Indholdsfortegnelse for Vol.67/No.3 i Beijing Review

Chinese technology companies have been making significant strides in recent years by venturing into the automaking sector. Traditionally dominated by giants from the United States, Europe and Japan, the automotive industry is now witnessing a wave of innovation propelled by Chinese companies such as Huawei, Baidu and Xiaomi. These three companies first made a name for themselves as innovators in telecommunications, online search engines and smartphone manufacturing, respectively. Chinese technology firms have demonstrated their prowess in a variety of domains, including artificial intelligence, big data analytics and connectivity. These core competencies align well with the evolving needs of the automotive industry, which is undergoing a digital revolution. By leveraging their expertise, these firms are well-positioned to compete in the market by equipping their vehicles with cutting-edge autonomous driving capabilities, smart…

In recent years, the quality of the Uzbekistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership has reached a new level. President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited China twice in 2023. The year 2024 will also be active for the two nations and full of important events at the highest levels. Political dialogue The Uzbek-Chinese Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee has been meeting on an ongoing basis since 2011, with seven subcommittees focusing on specific areas. The establishment of a subcommittee on collaboration in poverty reduction during the China-Central Asia Summit in May 2023 has opened a new dimension for partnership between the two nations. In addition to cooperation through bilateral and regional institutions, the two countries are also deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership through participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a…

About 140 tourists from countries including Singapore and Malaysia arrived in Shanghai on the eve of the New Year, just in time for the holiday celebration. They watched dragon dances, struck bells at a local temple to pray for good luck and watched light shows, which were all part of the city’s New Year countdown events. Fang Shizhong, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, told Xinhua News Agency that New Year-themed events in Shanghai have been held since 1989, helping the city to pass on cultural traditions such as eating noodles during the countdown and visiting market fairs. He said Shanghai is striving to develop itself into a high-end international travel destination and reinforce its reputation as international tourists’ “first stop” in China. This inbound trip…

China has a wide variety of items on its official intangible cultural heritage (ICH) list, and one of the most colorful folk crafts included is the embroidery of the Yi ethnic group. With a history stretching back 1,700 years, this art form has been handed down from mother to daughter and its designs reflect their close relationship with nature. One of the largest of the 25 ethnic minorities in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan, the Yi people number about 5 million. Many of them live in mountainous areas, isolated and difficult to reach for many years, until modernization and progress reached their villages. The brightly colored embroideries of flowers, animals and geometric designs that imbue their traditional dress with meaning and beauty are also a source of income, thanks to…

Entering the year of 2024, downbeat voices on the Chinese economy still seem to be the mainstream in the Western world. It’s an undeniable fact that China’s economy has faced difficulties. From July to September 2023, direct investment liabilities—a broad measure of foreign direct investment that includes foreign companies’ retained earnings in China—recorded the first quarterly shortfall since China’s foreign exchange regulator began compiling the data in 1998. Additionally, according to the General Administration of Customs of China, the country’s exports fell by 5.2 percent in the first 11 months of 2023 (in U.S. dollar terms)—quite rare for China, which is known as the “world’s factory.” Has China truly fallen into the “middle income trap?” The term refers to the notion that emerging economies grow quickly out of poverty only…

On March 4, 1942, U.S. General Joseph Stilwell (1883-1946) arrived in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing to help China fight against Japanese aggression, two months after Chinese regimental colonel Xu Zhaojian’s survival of a bitter battle against Japanese invaders in Changsha, Hunan Province in central China. Stilwell was impressed by the bravery of Chinese soldiers in the midst of World War II. But the two army men never had the chance to meet one another. Half a century later, however, their grandchildren, John Easterbrook and Xu Chongning, became friends thanks to the Stilwell Scholarship program initiated by two of Stilwell’s daughters Nancy Stilwell Easterbrook and Alison Stilwell Cameron. These close ties are part of a longstanding friendship between generations of the Stilwell family and China. A lasting bond Joseph…

Dazzling arrays of seasonal ingredients, enthusiastic calls from vendors lined up along the bustling street, shoppers jostling each other in crowds, and wafting cook smoke rising between the stalls… Dajis, or big open-air fairs, similar to farmer’s markets, used to be regular events for trading goods, mostly produce and cooked food, which only took place in rural areas. Now, they are enjoyed by urbanites as well as rural residents. Previously seen as a shopping heaven for the frugal older generations, now these markets are becoming increasingly popular among younger people, who are abandoning big shopping malls in favor of this more lively and economical ways of living. Thriving fairs Dajis typically take place on specific dates of the lunar calendar, for example, on dates with five or seven as the…

The inaugural China Chuxiong Fashion Week was held in the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, from December 30, 2023 to January 5. The event showcased the creativity of fashion through nearly 40 runway shows over the week and included participants from around China and from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Myanmar, Malaysia and Bangladesh. It also included a forum with scholars, local ethnic business owners and fashion experts discussing how to preserve the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of ancient clothing and traditions and how they can inspire fashion innovation in the modern age. Chuxiong Fashion Week presented a vibrant visual experience of Yi culture through the medium of traditional and innovative fashion. It also drew attention to the importance of preservation and innovation of ICH as a means to…

FILM DIRECTOR’S TV DRAMA ATTEMPT Hong Kong-based director and Oscar nominee Wong Kar-wai’s maiden attempt to produce a TV drama has caused a sensation. The 30-episode Blossoms Shanghai, adapted from a novel of the same name, not only became one of the most popular dramas during the New Year period but also fueled local tourism. Penned by Shanghai-born writer Jin Yucheng, the novel won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of China’s highest literary honors, in 2015. It follows protagonist A Bao’s entrepreneurial journey and reveals how the lives of young people in the megacity changed during economic reforms of the early 1990s. Wong, also born in Shanghai, is famous for his films with nonlinear narratives and vivid cinematography involving bold colors. In Blossoms Shanghai, which took him six years…

On January 9, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addressed a symposium in Beijing on the international situation and China’s foreign relations in 2023. During the speech, he outlined China’s diplomatic goals for 2024. Edited excerpts of Wang’s remarks follow: Propositions Over the past year, when faced with major issues concerning the future of humanity and the direction of world development, China has all along stood firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress in its diplomacy, and made decisions that can stand the test of practice and time. China firmly chooses cooperation over confrontation. Relations among major countries influence the stability of the world. China believes that major countries…

China’s rapidly aging population has the potential to create big challenges in the decades to come. As hundreds of millions of people reach retirement age in the next few years, the government is placing increasing focus on aging-related issues. Identifying and mitigating the challenges on the horizon are creating not only opportunities to better meet the needs of older people, but also new drivers for the nation’s economy. This year’s first State Council Executive Meeting, a regular meeting of China’s highest state administrative organ, held on January 5, focused on nurturing what has become known as the silver-haired economy and improving the wellbeing of the country’s senior citizens. The term encompasses all economic activities, products and services that aim to meet the needs of older people. At a time when…

Settled in the-see-and-be-seen Shapowei area of Xiamen City, in China’s southeastern province of Fujian, the Soul Train vintage clothing store oozes an unmistakable air of retro urban cool. Stepping inside last July, this writer found herself basking in the retro glow of the platform shoes, chunky sandals, timeless dresses and tapestries of accessories curated there. Plus, unlike many vintage stores that specialize in women’s fashion, the store also offers the boys a chance to score some fly menswear and make some hip vintage noise. Soul Train is one example of secondhand street style and sustainability all rolled into one too-cool-for-school fashion funk. But with yard sales still to gain popularity among most Chinese consumers, and a lingering preference for newly made goods, what is the vintage fashion scene like in…

‘Where are you from?” This is a familiar question that has accompanied me throughout my elementary years to adulthood. In Warsaw, Poland, where I grew up, this was expected. As a person of Chinese descent, I looked nothing like the blonde-haired, blue-eyed children around me. When I decided to pursue my master’s degree in Beijing, it was out of a desire to reconnect with my Chinese heritage and to be somewhere where I could finally “fit in.” However, after living in Beijing for 11 months now, one of the most common questions I am asked, from the hair salon to the club, is: “Where are you from?”—followed by “Are you mixed race?” To be honest, over the years I’ve gotten used to people asking me this question all over the…