, as many officials feel it is high time to look beyond the crisis and establish guidelines as global economic power shifts from West to East, as suggested by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF.
Looking at China's place in this new reality, almost half of the 1,201 CEOs of international firms polled by PricewaterhouseCoopers claimed they were "very confident" about China's growth in the 12 months to come.
China topped the poll of business leaders, with 39 percent voting it the world's No. 1 growth engine, followed by the US with 21 percent, Brazil on 19 percent and India on 18 percent, according to the consultancy's Annual Global CEO Survey published Wednesday before the WEF began.
Smaller cities must begin to evolve
The State Council has released a set of new measures to tame the property market Wednesday, which appears to have suffered most over the past 12 months. However, high house prices do not simply reflect the price of a home, but also the amount that people are willing to pay to chase their dreams in big cities.
As long as these cities still possess this broad appeal, house prices there will not fall.
There are more than 600 cities in China. In a few of them, house prices have become a real social problem. A common feature of these cities is the existence of abundant opportunities for personal growth and career development. Big cities have rich cultural scenes, rapid development and sophistication.
In comparison, some second and third-tier cities do not look like cities, despite their gleaming infrastructure.
The concentration of population in major urban areas is a global problem. For instance, the population of the Paris metropolitan area is one-fifth of the French population. However, the situation in China is much worse.
The excessive concentration of all kinds of resources in big cities has led to this skewed appeal. Despite the pains of extremely high house prices, people still view this as a necessary evil.
In big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, measures to curb the housing market have become increasingly tight. But the craving for these properties lingers on as people believe these cities will become bigger with more opportunities.
The market demand being squeezed out by curbing policies may be effective, but only when small and medium-sized cities see a rapid rise in their appeal. Otherwise, such demand may return and drive house prices even higher in big cities.
China should try to increase the appeal of its second and third-tier cities.
Appeal-building means more than building houses, roads, and urban squares. These cities should possess vivid cultures, offering denizens the flavor of a big city. They should be able to echo global trends too.
In order to weigh down house prices, a few administrative control policies are not adequate. Bringing down house prices deserves the full force of China's modernization. At the moment, China's prosperity is dominated in a few cities. Such prosperity should shine over more regions, and people's traditional ideas of life and wealth should be reshaped. This sounds utopian, but it could determine the quality of China's modernization.
China is witnessing the expansion of its high-speed railway network and the migration of job opportunities into inland areas.
This provides second and third-tier cities with an opportunity to take a share of the appeal of big cities. However, these smaller cities still lack cultural confidence, and their appeal remains invisible in the eyes of many people.
China urgently needs more smaller cities to blossom next to their larger brethren. They will set good examples, and show people what modernization really means.
See Kaixin's - CHINA REAL ESTATE
Persecuted veterans finally vindicated
The first thing Xiong Shichao does every morning is dress up in full uniform and pin five anti-Japanese war (1937-1945) campaign medals to his chest.
At first glance, this 88-year-old veteran looked just like any other proud but forgotten war hero.
"As a soldier, these medals are all I care about," Xiong said.
The difference with Xiong is that he, like millions of other Chinese, fought on the wrong side.
Four of his medals are brand new: They were handed to Xiong last year by the government of Baoshan, Yunnan Province.
"It's been nearly 65 years since the war ended," Xiong said. "I only received most of these medals last year, but I don't care if it was too late.
"I'm just happy to be recognized."
There are more than 100 veterans like Xiong living in this prefecture-level city of about 2.5 million people. They came here to fight the Japanese.
See Kaixin's - Nanking, Nanking
J-20 stealth fighter jet 'innovative, not stolen from US plane'
Chinese defense officials and military analysts insisted Monday that the country's J-20 stealth fighter jet is a result of technological innovation, refuting a report that alleges the aircraft was developed out of technology gleaned from a downed US fighter.
A Croatian admiral who served during the Kosovo War told the AP on Sunday that China formulated the technology for its J-20 jet from a F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter that was shot down over Serbia in 1999.
"At the time, our intelligence reports told of Chinese agents criss-crossing the region where the F-117 disintegrated, buying up parts of the plane from local farmers," Admiral Davor Domazet-Loso was quoted as saying. "We believe the Chinese used those materials to gain an insight into secret stealth technologies."
