E’gao: Online parody as political commentary

By Gareth Shaw, PhD Candidate in Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham, UK. China’s regulatory environment has spawned a culture of online jokes and entertainment known as 恶搞 (e’gao), which often spoof political activity and

Travelogue: A Critique of Hong Kong

By Flair Shi, Graduate of the School of English University of Nottingham Ningbo, BA in English Language and Literature. 1. The Suppression of (Post-)Colonial Politics by Postmodern Commercialism Before this trip into the heart of the city, I had passed by the international airport of Hong Kong many times. Each time I just could not …

Cruelty or culture?

By Dr. David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. China’s animal right’s activists were on the march this week as opposition continues to grow towards an age-old custom. A small but vocal group of protestors travelled to the city of Yulin, in southern Guangxi to protest the …

Changing Misperceptions and Easing Misgivings

By Dr David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is in Britain this week hoping to boost trade, strengthen cooperation and in his own words “change misperceptions and misgivings“. Premier Li arrived on Monday for a three day visit – the first by …

Translation and Modernity: Rethinking the Semantic Shift of “Civil Society” in the Chinese Context

By Meixi Zhuang, Studying a PhD in Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus. What does it mean to translate Western ideas into the Chinese language on the basis of hypothetical equivalences? What happens in the process of intercultural interpretation and how do translated concepts impact Chinese people’s perception of their own society? …

A place where everything is held in the okay

By Abigail Aikins-Hawkson, MSci Business and Economy of Contemporary China. Chopsticks simply refuse to fit in my hand as well as a knife and fork does and in between wanting a hot cup of PG tips and needing it, I have come to realise, better yet understand, that comfort zones are comfortable for a reason. …

Society and Faith in Contemporary China

By Mani Lazzara, PhD Candidate School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham UK. The history of modern China is characterised by events which have greatly affected its attitude towards religion in a various number of ways; from the control exerted by the Communist Party in order to incorporate religion into the state, to the …

India’s election: The View from China

By Dr David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. As India’s mammoth and mind-boggling election draws to a close, the only other member of the one billion population club is paying attention, although not that closely. China has declared 2014 as the “Year of China-India Friendly Exchanges”, …

My China Experience

By Shivali Mistry, Second year MSci Hons Student in Accounting and Finance for Contemporary China, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. As I embarked upon my journey to Asia last August, I felt highly unprepared. The idea of a year away from home still felt so surreal. Naively, I had dealt with the entire situation …

Western Goggles and Contemporary Chinese Art

By Abigail Aikins-Hawkson, MSci Business and Economy of Contemporary China. The Contemporary Chinese art scene has become a subject of fascination for Art Critics around the world because once again, China is providing the rest of the world a situation where everybody else seems to be at standstill. Everybody else except China. As China continues …