Just a Small Cog——Reflections on My 30-Year Experience as a Foreign Affairs Worker in Shanghai

On an autumn day in 1964, I stepped into the Foreign AffairsOffice of Shanghai, a short-haired former school teacher,dressed in white blouse and black skirt, apparently with all the verveof a youngster and the nervousness of a student on first enteringcollege. One of the leading officials in the room said to his colleagues:"She is now the youngest among us." This was the scene how I joinedthe staff there.     

花腰傣 十年三部曲（英文）

正As part of my fieldwork in Dai villages between2006 and 2007,I made a 45-minute anthropology documentary of a rite called"Dancing to the Moon Lady".I did not expect that it would mark the beginning of ten years’research and film-shooting for me.On March 28,2006,the 15th day of the first lunar month,the Yuanjiang valley was heading into a warm,fresh early spring.Wreathed in thin mist and hypnotized by the singing of insects and birds,lofty     

Following In the Steps of Emperors

"The world is small,"said Confucius.When he made that comment he was standing 1,545 reelers above sea level on the top of Taishan Mountian.When I stood in the same spot,I wondered if the great sage had a premonition about globalization,or he just marveled at the bird's-eye view. I lost count of the steps after 30 minutes. The part of my brain that switches off when I do anything strenuous signaled shutdown and my feet moved metronomically.I kept telling myself I was following in the foot- steps of 72 emperors,Confucius and even Chairman Mao Zedong himself.Suddenly the phrase"one step at a time"took on a     

Qipao Comeback

正WHEN I was about 13 years old,a shop called Shaolin opened up in my hometown in southeast England.At that time,I had no idea what or where the name Shaolin came from–my friends and I would pronounce it"shay-oh lin"–but after my first visit to the shop,I was certain it would become a firm favorite on our list of places-to-hang-out on a Saturday afternoon.Shaolin was an Aladdin’s cave of Chinese goods.On entering,you were fi rst struck by atmospheric,dim lighting and the heady smell of incense.Then,the sounds:A CD of bamboo flute music accompanied by sounds of nature,and the tinkle of wind chimes evoked a sense of calm that made you want to stop and browse.For me,these sensory experiences became synonymous with"the Orient,"and     

The Hutong House in Winte

<正>I once overheard a German tourist passing through my hutong(an alley in which single-storey residences are located side by side)neighborhood telling his travel companion that it was"romantic,"yet he wouldn’t want to live here;and by way of comparison,the man mentioned the Fachwerkhaeuser,or half-timbered houses,in the German city of Tuebingen.Having lived for several years in a groundf loor apartment of a Baroque building in the historical district of the city of Heidelberg,Germany,I admit that living in"old"buildings,no matter where,is not for everyone.It takes a certain kind of person to weather and appreciate the experience.I consider myself fortunate to still be able to experience the"hutong culture,"as hutong houses are     

Fantasy and Reality

"When it comes to China,you can never know enough."These were the words inscribed on the first page of the booK Law and Society in Traditional China,given to me by a fellow student Tan Bo-Chen,on day one of my year at Peking University back in September 2016.Over the past few years,I have slowly come to understand the depth of meaning in this phrase about such a culturally unique and historically great civilization.The more time I spend in China,and indeed the more I know about China,the less I seem to comprehend it This country is absolutely fascinating:There is a mismatch between past and present;tradition and modernity;fast pace and slow pace;cities and mountains.     

Voices

正"China has undergone some remarkable changes over the past 30 years.My wife can speak Chinese.She brought me to China in the 1980s,when the country had just kicked of its policies of opening-up and reform,and I immediately fell in love with the place.When I went back 30 years later,I was amazed at the velocity of its growth.In a country of such openness all are moving briskly towards a better future,"     

Beijing Bumpkin

正I live in Beijing,a city of 20 million people,the capital of the Earth's most populous country and a center of massive cultural,political and economic influence.I've also lived in Shanghai,the financial center of China.So why was I so shocked to discover a clean,sit-down toilet with toilet paper in a     

Such a Perfect Day

My favorite day in Beijing begins with a 9 a.m. start, and breakfast at home in Xizhimen. I drink a cup of tea and eat some toast, as I watch the hustle and bustle of the market below my window.     

A Problem That Isn't a Problem

In recent years, putonghua has become a feature of Hong Kong life. When I called Lai Wai Shing to arrange an interview, he insisted that he could not speak putonghua well. During the interview, however, it was clear that he was being modest; his putonghua was both clear and fluent. Wallace Yeung, a Hong Kong native whom I met at Mei Foo Sun Chuen, where I interviewed putonghua-ignorant Tsui Chee, volunteered to be his interpreter, albeit with a strong Cantonese accent. LAI Wai Shing's work experience is straightforward. He was employed by the Ta Kung Po in 1972, and became an economic journalist in 1980. He and his family migrated to Canada in 1995. Lai Wai Shing returned to Hong Kong in 1999 and joined the Hantec Group. He began to work as financial commentator at Hong Kong NOW TV in 2006.Lai Wai Shing has witnessed Hong Kong's huge growth and immense changes. He tells me, "I was born in 1952. At that time Hong Kong was very poor. I remember as a child living with my whole family in a small room with seven or eight people sharing one bed." Lai Wai Shing thinks of this period as the "epoch of poverty in a small fishing port." In the 1960s Hong Kong entered an era of processing industry, and in the 1970s its economy took off. In the 1980s Hong Kong's financial and service trade began to burgeon. After more than 20 years' development, Hong Kong is now a cosmopolis and an international financial center. "There are those that believe Hong Kong is at a crossroads, and that it runs the risk of being marginalized and supplanted as an international financial center by Shanghai," says Lai Wai Shing. Quite a number of people worry volubly about the future role of Hong Kong. To Lai Wai Shing, "It's a problem that isn't a problem."     

