Freedom of Religious Beliefs as Seen in a Chinese Province

In recent years, the Chinese Government has been time and again accused, by those in the West whoare either hostile towards the country or ignorant of its realities, of acting in violation of the right of its citizens toreligious beliefs. There is the allegation that "official respect for religious freedom in China has diminished."To find out the truth, the China Society for Human Right Studies (CSHRS) organized a study tour of Hebei Province,north China, the very first of its kind since the society came into being ten years ago. The group, headed by Zhou Jue,president of the CSHRS, comprised some of the most prominent experts on human rights and on international laws.The study tour, from September 21 to 27, 2003, covered all the religions practiced in China—Buddhism, Taoism,Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, with Catholicism as the focus.     

An Examination of the "Post-70s"─A Review of The Gun as a Lighter by Lin Yuanzhong

OVER the pasttwo years, anumber of influential literaryperiodicals havemade a concerted effort to promote a group ofwriters born since the 1970s, whowere later known collectively asthe "Post-70s." What most interests me is: what kind of mentalityand disposition do these writersintended to reflect in their works?Why do they have that particularmentality? And what are the similarities or differences between the"Post-70s" and the earlier "LaterGeneration" writers?My reading of "Post-70s"works…     

Music and Sports as The Language of Unity——On Youth Delegation of Secours Populaire Francais’ Visit to China

From July 18 to August 1, a 40-member youth delegation of the Secours Populaire Francais (SPF) came to China and visited Beijing and Henan Province for music and sports exchanges with Chinese young people.     

The “Transcendental” Interpretation of the Concept of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Its Implementation in China

The concept of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind provides new theoretical support for the special protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is innovative in terms of its purposes and principles, logic and technology, and the actual implementation of the contracting parties, which is unique in the field of international human rights law. It is a "transcendental" interpretation of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and enhances the ethical values of international human rights law. The development of the cause of persons with disabilities in China is positively influenced by the values reflected in the concept of a community of shared Future for mankind and meanwhile highlights them, which provides "Chinese experiences" for the international cause of persons with disabilities.     

The Construction of a Rule of Law China and the Improvement of the Theoretical System of Human Rights in China——From the Perspective of “Integrating the Leadership of the Party,the Position of People as Masters of the Country,and the Rule of Law”

The CPC Central Committee has put forward the thesis of integrating the leadership of the Party, the position of people as masters of the country, and the rule of law. This thesis is an important development of the Marxist legal ideology and the socialist theory of the rule of law with Chinese characteristics. It is also a main line of the construction of a socialist rule of law country with Chinese characteristics and should be the general and basic principle of the construction of the theoretical system of human rights with Chinese characteristics. Therefore, the CPC should also endeavor to guarantee the realization of human rights, under the leadership of whom we advance the rule of law of "ensuring that the people are masters of the country" and "respecting and protecting human rights" in order to implement the modernization of the state governance system and capacity in which democracy, rule of law and human rights are the core elements of the country.     

The Pathway to Legitimacy and Universality of Human Rights from a Cross-Cultural Perspective——A Brief Review of An-Na'im's Theory of Human Rights Legitimacy and Dialogue

Within the international human rights circle,Abduliahi AhmedAn-Na'im is regarded as a representative of Southern voices.Under such a circumstance that the confrontation between the West and non-Western countries on human rights has become a routine reality,An-Na'im advocates a contingent universality of human rights or contingent universality of human rights, and insists that the universality of human rights be based on the cultural legitimacy of human rights.While he sees the internal dialogue of human rights in all non-Western countries,including Islamic ones,as a basic way to ensure the international human rights standards be accepted gradually,he also believes the cross-cultural dialogue among different societies can eventually lead to the reconstruction of the legitimacy of international human rights standards or even the standards themselves.An-Na'im's theory of moderate cultural relativism points a way to achieve universality of human rights for developing countries,but there are a few questions that need to be further addressed.     

‘Friendship Always,Antagonism Never’The launch of the Year of Russia marks a new chapter in a growing partnership between China and Russia

Most Chinese are at ease when talking about Russia. After all, past generations of Chinese were heavily influenced by things Russian-be it the language, folk songs, literature or food. This is easy to understand. China is Russia's largest neighbor and vice versa. The two countries are also important strategic partners. Joint efforts over the years have led to an unprecedented level of part-     

“The Insider's Guide to Beijing rates as one of the best,new,imaginative and informative guidebooks in a long time”—South China Morning Post

Immersion Guides,Beijing's leading English-language publisher of guidebooks for Beijing and beyond,is proud to present the 2008 edition of the Insider's Guide to Beijing (November 2007,ISBN: 978-7-5085-1172-6,90 yuan).This is not the run-of-the-mill guide- book written by travelers who spend a few harried days getting to know their destination.Combining the knowledge of 40 long-term residents, this is the guidebook that knows Beijing inside and out.Now in its fourth edition,this"Beijing Bible"(Beijing Today) is the most compre- hensive resource available for both travelers and residents. Fully updated annually to keep pace with the rate of change in Beijing,the Insider's Guide provides readers with practical informa-     

“The Insider's Guide to Beijing rates as one of the best,new,imaginative and informative guidebooks in a long time”—South China Morning Post

Immersion Guides,Beijing's leading English-language publisher of guidebooks for Beijing and beyond,is proud to present the     

The Sway of Geopolitics,Economic Interdependence and Cultural Identity: why are some Asians more favorable toward China's rise than others?

This article identifies the explanatory sources of Asians' perceptions about China's rise. The authors try to decipher the relative importance of individual-level explanatory variables such as socio-economic satisfaction, cognitive schema, and ideology and political values vis-à-vis that of the country-level structural variables such as geopolitical tension, economic interdependence and cultural identity. The empirical findings suggest that the growing perception that China has the most influence in Asia is more related to individual-level demographic variables which are associated with greater interest in political affairs, despite the fact that there is also some evidence that contextual factors related to economic interdependence also matter. A favorable perception of China's influence, on the other hand, is more associated with a less negative orientation on geopolitical and cultural factors, which both involve long-term historical memory and political feelings. Economic interdependence might engender adversarial feelings against China if the level of interdependence is high enough to cause economic vulnerability.     

From the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to Building a Community with a Shared Future for Human Beings——The Past,Present, and Future of International Human Rights Protection

The UN Charter first of all affirmed the basic concept of international protection of human rights and opened up a broad space for international protection of human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an important document in the development of the international human rights cause. It established a set of international standards for basic human rights, represents the world's most important consensus on human rights, and contributes greatly to the creation of an international human rights legal system. The important theory put forward by President Xi Jinping to build a Community with a Shared Future for Human Beings, as a Chinese program for today s global major issues, also outlines a new blueprint for national human rights protection and will play a major role in promoting the development of China's human rights and international human rights protection.     

Rediscovering a Kunqu Classic——Interview with Yip Kam Tim, stage and costume designer for The Palace of Eternal Youth

OSCAR-WINNING art designer Yip Kam Tim, dressed in his trademark blackand-white T-shirt and baseball cap,greets me with a welcoming smile. He is keen to talk about his latest and probably most challenging project.