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Featured Article
A better class of teacher (June 21, 2016, China Daily)
Twenty years ago, many English-speaking expats in China applied for teaching jobs because work was easy to come by. Routine inspection of qualifications was almost nonexistent and all most people needed were their mother tongue and an engaging character. The old criteria no longer apply. China is now demanding better-qualified, more-competent English teachers, and by the end of the month the nation's top regulator of expat employment is expected to further raise the bar by implementing a tough application policy.
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Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
2 Chinese Activists Sentenced to Over 10 Years on Subversion Charges (June 17, 2016, The New York Times)
Two longtime members of China’s beleaguered democratic opposition each received prison sentences of over a decade on Friday after being pronounced guilty of subversion by a court in Hangzhou, an eastern city that will host a gathering of world leaders later this year.
A Publisher in Exile Gets the Big Scoops on China’s Elite (June 17, 2016, The New York Times)
But Mr. Ho, a native of Mao Zedong’s home province, Hunan, is not the least bit worried about meeting the same fate. Now 50, he has spent three decades cultivating close ties with Chinese officials, business executives and scholars, producing some spectacular scoops. And should he ever run afoul of the Communist Party, he has a sound strategy for staying out of the clutches of China’s police: his address. Nassau County, Long Island.
Bullets and Smartphones (June 20, 2016, Medium)
Yesterday, June 19, a lengthy article by Tian Jin (田进), deputy director of China’s State Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT), appeared on page five of the People’s Daily as part of a series on the “study and implementation” of Xi Jinping’s February 19 speech on the media.
U.S. Carriers Sail in Western Pacific, Hoping China Takes Notice (June 22, 2016, The New York Times)
The carriers John C. Stennis and Ronald Reagan sailed close together in the Philippine Sea as part of air defense and sea surveillance operations that involved 12,000 sailors, 140 aircraft and six smaller warships, the United States Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said in a statement.
Indonesian navy fires on Chinese fishing boat, injuring one, Beijing claims (June 19, 2016, The Guardian)
The incident is the third reported confrontation between the two nations this year as regional tensions mount in the South China Sea. Indonesia’s navy said it had fired warning shots at several boats with Chinese flags that it accused of fishing illegally near the Natuna Islands – but a spokesman told Reuters there had been no injuries.
Hong Kong Bookseller Finds Associates Challenging His Account of Detention (June 19, 2016, The New York Times)
But people close to him, including his former colleagues and a woman who says she is his girlfriend, are now making public rebuttals about what he said, in accounts published by Sing Tao Daily, a pro-Beijing newspaper.
Bookseller abduction will be taken up with China, says Hong Kong leader (June 20, 2016, The Guardian)
Hong Kong’s chief executive has said he will raise concerns with Beijing over the case of a bookseller secretly detained for months in mainland China. Leung Chun-ying said officials would review a notification system that is supposed to alert the Hong Kong government if one of its residents is detained by mainland authorities for illegal activity.
The ‘Inevitable War’ Between The U.S. And China (June 22, 2016, Newsweek)
Though little talked about in the West, many Chinese officials have long felt that war between Washington and Beijing is inevitable. Of course, some analysts dismiss this idea; the costs of such a conflict would be too high, and the U.S., which is far stronger militarily, would almost certainly win. Yet history is riddled with wars that appeared to make no sense.
Why this Chinese fishing village defies authorities (June 22, 2016, Christian Science Monitor)
The Chinese fishing village of Wukan staged a fourth straight day of protests on Wednesday against what residents say was the unlawful arrest of the village chief, a rare show of grassroots defiance against authorities in Communist China.
‘China’s Offensive in Europe;’ Is There a Master Plan in Beijing? (June 22, 2016, China Real Time)
A continent gripped by economic weakness and debt is crying out for Chinese investment, and Chinese state enterprises and funds are eagerly participating in the sale of the century, buying up ports, prime real estate and technology firms from Greece to the U.K.
Video: Hong Kong Bookseller Agonized Over Telling of His Abduction (June 22, 2016, The Wall Street Journal)
Mr. Lam says that he agonized for days about whether to go public with details of his abduction and could do so because, unlike the other booksellers, he doesn’t have family on the mainland who could be targets for retribution.
