Blog Entries from 2013
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Where are the Villages?
When I first went to China in the mid-1980s the rural/urban population ratio was 80/20. Today, after three decades of urbanization, that ratio is roughly 50/50.
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, November 21 Issue
The two big stories that came out of China this week were China's announced "adjustments" to its infamous one-child policy and the upcoming departure of US Ambassador Gary Locke.
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, November 14 Issue
Most of the news out of China this week was political, as the Third Plenum wrapped up their meeting in Beijing and issued their long-awaited communiqu. Details are still emerging and analysts are still trying to figure it all out. In this week's ZGBriefs, we included a special section with links to nine different articles. They are all helpful preliminary takes on the meeting.
St. Matteo?
The Atlantic magazine just published an article about a move within the Vatican to canonize Matteo Ricci, the first Jesuit missionary to China, titled "Can Matteo Ricci's beatification mend China's rift with the Catholic Church?"
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, November 7 Issue
My top picks for this week fall into two broad categories: English teaching and violence. The articles about English teaching were of interest to me because once upon a time I was an English teacher in China. The articles on violence are interesting and sober reads and help us understand that underneath the veneer of stability, there are some serious social tensions.
The Third Plenum and What to Look For
The Chinese Communist Party will hold its "Third Plenum" meeting in Beijing, beginning November 9. All eyes are on General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Party leaders as they unveil a new set of economic reforms. Will they be bold enough to meet the challenges of the day? Will they also include political reforms?
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, October 31 Issue
My top picks from this week's ZG Briefs .
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, October 24 Issue
Four of my top picks this week have to do with the Chinese language and language learning.
Catholic or Christian?
When I first went to China, I was bombarded with many odd (to me anyway) questions: can you use chopsticks? How much money do you make? Why do American parents kick their children out of the house at age 18? On and on they went.
But I'll never forget the time a student asked me, "What's the difference between Catholic and Christian?"
House Church and TSPM: Surprising Admissions in China’s Official Press
A recent article appearing in Global Times, the English-language mouthpiece of the authoritative People's Daily, raises interesting questions about how China's leaders view the relationship between the official and unofficial church.