Podcasts about jiangsu province

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2025 0:17

A Chinese district court will hand down Thursday a sentence over a case in which a Japanese woman and her child, and a Chinese woman were attacked by a man in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China, last June, people at Japan's Consulate-General in Shanghai said Saturday.

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蘇州母子襲撃事件、２３日判決　動機への言及焦点―中国

maayot | Learn Mandarin Chinese with Stories

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2025 0:45

日本人母子らが襲われたバス停、２０２４年６月２５日、中国江蘇省蘇州市【上海時事】中国江蘇省蘇州市で昨年６月に日本人母子らが襲撃され、中国人女性が死亡した事件で、被告の５０代の男に対する判決公判が２３日に同市中級人民法院で開かれることが分かった。 A Chinese district court will hand down Thursday a sentence over a case in which a Japanese woman and her child, and a Chinese woman were attacked by a man in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China, last June, people at Japan's Consulate-General in Shanghai said Saturday.

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Baking the way in China's "German town"

Footprints

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2024 21:22

Taicang, a small city in Jiangsu Province, eastern China, is known for its deep connections with German enterprises. Home to over 500 German-invested companies, the city has grown to become a prime destination for German entrepreneurs. Among them, Erwin Gerber stands out with his thriving bakery. In this episode of the Makin' It in China series, we'll explore how Erwin has crafted his path to success in Taicang, blending German tradition with Chinese opportunity.

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Advanced | 中国首条跨省“飞的”正式开始运营 | China's first inter-provincial “flying” officially began operations | Mandarin Chinese Story

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2024 1:13

The country's first inter-provincial scheduled low-altitude passenger transportation route from Shanghai Pudong Airport to the Kunshan Terminal in Jiangsu Province has reportedly been officially opened. It has shortened what was previously a more than two-hour drive to a 25-minute flight.Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese, for your level. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your understanding, one-click dictionary, new words, and more.Join other learners at https://www.maayot.com

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英语新闻丨“中国造”体育用品出口火热中国已成为全球最大体育用品出口国

China Daily Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 6:18

he exports of China's sporting goods and equipment surged 16.7 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2024, outpacing the overall export growth during the same period by a whopping 9.8 percentage points, according to data recently released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).海关总署近日发布的数据显示，今年上半年，中国体育用品及设备出口同比增长16.7%，高出同期出口整体增速9.8个百分点。Data from the World Trade Organization showed that global trade in sporting goods has nearly tripled in almost 30 years, and China has become the world's top exporter of sporting goods.世界贸易组织发布的数据显示，全球范围内的体育用品贸易在过去近30年里增长了近3倍，而在这30年间，中国已成为全球最大的体育用品出口国。In Jinping county of southwest China's Guizhou Province, a global production hub for badminton shuttlecocks, more than 100,000 shuttlecocks are sold worldwide a day.在全球重要的羽毛球生产基地——贵州省锦屏县，每天超过10万只羽毛球从这里“飞”向全球。"We've calculated that about one in every 10 shuttlecocks in the world comes from Jinping," said Hu Bing, production manager of Guizhou RSL Sports Culture Development Co., Ltd.贵州亚狮龙体育文化产业发展有限公司生产经理胡兵说：“我们统计过，全球大约每10只羽毛球，就有1只产自锦屏。”Last year, the company produced over 4 million dozen shuttlecocks, generating a staggering output value of 340 million yuan ($47.73 million) and exporting nearly $9 million worth of shuttlecocks to over 60 countries and regions, Hu noted.胡兵说，公司去年产值3.4亿元，生产羽毛球超400多万打，出口总额近900万美元，产品销往60多个国家和地区。The first half of 2024 saw the company achieve even more remarkable growth, with the output value of shuttlecocks reaching 185 million yuan and exports skyrocketing by around 40 percent compared to the same period last year.今年上半年，该公司营业额进一步增长，产值达1.85亿元，出口比去年同期增长了40%左右。In the first quarter of 2024, China's exports of footballs, basketballs, and volleyballs saw a year-on-year increase of 33.57 percent in volume and 17.99 percent in value, while that of table tennis, badminton, and tennis equipment increased 0.93 percent from the same period last year to $204 million, according to GAC data.根据海关总署数据，2024年第一季度，中国足球、篮球、排球出口量同比增长33.57%，出口额同比增长17.99%；乒乓球、羽毛球、网球及相关用品累计出口额2.04亿美元，同比增长0.93%。In the first three months of this year, the country's exports of roller skates and skateboards surged 30.85 percent and 50.21 percent year-on-year, respectively. The inclusion of skateboarding as an Olympic sport has further fueled demand, particularly in countries like Russia and Japan.今年一季度，中国旱冰鞋和滑板出口量同比分别大幅增长30.85%和50.21%。随着滑板成为奥运项目，带动俄罗斯、日本等国消费，滑板出口额增长显著。In addition, treadmill exports jumped by 44.94 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, while artificial turf exports grew by 15.64 percent from the same period last year.此外，一季度跑步机和人造草同比也分别增长44.94%和15.64%。To boost the pace of "going global," Chinese sporting goods companies need to rely on greener sporting goods with higher technological content, said Bao Mingxiao, director of the China Sports Policy Research Institute at Beijing Sport University.北京体育大学中国体育政策研究院院长鲍明晓表示，企业出海的步伐要更加坚实有力，靠的是更具科技含量、更加绿色环保的“硬实力”。Dingqi Sports Goods (Huai'an) Co., Ltd. in Huai'an city, east China's Jiangsu Province specializes in the production of ball bladders, including those used in the production of footballs, volleyballs, basketballs and rugby balls. 70 percent of its products are exported overseas. For the Paris Olympics, the company exported products made from 70 percent bio-based materials.江苏淮安的顶碁运动用品（淮安）有限公司专门生产运动用足球、排球、篮球、橄榄球等球类产品内胆，产品70%出口海外。巴黎奥运会就使用了这家企业研发的含有70%生物基的产品。"This type of football is equipped with a chip capable of making 500 identifications per second to assist in determining a handball or offside instances," said Zhou Hongda, general manager of the company, adding that it produces ball bladders made from recycled and bio-based materials.顶碁运动用品（淮安）有限公司总经理周宏达表示：“这款足球植入了芯片，1秒内能做500次识别动作，通过实时数据辅助判断是否手球、越位等。” 他介绍，该公司的足球内胆用回收材料、生物基材料制成。Since the start of this year, the company has exported 4.07 million balls for training and games, including those used in the UEFA European Championship, Copa America, and the Paris Olympics.今年以来，这家公司已出口欧洲杯、美洲杯、奥运会等赛事用球及训练用球407万个。Zhou believes that the key to the popularity of "Made-in-China" sporting goods overseas lies in continuous innovation, higher technological content, and adapting to new market demand.周宏达认为，“中国制造”体育用品赢得海外市场的关键就在于不断创新，增加产品的科技含量，适应市场新需求。Wen Jia, deputy general secretary of the China Sporting Goods Federation, said fierce competition in the domestic market makes enterprises and merchants provide customized and personalized products and services by meeting customer demand and leveraging technologies.中国体育用品业联合会副秘书长温嘉表示，国内市场竞争激烈，倒逼企业和商家从客户需求出发，利用科技手段提供定制化、个性化的产品和服务。The booming sports event economy has attracted buyers across the world to purchase all kinds of sporting goods in Yiwu, known as the "World's Supermarket" in east China's Zhejiang Province. In the city, the improved efficiency of customs supervision provides a strong boost for Chinese companies to go global.赛事经济的带动下，世界各地的采购商抓住商机，来到“世界超市”浙江义乌采购各式各样的体育产品。在这里，海关监管效率的提升也为中国企业走出去提供了强大助力。Chinese enterprises are not just exporting sporting goods, but also technology, services, and brands.中国企业不仅出口体育产品，同时也出口技术、服务和品牌。"Many foreign clients recognize our manufacturing capabilities and hope to introduce Chinese production technology to their own countries. Our future may not solely involve product exports, but also technology, service, and brand exports," said Yang Lei, general manager of the foreign trade department at Hebei Jadeqi Sports Goods Co Ltd.河北杰帝奇体育用品有限公司外贸部总经理杨磊表示：“国外很多客商对我们的制造业水平很认可，他们也希望把中国的生产技术引进过去。我们以后可能不单纯地进行产品出口，也要进行技术、服务、品牌的出口。”"Our overseas strategy aligns with the Belt and Road Initiative. We not only produce products but also offer services and comprehensive solutions, facilitating integration with other industries and making our operations more convenient. Recently, we've been considering building a production base in Serbia, having just visited there, and found the environment and market conditions favorable," Yang added.杨磊说：“我们的出海思路其实就是跟着‘一带一路'走。因为我们不仅做产品，也做服务、做一体化的解决方式，这样可以更好地和其他行业进行整合，对我们来说也更便利。最近，我们正在研究去塞尔维亚建生产基地，刚去那里考察过，环境和市场都不错，很适合做市场。”

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Why is Indonesia building a new capital?

World Today

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 51:39

①What to expect from Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's visit to China? (00:35)②Western leaders urge restraint amid expected Iran response towards Israel. What will be Iran's next move? (13:25)③France wakes up from its Olympic dream to a harsh political reality. (24:34)④Indonesia has held the first cabinet meeting in its planned new capital, Nusantara. Why is Indonesia building a new capital? (32:59)⑤China launches low-altitude air route linking Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu Province on a trial basis. (41:40)

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犯人阻止の中国人女性死亡　当局、勇気を称賛―蘇州邦人襲撃

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 0:32

胡友平さん【上海時事】中国江蘇省蘇州市で日本人母子らが刃物で襲撃された事件で、蘇州市公安局は２７日、重体となっていた中国人女性の胡友平さんが死亡したと発表した。 A Chinese woman who fell into serious condition after trying to stop a knife attack that injured a Japanese woman and her child in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China, on Monday has died, according to local public security authorities.

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Chinese Woman Who Tried to Stop Attack That Injured Japanese Dies

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 0:14

A Chinese woman who fell into serious condition after trying to stop a knife attack that injured a Japanese woman and her child in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China, on Monday has died, according to local public security authorities.

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Suzhou Knife Attack Shocks Japanese Firms in China

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 0:10

Japanese companies operating in China have been shocked by a recent knife attack against a Japanese woman and her child in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China.

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中国在留邦人に注意喚起　蘇州母子襲撃で警備強化―日本大使館

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 0:41

日本人の母子が襲撃されたとみられるバス停、２５日、中国江蘇省蘇州市【蘇州時事】中国江蘇省蘇州市で日本人の母子が中国人とみられる男に刃物で襲われ負傷した事件を受け、北京の日本大使館は２４日深夜、在留邦人に対し、外出時は身の安全に注意を払うよう呼び掛ける情報を発信した。 The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has warned Japanese nationals to be on alert following a knife attack Monday against a Japanese mother and her child by an apparent Chinese man in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

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蘇州母子襲撃は「遺憾」　日本人標的か明言せず―中国外務省

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 0:32

中国外務省の毛寧副報道局長、１月１５日、北京【北京時事】中国外務省の毛寧副報道局長は２５日の記者会見で、江蘇省蘇州市で起きた日本人母子襲撃に関し、「このような事件が発生したことは遺憾だ」と述べた。 A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday expressed regret over Monday's knife attack by a Chinese man against a Japanese woman and her child in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

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進出日系企業に動揺　蘇州母子負傷事件―中国

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 0:33

日本人の母子が襲撃されたとみられるバス停、２５日、中国江蘇省蘇州市【蘇州時事】中国江蘇省蘇州市で２４日に日本人母子らが刃物で切り付けられた事件で、地元当局は２５日、中国人の男の犯行だと発表した。 Japanese companies operating in China have been shocked by a recent knife attack against a Japanese woman and her child in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China.

china japanese suzhou jiangsu province

Japan Embassy in China Warns Nationals following Knife Attack

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 0:12

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has warned Japanese nationals to be on alert following a knife attack Monday against a Japanese mother and her child by an apparent Chinese man in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

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Knife Attack on Japanese Regrettable: China Spokesperson

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 0:11

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday expressed regret over Monday's knife attack by a Chinese man against a Japanese woman and her child in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

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Nissan Closes Passenger Car Plant in China

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2024 0:13

Japan's Nissan Motor Co. has closed a passenger car plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, in an effort to cut its production capacity in the country to rebuild its operations there, according to informed sources.

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日産、中国で工場閉鎖　ＥＶ競争激化で販売不振

Falun Dafa News and Cultivation

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2024 0:23

【北京時事】日産自動車が２１日に中国江蘇省常州市の乗用車工場を閉鎖したことが分かった。 Japan's Nissan Motor Co. has closed a passenger car plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, in an effort to cut its production capacity in the country to rebuild its operations there, according to informed sources.

