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 …
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 …
Precarious employment in China through shopping mall employees
July 22, 2013
By Jennifer Baik, Studying Management at the University of Auchland, New Zealand. I have often heard of China’s extensive human capital in the context of subcontracted factory labour, but to a lesser extent in the service and industry sectors. Based on what I have eye-witnessed, it seems that the service sector is supported by a …
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams
July 19, 2013
By Finbar Edmond Hughes, Studying American and Canadian Studies with English at the University of Birmingham. The title of this blog comes from a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest serving First Lady of the United States of America and in the words of President Harry S. Truman the ‘First Lady of the World’. Therefore …
The Genius of Gongchandang: A Laowai’s View of the One Child Policy
June 26, 2013
By Dr. Brian J. Hilton, Associate Professor in Accounting at the Nottingham University Business School China. The one child policy is not the most popular part of CCP’s agenda. Much energy is being put into trying to terminate it. In the view of this author this would be a mistake. When first encountered this policy …
Life in China can be fun-filled
June 19, 2013
By Nancy Ng Chai Lian, Second Year Student, MSci Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham UK. Someone said if you want your children to experience the high flyers’ lifestyle then send them to New York. At the same time if you want them to experience the tough and rough then send them to New …
Watches and cuckoo clocks – the tick-tock of China-Europe relations
June 10, 2013
By Professor Stephen L. Morgan, Dean of Social Sciences at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Professor of Chinese Economic History at the University of Nottingham. What is it about Europeans and Chinese? Or rather, what’s rattling each of their cages at present? Trade relations has been at the heart of some pretty heavy words …