The first HSR, the Shanghai Maglev Train, was completed in late 2003. It was a technical trial and showcase. After its completion and initial operation, the Maglev technology was deemed too expensive to build and maintain. China decided to roll out its national HSR system with the wheel-based technology. Here is a map of China’s HSR system in 2020:
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Feb 04
High-Speed Rails in China
Written by: guest | Filed under:Analysis, technology | Tags:high-speed rail, HSR, infrastructure, stimulus
111 Comments » newest
111 Comments » newest
High-speed rails (HSR) have been built in China at a fanatic pace. Figure this will be an entry to get the debate started.
Jan 30
minipost-Uln on Google.cn – “Why it’s Good that Google.cn Leaves”
Written by: Raj | Filed under:-mini-posts, Analysis, Opinion, technology | Tags:China, freedom of speech, internet
15 Comments » newest
15 Comments » newest
Uln posted a great piece on the Google matter on his blog. Go there to read the whole thing – a selection follows. Continue reading »
Jan 25
Google vs. China – Good vs. Evil?
Written by: Allen | Filed under:economy, General, human rights, News, Opinion, politics, technology | Tags:cyber security, freedom of speech, Google, hackers, industrial espionage
94 Comments » newest
94 Comments » newest
Google’s recent drama in China has endeared itself to some human rights activists, democracy advocates, even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Many have applauded Google for taking a “principled stance” against the evil empire of China. I find such rhetoric comical. Continue reading »
Jan 13
minipost-Google – A New Approach to China
Written by: Steve | Filed under:-mini-posts, economy, human rights, media, News, politics, technology | Tags:america, censorship, China, economy, freedom of speech, government, human rights, internet, media, politics
389 Comments » newest
389 Comments » newest
Google issued a press release on their blog just a few hours ago pertaining to their operation in China. It is big news and will take some time to digest. I don’t want to comment, just get the story out. Continue reading »
Jan 07
minipost-Haier does true wireless HDTV
Written by: dewang | Filed under:-mini-posts, economy, technology |
23 Comments » newest
Haier's true wireless HDTV (gizmodo.com)
The word “wireless” has really become an oxymoron. For example, are cell phones really wireless? Not really, because without a charging cable, cell phones are useless. At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Haier has demonstrated a true wireless HDTV. No wires. No power cable.
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Oct 31
Tsien Hsue-Shen, the father of China’s missiles.
Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts, technology | Tags:China, missile, Tsien
20 Comments » newest
20 Comments » newest
He passed away at 98.
The description of his life in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Xuesen.
I just finished a book on him by Iris Chang. It is translated from English to Chinese. A very fascinating life.
99.9% chance he was not a communist when he was in US. He was a dedicated scientist.
The joke of the century is the witch hunt of communists in US and drove Tsien back to China to help China to develop missiles. It speeds up China’s missile development by at least 10 years when China did not know how to build good bicycle.
Did Middle East and N.Korea benefit from his initial work?
The book mentioned one or two flaws in his life. I believe he needed to do so to be political stable and be able to secure the funds for his work.
Oct 13
minipost-Intellectual Property Rights in China – business leads the way
Written by: Raj | Filed under:-mini-posts, economy, media, technology | Tags:China, IPR
120 Comments » newest
120 Comments » newest
The Chinese government has been repeatedly criticised by various countries, such as America and European states, for its lack of action/results over protecting intellectual property. Thus it’s welcome to hear that a group of Chinese and foreign firms have united to take matters into their own hands, even if they are motivated by different factors. The Economist has the story.
In mid-September the China Internet Video Anti-Piracy Alliance, a group comprising both big Chinese internet portals and foreign rights-owners, including the Motion Picture Association of America, announced a broad legal attack. It said that it had begun collecting evidence against more than 1,000 suspected violators of intellectual property and would start filing lawsuits, with the first target being 503 videos found on Youku, an increasingly popular website, that the alliance claims are pirated. Youku has counter-sued for defamation. Continue reading »
Sep 21
Part 3: Robert Compton talks to Fools Mountain about business climate in China
Written by: dewang | Filed under:Analysis, economy, General, technology |
2 Comments » newest
In this installment, Compton talks to Fools Mountain about the business climate in China. As a venture capitalist and a business executive, Compton brings a very unique perspective on “where China is at” in her development. In producing the documentary film, “Win in China,” he has had chance to interact with many business leaders in China.