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1366: Cultivation Story: Awakened to My True Purpose, I Stopped Pursuing Money and Position

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2024 28:10

Through both the tribulations of being imprisoned and tortured, and later being tempted in ordinary society by fame and gain, a practitioner in Jiangsu Province share his road of cultivation in learning to identify the old forces arrangements, and choose the correct path. This and other stories from the Minghui website. Original Articles:1. Awakened to […]

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EZ News 01/11/23

EZ News

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2024 6:10

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 12-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 17,478 on turnover of $2.2 billion N-T. The market continued to lose ground and turnover slipped once again on Wednesday as investors awaited the release of U-S consumer price index data for December later this week, as turnover slipped once again. Analysts say this week's continuing downward trend and low turnover also reflect how this weekend's presidential and legislative elections are weighing on market sentiment. Over 50 Listed as Suspects in Alleged Subsidized China Trip Case The Yilan District Prosecutors' Office says 53 people have been listed as suspects in an ongoing investigation into violations of the anti-infiltration (反滲透) and election laws. They were listed as suspects after being questioned and include several village and neighborhood chiefs. All of them allegedly traveled to China on trips subsidized by the Chinese government in December of last year. According to the prosecutors' office, they were invited by Chinese officials in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province and Hebei Province and traveled on schedules arranged by officials from China's Taiwan Affairs Office. The suspects were were allegedly asked to state that they "support the parties that boost cross-strait relations," and "oppose Taiwan independence" during the trips and some reportedly joined Chinese officials in chanting pro-unification slogans. Japan Begins Building US Military Base on Okinawa Japan's government is beginning construction (建造) on a new US military base in the country's Okinawa islands, overriding the objections of local officials. Tokyo approved landfill works to relocate the Futenma airbase to the Henoko region by proxy after Okinawa's government refused to green-light the project, saying it will destroy local ecosystems and attract war. Chris Gilbert reports from Tokyo. Somalia AlShabab Fighters Attack UN Helicopter Officials in Somalia say fighters with al-Qaida's East Africa affiliate al-Shabab have attacked a United Nations helicopter that made an emergency landing in territory controlled by the extremists, killing one passenger and abducting (綁架) five others. One official told the Associated Press that the helicopter landed due to engine failure. He said six foreigners and one Somali national were on board and one was shot dead while trying to escape. One was missing. The United Nations confirmed the incident but didn't give details for the safety of those on board. Al-Shabab has not immediately claimed responsibility. Greece PM to Submit Legislation for SameSex Marriage Greece's center-right prime minister says his government will soon submit legislation allowing civil marriage for same-sex couples. That's despite reservations from some of his party's own lawmakers and the country's powerful church. But Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the proposed (提出的) law will not extend the right to parenthood through surrogate mothers to same-sex couples — an issue that has divided Greek society. Mitsotakis said Wednesday he is confident the law can be approved in parliament with cross-party support, even though he won't force those of his lawmakers who are against it to back it. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－新鮮事、新奇事、新故事《一銀陪你聊“新”事》第一銀行打造公股銀行首創ESG Podcast頻道上線啦由知名主持人阿Ken與多位名人來賓進行對談邀請您一起落實永續發展讓永續未來不再只是想像各大收聽平台搜尋：ㄧ銀陪你聊新事 https://bit.ly/3vBtNYj

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Tricking the brain – are holograms the future?

Business Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2024 18:21

The use of these endlessly flexible 3D images is increasing rapidly. Not just in entertainment, but in medicine, education, design, defence and more.Holograms trick the brain into seeing something in 3D when it's really just a projection, allowing us to feel immersed in something – whether it's an atom, or a cityscape. We talk to companies developing this fast advancing technology and ask – will we be living in a holographic future?Produced and presented by Matthew Kenyon(Image: A citizen watches a hologram of the artwork 'A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains' during a digital art exhibition at an art museum on March 11, 2023 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province of China. Credit: Getty Images)

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Lion Grove Garden: Between Reality and Illusion

The Context

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 14:39 Transcription Available

“Heaven has paradise. Earth has Suzhou and Hangzhou.” This old Chinese saying is inspired by the natural beauty of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province and Hangzhou in neighboring Zhejiang Province, both located along China's southeastern coast. The painting we're going to discuss captures the scenery at a famous park in Suzhou. The famous Classical Gardens of Suzhou were added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1997. Throughout Chinese history, the gardens have been toured by senior officials, dignitaries, and many great men of letters. Today, we are going to introduce you to this painting that was so highly prized by China's longest-reigning emperor that it may have singlehandedly been somewhat responsible for every traditional Chinese garden you've ever seen.

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Alice Diop triumphs at the Venice Film Festival

The Sound Kitchen

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2022 25:27

This week on The Sound Kitchen you'll hear the answer to the question about Alice Diop. There's The Sound Kitchen mailbag, the bonus question and the “Listeners Corner” with Michael Fitzpatrick, and plenty of good music. All that, and the new quiz question, too, so click on the “Audio” arrow above and enjoy! Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll hear the winner's names announced and the week's quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you've grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week. Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all! Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts! In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more. There's Paris Perspective, Africa Calling, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too. As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we'll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website and click on the three horizontal bars on the top right, choose “Listen to RFI / Podcasts”, and you've got ‘em ! You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward's University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that's how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it's a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald's free books, click here. Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload! And don't forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven't yet asked to join the group, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”). There's a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don't like to do! We have new RFI Listeners Club members to welcome: Sufian Babu Sma from Murshidibad, India, and Shovon Hasan and Tahamina Yasmin, both from Rajbari, Bangladesh. Welcome Sufian, welcome Shovan, welcome Tahamina! I look forward to seeing your quiz responses and your bonus question answers every week, as well as your posts on the RFI Listeners Club Facebook page! This week's quiz: On 17 September, I asked you a question about our article “French director receives two awards for debut film at Venice festival”. Earlier that week, Frenchwoman Alice Diop won the Silver Lion for her film Saint Omer at the Venice Film Festival. Saint Omer not only won the Silver Lion, it also won the "Best First Film" award. Alice Diop has, up until now, specialized in documentaries. In 2017 she won a César – the French Oscars, if you remember - for Best Short Film. And that was your question: What was the name of that documentary? The answer is: Vers la tendresse, or Towards Tenderness. For her first feature film, Diop said she had used, as we noted in our article: “a seemingly sordid news item to question something much broader, which is the relationship that all women and men have with motherhood". In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What three things would you not take to a desert island? The winners are: RFI English listener Sajjad Hossain from Joypurhat, Bangladesh, who is also the winner of this week's bonus question. Congratulations Sajjad! The other winners this week are Muhammed Nazim, a member of the International RFI DX Radio Listeners Club in Murshidabad, India - which is our very first official RFI English Club. There's Amran Hossain, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh; Faheem Noor, the president of the World United RFI Listeners Organization Club (WULO) in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan – the club celebrated its 22nd anniversary this past week. Congratulations to WULO president Faheem Noor and all the members! Last but certainly not least is RFI Listeners Club member Ding Lu from Jiangsu Province in China. Congratulations winners! Here's the music you heard on this week's program: “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” by Jule Stein and Leo Robin, sung by Carol Channing; “Gondola Song” op.19, no.6 by Felix Mendelssohn, performed by Oh Hyoung Lee; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children's Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Forbidden Games” by Narciso Yepes and Marcel Stellman, sung by Miriam Makeba. Do you have a musical request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr This week's question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you've listened to the show, re-read our article “French government ready to 'intervene' to break fuel depot strike” to help you with the answer. You have until 7 November to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 12 November podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number. 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3.15 Fall and Rise of China: First Opium War

