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This week on Sinica: I wandered the halls at the Association for Asian Studies Conference in Seattle and talked to 14 participants and asked them all the same question: What has become clear to you about our field recently? The fantastic diversity of areas of inquiry and of perspectives was really energizing. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!02:25 Michael Davidson from UC San Diego on working towards climate change goals04:22 Timothy Cheek from University of British Columbia on the importance of continuing to study China despite political tensions 06:51 Chen Zifeng from LSE on Chinese propaganda that surrounds everyday life 11:08 Clyde Yicheng Wang (Wang Yicheng) from Washington and Lee University on Chinese propaganda and its spread into social media 16:57 Jeff Wasserstrom from UC Irvine on connections between events in China and the world18:26 Ian Johnson from CFR on researching China from afar and the importance of online databases 21:01 Daniel Leese from the University of Freiburg on the work of digitizing Chinese sources 24:06 Tyler Harlan from Loyola Marymount University on opportunities for cooperation in the environmental field 25:41 Abby Newman from the University of Chicago Center for East Asian Studies on the importance of spaces for conversation within the field27:55 Sophie Loy-Wilson from the University of Sydney on studying violence and war in Asia with more sympathy 33:45 Joe Dennis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on the changes he has witnessed in Chinese studies at the university level 36:49 Ed Pulford from the University of Manchester on China's differing perspective on Russia's invasion of Ukraine 39:49 Emily Matson from Georgetown University on the importance of Marxist and Mao thought in analyzing modern Chinese history and World War II42:14 Jan Berris from the National Committee on United States-China Relations on redirecting the U.S. government's focus Recommendation: The musical, poetic, and comedic work of Elle Cordova (formerly Reina Del Cid), on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook; and the Led Zeppelin tribute band "Presence," fronted by singer Tamar Boursalian. (Alas, the band, which is new, has no online presence. See them if you're in Seattle!)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week on Sinica, we present a deep-dive into the worldview of China's leading Party theorist, Wáng Hùníng 王沪宁. Wang — the only member of the Politburo Standing Committee who has not run a province or provincial-level municipality — is believed to have been the thinker behind ideas as central (and as ideologically distinct) as Jiāng Zémín's 江泽民 signature “Three Represents,” which brought capitalists into the Chinese Communist Party; Hú Jǐntāo's 胡锦涛 “Scientific Outlook on Development” that focused on social harmony; and Xí Jìnpíng's “Chinese Dream” that aimed at the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” While much of Wang's life since he entered government has been hidden from view, his earlier writings contain many ideas that appear to have shaped Party policy across the tenure of three Party general secretaries over a period of nearly three decades, and offer clues about what still might be in store. Kaiser is joined by Joseph Fewsmith III, an eminent professor of political science at Boston University; the intellectual historian Timothy Cheek, professor of history at the University of British Columbia, whose work has focused on establishment intellectuals in the PRC; and Matthew Johnson, principal and founder of the China-focused consultancy AltaSilva LLC, who has studied and written about Wang extensively.4:31 – An outline of Wang Huning's career8:36 – Wang Huning's personality and temperament12:28 – Wang speaks16:45 – Wang as an example of post-charismatic leadership loyalty24:02 – Wang's America Against America31:04 – Wang Huning's concepts of cultural security and cultural sovereignty46:36 – Wang and Document Number Nine55:39 – Chinese conceptions of democracyA transcript of this podcast is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Matt: The Nerves of Government: Models of Political Communication and Control by Karl Deutsch; and The Logic of Images in International Relations by Robert Jervis.Joe: Now that more Americans recognize that China is not becoming "more like us," they need a deeper understanding of China, and not one just rooted in hostility and militarism.Tim: In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova.Kaiser: River of Stars by Guy Gavriel KaySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week on Sinica, we present a talk delivered on October 19 by Kaiser at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations China Town Hall. In this 30-minute speech, Kaiser offers his views on Xí Jìnpíng's 习近平 "Red New Deal," discusses the many lenses through which China is viewed, and argues that the changes now afoot in China constitute a major historic shift — and perhaps even the end of the modern period in China's history.We'll be back next week with a conversation about Wáng Hùníng 王沪宁, the Chinese Communist Party's leading theorist, featuring three leading scholars on modern China's politics and intellectual history: Timothy Cheek of the University of British Columbia, Joseph Fewsmith III of Boston University, and Matthew Johnson, a historian who now runs a China-focused consultancy but has made Wang Huning a major focus of his work.A transcript of this episode is available on SupChina.