Sinobabble

When Xi became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, no one assumed he would take up that position for life. But when Presidential term limits were abolished in 2018, it was widely understood that Xi had made himself supreme leader, and would remain head of the state, party, and military indefinitely. But how did Xi manage to pull this off, and how did everyone seemingly miss the signs? According to some sources, Xi made a swift powergrab, sweeping over party consensus and using guile and manipulation to crush his foes. The truth, however, may be a lot less straightforward (or exciting). Analysis suggest Xi not only went through tried and true boring procedures to gain his position, but that he did so with the explicit support of his fellow party members.

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction 
(04:29) Background on Xi
(11:40) Predicitons about Xi's leadership
(19:50) The state of China in 2012
(34:50) Xi will be a weak leader
(40:30) How Xi managed to turn the tide
(47:45) The consensus of the Party as deciding factor
(54:15) Conclusions

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Why are so many cultural heritage sites in China fake? Why is the architecture all the same? And why does no one care that all these old towns were built in the past 20 years? Let's take a deep dive into the history of the cultural heritage industry in China, the role of the CCP party-state, the agency of local actors, and try and figure out why Chinese tourists love fake reconstructions of mini European villages in the middle of their megacities.

*Diary of the visit to Furong was in 2022 not 2002!!

#China #culturalheritage #unesco #culturalrevolution #chinesehistory #chinatourism

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction 
(03:45) Attitudes to cultural heritage around the world
(06:45) The destruction of China's cultural heritage 
(11:11) Reasons for rebuilding China's cultural heritage sites
(12:38) Defining authenticity
(17:00) Examples of Disney-fied heritage sites
(40:25) What tourists want
(44:45) Does authenticity matter?

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Hi everyone,

I’m really excited to announce that I will be hosting my first ever livestream this Friday 10th May over on Youtube. This is just a casual event, where you guys can ask me any questions you want, we can discuss current affairs and China news, and we can brainstorm future episode ideas as a collective.

The stream will be at 10pm BST. You can join us at this link on Friday - I’m really looking forward to chatting with everyone!

See you soon,

Edi

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There’s a lot of outrage currently about China’s attempts to grow its EV market, at the expense of the US economy. But the truth is that the Chinese EV market wouldn't be where it is today without the generous funding it received (and continues to receive) from the US, Western governments, and multinational companies looking to cash in on the next big thing.

So let's talk about the ways in which China's EV industry is funded by the US, both directly and indirectly, partly with the help of your pension fund.

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction 
(03:15) Timeline of China's EV industry 
(12:20) The threat of Chinese made EVs 
(15:00) #1: The West was happy with China’s EV development (when it benefited them) 
(20:40) #2: China's EV market was funded with US FDI and investor capital
(28:45) #3: China's investment scene is better than Silicon Valley
(39:30) The West as get rich quick scheme

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"Safeguarding National Security Bill", also known as Article 23 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, was passed in March to no public opposition. I read through the whole bill and discussed how it may be used to transgress human rights and common sense in Hong Kong. I also discuss the history of recent protests in Hong Kong, and how they paved the way for Beijing to get its way and increase its control over its people

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction to Article 23
(03:15) Background: protests and new legislation 2019 - 2021
(13:07) Going through Article 23
(16:00) Part 2: Treason
(18:45) Part 3: Sedition
(22:55) Part 4: Espionage
(26:55) Part 5: Sabotage
(27:27) Part 6: External Interference 
(31:15) Part 7: Enforcement
(36:08) Foreign commentary


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In the face of economic turbulence, China's youth are struggling to find jobs that are suited to their skills and can give them the life that they want and were promised. While China's government strives to alleviate youth unemployment, societal and cultural factors pose significant challenges. China's young people are reacting in unpredictable ways - finding alternate ways to get jobs, taking time out to become full time kids, or forging their own paths altogether.

Chapters 
00:00 Background: Employment in China vs the West
03:50 Reasons for youth unemployment in China
08:55 Crazy job requirements
11:30 Chinese gov helps youth find jobs
17:20 Caveat about youth unemployment
18:37 Chinese social culture and jobs
27:18 Young people's response to joblessness

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The newer and nimbler players in Chinese e-commerce are pushing buttons in the West. Rock-bottom prices, fast fulfilment and addictive interfaces are pushed to their limits to take China's dopamine economy global. What's going on, where does AI fit in the picture and what can we do to take on these new standards of consumption?

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Yoghurt bowls. Lululemon leggings. Ugg slippers. More young Chinese women embrace what they identify as the "white woman aesthetic" as an antidote to the pressures of high maintenance beauty standards and material achievement. As more Chinese women question the grind and settle for less, is the "white woman aesthetic" really an innocent social media fad or a deeper awakening of class consciousness? 

Chapters 
3:15: Introduction to the "White Woman aesthetic"
12:00 Chinese middle class anxiety
14:31 Defining the Chinese middle class
21:05 Morality and responsibility of the Chinese middle class
27:32 Limitations of the Chinese middle class
37:08 Conclusions

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This is part 2 of 3. In this episode we discuss the gaokao exam, the toll it takes on young people, and the increasing divide between those from richer, more developed areas and students from the margins of society.

In part 1 we explored life for middle schoolers racing to the top of an increasingly steep hill: https://youtu.be/hg86rP15eOE

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Sources
The Mental Health Camp Treating China’s Troubled ‘Gaokao’ Kids, Sixth Tone

Choice of Higher Education Institutions: Perspectives of Students from Different Provinces in China, Ashraf et al.

Fairness in Admission: Voices from Rural Chinese Female Students in Selective Universities in Chinese Mainland, Ma and Wang

Access to Higher Education in China: Differences in Opportunity, WANG Houxiong

Higher education expansion and inequality in educational opportunities in China, Lingli Wu & Kun Yan & Yuqi Zhang

Rural students’ evolving educational aspirations and the sense of ‘ft’ in the changing context of China’s higher education: a life history approach, Jiexiu Chen

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After reading an article on mother's who sacrifice everything to make sure their children get into middle school in China, I was inspired to take a deep dive and learn more about one of the world's biggest school systems. Why has China's education system become so fiercely competitive? How is this impacting children? And who are the people making huge profits from parental anxiety?

This is part 1 of at least 2 episodes (potentially 3)!

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Sources

Education Development in China: Education Return, Quality, and Equity, by Guo, Huang and Zhang

Exploring Compulsory Education Policy of Rural and Urban Area in China, by Yizhong Mao

Hopes and Hurdles: Rural Migrant Children’s Education in Urban China, by Gu and Yeung

The education of China’s migrant children: The missing link in China’s education system, Lai et al.

A Studied Sacrifice: Why China’s Moms Bet All on Education, Sixth Tone 

China Is Cracking Down on ‘Hidden’ Tutoring Schools, Sixth Tone

China’s anxious parents turn to tutoring black market after Xi Jinping’s crackdown, FT

China Tried to Ban Private Tutoring. It Created a Huge Black Market. Sixth Tone

China’s TikTok Launches Campaign to Protect Parents From ‘Anxiety Marketing’ During Summer, Sixth Tone

Zhongkao, Not Gaokao, Now the Make-or-Break Exam, Parents Say, Sixth Tone

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