Oct 05
minipost-【风华国乐】:阿里山的姑娘 (Girls of Ali Mountain)
Written by: dewang | Filed under:-mini-posts, culture, General, media, music, video | Tags:Folk Music, taiwan
1 Comment » newest
1 Comment » newest
Oct 02
Interview with Dr. Edwina Pendarvis (II): Chinese vs. US Education
Written by: berlinf | Filed under:education, General |
13 Comments » newest
Question: If you can comment on the differences between the Chinese and US educational systems that would be great. If not, from your experience working with US students and Chinese students, what are some of the things that stand out to you as being very different? What could Chinese students learn from their US counterparts and what could American students learn from their Chinese counterparts?
Dr. Pendarvis: Lucky for you I know very little about the Chinese educational system, and so I won’t go on so long in answering this question! I can only talk about the few Chinese students I’ve worked with. They were ALL more intellectual and interested in ideas than most American students I’ve taught. They were also more respectful of others’ ideas, including the professors. Whatever their private thoughts, they consistently asked questions rather than dismissing others’ ideas without giving them much thought. Continue reading »
Oct 01
Nitpicking Media’s Coverage of PRC’s 60th Anniversary Parade
Written by: DJ | Filed under:General | Tags:China, media, military parade, national day
317 Comments » newest
317 Comments » newest
I watched the national day parade on TV with my family, and liked it. As expected, the Chinese government managed to put out an impressive show. Then I read some media’s coverage of the parade. Well, let’s just say that those writings were as expected too. Anyway, there are a number of memes and other little oddities, in no particular order, that I want point out. As the title of this post says, this is just an excise of nitpicking.
[Update] I gotta share this photo that I just found with you. When the kids released the balloons at the end of the parade, somehow the these balloons formed a shape that looked like China’s map. Please don’t tell me that this was not a coincidence but a carefully choreographed act.
Oct 01
Interview with Dr. Edwina Pendarvis (I): Anti-Intellectualism in US Schools
Written by: berlinf | Filed under:education | Tags:Anti-intellectualism, education, interview, Pendarvis
11 Comments » newest
11 Comments » newest
Recently there has been much discussion in both China and the US about the advantages or disadvantages of education in both countries. For instance, Mr. Robert Compton made a movie called 2 Million Minutes, which advocates learning from China and India in its K12 education. Views by Mr. Compton was largely rejected by scholars such as Dr. Zhao from Michigan State University who suggests the US system is doing fine while the Chinese one needs reform. In the meantime, someone in China seems to have forged an article by Benno C. Schmidt, Jr., former President of Yale, attacking Chinese higher education as basically a joke. If that article showed anything, it indicates extreme dissatisfaction with the Chinese educational system.
During such discussions on the differences between Chinese and American education, we interviewed Dr. Edwina Pendarvis for her input on what went wrong with the US education. Dr. Pendarvis is Professor Emeritus of Gifted Education at Marshall University and an Internationally recognized scholar of high-achieving students. Continue reading »
Sep 29
I would like to thank btbr403 for translating Zhang’s article that was recently posted on to Fools Mountain. In it he said that he had never found an example of a developing country that had “realized its modernization through democratization”. He then proceeded to refute examples cited that could apply and called for a non-western form of democracy for China.
However, Zhang’s conclusions and the method he used to reach them are fundamentally flawed. It starts with a serious lack of understanding of what democracy means these days. As I discussed in a previous post, democracy is not just having elections. It is about an entire system that crosses the country, in regards to not just elections but also the media, judiciary, rule of law and civil rights. If one does not recognise how they are all linked and that if any particular aspect is attacked the rest can be equally compromised, the entire discussion becomes pointless. It also doesn’t help that he gives no definition of “modernization”. Continue reading »
Sep 29
minipost-Xinhua: “China, Japan, ROK pledge to advance all-round partnership”
Written by: dewang | Filed under:-mini-posts, Asian Union, economy, General, politics | Tags:Asia, japan, Korea
12 Comments » newest
12 Comments » newest
In my prior post about Japan’s new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama’s opinion piece on the NYT, I was encouraged by Hatoyama’s view of an Asian Union. This is an interesting trend I encourage our readers to follow. Xinhua reported Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and ROK Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung Hwan has met in Shanghai on September 28, 2009 to “deepen their all-round cooperative partnership.” This is in preparation for the three countries top leaders to meet in October in Beijing. It will be interesting to see what new trilateral agreements they reach by then, at which time the top leaders will endorse and announce.
Sep 25
minipost-Mmm, mmm, mm … Barack Hussein Obama!