An official at the Ministry of National Defense who declined to be named told the Global Times that "it's not the first time foreign media has smeared newly unveiled Chinese military technologies. It's meaningless to respond to such speculations."
China successfully debuted the J-20 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, earlier this month. The test flight coincided with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit to Beijing, but he was assured the timing was just a coincidence.
Following the successful test flight, speculations and assessments of Beijing's military advancement could be heard throughout the world.
US ties shine, bumps linger
Calling President Hu Jintao's recently concluded trip to the United States a fruitful diplomatic maneuver, officials and analysts called on the world's two biggest economies to cement their burgeoning mutual trust, as they are almost certain to run into future disagreements.
Winding road to national integration
Spring Festival travel, or chunyun, brings pains for not only migrant workers who are heading home, but also residents staying in big cities during the season.
In coastal cities, you will see lots of restaurants suspend business, express delivery companies cut service, household helpers absent, and calls to the carwash met with no answer. Due to an exodus of migrant workers, the service industries will become semi-paralyzed.
While globalization integrates the world into one village, China's national integration appears to be another giant movement. It has created chunyun, the largest migration in human history, and has set the path of life for hundreds of millions of people. It serves as a thrust for both prosperity and bitterness in large cities.
For many Chinese, the charm of big cities is colossal. Compared with taking risks in the US or Europe, chasing dreams in domestic cities seems less risky. The flow of labor and resources into larger cities has supported China's high-speed economic growth in the past three decades.
The flow of people from villages into cities also causes a series of problems, such as a swelling population, shortages in resources and environmental deterioration. Society has to accept these problems along with the benefits.
In the long term, the national integration movement will shorten the distance between different regions. But this is bound to be an ordeal. China's population migration remains a seasonal, pendulum-style movement at the moment. Lots of migrant workers have to rush in and out of cities, since they cannot really be absorbed into these crammed cities and get permanent residence.
Big cities are still unsure about the role these migrant workers play, and it is unknown how much social welfare the newcomers can share in the future.
National integration is an irreversible journey. The number of migrant workers has reportedly reached 9 million in Shanghai and over 10 million in Beijing. These people contribute a lot to the economic vigor in cities in East China. Yet the cities have not been prepared to give them equal social benefits.
China's urban-rural dual system is deeply rooted. At the same time, the income gap between coastal and inner areas is wide, and the registered residence system is still rigid in big cities. National integration struggles against all these facts. But it is not a well-organized struggle - it mainly comes out of spontaneous market forces.
The movement involves the fate of numerous Chinese. It is spectacular in a macro perspective and the details are sad at times. As the entire country face this goal of integration, the Chinese have to remain strong and patient.
Media holding up mirror to society, for better or worse
Is social inequality in China getting better or worse? Two recent news items may help answer the question.
The State Administration of Civil Service has disclosed that over 90 percent of newly recruited public servants come from ordinary families, and not from elite or privileged ones. When juxta-posed with several scandals over the recruitment of officials' children, this makes for a typical Chinese scene.
They are both true, reflecting a complex China, full of imperfections, full of expectations and full of hope.
The Lang Lang side effect
Swiss conductor Adrian Schneider had a simple dream: to bring good music to the people through an independent professional wind orchestra based in Beijing.
For a country that churns out prodigies like pianist Lang Lang and exports musicians to the world's top symphony orchestras, Schneider found it no easy task.
Despite a massive Chinese mainland base of string instrument and piano students, Schneider said he was surprised to discover he had no other choice but to build a multinational team to form a top-level wind orchestra.
Half of the principals of his Dunshan Orchestra hail from Europe, the US, Japan, together with several from Taiwan and Hong Kong.
"It's about 50 years behind the West," he said.
Lang Lang performs in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province
See Kaixin's - A Selection of Chinese Folk, Contemporary & Classical Music
Pianist Lang Lang's US trip hits sour note
Chinese pianist Lang Lang's trip to the US appears to have struck a bad chord, as critics are slamming his performance at a White House state dinner as being offensive to the host.
Lang played a Chinese household song called "My Motherland" at the function to welcome President Hu Jintao. It was the theme music of a 1956 movie named Shangganling Battle, which depicted the fighting of Chinese troops against US troops during the Korean War (1950-53).
