Author Archive

Obama and China

January 18, 2009
By C. Custer

This is an interesting month for US-China relations. January 1st was the thirtieth anniversary of formal relations between the two nations, celebrated with a variety of activities and various optimistic projections. Yet in a few days, Barack Obama will become the President of the United States, and some speculate he may provide more of...
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Posted in International Relations, Politics | No Comments »

"Serf Liberation Day"

January 17, 2009
By C. Custer

58 years ago, Communist troops entered Tibet. What happened thereafter is the subject of much controversy; suffice it to say that some people feel things went badly. Chinese government mouthpiece the People’s Daily? Unsurprisingly, not among them. On January 11th, the People’s Daily reported that Tibet’s regional government was planning to set a date...
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Posted in Current Events, Politics | No Comments »

Freedom of Speech in China

January 16, 2009
By C. Custer

The excellent China site EastSouthWestNorth has just posted its translation of a fascinating article, originally written by Shen Minte and published in the Beijing Daily News. The whole thing is available at the ESWN link above, but here is an especially interesting passage: This leads to another piece of common knowledge: when a certain...
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Posted in Philosophy, Politics | No Comments »

Urbanization and the Value of Parks

January 14, 2009
By C. Custer

Though the holidays are over in America, ’tis still the season in China. As Spring Festival creeps closer, Chinese people everywhere are preparing to celebrate the nation’s most important traditional holiday, but some traditions are newer than others. New cars have begun to crowd the roads-what better way to impress one’s family and friends...
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Posted in Culture | No Comments »

An Analysis of "Free Tibet"

January 12, 2009
By C. Custer

“Free Tibet” is a phrase with a bit of a history. More or less since the Chinese army entered Tibet in 1951, some people have asserted that Tibet should be its own country. Over time, the cause became popular among Westerners, especially students and celebrities. The intensity of the protesting comes and goes as...
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Posted in Opinions, Politics | 12 Comments »

Your Guide to Charter 08

January 11, 2009
By C. Custer

Charter ’08 is a manifesto signed by over three hundred prominent Chinese intellectuals that was released in December of 2008. It caused an immediate stir in the Western media, but didn’t seem to get much response from within China, at least initially. For the curious, we have collected links to relevant reading, news, and...
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Posted in China From the West, Current Events, Links | 14 Comments »

Unit 731

January 10, 2009
By C. Custer

Most people know about the horrors perpetrated by the sadistic heads of Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Many also know about the American failures to rescue Jewish refugees and the general lack of urgency about shutting down the camps. Fewer know of the atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II...
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Posted in History | 1 Comment »