31st of January 2011
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
China Daily
China invests $608b in water projects
Massive investment planned to ensure conservation of resource
BEIJING - Efforts will be intensified to promote water conservation as well as the sustainable use of the precious resource, and the task will be a multi-trillion yuan national priority, a central policy document said.
The country will invest 4 trillion yuan ($608 billion) into projects during the next decade to improve water conservation, Chen Xiwen, director of the office for the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's Leading Group on Rural Work, said on Sunday.
China steps up water conservancy efforts
China will intensify efforts to accelerate the development of the nation's water conservancy and promote the sustainable use of water resources, a central government statement said Saturday.
China will strive to improve the country's underdeveloped water conservancy works over the next five to 10 years, said the document issued jointly by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, China's cabinet.
"Floods and drought in recent years have exposed weaknesses in water conservancy infrastructures," the document said.
The country aims to build effective flood control and drought relief systems by the end of 2020, it said.
It will complete the harnessing of its major medium- and small-sized rivers within the next five years, during the 12th Five-year Program (2011-2015) period, said the document.
In the same five-year period, the country also aims to maintain annual water consumption at below 670 billion cubic meters.
More efforts will be made to improve water quality and irrigate farmland, it said.
Efficiency the key to irrigation
BEIJING - China should focus more on water-efficient agriculture and improving the usage rate of water resources when it plans construction of new irrigation facilities in rural areas, experts have said.
A central policy document released on Saturday said the country will greatly increase its investment in water projects during the next 10 years and will require as much as 10 percent of local land transaction fees to go to farmland irrigation projects.
See Kaixin's - GREEN CHINA
China's 2010 land supply for affordable housing jumps 124%
BEIJING - China's land supply for affordable housing in 2010 soared 124.5 percent year-on-year amid the country's robust demand for affordable housing, said officials with the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) Saturday.
The total land supply for affordable housing last year hit 24,700 hectares across China's mainland, excluding Tibet autonomous region and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, according to officials.
The overall land supply for housing in 2010 rose 64.1 percent from one year earlier to 125,400 hectares, according to the ministry.
In April last year, the MLR said it issued its first land supply plan for urban housing.
Plan to supply land for houses falls a bit short
BEIJING - The central government did not achieve its goal of ensuring a certain amount of land was supplied for housing construction in the past year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Land and Resources on Saturday.
The ministry said that more than 30 percent of the land that should have been allocated for residential housing was still going toward other uses.
See Kaixin's - CHINA REAL ESTATE
From China's wealth, designs to dream about
Scores of architectural firms across America are enjoying a startling boom - in China.
The Chinese work has helped fill the void left by a listless American economy. But more intriguing, the architects say, is that Chinese developers and even government agencies are proving to be better clients than their American counterparts. They say the Chinese are more ambitious, more adventurous and even more willing to spend the money necessary to realize the designs.
China-Sudan bio-energy project launched
KHARTOUM - Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha on Saturday inaugurated a bio-energy project that will provide an alternative source of energy and improve the local environment.
The project, which is part of a partnership between Sudan and China, has been established at al-Selait area, some 25 km east of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
It consists of many units for producing bio-fuel and energy for lighting purposes using local sources of animal waste.
Japan's PM sends China best wishes
Kan expresses hopes for more people-to-people, official exchanges
BEIJING - In a congratulation letter on Chinese New Year, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan calls for building a long-standing and stable relationship between Japan and China.
The prime minister sent his best wishes on Thursday to all Chinese people as the lunar new year approaches.
Kan appreciated the Chinese contribution to Japan's social development and expressed his hopes for more official and people-to-people exchanges to boost next year's 40th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations.
"It is very important to build up a long-standing and stable bilateral relationship between Japan and China, neighbors separated only by a narrow strip of water. Now both countries are striving to strengthen strategic relations, to their mutual benefit," Kan wrote at the invitation of Toho Times, a Chinese newspaper in Japan.
"As a political leader, Kan offered his greetings not merely out of courtesy. I think his statement is positive and certainly conducive to healthy Sino-Japanese relations," said Zhou Yongsheng, a professor of Japanese studies at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.
Property firm bids to purchase 16 farms in NZ
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Shanghai Pengxin Group, a Chinese property developer and owner of agricultural and mining ventures, is seeking to buy 16 dairy farms in New Zealand after the government rejected an earlier bid by a different Chinese company.
Shanghai Pengxin will apply to the Overseas Investment Office by the end of March, Chairman Jiang Zhaobai said in a statement on Thursday posted on the website of KordaMentha, the farms' receiver. KordaMentha, which took control of the farms more than a year ago, accepted the offer, it said.
Take me to the Beijing Temple Fair
Beijing's traditional temple fairs or miaohui are part of the rites of Spring. Erik Nilsson looks at the carnival spirit, and finds out that it is an evolving sprite.