A lyric in the song goes, "If the jackals come, we will greet them with guns."
Lang denied any hidden intentions behind the choice, saying on his Facebook account Tuesday that "it has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It was selected for no other reason but for the beauty of its melody. I am, first and foremost, an artist. As such, I play music to bring people together."
"America and China are my two homes. … I couldn't be who I am today without those two countries," he added. "My mission is to bridge cultures through the beauty and inspiration of music."
Lang, born in China in 1982, went to the US to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He has also gained prestige and honors around the world. This was the fifth time Lang was invited to perform at the White House since 2005.
In an interview Tuesday with National Public Radio, Lang said he felt "sad" and "disappointed" that the song was described as "anti-US," saying, "The last thing I want to do" is drop a note of nationalism.
See Kaixin's - Chinese Song - My motherland 我的祖國 (Plus English Translation)
Bringing water to the thirsty North
The water crisis in North China has been highlighted by this winter's severe drought.
The region, including Beijing, ranks among the thirstiest places in the world, where hundreds of millions are desperately waiting on a viable long-term solution.
The South-to-North Water Diversion Project, started in 2002, is at the center of the controversy. Aiming for completion in 2050, the project is designed to divert 44.8 billion cubic meters of water annually to the industrial heartland of northern China.
But debate and special interests have been delaying the project with the amount of water diverted likely to downsize.
Puppet masters
Embarrassingly short of money, 72-year-old Wang Guiwen and the villagers Ai Yangcheng persist with their shadow puppetry, hoping to keep this traditional art alive in Aiyang county under the city of Fengyang in Liaoning Province.
Wang began puppetry at age 20, then a craft envied by his peers. Scripts for this shadow puppet troupe are handwritten and manuscripts are handed down from one generation to the next.
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
Dialogue
A 30 Minute Current Affairs Programme on CCTV - 9 (In English) where current issues are discussed by experts from China and Internationally:
Obama's speech & political comeback
Future beyond Cancun Climate Conference
Taiwan & China - From revolution to reunification
US & China's best way forward through trade
China-US relations in transition
Strategic reassurance to be tested
Gates' fence-mending visit to Beijing
International News Sources
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
The Wall Street Journal - China RealTime Report
The Wall Street Journal
Pictures of China
Slideshows
Geithner: Global Inflation ‘Not High on List of Concerns’
Inflation on a global level is “not high on the list of concerns,” even though emerging markets across the world are certainly “feeling some pressure,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Friday.
Kaixin OpEd – Well, that’s taking responsibility isn’t it?
America unleashes a tidal wave of money into the world banking system to try and fix its own economic woes (woes self inflicted) and couldn’t give a toss about the consequences to any other country.
China is certainly concerned about the tidal wave of counterfeit money heading its way.
China will take steps to stop it.
America will bleat and bleat about unfair economic and commercial practices …. but it is of their doing!!
Actually, there is nothing new in all this ……
China Bank Outlines Global Plans
ICBC, Making First Foray Into U.S. Retail Banking, Will Keep Focus on Expansion in Emerging Markets, Chairman Says
DAVOS, Switzerland—Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. will proceed cautiously in its drive into U.S. retail banking as it expands globally, Jiang Jianqing, chairman of China's largest commercial bank, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Chinese Billionaire Hands Out Cash to Poor
Chen Guangbiao, a Chinese recycling magnate, has made headlines in China for handing out money on the street.
Mr. Chen today held a “donation ceremony” at a Taiwan auditorium and doled out $227,1888 in his signature red envelopes. He also donated money to social-welfare groups and a school-lunch program for low-income students.
Google’s Schmidt Still Chasing China Ambitions
Outgoing Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt would like to get more of Google “into China,” including by finding a local partner for Google’s Android mobile operating system.
Will Law Reforms Reduce Forced Home Demolitions?