Kings and Generals: History for our Future

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 47:41

Last time we spoke, Lin Zexu had brought the foreign barbarians to their knees and Elliot was forced to hand over 20,000 chests of opium. Lin zexu destroyed the illicit substance riding his nation of its filth. Elliot made a terrible error when he told the opium merchants the British government would compensate them for the confiscated contraband. This would all lead to Captain Henry Smith of the Volage firing the first shot of the First Opium War. Britain was in a financial bind, they needed their tea fix and China was closing off trade to them. How was Britain going to compensate the opium merchants and open up China to keep the tea flowing? That is when Thomas Macaulay made the suggestion to Lord Palmerston, a rather out of the box idea. Why not make China pay for it all. This episode is the First Opium War Part 1 Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on the history of asia and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Lin Zexu's attempt to send a letter to Queen Victoria proved to be a failure, no one cared. But back in China Lin Zexu's war against Opium earned him a promotion. He went from high commissioner to taking Deng Tingzhen's title as Governor-General. This seems to have bolstered Lin Zexu's resolve to deal with the foreign barbarians as he wrote at the time “Only by knowing their strengths and their weaknesses can we find the right to restrain them”. Lin Zexu shared his countrymens contempt for the foreigners, but he knew he had to learn more about this enemy in order to defeat them. Lin Zexu was a scholar and had a practical mindset for how to go about the task. Lin Zexu began by buying the British warship Cambridge for use to the Chinese navy and anchored it around the mouth of the Canton River. The only problem was that Elliot made sure to order all of Cambridge's cannons removed before it was sold and the Chinese sailors were unable to properly sail the vessel, thus it was literally towed to the canton river. By spring of 1840, there were only a few small limited battles between the Chinese junks and some British vessels still attempting to smuggle opium into canton. Elliot decided the first course of action was to map the Yangtze river so he could provide good intelligence to the incoming British force. He sent a ship from Jardine Matheson & Co called the Hellas, unbeknownst to Elliot, Matheson told its captain Frederick Jauncey to try and sell opium while they navigated the Yangtze to hedge his profits. The Hellas ran into trouble on May 22nd of 1840 when Captain Jauncey ran into what he originally thought were just a few Chinese merchant ships, but were in fact 8 war junks. They opened fire on Hellas and attempted to ram and board her, but Hellas was able to keep the fire fight at a distance until some strong wind picked up allowing Hellas to make an escape. Captain Jauncey earned a broken jaw and almost lost an eye during the battle and a few of his crew were hurt, but there were no fatalities. By the end of May the Hellas limped back to Macao for some medical treatment. On June the 8th, a Chinese fleet of fireships loaded to the brim with gunpowder were sent into the British ships anchored at Capsingmum some 45 miles east of Macao. Many of the British vessels fled for their lives, but the warships, Volage, Druid and Hyacinth rushed forward to stop the fireship attack. They used grappling hooks to tie up the fireships from a distance and towed them away from the rest of the British flotilla thus saving them all. The next day, the long awaited British force Palmerston promised finally arrived in Chinese waters. There was a scarcity of sailors hindering what could be amassed for hte China expeditionary force, due to the ongoing wars and other operations against the French in the mediterranean sea and the forces of Mohammed Ali in Egypt. By the end of June 17 men of war had assembled including 3 line of battle ships, the Wellesley, Melville and Blenheim. The East India Company also lent a hand providing 4 armed merchantmen steamers, the Enterprize, Madagascar, Atalanta and Queen. Following behind the force was 27 troopships carrying the 18th Royal Irish, the 49th Bengal Volunteers, the 26th Cameronians,a corps of Bengal engineers, and another corps of Madras sappers and miners. On its way to catch up to this force was British most devastating weapon, a brand new ocean-going Iron warship, the first of its kind named Nemesis. She was launched in 1839 and deployed to China as her first operation. She was powered by 2 60 horsepower Forrester engines and armed with 2 pivot mounted 32 pounders and 6 6pounder guns. She had watertight bulkhead, the first to be used for a warship at the time enabling her to survive a lot of hull damage. It goes without saying this one warship will have a daunting part to play in this story and the Chinese would nickname her “devil ship”. The British armada did not just bring military assistance, it also was secretly carrying more opium, because of course why not. Over 10 thousand chests were snuck away aboard the ships ready to flood the Chinese market. The large British naval presence would allow the smugglers to offload their opium at Lintin during broad daylight with impunity. The armada gathered itself at Singapore to devise a strategy going forward. There in Singapore, the marines practiced amphibious assaults while Chinese war junks in the distance observed from a distance. By June 1 of 1840 enough warships had gathered at Singapore to launch the invasion of the Qing dynasty. So on June 16 the first ship, a steamer named Madagascar entered the Gulf of Canton followed a bit later by a large part of the armada. Aboard the Wellesley, captain Elliot met with the commander of the expeditionary force, Commodore Sir J. J Gordon Bremer and they discussed strategy. Jardine had made a proposal, to commit some warships to blockade the entire eastern and southern coasts of China and seize the island of Chusan. Jardine argued they should also blockade the mouth of the Bei He River which flowed into the Yangtze, the waterway for food and other shipments directly to Beijing. Chusan island was a critical depot for the Qing, more than a quarter million ton of grain pass through it to go to Beijing to feed the capital. Depriving the capital of a major food source and revenue would bring the Chinese to a peace settlement and thus a British victory. The British Admiralty's Sir John Barrow thought Jardine's proposal was too much, threatening the Qing capital would just result in the Chinese digging in deeper to defend themselves and not bring them to the peace table. Barrow argued they should focus around the gulf of canton, shell the city and seize Hong Kong. Charles Elliot argued a middle ground: take Canton then sail up the Bei He river to threaten Beijing. Elliot also argued they could instead attack Shanghai because attacking such a prominent city would make the Qing lose face and intimidate them. Another man who had just arrived was Elliot's cousin, Admiral Sir George Elliot who had been given co-plenipotentiary powers. He brought with him a peace treaty with orders to make the Qing government agree to every article of it and to continue the way until it was done. Sir George Elliot arrived in the later part of 1840 and ordered a blockade of the Gulf of Canton using 5 warships while he and the rest of the armada sailed north. The British merchants were disappointed, they expected a direct assault upon Canton, they had hoped to open the city back up for trade. Both Elliot's got aboard the Wellesley as the armada made its approach towards Chusan. George Elliot also had with him a letter from Palmerston to inform the emperor Britain intended to blockade and seize various Chinese ports as a response to the Qing siege of the Canton factories. Palmerston also cheekily added that if the Emperor wanted to stop the opium trade he should probably convince his people to stop smoking opium. At the end of the letter Palmerston added that to avoid “unpleasantness” the Emperor was invited to send a delegation to a shipboard meeting with the two Elliots who most likely would park their warships at the mouth of the Bei He River. The Elliots gave the letter to a Captain named Thomas Bourchier whom went ashore with a white flag at Namoy just 300 miles north of Canton. As Thomas entered the harbor some Qing officials came aboard. Thomas explained to them that the armada meant to bombard the city if they did not respect the white flag. As he explained this to them, along the coast a ton of Chinese began to form a crowd near his boat so he sailed off. With his ship a few hundreds yards away from the shore he waited to see what the Chinese would do. Then Thomas noticed cannons being mounted on a nearby fort. Thomas sent his translator named Robert Thom on a small raft with a large placard repeating what retaliation the Chinese could expect if they fired upon his ship. Thom also began to shout the orders at the crowd along the beach, but they simply screamed insults in return. Then some of the people on the beach began to swim out towards Thom's boat and some arrows and gunshots were fired at him. Suddenly one of the cannons from the fort fired and some nearby chinese junks joined them all aiming for poor Thom. Thom dashed back to Captain Thomas and reported to him what had happened. Captain Thomas responded by sending another letter explaining that the British government had no quarrel with the Chinese people, only their emperor. He sent the letter with a courier in another small raft and as it approached the shore the mob rose up yet again and soon gunfire was going off. It is alleged after this Captain Thomas literally threw a message in a bottle before sailing off towards Canton. By July 1st the armada anchored in the harbor of Dinghai on Chusan Island. Dinghai held around 40,000 inhabitants within a 5 sided 22 feet high wall city. It held many towers and was surrounded on all 4 sides by a canal. The city had 16 hundred defenders, but in reality they were all just some fishermen, sailors and quickly raised up militiamen armed with spears, bows and some matchlocks. There were also 12 chinese war junks that had followed the British armada keeping a safe distance. The British noticed one of the Chinese war junks had a banner indicated a high Qing official was aboard and they signaled they wanted to talk. The Chinese war junks invited a British delegation aboard their flagship. Commodore Bremer went aboard with his interpreter and met with the Qing commander of the Chusan garrison. Bremer did not mash words he was quite blunt demanding the “surrender Chusan or face the consequences”. The Qing host was not intimidated however and sent the British back to their boats. When the British were back aboard their vessels, instead of blasting the chinese war junks, well they simply invited the Chinese aboard the Wellesley to wine and dine them. In the 1997 movie “the opium war” this scene is quite well done, I highly recommend watching it. So the Qing officials dined and one Qing officer even analyzed some of the 74 guns aboard Wellesley. That officer was quoted to say “it is very true you are strong and I am weak. Still I must fight”. After dinner, Commodore Bremer demanded their surrender again and gave them 24 hours to comply. The Chinese in the meantime ran ashore and began to stuff a ton of sandbags with rice and other things to strengthen the defenses around Dinghai's walls. The 24 hours passed and Bremer brought the Wellesley closer to the shore, but he had to wait for some more reinforcements to arrive to launch an amphibious assault. By 2pm on July 5th, 6 British warships arrived to the scene and Bremer fired a single cannon targeting a tower on a small fort. The Qing fired a single cannon in response, which led Bremer to start shooting volley's every 10 minutes. As the maelstrom was going on, Lt Colonel George Burrell led the 18th Brigade in an amphibious landing. Suddenly the Chinese stop firing just as the 18th brigade landed ashore. The British took the situation by storm and began bombarding the Chinese war junks to pieces and Dingshai's fort towers. Lord Jocelyn, a military secretary said of the scene. “The Crashing of timber, falling houses and groans of men resounded from the shore. Even after the bombardment ceased, a few shots were still heard from the unscathed junks. We landed on a deserted beach, a few dead bodies, bows and arrows; broken spears and guns remaining the sole occupants of the field”. The 18th brigade found no resistance on the beach. The Qing defenders had fled almost as soon as the first cannons had gone off. A Qing commander on scene, Brigadier Zhang had refused to give up the fight, but had both his legs blown off by cannonade and had to be whisked away on a litter. The local magistrate and some of his subordinates watched in horror as the defenders departed and they all committed suicide. A detachment of the 18th brigade set up 8 9 pounder artillery pieces and some howitzers on a hill which had a vantage point overlooking the city of Dinghai. They then began to shell the now defenseless inhabitants forcing countless to flee for their lives. The British reported not a single casualty during the volley exchange nor the beach assault. Lord Jocelyn described the planting of the Union Jack by the Joss house in Dinghai “the first European banner that has floated as conqueror over the flowery land”. The city of Dinghai was a mile from the shoreline and Colonel Burell slowly marched his men to its formidable walls as artillery rained hell upon them. The residents of Dinghai responded with their own artillery forcing Colonel Burrell to hold back his men from a distance and wait it out until the next day to assault the city. During that lull the British soldiers found some samshu in a local fishing village and proceeded to get drunk as hell and looted the fishing village during the night. An Indian soldier said of the incident “A more complete pillage could not be conceived. The plunder ceased only when there was nothing to take or destroy”. The artillery was going on throughout the night and at around midnight of British 9 pounders hit a gunpowder deposit inside Dinghai turning the city into an inferno. The next morning the British saw most of the defenders were fleeing and sent a detachment of 12 men to approach the south wall to prod it. There was no resistance so the men began to climb the rice bag defenses that had been piled almost 2 stories high in front of the wall. Within minutes they were over the top and could see the city that once held 40,000 people was all but deserted. Lord Jocelyn said of the city “The main street was nearly deserted, except here and there, where the frightened people were performing the kow-tow as we passed. On most of the houses was placarded "Spare our lives;" and on entering the jos-houses were seen men, women, and children, on their knees, burning incense to the gods; and although protection was promised [to] them, their dread appeared in no matter relieved.” The British reported that perhaps 2000 Chinese died, which is complete nonsense, the Chinese state something like 25 died so the actual number is somewhere in between, quite a large range I know. The British themselves might have lost up to 19 men. They found a ton of antiquated weapons and armor as they looted the city such as padded cotton jackets which displayed the disparity between the 2 forces. Robert Thom who witnesses the looting said “No one has been killed in cold blood that I am aware of, and only one or two cases of rape occurred perpetrated it is said by the sepoys”. By the way a lot of the primary sources for this war will lay blame on the Indian soldiers for misconduct and take it was a grain of salt. I am not saying it did not happen, it most certainly did, but the idea that the British redcoats were not taking part in such ventures seems dubious. By Jul 11th, Jardine and Matheson reached Chusan and found out Admiral Elliot was forbidding their opium ships from landing on the island. Yet they pressed their team of smugglers to persist and against Elliots wishes unloaded opium. Chusan would become a storehouse for opium and by November of 1840 43 opium smuggling ships were using Chusan as an offloading point. 12,000 chests of opium would be brought to Chusan by the end of the year. Chusan island would also bring quite a lot of misery to the British. Colonel Burrell refused to allow his troops to occupy the abandoned city of Dinghai fearing repercussions from the Chinese and instead kept his men in a particularly malaria infested paddy field. With the scorching heat and an order that all men keep their top buttons on their uniforms fastened almost 500 men would die to malaria and dysentery. A lot of variables were at work, bad provisions, too much Samshu, stagnant water and the most evil culprit, malaria invested mosquitos took a heavy toll on the British. By October, only 2036 out of 3650 troops would be fit for duty. By december more than 5000 men were admitted to hospitals and 448 deaths would occur. If anyone knows the story of Japan's invasion of Taiwan in the 19th century, it really reminds me of that ordeal. Taking an island by force and with incredible ease, only to fall victim to brutal mother nature. On july 27th, Elliot had gathered many warships at Dinghai and felt he had enough firepower to proceed 500 miles north to Beijing. A week after Dinghai fell, Beijing got the word. However this is where a large problem would emerge for the Qing dynasty. The Emperor was given word through Qing officials, and if the news was bad, the officials would fear enraging the Emperor and more often than naught falsify what they told him. In this case the officials downplayed the severity of the incursion. They told him of alleged weaknesses of the foreign invaders. The governor of Jiangsu Province lying at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Yukien told the Emperor “take our fort at Woosung. From the bottom upward there is the stone base, then the clay base, and finally the fort itself. It is even elevation far above the level of the barbarian ships. If they shoot upward, their bullet will go down and consequently lose force. Moreover the barbarians are stiff and their legs straight. The latter, further bound with cloth, can scarcely stretch at will. Once fallen down, they cannot again stand up. It is fatal to fighting on land”. Yukien would also make remarks about how the barbarians lacked bows and arrows. While this might come off as humorous, I bring it up for important reasons. The Emperor will continuously be given these sort of reports, downplaying of events such as battles, made up stories about victories over the British and much more. The Emperor will be reacting accordingly based on the information he is given and this will be quite the crux of the entire war. The British armada approached the mouth of the Bei He River in a course of 10 days and was only 75 miles southwest of Beijing. However at the mouth of the Bei He River lied one of the Qing dynasty's most formidable defenses, known as the Dagu forts. 2 Dagu forts guarded the mouth, though to Elliot they looked pretty decrepit and deserted. Elliot was still trying to find a Qing official who would take Palmerstons letter to the Emperor and at the mouth he saw several Chinese war junks. Elliot sent a man with the letter to the war junks and the commander of the warships replied that he would send the letter to a higher ranking Qing official who was only a short distance away. Thus Elliot waited to see what would occur and it turned out the Qing official was Qishan, the governor of Chihli province. Qishan sent word to Elliot that his letter was sent directly to the Emperor, but that Elliot would need to wait for a reply. On May 13 of 1840, one of Qishans subordinates came aboard the Wellesley providing the British with food and water and this was followed up for several days with more gifts. Then Elliot was told the Emperor had officially received the letter, but it would be regretfully another 10 days or so for the Qing court to discuss with the Emperor the letters contents. Do not forget, the story I spoke of about the malaria and dysentery outbreak on Chusan was raging by this point and thus Elliot decided it best to scatter the armada in search of cleaner water because the Chusan wells seemed to be the culprit at the time. Some of the ships went hundreds of miles away in search of water and as this all occurred, 10 days had come and gone. When all of the armada regrouped with their fresh water reserves, Elliot decided they needed to speed up the Qing courts process. Elliot ordered the warships Madagascar and Modeste to begin firing at some forts on Chusans outskirts, but before the shelling could begin a messenger from Qishan suddenly appeared. Elliot was invited to meet with Qishan in 3 days time. The meeting would be on july 30th and the location was a fort in southern Chusan. Qishan brought gifts and food with him for the British and had a flotilla built up so the British would not have to walk in mud to the fort. Elliot, Qishan and Jocelyn had a large dinner and then they discussed the Palmerston letter for over 6 hours. Qishan during the meeting made a mention of the precedent set by the Macartney and Amherst missions, that of the tributary system. Elliot insisted both men were not tributaries, but ambassadors holding equal status to the Emperor. Qishan could feel the tension in the room and changed the subject, he pointed out that the occupation of Chusan island was unacceptable for the Emperor. Elliot understood and said the British occupation was temporary, they were merely using it as a base of operations. Then the largest looming subject emerged, Opium. Qishan demanded a promise from Queen Victoria that Britain would stop exporting opium to China. Similar to Lin Zexu, the Qing had a difficult time understanding the representatives of authority for other nations and assumed Queen Victoria held a similar position to their Emperor. Elliot said plainly that he did not have the authority to grant such a concession and then made the remark “if the Chinese wanted the opium trade to end, they should stop using it”. Elliot also made a remark that most of the Opium was coming from other sources outside British influence, but he had little evidence to support this. Qishan swallowed this resentfully but did not quibble over it. Instead Qishan moved to the subject of reparations as Palmerston had demanded compensation for the 20,000 seized opium chests and for war reparations for Britain who was invading China! Qishan flat out called these demands ludicrous, when he said this, Elliot began to write something on Palmerstons letter and when Qishan asked him what he was writing Elliot replied “I am writing what is your opinion on the matter, because many of the Emperor other officials might have differing ones”. Qishan then began to explain to Elliot that Lin Zexu had fallen out of favor with the Qing court and that Qishan agreed with the British that Lin Zexu had mistreated them and employed unnecessary violence. Qishan made a remark that the Emperor was most likely going to fire Lin Zexu and punish him. It seems Qishan was hinting to Elliot that he might be replacing Lin Zexu as his successor and with it plenipotentiary powers. So you get the idea here, Qishan is basically hinting while nothing can be done right now, perhaps when he is in charge he will help the British out. Qishan also kept stating that the British should go to Canton, as it was the center of foreign trade and a much more logical and practical place for them to go to further negotiations. But both Elliot and Qishan knew why he was stating this repeatedly, he wanted the British to get as far away from the Emperor as possible. George Elliot informed Charles Elliot that he felt the armada was quite vulnerable sitting in Bei He Bay and urged him to end the negotiations and leave. Likewise upon hearing the news that Lin Zexu was going to be dismissed soon, Charles Elliot agreed and they too the armada and sailed away. This rather abrupt partie however gave the Chinese the impression the barbarians were done with the war all together. As you can imagine many Qing officials began telling Beijing this. As you can also imagine the British departure was only temporary. By September of 1840 the British armada re-emerged at the mouth of the Bei He River. The Elliots had order the armada to up the pressure on the Qing and Charles Elliot had written a note to Palmerston at this time “It is notorious that the Daoguang Emperor entertains the utmost dread of our enterprising spirit”. What he meant by this, was by sending periodic naval patrols he was trying to scare the shit out of Beijing. Back over in Canton, despite the incredible efforts of Lin Zexu, the opium trade was still rearing its ugly head. Since Jardine & Matheson were now able to shove their contraband on Chusan island it began to flood right back into the Canton market. By the fall of 1840 6500 chests had gotten through the Canton trade from Jardine & Matheson Co alone. Many hundreds of others were flooding in from the other independent smugglers and despite the severity of punishment for using the substance, there was still an enormous demand. The Elliots of course banned the trade of opium on Chusan, but they were not morons, they knew it was simply going to Canton in the end. Of course they were allowing the trade to go on, they were after all quite broke. The Elliots had no other way of raising money to continue the war effort other than relying on the sale of opium. Both Elliots understood the fiscal dependency they had on the opium smugglers and the prohibition of its sale on the island of Chusan was merely symbolic, a way of keeping face, so typically british. Thus vessels were allowed to offload opium near Chusan with zero interference from the British armada, which in turn was patrolling the waters thus protecting the opium dealers in the end. The hope in the end was by symbolically banning the substance at Chusan, perhaps this would alleviate the Emperor while simultaneously allowing the condonation of revenue for the war effort by allowing its trade to ports like Canton. Over in Beijing, Emperor Daoguang hesitated over Lin Zexu, he was not yet comfortable dismissing him. This embolden Lin Zexu, whom began to crack down even more so on the Chinese opium consumers. Lin Zexu put out an edict limiting the amount of time opium addicts had to wean themselves off the drug “while the period is not yet closed, you are living victims. When it shall have expired, then you will be dead victims”. Yet despite his efforts Lin Zexu could do little against the opium vessels which were being protected by the British armada making patrols in the Gulf of Canton, Amoy, Chusan and the Mouths of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Then to the horror of the Chinese the British began seizing Chinese ships along the coast and taking their cargo to sell and finance the war effort. Imagine how cash strapped a nation has to be to start performing this sort of looting. Between June and July of 1840 the British armada had seized 7 large trading vessels plundering their cargo. In retaliation the Chinese raised a price for the heads of any British military personnel at 100$ for a soldier taken alive, 20$ for a corpse, $5000 for a British captain and for a British ship 10,000$, cha ching. Things got out of hand quite quickly, Chinese desperate to make some coin turned to attacking European and American civilians such a missionaries. Gangs of Chinese would hunt them down beating them nearly to death. On August the 5th, Vincent Stanton a tutor of a British merchants children alongside a missionary named David Abeel made the terrible decision to go swimming in Macao' bay. Stanton was kidnapped and brought to Canton. Until this point Macao was seen as the last safe spot in China for foreigners, but the kidnapping of Stanton broke that. Adding to everyone's fears, 8 Chinese war junks docked at Macao sending the Portuguese colony into a frenzy. It turns out Stanton's kidnapping was masterminded by Lin Zexu, it was psychological warfare. He was not able to go after the British warships, but he was able to target anyone on land. The Governor general of Macao, Pinto pleaded with Lin Zexu to return the man, but it came to nothing. The British felt they had lost face, Stanton was one of theirs and they had even tried allowing the Portuguese aid the situation to no avail. 2 weeks after Stantons kidnapping the British had had enough. 4 British warships from the Armada were sent to Macaos Casilha Bay alongside 400 soldiers. The British warships opened fire upon the Chinese war junks whom returned fire. However the Chinese war junks cannons were old and obsolete, they could not match the range the British were firing from. The Chinese crews began to panic when their return fire was literally only matching half the distance of the British and soon jumped ship. Meanwhile the british warships simply continued to rain hell upon the war junks. As noted by British officer “The [Chinese] junks, which were aground in the inner harbour, were utterly useless, for none of their guns could be brought to bear, though several of the thirty-two pound shots of the ships found their way over the bank, much to the consternation of the occupants of the junks." The Chinese crews tried to establish a defense on the coast, but the British soldiers overwhelmed them with musket fire. The Chinese war junks still intact made a break for it, as the rest of the Chinese fled into the fortifications. The British warships battered the walls of Macaos fortifications until their batteries stopped returning fire and the British and Indian soldiers soon scaled the walls. By 5pm the Chinese routed inside the Macao fortifications as the British set fire to multiple barracks. In the end the Chinese suffered upto 60 dead with 120 wounded and the British reported only 4 wounded, but take the number with a grain of salt. In Beijing Qing officials told Emperor Daoguang there had been a major victory at Macao and that many British were dead and multiple British warships laid at the bottom of Casilha Bay. These Qing officials were court officials who were received false reports from the military at Macao. Its sort of like the game broken telephone, where every link embellishes the story to make it more and more positive. All the Chinese soldiers began to abandon Macao and no more Chinese War junks came to its harbor. In the eyes of the Portuguese and British they had saved Macao, in the eyes of poor Stanton…well he was imprisoned in Canton. The Stanton kidnapping distressed the foreign community in China, but there was another incident that scared the shit out of them. A french missionary named Father Jean Gabriel Perboyre was illegally operating in Hubei Province and got captured in September of 1839. He was tortured and interrogated for over a year and on September 11th of 1840 he was executed publicly at Wuchang. The priest was killed by strangulation, but the Qing authorities decided to place his body on a cross after his death. This set a panic into the foreign community as others were likewise captured and killed and the British on Chusan island were falling victim to malaria, dysentery and starvation, because all the food on Chusan had dried up. They began to eat moldy rice from Chusans stockpiles and bread made from worm ridden flour stuck aboard their ships for quite a long time. It is alleged that the pickled beets and pork on the British warships was so rancid even the iron-stomachs of the British couldn't tolerate it. The drinking water likewise was a source of disease, contaminated by the local sewers. The interpreter Thom wrote a letter to Matheson stating “even the natives hold their noses because of the waters smell. Unless we can manage to get the canal and town cleared out, I fear that we shall be getting some contagious distemper among us. The climate moreover is moist and mosquitoes swarm in amazing numbers. Let no man come here without mosquito curtains else he will bitterly repent of it”. The British did not realize the mosquitoes were the culprit of their malaria nightmare as the belief at the time for europeans was that malaria came from rotten vegetables. The dysentry killed more people than the malaria however, coming from the horrid food and water situation. 12 soldiers died in August, the next month 24, while 250 were hospitalized and by mid september a third of the force was too sick to fight. Being a specialist in the Pacific War I do have to say what amazing parallels this will play out for the Japanese and Americans in the island hoping warfare. Not fun to battle the elements, malaria and a terrible provision situation. Then there was horrible incident when a commercial ship called the Kite ran aground on a sandbank on september 15th. The Captain named John Nobles lost his 5 month year old baby, and he, his wife and 26 crew members clinging to the boats wreckage until a Chinese war junk captured them. All of them were put in chains and imprisoned at Ningbo. They were placed in wooden cage, the wife of John Nobles stated “mine was scarcely a yard high, a little more than three quarters of a yard long, and a little more than half a yard broad. The door opened from the top. Into these we were lifted, the chain around our necks being locked to the cover. THey put a long piece of bamboo through the middle, a man took either end, and in this manner we were jolted from city to city to suffer the insults of the rabble, the cries from whom were awful”. Some of captured crew were beat to death, 3 men died of dysentery and those who were Indian amongst them were treated extra harshly. One of the English prisoners believed the Chinese treated the Indians worse, because they ate their rice with their fingers which angered them. When Charles Elliot heard the news of the captives from the Kite he was mortified, particularly because one of the prisoners was a woman! He went to Ningbo aboard the Atalanta to negotiation their release and was immediately told, all the prisoners could go if the British gave back Chusan. The British did not say no, but did nothing to indicate they would hand over Chusan, so the Chinese began to threaten to kill the prisoners. This prompted the Charles Elliot to demand a meeting with Qishan at Chinhai only 10 miles away from the prison at Ningbo. Elliot stated to Qishan if the prisoners were not handed over he would end the peace talks outright. Qishan played some hard ball demanding Chusan returned, but eventually a compromise was made. Elliot agreed to stop British ships from seizing Chinese vessels and blockading the ports and in return the Chinese would still hold the prisoners, but they would improve their living conditions. To show good faith, Qishan released poor old Stanton from his prison in Canton and handed him over to Elliot. The situation did not satisfy the British, but while they danced around with diplomacy, more and more troops from India were being brought to Chusan and the most fearsome weapon Britain had at its disposal had just arrived, the Nemesis. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Lin Zexu's efforts against opium were not going well enough and was losing favor with Emperor Daoguang, the British were winning battles and taking territory. How will the Qing Dynasty rid themselves of the invaders? Join us next time to find out.

