Sep 01
Recently completed mega-construction projects in China
Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:culture, Environment | Tags:architecture, buildings, development, infrastructure, mega-projects
59 Comments » newest
59 Comments » newest
For about two decades straight, day-and-night, 24/7, China has been the world’s construction ground, with architectural marvels and giant infrastructure springing up at a swift rate and on an enormous scale. The Beijing Olympics set some ungodly tight deadlines on a few of these projects, but with sheer drive, massive manpower, capital investment, and the directive planning power of the state, nearly all of these mega projects have been completed in a matter of years — unheard of anywhere else in the world.
The world may know about pieces like the Bird’s Nest, the Qinghai-Tibet railroad, and the Three Gorges Dam, but here are some others that have been delivered around China in the past 5 years.
1. Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3, biggest building in the world:
Here’s a pretty good discovery channel documentary on its construction process, and alludes to some of the land issues we encounter in a fast-developing China.
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Aug 24
Beijing Olympics a learning experience for all involved
Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:Analysis, Environment, media | Tags:olympics
34 Comments » newest
34 Comments » newest
It is said that the Beijing Olympics was a big draw, perhaps proving the adage that no publicity is bad publicity. Did the worldwide protests before the Olympics ironically serve as a big advertisement for the Beijing Olympics? And now that a record number of people have watched the Olympics, what have they learned about China?
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Aug 02
Snapshots from Beijing
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture, Environment | Tags:Beijing, travelogue
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10 Comments » newest
I’ve been in Beijing for a little over a week. While Western media seems mostly intent on investigating nail-houses and Internet access in the Olympic media center, I’ve been playing tourist. But because I’ve been to Beijing numerous times, no pictures of the Great Wall or Forbidden Palace. Here are a few stories from every-day life that caught my eye:
First, the first day of what I hope are numerous days of blue skies. This picture comes from Friday afternoon, looking at the Beijing railway station:
Jul 04
“Direct” flights commence between Taiwan and mainland
Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:education, Environment, media, News | Tags:direct flights, taiwan, three links
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20 Comments » newest
Today, without too much fuss, regular direct flights between mainland China and Taiwan began, fulfilling a campaign pledge of Ma Yingjiu. The flights run Friday-to-Monday between Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Xiamen, Guangzhou and Taipei. As you can see from the maps (from Sina & Chinanews) below, all flights still route near Hong Kong airspace so they are “direct” only in the sense of not having to actually stop in Hong Kong or somewhere else. Still it’s the start of something new — the “direct” flights put major mainland cities within a one- to two-hour radius of Taiwan, make it possible for day trips back and forth, for business or leisure. This is a popular move. Why has it taken so long and why is this significant?
Jun 21
Dalai Lama tries speaking to the Chinese
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:Analysis, Environment, General | Tags:dalai lama, tibet
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67 Comments » newest
If there’s one thing we’ve consistently criticized here, it’s that the Dalai Lama (and “clique”) has largely failed to reach out to the Chinese people directly. For every interview he provides to the Chinese-language press, it seems he’s done fifty for foreign language press. And even when he makes an attempt to speak to the Chinese (as with an open letter released earlier this year), his ignorance and lack of familiarity shows through.
But he is at least making an active effort to change this. He has met with individual Chinese in the United States and Germany in recent months. And in his just completed trip through Australia, he met with the Chinese-language press, and also hosted an open Q&A session targeted at overseas Chinese. (Unfortunately the session was organized with a dissident group with links to the FLG… but that’s not the point here.)
Here’s what he had to say in Australia, courtesy of the International Campaign for Tibet (原文):
Dalai Lama: … Problems related to Tibet must absolutely be resolved between the Han and Tibetan races, no one else can deal with this type of problem. And precisely because of that, the Chinese, the Han in inland China, you must understand the real situation, this is very important.
So, what is the real situation in his opinion? Read on for more.
May 30
China phases out thin plastic bags
Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:Environment, News | Tags:environment, government, reform
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12 Comments » newest
In the deluge of earthquake news, something like this that affects daily life in China has managed to slip under the radar.
This article describes a situation that people in China are already aware of. At least in Shanghai, it’s said that an extra charge will be imposed to get your goods in those familiar plastic grocery bags.
Details:
The Chinese government is set to ban the manufacture and force shopkeepers to charge for the distribution of bags thinner than 0.025 millimeters thick as of June 1.
The Chinese government is banning production and distribution of the thinnest plastic bags in a bid to curb the white pollution that is taking over the countryside. The bags are also banned from all forms of public transportation and “scenic locations.” The move may save as much as 37 million barrels of oil currently used to produce the plastic totes, according to China Trade News. Already, the nation’s largest producer of such thin plastic bags, Huaqiang, has shut down its operations.
The effort comes amid growing environmental awareness among the Chinese people and mimics similar efforts in countries like Bangladesh and Ireland as well as the city of San Francisco, though efforts to replicate that ban in other U.S. municipalities have foundered in the face of opposition from plastic manufacturers.
The last sentence is ironic. China is no stranger to big government regulations, of course, but one can’t argue with the efficiency with which it can operate.
May 14
Donations for Sichuan Earthquake Relief
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:Environment, News | Tags:donation, earthquake, relief
3 Comments » newest
3 Comments » newest
For those who care about China, your effort is needed now more than ever. Here are a few more options for those looking to make a donation to the Sichuan earthquake relief effort.
May 11
Enviroment of China: Challenges and Hope
Written by: admin | Filed under:Environment | Tags:environment, food, pollution
5 Comments » newest
5 Comments » newest
One of the most serious side effects of China’s unprecedented growth is the rapid degeneration of her environment, as it was recently covered by the NYT’s special series Choking on Growth.
James Fallows has a long feature article in the June issue of the Atlantic entitled “China’s Silver Lining,why soggy skies over Beijing represent the world’s great environmental opportunity.” The gist of it is that “China’s environmental situation is disastrous. And it is improving. Everyone knows about the first part. The second part if important too. ” The article is not available online yet and we will provide a link when it’s up.
I would also recommend readers who concerned on this issue checking out this excellent bilingual website China Dialogue.
As a side note: for people who plan to travel to Beijing, WSJ’s take on the World’s best Chinese food.
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