Written by: Allen | Filed under:-mini-posts, aside, culture, General, News, politics | Tags:education, history, hope, ideals, ideology, propaganda
53 Comments » newest
53 Comments » newest
Here is something interesting I found on Youtube. For all the talk about China spreading propaganda and indoctrinating their children – you know teaching children about the greatness of their nation, their leader, their history … about the importance of social harmony … instilling hope for a better future – does the U.S. really look that different?
Sep 24
minipost-Sustaining Fools Mountain
Written by: dewang | Filed under:-mini-posts, General | Tags:donate, store, sustaining
8 Comments » newest
8 Comments » newest
Dear Readers and Contributors,
Many of you know, Fools Mountain is a very unique blog and is one that is widely recognized in the China blogsphere. To date, all the costs associated with hosting and bandwidth have been paid privately by admin. We would like to make FM more self sustaining. Our first step is to make hosting and bandwidth costs community sponsored. Following that, we hope to use additional funds to license new contents or procure services to further enhance the blog for the benefit of the FM community.
Continue reading »
Sep 23
minipost-Sound Unlimited!
Written by: Steve | Filed under:-mini-posts, culture, media, music | Tags:China, internet, media
1 Comment » newest
1 Comment » newest
Louis Yu’s new show called Sound Unlimited has hit the net. This show features indie music from all over the world, including the hottest bands in China. The format is in Chinese and you can download the podcast here or subscribe to it on iTunes.
Take a few minutes to check it out. It’s very rare (if not unique) to be able to find a music podcast from North America (in this case, Vancouver) that caters to the Chinese market. I can guarantee you that Lou knows his music and you’ll be exposed to many top bands you’ve never heard nor seen before.
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 20
Translation:Can you provide an example to refute this senior fellow?
Written by: btbr403 | Filed under:Analysis, culture, General, media, politics | Tags:democracy, development, goverment
212 Comments » newest
212 Comments » newest
admin’s note. The following is a blog post from 多维博客(h/t to Snow). Besides re-posting an article originally published on the Study Times (a weekly publication of the CCP’s Central Party School) in 2008, it drew a vigorous debate among Chinese with nearly 300 comments (I hope that someone could translate them too), many of them are interesting. Although we posted the Chinese version last year and A-gu commented on that, it was until recently that btbr403 volunteered to translate it. DeWang and Allen helped with the translation.
Following is the translation of the original post:
The Study Times of The Central Party School published an article by Zhang Weiwei (he was Deng XiaoPing’s interpreter, and he wrote an opinion piece The allure of the Chinese model ), a senior research fellow at the Modern Asia Research Centre, University of Geneva, Switzerland. He showed his excellent eloquence in the invitation only Marshall Forum on Transatlantic Affairs, saying that he had visited more than 100 countries, but couldn’t find one that achieved modernization via democratization. The European and American scholars present couldn’t find any examples to refute him.
Continue reading »
Sep 15
Video: The Zhao vs. Compton Debate
It’s surreal to hear Dr. Zhao from China working in the US defending the US educational system while Mr. Compton advocating that the US learn from China’s system. One thing is for sure: the world is getting flat.
The rest are open to debate.
As I watched this debate, a story that came to mind was the meteorologist forecasting a severely cold winter after seeing Indians hording chopped wood, while the Indian got the idea from the meteorologist who had suggested earlier that the winter would probably be cold. This happens when you make comparisons between two moving targets. In recent years, China is learning from “developed countries” such as US itself, ways to move away from the test-driven education system toward more “rounded education”. I am a reviewer of an educational journal in China and I constantly find papers describing “US experiences” and their implication for China. In the meantime, school curriculum is including an increasing number of subjects that Mr. Compton might be laughing at, such as life skills training. And here we are: Mr. Compton told us that the US should learn from China. Now what? Continue reading »
Sep 15
minipost-That which connects panda and ancient Chinese musicians, plus the morin khurr
Written by: dewang | Filed under:-mini-posts, culture, music | Tags:dizi, morin khurr, music, xiao
15 Comments » newest
15 Comments » newest
 |
Panda loves bamboo, and so did ancient Chinese musicians. Here is an image of a ceramic xiao (箫) player excavated from an Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) tomb in Sichuan province (also home to pandas). The dizi (笛子) is held horizontally. Both are made of bamboo. What do you get when you add the Mongolian morin khurr to the mix? Here is a composition involving these instruments: “梦回鄂尔多斯 (Dreaming Ordus).” Ordus (鄂尔多斯) is a city in Inner Mongolia, China. |
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?
Sep 13
Ma’s ECFA – a win-win policy or selling out local business?
