Making Datong''''s Sky Bluer

TALKING about Datong, what comes to your mind? The magnificent Yungang Grottoes, or the black "Coal Sea?"Located in northernmost Shanxi Province, between the Inner and Outer Great Walls, Datong, with a history of more than 2,400 years, is the second biggest city in Shanxi Province. It is famous not only for historical relics such as the Yungang Grottoes, Hengshan Mountain, Hanging Temple, and Nine-Dragon Screen, but also for the rich coal resources that have earned it the reputatio…     

Yungang Tourism Festival Gives New Impetus to Datong''''s Economy

THE curtain has justclosed on the FirstYungang TourismFestival in Datong,Shanxi Province.With their display ofsuperlative sculptures, the 1600year-old Yungang Grottoes command a world reputation, alongwith the Longmen Grottoes inLuoyang, Henan Province and theMogao Grottoes in Dunhuang,Gansu Province.As the second biggest city inShanxi, Datong is accredited by theState Council as one of China's top24 historic and cultural cities.Datong has been capital of theNorthern Wei Kingdom (3…     

When Faith Moved Mountains

It is believed that Buddhism reached China through the Silk Road around the first century A.D., and subsequently, Buddhist arts and crafts arrived from countries like India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. An example would be the artworks found in grottoes built along the Silk Road in China. The Mogao Caves near the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province in northwest China, the Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang in central China's Henan Province, and the Yungang Grottoes near Datong in Shanxi Province in north China are the three most important places in the country where Buddhist grottoes have been found.     

A World ofDifference

正One of the great foreign misconceptions about China is its homogeneity.The idea that China’s vast lands are populated by nearly 1.4 billion members of an identical culture,that there is somehow an archetypal Chinese landscape,a Chinese person,or that spoken Chinese is a singular language,rather than a family of languages at least comparable to that of the entire European continent,are all at times prevalent concepts in the West.Despite     

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     

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     

Focus

Voice There are many problems in the clinical use of antibiotics in our hospitals. The high frequency of using antibiotics and the large doses prescribed are likely to cause bacteria to develop resistance, said Ma Xiaowei, vice minister of health, at a recent meeting. It is estimated that around 20 percent of Chinese patients are in need of antibiotic drugs. However figures show that 70 out of every 100 Chinese inpatients are receiving antibiotics, while the maximum number set by the World H...     

KICKOFF TO SUCCESS

Can the performance of China's national football team be improved? The World Cup is without a doubt a carnival for football lovers of all nations. Even without the participation of the Chinese national team, this year's tournament still captivates Chinese football fans, many of whom get up at three o'clock in the morning to catch the latest game. However, while they are immersed in enjoying the World Cup, Chinese fans also     

About Slight Slowdown

Fears of a"double-dip"recession are haunting the world economy.But a"double-dip"recession is quite unlikely in China as long as the Chinese Government can properly deal with the real estate market,control credit expansion and stabilize the stock markets,said Yi Xianrong,a senior researcher at the Institute of Finance and Banking of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,in an article in Shanghai Securities News.Edited excerpts follow:     

Family Reunion Feast

<正>Welcome the Chinese New year in the company of loved ones and friends—over a sumptuous banquet of traditional Chinese dishes.Chef Cao’s mastery of the culinary arts combined with the use of high-grade ingredients produce a burst of impeccable flavor in every bite you take.Three set menus are offered,priced at 1,888 yuan,2,288 yuan and 2,688 yuan.     

IN SEARCH OF GOLD

正The Chinese delegation holds a flag-raising ceremony at the Rio Olympic Village on August 3,two days ahead of the opening of this year’s Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil.Over 400 Chinese athletes are set to compete in 210 events across 26 sports during the games,which last from August 5 to 21.China is expected to win a number of gold medals,particularly in sports in which Chinese athletes     

Little Carps Jump Over the Dragon Gate

There is, within Chinese mythology, the legend of a carp thatjumped over the Dragon Gate and became a dragon. The cities ofHancheng (in Present-day Shaanxi) and Hejin (in present-dayShanxi), which stood on opposite banks of the Yellow River (themother river of the Chinese nation) Provide the setting for this leg-end. Hancheng and Hejin are believed once to have constituted a whole city, with the Dragon Gate Mountain at its center. When ram-paging floods inundated most of the farmland in …     

A Master at Work Qi Baishi’s Landscape Painting Compilation

QI Baishi (1864-1957) is regarded as one of the most renowned Chinese painters of the 20th century. His work Landscape Painting Compilation recently fetched RMB 194 million (US $30.55 million) at the China Guardian 2011 Autumn Auction, the highest priced work at that event. Record-breaking feats are nothing new for this particular work - in 1994 it set a price record for an auctioned Chinese artwork at RMB 5.17 million (US $810,000). Qi Baishi completed Landscape Painting Compilation in the fall of 1931 and presented it as a gift     

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND PROFIT

Chinese Internet users are joining the blogging community in increasing numbers, but can, and should the medium be a moneymaker? Lao Ding, 40, a doctoral student at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), had never felt so embarrassed as he began working with a team of young researchers in their 20s in Beijing. Eager to bridge the generation gap and share common topics, Lao bought a DVD     

Watch the Sparks Fly in Yuxian!

Hinterland rural towns are the last sanctuaries of old traditions, best honored at the Chinese New Year.YUXIAN in northwestern Hebei Province is a three-hour drive from Beijing.     

Chinese Communication Styles

正China has become an economic superpower,but that success is not contingent on Chinese businessmen,government officials,and other elites on having assimilated into a Western style of communication.There are still vast differences in the ways in which Chinese interact with Western people,and with the world at large.Significantly,the primary function of Chinese communication strategy     

Sino-Japanese Calligraphy Exhibition Held in Kanazawa,Japan

The Heavenly Stems and the Earthly Branches, used to indicate the sequence of years in the traditional Chinese calendar, have a long history and far-reaching influence. They are the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient people of China. An oracle bone unearthed at the     

A European Investment Boom?

<正>Chinese investors seek opportunities in Europe At present,Chinese investment in Europe is entering a period of rapid growth.China and the European Union(EU)are discussing how to dock their strategic economic development and investment plans together,Shen Danyang,spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Commerce,said at a press briefing in Beijing on July 7.At the China-EU summit in Brussels in     

Going Global： an Uphill Baffle

Chinese companies face a myriad of restrictions in offshore markets despite abundant access to financing CHINESE companies "going global" are increasingly welcomed in foreign markets. Even U.S. regulators, who once balked at the prospect of Chinese investment on American shores, now routinely approve     

Hot Money,Hot Problems

After emerging from the economic doldrums, developing economies are now confronted with a new danger-a flood of international hot money. But how has the speculative capital circumvented regulatory controls and what are the consequences concerning the stability of the developing world? Zhao Zhongwei, a senior researcher with the Institute of World Politics and Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, discussed these issues in an article recently published in the China Securities Journal. Edite...