Sentimental Journey： Recreation of a ＂Rust Belt＂

SEVERAL years ago, few travel books ever mentioned Yangpu District in the context of exploring glitzy Shanghai. That＇s understandable considering the fact that this cradle of Shanghai＇s modem industry wore down into a ＂rust belt＂ when it fell through the cracks of economic and industrial activity begun in the 1980s. Old legacies and new endeavors are legitimizing its new claim to an old economic birthright, and it＇s doing it all in style - again - in a transformed, knowledge economy.     

Shanghai -- China＇s Most Internationalized Metropolis

SHANGHAI was a humble fishing village in the 11th century during the Northern Song Dynasty. The area expanded into an agricultural hinterland and cotton and silk industry center during the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. During this period its trading potential as a deepwater port at the mouth of the Yangtze River was exploited. Shanghai became an international port and center of finance during the latter half of the 19th century. In its heyday, Shanghai was the acknowledged Eastern adventurer＇s paradise. By the 1920s it had become the point of convergence for merchants from France, Britain, Germany and the United States.     

LETTERS

Last May,my wife and I returned from a month-long visit to Shanghai,Beijing and a number of other cities in China. It was a rewarding experience to see this vast country on its forward march. China recently overtook the United States as the world’s largest market for car manufacturers,and indeed it seemed to me that the country’s highways were packed with the latest models.     

Geng Yanbo： Datong＇s Scholarly Mayor

SPEAKING to Geng Yanbo, the new mayor of Datong, it is difficult not to be swept up by his enthusiasm for the history of his city. And it is that enthusiasm which a majority of the city＇s residents agree also accounts for Geng＇s unique approach to modernizing Datong while preserving its long cultural heritage. Looking about, the evidence of that commitment is everywhere, from the newly opened shops to ihe freshly paved roads. Since being transferred in March from Taiyuan to Datong to become acting mayor and deputy secretary of the Municipal Committee of the CPC, Geng has acted resolutely to turn this industrious coal town into a cultural showpiece.     

Growing up Green： The Yellow River Delta——Opportunity Knocks

＂The Yellow River Delta is the last of the country＇s big river deltas awaiting the development that will ensure its rise, and its time has come,＂ asserts Zhang Qiubo, secretary of the Dongying municipal committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）. Following the economic booms of the Yangtze and Pearl river deltas, China has now switched its attention to developing the area where its second largest river -the Yellow -enters the sea.     

Bold Shanghai- Nostalgia and New Beginnings

SHANGHAI is the symbol of China＇s modem prosperity and opening to the outside world, though its outward reach dates back as early as 1,000 years ago when this city at the estuary of the Yangtze River in East China opened its port to Japan and Korea. By the Ming Dynasty （1368- 1644） it had become famous for its prosperous commerce zone and dense urban population.     

Pudong: Facts and Figures

1. Brief introductionPudong, a district that lies about 15 kilometers from downtown Shanghai, covers 532square kilometers. To its east is the mouth of theYangtze River and to its west is the HuangpuRiver. Pudong's population makes up one-tenthof Shanghai's total, and its area, one-twelfth.Since it is located to the east of the HuangpuRiver, it is also called Eastern Shanghai. The district has fertile land and fresh water resources.2. Gross Domestic ProductPudong's GDP increased from 6 …     

A city on the move:Shanghai

Shanghai, the city that I visited eight years ago was fast disappearing and instead a glitzy city of glass, steel and concrete is rising up to replace it. The small, old houses that used to be everywhere have all but been replaced by modern development and the last remaining patches of run down buildings along Suzhou Creek are set to be redeveloped in the next few years.     

Deep Blue Vision of Wealth

SHANDONG Province holds for itself one sixth of China＇s coast line - 3,000-plus kilometers punctuated by more than 200 ocean bays, including 70-odd with high commercial value. This makes it the section of China＇s east coast with the largest number of sites appropriate for deep-water port construction north of the Yangtze River mouth. Shandong has long been a national forerunner in marine science and technology： it is home to more than 40 percent of Chinese institutes in this realm, and its associated professional researchers and educators.     

The International Protection of Women＇s Human Rights： with Emphasis on UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

1. The International Protection of Women＇s Human Rights： Emergence of CEDAW
For a long time, women＇s rights have been excluded from traditional discourse on human right. The traditional discourse on human rights has developed without considering its impact upon women. Transforming this discourse to a perspective that will consider the needs and vindications of women is absolutely essential.1 Although international efforts addressing women＇s issues presumed to be associated with women began in the nineteenth century, it was in the postwar period that such activity gained a coherent focus under the auspices of United Nations.     