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Now it's all about compromise in France's National Assembly

The Sound Kitchen

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2022 37:46

This week on The Sound Kitchen you'll hear the answer to the question about the opposition political party that joined Macron's party to pass spending legislation. There's the Bonus Question, the “Listeners Corner” with Michael Fitzpatrick, and “Music from Erwan”. All that, and the new quiz question, too. Just click on the “Audio” arrow above and enjoy! Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll hear the winner's names announced and the week's quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you've grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week. Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all! Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts! In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more. There's Paris Perspective, Africa Calling, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series - an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too. As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent staff of journalists. You never know what we'll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website and click on the three horizontal bars on the top right, choose “Listen to RFI / Podcasts”, and you've got ‘em ! You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward's University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that's how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it's a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald's free books, click here. Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload! And don't forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven't yet asked to join the group, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”). There's a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don't like to do! This week's quiz: On 6 August, I asked you a question about an article written by RFI English journalist Michael Fitzpatrick, about Macron's loss of an overall majority in France's National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. This means his party's proposed laws will have a much harder time passing than in his last presidential term when he had the absolute majority. Compromise, coalitions – all that's now necessary, and we've been watching closely how this new political landscape will play out. As Michael wrote in his article “After angry debate, French parliament agrees spending power budget changes”, you'll read exactly how that is going … as Michael put it: “After four days of frequently violent verbal clashes, the French National Assembly on Wednesday morning finally passed the budgetary adjustments needed to finance measures aimed at boosting spending power.” I asked you to send me the answer to this question: How many deputies from the right-leaning French political party “Les Républicans” joined with members from Macron's party “Renaissance” to pass the adjustments to the 2022 budget? The answer is, as Michael wrote: “The presidential faction and its allies profited from the support of the 54 deputies of the Republican right, which is anxious to position itself as a ‘constructive opposition.” In addition to the quiz question, there was the Bonus Question: “When are you at your best?” The winners are: Khondaker Rafiqul Islam, who's the president of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and is also the winner of this week's Bonus Question. The other winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Mogire Machuki from Kissi, Kenya; Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusene, Denmark; Ding Lu from Jiangsu Province in China, and RFI English listener Sultana Begum from Sirajganj, Bangladesh. Congratulations winners! Here's the music you heard on this week's program: “April in Paris” by Vernon Duke and Yip Harburg, performed by Count Basie and the Mills Brothers; “September” by Al McKay, Maurice White, and Allee Willis, performed by Earth, Wind & Fire; “L'Indifference” by Tony Murena, performed by Murena and the Café Accordion Orchestra; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children's Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Dancing on the Tables” written by Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and performed by the Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Quartet. Do you have a musical request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr This week's question ... you have to listen to the show to participate. After you've listened to the show, refer to our article “French director receives two awards for debut film at Venice festival” to help you with the answer. You have until 10 October to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 15 October podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number. Send your answers to: english.service@rfi.fr or Susan Owensby RFI – The Sound Kitchen 80, rue Camille Desmoulins 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux France or By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country's international access code, or “ + ”, then 33 6 31 12 96 82. Don't forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number. To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here. To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or to form your own official RFI Club, click here.

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Fall of High-Level Party Official Who Faked Economic Data Triggers Concern Over China's Economy

The Epoch Times, US China Watch

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2022 4:08

China's top disciplinary watchdog announced on May 31 that it has removed a former top official in eastern Jiangsu Province from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the regime’s public office. Zhang Jinghua, former deputy CCP chief of Jiangsu, was accused of “faking economic figures for personal promotion and meddling in market activities in violation […]

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Apple Supplier Suspends Production At Two China Factories

Business Drive

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2022 1:02

A subsidiary of Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group has closed two factories outside of Shanghai after new COVID-19 cases were reported on site. The factories operated by Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited, also known as FIT, are located in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, a small city situated between Shanghai and the historic Suzhou. FIT's website says that it supplies components for companies that specialise in wireless and Internet of things products, including its own brands Linksys, Belkin, Wemo and Phyn. The South China Morning Post reported that operations have been suspended at two factories in Kunshan since last Wednesday and employees have been confined to their dorms.

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China's Largest Industrial City Suzhou Forced Into COVID-19 Lockdown

The Epoch Times, US China Watch

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2022 4:07

Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province announced on April 16 that it will implement closed-off management to curb the latest COVID-19 outbreak.

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Chinese TV Producer Disappeared After Accusing Authorities of Covering Up Facts About ‘Chained Woman'

The Epoch Times, US China Watch

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 3:53

A Chinese TV producer and director disappeared after revealing the identity of the “chained woman” in mainland China and later accusing local authorities of covering up the truth on Chinese social media. https://ept.ms/35rGQ1J China, ‘Chained Woman', Li Ying, abducted, human traffickers, Jiangsu Province, a Chinese TV producer and director, disappeared, accusing local authorities, cover up the truth, Chinese social media, true identity, threatened by police, crime, rule of man,

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This Week of Weird - Livestream Proves Apartment Not Haunted

Werewolf Radar

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2021 12:42

Paranormal Comedy Podcast Werewolf Radar brings you the paranormal news you demand every Friday. This Week of Weird we got a story about a Streamer being hired to prove a Chinese apartment is not haunted. Get ready, this week was weird. This Week of Weird: A man was hired to Livestream his 24-hour stay in an apartment where a recent suicide had happened to quiet potential buyers' fears of a haunting. The Beijing Youth Daily reported on Nov. 10, the Wuzhong People's Court of the Jiangsu Province thought up a unique strategy to convince would-be apartment buyers the property was not haunted by its recently deceased owner. Werewolf Radar is a Paranormal Preparedness (and Comedy) podcast. Give it a listen. It'll change your life, it changed Bigfoots. -------------------------------- If you laughed, loved, or lived because of this episode, consider becoming a Patron and supporting the team! You'll get access to exclusive content and other, mysterious rewards, so check it out for more info. Thanks to Chuck Coffey for our snappy little theme song, and, as always: Punch the sky, Spaceman Joe! Werewolf Radar Patreon Discord

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Changing Capitals and Canal Course: Xi'an and Luoyang

The Context

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2021 16:45

Six out of the top 10 most attractive tourist sites during the 5-day Labor Day holiday in China were historical sites. Three are in Beijing - the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan, or Old Summer Palace. The other three are the Longmen Grottoes in the ancient city of Luoyang in central China, the Ming Dynasty city wall in Xi'an in China's northwest and the Humble Administrator's Garden, or Zhuozhengyuan in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, in China's east. Beijing, Luoyang and Xi'an have something in common – they are all famous for their long history as dynastic capitals. If we add up the length of time Chinese cities served as a capital to different dynasties, Luoyang comes out top, followed by Xi'an and Beijing. Luoyang and Xi'an lost their glory as capitals more than 1,000 years ago. How did Luoyang and Xi'an rise to dominate as choices for dynastic capitals? And what prompted their decline? Changes in environment, especially water resources, is a major reason.