Religion
Photos: Thangka worship activity held in Lhasa (June 17, 2016, China Daily)
Buddhism followers attend a Thangka worship activity in the Tsurphu Monastery in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet autonomous region, June 16, 2016. An annual Thangka worship activity to show a 38-meter-by-35-meter Thangka was held at Tsurphu Monastery, a main base of the Kagyu school in Tibetan Buddhism, on Thursday, attracting many followers. The Thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist scroll-banner painting.
Creeping Islamophobia: China’s Hui Muslims in the Firing Line (June 20, 2016, China Briefing)
In the background of this troubling wave of Islamophobia is a decade-old conflict over the future direction of ethnic and religious policy in China (see China Brief, July 6, 2012). This tussle involves not only a bureaucratic turf wars but also a series of forceful and clashing personalities, and reflects a far deeper division within Chinese society between a narrow Han-defined racism and a more cosmopolitan and pluralistic vision of the Chinese nation.
A Christian Lawyer Discusses China’s New Domestic Violence Law (June 21, 2016, Chinese Church Voices)
In March China introduced its first-ever comprehensive domestic violence law. While celebrated as an important step toward the protection of women and children (and, occasionally men experiencing abuse) the law also raises a number of questions within the Christian community.
A Message from the Church in China (June 22, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
Certainly the example of China bears out the truth that the advance of the gospel does not depend on a sympathetic government or the ability of believers to directly influence the political system.
Society / Life
Rise at 11? China’s Single Time Zone Means Keeping Odd Hours (June 16, 2016, The New York Times)
Why are the clocks in Urumqi, China, so far out of kilter with the cycles of the sun? Because of a legacy of Mao Zedong and the Communist Party’s desire for unified control. Though China is almost as wide as the continental United States, the whole country is officially in just one time zone — Beijing time.
China At A Crossroads: Nation Faces Challenges In New Age Of Anxiety (June 16, 2016, NPR)NPR's Frank Langfitt describes the massive change he's witnessed in China over nearly two decades and the crossroads the nation now faces.
Scarves, Powdered Milk, and a Thesis (June 17, 2016, From the West Courtyard)
“I really don’t know if it’s the right thing to give. I really don’t know what to do when foreigners die.” He smiled and shook his head. “I really don’t know what to do when Chinese people die. But I just want you to know we’re friends.” Perfect gifts I’d say.
Inside The Dying Days Of Tibet’s Caterpillar Fungus ‘Gold Rush’ (June 18, 2016, Huffington Post)
In the beautiful but unforgiving mountains of Tibet, nomads harvest a lucrative caterpillar fungus known for its medicinal properties. But they fear the boom may be over.
Chinese Bank Spanks Workers, and the Internet Gives It a Flogging (June 21, 2016, The New York Times)
Then the session took a bizarre turn. The coach brandished a wooden stick and shouted, “Get your behinds ready!” He proceeded to slap the employees on their rears, going down the line four times. A woman recoiled in pain, and several workers gasped. By Tuesday, a video of the episode had provoked widespread anger in China.
The Lonely Aftermath of China's One Child Policy (June 21, 2016, Bloomberg)
What they have in common is that they live alone, two ends of a rapidly growing demographic that is breaking down China’s traditional family structure and presenting the government with a social and environmental headache.
Mother’s Fight to Exonerate Executed Son Highlights Gaping Holes in Justice System (June 21, 2016, China File)
Zhang’s dogged pursuit, lodging repeated appeals at courts in her home province of Hebei and in Beijing, has helped turn Nie’s case into an example of the flaws in the Chinese criminal justice system, including the use of torture, lack of due process, and lax review of death sentences.
I’ve fallen and I choose not to get up (June 22, 2016, Sinosplice)
You can see that two scooters and two people are lying on the pavement. It might look like the people are holding their heads or even writing in pain, but actually they’re both on their phones. Bystanders seem unconcerned for their well-being mostly because the two people on the ground seem totally fine. So why are they lying on the ground like that?
Why is Hong Kong the most expensive city for expats? (June 22, 2016, Christian Science Monitor)
Hong Kong has the highest cost-of-living for expatriates, according to a new survey released Wednesday by Mercer, an international consulting firm, whose rankings take "currency fluctuations, cost inflation for goods and services, and instability of accommodation prices" into account to calculate how much employees will cost their corporations.