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Heerlijke kamerjazz van het kwartet OAK van pianist Sjoerd van Eijck, maar ook betoverende IJslandse klanken van Viktor Orrie Arnason, een gitaarbewerking van muziek van Philip Glass, componiste Vitezslava Kapralova en... fraaie landschappen! 23.04 CD Martinu Bartók (BIS 2457) Bohuslav Martinu: Vioolconcert nr 2 - II Andante moderato Frank Peter Zimmermann [viool]; Bamberger Symphoniker olv Jakub Hrůša 7'05” 23.12 CD Escape (Orange Mountain O148) Philiip Glass: Opening Gerard Cousins [gitaar] 5'07” 23.20 CD Vítězslava Kaprálová (Supraphon SU 3752-2 231) Vítězslava Kaprálová : Waving Farewell (1937) Dana Buresova [sopraan]; Timothy Cheek [piano] 6'07” 23.30 CD Eilífur (Pentatone PTC 5186 950) Viktor Orrie Arnason: Var Karlakorinn Fostbraedur olv Arni Hardarson; Benedikt Kristjansson [tenor] 10'36” 23.42 CD Aurora (ZenneZ ZR2108019) track 3 Sjoerd van Eijck: The Last Mile OAK 4'55” CD Aurora (ZenneZ ZR2108019) track 6 Sjoerd van Eijck: Clouds OAK 5'02” 23.53 CD Trance (BMG) Meredi: A Walk Into The Garden Meredi; Benjamin Lai; Philine Blachny; Benjamin Pant 4'19”
This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with Isabella Weber, assistant professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, about her new book, How China Escaped Shock Therapy: The Market Reform Debate. Meticulously researched and persuasively argued, her book makes important contributions to our understanding of a critical period in China's recent history: the decade of the 1980s, when a fierce debate between “package reformers” supporting sweeping price liberalization and gradualists who argued that state participation in the market was critical to dampen inflation and maintain social stability. And it sheds light on the run-up to the student-led demonstrations of 1989.12:20: Debunking a conventional wisdom on China's economy22:05: The relationship between states and markets40:01: A universal need for reform in the early 1980s1:10:47: Student intellectuals in 1988 and the “full steam ahead” campRecommendations:Isabella: The movie Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa and Cold War, directed by Paweł Aleksander Pawlikowski.Kaiser: Assigned reading from Kaiser: The Chinese Communist Party: A Chinese Century in Ten Lives, edited by Timothy Cheek, Klaus Mühlhahn, and Hans van de Wen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
今年是中共建党百年,中共党史也引发海内外关注。长期致力研究中共党史的西方学者齐慕实博士,与合作者共同编辑了《中国共产党,一个世纪十个人》一书。该书不久前由剑桥大学出版社出版。
In this episode of The Global Exchange, Colin Robertson speaks to Phil Calvert and John Gruetzner on how to improve Canada-China relations. Read the series of papers edited by Phil Calvert and John Gruetzner: https://thecic.org/research/an-assessment-of-50-years-of-canada-china-relations/ R & R: China's Civilian Army: The Making of World Warrior Diplomacy by Peter Martin – https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/chinas-civilian-army/9780197513705-item.html The Crack-up by F. Scott Fitzgerald – https://www.amazon.ca/Crack-Up-F-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0811218201 The Chinese Communist Party: a Century in Ten Lives by Timothy Cheek (ed.) – https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/chinese-communist-party/ACDE7A4F414A8857DFAE7C13B1DBD7BB Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17143.Go_Tell_It_on_the_Mountain Participants Bio: Philip Calvert is a Senior Fellow with the China Institute of the University of Alberta. He served in Beijing as a Trade Commissioner (1984-87), Economic Counsellor (1994-1997) and Minister & Deputy Head of Mission (2004-2008). In Global Affair Canada he served as Director General for North Asia, Deputy Chief Negotiator for Canada during China's accession to the WTO and as Director of the Technical Barriers to Trade Division. Most recently he spent 2012-2016 as Canada's ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. (https://www.cgai.ca/philip_calvert) John Gruetzner is currently working out of Canada and responsible for international business development for Canadian–based technology firm Syngrafii Inc. He is also the co-founder of Intercedent, a business and investment advisory firm founded in 1988 focused on Asia and remains involved. (https://www.cgai.ca/john_gruetzner) Host bio: Colin Robertson is a former diplomat, and Vice President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, https://www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson Recording Date: 2 July 2021. Give 'The Global Exchange' a review on Apple Podcast! Follow the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Facebook, Twitter (@CAGlobalAffairs), or on Linkedin. Head over to our website www.cgai.ca for more commentary. Produced by Charlotte Duval-Lantoine. Music credits to Drew Phillips.