Continue reading »
Continue reading »
Sep 14
Part 2: Robert Compton Discusses Educational Reform & His Film “Two Million Minutes”
Written by: Steve | Filed under:culture, education, Environment, General, technology | Tags:america, children, China, culture, economy, education, environment, reform, Robert Compton, Two Million Minutes, Win in China
25 Comments » newest
25 Comments » newest
In the second part of our interview with Robert Compton, We delve more deeply into his film “Two Million Minutes” which looks at the pre-university educational systems of India and China and compares them to the equivalent curriculum in the United States. Some of the topics discussed are:
1) What are the comparative number of science courses taught in high school and the amount of time spent on the social sciences and world history?
2) What do Indian and Chinese educators see as the areas most in need of reform within their own schools? Are there myths within the Chinese and Indian educational establishment as to their own perceived weaknesses?
3) How are China, India and the United States approaching the key 21st century industries, especially the ones concerning environmental and energy issues?
Jun 16
Green Dam-Youth Escort
Written by: Steve | Filed under:culture, education, General, Letters, media, News, politics, q&a, religion, technology | Tags:culture, Falun Gong, government, internet, media, politics, religion, tiananmen, tibet
118 Comments » newest
118 Comments » newest
It seems the western media and Chinese blogosphere agree on one thing; Green Dam is not winning any popularity contests. Today, the Chinese government backed down on the mandatory usage of the software, though it will still come either pre-loaded or be included on a compact disc with all PCs sold on the mainland from July 1st.
There are several problems associated with this software, each one an interesting topic in itself. I’d like to run down the issues associated with its release, one by one.
1) Why the sudden announcement of this invasive software with virtually no implementation time given to the manufacturers?
Continue reading »
Mar 21
Tai Chi Scooter One-Ups The Segway
Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts, technology | Tags:innovation, Scooter, segway, Tai Chi
No Comments » newest
No Comments » newest
“A mechanical engineer at Purdue University has one-upped the Segway guys with a hands-free scooter that uses the principles of Tai Chi, the ancient Chinese martial art, to keep you from falling on your face.”
Original article can be found here.
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/03/students-build.html
Jan 17
Hakka Tulou in Fujian Province
Written by: Steve | Filed under:culture, education, Environment, General, technology |
71 Comments » newest
Huaiyuan Lou Tulou; built in 1907
We’ve had discussions about Hakka culture in the past with several of our commenters being of Hakka ancestry, so I wanted to show some photos taken by Ted of tulou (土楼; 土樓) in Fujian province. 60% of Hakka are from the Xingning/Meixian area of Guangdong province and over 95% of overseas Hakka were originally from that region, but tulou exist only in Fujian.
Jan 07
minipost-Chinese Government publishes list of “vulgar” websites and information
Written by: Arctosia | Filed under:-mini-posts, Analysis, culture, General, politics, technology | Tags:freedom, freedom of speech, generation gap, internet
69 Comments » newest
69 Comments » newest
For many Chinese website operators, 2009 didn’t start very well. China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre, a semi-government agency, has published a list of websites which contain “vulgar and unhealthy information” deemed to be harmful to the country’s youth. The list (in Chinese) can be found here.
The interesting thing about this list is that it covered majority of the most popular websites in China. Google was ranked number one “vulgar” site (see, e.g., NYTimes article), followed by Baidu and Sina.
I’m very confident that every Chinese netizen have visited at least one of such vulgar websites. I myself must have visited at least 75% of the websites listed and would probably be diagnosed as psychotic under the Chinese guideline. Continue reading »
Jan 03
As Trade Slows, China Rethinks Its Growth Strategy
Written by: Steve | Filed under:General, News, politics, technology |
56 Comments » newest
A recent article in the NY Times with excerpts below, talks about the continued deepening of China’s economic slowdown. When calculated in China’s own currency for a true local effect, the situation is worse than expected even a few short weeks ago. There is recession in the USA, recession in Japan, cancelled orders and lack of re-orders hitting the Chinese businesses dedicated to export markets.