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Trump's SOTU: Full of Missteps, Misquotes and Bad Data!

The Critical Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2020 58:08

It's Friday, so that means it's panel time.On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump "made a theatrical prime-time appeal for the success of his divisive and turbulent stewardship after three years, projecting confidence that a strong economy and a reset of US standing in the world has put the nation on the right path despite the historic impeachment that has marred his term," The Washington Post reported. So, we started with Republican's chanting “four more years” and Trump's refusal to shake House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hand, and we closed with Pelosi ripping up her copy of the address after Trump finished delivering it. Such partisanship in American politics. Who would have thunk it?"After 'Epic Nightmare' in Iowa, Democratic App Built by Secretive Firm Shadow Inc. Comes Under Scrutiny," read a Tuesday headline in Common Dreams. The article elaborates: "The app, according to several news reports, was developed by the secretive for-profit tech firm Shadow Inc., which has ties to and receives funding from ACRONYM, a Democratic digital non-profit organization. Shadow's CEO is Gerard Niemira, who worked on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign." What's going on here? "An Airbus A320 jet carrying 172 passengers was nearly shot down on its approach to the Syrian capital, Damascus, shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday after Syria fired antiaircraft missiles in response to an alleged Israeli attack," The Washington Post reported Friday.There's a very interesting story in The Intercept, entitled "The FBI's China Obsession: The US Government Secretly Spied on Chinese American Scientists, Upending Lives and Paving the Way for Decades of Discrimination." In it, Mara Hvistendahl opens the story in 1973, talking about Harry Sheng, a mechanical engineer for Sparton Corporation, a defense contractor in Jackson, Michigan. "Sheng was among thousands of ethnic Chinese scientists then living in the United States, the early pioneers in what would become a sizable swath of the American research force," Hvistendahl wrote. He was a native of Jiangsu Province and a naturalized US citizen. He went home to see his sick mother, but after he and his wife returned from their 1973 visit to China, "the US government's scrutiny intensified." What happened next will leave you shocked.We've got all these stories and more!GUESTS:Caleb Maupin — Journalist and political analyst who focuses his coverage on US foreign policy and the global system of monopoly capitalism and imperialism. Mara Hvistendahl - An American writer whose book "Unnatural Selection" was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. Dr. Gerald Horne — Professor of history at the University of Houston and author of many books, including "Blows Against the Empire: US Imperialism in Crisis." Dr. Jack Rasmus — Professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression."

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The Caixin-Sinica Business Brief, episode 52

The Caixin-Sinica Business Brief

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2018 16:54

Welcome to the 52nd installment of the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief, a weekly podcast that brings you the most important business stories of the week from China's top source for business and financial news. Produced by Kaiser Kuo of our Sinica Podcast, it features a business news roundup, plus conversations with Caixin reporters and editors. This week: We find out about an additional 25 percent duty imposed by the Trump administration on about $50 billion of Chinese imports that contain “industrially significant technologies.” We note that China's economic growth showed signs of losing steam in May as fixed-asset investment, industrial output, and retail sales all trailed analysts' estimates. We explore China's decision to pull money from provincial-level pension funds to create a national pool to address growing pension deficits in poorer regions. We discover that a Chinese menswear company faked a collaboration with well-known New York streetwear brand Supreme. We learn that the U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on a 13-year-old antitrust dispute involving several Chinese vitamin C makers and exporters. We hear the news that Xiang Junbo 项俊波, the former chairman of China's insurance regulator, pleaded guilty at his corruption trial in Jiangsu Province. We discuss Didi Chuxing's introduction of a “same-sex rides” policy after a woman was killed using the ride-hailing service. We analyze a new survey that shows that an increasing proportion of China's brightest overseas talent is being lured back home. In addition, we talk with Jing Xuan Teng, reporter at Caixin Global, about high-speed rail and Hong Kong. We also chat with Doug Young, managing editor of Caixin Global, about the evolving story on ZTE, the Chinese telecom equipment manufacturing company that's gotten into hot water with the U.S. and had a near-death experience. We'd love to hear your feedback on this product. Please send any comments and suggestions to sinica@supchina.com.

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Ricki's Promise and Baby Come Home

A Family in China

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2018 53:25

Ricki Mudd shares her story of meeting her birth parents and brother in China and Iris Leung introduces a volunteer service in China assisting parents looking for missing children. Ricki describes her amazing experiences in China and living with her birth family for six weeks, a story told in detail in the well-known documentary film Ricki's Promise. We discuss matters of cultural understanding and misunderstanding and the impact of the One Child Policy on her brother, and Ricki considers questions like who should make a decision to initiate a birth parent search, the adoptee or the adoptive parents, and when and how might that decision be made. Iris Leung introduces Baobeihuijia, a volunteer service in China assisting parents looking for missing children. She explains how an adoptee seeking birth parents might use the service and shares some examples of appeals from birth parents from the site: http://www.baobeihuijia.com The missing children she mentions in this episode are 118795 (F) Luo Nan Nan, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, DOB: 02/03/97; 45675 (M) name unknown, Yuechi county, Sichuan Province, DOB: 08/03/11; and 197427 (F) Yin Yan, ShaoYang, Hunan Province, DOB: 12/13/01.

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The Caixin-Sinica Business Brief, episode 10

The Caixin-Sinica Business Brief

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2017 33:09

Welcome to the 10th installment of the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief, a weekly podcast that brings you the most important business stories of the week from China's top source for business and financial news. Produced by Kaiser Kuo of our Sinica Podcast, it includes a business news roundup, conversations with Caixin reporters and editors, and a selection of complete stories from the news, read by Kaiser and Sinica rotating co-host Ada Shen. This week, we hear how the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank approved its first equity investment, for infrastructure development in India. We examine the news that China has approved imports of new varieties of genetically modified corn and soybeans, and that global toy-maker Mattel will embark on a new joint venture to create play clubs in China with private equity giant Fosun Group. We give an update on the kindergarten bombing in eastern Jiangsu Province. We also talk to Caixin Global editor Doug Young about a massive overhaul planned for Shanghai's landmark department store, and chat with Caixin reporter Li Rongde 李荣德 about the brain drain of China's rust belt in the northeast. In addition, we bring you five complete stories: How a poorly done Chinese remake of a popular Japanese television drama has drawn fire from audiences in China. How social fitness apps and a growing middle class has sparked interest in running in China, prompting many cities to hold marathons. The ongoing crackdown against celebrity gossip on the wildly popular app Weixin, otherwise known as WeChat. China's crayfish craze and how farming the “little lobsters,” as they're called in Chinese, has become a massive and growing industry. How Chinese netizens are angry that the ubiquitous Xinhua Dictionary is now charging for word lookups on its smartphone app. We'd love to hear your feedback on this product. Please send any comments and suggestions to sinica@supchina.com.

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【专题】慢速英语（美音）2017-03-27

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2017 25:00

2017-03-27 Special EnglishThis is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.A Long March-7 carrier rocket has arrived at a launch center in south China in preparation for the launch of China&`&s first cargo spacecraft in April.After around a week of ocean and rail transport, the carrier rocket arrived in Hainan Province. It will undergo assembly and testing prior to the April launch of China&`&s first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1.The Tianzhou-1 is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab three times and conduct propellant refueling in orbit. It will also conduct other space experiments before getting back to earth. Tiangong-2 will remain in orbit and continue its experiments.The Long March-7 is a medium-sized carrier rocket that can carry up to 14 tonnes of cargo to low-Earth orbit. It is able to carry cargo spacecraft and man-made satellites. It made its maiden flight in June last year.The launch of Tianzhou-1 will complete the second phase of China&`&s manned space program. It is a crucial step for China in building a space station by 2020. This is Special English.China and the United States have the greatest potential to lead advances in disruptive technology. That&`&s according to a recent report by an international accounting firm KPMG.The annual report is called "The Changing Landscape of Disruptive Technologies". It is based on a survey of over 800 global technology leaders including start-up entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 executives.This year&`&s poll reflected a slight uptick for China. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they believe China can be a leader in disruptive technology, compared with 23 percent last year.Those endorsing the United States declined slightly from 29 percent a year ago to 26 percent now.China continues to make rapid gains as it moves from a reliance on manufacturing to an innovation powerhouse.Through the use of disruptive technology, including cloud computing and the Internet of Things, Chinese companies are jumping on the new business opportunities.Visionary entrepreneurial leaders including Jack Ma of Alibaba are known and greatly respected globally.Shanghai was identified as the top leading technology innovation hub in addition to Silicon Valley over the next four years, followed by New York, Tokyo and Beijing. The city&`&s ranking was based on its strong regional position in financial markets and numerous hi-tech parks. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. China&`&s top health authority has urged tightened supervision over the clinical use of antibiotic drugs to contain drug-resistance strains.A warning has been issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China&`&s health watchdog.The commission said health departments and medical institutions at all levels should reinforce supervision on antibiotic use and carry out inspections at least twice a year.It encouraged medical institutions to join the efforts to monitor the clinical use of antibiotic drugs and drug-resistant strains to improve the early warning mechanism.Abuse of antibiotics can give rise to new strains of hardy bacteria that can live and even thrive despite the use of the medication.At present, drug-resistant infections have become a major challenge to global public health, causing the death of 700,000 people and 230,000 newborns worldwide every year.In August last year, the commission issued a national action plan to tighten supervision over antibiotic production, sale and use. This is Special English.China&`&s first big data research center for children&`&s health was founded in central China&`&s Hubei Province in a bid to improve children&`&s medical care system.The center was set up by Wuhan University and a Beijing-based pediatric technology firm. It aims to develop a more complete medical care system for children in disease prevention, diagnosis and personalized treatment.The center has collected information on more than 200,000 children in 70 hospitals across seven provinces. The collection will expand to 300 hospitals by the end of this year, and 1,000 by 2020.The research center said it will develop into a national cloud platform for children&`&s health information, offering standards on personalized medical care and clinical treatment.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.The forest coverage of Beijing has more than tripled from 13 percent to 42 percent since China launched a national tree-planting campaign three decades ago.The proportion of green land in urban Beijing increased from 20 percent in 1980 to 48 percent last year.A total of 200 million saplings have been planted since the campaign began in the early 1980s.Last year, the city planted trees on 13,000 hectares of land. This year, the city will plant one million more trees.The tree-planting campaign has led to fewer barren mountains, and authorities have encouraged residents to register to take care of the trees.In 1979, China designated March 12 as National Tree Planting Day.This is Special English.Ceremonies have been held to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the death of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Sun was a renowned statesman who led the revolution that ended imperial rule in China in 1911.Representatives from all walks of life attended a ceremony in a park named after him in Beijing.Officials and residents of east China&`&s Jiangsu Province marked the day at Sun&`&s mausoleum in Nanjing, the province&`&s capital city, honoring his achievements and role in the revolution.Sun was born in 1866 and is known to the Chinese people as a "great revolutionary and statesman" for his leading role during the 1911 Revolution, which ended more than 2,000 years of feudal rule in China.Sun died in Beijing in 1925. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.China will publish the Analects of Confucius in foreign languages this year. The book is a collection of ideas and sayings from the Chinese philosopher.The China Confucius Foundation and a publishing group in east China&`&s Shandong Province will jointly complete the translation and publication of the collection. The five foreign languages are Arabic, Mongolian, Czech, Portuguese and Spanish.The translations will be distributed to the countries through the foundation and global Confucius institutes.The thoughts of Confucius constitute the root of Chinese traditional culture and have profoundly influenced Chinese society over the past 2,500 years.Confucius was born in Shandong in 551. He founded a school of thought that influenced later generations and became known as Confucianism. He is believed to be the first person to set up private schools in China and enroll students including the poor.The Analects is a collection of his famous sayings, reflecting his political views, moral principles and educational ideas. Among his classic sayings are "How happy we are to have friends from afar" and "Do not do to others what you don&`&t want to be done to you".The Analects has already been translated into English, Japanese, Russian, Korean, French and German.This is Special English.Two special exhibitions are underway at the National Gallery Singapore to showcase the evolution of Chinese ink painting and its impact on Singapore art history.The exhibition is entitled "Rediscovering Treasures". It is the first comprehensive survey by a national museum to focus on collections from Xiu Hai Lou, one of the most important ink collections in Singapore.The exhibition offers important insights into how art collecting and patronage developed in Singapore during the early 20th century. It provides visitors with the chance to see rare masterpieces by prominent artists in China.Chen Chong Swee was one of the first artists in Singapore to use Chinese ink painting techniques to depict local landscapes. The exhibition "Strokes of Life: The Art of Chen Chong Swee" is a major retrospective survey of Chen&`&s artistic career spanning six decades, and it focuses on his key contributions to artistic developments in Singapore from the 1950s to the 1980s.Many of the masterpieces are rarely seen in public.The exhibitions will run till the end of this year. The National Gallery Singapore will organize a series of complementary programs to encourage greater appreciation of ink art, including lectures by respected academics and practitioners, and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. A survey shows that Hong Kong&`&s customer service industry is in need of young talents. It also notes that only around a third of local young job seekers consider working in the industry as full-time.The survey was conducted by the Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence. It interviewed 1,300 local customers, customer service employers and graduate job seekers in December last year.Only 32 percent of the young job seekers considered working in customer service industry as full-time. The long working hours and high pressure are the key problems of their concern.At the same time, 74 percent of customer service employees shared the same perception.Given the tight supply of young joiners in the market, employers must put considerable resources on recruiting and retaining job talents, including offering competitive salary and providing better career path and a happier workplace.Helping young people understand the positive sides of the customer service industry and focusing on work-life balance are also two effective ways to attract more talents.The survey also showed that 80 percent of local customers have experienced good customer service in the past 12 months, and the data has been at a high level since 2013.This is Special English.Local authorities in Southwest China&`&s Guizhou province began a search for possible siblings of a girl who was abandoned around 10 years ago and was later adopted by a Canadian couple.If they succeed, the girl will have a good chance of curing her disease through a bone-marrow transplant.The girl, named Hosanna, was left alone on the doorsteps of a county police station in 2007. When they failed to find her parents, the police sent her to a local welfare house.Greg and Cathy Crowell, a couple who already had four children, adopted her later that month, knowing that she had a disease. They called her &`&Hosanna&`&, which is Hebrew for "savior".Hosanna suffers from a severe hereditary blood disorder resulting from the poor ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen.Following doctors&`& advice, Hosanna spent her life receiving blood transfusions every two to three weeks, as well as daily injections to remove excessive iron from the transfusions.Hosanna can survive with blood transfusions, but she will need them for her entire life.In the past decade, Hosanna, who will celebrate her 11th birthday this spring, has been living in Alberta, Canada, with the couple. They have returned to the welfare house during that time, but have had no luck in finding her biological parents.Doctors in China and Canada have told the couple that the only way to cure Hosanna is through a bone-marrow transplant, which requires a match that is most likely to be found in siblings.The couple recently posted an open letter online, announcing a search for relatives of the girl. They offered to cover the cost of the blood tests to find a match.The letter caught the attention of the authorities in the county where Hosanna was originally found. The authorities have pledged to assist the couple in their search.While there have been no leads so far, the couple said they remain hopeful.（全文见周六微信。）