Temple fairs celebrate - and are in themselves - ancient customs, but they're increasingly demonstrating that traditions are anything but stagnant. There is no consensus on the process with some saying the carnivals' traditional components are dying, while others insist they are merely reincarnating into new cultural life forms. But they have been in Beijing for the longest time, and are a part of celebrating the arrival of Spring, and so, have evolved into being part of the Lunar New Year festivities.
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.
Rising cost of returning home for Spring Festival
Families discover that going to see relatives and friends comes at a high price. Cao Li in Beijing and Li Xinzhu in Shanghai report.
People traveling for the Spring Festival arrive at Beijing Railway Station with gifts for relatives and friends back home.
VIDEO - Spring Festival phobia
Spring Festival is supposed to be a time for celebration, laughter and cheers. But it seems nowadays some of our citizens have become afraid of the most important festival of the year. Check out their views, maybe you have had similar thoughts.
Yang Jiao, with a piece of paper saying "it is great to go back home" on his forehead, carries his luggage to a train at the railway station at Jiaxing city in East China's Zhejiang province on Sunday. Yang, a merchant from Chongqing in Southwest China, bought a standing-room ticket after spending three days lined up at the ticket office.
Fears about high ticket prices prove unfounded as passengers flock to take advantage of new services
BEIJING - Nearly 20 percent of Chinese train travelers have turned to high-speed lines during the Spring Festival peak travel period, Wang Zhiguo, vice-minister of railways, told a news conference on Sunday.
The holiday period, known as the chunyun period, sees massive numbers of travelers return to their hometowns for family reunions during the Spring Festival.
"The high-speed railways have played an important role in the chunyun period as more than 1 million people are being shipped (by high-speed trains) every day," Wang said.
This year's chunyun period started on Jan 19 and will end on Feb 27, with Chinese New Year falling on Feb 3.
By Saturday, 837.8 million travelers had been transported in China by means of trains, buses, ships and planes in the chunyun period, according to figures provided by the ministries of railways and transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Wang also specified the current transport volumes on several main high-speed railways to dismiss doubts on such railways' roles in the period.
The number of people taking the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway connecting Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province, and Guangzhou, the capital of South China's Guangdong province, had exceeded 100,000 every day, said Wang.
This year, the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway handled its second chunyun since it started operations in December 2009.
The number "accounted for half of the volume of all train passengers traveling along the railway", Wang added.
For the high-speed railway linking Wuhan and Shanghai, the proportion is 86 percent, with 107,000 travelers being shipped every day, according to Wang.
The public had feared that the high fares for high-speed trains might turn travelers away as ticket prices for slower trains have remained unchanged for more than a decade.
Wang also predicted that the high-speed lines will have an even bigger role in 2012's chunyun, because their mileage will increase by 4,715 km by the end of this year.
The new high-speed railways will include three lines that link Beijing and Shanghai, Beijing and Wuhan, and Beijing and Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.
However, the peak level of transport has yet to come for this year's chunyun, officials at the news conference said.
The number of people traveling by bus and ship will reach a peak in the next three days, Feng Zhenglin, vice-minister of transport, said on Sunday.
He estimated the daily number of people traveling by bus will exceed 75 million.
The peak period for railways will come between Feb 8 and 12, with the average number of train travelers reaching 6 million a day, Wang said.
Spring Festival E-Cards (Send on to a friend)
A BRIEF HISTORY
OF
CHINA
Global Times
China can learn from Li Na's personality
Despite losing the final at the Australian Open, 28-year-old Chinese tennis player Li Na is all the rage in the foreign media. This is related not only to her identity as the first Asian to play in a Grand Slam singles final, but also her courtside humor and bubbly personality.
Women's Tennis Association CEO Stacey Allaster said that on the global stage, Li represents the image of the Chinese people.
Every successful athlete, on certain occasions, becomes a symbol of his or her nation. Previously, Chinese sports players had a strong sense of "representing China," and often appeared conservative and overcautious. Foreign journalists used to find it hard to distinguish among Chinese athletes due to their lack of individuality in their eyes. Li is breaking that stereotype.
Li's impressive performance on the court was driven by her own personality and it represents a social change in China during the past two decades. Mainly, the constraints on self-expression have been shaken off. This forthright girl represents a different China that allows her to "just be herself."
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.
Color revolutions will not bring about real democracy
In a sense, democracy means to convey all grass-roots sentiment to the government level, but many existing governments do not do this. The more extreme elements exist in a society, the harder it is for a government to maintain a reasonable line. The Middle East is the region where beliefs and viewpoints clash most with the Western world view. Hence, Western countries support non-democratic governments who play into their hands.
