The Changing State of English Education in China
January 15, 2014
By Daryl Johnson, PhD student in Applied Linguistics, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. English language has a tempestuous place in Chinese history. During and shortly after the Opium Wars, English was seen as the language of ‘barbarians’ and later during the Cultural Revolution, it was the language of the enemy capitalists and a symbol …
Xi’an and the Terracotta Army
November 27, 2013
By Felicity Woolf, Studying an MA in Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. We recently travelled to Xi’an, the old imperial capital, about 1000 kilometres northwest of Shanghai. It is the home of the Terracotta Army – or Bing Ma Yong (soldiers horse clay) in Chinese. Our first impressions of the …
Reforming China’s Science and Technology System
October 23, 2013
By Dr. Cao Cong, Associate Professor and Reader, at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham UK. Despite more money, better trained talent, and sophisticated equipment, China’s domestic innovation system is still underperforming. The root of these problems can be found at the macro, meso, and micro levels of governance of the …
Shanghai, Then and Now
August 30, 2013
By Boon Hooi Hong, Studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. It was 2003 when I first visited to Shanghai, exactly 10 years ago. I remember it clearly as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) incident happened in the same year and it affected China greatly especially the economy. As an innocent teenager, I …
China and the West – Opposite attracts?
August 10, 2013
By Hans-Christian Mehrens, Studying International Relations at the University of Nottingham UK. Shanghai… Food Market… One song on my mind: “I’m a legal alien. I’m an Englishman in Shanghai!” Indisputably, we as Europeans are as much of an attraction to the local Chinese population as it is the other way round. Everywhere we went, pictures …
Growing Successful Cities
August 5, 2013
By Vincent Pan, Studying Commerce and Science at the University of New South Wales Australia. In Shanghai, a tour guide joked that the preferred mode of transport of Shanghai citizens were BMWs. That is, they rode Bicycles, they shared Motorcycles or they used their feet and Walked from A to B. For many citizens, these …
The challenges of being a vegetarian in China
August 1, 2013
By Rahil Davda, Studying Finance, Accounting and Management at the University of Nottingham UK. Having been a vegetarian since birth, I decided it would be interesting to write a blog on my time in China as a vegetarian. Before coming, I had previously read that China was the founder of Taoism – a religion that …
Nǐhǎo Shìjiè: Hello World
July 31, 2013
By Lucy Kirkup, Studying Modern Languages with Business at the University of Nottinham UK. When Brits travel abroad the stereotype is that they are pretty lazy when it comes to learning languages. I must admit that this generalisation has some truth to it. However, being a student of languages myself, I despair when I think …
The leftover women – Find a husband after the age of 27
July 30, 2013
By Stefanie Andermatt, Studying Business Administration at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Before I came to China I had read an article about unmarried women after the age of 27. I found this problem quite interesting and I was looking forward to see how it is when I am in China. In the University I saw a lot …
China: A Country in Transition
July 26, 2013
By Catriona Deery, Studying Geography at the University of Nottingham UK. A country in transition is defined as a nation state that has undergone significant and profound political-economic change over a relatively short period of time. Countries in transition are often scripted as being ‘emerging markets’. They have social impacts including alternative modes of social …