Written by: Raj | Filed under:General | Tags:ECFA, economy, taiwan
8 Comments » newest
8 Comments » newest
Given the recent post on the verdict in former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-Bian’s case, I thought another topic on Taiwan would be a good idea. The proposed China-Taiwan Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is a key piece of legislation for Taiwan’s future and therefore worthy of discussion.
A question I’ve increasingly asked myself is whether this is a win-win agreement for Taiwan as the KMT and other Pan-Blues would have it, or actually win-win for a handful of big companies and lose-lose for smaller, local businesses. AFP have an article on the ECFA and its potential impact on this part of Taiwanese industry. Continue reading »
Sep 12
minipost-Chen Shui Bian Gets Life
Written by: Allen | Filed under:-mini-posts, Analysis, General, News, politics | Tags:chen shui bian, corruption, embezzlement, rule of law, taiwan
181 Comments » newest
181 Comments » newest
In the continuing saga that is Chen Shui Bian’s colorful life, a trial court in Taipei sentenced Chen to life in prison yesterday as the first phase of his dramatic corruption and embezzlement trial came to an end. Chen’s wife, Wu Shu-chen, received a life sentence on corruption charges. Their son and daughter-in-law, convicted of money laundering, received relatively lenient 2 1/2 – and one-year terms. Continue reading »
Sep 08
Robert Compton, one of America’s most succesful businessmen, talks to Fool’s Mountain
Written by: dewang | Filed under:Analysis, economy, education | Tags:education, Entrepreneurship, Robert Compton, Two Million Minutes, Win in China
29 Comments » newest
29 Comments » newest
 Bob Compton talks to U.S. President Obama abour education reform |
More Americans are becoming aware of Bob Compton (standing next to U.S. President Obama in the picture to the left) for his efforts in changing America’s education system.Compton is one of the most successful businessmen in America.He has created numerous companies, lead companies with sales of a million dollars to hundreds of millions, and served as President of NYSE-listed companies. He is an active venture capitalist as well as an angel investor. Compton traveled the world extensively. He is also keenly interested in what is happening outside the USA. His funded companies hire engineers in China and India.
Compton produced two documentary films: “Two Million Minutes” and “Win in China.” |
Sep 05
Xinjiang officials fired following further unrest – is it enough?
Written by: Raj | Filed under:General | Tags:CCP, government, riots, xinjiang
164 Comments » newest
164 Comments » newest
Following the earlier riots in Xinjiang in July, there has been more unrest in the province – at least five people have died, with more injured. The BBC has picked up on a Xinhua report that says the top official for Urumqi and a Police chief have been fired. Continue reading »
Sep 01
minipost-Yukio Hatoyama, Japan’s new Prime Minister: “A New Path for Japan”
Written by: dewang | Filed under:-mini-posts, politics |
91 Comments » newest
Yukio Hatoyama will become the next Prime Minister of Japan with his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Since WWII, Japan has been mainly ruled by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This is a big deal and a big shift within Japan. DPJ has also won about two-thirds of the seats in the Japanese Diet. Hatoyama has an Op-Ed in the New York Times, “A New Path for Japan” which I highly recommend. This is an abridged version of a manuscript which NYT said were circulated in business and diplomatic circles signaling Hatoyama’s policies for his administration.
Continue reading »
Continue reading »
Aug 31
Association for Preserving Historical Accuracy of Foreign Invasions in China (APHAFIC)
Written by: Steve | Filed under:politics | Tags:america, China, history, human rights
46 Comments » newest
46 Comments » newest
Welcome to APHAFIC, the Association for Preserving Historical Accuracy of Foreign Invasions in China. This organization was started in San Diego by Nancy Lo, the current president, as a rebuttal to some of the historical inaccuracies coming out of Japan concerning the Japanese invasion of China in the early to mid 20th century. Nancy is wearing a floral dress in this photo. She was very good friends with Iris Chang (The Rape of Nanking) and felt this issue wasn’t getting the attention it deserved.
The mission of the Association is as follows:
Aug 31
minipost-People Daily: China, Japan and Korea can no longer scorn each other
Written by: dewang | Filed under:-mini-posts, General |
41 Comments » newest
Many in the “West” criticize China’s media as a “mouthpiece” for the Chinese government. The article below is a translation of an opinion piece carried on People’s Daily by ChinaNewsWrap.com. It is urging Chinese citizens to refrain from making fun of South Korea’s recently failed rocket launch as well as to not make disparaging remarks about its Asian neighbors.
What do you think? Is this good for society? Should the “West” do more of this type of “propaganda?”
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