Latest posts by Andy Yee
Westerners need self-reflection before criticizing China
In an afterword to the 2006 edition of The End of History and the Last Man, Francis Fukuyama depicted a possible scenario of world politics: the victory of an authoritarian type of capitalism over liberal democratic capitalist states. While this is not his preferred destination, it is moving in that...
China’s Orwellian Future
John Chan (陳冠中), an author from Hong Kong who is currently living in Beijing, has written a novel entitled The Fat Years: China, 2013 (盛世 – 中國, 2013). The story happens in 2013, when China enters a new era of material prosperity and everyone is happy, while the western world...
China: Bloggers’ Reviews of Avatar
James Cameron’s blockbuster, Avatar, was released in China on 2 January 2010, two weeks later than the rest of the world. It is proving popular among the Chinese people. Apart from praising the 3D and special effects, Chinese people also link the story to a controversial social issue in China:...
China: Will you accept ‘Naked Marriage’?
A new term has become popular recently among Chinese netizens: ‘naked marriage’ (裸婚). Don’t be mistaken, but the term has a special meaning: it means getting married without a house, a car, a diamond ring and a proper wedding ceremony. Just taking a picture and getting a marriage certificate is...
American Petitioner in China
Julie Harms, an American and a Harvard graduate, hit the news as she becomes one of the few, or perhaps the first, foreign petitioner in China. Her case was a grievance against the government that her fiancé, Liu Shiliang, was jailed on a charge which she says is not true....
China: Forced Demolition
Two recent cases of forced demolitions have raised attention to the protection of citizens’ rights and fair conflict resolution. Chinese netizens provide plenty of comments and reactions.
Could the U.S. learn something from China?
Could the world's lone but weary superpower actually learn something from China? This is a question the Time magazine posted when President Barack Obama began his first visit to China. The article said this is a time when China has ‘emerged as a dynamo of optimism, experimentation and growth’, while...
China: Drought and the Three Gorges Dam
Since September this year, China’s Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower scheme, has began a plan to raise its reservoir to its ideal height of 175 metres. In October, there has been severe drought in the provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Is there any co-relation between the Dam and the drought?
China: Electoral Reform
China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress, has started discussion on a draft amendment to the Electoral Law, which will ensure voters in the countryside have as much influence as voters in the cities. The draft amendment tabled for first reading at the bimonthly legislative session of the 11th NPC...
China: Nobel Dream
This month, the Chinese press and online forums are saturated with coverage of Charles Kao’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Yet another overseas Chinese scientist has snatched the prestigious prize, this temporary moment of shared glory is quickly turned into a more profound question: when would China produce its first indigenous Nobel Prize winner?
China: Graduate thesis or practical training?
The purpose and function of university education has been a highly debatable topic both in the East and the West. In China, people strongly believe that education is a route to success and in the past few years, the number of university students has increased rapidly. However, as the problem...
China: Stopping people's grievances from visiting Beijing
The letter and visit petition system (xinfang) is an administrative system for hearing complaints and grievances from individuals in China. The state and local bureaus of letters and visits are in charge of receiving letters, calls and visits from individuals or groups. The officers then channel the issues to respective...
China: When will the sunshine come?
Chinese officials will soon be required to report all their assets as part of an anti-corruption "Sunshine Act" of the Communist Party. But resistance so far has been significant, leading to much online public debate among Chinese citizens.
China: Beijing students protest against parade rehersals
In the upcoming October 1 celebration of the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing will be mobilizing over one hundred thousands secondary and university students for parades. As it is compulsory for students to participate in the prolong parade rehearsal, some are not happy about it. Apple...
China: The Founding of a Republic
As a celebration of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October, the all-star epic “The Founding of a Republic” will be screened tomorrow, on 17 September. The film has stirred a heated discussion on the Internet – not for the film itself, but for the nationalities of the stars.
China: School girl wants to be “corrupt official”
On the first day of China’s school term, Guangzhou’s Southern Metropolitan Daily interviewed some kids about their life-goals. One girl told the journalist that her dream was to become “a corrupt official."
