A theory often taught in foreign policy courses is that heavily interdependent states tend to want peace and stability between them. I was very encourage to read that a massive gas pipeline, 1,833-kilometers in length, has been constructed, linking Turkmenistan through central Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan, and into China through northwestern Xinjiang province. … [Read more...] about An 1833km pipeline for regional peace
李白 (Li Bai, 701-762AD): 静夜思 (Thoughts on a Still Night)
李白 (Li Bai, 701-762AD) is one of the most beloved Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) poets in Chinese history. This is a rendition of his poem, 静夜思 ("Thoughts on a Still Night") where he reminisces his home. Below are couple of videos presenting this poem in various ways. Many Chinese children, some, perhaps shortly after they start talking, will be taught this poem (see second video … [Read more...] about 李白 (Li Bai, 701-762AD): 静夜思 (Thoughts on a Still Night)
毛阿敏 (Mao AMin), 渴望 (”Yearning”), yearning for a better future
For the last two centuries, the Chinese psyche has been defined in large part by the humiliations and sufferings brought about by foreigners (see the Opium War, the Second Opium War, and the Nanjing Massacre). After the founding of the current Peoples Republic of China, it was the disastrous policies of the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward which furthered that … [Read more...] about 毛阿敏 (Mao AMin), 渴望 (”Yearning”), yearning for a better future
“Father’s Prairie, Mother’s River” – the feelings of one billion people on the move
Everyone knows China is going through an industrial revolution right now. In developed countries such as the U.S., this took place in the late 19th century. The ratio between the number of rural and urban residents basically swapped because industrialization freed the bulk of the population from having to work in the fields to produce food for all. This phenomenon is … [Read more...] about “Father’s Prairie, Mother’s River” – the feelings of one billion people on the move
Hu and Obama meeting, which issues are "core interests?"
Both NPR and Xinhua covered the meeting of the U.S. President Obama and Chinese President Hu. I thought the coverage were actually decent in that the issues they list were basically identical. Obviously, NPR did not give equal weight to how the Chinese see the issues. Likewise, Xinhua did not give equal weight to how the U.S. see the issues. Naturally they both are biased. … [Read more...] about Hu and Obama meeting, which issues are "core interests?"