The Constitution and Rule of Law
November 7, 2014
By Dr David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham Ningbo. Following last month’s 4th plenum meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee, China is to get a new day of celebration. December 4th is now to be marked as ‘Constitution Day’ and according to official news agency Xinhua: “[n]ationwide activities …
Isolation, Hybridity or Biculturalism? Chinese Students’ Integration Dilemma in the West
November 2, 2014
By Flair Shi, Currently Studying Comparative Literature (MA) at University College London, Graduate of the School of English University of Nottingham Ningbo, BA in English Language and Literature. Recently, an article titled “Foreign Language Di
Family across the Taiwan Strait: One Country? Certainly Two Stories
October 24, 2014
By Flair Shi, Studying Comparative Literature (MA) at University College London, Graduate of the School of English University of Nottingham Ningbo, BA in English Language and Literature. Every year at the beginning of October mainland China sees the sudden proliferation of nationalistic TV shows across the country, featuring grand ceremonies often involving flowers, flapping pigeons …
The Fascinating SOEs
October 19, 2014
By Joseph Healy, MA student in Contemporary Chinese Studies, At the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. There are many issues in contemporary China that are fascinating, none more so for me than the role and status of the SOEs The World Bank report on China (2012) argues that if China is to continue its impressive …
People Mountain, People Sea
October 6, 2014
By Dr David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. In the past seven days somewhere in the region of 480 million trips were made in China as the nation basked in the ‘golden week’ National Holiday. Since 1999 the majority of Chinese workers are given three days …
China and Warhol’s 15 Minutes of Fame
September 26, 2014
By Phoebe Smith, Studying English at the University of Nottingham UK. As a staunchly cynical soul, Andy Warhol’s 1968 prediction that ‘In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.’, has always struck me as a sadly accurate interpretation of today’s media-fuelled, body-conscious lifestyle. Before my visit to China, I viewed the modern Kardashian-style …
How one Japanese subculture has evolved in China
September 21, 2014
By Flair Shi, Graduate of the School of English University of Nottingham Ningbo, BA in English Language and Literature. The Yaoi, or the Fushoji (rotten), subculture in Japan has generated a lot of popularity domestically and internationally since it emerged from the 1970s. Yaoi refers to the male homosexual themed manga or animation products originated …
Situating China
September 11, 2014
By Jessica Brown, Studying History and Politics at the University of Nottingham, UK. A Western-centric notion is often applied when considering China’s role on the world stage. As the Asian giant grows internationally through its economic liberalization and consequent development, questions loom over what role it will play in international relations today. Will it develop …
Understanding Chinese Students’ Decision-making in Participating in Higher Education in the UK: A Bourdieusian Perspective
September 5, 2014
By Jingran Yu, MSc Culture and Society, Department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science. Recent decades have witnessed Chinese students’ widening participation in higher education in the UK, which has raised wide-ranging academic interest in attributing for the causal powers underneath. In addition to existing literature, this short essay intends to provide …
China and I
August 27, 2014
By Samuel Tholley, Student at Nottingham University Ningbo Summer School. From a very young age I have always been fascinated with East Asian culture. Witnessing the Western portrayal of an Asia country locked in an epoch of ancient martial arts, mysticism, secrecy and staple food, accentuated by inaccurate/orientalist media, had stimulated my interest in this …