During the 16th century and most of the 17th century, China enjoyed a generally positive image in Europe. The works of the Jesuits - Catholic missionaries who lived and proselytized in the Far East - depicted the Central Kingdom as a well-governed and ethical society. (Jones, 2001, p. 18) Chinese art became popular with European… Continue reading The 1792-94 Macartney Embassy – The first clash between China and the West
University professors from Jiao Tong University vote at a polling booth during the Republic of China legislative election in Shanghai, 1948 (via Wikimedia Commons) Since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has dominated public discourse through its control of the media and education. The CCP… Continue reading Is democracy possible in China? Democratic thought in Chinese history – Sun Yat-sen, Lin Yutang, Carsun Chang
On February 25 Chinese state media announced a list of proposed amendments to China’s Constitution that will in all likelihood be adopted at the National People’s Congress (NPC) starting on March 5. One of the the 21 proposed amendments is the abolition of the current limit of two five-year terms for the office of the President and… Continue reading Deng Xiaoping On Personality Cult And One-Man Rule – 1980 Interview
"Lotte Group's development in the Chinese market should come to an end", wrote the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece Global Times on February 28, one day after the South Korean conglomerate approved a land swap deal that allowed the government in Seoul to deploy a controversial US missile defence system. The Terminal High Altitude Area… Continue reading The China-South Korea Spat and the Tradition of China’s Anti-Foreign Boycotts
The following story from a book published in 1945 offers a fascinating insight into the life and mentality of ordinary people in wartime China. [Teng Chan] saw the beginning of the war as a bachelor in Shang-hai and Nanking, met and fell in love with a girl, and was married, lived through the worst of… Continue reading China at War – The Story of Teng Chan
Chinese state media once called China a "world superpower in stress". According to a 2012 survey, 75% of Chinese workers are stressed, compared with 47% in the United States, 42% in the United Kingdom, and 58% in Germany. Over 70% percent of Chinese white-collar workers suffer from overwork, which poses a serious risk to their health.… Continue reading The Traditional Roots of Parental Pressure and Academic Success in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
"If the Democratic Progressive Party [Taiwan's ruling party] declares independence (台独), then we must go to war without hesitation," said Yin Zhuo, Rear Admiral of the Chinese Navy, in an interview on March 5. "If [they] declare independence, we will use military force to bring about unification, we must be very clear about that." In the interview, Yin… Continue reading China Ready to Use Military Force if Taiwan Declares Independence, says Chinese Admiral
"Sometimes, kids feel that studying is hard and stressful because parents are over anxious and expect too much," writes the Student Health Service website of Hong Kong's Department of Health. "If parents’ expectations go far beyond their kids’ ability, the kids would be discouraged and lose confidence as they are not able to meet their… Continue reading Face, Filial Piety and Work Motivation in Chinese Culture
228 Incident (The Terrible Inspection), circa 1947, by Li Jun At 11:00 A.M. of February 27, 1947, Taipei City's Monopoly Bureau was informed that a boat carrying fifty boxes of illegal matches and cigarettes had arrived near the port of Danshui, north of Taipei.Matches and cigarettes were part of the system of government monopolies set up… Continue reading The 228 Incident – The Uprising that Changed Taiwan’s History
In recent years it has become common both in Taiwan and in Hong Kong to portray mainland Chinese as backward and uncivilized. Some controversial episodes that were covered by the media have shaped this perception. Only to name a few, in 2014 a mainland couple allowed their child to urinate on a street in Hong… Continue reading Civilized Taiwanese vs Uncivilized Mainlanders: Peng Mingmin and Anti-Chinese Rhetoric