The Story of Xuer

Xuer, or "snow," lived in the world for six years. She was daughter of my wife and my best friend. Her father died of lymphoma six monthsbefore she was born, and I became her stepfather a month after her birth. We so named her because she was bom on a day when a sudden heavy snow hit Beijing. I promised my friend before his death to take good care of his wife, whom I loved secretly since I was in high school, and their unborn baby. But the happy days of the three of us lasted less than a yea…     

LETTERS

When I was a young boy, I was fascinated with dinosaurs. I read many books on them, and used to draw pictures of T. Rexes, Stegosauruses, and many more. But I never knew that China had so many dinosaurs... until I read the Special Report in Volume 55, Issue 12, titled "The Middle Dinosaur Kingdom." Not only did the articles in the Special Report rekindle my interest in the subject, but I also learned a wealth of new and fascinating information about the ancient rulers of the earth. Paleontologist Xu Xing deserves great credit for his work in bringing dinosaur research in China up to international standards, and spreading interest in the subject among young people today. If he keeps up his good work, Western boys today will not be as ignorant about China's dinosaur situation as I once was.     

Hard Bases of China’s Soft Power

THERE is currently much discussion in China about "soft power," and I follow this discussion with great interest as a marketing professional and a lay observer. Here I would like to express my opinion in a professional sense. I was in charge of marketing and branding London for eight years, from 2000 to 2008. During that period the success of our work was recognized by international surveys that fre- quently ranked London as the world’s number one city.     

Beijing Bumpkin By Nicole Sy

I live in Beijing,a city of 20 million people,the capital of the Earth's most populous country and a center of massive cultural,political and economic influence.I've also lived in Shanghai,the financial center of China.So why was I so shocked to discover a clean,sit-down toilet with toilet paper in a run-of-the-mill cinema just a hop,skip and a stone's throw away from Beijing?     

Change China With Rural Women

Nobody would expect a rural woman with limited schooling to become a Hillary Clinton in a matter of a week. But after attending a 7-day training program, the 40 women from villages of Mancheng, a rural county in Hebei Province 150 kilometers southwest of Beijing, found themselves ready to make an impact in their respective communities' politics. "I'm running against my own father for the position of village head," said the 19-year-old Li Yinghui, at a mock campaign at the end of the training in early April. "I have more education than he does, and I understand the difficulties confronting us rural women better."     

Spit Happens

Last fall the British Council held a contest asking people to submit their favorite Beijing sounds as part of a project drawing attention to sound and daily life in the city. Entries were later posted online, and as I browsed through them, in the first audio file I clicked, there it was. Buried in the usual noises of a bustling street, the backed-up traffic and cries of vendors on bicycle carts, I heard the audible wind-up, like the ripping of Velcro, but     

Returning to Beijing

I had been home for Christmas and was just back in Beijing,where I had spent all of the previous year.That year had been one of the best in my life,and though I had been here before and always had a soft spot for Beijing,the city had now taken up a strong place in my heart.Going back home had been a strange experience of being home and away from home simultaneously.     

Yin He：Dream of a Wilderness Comes True in Tibet

Ilanded a job in a Beijing bank in ：2OLO after graduating with a master＇s degree. I was lucky. A job in a bank in the metropolis is well paid with bright career prospects,and consequently much sought after. But it didn＇t appeal to me. I found that sitting in a cubicle clad in a sharp suit from nine to five, five days a week was slowly eroding my ambition and spirit. I soon felt isolated in this cell of cement, steel and glass. I itched for the freedom of a great wilderness - a world of clear blue skies and lush meadows strewn with wild flowers extending to an open horizon. Although devoid of modern amenities, to me the wild blue yonder teemed with promise and opportunities that would renew my youth and vigor.     

An Auto Industry Legend

QI Yumin was vice-mayor of Liaoning's Dalian City until about a year and a half ago. Then he took the helm of the Brilliance Auto Company, based in the provincial capital of Shenyang. At the time, the ailing company was "waiting to be wound up." But Qi went on to change its destiny.When he was vice-mayor of Dalian, Brilliance was to Qi just another auto maker with the same old problems. In December 2005, he took a different view. He was appointed president of Brilliance Auto Company, executive president and chairman of the board of China Brilliance Automobile Holding Company, and president of Brilliance Jinbei Automobile Co., Ltd. En route from Dalian to Shenyang, Qi encountered a Christmas snowstorm. It just about reflected his mood. As he wrote in a text message to his sister, "I am going to a strange city to take a strange job in a strange company. I don't know what to feel."     

Localizing the International Human Right to Education in China: A Spatial Inquiry into the Usefulness of Human Rights in Cyberspace

Debates concerning the relationship between human rights and cyberspace(specifically, the internet)) have recently become fashionable in various disciplines but most of the analysis has paid scant attention to the spatial attribute of cyberspace. In this paper, I outline a framework for a spatial inquiry into the usefulness of human rights in cyberspace, relying heavily on the emerging ‘spatial turn' in law as well as the continual intellectual redirection toward a locally-focused approach to human rights. To answer the question of whether cyberspace is useful for improving the effectiveness of international human rights law everywhere, I begin by clarifying the significance of the spatiality of human rights from a geographic perspective, and then provide an analysis of the relationship between human rights and cyberspace. Human rights, I argue, are inherently geographic, and are spatially embodied in cyberspace. Accordingly, I try to explore the local relevance of cyberspace in contributing to the investigation of the effectiveness of international human rights law at local sites by an empirical endeavor to emphasize the right to education in China.