The European Debt Crisis： China to the Rescue？

IN December 2011 the European debt contagion began to spread from second-tier members of the Eurozone to more highly regarded economies such as Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. In late October-early November of 2011, the Chief Executive Officer of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) Klaus Regling and President of the International Monetary Fund     

Help for Needy CHD Children

APRIL 15, 2011 was the day that the Aiyou Huaxia Charity Foundation diagnosed fraternal twins Shi Shuangming and Shi Shuanglan from Eshan County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province with congenital heart disease (CHD). Shi Shuangming was found to have an atrial sep- tal defect, and his younger sister Shi Shuanglan a ventricular septal defect and severe pulmonary hypertension. The twins’ medical expenses thereafter plunged their family into abject poverty.     

Lacquer Thread Sculpture

LACQUER thread sculpture is a traditional folk handicraft of Fujian Province.It is especially popular in Xiamen and Quanzhou of this southeast coastal province.The delicate and demanding craft derived from decorations on Buddhist statues and evolved into an independent art form some 300 years ago.In the Tang Dynasty (618-907),the prevalence of Buddhism stimulated the craftsmanship for religious statues,which were lavishly decorated with colorful painting of varied kinds.During the Song (960-1279) and the Yuan dynasties (1279-1368),sculptors began to use lacquer threads to outline patterns on the clothing and headwear of the figures they created,giving their works a tri-dimensional aspect.The technique was also widely applied to the modeling of native gods - Mazu and Baosheng Dadi,the divine doctor.Both are found in shrines all over Fujian.     

Birthplace of the Chinese Circus

ACROBATIC arts have a very long history in China and they are also the root of the Chinese circus tradition which counts as a precious cultural heritage. Several places in China are renowned for acrobatics, and among them are Liaocheng of Shandong Province, Yancheng of Jiangsu Province, and Tianmen of Hubei Province. In Wuqiao County in Hebei Province however, it looks like acrobatics may be the only game in this town of 280,000. Fully 10 percent of its small population is engaged in acrobatic-related work.     

The Economics of Chinese Art

IN mid-March 2011 the British Art Market Federation announced that China had overtaken the U.K. to become the world’s second-largest art market. Only a week later,Francebased Artprice,which maintains the world’s largest data bank of fine art auction records,disclosed in its 2010 report that China had climbed past the U.S. to become the top ranking country in terms of annual fine art revenues.     

Clay Figurines in China （I）

CHINESE folklore has it that humans were originally created out of clay by the Goddess Nüwa. Still using her simple materials, Chinese folk artists revive this legend daily by molding delicate clay figurines.     

Dispossessed Farmers the Priority for Job Creation

YANG Jiazhi is a farmer in Qinggang Village,Longkeng Town,Zunyi County in Guizhou Province.His new year wish for 2011 is to have stable income.As a farmer whose land has been requisitioned,Yang doesn’t have a regular job.     

Magical Long Song of the Northern Nomads

URTIIN Duu （Long Song） and Khoomei （Throat Singing） have always been regarded as the most typical and important cultural symbols of the Mongolian ethnic group in China. Mongolians mainly live in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, with the rest residing in pastoral areas of the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Living in the vast grassland and virtually growing up on the horse- back, the brave and unrestrained Mongolian people have a deep connection with nature. Singing is an important way to express their affection, even passion, for their beautiful homeland.     

Wanjiang City Belt in the Making

IN February 2011 while on a business trip to Wuhu in Anhui Province, I took a taxi to visit my aunt there. I asked the driver if he had noticed any change to the city since the start of the Wanjiang City Belt project. "Yes, of course," he answered eagerly. "More outsiders are coming in, and fewer locals are leaving." When I got out, he added, "The taxi fare got cheaper too. Only six yuan now!"     

The Business of Nostalgia

NOSTALGIA usually refers to a bitter-sweet mood in which one remembers "the way we were." Older people are prone to it, but recently, ersatz nostalgia has become a trend with the younger genera-tions born in the 1960s, the 1970s, or even the 1980s. Each age group has its own past to be wistful about. Retro ele-ments are in fashion, in entertainment, in f ilm and television, and in literature. It has become the critical yeast in the bread of commercial promotion.