Innehållsförteckning för Vol.67/No.25 från Beijing Review

The mere mention of the word “countryside” used to conjure up images of a dull, rustic life. But things are changing fast. Several trendy sports events that have emerged in China’s rural areas are becoming national phenomena, shattering long-held stereotypes. To celebrate the annual Dragon Boat Festival, which commemorates the ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, or June 10 this year, dragon boat races were organized nationwide. The boat race, nothing short of a visual spectacle, has evolved into a sport with extensive local engagement, as well as a major attraction for tourists. But the races are just one part of the trending athletic scene. During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday,…

China’s transformation from a nation that accounted for less than 3 percent of global GDP in 1980 to around 17 percent in 2023 is an unprecedented success story. Over that time, China passed through various stages of development, each time confronted with new challenges and opportunities. Whenever China enters a new stage, people invariably ask what the “next China” might be. Will the country’s success continue? Or has, as some naysayers suggest, its development peaked? China has undoubtedly entered a new stage of development. In my opinion, the country will continue to draw upon its rich cultural heritage and traditional philosophies, and merge these with the tenets of Marxism to further develop its socialism with Chinese characteristics. It will innovate with the latest advances in science and technology, and on…

For most Chinese people, the days they took the gaokao, the national college entrance exam, is etched in their memory as a pivotal moment—often referred to as “a fate-changing exam for many.” The high-stakes exam can alter the course of one’s life as it allows the opportunity to gain admission into China’s colleges or universities. And the higher the gaokao score obtained, the higher the chance a student gets into a top-tier university—impacting their lifelong economic and social status. Minutes after the conclusion of the gaokao’s Chinese exam on the morning of June 7, discussions related to its essay topics quickly surged to the top of Weibo’s trending list, with Weibo being the Chinese equivalent of X. Each year, the essay topics garner considerable attention as they reflect the latest…

‘Hey, you’re too tall. We need to fill you up! Don’t you like it?!” Amid the cacophony of jangling silver trinkets, traditional songs and the deep sonorous blasts of the lusheng, mouth organs fashioned from 6-meter-long bamboo pipes, this author crouches down and attempts to elegantly sip bowl after bowl of rice wine offered by a spirited women of the local Miao ethnic group. Spoiler alert: Graceful consumption wasn’t exactly the end result. It was a crisp early January morning, and yours truly was about to do a deep dive into Miao ethnic culture while shooting for China Daily’s Potside Chats series. Our destination was Hongyang Village, a Miao town tucked snugly amid rolling hills and veiled in mist in Taijiang County of southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Guizhou, known for…

Recently, a wave of “dumbphones” has been sweeping across the Western world. More and more people are choosing traditional cellphones over smartphones with advanced functionalities, in a bid to cut the time they spend staring at screens and stave off the negative impacts from social media. Smartphone addiction is also a serious problem in China. Many advocate limiting time on smartphones, particularly for young people, who should be encouraged to take up other hobbies. However, some argue smartphones themselves are not the root of the problem, and that the return of “dumbphones” won’t cure people of their addiction to smartphones. Li Ang (www.kepu.gov.cn): Young people’s overuse of smartphones poses a threat to their physical and psychological health and can lead to several social issues. Too much smartphone use has the…

TSINGHUA PROFESSOR RECEIVES LETTER FROM PRESIDENT XI Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, a computer scientist and computational theorist, received a letter of reply from President Xi Jinping in mid-June, encouraging him to make more contributions to help the nation achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology. Yao, who taught in U.S. universities for many years, returned to China in 2004 to join the faculty at Tsinghua University. In a recent letter addressed to Xi, he detailed his work in talent cultivation and scientific innovation during his two-decade tenure. Yao is the first Chinese scientist to receive the Turing Award, given by the U.S.-based Association for Computing Machinery for major and lasting contributions to computer science. Now, the 78-year-old is dean of Tsinghua’s College of Artificial Intelligence and its Institute for…

