Like in the days of SARS, today’s coronavirus is barely acknowledged by Beijing authorities and state-controlled media, leading to a flourishing sense of betrayal among the Chinese people, although the fast response on the side of healthcare has been exceptional.
china
The Coronavirus: another means of controlling artistic expression?
Rhian Hutchings explores the ongoing debates surrounding the canceling of Hong Kong Art Basel show in response to the Coronavirus crisis The narrative surrounding the Art Basel show in Hong Kong has certainly been colourful over the past couple of months. It has now officially been cancelled due to the impending threat of a virus […]
Where has the time gone?
Libby Swan discusses the anxieties of concluding her year abroad, as well as maintaining her Mandarin language skills; translated by Chi Cheung. 我们弹指一挥间已到第二个学期了 — 时间去哪儿啦？这也是说七个月以前，我从北京到英国了，而我在中国留学的阅历结束了。虽然我埃克赛特的生活没有什么可抱怨的，但我不由自主想念中国的生活，尤其跟我中国朋友出去玩儿并且尝尝各种各样的中国菜。不过，我准备回来英国的阶段，想念我中国生活并不是让我心烦意乱的原因。我最害怕的是把学会的中文能力失掉了。在中国最后几个月，我跟最好中国朋友们朝夕相处了，天天一直其乐融融地利用中文交流。对我来说，这种的机会难能可贵，我活得其所。刚到中国的时候我往往惶惑，摸着石头过河，不过在这短短时间内我开始感觉坦然自若，甭装样子了。我说话的自发性提高了、学会了怎么自然地用合适的成语，并且我并不怕开口说话了。到英国以后这些习得技能势所必然会消失对吧？另一个忧虑是，我回到埃克塞特大学以后会有一门口试，那在整个暑假中我就怎么会保持这些语言方面呢？首先，还好我的中国朋友们很乐意每一个星期给我打个电话，谈一谈无论何事。这对于我的口语水平有大影响了，因为令人惊讶的是，忘记简简单单词语如 此之快。因此而已经常联系非常重要。再说，再开学以后，更容易保持中文水平，因为我们每个星期有六个小时的课，再加作业，所以用中文的时间更长。还有我找到了别的优秀的中国朋友，跟他们常常见面，练习一下。对于语言方面来讲，英国生活当然比不上中国的，不过如果努力勤奋刻苦练习，掌握的语言并不会涣然冰释。我们就该相信啦 — 加油! Mandarin version by Libby Swan Time passes like a fleeting moment and we are already in our second semester-where has the time gone? This also means that […]
The Coronavirus Outbreak and South Korea’s Treatment of its Chinese Minority
Foreign Correspondent in Korea, Milana Nikolova, explains the coronavirus situation in Korea and the implications for the Chinese population.
Racism is a disease
Catherine Loyd dissects the racist narratives that have emerged around the Corona Virus and links it to the racism that emerged around Ebola.
Did the Hong Kong protests overshadow China’s 70th birthday celebrations?
Did the Hong Kong protests overshadow China’s 70th birthday celebrations? Foreign Correspondent in Seoul, Milana Nikolova, discusses the Hong Kong protests and their impact in tandem with the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist state. One, is that this time around, celebrations were even more magnificent than usual, considering this year is the 70th Anniversary […]
Hong Kong and pro-China students protest on campus
Hong Kong students and allies protested perceived unfair treatment of Hong Kong by the Chinese government outside the Forum on Tuesday, 1 October. Students were shortly joined by pro-mainland China counter-protesters and the two groups faced off in front of the Forum for at least an hour. The two groups exchanged chants before being asked […]
Africa: Continent at the Crossroads
Online Features Editor Bryan Knight reports on the recent political developments in Africa and assesses the threats faced by the continent. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an ambitious initiative that would revamp an ancient trade network that connected the Eastern world with the West. This ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, as it is commonly […]
Citizens to be ranked by national loyalty: China’s new Social Credit System
Our fast-paced contemporary age has loaded pop culture with every dystopian tale imagination can conjure, from Orwell’s 1984 totalitarian nightmare, to the social credit-obsessed society of Black Mirror’s Nosedive. No longer are these fictional omens of times to come. With a vast Social Credit System scheduled for 2020, China’s government intends to implement a social reality uncannily […]
World War 3 – Should we be worried?
Ever since Kim Jong-Il threatened to withdraw North Korea from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1993, eventually leaving ten years later, in 2003, North Korea has been on a slow and steady trajectory towards nuclear weapons. This trajectory has been continued, if not quickened, by Jong-Il’s son Kim Jong-Un. The reality of this ambition has […]