What''''s in a Name?

The process behind naming a Chinese baby has many variations,but with so many people and few name choices,parents are looking for new options Names are very important to the Chinese. When a baby is born, or evenbeforebirth, choosing     

What's in a Name?

Simplified Chinese characters were introduced nearly 50 years ago as a way of increasing literacy. However, in response to a trend toward using unusual or ancient characters in baby names, the government     

What's in A Name?

If foreigners in Beijing are planning to taste the famous Peking roast duck, they may be advised to go to Quart jude, a household food brand name that has more than 100 years history.If however they want to recommend the restaurant to friends,chances of remembering a Chinese name are slim.Chinese restaurants seldom have foreign names,often the only conces- sion being a pinyin form of their Chinese names,which are still difficult for foreigners to pronounce and remember.     

What＇s in a Name？

I often think that Chinese women are wiser than we in the West, as they generally don‘t adopt their husbands‘ names upon marrying. There could be something in the Chinese belief that the name given at birth determines the fate of its bearer.     

What's in a Number?

Eastern and Western cultures share a fascination with superstition, especially when it comes to numbers If you are in a skyscraper in Manhattan, don't bother looking for the 13th floor, and if you want to get a new phone num- ber in Beijing,be prepared to pay extra if it has the numeral eight in it.For all the differences Chinese culture and American culture have,they do share a love of lucky     

China, a Sacred Name——Silin and his Granddaughter

In 1995 the Chinese People's Association forFriendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC)invited K.S. Silin, a Russian expert in bridgebuilding, to visit China and confer the title of     

Will Real Name Registration Harm Mobile Phone Users'''' Privacy?

The days of Chinese consumers getting mobile service without ha ving to register with their real names are num b e r ed . The Mi n i s t r y of Infor ma ti o nIn d u s t r y (MII) has announced that in orde r to become cell phone subscrib e r s, people wi…     

Does Apple Showroom Belong in a University Library?

<正>Recently, students quietly studying in the library of Peking University (PKU) found that a new Apple showroom was under construction. The 40-square-meter showroom will be an     

In the Name of Dignity

After four years of ceaseless effort, a villager in Zhejiang Province has won a lawsuit against the local government Swearing to seek justice, Zhang Zhaoliang, 39, gave up his regular income to devote his time to a lawsuit he filed against the local government over unfair land requi-sition. The already debt-ridden     

China ABC A Chinese Name

ＣｈｉｎａＡＢＣＡＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＮａｍｅＣＨＩＮＡＩＳａｕｎｉｆｉｅｄｍｕｌｔｉ－ｎａｔｉｏｎａｌｓｔａｔｅｗｉｔｈ５５ｅｔｈｎｉｃｍｉｎｏｒｉｔｉｅｓｉｎａｄｄｉｔｉｏｎｔｏｔｈｅＨａｎＣｈｉｎｅｓｅ．ＴｈｅｆｕｌｌｎａｍｅｏｆａＨａｎＣｈｉｎｅｓ...     

Is Controversy Over TV Editing A Storm in a B-Cup?

<正>Dear Readers,Forum is a column that provides a space for varying perspectives on contemporary Chinese society.We invite you to submit personal viewpoints on past and current topics(in either English or Chinese).yanwei@bjreview.com Please provide your name and address along with your comments     

Does Selectivity in Passenger Pickup Reflect Wisdom or a Moral Crisis?

Zang Qin, 42, a taxi driver in Shanghai, came into the media spotlight because of a blog posting, and has now become a household name in China. It all started from a conversation between Zang and Liu Run, a department manager for Microsoft (China) Corp., when Liu took Zang's taxi in the middle of March. Liu posted an article on his blog noting how Zang had a monthly income of 8,000 yuan (almost twice the average income of local taxi drivers) by choosing the time he works, his customers and routes to control costs. Zang said he is a happy driver, good at finding pleasure in work. Liu's article was later linked to other websites and caused a sensation. According to Beijing Youth Daily, Liu invited Zang to Microsoft to give a lecture to some 50 employees. The 45-minute speech was interrupted eight times by hearty applause.     

Life in a Mountain Town

YUNLING is a small town in northwestern Jingxian County, Anhui Province. Nestled between the Sigu and Yunling mountains, the town has a beautiful landscape. Yunling is less known for its beauty, however, than for the name, Ye Ting -- the general famous du…     

Giving the People a Voice? Experiments with consultative authoritarian institutions in China

In the last decade Chinese consultative authoritarianism has been renewed through many political and administrative innovations and tools. Authoritarian rule in China is now permeated by a wide variety of consultative and deliberative practices. These practices stabilize and strengthen authoritarian rule, leading to deliberative authoritarianism, an advanced form of consultative authoritarianism. This paper discusses two experiments—deliberative polling at Zeguo, Zhejiang, and a township election in Ya'an, Sichuan. Through these two cases we examine the direction which the development of consultative authoritarianism is presently taking, and the potentials and limitations of such input mechanisms in an authoritarian setting.     

Being a Pastor in China

The primary requirement for anyone in China to become a pastor is that they be Chris-tian. Before being formally baptized, the person concerned must be 18 years of age, have     

The World in a Mirror

TODAY,the idea of gazing atone’s reflection in a pot ofwater when applying cos-metics seems ludicrous.but3,000 years ago there was noalternative.The vessel used tohold “mirror” water was a jian,and the character for it symbol-ized a person looking down into abasin of water.The jian was firstmade of clay,and later of bronze.     

No Sandstorm in a Teacup

The sand was everywhere, covering the city like dirty talcum powder. It choked, clogged and floated its way into the lives of Beijing residents in a day of madness. Well it had actually been four days of madness. You felt it in your eyes, hair, teeth and worst of all you had to breathe this wind bom menace that lingered painfully like unwanted relatives at Christmas time. On the way to work April 17, even people used to pollution and poor weather were     

Does a Western Coffee Shop Belong in China’s Forbidden City?

As the symbol of China’s feudal reign during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911),Beijing’s Forbidden City rep-resents all that is rich and cre-ative about China’s history andancient archi-     

Carving a Niche in China

In a year or two, Beijing and Ljubljana, the capitals of two geographically distant countries, hopefully will become sister cities, according to Marjan Cencen, Slovenian Ambassador to China. However, developing sister city relations is only a small fraction of the growing cooperation between China and Slovenia. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, Beijing Review reporter Yan Wei spoke to Ambassador Cencen to take a closer look at the two countries' relations, which the ambassador defined as “excellent.”