Pro-unification? Pro-independence? Or just pro-growth? Nothing in Taiwanese politics is simple.
Archive for the 'contemporary' Category
The NYTimes has a substantial piece on the resurgence of Religious Taoism: the idea that Daoism helps you achieve in business is an excellent example of the disconnect between popular and philosophical daoism.
They’re relatively recent, as these things go, but they were made for Qianlong, the longest-reigning emperor (and one of the most popular, still) in Chinese history. They were looted in the Boxer uprising Sino-French war of 1860 and China wants them back, but doesn’t have a legal claim.
update: interesting comments from a specialist on the subject of Qing art and law of possession.
3/3: Sale blocked by spurious bidder citing “patriotic duty.”
An interview with Wang Jisi, Dean of International Studies at Beijing University shows some of the fundamentals of the Chinese view of the US: hypocritical, powerful but not overwhelming. Also frank discussion of China’s place in the world, and the China-US relationship:
China and the United States can cooperate, but cannot be allies, because the gap between the two countries is too great with regard to ideology, social systems, and national interests, so there is no basis for becoming allies. The bottom line is that China and the United States should not be enemies — neither enemies nor friends. China cannot accept being led by the United States, but the two countries can communicate with regard to ideas. China is also pursuing such universal values as human rights and rule of law, it is just that China demands the right to determine the approach and speed of the pursuit.
Added Later: Lest you think Maoism is entirely dead and gone, an interview with French Maoist Alain Badiou on the state of leftist politics in France.
Added much later: the Chinese government is successfully adapting to new media? Only if it survives the global economic crisis….
Finally: An American serves as an extra in a Chinese Pepsi commercial
Taiwan is experiencing significant political upset right now. The Guomindang-led government has initiated a series of arrests and charges of corruption, almost entirely directed at Democratic People’s Party members, including the former President, Chen Shui-bien. A series of student protests has erupted, and there’s no immediate resolution in sight.
An interesting meditation on 25 years of studying and visiting China, by Sam Crane at the Useless Tree, which usually features commentary on current events from the perspective of China’s classical philosophers.
Teaching Chinese History in China
Sergey Radchenko, who taught history at PSU some years ago, is now teaching in China, and has some comments on the challenges of teaching and researching history in China today