Most Western democracies matured over a long period. Japan and South Korea, though implanted democracies, have to pay the price of accepting foreign armies on their territory. Some other countries have had an even tougher time in adopting a democratic system.
In general, democracy has a strong appeal because of the successful models in the West. But whether the system is applicable in other countries is in question, as more and more unsuccessful examples arise.
In the West, democracy is not only a political system, but a way of life. Yet some emerging democracies in Asia and Africa are taking hit after hit from street-level clamor.
Democracy is still far away for Tunisia and Egypt. The success of a democracy takes concrete foundations in economy, education and social issues.
As a general concept, democracy has been accepted by most people. But when it comes to political systems, the Western model is only one of a few options. It takes time and effort to apply democracy to different countries, and to do so without the turmoil of revolution.
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
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
The Wall Street Journal - China RealTime Report
The Wall Street Journal
Pictures of China
Slideshows
Yuan’s Value Is Hot Topic at Davos
The Chinese currency is such a hot topic at Davos this year a breakfast meeting didn’t even go without it.
At a function hosted by a Chinese financial magazine Saturday morning, with China’s 12th five-year plan as the theme, Chinese executives, academics and their Western counterparts spent a big chunk of their time talking about nothing else but the controversial renminbi, or “People’s Money” as literally translated.
China Opens a Door on Currency Swaps
SHANGHAI—China will allow banks to trade currency swaps for corporate clients starting March 1, extending the use of the financial derivative beyond the interbank market—a move that facilitates corporate foreign hedging as Chinese trade continues to expand and cross-border investments accelerate.
The announcement comes as Beijing steps up efforts to let the yuan be used more widely outside China, loosening its grip on the currency as it aims to become less dependent on the dollar for trade and investment.
See Kaixin's - YUAN REVALUATION & INTERNATIONALISATION
China Central Bank Pledges Vigilance
KYOTO, Japan—The People's Bank of China must be vigilant on inflation and may need to tighten reserve requirements further to address rapid capital inflows, the central bank's governor warned Sunday.
Speaking to Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of meetings in Kyoto, Zhou Xiaochuan pointed out that Chinese price growth slowed slightly in December, but he signalled it ...
See Kaixin's - ECONOMIC CHINA
Chinese Banks on the Prowl in Europe
Chinese financial institutions are pushing into Europe, opening bank branches, scouting for deal opportunities and even attending German banking classes, in the latest illustration of China's growing global economic clout.
China Development Bank, a giant government-owned lender, is one of four final parties eyeing a big stake in troubled German bank WestLB AG, according to people familiar with the matter.
Turkish Minister Says China Gaining Unfair Advantage
It doesn’t matter whether or not China and the U.S. are actively trying to keep their currencies low, the end result is pain for emerging markets, Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Saturday.
Kaixin OpEd – China accumulates 3 trillion in reserves because, the west argues, it has held its currency down artificially. No mention of hard work and thrift.
In terms of purchasing distressed ‘western’ assets as the GFC aftermath continues, then it would be in China’s interests to increase the value of the Yuan.
Actually, China wins either way.
Why?
Because of the hard work and thrift that accumulated such vast wealth.
Perhaps the ‘west’ should ponder on this rather than just complain.
As Kaixin is now saying rather repetitively, China is an opportunity, not a threat.
However, ‘western’ companies have to get off their butts to take advantage of that opportunity.
China Makes Water a $12 Billion Priority
BEIJING—Chinese officials said water conservation will be their top agricultural priority this year and targeted up to $12 billion for irrigation and related projects, while also acknowledging the country could have to import more farm goods over the long term.
Chronic droughts have parched aquifers in China's northern plains and weighed on grain output, even as the stock of arable land is under pressure from urban encroachment amid a massive continuing population shift from country to city.
See Kaixin's - GREEN CHINA & CHINA REAL ESTATE
Billionaire’s Cash Giveaway: Greater China Reactions
Agree or disagree with Chen Guangbiao’s method of street donations or his motives for giving money to Taiwan’s poor, one thing is for sure, the Chinese recycling tycoon has stirred a lively and at times thoughtful debate on both sides of the Taiwan Strait about charitable giving.
A Chinese tycoon coming to Taiwan to give away money the way Chen has is provocative enough, but the message on Chen’s red envelopes (“When the sky is cold and the ground freezes the people still feel warm, the Chinese people are one family, like a torch in the winter”) could easily be read as a call for unification between China and Taiwan, which has de facto independence.
Follow link for some of the reaction Chen’s trip has elicited from politicians, the media and others:
The New York Times
China and Vietnam to Talk on Sea Dispute
The Vietnamese ambassador to China, told Chinese reporters on Thursday that China and Vietnam would hold a new round of talks on their territorial dispute in the South China Sea this year.
Kaixin OpEd - .... and they probably don't need Uncle Sam to hold their hands.