This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by historian Timothy Cheek of the University of British Columbia, political scientist Elizabeth Perry of Harvard, and our very own Jeremy Goldkorn, editor-in-chief of SupChina, in a wide-ranging discussion of the Chinese Communist Party on the occasion of its 100th birthday. The three each contributed chapters to a new volume called The Chinese Communist Party: A Century in 10 Lives, edited by Timothy Cheek, Klaus Mülhahn, and Hans van de Ven. Don't miss this one!8:59: Cosmopolitan traditions within the CCP13:10: Continuity and change within the Party20:19: The oscillations between flexibility and rigidity34:25: Intellectuals and their relationship with the Party50:37: Wang Guangmei and the Peach Garden ExperienceA full transcript of this episode is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Jeremy: The Dairy Restaurant, by Ben Katchor. Elizabeth: Middle Class Shanghai: Reshaping U.S.-China Engagement, by Cheng Li, and The Wuhan Lockdown, by Yang Guobin. Timothy: The Internationale, performed by heavy metal band Tang Dynasty. Kaiser: The July/August edition of Foreign Affairs, especially the pieces by Wang Jisi and Yan Xuetong.Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.
We talk to historian of China Hans van de Ven about the origins of the CCP and its extraordinary rise to power. How has it managed to adapt to the changes of the last forty years and what lessons will be drawn as it approaches its one hundredth birthday?Talking Points:The Chinese Communist Party is an incredible success story. A group of students met in Shanghai; 30 years later, they were running a vast country.A lot of luck was involved. If the Japanese hadn’t invaded, they never would have gone anywhere.The CCP didn’t become a Maoist party until the Second World War.Communist parties are supposed to thrive in cities, but Mao turned his attention to the countryside.Mao was a great tactician of violence. He was heavily influenced by Clausewitz.Mao was also able to draw in both the youth and the intellectuals.The West tends to see Mao’s death as the decisive shift, but Mao himself allowed new people to come to the fore, including Deng Xiaoping.Tiannamen was an existential threat to the Party, and it extended far beyond Beijing.The Party is still the dominant institution in Chinese life. Although Chinese life is more pluralistic under market reform, the Party still calls the final shots.China has always been highly commercialized. Viewing reform as “Westernization” may not be the best approach.A key element of the Chinese political tradition is a direct connection between the highest and the lowest rungs of society. New technology makes this easier. The leadership is extremely concerned with what people are thinking.As the 100th anniversary of the Party approaches, the leadership faces a dilemma: taking the history of the Party seriously could threaten its present legitimacy.How do you explain all of the suffering? You can’t just ignore it.Further Learning:Hans’ book, China at War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New ChinaChinaFileA guide to China from the Council on Foreign RelationsRecommended Reading: A Critical Introduction to Mao Zedong, Timothy Cheek, ed (CUP, 2010)Mao's Little Red Book: A Global History, Alastair Cook (CUP, 2014)Red Flags: Why Xi's China is in Jeopardy, George Magnus (Yale, 2018) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Beijing's failed attempt to force Cambridge University Press to censor its own catalogue is just one prong in an escalating campaign to tighten control over China's recent historical record. Western scholars of China are struggling to function in an environment with little access to historical records and increasingly sophisticated censorship of electronic archives, as well as more overt surveillance of their activities and pressure on their Chinese research partners. With censorship and intimidation reaching ever-greater levels of intensity, some are even drawing comparisons with Emperor Qianlong's literary inquisition of the 18th century. Louisa and Graeme are joined by Glenn Tiffert from the Hoover Institution, Dayton Lekner from the University of Melbourne, and Timothy Cheek and Morgan Rocks from the University of British Columbia to discuss their recent experiences researching China.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the preface to his new book, Timothy Cheek calls out a widespread tendency to focus on dissidents when engaging with Chinese intellectuals. (This is a problem insofar as we use these intellectuals as a mirror for our own concerns, hopes, and fears.) Instead, The Intellectual in Modern Chinese History (Cambridge University Press, 2015) provides a map and method for moving beyond that tendency, simultaneously offering a magisterial intellectual history of modern China. It maps the changing terrain of intellectual life over a century, so that the reader can place a particular figure, idea, or debate sensibly, helping the reader track different times, social worlds, and key concepts. It also demonstrates a method the historical method for making sense of ideas, stories, and examples from the past. The book reflects a shift from working on China to working with Chinese, stressing the persistence of a consistent theme that unifies the narrative the importance of serving the public good and the continual orientation and reorientation toward efforts at reform, revolution, or rejuvenation . This is a wonderful, clear, carefully structured read that is a boon for general and specialized readers, students, and teachers alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the preface to his new book, Timothy Cheek calls out a widespread tendency to focus on dissidents when engaging with Chinese intellectuals. (This is a problem insofar as we use these