united states new york canada english earth china french canadian doctors chinese german japanese russian spanish local revolution fortune sun tokyo hong kong silicon valley singapore abuse apple podcast korean twenty hebrew beijing shanghai portuguese chen visionary arabic officials internet of things czech alibaba kpmg hosanna strokes ceremonies changing landscape mongolian confucius jack ma nanjing confucianism national health disruptive technologies long march shandong tiangong sun yat guizhou analects southwest china wuhan university hubei province shandong province ryan price special english jiangsu province hainan province

Tips on Surviving Chinese New Year

The Fifth Floor

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2017 39:58

How to survive Chinese New Year It's Chinese New Year, with millions on the move to be with their families. But some young Chinese say they're fed up with what awaits them when they finally get home - a grilling about their personal lives. Yashan Zhao from BBC Hong Kong explains why Chinese New Year can be such a mixed experience. The secret of a long life? Devote yourself to art. Everyone wants to know the secret of a happy and healthy old age. It seems that in Nepal, it helps to be an artist. The BBC's Sewa Bhattarai has interviewed several artists in their 90s, still active and creative - like Nepal's 98-year-old national poet Madhav Prasad Ghimire. The unexpected president The latest hit tv comedy series in Ukraine is about an ordinary guy who against all expectations suddenly finds himself president of his country, elected on a brief to clean out political elites. Servant of the People has got everybody talking, as we hear from Anastasiya Gribanova of BBC Ukraine. Sahrawi refugees BBC Arabic reporter Sally Nabil has had rare access to the 'forgotten refugees' from the disputed territory of Western Sahara who have lived in Algerian refugee camps for 40 years. She spent a week in a camp and heard from inhabitants about the harshness of their lives and their lack of hope about a resolution. Driving Tests Three men were recently jailed in England for taking money from learner drivers to impersonate them and pass their tests on their behalf. That led us to seek driving test stories from other countries. Which tests are fiendishly difficult, and which are worryingly easy? And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web. Image: Chinese lion dance in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province of China to welcome the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year. Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

new year china england chinese ukraine bbc surviving servant nepal chinese new year getty images devote algerian western sahara jiangsu province

【专题】慢速英语（英音）2016-12-19

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2016 25:00

This is Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news.China will appoint local government heads as river chiefs across the country to clean up and protect its water resources.Guidelines published by the Chinese central authorities say the river chiefs will be responsible for the management and protection of the watercourses, much as mayors and county heads are responsible for their beats.The central government expects to turn such practices into a nationwide mechanism by the end of 2018.China firstly appointed local government officials as river chiefs in 2007 to address pollution woes of a blue algae outbreak in Taihu Lake in eastern China.The practice was later adopted in several regions rich in water resources to ensure strong enforcement of environmental policies and enhance coordination.Provincial governors will be general chiefs that are responsible for all rivers and lakes in the region, while officials at various levels will be appointed as chiefs of particular rivers and lakes.For large rivers and lakes that span across more than one administrative region, river chiefs will be responsible for different parts of the water bodies and cooperate on management.The responsibilities of the river chiefs will include water resource protection, pollution prevention and control, and ecological restoration. Their job performance will be assessed and they will be held accountable if environmental damage occurs in the water bodies they take charge of.This is Special English.The Ministry of Education says the country will further open-up its educational sector to the world and raise its cultural exchange sector to a national strategic level.Efforts will be exerted to serve both overseas students in China and Chinese students studying abroad. It will support schools jointly-run by China and other countries.China planned to send 29,000 government-sponsored students this year as part of an initiative to train talent with global vision.Around 520,000 Chinese people studied abroad in 2015, making China the world's top source of international students. Meanwhile, China is the world's third largest study destination, following the United States and the United Kingdom. Almost 400,000 foreign students studied in China last year.Sino-foreign cooperative education has progressed rapidly in China in recent years. China has established more than 2,400 cooperative programs with 700 overseas universities. The country has signed agreements on the mutual recognition of academic degrees and diplomas with 44 countries and regions.China has begun national-level educational cooperation with countries including the United States, Russia, the U.K, and France. China plans to raise such exchanges to a national strategic level in the future. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.A freight train loaded with meat from Germany has arrived in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.The train took 13 days to travel 12,000 kilometers from Nuremberg, Germany, to Chengdu, and was loaded with 22 tonnes of German pork. All the meat products will be put on the Chinese market after passing quarantine inspection.The train saves 45 days of transport time compared with shipping by sea, and saves costs of 10,000 yuan, roughly 1,500 U.S. dollars, per ton when compared with air freight.The China-Europe freight train marks the opening of the railway channel for China to import meat products from Europe.The train's terminal, an international railway depot in Chengdu, is the first meat import inland depot in western China.This is Special English.China has implanted artificial cochleae free of charge for more than 20,000 impoverished, severely hearing impaired children since 2009.China's health authority told the Xinhua News Agency that the work is part of a special program launched in 2009, with a total investment of 2 billion yuan, roughly 330 million U.S. dollars. The National Health and Family Planning Commission said at a meeting organized by the World Health Organization that China sets great store in the health of people's hearing, making significant efforts in the area.The commission said the health authority will strengthen its efforts in this regard, especially in the prevention of birth defects and newborn screening, as well as improving the capabilities of rural health institutions. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.Scientists have announced that a fossilized-feathered dinosaur tail has been discovered in a piece of amber, complete with bones and feathers.Researchers believe that the tail belongs to a tiny dinosaur that lived around 99 million years ago during the mid-Cretaceous period.A paper on the findings, co-authored by Chinese paleontologist Xing Lida, Canadian scientist Ryan C. McKellar and others, has been published in the journal "Current Biology".This is the first time dinosaur material has been found fossilized in amber.The specimen has been named "Eva".The tail is six centimeters long, by which scientists estimate that the dinosaur was 18 centimeters long. The feathers on the tail appear to be brown on the top and pale white on the underside.Xing said the specimen has been so well preserved that they believe it is very close to what it would have looked like when the dinosaur was alive.The amber was found in Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. Philip J. Currie, from the Academy of Science under the Royal Society of Canada, said he had never expected to see such a well preserved dinosaur specimen.Scientists cannot confirm if Eva was a juvenile or adult based on its bones. There were no obvious signs of a violent struggle leading to the animal being encased by the sap upon death. The cause of death cannot be confirmed either.This is Special English.Chinese scientists say they found a new way to effectively inhibit a person's fearful memories arising from traumatic events including domestic violence and war.Animal testing found that fear can be effectively removed by transplanting a special kind of nerve cell into the brains of an adult mouse. The study was led by Yu Yongchun, a researcher at Fudan University in Shanghai.The findings are expected to shine new light on the treatment of severe mental conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The study results have been published online by Neuron, an influential journal in the field of neuroscience. The research is expected to help explore new strategies for treating PTSD, which is caused by indelible and traumatic memories including traffic accidents, hairy spiders, a nasty breakup or military combat. Patients with PTSD often exhibit anxiety, depression, chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, drug abuse, and alcohol addiction.Statistics show that around 80 percent of adults have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lifetimes, while 5 to 10 percent have experienced severe psychological trauma that can be diagnosed as PTSD. So far, the treatment of PTSD involves a combination of psychology and medication. However, mental symptoms often return after the treatment is stopped. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That's mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.A new book on the Nanjing massacre in World War Two has been released in China's eastern city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province.The book is called "Human Memory: the Solid Evidence of the Nanjing Massacre". It consists of around 200 documents and images from China, Japan and other countries which participated in the post-war trials.Editor-in-chief of the book, Zhang Xianwen from Nanjing University said that only when a nation keeps its memory intact can it learn lessons and be inspired.A research institute on the Nanjing Massacre and world peace was established by Nanjing University and other bodies in March. It selected the documents from archives and libraries in China, the United States, Germany, Britain and Japan.The provincial government has granted peace medals to descendants of six foreigners, including John Rabe from Germany, who helped save civilians during the massacre.Japanese troops occupied Nanjing on December 13, 1937, and began a six-week massacre. Records show that more than 300,000 people, including disarmed soldiers and civilians, were killed.Since 2014, China has marked December 13 as National Memorial Day. This is Special English.China has vowed to strengthen the management of online streaming, prohibiting unlawful and obscene content.The country's media watchdog says authorities will crack down on activities that use live streaming to break the law or undermine people's interests. In 2016, the authority handled more than 100 cases suspected of violating laws and regulations. The cases included online dramas, films and other audio-visual products. A regulation on live streaming has been in effect since December 1. It requires presenters to register with their real names and service providers to censor content and blacklist users who break the rules, prohibiting them from registering again. It also bans the use of live streams to undermine national security, destabilize society, or infringe upon others' rights and interests.Online streaming has grown rapidly in China in recent years, generating huge business opportunities while bringing challenges to regulators. By the end of June, the number of streaming service users reached 500 million, accounting for 70 percent of China's Internet population. Reports show that watching video online has become the primary form of entertainment in China, followed by gaming and reading literature online.You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.A survey has found that female employees in China are more loyal to their employers and have higher brand satisfaction than their male counterparts. The survey, entitled China Best Employers 2016, is based on feedback from more than 4 million respondents, around 53 percent of whom were women. The results were jointly published by Peking University's Institute of Social Science Survey and Zhaopin.com, a Chinese human resources website.The report found that 38 percent of the female respondents have never changed their jobs, 11 percent higher than male respondents. Twenty percent of the females have been in their current job for more than five years, while for males, it was half that number, 10 percent. The survey also found that female employees care more about soft aspects of the workplace, including a positive and comfortable work environment, while at the same time, they desire equal pay for equal work. While female employees attach great importance to learning vocational skills as their career develops, the survey found that male employees care more about promotions. Women with work experience of less than one year are the most eager to improve their skills. The survey found that 56 percent of such women think improving their skills is the most important aspect of their career over the next three years. This is Special English.China has more than 20,000 civilian drones, or unmanned aircraft vehicles, and half of them are operating without a license. Officials suggest that an electric fence could be built in order to supervise and contain unlicensed drones.They suggest that a new technology called U-Cloud would also be useful. The U-Cloud is similar to the black boxes in planes and can be used to supervise the data of civilian drones in real time.Experts say that by registering drones and implementing effective technology, it will be possible to track the drones and the owners down....

united states women canada europe china science education internet france japan online germany canadian russia chinese german japanese ministry united kingdom institute ptsd academy world war ii patients britain animal effort records scientists apple podcast twenty researchers reports beijing statistics shanghai guidelines world health organization myanmar sino officials royal society nuremberg provincial xing chengdu neuron nanjing national health peking university cretaceous current biology fudan university nanjing university sichuan province human memory china europe nanjing massacre mark griffiths xinhua news agency special english jiangsu province

