Western Niche Brands at the Best Price with Mihaibao

The second of Margot de Groot van Embend’s three-part analysis of the new trends in China’s luxury market focuses on a case study of Mihaibao. “No fancy words. Just try and you will know.” Using this slogan, Mihaibao, a transborder luxury e-commerce platform, welcomes its website’s visitors and invites them to download the App through a QR code displayed on the homepage. Instead of promoting a sparkling … Continue reading Western Niche Brands at the Best Price with Mihaibao

Rough Waters Ahead: Chinese-American Relations in the South China Sea

    Since January, comments from the new Trump administration about the South China Sea have stirred controversy in Beijing. Starting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s comparison of China’s actions in the South China Sea to Russia’s seizure of Crimea, the Trump administration has had a rocky start in diplomatic relations with China, especially concerning the tense territorial dispute over the South China Sea. … Continue reading Rough Waters Ahead: Chinese-American Relations in the South China Sea

Altered Accents and a Global China —-In Memory of Professor Anthony C Yu

   This upcoming May marks the two-year anniversary of the death of Anthony C Yu, renowned scholar on comparative studies of literature and religion. Former Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, Yu is best remembered for his decade-long landmark translation of the Chinese novel Journey to the West (xiyouji). The novel tells the story of Xuan Zang, a Chinese monk who journeyed to … Continue reading Altered Accents and a Global China —-In Memory of Professor Anthony C Yu

The Spring of Chinese Green Energy

   In 2015, state-owned power company China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) announced a $3.7 billion deal to acquire the operational rights for the Jupia and Ilha Solteria dam in Brazil, becoming the second largest private power producer in Brazil. These two dams can produce an energy output of up to 3,444 MW and 1,551 MW of energy (the Hoover dam can produce up to 2,080 … Continue reading The Spring of Chinese Green Energy

The Great Wall: Zhang Yimou’s Mythic China

   As promotional stills and trailers were released for the American-Chinese co-production The Great Wall, much controversy arose from the film’s alleged whitewashing of a Chinese story. A historical fiction action film, The Great Wall tells the story of a group of international warriors, led by the American actor Matt Damon, who band together to fight monsters on the Great Wall of China. The most … Continue reading The Great Wall: Zhang Yimou’s Mythic China

The United States: China’s Power Ceiling

The Thucydides Trap posits that a rising nation and an existing great power must inevitably clash as the former will never be content with inferiority and the latter will seek to maintain its dominance. While current Sino-American relations seem to represent the quintessential example, the Thucydides Trap need not apply to the continually expanding relationship between China and the United States. Academics frequently cite this … Continue reading The United States: China’s Power Ceiling

The Correspondents’ Dilemma?

    China positioned the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as the nation’s grand re-introduction to the international community—and to cover the event appropriately, foreign correspondents in China enjoyed eased restrictions and unencumbered coverage that suggested a liberalization for foreign media in  China. After the curtains of the Olympics closing ceremony lowered, however, Chinese officials have reversed their open stance towards foreign correspondents, enforcing regulations more … Continue reading The Correspondents’ Dilemma?

Our City Our Food? An Identity Crisis in Hong Kong

   Hong Kong still is—among many other things—a gourmet paradise, a world’s fair of food. Today, Hong Kong is still a prime site for converging global cuisines. And the people of Hong Kong still sport some of the most discerning palates in the world.    But something odd is going on in the local restaurant industry.    Consider Eater’s “12 Hottest Restaurants in Hong Kong Right Now,” … Continue reading Our City Our Food? An Identity Crisis in Hong Kong

China’s IPO market

In 2016, growth in the global IPO market declined significantly from its pace in 2015. While the number of IPOs dropped in Asia as well, the decrease in growth in the Asian market was not nearly as severe. According to figures from KPMG, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) was the second largest IPO market in terms of funds raised in 2016, behind the Hong Kong … Continue reading China’s IPO market

China-Pakistan Relations

   Like a broken record on repeat, the border police at each checkpoint would peer into our van and, seeing a set of Chinese faces, would always say: “Pakistan China dos.” Dos means friends in the local language. If they wanted to vary the tune a little bit, some would venture to say “Pakistan China brothers.”    The continued goodwill and longevity of China-Pakistan relations—the last … Continue reading China-Pakistan Relations