Zhabei District of Shanghai——A Dream of Its Own

SHANGHAI owes its birth and prosperity to the mighty Yangtze River that enters the sea where the city perches on China’s east coast;the emergence and ascendance of its Zhabei District is also bound into river legends and became part of an historic epoch in national industry.Located in the northern part of the city,Zhabei is home to a growing number of iconic landmarks,buildings and neighborhoods.     

Yiyang City Modern and Developing

LION-shaped Yiyang City is to the south of Dongting Lake in north-central Hunan Province. The Zijiang River runs through the city from west to east, dividing it into two, and emptying into Dongting Lake. The Zishui Highway Bridge links the areas north and south of the river. In ancient times the Zijiang River was called Yishui. As at that time     

Ancient Town on theLoess Plateau

QIKOU is a small town about 6 hours' bus ride from Tai-yuan, capital of Shanxi Province. From the 17th cen-tury to the 1940s, it was the wealthiest town on the Yellow River. Qikou harbor is halfway along the Yellow River. and oil giant Mobil once had its China branch office there. Former Chinese financial tycoon Kung Hsiang-hsi also had a business in Qikou. It began to     

Jourism Information

Suzhou City A city known for its history, culture and tourist attractions, Suzhou is located in the southeast part of Jiangsu Province, right in the middle of the Yangtze River Delta, in an economically developed coastal region. Suzhou borders Shanghai in the east, Zhejiang Province in the south and Wuxi in the west, with the Yangtze flowing across its northern edge. The cultural heritage of Suzhou plus the beauty of its classical gardens contributes its fame as a "paradise on earth."     

Water Lantern Show in Dali＇s Qingsuo Village

Thousands of glowing water lanterns floating on the Miqie River make a spectacular scene. In Qingsuo Village, Shangguan Town, Dali City in Yunnan Province, the annual Haidenghui takes place on the 15th day of the seventh moon, a distinctive custom in Dali. A major headstream to Lake Erhai to the south, the Miqie River wends its way from Eryuan County. Qingsuo Village, on its northern bank, received its name from Qingsuo Bridge. According to the historical story, the bridge was first built with rattan ropes by order of famed military strategist Zhuge Liang＇s when the river blocked his way during his Southern Expedition.     

The Art of Placement

THE Forbidden City is Beijing＇s hottest tourist attraction besides the Great Wall. Situated in the heart of the city, this sprawling complex served as the imperial palace of two dynasties. In front of the complex is the Golden Water River, while behind lies Jing-shan Hill （also known as Coal Hill）. This placement is far from accidental. Few visitors realize that the river and hill are in fact artificial, created in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui principles which require a “hill at the back and water in front.” Such a position is said to bring the inhabitants happiness and good luck. Although often dismissed as superstition in modern China, it has been shown that many fengshui principles do in fact have a basis in science, overlapping with nu- merous concepts found in modern environmental architecture.     

Legendary Shanghai Modern

SHORTLY after the motion picture industry began to blossom in China, Shanghai became subject and backdrop for its dramas.Throughout the last century, movies and TV series have presented a realistic but fictional Shanghai, with plots that capture the growth of the city and events that have made history. The film arts have produced the best foomotes to the city＇s legend, capturing its spirit and charm in very specific detail.     

The Shanghai School

THE decades from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century were years that saw the migration of many painters to Shanghai from its neighboring provinces Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The phenomenon gave rise to the Shanghai School, which corresponded to the Beijing School in the north. Artists in this school made innovative efforts to integrate genteel techniques and sensibilities with the exuberance of folk art,     

The City of Tomorrow Urban Best Practices Area a Peek into the Future

TEXT and the city - a lot is being said about Shanghai 2010, so let＇s not forget this is the first time in the past century and a half that a city has ＂attended＂ the World Expo as an independent participant. The Urban Best Practices Area on the south- em bank of the Huangpu River is certainly making the most of that spotlight and is expected to be the highlight of the World Expo 2010. For an exhibition of 15.08 hectares （only 3 percent of the entire Expo space） this may seem ambitious,     

Lasting Friendship Formed in Battling Floods——Notes on Rewi Alley's Five Visits to Honghu

While it was intensively hot in mid-July, oneflood crest after another came from the up-per reaches of the Yangtze River: Jiangxi is in anemergency, then Hunan, Hubei. News reports aboutthe flood and the struggle to protect the dyke wagedby the people along the river arrested the attentionof the whole nation. One saw on the TV screen the