【专题】慢速英语（英音）2016-09-26

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2016 25:00

This is Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news. Renowned Chinese developer of hybrid rice, Yuan Longping, has expressed his confidence that a hybrid rice yield target projected for 2018 will be met this year. Yuan said several demonstration plots had showed potential to produce 16 tonnes of rice per hectare. Yuan made the remarks at a symposium marking the 20th anniversary of China's hybrid rice development. Known as China's "father of hybrid rice", Yuan started theoretical research 50 years ago and kept setting new records in the average yields of hybrid rice plots. China's Ministry of Agriculture officially launched its hybrid rice breeding program in 1996. Four years later, the first-phase target of 10 tonnes per hectare was achieved by Yuan's research team. The fourth-phase target of 15 tonnes per ha was hit in 2014. Currently, farmland under hybrid rice in China has risen to 13 million hectares while that overseas totals more than 5 million hectares. Around 65 percent of the Chinese population depends on rice as a staple food. This is Special English. Tiangong-2, China's first space lab in a real sense, was successfully launched into space on Sept 15. A brain-computer interaction test system installed in the lab will conduct a series of experiments in space. The research team of the system said brain-computer interaction will eventually be the highest form of human-machine communication. China will conduct the first ever space brain-machine interaction experiments, ahead even of developed countries. The brain-computer interaction test system in Tiangong-2 boasts 64 national patents. The research team has long been devoted to the research of brain-computer interactions. It previously developed two idiodynamic artificial neuron robotic systems that can help with the rehabilitation of stroke patients. The brain-computer interaction technology will also help Tiangong-2 astronauts to more easily accomplish their assigned tasks. For example, brain-computer interaction can transfer the astronauts' thoughts into operations, while at the same time monitoring their neurological function. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. China will challenge the UK's position as second in the world for international study by 2020. That's according to the latest report led by Student.com, the accommodation provider for international students. The report said a record breaking 397,000 international students went to China in 2015 and China has been the third most popular destination for overseas students ahead of Canada, Germany and France. The report added that although there has been a slowdown in numbers since 2014, the number of foreign students in China has been growing on average 10 percent year-on-year since 2006. The report forecasts that at current growth rates, China will overtake the UK to be the second most popular destination for international students, following the United States which is at number one. The Independent newspaper from the UK also quoted experts confirming that the number of international students studying in China has risen so rapidly; and China will overtake the UK as the second most popular academic destination in the world. The newspaper noted that the trend is thought to be partly due to a drive by the Chinese government, as well as increasingly higher education standards and scholarship programs for degree-seeking students. Professor David Goodman leads the China Studies program at the University of Liverpool. He said international students benefit from the exposure to China and its culture, not least because of its growing economy and jobs market. This is Special English. As the country passed the revised edition of China's Wild Animal Protection Law which bans random releasing of captive animals into the wild, a similar incident has drawn people's attention lately causing controversy. The Beijing News reports that a Tibetan woman in southwest China's Sichuan Province released 6,000 goats onto a prairie after she saved them from slaughter houses. It cost her 5 million yuan, roughly 760,000 U.S. dollars, of donated money. The incident immediately drew great attention after it was exposed on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. There have been a number of reports recently in China in which captive animals were released randomly into the wild by animal activists or by those following a Buddhist ritual known as "fangsheng" or "releasing life". The religious ritual demonstrates spiritual compassion and piety by releasing captive animals back into nature. However, experts say an ecosystem has a very delicate balance which could be jeopardized easily by changing the number of certain species or introducing a new species to the area. China's revised Wild Animal Protection Law is to take effect starting from the year 2017, with added special items to regulate the release of captive animals into the wild. This is Special English. After enjoying the fresh service of a new bike-lending initiative Mobike, many users have begun to complain about its flaws. A Beijing-based newspaper, the Beijing Daily, reports that the major problem is that Mobike's distinctive orange-rimmed bicycles are too heavy and can be challenging for female users. Others include inaccurate GPS positioning, long unlocking time, and unadjustable bike seats. Mobike started in Shanghai in April and expanded to Beijing on Sept. 1st. To take a ride, a user scans the QR code on the bike, unlocks the smart lock and starts a timer. The standard cost is one yuan, roughly 10 U.S. cents, per 30 minutes, along with a 300 yuan security deposit. Users can pay with popular mobile payment methods including Alipay and WeChat. To encourage proper use and parking, Mobike includes a credit system that will increase the fee to 100 yuan per 30 minutes for users with low scores. Mobike uses a station-free concept for easier use, in comparison with Beijing's public bike rental service, which has a more complicated registration process and requires bikes to be returned to stations. Experts say Mobike is a good supplement to the public bike rental service. Mobike now has only 3,000 bikes in the city, but the company said it is increasing the number by hundreds every day. It has more than 10,000 bikes in Shanghai, allowing most riders to find a bike anywhere within a radius of 300 meters. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That's mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues. Beijing consumers forked out billions during the Moon Festival holiday, which ran from September 15 to 17. Retail sales of 60 major commercial companies in the foodstuffs, dining and tourism sectors exceeded 2 billion yuan, roughly 300 million U.S. dollars. The figure represents an increase of more than 6 percent year on year. According to the Beijing municipal commission of commerce, mooncakes, the seasonal delicacy for the festival, were in less lavish packaging and came in more creative flavors this year. Daoxiangcun, a Beijing bakery chain, sold more than 27 million mooncakes by Saturday, the last day of the holiday. The company said mooncakes that are made from 3D printing machines sell particularly well. Popular restaurants in Beijing were heavily booked during the three-day holiday. The turnover of several catering enterprises posted 10 percent growth from last year. The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years to mark the autumn harvest. It is also an occasion for family gatherings, featuring lanterns, solving riddles and eating mooncakes. This is Special English. More than 70 percent of Chinese people believe children and adolescents should have annual physical checkups at professional hospitals, rather than at school health centers. That's according to a Chinese Medical Doctor Association survey. The survey also shows that almost 70 percent of people believe the checkups organized for students should include psychological consultation. The survey was based on feedback from 42,000 people in different professions from across China, including white collar workers, medical professionals, government employees, students and migrant rural laborers. Almost 32,000 of those surveyed said children and adolescents should have checkups at professional hospitals, compared to more than 8,000 saying they should have checkups at school. The rest said they didn't care. According to health and education regulations, students in China must have physical checkups before they are admitted to a school at a higher level; and all students should have a regular checkup every year when at school. Schools should organize students to have checkups. A doctor at Beijing Children's Hospital said that in recent years, the number of children suffering diseases including hypertension and obesity increased, and in many cases they were diagnosed at professional hospitals rather than at school health centers. Experts say the regulations were made decades ago and should be updated to suit the new situation. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. A high-speed railway linking Zhengzhou in central China's Henan Province with Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu Province has opened. The 360-km line connects high-speed railways in the west with two major north-south lines, helping cut travel times between the west and the east. The travel time between Xi'an and Shanghai has been cut to six hours from almost 11 hours. The line has nine stations, and trains run at a speed of up to 300 km per hour in the initial period. Construction of the line started in 2012, and test operations started in April this year. With the operation of the new line, China's high-speed railway network has exceeded 20,000 km in total length, the world's longest. This is Special English. Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province, is witnessing a boom in interest after the Group of 20 Summit ended on Sept 5 as visitors throng to popular spots. The park where the G20 evening gala was held has become one of the most popular attractions in the city. A musical show by a team led by film director Zhang Yimou is staged with the majestic West Lake as its background. It's based on Zhang's "Impression of the West Lake", an astonishing performance that takes place right on the surface of the water, combining music, dance, and light effects all against a natural backdrop. After the G20 ended, the park was packed with locals and tourists who were eager to see the conference location and the show in person. Liu Ying is a tourist from Guizhou Province. She said she has seen the videos of the show many times; but only when she came to feel the vibe in real time was she truly impressed. Many new souvenir sets has become available on the market after the evening gala, echoing its theme of a memorable Hangzhou. The package includes a silk clutch of a size which can hold an iPad, a fan and a fan case, as well as silk handkerchiefs. This is Special English. （全文见周六微信。）

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【专题】慢速英语（美音）2016-05-31

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2016 25:00

This is Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news. The world's first satellite that can achieve quantum communication between space and the Earth will be launched in July. The satellite is dedicated to quantum science experiments, and will serve as evidence that China is leading the world to achieve satellite-earth quantum communication. Experts say there are many bottlenecks in the information security sector and information in the transmission networks are exposed to risks of being monitored and attacked by hackers. As the basic unit of matter to carry energy, the quantum is inseparable and cannot be copied. The no-cloning theory of quantum mechanics is a breakthrough that ensures data encoded into photons is secure on the networks, and cannot be captured or copied during transmission. The 2,000-kilometer-long quantum communication network between Beijing and Shanghai will be fully operational in the latter half of this year. Government agencies and banks in cities along the route can use it first. President Xi Jinping visited the control center of the Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication network in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, in April. In 2012, Chinese scientists built the world's first metropolitan area quantum network to allow real-time voice communications, text messages and file transfers. This is Special English. A Chinese scientist has discovered a genome-editing technique that has the potential to help bald men regain their hair. With this technique, middle-aged men with bald heads can probably regain their hair through genetic repair. The scientist, 42-year-old Han Chun-yu, is an associate professor from Hebei University of Science and Technology in north China's Hebei province. The technique is a DNA-guided genome editing, which is an unusual finding in comparison with the mainstream RNA-guided genome editing. In addition to discussions about the finding at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, the new discovery has received attention all across the world after being published in Nature Biotechnology in May. Experts say the finding's potential is expected to surpass the technology which is recognized as a favorite for the upcoming Nobel Prize. The new finding is believed to have many advantages compared with the current trendiest technology, and one of them is that it does not cause cancer. The new discovery broke the patent monopoly of foreign genome editing techniques. Genome editing has been selected as one of the 10 ground-breaking techniques in 2016 by MIT Technology Review. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. The use of antibiotics in Chinese hospitals has dropped by 40 percent since the top health authority began to curb their overuse. A medical expert from Peking University says the Chinese government recognized the consequences of antibiotics overuse, and took measures to tackle the problem starting in 2012. The measures include strict control over public access to antibiotics, overhauling the overuse by hospitals, and monitoring antibiotic resistance. A recent global review by the UK's Lord Jim O'Neill estimates that by 2050, antibiotic resistance can result in 1 million premature deaths annually in China. And China could suffer an enormous loss of GDP because of that. Antibiotic resistance occurs when a microbe evolves to become more or fully resistant to the anti-microbial that previously was able to treat it. China consumes around half of the world's antibiotics, among which, 48 percent are used by people, and the rest by the agricultural sector. Weak regulation on the use of antibiotics in agriculture further encourages overuse. Excessive antibiotic residue can be passed on to humans through meat consumption, increasing the possibility of antibiotic resistance in humans. Worldwide, anti-microbial drugs are becoming less effective. The world is not developing enough new ones to keep up. This is Special English. An increasing number of women from the Chinese mainland have traveled to Hong Kong to get vaccinated against HPV, a major cause of cervical cancer. Jessica Cai from Jiangsu Province has traveled to Hong Kong three times in the past six months to get inoculated, as the vaccine is not available on the mainland. The 27-year-old says the medical service in Hong Kong is safe and well-developed, adding that her confidence in the city's hospitals is another reason she goes there for treatment. Ong Yeu-theng, a gynecologist at a women's clinic in the Central district of Hong Kong, says she has noticed a rise in mainland clients seeking HPV vaccines in recent years. She says awareness of this largely sexually transmitted disease has spread through word-of-mouth and that her clients have referred friends and relatives to her clinic for vaccinations. A course of HPV inoculations at a private clinic costs around 4,500 Hong Kong dollars, roughly 580 U.S. dollars. That's according to the Cancer Fund, the largest cancer support organization in Hong Kong. Cervical cancer was the seventh most common cancer among women in Hong Kong in 2013. The incidence on the mainland is on the rise, with around 100,000 new cases found last year. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. A new document has laid out measures to cope with China's national pediatrician shortage. The document was jointly issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Ministry of Education. It proposes 1 pediatrician for every 1,500 children by the end of 2020. There are currently 118,000 pediatricians in China, which is one for every 2,000 children. The level is much lower than that of major developed countries. The number of pediatric hospitals is also relatively small. China had a total of almost 26,000 hospitals at the end of 2014, and only around 100 of them were dedicated to children. A recent survey reveals that almost 70 percent of parents have difficulty getting their child an appointment with a pediatrician. The document is calling for a change, including retraining 5,000 general practitioners annually, as well as recruiting 30,000 resident pediatricians by 2020. This is Special English. China's Asian neighbors are becoming increasingly popular among young people in China who chose to study overseas. Some Asian countries, including Singapore and Japan, have joined traditional higher education destinations, including the United States and Britain, to become new powerhouses, attracting more Chinese youth planning to study overseas. That is according to a White Paper on Chinese studying abroad released by Vision Overseas, a company under New Oriental Education and Technology Group that provides services for overseas studies. The survey questioned almost 3,000 Chinese students planning to study overseas. It found that fewer students than before were willing to study in the US, the UK, Australia and Canada when compared with the figures last year. The proportion of those showing an interest in countries including Singapore and Japan is rising. Vision Overseas says the reason why Singapore and Japan have become more popular with Chinese students is that the two countries have strengthened quality of education and booming tourism industries. The education systems in the two countries are quite open and well developed. In addition, many universities in the two countries are rated high in the latest world university rankings. Experts say the rise of Asian countries is just a start. The Chinese students' choices of countries for overseas study will continue to diversify. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That's mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues. Environmental NGOs are suing three chemical plants in a high-profile case of alleged soil contamination that may have affected students at a school in eastern China. The Changzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu Province has confirmed that a public interest lawsuit has been filed with the court. The lawsuit has been brought up by NGO groups Friends of Nature, China Biodiversity Conservation, and the Green Development Foundation. In April, blood samples taken from the students at Changzhou Foreign Language School reportedly showed abnormal readings. The event happened after the students moved into the school's new campus built at the site of the three chemical plants. The NGOs alleged that the factories have polluted the environment; and asked the court to order the factories to remove the pollutants from the site and pay environmental restoration fees. This is Special English. China is set to scrap a 26-year ban on the sale of puffer fish on the Chinese mainland. The poisonous yet tasty delicacy was ordered off the menu by health authorities in 1990, while public health authorities have twice sent notices reminding restaurants of the rules in recent years. However, members of the China Fisheries Association and related departments met recently to discuss the possibility of allowing certified companies to sell puffer fish products. It is not known when the ban may be lifted. The move will be welcome news to the food industry, even though the ban has largely been ignored in many areas of the country. In Shanghai and Jiangsu Province, fish companies have continued to sell the fish to restaurants. The restaurants then offer the fish discreetly to their customers. Chef Sa Long from Jiangsu Province specializes in preparing and cooking puffer fish. He says his restaurant has never stopped offering the fish due to the huge demand. The chef says the puffer fish provided by fish farms are much less poisonous than wild ones. But it still needs to be prepared by well-trained chefs due to the fact that the toxin in the species can kill humans easily. He also added the restaurants he worked with have never had any poisoned dinners. Around 30,000 to 50,000 metric tons of puffer fish are sold in China each year, with the output value reaching 10 billion yuan, roughly 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Around 200,000 people are involved in China's puffer fish industry. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. （全文见周日微信。）