Economics / Trade / Business
Apple barred from selling iPhones 6 in Beijing (June 17, 2016, The Guardian)
The city’s intellectual property regulator has ruled that the design of the two phones is overly similar to another phone, the 100C, made by the Chinese company Shenzhen Baili. In a statement, the Beijing Intellectual Property Bureau wrote that the phones infringe on a Chinese patent for exterior design held by Shenzhen Baili.
What’s at Stake as Shanghai Disney Brings the Magic to Mainland China (June 19, 2016, Skift)
The Shanghai Disney Resort represents an enormous opportunity for the entertainment giant, not only to grow its theme park empire in one of the world’s most potentially lucrative markets, but to cultivate a new audience to consume a virtual buffet of Disney offerings.
Chinese Company Won’t Wire You Money? Have the Rules Changed? (June 21, 2016, China Law Blog)
Our China lawyers have seen a spike in queries from foreign companies encountering problems getting paid by Chinese companies. I’m talking mostly about private Chinese companies without affiliates or assets abroad.
China Buys Panama’s Largest Port (June 22, 2016, The Trumpet)
or more than 100 years, the Panama Canal has controlled the bulk of goods transferred between the Pacific and the Atlantic. For much of that history, this monumental feat of engineering was under the control of the United States. But this is no longer the case. In May, Panama’s largest port was purchased by a Chinese company called Landbridge Group.
Education
Chinese university puts CCTV in dormitories to encourage 'good study habits' (June 16, 2016, The Guardian)
Every area of 73-hectare campus, including dormitories, is monitored at Wuchang University of Technology.
Chinese Children Dizzied by ‘Toxic Tracks’ (June 22, 2016, China Real Time)
Reports of so-called “toxic tracks” have simmered for months, spanning cities from Sichuan to coastal Zhejiang province. They took on a fresh urgency earlier this spring, when students in China’s capital city also complained that school tracks were prompting dizziness and vomiting.
Teaching Tiananmen to a New Generation (June 21, 2016, The New York Times)
While her work has won respect from fellow scholars, it has made her a target of attacks by young “patriotic” Chinese. Her current research explores the development of such nationalistic sentiments in China after the military suppression of the protests on June 4, 1989.
Health / Environment
Study Finds China’s Ecosystems Have Become Healthier (June 17, 2016, China Real Time)
China’s skies may be toxic, and its rivers fetid and prone to sudden infestations of pig carcasses. But according to a new study, the country’s environmental battle has also been making quiet, measurable progress.
China’s Last Wild River Carries Conflicting Environmental Hopes (June 18, 2016, The New York Times)
Environmentalists have waged a passionate defense of the Nu for more than a decade, battling state hydropower firms determined to build dams to harness the river, whose name in Chinese means “angry.” It is an epic struggle that has veered from victory to defeat and back again several times and has recently taken on new significance.
China to generate a quarter of electricity from wind power by 2030 (June 20, 2016, The Guardian)
Within 14 years, more new generating capacity – mostly clean energy – will come online in China than currently exists in the whole of the US, further cementing the country’s image as a burgeoning green giant.
China punishes officials over sewage in first environmental case of its kind (June 21, 2016, The Guardian)
The Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s top prosecutor, said prosecutors had successfully proved that an environmental protection department in Shandong province had committed “illegal acts” in its dealings with the Qingshun Chemical Technology Company.
China pledges universal health service for poverty-stricken population (June 21, 2016, China Daily)
Chinese authorities on Tuesday issued a document on poverty relief, pledging universal access to basic medical and health services. The document, jointly issued by 15 governmental agencies including the the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, pledged to ensure such universal services by 2020.
Science / Technology
Entire buildings are being deleted from China's 'Street View' and no-one knows why (June 10, 2016, Wired)
Wired investigates the mystery of Baidu Total View and how it is creating a bizarre version of reality.
China’s New Supercomputer Puts the US Even Further Behind (June 21, 2016, Wired)
This week, China’s Sunway TaihuLight officially became the fastest supercomputer in the world. The previous champ? Also from China. What used to be an arms race for supercomputing primacy among technological nations has turned into a blowout.
Are China's hackers shying away from US targets? (June 21, 2016, Christian Science Monitor)
A report indicates that Chinese cyberattacks on US companies are declining. But other experts say hackers are simply changing tack.