In October 2010, thugs hired by a demolition company to destroy a house forcefully entered it and brutally murdered the homeowner. The crime, one of a series of similar violent incidents in recent years, was widely reported and sparked popular outrage. Last week, the State Council published a regulation that would end the power of local governments to order demolition of urban residences and require disputed cases to be decided by courts
Mossberg and Swisher on Tech in Asia
On Asia Today: Special guests Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher speak to Asia Technology Editor Yun-Hee Kim about trends to watch in 2011, the “attack of the clones” U.S. Internet companies face when trying to do business in China, and the challenges Asian companies face in coming up with innovative technology and gadgets:
Lang Lang Responds to Critics of White House Performance
Chinese-born pianist Lang Lang has responded to critics of his performance at a recent White House state dinner for President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama.
At the event, Lang played a number that he introduced as “a Chinese song called ‘My Motherland.’”
“My Motherland” is the theme song for “Battle on Shangganling Mountain,” a 1956 anti-U.S. movie about the Korean War. Some listeners have interpreted the song choice as a slight against the U.S.
In a statement, Lang said “I selected this song because it has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It was selected for no other reason but for the beauty of its melody.”
See Lang Lang in Concert at Kaixin's - Lang Lang 郎朗 - virtuoso Chinese pianist
Two New Videos, Two Radically Different China
Two videos in heavy circulation on the Chinese Internet Monday illustrate two starkly different views of modern China. One is a government-sponsored promotional film that portrays a gentle giant of a country, full of happy construction workers and break dancers who are proud of their national transformation, and the other is a short, intensely violent satirical animation about a little boy who dreams of revolution against a corrupt, abusive government.
Kaixin OpEd – I asked Xiaosui about this video. Her response was that it was childish. It didn’t talk about anything new, all the issues have been discussed and discussed in China and the government has done something positive about each issue.
The video is not only childish, it is foolish.
The video has an unhealthy pre-occupation with violence. Without the ending, it is nothing and would have sunk without trace in China.
If a similar video was made in the west, inciting people to violence against public servants and politicians I would hope it would be taken down. Not because it complains to the government but because some loony tune with a screw loose might take it literally and shoot some poor public servant or politician.
The children in Beijing who made this video have harmed China because it is just the sort of thing the west likes to pick up on: “It was made by Chinese so it must voice the concern of the majority of Chinese.”
It doesn’t,
All in all, not worth wasting any more time over.
A clarification:
Of course the people of China are concerned about the issues raised in the video, as they have been talked about from the ground up since they occurred (without government censorship). The video can also be interpreted as inciting the Chinese people to bloody revolution. Possible, though the average adult in China will have dismissed it as childish drivel. My point was that some looney tune could take it seriously and harm an innocent person.
That actually touches on the issue of violence in video games - games it seems the makers of this video regularly play (haven’t they got better things to do with their time?).
Follow Up Comment ...
‘We in the West want China to evolve now. It’s a process, not an event, and one that is happening while we watch.’
Spot on …
At Kaixin we see it in terms of the colour coming back: unevenly, but insistently.
My wife, Xiaosui, was born in 1966 into the heart of the Cultural Revolution. Her father was a teacher and thrown into prison, the whole family was sent to a prison farm. So Xiaosui knows political oppression intimately.
China was certainly grey then.
She has seen China emerge from all that and come slowly back into the light. She is fiercely proud of China and she is one of the few people I know who has a definite right to hate the Communist Party.
She sees the Cultural Revolution in the context of the time.
To understand what happened and her attitude, you have to understand Deng Xiaoping and his contribution to China.
Yes, both videos reflect the China of today.
My gripe, as the western half of Kaixin, is the same as Xiaosui’s, it is a childish video full of violence. As she said, if they left out that, then it becomes nothing. A video made by young people trying to make a statement, but without the wisdom to do so.
Amy Chua an “American Mom” in China
After her book excerpt about mothering, published this month in The Wall Street Journal, launched a fiery debate online and elsewhere, Yale law professor and self-proclaimed Tiger Mother Amy Chua took pains to distance herself from the piece’s provocative headline (“Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”). We wonder what she makes of the mainland Chinese title of the book from which the excerpt was taken.
The Chinese edition’s title translates to “Being a Mom in America,” or, as Xinhua rendered it, “Being an American Mum.”
Kaixin Oped - Tiger Mum - Amy Chua 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'
WSJ - Photos of President Hu's visit to America
Chinese flags were wrapped with American ones outside the White House during Hu Jintao's state visit. Kaixin OpEd - I wonder if that was Hillary's idea ....
