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 …
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 …
Vocational education, why we need it for China’s higher education reform
April 16, 2014
By Dr. Youqing Fan, Assistant Professor at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. China’s higher education system has long been directed towards cultivating academic talents, whilst the value of technique and skill-oriented vocational education has been downplayed. This tendency is reflected in the way that high school students are …
Still as Close as Lips and Teeth?
December 17, 2013
By Dr. David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Mao Zedong said that China and North Korea are “as close as lips and teeth”. We can only wonder what Mao – a master of political theatre – would have made of the stunning purge of Jang …
Party’s Reform Plan
November 19, 2013
By Dr. Zhengxu Wang, Associate Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, and Deputy Director of the China Policy Institute, at the University of Nottingham, UK. Last week saw the eagerly anticipated event of the Plenum of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee. It was planned as a milestone in China’s reform history, as the …
Go forth and multiply?
By Dr. David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. The headline-grabbing decision taken at the recent Third Plenum of the Communist Party of China Central Committee – that the One-Child-Policy is to be significantly relaxed – should come as no surprise. Questions remain however as to …
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 …
China to relax ban on Facebook and Twitter?
October 3, 2013
By Dr. David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. China may be about to relax its ban on foreign media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the New York Times in order to make ex-pats working in a pilot free-trade zone ‘feel more at home’. …
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 …