China Might Force Visits to Mom and Dad
Under a proposal from the Civil Affairs Ministry, adult children would be required by law to regularly visit their elderly parents. If they do not, parents can sue them.
Kaixin OpEd – ‘Once ensconced in intimate neighborhoods of courtyard houses and small lanes and surrounded by relatives and acquaintances, older people in China are increasingly moving into lonely high-rises and feeling forgotten, he said.’
Welcome to the west!
This proposed law is founded in compassion but will be dashed on the rocks of reality.
Xiaosui and our friends in China agree that the elderly are being forgotten, however a law will not address the issue. It will take either a change of attitude or the revival of the old ways where the elderly were treated as respected members of the family, not burdens.
How do you ‘prove’ in a court of law such a proposition? What defences will be allowed?
The first generation of only children are far more mobile, often live in different cities and are facing increasing costs of living. Many have neither the time nor means to visit their parent, even if they wanted to.
Will lack of money be a defence?
The elderly in China, and Asian societies in general, feel an obligation to their children. It is why the suicide rate is climbing. They are lonely and isolated, but do not want to be a burden on their children.
High quality aged care is probably the answer. The west has some good models to work from.
It is not ideal, but perhaps it is better than being alone and isolated in a high rise apartment.
A U.S.-China Odyssey: Building a Better Mouse Map
The geneticist Xu Tian splits his time between Yale and China to pursue the key to what makes a mouse tick, gene by gene, and its implications for humans.
XU TIAN embodies the American dream to an extent that many of his fellow Americans might well envy.
So what is he doing in China?
Chinese Court Sentences Driver in Abuse-of-Power Case
“Sue me if you dare. My father is Li Gang!”
SHANGHAI — A Chinese court on Sunday sentenced a 23-year-old man to six years in prison for killing one young woman and injuring another in a drunken-driving accident that drew public outrage in China.
Caixin Online
Is the style of parenting advocated by Amy Chua in her latest book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, truly Chinese?
Recently, Amy Chua's article titled, "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," in the Wall Street Journal, ignited a sociological fire across parenting circles. A professor at Yale Law School, Chua's article was an excerpt from her book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" – in which she claims through a strict parenting culture, Chinese children are able to perform exceptionally well in the United States, while western parents abandon their due responsibilities out of "respecting individuality." According to Time Magazine, within a few days, news related to the article attracted over a million views and more than 5,000 comments worldwide.
The new book, however, uses simple, summarized slogans so that those who are either busy or lazy can flip to a simple answer from the perspective of Chinese parenting. But her account misses countless details. The book is ultimately more about a conversation on the differences between traditional and non-traditional parenting techniques, rather than the contrasts between Chinese and western styles of raising children.
When Chua's younger daughter was finally given the opportunity to make a decision for herself, she actually chose tennis – a very pushy sport for female players.
But since her children have been raised in the United States, the only way they will ever truly know is the American way.
The author is a scholar studying in the U.S.
See Kaixin's - Follow the Debate on Tiger Mum - Amy Chua 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'
Shanghai Housing Deals Drop After Tax Levy
An analyst said that the effects of the new tax are expected to show up in home prices during March or April
(Beijing) – Sales of newly-built homes in Shanghai dropped by 40 percent one day after the city's property ownership tax kicked in as part of a pilot program administered by the city government. On January 28, 574 new homes were registered as sold, compared to the previous day's 946 units.
See Kaixin's - CHINA REAL ESTATE
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 advisor 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.
See Kaixin's - INSIGHTS INTO CHINA'S CULTURE AND SOCIETY
The Age
China's central bank says inflation too high
China's central bank governor warned on Sunday that inflation is higher than expected and that banks' reserve ratios could be tightened further to soak up excess liquidity in the economy.
Asia Times Online
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
See Over for the 29/30th January 2011
CCTV - 9
News for Today
China Business Culture Science & Technology Travel
China News Archive starting August 2008
If you found Kaixin interesting, please SEND AN EMAIL and tell a friend.
SEARCH KAIXIN for a TOPIC or KEYWORD or DATE
You do not need a PayPal account to Subscribe. PayPal accepts credit card.
Explore Kaixin
The Cultural Revolution through my eyes
A Selection of Chinese Classical Music available on YouTube
China and Tibet - Xi Zang 西藏
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that," Dalai Lama
Contemporary China in Photographs Kaixin's Daily OpEd
GREEN CHINA Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation 艺术 Chinese Zodiac Jewellry China's Top 10 Leisure Spots 
Chin News Archive starting August 2008
If you found Kaixin interesting, please SEND AN EMAIL and tell a friend.
SEARCH KAIXIN for a TOPIC or KEYWORD or DATE
You do not need a PayPal account to Subscribe. PayPal accepts credit card.
Share Article 