Video: China’s Next Leader–Who is Xi?
With Chinese President Hu Jintao poised to step down by 2013, WSJ’s Jeremy Page tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Xi Jinping, the man most likely to take over the reins of the world’s second largest economy:
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
The New York Times
A Hot Topic for Davos: China’s Big Challenges
SHANGHAI — The seemingly unstoppable rise of China has long been high on the agenda at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This year, though, the discussion is likely to include a greater focus on major challenges facing the country.
What Is the Beijing Consensus?
While a lot of people at the World Economic Forum are talking about the "Beijing consensus," there is no consensus about what the China's economic growth model actually is.
A Conundrum for Hot Asian Economies
Asian economic policy makers are entering 2011 facing major policy challenges, with rising prices for food and oil producing a resurgence of inflationary pressures, especially in China.
Chasing the China Bandwagon
The United States Business and Industry Council, for example, which represents family-owned domestic manufacturing businesses, argues that President Obama should stop negotiating with China and start imposing taxes and tariffs. “We need to contain China’s economic strength and to reduce China’s military strength,” said Alan Tonelson, research fellow at the council.
Mr. O’Neill, by contrast, points to the rich earnings that multinational companies like I.B.M. are garnering from sharply rising exports to China. “The notion that China grows at everybody else’s expense is at least three years out of date,” he said.
Kaixin OpEd - The 'smart' money - those with intelligence and foresight - see China's rise and rise as an opportunity not a threat to be contained.
The smart money goes to China and actively looks for opportunies.
The smart money looks for opportunities in their own country that can link into the rise and rise of China.
The dull money simply complains and want mommy to fix things ...
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
Caixin Online
Successful Shanxi Rail Magnate Under Scrutiny
But will high-level connections, philanthropy and fame help protect businesswoman Ding Shumiao?
Ding Shumiao is a successful businesswoman, celebrated philanthropist and so well-connected that more than 400 central government and Communist Party leaders attended a huge Spring Festival celebration in early 2010 sponsored by her coal-railway-advertising conglomerate.
So when news recently emerged that government investigators were looking into Ding's finances and railway investments, a shiver went through the highest ranks of the nation's railway and coal industries.
Sometimes a salary just doesn't cover all the expenses – how the malignant corruption of He Shen became the most egregious example of imperial corruption during the Qing Dynasty
Rising to become Emperor Qianlong's most trusted consort during the late Qing Dynasty, the legend of He Shen continues to live in the minds of many Chinese as a parable of rank official corruption. By the court's own archives of the time, He Shen was documented as having amassed a combined 107.2 million tael in 1799 with his relatives, when his assets were finally confiscated by the central government. The list is recorded in China's First Historical Archives Center, Volume 195.
Kaixin OpEd – The other legend on corruption is of the chief adviser to the Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, Kang Xi.
Kang Xi was infamous for his corruption and had also amassed a vast fortune.
A trusted adviser to the Emperor asked him why he didn’t do something about it and replace Kang Xi
The Emperor replied that Kang Xi was sated, the wolf was full.
If he appointed someone else, they would be a hungry wolf.
Demolition Rule: One Arm for the Sledgehammer
To protect rural and urban citizens against forced demolitions of homes, the latest regulation's reach must be doubled
After four years of preparation and more than 100,000 public comments, the central government has taken a significant step toward preventing forced demolitions of homes. A new regulation covering the land requisitioning of state-owned land for building projects took effect January 21, offering hope to millions of people whose homes may stand in the way of the nation's rapid urbanization and industrial growth.
The new rule signals an awakening for citizen rights and reflects progress toward sound governance as well as rule of law. It also offers an institutional solution to some of the seemingly intractable problems surrounding forced demolitions.
The Future of Economics is in China
Nobel Laureate Ronald Coase on how the study of economics will come to be based in China through openness to new ideas
With a long-running interest in China since he read Marco Polo as a schoolboy, Nobel Laureate and University of Chicago Professor Ronald Coase encouraged his future collaborator, Steven N.S. Cheung to go to the University of Hong Kong in the early 1980s, as a launch point to study China's nascent transition toward economic reforms.