intellectuals as a mirror for our own concerns, hopes, and fears.) Instead, The Intellectual in Modern Chinese History (Cambridge University Press, 2015) provides a map and method for moving beyond that tendency, simultaneously offering a magisterial intellectual history of modern China. It maps the changing terrain of intellectual life over a century, so that the reader can place a particular figure, idea, or debate sensibly, helping the reader track different times, social worlds, and key concepts. It also demonstrates a method the historical method for making sense of ideas, stories, and examples from the past. The book reflects a shift from working on China to working with Chinese, stressing the persistence of a consistent theme that unifies the narrative the importance of serving the public good and the continual orientation and reorientation toward efforts at reform, revolution, or rejuvenation . This is a wonderful, clear, carefully structured read that is a boon for general and specialized readers, students, and teachers alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the preface to his new book, Timothy Cheek calls out a widespread tendency to focus on dissidents when engaging with Chinese intellectuals. (This is a problem insofar as we use these intellectuals as a mirror for our own concerns, hopes, and fears.) Instead, The Intellectual in Modern Chinese History (Cambridge University Press, 2015) provides a map and method for moving beyond that tendency, simultaneously offering a magisterial intellectual history of modern China. It maps the changing terrain of intellectual life over a century, so that the reader can place a particular figure, idea, or debate sensibly, helping the reader track different times, social worlds, and key concepts. It also demonstrates a method the historical method for making sense of ideas, stories, and examples from the past. The book reflects a shift from working on China to working with Chinese, stressing the persistence of a consistent theme that unifies the narrative the importance of serving the public good and the continual orientation and reorientation toward efforts at reform, revolution, or rejuvenation . This is a wonderful, clear, carefully structured read that is a boon for general and specialized readers, students, and teachers alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the preface to his new book, Timothy Cheek calls out a widespread tendency to focus on dissidents when engaging with Chinese intellectuals. (This is a problem insofar as we use these intellectuals as a mirror for our own concerns, hopes, and fears.) Instead, The Intellectual in Modern Chinese History... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the preface to his new book, Timothy Cheek calls out a widespread tendency to focus on dissidents when engaging with Chinese intellectuals. (This is a problem insofar as we use these intellectuals as a mirror for our own concerns, hopes, and fears.) Instead, The Intellectual in Modern Chinese History...
In the preface to his new book, Timothy Cheek calls out a widespread tendency to focus on dissidents when engaging with Chinese intellectuals. (This is a problem insofar as we use these intellectuals as a mirror for our own concerns, hopes, and fears.) Instead, The Intellectual in Modern Chinese History... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since I'm in rehearsals for a Czech opera right now, it only seems fair that we discuss Czech diction this week! Mezzo-soprano Lucie Ceralova is here with the text "Oblak a mrákota jest vůkol něho", focusing on devoicing consonants, vocalic L and R, the palatalized N [ɲ], D [ ɟ] or [d] and T [c] or [t] and a few ways to practice our favorite Czech consonant ř. "Oblak a mrákota jest vůkol něho" is the first song in Dvořak's Biblické Písně (Biblical Songs), taken from the Book of Psalms of the Kralice Bible, which is the Czech equivalent to the English King James Bible or the German Luther Bible. This text can also be found in Timothy Cheek's Singing in Czech, with a translation and the IPA. The tongue twisters that we talked about at the end are: Třista třicet tři stříbrných stříkaček stříkalo přes třista třicet tři stříbrných střech. Strč prst skrz krk. Have fun with them :-) Please feel free to contact me with questions, comments or suggestions here, at the Facebook page, on Twitter @dictionpolice or directly at ellen@ellenrissinger.com
Our first episode on Czech diction! This week conductor Tomáš Netopil is our guest, discussing two texts from Rusalka, the Song to the Moon (Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém) and the Prince's first act aria (Vidino divná). Since many people are less familiar with the Czech language, we tried to cover a lot of the basics, while concentrating on things foreigners have trouble with like the palatal D [ɟ]and T[c], the voiced H [ɦ] and the accent markings on vowels and consonants, including our favorite Czech letter ř [Ř]! You can find a libretto for the first act of Rusalka which also has an English translation here. The Song to the Moon is about halfway down and the Prince's aria is towards the end of the first act. Timothy Cheek's Singing in Czech is an excellent resource to study Czech diction. It includes a CD with native speakers pronouncing the examples in the book, as well as an extensive list of Lieder and Opera in Czech and word-for-word translations and IPA for many of the most important songs and arias. I also found a blog called Czech Mix: Opera Colorado celebrates Czech cultural arts, with some interesting entries about Czech music, Dvorak and a conversation with the Czech language coach for Opera Colorado's production of Rusalka about the challenges of singing in Czech. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me here, on the Facebook page or directly at ellen@ellenrissinger.com