Is Chinese as a Subject Important?

In January, six universities in Shanghai held independent admission tests to select students from more than 10,000 appli- cants. At four of the universities, Chinese was not a test subject or science students     

Fathering a Chinese Mozart

HUANG Nansong, aged 13, is a well-known figure at the middle school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music.     

Why Chinese?

ＷｈｙＣｈｉｎｅｓｅ？￥ＴＯＭＬＥＡＲＩｒｅａｌｌｙｄｏｎ＇ｔｋｎｏｗｗｈｙ，ｂｕｔｌｅｔｍｅｔｒｙｔｏｅｘｐｌａｉｎａｎｙｗａｙＢｙＴＯＭＬＥＡＲＩＶＥＢＥＥＮｗｒｅｓｔｌｉｎｇｗｉｔｈＣｈｉｎｅｓｅｏｆｆａｎｄｏｎｆｏｒｔｅｎｔｈｒｏｗｉｎｔｈｅ...     

Expansion of Chinese Social Health Insurance: who gets what,when and how?

This article asks ‘who gets what, when and how’ from China's recent social welfare expansion. Little research to date examines the overall landscape of China's social health insurance, which has changed dramatically since 2003, and the distributive consequences and implications thereof. Drawing on public survey data and fieldwork for empirical support, this article finds that China's recent social health insurance expansion does significantly expand people's access to social health insurance. However, the expansion, which entails health insurance fragmentation and increasing benefit disparities, not only reinforces existing social cleavages such as the rural–urban divide, but it also generates new divisions within urbanites and workforce. Moreover, multiple social cleavages that cross-cut class differences have been institutionalized into China's social health insurance system. This reflects authoritarian regimes' ‘divide and rule’ tactic in social welfare provision.     

Can the Chinese Dream Develop out of a Clearly Def ined Set of Chinese Values?

正MOST debates on the concept of the"Chinese Dream"raise the issue of what Chinese people dream of,and how their dreams could be fulfilled through a new era of reforms decided at the latest plenum of the CPC Central Committee.Yet thought should be given as well to the"Dream of China,"meaning the way the world perceives China and its rise today,and how the country could evoke a Dream of China similar to that so many people around the world have dreamed about the United States,despite all its mistakes and shortcomings.Over past centuries all major     

Conversation with a Chinese Paleontologist

Xu Xing was an undergraduate at the Geology Department of Peking University, and in 1992 became a postgraduate student at the Institute of Vertebrate Pa- leontology and Paleoanthropol- ogy under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He now has a research fellowship at the insti- tute, and is one of the most distin- guished dinosaur experts in the country. Professor Xu’s research is in the f ields of Mesozoic dino- saur fossils and stratigraphy; he has discovered and named 15 new dinosa…     

Can Drive-Thru Fast Food Gain a Foothold In Chinese Lifestyle?

You drive up to the counter, roll down your car's window and place an order for a double cheeseburger and fries. Minutes later you've paid and collected your very fast food, rolled up your window and driven off-and your feet have not even touched the ground.     

Does the Ranking of Chinese Universities Serve a Useful Purpose?

China's higher education institutions are not ranked at the top in quality, but they are among the most frequently rated worldwide. In January alone, three Chinese nongovernmental institutions released their rankings of Chinese universities. The debate over the three lists comes on the heels of a controversy over whether Peking University is the best university in Asia, the     

Is Chinese Difficult?

ＩｓＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＤｉｆｆｉｃｕｌｔ？ＳＵＮＤＥＪＩＮＰａｒｔ１［ＢａｓｉｃＳｅｎｔｅｎｃｅｓ］ａ．汉语难吗？ｂ．你以前学过汉语吗？ｃ．你会说汉语吗？ｄ．写汉字难不难？ＰＡＲＴ２［ＷｏｒｄｓａｎｄＥｘｐｒｅｓｓｉｏｎｓ］１．语言２．汉语３．英语４．学...     

China's Distinctive System: can it be a model for others?

The idea of the ‘Beijing Consensus’ does not accurately describe what has happened in China, nor does it represent a consensus among Chinese economists and policy-makers. This article presents six distinctive features of China's economic development, and argues that while each provides important lessons, none are easily copied by other developing countries. The intertwining of state and market in China is at the root of China's most distinctive developmental features. However, the specific character of the Chinese system and the way in which government and business relations have been structured cannot be readily replicated in other countries.     

The Kindness of a Chinese Immigrant

ON September 10, 2002 Mary He was thirty thousand meters above the Pacific Ocean, en route from Vancouver to Beijing. But the Chinese capital was not her final destination. Chinese-born Mary He, who now lives in Canada, took a 4-hour connecting flight to Urumqi, and then another 2-hour flight to Kashi in western China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. She spent the third day of her journey on a coach, traveling for more than 10 hours across the Gobi desert to Hotan. There, she continued her 30-year search for a Uygur boy named Ircken.     

Chinese Badminton to Stage a Comeback

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Huayuancun,a Modernized Chinese Village

HUAYUANCUN is a village in southern Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province, 180 kilometers away from the bustling Ningbo International Port. It was originally very poor, as its mountainous terrain made farming so difficult that villagers had no way of emerging from their long lived poverty.Reform and opening gathered momentum in the 1980s and brought hope to farmers every-     

Chinese Literature,Anyone?

Like many other ancient cultures,China possesses an impressive and celebrated literary heritage. The master poets of the medieval Tang Dynasty(618-907), for example, are rightfully known as some of the world’s best lyric poets; the adventures of the Monkey King and his company—as told in the classical Chinese narrative Journey to the West—have achieved a global following (in part due to TV adaptations and the like); and novels, short story collections and memoirs by expat Chinese authors living in the West have won major literary prizes and become international bestsellers.     

Chinese Table Tennis Makes a Glorious Comeback

ＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＴａｂｌｅＴｅｎｎｉｓＭａｋｅｓａＧｌｏｒｉｏｕｓＣｏｍｅｂａｃｋＢｙＷＵＪＩＮＳＯＮＧＴｈｅｗｏｍｅｎ＇ｓｔａｂｌｅｔｅｎｎｉｓｔｅａｍａｎｄｔｈｅｉｒｃｏａｃｈｒｅｃｅｉｖｉｎｇｔｈｅａｗａｒｄ．Ｉｔ＇ｓａｌｗａｙｓａｇｏｏｄｆｅｅ...     

Indian Culture in a Royal Chinese Garden

IIN early October of 2003, without crossing the national border, the Chinese people had the chance to experience India's rich culture and art. From October 1 to 7 the Soong Ching Ling Foundation and the Indian Embassy jointly held Indian Carnival Week, an event geared to celebrating Indian culture.The event was held at the former residence of Soong Ching Ling, (Mme Sun Yat-sen), honorary chair of the People's Republic     

A Visit to a Chinese Laser Specialist

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Changed?Childhood in Chinese Cities

正China’s remarkable economic and social development over the past years has made Chinese childhood today different by far from what older generations experienced.Most urban offspring are the sole child in their families,doted upon and lavished with material comforts.But the pressure on children today to achieve academic excellence,so encroaching on their play and freedom,is something     

Who Will Save Chinese Football?

Like a drama unfolding in a riveting suspense novel, the quadrennial global football gala is becoming more and more compelling as the climax approaches. Billions of people are glued to the tube watching the World Cup in Germany, and Chinese football fans are following the countdown with the rest of the world. According to a poll by China Central Television, the national broadcaster, World Cup games have attracted combined viewers of at least 10 billion. For Chinese football enthusiasts, however, the joy of watching a