Equating "bad economics" akin to the act of staring at a blackboard, Coase now aims to promote what he terms, "good economics," with the recently-established Coase China Society. According to Coase, the field of economics still has much to investigate outside of the realm of the imaginary. "The study of the subject has to be real," says Coase.
Kaixin OpEd - Kaixin has been saying this for some time. Western Economics is struggling to cope with this new world order. Economics will evolve and the centre will be China.
The Age
Well-versed economy watchers should turn their minds to Chinese steel
Think of China, think of Australia making big bucks.
YOU want to make guesses about what will happen to the economy this year? Here's a tip: forget the floods and take more notice of China.
Australia's business economists have already got the message that China dominates the rest of the world's effects on us, whereas their mates in the money markets are slower on the uptake, retaining their obsession with all things American.
China matters, first, because, with a population of 1.35 billion, it's the most populous country in the world. That gives it 20 per cent of the world's population, making it 11 times larger than Japan.
Kaixin Oped – Kaixin has noted before that with around 1.4 Bill people beavering away there is a lot of economic activity going on.
They have been beavering for the last 30 years, since Deng Xiaoping removed the shackles.
The are beavering now and they will continue to beaver.
In this respect, size does matter …
See Kaixin's - China & US Relations 'The fundamental source of power for a nation, or empire, is its people.'
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
The Age
A leap too far leaves China at risk
John Garnaut
After three decades of phenomenal growth, the risks to China's economy are mounting. Australia needs to take note.
Kaixin OpEd - Young John is such a media tart. He loves a good scary news story and loves to huddle in corners with earnest Chinese dissidents.
Still, I suppose it’s by nature of the professions he’s in.
Xiaosui and I were watching a show on China’s CCTV1 (yes we have satellite TV) in which a senior journalist from Germany was being interviewed. She spoke very good Chinese and had over thirty years experience reporting on all things Chinese. She had lived in Beijing all that time.
She said that she was always being approached by people with stories of doom and gloom about China. She was always being approached with people who had a gripe and people who desperately wanted to become world famous dissidents. She soon learned that there was much more the China than that. She left that side to the in-experienced and shallow. She concentrated on substantial news stories and where possible positive ones. She did not take a step back if she thought that criticism was necessary, but did not make that the theme of her reporting, as young John is hell bent on doing.
I could paint different pictures of every country depending on who I spoke to and what events I covered.
Of course it’s going to rain sometime, of course there will be a correction if the trajectory of economic growth is too high.
However you cannot write off over a billion people beavering away to make their life better.
The same goes for America where the doomsayers are circling. There are a hell of a lot of Americans working to make America a better place.
In both countries the governments are trying to manage the situation.
Kaixin has often opined that Washington and the Fed are responsible for the economic mess America is in but letting the dogs of greed off the leash. They are trying to put them back in the kennel again and getting a few bites along the way.
China is not letting them off the leash. Beijing is having a hard time stopping them barking and waking the neighbours, but they are still in their kennel.
It will be interesting the see the outcome.
Kaixin predicts that America will find a way to heal its economic wounds and China will find a way out of the problems being caused by its stellar growth.
There will be some bumps and bites along the way, but not mortal.
Kaixin does agree that Australia cannot expect to continue to sell its backyard to China at exorbitant prices. China is putting in place a wide range of sources so they can eventually apply some pressure in the price negotiations.
When and if that happens, who can tell. I’d keep an eye on my resources stocks though …
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
Asia Times Online
The tearful origins of China's stealth
By Peter Lee 
The recent test flight of China's J-20 stealth fighter was short, but untangling versions of events, its development trajectory stretches back to 1999, and former premier Zhu Rongji's tears as he met a plane carrying a package "more important than life" and the coffins of compatriots killed in the air bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Serbia. To a certain extent, the J-20 was Made in America ... via Belgrade.
BOOK REVIEW
The party principle
Red Capitalism: The Fragile Financial Foundation of China's Extraordinary Rise by Carl E Walter and Fraser J T Howie
Reviewed by Benjamin A Shobert
For a brief period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was possible - even fashionable - for critics of China to write polemic accounts predicting the country's imminent demise.