【专题】慢速英语（美音版）

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2015 25:00

完整文稿看周日微信第三条，你懂的呦~ This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. Here is the news.China's Ministry of Public Security has unveiled measures to fight online crime.The ministry says Chinese Internet users easily fall victim to cyber-attack, Internet fraud, personal information leakage and other online crimes, which pose a big threat to national security and social stability.The ministry has vowed to increase cooperation with the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to prevent hacking and ensure data security.It will also improve surveillance by cyber police to curb illegal activities.The ministry says it will harshly crack down on pornography, rumors or information about terrorism, guns or drugs. This is NEWS Plus Special English.China will build a comprehensive network to detect pollution of the land, sea and air by 2020, employing satellites, drones and remote sensors to monitor the environment.The national leadership approved the network plan in July, saying the government will lead the monitoring, share information among departments and regions, and be held accountable if violations are found.The Ministry of Environmental Protection says satellites, a major tool for monitoring air pollution, will receive a boost this year. The ministry says it will accelerate research on two atmospheric environmental monitoring satellites and two satellites with higher resolution than those currently available.The ministry will improve a remote sensor network, which is scheduled to be released at the end of this year.Remote monitoring has played a bigger role in locating pollution sources. Drones helped authorities locate polluted areas in the Tengger Desert in northern China and identify scattered summer straw burnings.This is NEWS Plus Special English.The Chinese government's anti-corruption campaign has recovered 38 billion yuan, roughly 6 billion U.S. dollars, in monetary loss since 2012.According to the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Party Central Committee, a large number of corruption cases were investigated and dealt with accordingly during the period.The commission says the handling of the cases led to the recovery of economic loss, and the country is in the process of recovering more money.The commission has also confiscated 20 billion yuan, roughly 3 billion U.S. dollars, in illegal income, and turned it over to the state treasury. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing.A public hospital in Beijing has agreed to allow a state-owned company to franchise their name and open a new hospital.Beijing Anzhen Hospital has signed a cooperative agreement with China Orient Asset Management Corporation to establish a comprehensive hospitalThe franchise means that China Orient Asset Management Corporation will be able to use Anzhen Hospital's name on the new branch, while funding the new hospital.Beijing Anzhen Hospital will ensure the quality of medical services at the new hospital by dispatching doctors and management teams. Orient Asset Management will pay for the service and management provided by the hospital.The move is expected to reduce the government's financial burden.Beijing began welcoming private investment into the public sector in 2013, encouraging social capital in transportation, parking facilities, medical and elderly facilities.Local authorities will supervise the companies who are involved in public sectors and control the risks.This is NEWS Plus Special English.The use of English is expanding in workplaces across China.According to the Chinese recruiting website 51job.com, multinational companies still top the workplaces at which English is needed. Almost 80 percent of employees who work for such companies said they use English on the job.But the recruiter also found growing use of English in unexpected places. More than 47 percent of employees at State-owned enterprises, for example, said they use English at work.Thirty-three-year-old Zhang Meng, an online game analyst who lives in Beijing, said he needs to use more English as his company is expanding its business to the United States and Europe.The online survey, which polled 2,000 workers, also found that more job seekers would like to apply for positions requiring English-language skills at work. This was especially true for those with bachelor's and master's degrees.Nearly 62 percent of respondents said they would like to choose jobs that need English skills. However, language skills do not necessarily guarantee the promotions and high salaries they once did.While more than 84 percent of respondents from first-tier cities said work promotions could be affected by English skills, 51job.com also attributed promotions to location and opportunities.This is NEWS Plus Special English.China has set up a foundation to help the Internet better serve the public and improve global Internet governance cooperation.The semi-official foundation, called China Internet Development Foundation, has been approved by the State Council and will be under the management of Cyberspace Administration of China.President of the foundation, Ma Li says their purpose is to let Internet development benefit all of the 1.3 billion Chinese people.Ma did not disclose how much money the foundation has raised. The foundation will also support the healthy development of China's Internet, safeguard Internet security, cultivate Internet talent and enhance international cooperation in Internet governance. You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. You can access the program by logging onto NEWSPlusRadio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That'smansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.The China Season of the 2015 China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange has been launched in London, revealing a series of events in the coming months.This came after the first half of the UK Culture Season in China has seen a great success.Besides the Chinese version of Richard III that was staged at the Shakespeare's Globe at the end of July, the China Season will feature performances from pianists Lang Lang, and performances from China's leading art groups.China National Peking Opera Company will also bring their shows to British audience in September and November.Moreover, Chinese elements will also be seen in the London Fashion Week and London Design Festival in September.Chinese cultural trade institute and universities from the two countries will hold Creative-Industry and Cultural Trade Forum of China and UK between September and October.Other events in a wide field, including museum professional training, mobile phone photo contest and Chinese films will also be launched in the second half of the year.This is NEWS Plus Special English.Archeologists in northeast China have begun an underwater investigation in the Yellow Sea to learn more about a war ship sunken by the Japanese navy during the first Sino-Japanese War 120 years ago.The investigation was launched in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, where the warship was found during an underwater exploration for port construction last year.Coded "Dandong No. 1", the still intact 50-meter hull is located 10 nautical miles southwest of Dandong Port. The inside of the ship has been badly damaged.Archeologists have concluded the 1,600-tonne vessel is one of the four warships of the Beiyang Fleet, the imperial marine forces of the Qing Dynasty government. Beiyang Fleet was destroyed by the Japanese navy in the "Battle in the Yellow Sea" in 1894.The four ships were China's most modern vessels. They were bigger and better armed than the Japanese fleet, but were slower and lacked ammunition. This is NEWS Plus Special English.China has exported more than 40 classical gardens from Suzhou, home of "China's English gardens", to 30 or more countries and regions.The gardens first went global in 1979 when Chinese horticulturists and architects were commissioned to build the Ming Xuan, or Astor Court, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.Although occupying only an area of some 400 square meters, the Court featured the quintessence of Suzhou gardens from zigzag corridors to carefully-cultivated rock structures and water features.The classical gardens of Suzhou originated from the eastern city in Jiangsu Province, and later became an aesthetic genre of classical Chinese landscape architecture.Shortly after the Ming Xuan debuted, several others appeared. Among the more famous are the Ruisu Garden at the Geneva-based headquarters of the World Trade Organization, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance at the Huntington Library in the U.S., and the Yili Garden in outskirts of Paris.You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing.The only surviving giant panda triplets on-record have celebrated their first birthday.The triplets are fit, each weighing around 30 kilograms.A manager of the park in southern China's Guangzhou, which is home to the cubs, says the three are now starting to become more independent.The triplets are more energetic and no longer stick together. They have begun trying to stand up, and run up and down a lot.The cubs are also starting to lose their baby teeth, meaning they're set to begin eating bamboo shoots and leaves.The birth and survival of the triplets a year ago was unprecedented.There have only been 4 recorded cases of giant pandas having triplets.This is NEWS Plus Special English.More than 10 rare cowfish have been spotted at a section of the Yangtze River.Local fisheries authorities say several fishermen in a township in Yichang City of central China's Hubei Province spotted the fish in the Yangtze River.According to the fishermen, it is very rare to see so many cowfish at the same time and the last time they saw it was more than a decade ago.Cowfish, listed under state second-level protection, live mainly in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Dongting Lake and the Poyang Lake.The total population of the species is only around 1,000. That is the end of this edition of NEWS Plus Special English. To freshen up your memory, I'm going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.That is the end of today's program. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. Hope you can join us every day at CRI NEWS Plus Radio, to learn English and learn about the world.

【拜年】丹麦首相来拜年，快接着~

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2015 0:46

Happy Chinese New Year from Danish diplomatic representations in China As the Year of Sheep approaches, Mr. Friis Arne Petersen, Danish Ambassador to China expresses his wishes to Chinese people:"Let me wish you a very happy new year. Xin Nian Kuai Le!"The Ambassador says, Denmark and China are old friends:"This year we are going to celebrate our 65th anniversary. 65 years is a long history of diplomatic ties of the two countries. Like the People's Republic of China, are only 66 years old. So we are very proud that Denmark together with one or two western European countries was the first western countries to recognize People's Republic of China in 1950."This year the two countries will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership.The Ambassador wishes, it will not only highlight the bilateral relations at an all-time high in all terms, but also offer an opportunities to the Chinese public to know more about Denmark.Through public diplomacy events such as Open Denmark Day held at the Embassy and cycling event Climate Race, Chinese people will be able to experience Denmark and Danish values. With these events, the Danish representations hope to show its obligations and commitment to the world with green solutions and a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.As a highlight in cultural events, the exhibition "Dragons of the Northern Sea" at Suzhou Museum in Jiangsu Province will be launched in late March. And Hans Christian Andersen's paper cutting exhibition will be touring around the country with its eye striking works.The Ambassador also recalled how well Sino-Danish relations are going in the past year of Horse:"It's been a remarkable year. It's really been a year full of surprise and a great accomplishment. We had our Queen, Queen Margrethe II here for a state visit. We did sign a lot of agreements; we have the chance to have good conversations with your President Xi Jinping. We also had our Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt in China last September."

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【专题】慢速英语（美音版）2014-08-26

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2014 25:00

完整文稿请关注周日微信，或登录以下网址： http://english.cri.cn/7146/2014/08/22/2582s841405.htm The battle for wetlands rages in China as farmers eager to boost meager incomes butt heads with government initiatives to preserve biodiversity. China's vast area of wetlands remains under constant threat from human activities. Despite their crucial role preserving water resources and biodiversity, they are often the first casualties of rapidly expanding cities and growing demands for agriculture. In one of the wetlands in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, although the government is increasing efforts to curb the degradation of wetlands, local residents are still attempting to convert them to agricultural lands as incomes remain low in the undeveloped region. Local authorities are under heavy pressure to curb conversion of wetlands for other benefits. China has a total of 54 million hectares of wetlands, making up more than 5 percent of the country's total terrain. In the past decade, almost 9 percent of wetlands have disappeared, converted to farmland or for infrastructure. Sometimes referred to as the "Kidney of the Earth", wetlands play a crucial role in helping preserve and filter water resources while offering sanctuary for migratory birds and many other species. Environmental experts suggest that to better protect the wetlands, China needs to single them out as an independent category to specify regulation in the sector. This is NEWS Plus Special English. China's manned deep-sea submarine, Jiaolong, has returned home in the coastal Jiangsu Province after a 52-day scientific expedition in the northwest Pacific Ocean. This is the first expedition this year for Jiaolong and its carrier vessel. Jiaolong dived 10 times to survey cobalt-rich crusts and life forms inhabiting the bottom of the sea, clocking around 99 hours in total. The submarine collected biological, rock and seawater samples from the Pacific Ocean. The expedition team also tested a remote control underwater vehicle. Some repairs need to be made to Jiaolong before it heads for the southwest Indian Ocean for scientific study in a mission in November. China began to work on its ambitious ocean exploration program 12 years ago. Named after a mythical dragon, Jiaolong reached 7,000 meters underwater in the Pacific's Mariana Trench with a dive in June 2012. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. A key discovery may soon lead to the creation of a limitless supply of life-saving stem cells in laboratories. Australian scientists have uncovered a mechanism essential for forming the stem cells, a very special group of cells in the early embryo that generates all the blood and immune cells in the human body. The team's major discovery was a gene that triggers the production of these stem cells, which treat cancers and other disorders of the blood and immune system. Currently, researchers are unable to find a way of producing this type of stem cells in the laboratory, leaving supplies dependent on matched bone marrow donors. This is NEWS Plus Special English. South Korean President Park Geun-hye has met with Jack Ma, founder and chairman of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, to discuss ways to boost e-commerce cooperation between the two countries. Ma says the meeting mainly focused on strengthening cooperation on e-commerce, films, games and medical industries. They also discussed helping Alibaba's Cainiao logistics, China's largest logistics network, enter South Korea's market. Park says she hopes Alibaba can offer more convenience for South Korea's small- and medium-size enterprises to enter China's e-commerce market. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Hollywood blockbuster Transformers 4 has set records for its massive box office returns. But it's also drawing massive controversy. Wulong Karst Tourism Company believes that Paramount Pictures, as the producer of Transformers 4, and the holder of the rights and obligations from the cooperation, should be responsible for violating the agreement. Producers promised to prominently show the words "China Wulong" in the movie. But they didn't deliver. The Chinese company that co-produced Transformers 4 says the omission was simply a mistake made by foreigners who don't speak Chinese, and who thought a stone tablet that reads "Qinglong Bridge" meant "China Wulong".

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【专题】娱乐周刊 Entertainment Weekly