China wants to share its new space station with the world (June 21, 2016, New Scientist)
China is launching a rival to the International Space Station (ISS) – and it wants to share its new toy. The China Manned Space Agency and the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have announced a partnership that will let UN member states conduct experiments on and even send astronauts to the Chinese space station, due to start operating in the 2020s.
History / Culture
Id Kah Mosque in c.1934 (June 18, 2016, Autonomous Region)
Specter Of The Tianjin Massacre (June 19, 2016, The World of Chinese)
In 1870, the city of Tianjin exploded in a day of rage. By nightfall, 21 foreign residents of the city were dead, including 16 nuns dragged from an orphanage and publicly tortured to death. The still-new network of trans-continental telegraph cable spread word of the outrage around the globe.
A Boxer On The Boxers (June 21, 2016, The World of Chinese)
But like any great patriotic story, there are a number of myths and misconceptions about what went down in Beijing that summer. And since historians like nothing better than replacing one myth with another, I’ve asked another boxer, Rocky Balboa, to assist me in dispelling some of the rumors and semi-truths surrounding the history of the Uprising.
Photos: Now and then: Famous venues of the Long March (June 22, 2016, China Daily)
Arts / Entertainment / Media
China Is Building Its Own Version Of Netflix China Is Building Its Own Version Of Netflix (June 17, 2016, Vocativ)
A $305 million investment has massive implications for the nation's entertainment future
Mega stadium planned for Shanghai as part China’s dream to be global soccer superpower (June 18, 2016, South China Morning Post)
When completed, the Pudong Soccer Stadium in Shanghai is expected to double to a venue for international events like the World Cup, Olympic Games or possibly the 2019 Fifa Club World Cup, for which China is reportedly bidding, according to report on Thepaper.cn.
On Air: China Tightens Rules on Adapting Foreign TV Shows (June 20, 2016, China Real Time)
New rules issued earlier this month closed a backdoor that broadcasters were using to air local adaptations of foreign shows, some of which — like a version of the Dutch singing competition “The Voice” — are among the most popular shows on TV.
Over 90% Chinese netizens access news on mobile phones: report (June 22, 2016, China Daily)
Mobile phones have become a major platform for Chinese internet users to get news, with news apps stealing a march, according to an annual report on the development of Chinese new media released by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) on Tuesday.
Travel / Food
Beautiful Guizhou: Images from China's most underrated region (June 15, 2016, CNN)
The Uyghur Knife & My Visit to Yengisar (June 16, 2016, Far West China)
Aside from being a beautiful souvenir though, what makes these knives so special? Why are they called “Yengisar Knives“? And finally, why is this unique handicraft dying? These are the questions I set out to answer as I visited the International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi and took a trip down to the small, desert village in southern Xinjiang known as Yengisar.
Video: Disney opens 'distinctly Chinese' Shanghai park (+video) (June 16, 2016, Christian Science Monitor)
With the grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland on Thursday, Disney makes an effort to appeal to Chinese tastes – and government officials.
Watch: Petrified Visitors at China’s Popular Glass Bridge (June 17, 2016, What’s on Weibo)
China’s popular high-altitude glass bridges are a dream for every thrill-seeker, but a nightmare for those with fear of heights. A viral video shows petrified visitors crossing the glass skywalk.
5 of China’s Most Scenic Highways to Travel (June 20, 2016, A Cruising Couple)
China is home to some of the most beautiful scenic landscapes in all the world and one of the best ways to view them is on China’s most scenic highways. Unfortunately, the majority of travelers tend to pass by this scenery from 30,000 feet or from the dirty window of a fast-moving train. While on the open highway, it’s hard not to stop and admire the view.
Language / Language Learning
Hao Laoshi: Why Learning Chinese Characters is Crucial (June 19, 2016, The Beijinger)
Most Chinese learners discover this fact early on and eagerly write down the simpler characters, but like a child with a new toy at Christmas they tire when they see the complex instructions. Characters are not that toy to be discarded, but rather a set of building blocks that contribute to the wider game of the Chinese language.
"Knock Knock … Kuaidi!": The Characters You Need to Shop on Taobao (June 20, 2016, The Beijinger)
Oh, the joy of Taobao! That magical, digital playground where a mouse-click makes your wildest material dreams a reality. Of course, knowing at least a few Mandarin characters is crucial to maximizing your Chinese e-commerce experience.
Image credit: Joann Pittman, via Flickr
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio