Innehållsförteckning för Vol.67/No.2 från Beijing Review

Let’s zoom in on Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China: It covers an area of 1.66 million square km, about one sixth of China’s total land area. With a population of more than 25.8 million, the region is home to all 56 of China’s ethnic groups. The four largest ones in Xinjiang are the Uygur (11.6 million), the Han (10.9 million), the Kazak (1.5 million) and the Hui (1.1 million), according to official figures. The government has implemented a host of programs focusing on infrastructure development, education, healthcare and employment opportunities to encourage the region’s development. These initiatives aim to improve living standards, enhance economic prospects and provide individuals with the means to lead better lives. The GDP, an indicator of an economy’s size and health, of the autonomous…

Human rights, encompassing the right to life, liberty, security, work, education and many other things, represent a step forward in the progress of human development. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, declared during the French Revolution in 1789, the Bill of Rights ratified by the U.S. in 1791 and UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed in 1948 mark pivotal moments of a process where the recognition and protection of human rights progressively deepen. Regrettably, the United Nations Human Rights Committee and Human Rights Council have been reduced to an arena of international power struggles, where a select group of countries, perceiving themselves as human rights arbiters, point their accusatory fingers at others, even unabashedly provoking conflicts and confrontations. The interference in the internal affairs…

Bahram Rahimjan, a Uygur student of art, dreams big. With 17 months to go before sitting the gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination, he said his dream school is the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, more than 3,000 km from his hometown. “Painting makes me happy,” he said while honing his skills at his school in Cocodala, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China. He said he is interested in rediscovering Uygur culture through artistic creation. On the Cocodala Zhenjiang Senior High School’s well-equipped campus, students are encouraged and inspired to be their best. Apart from academic studies, extracurricular programs ranging from art to 3D printing are available for them to identify areas in which their strengths lie. Partners for progress But it’s not just the premium…

The seat next to a window with bright sunlight is Li Zhen’s regular place in a paid study room in Beijing. The white desk has a table lamp, an electrical outlet and a bookshelf. In this small world, she was preparing for the most recent national postgraduate entrance exam, which took place in late December 2023. After graduating from university, Li worked for a short time. However, because she was not satisfied with her salary, she decided to quit and pursue postgraduate studies to increase her chances of landing a better job. Li told newspaper Guangming Daily that she’s rented a bedroom in an apartment, but as her room has no space for a desk, she opted for a study room close to her home—and at a reasonable price. Paid…

When people buy a new piece of clothing, how often do they think about how and where it was made? We often fail to see the direct connection between familiar things and industries. Most of us do not think about where water and electricity come from before they reach our homes. Most of the time, we do not bother to think about how goods get into stores; people just buy and consume them. Everything humanity uses today, all those objects and phenomena on which our existence directly depends, is the result of the work of numerous industrial enterprises and facilities. I am a supply chain professional from Russia and a connoisseur of industrial beauty. It is fair to say that sustainable industrial production is my passion. While in Shanghai, I…

NEW MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM Senior official Sun Yeli has been appointed minister of culture and tourism. The appointment was made at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, on December 29, 2023. While the NPC is not in session, its Standing Committee has the power to decide on the appointment of ministers nominated by the premier. Born in Anqiu, Shandong Province, in December 1964, Sun received a master’s degree in history from Peking University in 1988. After graduation, he held several posts at the Party Literature Research Office, one of the predecessors of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. He became the institute’s deputy head in 2018. Since 2021, he…

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo made a high-profile trip to China last August. There, she talked up the “enormous” Chinese market and the incredible “appetite among U.S. businesses to continue to do business” there. While no significant deals were unveiled during her visit, it did leave the impression that the White House intended to continue open dialogue and continue doing business with China. Fast forward a few months and Raimondo seems to be singing a different tune. On December 11, 2023, in an interview with Bloomberg News, she said she was prepared to crack down on Huawei Technologies Co. But what did the Chinese telecommunications giant do anger her? In short, some Washington politicians became convinced that a semiconductor chipmaking breakthrough in Huawei’s latest smartphone could only have happened…

Li Quan, a 3-year-old boy, lives in Shiying Village of Dayin Town in Bijie, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Every week Li’s home welcomes a special guest—a parenting coach, who encourages and guides his mother or grandmother to play, talk, read and sing with him. On the afternoon of December 18, 2023, the silence in the small living room of Li’s home would occasionally be broken by a burst of laughter, lending the cold winter a warm touch. The laughter erupted whenever Li would successfully complete a puzzle or actively react to his mother or the coach. The coach’s home visit is an “active involvement” method of the China Rural Education and Child Health (China REACH) program, which provides rural families with children aged 6 to 36 months with one-hour in-home…

The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in Beijing on December 27-28, 2023, put in place plans for China’s diplomatic undertakings for 2024 and beyond. The conference called for an increasingly just international system. An official news release stated, “Given the series of major issues and challenges facing the world today, China calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.” An equal and orderly multipolar world is one in which all countries, regardless of size, are treated as equals, hegemonism and power politics are rejected, and democracy is truly promoted in international relations. To ensure progress toward greater multipolarity remains stable, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be observed by all, the universally recognized, basic norms governing…

In Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, a city known for its tech innovation, residents have recently adopted helicopters as “air taxis” alongside buses, cabs and the subway. On board these air taxis, passengers are treated to panoramic views of the city’s picturesque landscapes, making their journeys both convenient and alluring. While a 40-km terrestrial journey can take up to an hour in optimal traffic conditions, an air taxi can cover the same distance in a mere 10 minutes. Boarding these innovative taxis requires a visit to the top floor of a 40-story skyscraper, where passengers undergo training and security checks. Over the past year, Shenzhen has inaugurated several intercity air taxi routes, whisking commuters away to neighboring destinations like Guangzhou and Zhuhai, significantly shortening travel times. In Shenzhen, it’s not just people…

Emerging from a festive wedding ceremony, a dance colloquially known as Kemusan or Subject Three has achieved a meteoric rise to fame across digital platforms in recent weeks. In the realm of social media, where trends emerge and vanish like fleeting sparks, the dance craze is currently at the zenith of popularity. Comparable to the global craze surrounding Gangnam Style dancing years ago, this dance has permeated every corner of the social media landscape. Set against the backdrop of music mixing Western disco beats and traditional Chinese folk songs, the dance itself is a freeform street routine commanding vibrant energy and rhythmic flair. In a display that fuses both online and offline engagement, participants sway their knees and ankles in sync with the pulsating beats while executing a mesmerizing sequence…