文艺青年 – China’s Emerging Hipsters

By Aimee Strang, Student at Nottingham University Ningbo Summer School. Wenyi Qingnian – aka the Chinese expression used to describe a hipster. The term hipster has become increasingly popular over the past decade to describe those who belong to a certain subculture and are predominantly from Generation Y. The idea of hipster has primarily been …

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 …

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 …

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 …

India and China : The best of both developing countries

By Shivali Mistry, Second year MSci Hons Student in Accounting and Finance for Contemporary China, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Having the opportunity to experience such different lifestyles yet in the same continent has led to some pretty exciting memories in my lifetime. My first visit to India was 18 years ago and I …

Fieldwork in Ningbo: getting beyond observation

By Felicity Woolf, Studying an MA in Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. The moment has arrived when I can no longer shelter in the library, deep in theory, but must venture forth to my chosen fieldwork site and attempt to find out what is happening there and why. I have …

Chengdu’s creative spaces – cultural diamonds or lead balloons?

By Philip Crosbie, PhD candidate, School of Asian Studies, University College Cork. As one of Chinas emerging cities in the south-west, Chengdu is quickly becoming one of the most prosperous and talked about cities in the country’s landscape of urban development. Most projections forecast that Chengdu is becoming a key area of domestic and foreign …

Chinese Intellectuals’ Thinking on Reforming Ethnic Policies

By Dr .Julie Yu-Wen Chen, Department of Government, University College Cork. While the Western media offer us a channel for understanding what’s going on with ethnic relations in China, sometimes partial media coverage and an overreliance on English sources/perspectives give us an impression of a China that is indifferent to its various minorities. What is …