It has been three years since He Shuqin became a rural chief executive officer (CEO) in Chengkou County, Chongqing Municipality. Rural CEO was first listed as a profession in China in 2019. It is one of the 13 rural revitalization-related new professions in China, according to Wang Xiaojun, Deputy Director General of the Vocational Capacity Building Department, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS). Other such professions include homestay manager and pilot of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The MHRSS periodically recognizes and lists new professions that have emerged in pace with economic and social development. Rural revitalization is a state-led strategy put forward by President Xi Jinping during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017. The idea is to have a comprehensive framework to…

The “American dream” has made U.S. people believe that as long as they work hard, people can achieve anything. However, the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, issued by China’s State Council Information Office on May 29, pointed out that the issue of the “working poor” in the U.S. is becoming more prominent. Many “working poor” labor tirelessly throughout the day, but their wages barely suffice to meet basic needs, and they lack adequate social security. Structural poverty and institutional inequity and exclusion have gradually turned this issue into a chronic problem in American society. In October 2023, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Olivier De Schutter released a report criticizing several large American companies for contributing to in-work poverty. This type…

In October 1995, a Sino-Japanese joint archaeological team unearthed the tomb of an aristocrat from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) in Hotan Prefecture in south Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The tomb yielded a wealth of burial artifacts imbued with Chinese cultural elements. Among them, a brocade arm protector has since become a national treasure. Its vibrant hues remain intact even two millennia after it was made, and it is adorned with eight Chinese characters that, when translated into English, read “The five stars rise from the East, benefiting Zhongguo (China).” (In ancient times, the five stars that were said to appear in auspicious conjunction over China were identified with Chenxing, Taibai, Yinghuo, Suixing and Zhenxing. In modern times these are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—Ed.) This is, to…

In 2011, the documentary A Journey to the Yangtze River by Japanese director Ryo Takeuchi became a hit in both China and Japan. The documentary portrayed the lives of several people from different social backgrounds, as well as the local conditions and customs along different parts of the Yangtze. Stretching 6,300 km, the Yangtze is the longest river in China and the third longest one in the world, earning it the moniker of the nation’s River of Life. A decade later, Takeuchi, who had since relocated to Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, in the lower reaches of the Yangtze, decided to embark on a new journey tracing the iconic river’s entire length. The resulting documentary series, titled The Yangtze River, garnered a high rating of 9.3 out of 10 on Chinese review…

The 78th Session of the UN General Assembly on June 7 adopted a China-proposed resolution, designating June 10 as International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. The resolution calls for “equal dialogue and mutual respect” among different civilizations, reflecting the essence of the Global Civilizations Initiative (GCI). The GCI underlines respect for different civilizations and strengthened mutual learning between them. “All civilizations created by human society are splendid,” President Xi Jinping said in a March 2023 speech, in which he introduced the GCI. “Chinese modernization, as a new form of human advancement, will draw upon the merits of other civilizations and make the garden of world civilizations more vibrant.” While each country has its own historical background and social conditions, they also share many common values and the same planet. Xi…

June 6 marked the fifth anniversary of the commercial launch of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile network in China. On this date in 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the first 5G commercial licenses to China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom and China Broadnet, the country’s most influential players in the telecommunications sector. With its high speed, low latency and multiple connections, 5G technology has since revolutionized a wide range of industries, including big data and artificial intelligence (AI), enabling seamless connectivity for a multitude of devices. Smart household appliances, along with progress in telemedicine and driverless technology, are already (becoming) part of people’s daily lives and work routines. China’s 5G sector has seen rapid expansion over the past five years. According to MIIT figures, as of…

In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the International Forum on the History and Future of Xinjiang, China, Pan Yue, head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, underlined the importance of understanding Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the broader context of Chinese culture. Edited excerpts of his remarks follow: Xinjiang boasts a rich tradition and coexistence of diverse cultures and religions. In addition to numerous Buddhist sites, a Zoroastrian fire altar from 2,500 years ago was found in Tashkurgan County. In the ancient city of Milan in Ruoqiang County, a Greek-style “winged angel” Buddhist mural from 1,800 years ago was uncovered. Taoist scriptures and the Christian Bible were unearthed together from a 1,300-year-old Nestorian monastery in Turpan. Manichaean worship scenes from 1,000 years ago were discovered in the…