The Chinese government’s plan is to stimulate the local economy and encourage its people to lower their savings rate. But with the lack of a health care plan or retirement programs, people seem to be saving more, not less. What is the best way for China to head off a recession? Should they establish a rudimentary health care plan for their citizens? Or is the money better spent in other areas? Continue reading »
Dec 23
Chinese Crew Fights Off Pirates
Written by: Steve | Filed under:News, technology |
17 Comments » newest
From the Times Online website with thanks to FOARP: Chinese Crew Used Beer Bottles To Fight Off Pirates
The crew of a Chinese ship have described how they used beer bottles and water cannon to fend off a pirate attack off the Somali coast before they were rescued.
Zhenua 4 was one of four vessels seized by pirates on Wednesday, shortly after the UN Security Council authorised countries to pursue the renegades by land and air.
Nine pirates armed with rocket launchers and machineguns boarded the ship, Xinhua, the Chinese state-run news agency, reported. Continue reading »
Dec 18
minipost-(Guest Post) Can China Save American Automakers?
Written by: guest | Filed under:-mini-posts, Analysis, Letters, News, technology | Tags:america, business, China
38 Comments » newest
38 Comments » newest
No, China will not buy GM, Ford or Chrysler. But there is another way – a scheme of division of labor in which the U.S. will focus on design and innovation while China on manufacturing efficiency. Continue reading »
Dec 16
Direct Flights between China & Taiwan Begin
Written by: Steve | Filed under:General, News, politics, technology |
32 Comments » newest
It’s about time!
Per Mark McDonald at the International Herald Tribune: Shortly after dawn Monday, a passenger plane took off from Shenzhen, China, bound for Taiwan. The 80-minute flight across the Taiwan Strait marked the first regular cross-strait traffic since the end of the civil war in 1949 and another dramatic step in the improvement of relations between the two countries.
The Shenzhen Airlines flight from China – along with a later TransAsia Airways flight to Shanghai from Taiwan’s capital, Taipei – inaugurated regular direct flights between Taiwan and mainland China. Direct ship traffic and mail service also began Monday, state media reported.
Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, reported that the flight from Shenzhen took off at 7:20 a.m. The TransAsia flight from Taipei left 46 minutes later. A total of 16 direct passenger flights were scheduled Monday. Continue reading »
Dec 15
The Princess Tai Ping Crosses the Pacific Ocean
Written by: Steve | Filed under:culture, education, Environment, technology |
30 Comments » newest
And now for something completely different!
After sailing across the Pacific Ocean in a 15th century Chinese junk, Captain Nelson Liu and his crew of seven on the Princess Tai Ping spent their last few days at the San Diego Maritime Museum before making their way to Hawaii and eventually back to Japan and Taipei.
The 54 foot, 35 ton Fujian style warship, built and launched from Xiamen using the same materials as their ancestors, is following the conjectured route of 15th century Chinese admiral Zheng He who, according to some theories, may have arrived on the North American West Coast long before Cabrillo.
Nov 16
Time for a More Equal Economic Partnership Between the U.S. and China?
Written by: Allen | Filed under:Analysis, General, News, politics, technology | Tags:chinese economy, global economy, u.s. economy, u.s.-china bilateral relations
8 Comments » newest
8 Comments » newest
Since China opened to the world some 30 years ago, China has witnessed unprecedented economic development and growth. However, the economic relationship China has with the West has been a decidedly subservient one.
In the global economy, China would specialize in making high volume, low cost products in return for high value technology and services from the West. The profit that China makes would be recycled back to the West (especially the U.S.) in the form of loans / credits. Despite the recent global financial crisis, I do not expect this basic pattern to change any time soon.
However, the time for some change may be afoot. For one thing, many economists in the West now seem to be more willing to acknowledge that the Chinese economic growth may be sustainable for the long term. Even the Economist has been showing more confidence and optimism for China as of late. Continue reading »
Sep 25
Shenzhou 7 Spacecraft Blasts Off
Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:News, technology | Tags:shenzhou, space program, technology
39 Comments » newest
39 Comments » newest
This morning, the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft carrying Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming, and Jing Haipeng successfully took off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and entered orbit. This is a major event in China, as a space walk (the first for the Chinese space program) is planned on this 3-day mission (on the 27th).
Shenzhou 7 launched by a Long March 2F rocket
Here is a full version.
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