In the book, Walter and Fraser ask, 'Is China headed for a fall?' Can it cope with the crises its rapid growth and uneven development might spark? Walter and Howie attempt to answer these questions by focusing exclusively on the country's financial system. They conclude that China’s embrace of the free market is merely a ploy to keep the Communist Party predominant, and question whether this approach can work in the long term.
INTERVIEW
China not all it seems
Benjamin A Shobert interviews Fraser J T Howie, who with Carl E Walter wrote the recently released Red Capitalism: The Fragile Financial Foundation of China's Extraordinary Rise.
"The Chinese are not playing by the rules and we have to engage them on that," says co-author of Red Capitalism Fraser J T Howie, who argues that while at a distance China looks impressive, up close there are many problems.
China labor shortage spreads
By Olivia Chung
Thousands of companies have opened factories away from China's prosperous eastern coastline in order to cut pay costs driven up in part by labor shortages. To their dismay, they are finding in places like Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region similar pay pressures, sometimes having to offer workers better conditions than in rich Guangdong.
Kaixin OpEd – The free ride on the backs of Chinese workers is over it would seem.
This will be reflected in the price Chinese widgets.
That’s OK says the Central Bank of America, well just print some more $US’s to pay for them …
Yikes!
SINOGRAPH
Hu confronts ghost of Stalin
By Francesco Sisci
A new "pro-American" spin to China's foreign policy looks set to emerge after Washington endorsed Beijing's idea of peaceful development. Should President Hu Jintao now convince the politburo to deepen trust with the US, he will be in a position to repair damage done six decades ago, when Russian leader Joseph Stalin gave technology to Mao Zedong in exchange for intervention in Korea and the loss of Taiwan.
THE ROVING EYE
Davos, Dakar and a ton of BRICS
By Pepe Escobar
fter the ruling classes schmooze in Davos, "the rest" will be left with the World Social Forum - to be held in Dakar, Senegal. There could hardly be a better place to discuss inequality and the current crisis in capitalism, never mind its plethora of emerging catchy-named conclaves, than Africa - where hard-baked talk is likely to produce better solutions than any "problem solving" session après-ski.
SINOGRAPH
Confucius takes a stand
By Francesco Sisci
Chinese authorities last week placed a statue of Confucius in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, near the portrait of former paramount leader Mao Zedong. The move to give such a public face to the great philosopher is in line with Beijing's decision to cut down on Maoist paraphernalia in the political heart of China. Maoists are up in arms.
See Kaixin's - Confucius, Traditional Chinese Medicine ... best represent Chinese culture
See Kaixin's - Confucius - Video Documentary
See Kaixin's - Mao’s Last Swimmer - Chairman Mao's swim anniversary Nanning China
Kaixin OpEd – Xiaosui recalls the Cultural Revolution (which she lived through) and how Mao wanted to wipe Confucius from Chinese history.
Why?
Mao came from a village in rural China. He had seen how lofty ideas such as Confucianism had not benefited the rural population and peasants of China one jot.
He wanted to leave all that behind and forge a new China.
Yes, his ideals were corrupted by power, but the Cultural Revolution was actually founded on a sound idea, to rid China of the old ways that had contributed to grinding the average rural worker/farmer into the dust.
However, an idea, a philosophy, as strong as Confucianism cannot be wiped from the face of history.
It is re-emerging in China as China is taking its place in the world as a leading power. A place it held for most of recorded history.
The leaders of China know that the Chinese people, in particular the youth, need a powerful philosophy to guide them.
The influences and temptations of China’s re-gained wealth are great, and distracting.
Communism is a strong philosophy, but it is mainly political and economic. Also, China has let it evolve to benefit the needs of China, rather than wear it as a straightjacket.
Confucianism has 1,000’s of years of history in moral guidance.
Communism may provide the physical sustenance to the people of China, however Confucianism will provide the philosophical sustenance.
Global Times - Demented art
As a child, Guo Haiping witnessed his disturbed brother Guo Enping being dispatched to a mental hospital after reading The Selected Works of Mao Zedong nonstop for three days and three nights.
Kaixin OpEd - This article featured on the front page of one of China's leading overseas English newwspapers (news website). Along with the statue, it says something of how China is viewing Mao's legacy. Not all bad, but in perspective.
See Kaixin's - Mao’s Last Swimmer - Chairman Mao's swim anniversary Nanning China
Share Article 
