Category: Society & Culture

Analysis, Society & Culture

Disney’s Live-Action Mulan: Our Loss of a Defining Story

AMY BROOKS comments on Disney’s live action remake of Mulan and its representation of Asian culture. In Disney’s string of live-action remakes of wildly successful animated movies, Mulan was just next on the list. Both the animated and live-action movies center around a Chinese girl, Hua Mulan, who defies the patriarchal society of ancient China by cross-dressing as a man to join the army in … Continue reading Disney’s Live-Action Mulan: Our Loss of a Defining Story

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Analysis, Society & Culture

For Better or Worse: One Extra Step to Divorce

AMY TANG discusses the impact of China’s new cooling-off period on the trend of divorces and domestic violence. On May 28, 2020, the National People’s Congress of China passed its first Civil Code. The Code, as a collection of laws related to civil affairs, is a refined version of what is previously called General Rules of the Civil Law of the People’s Republic of China, includes … Continue reading For Better or Worse: One Extra Step to Divorce

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Features, Society & Culture

The Cultural Evolution: Tracing Confucius in Modern China

AURELIA DOCHNAL traces the evolution of Confucius’ significance as a cultural icon from imperial China to the present day. Well-known, well-studied Master Kong is an emblem of the millennia-old Chinese intellectual tradition. With over 1,000 Confucius Institutes internationally and Confucian classics dominating state and Party curricula in China, 2,500-year-old Confucius is alive and well both in China and abroad. His axioms are popular throughout East … Continue reading The Cultural Evolution: Tracing Confucius in Modern China

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Analysis, Economics & Business, Society & Culture

Heroism & Survival: Chinese Food Delivery Workers

DANIEL CHEN investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food delivery workers, bringing attention to the pressing need for reform and regulation of China’s gig economy. On March 21st, 2020, a Chinese delivery man named Mr. Gao was put on the front page of TIME magazine under a heading describing delivery workers in heroic terms.  When the whole country stopped amid the coronavirus pandemic, … Continue reading Heroism & Survival: Chinese Food Delivery Workers

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Opinion, Society & Culture

A Human Rights Consideration of Beijing’s Recent COVID-19 Measures

SUNNY YU argues that Beijing’s recent measures to contain a new wave of coronavirus cases were necessary, timely, and effective. Just as swimmers and residents in Fengtai district began to get excited about going to the local pool to exercise and relax in the hot summer (as the indoor swimming pool in Fengtai announced its reopening on June 12th after months of closure), the news of … Continue reading A Human Rights Consideration of Beijing’s Recent COVID-19 Measures

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Features, Society & Culture, Uncategorized

$5,000 Per Birth: A Price China Should Be Willing to Pay

SOFIA RASO proposes a solution to reverse China’s declining birthrate and rejuvenate its aging population. The Chinese government’s changes a mere six years ago to the previously devastating One Child Policy have been largely unsuccessful in inspiring the desired results of reversing China’s declining birthrate and rejuvenating its aging population. What is it worth to the Chinese government to correct the struggles of the current … Continue reading $5,000 Per Birth: A Price China Should Be Willing to Pay

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Analysis, Society & Culture, Uncategorized

A Patriotic Voice: The Rise of TikTok’s Counterpart in China

ROGER GUO examines how Chinese government bodies use Douyin to generate patriotism, and how patriotism in turn drives Douyin’s popularity. TikTok, the most downloaded app on the App Store this past year, has faced growing scrutiny in the West even as its Chinese counterpart Douyin has thrived under China’s far stricter censorship laws. TikTok and Douyin are short-video sharing apps mainly used by teenagers, with … Continue reading A Patriotic Voice: The Rise of TikTok’s Counterpart in China

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Analysis, Society & Culture, Uncategorized

No Child Left Behind: Deficiencies in the Education of China’s Migrant Children

KARA LIU examines the shortfalls in the education of China’s migrant children and offers suggestions for volunteers. Beneath China’s soaring skyscrapers, 288 million migrant workers toil in the factories, construction sites, and service jobs that have powered the Chinese economic miracle. Despite their invaluable contributions to China’s rise, migrant workers experience systemic marginalization that deprives them of access to healthcare, education, and legal protection. Children … Continue reading No Child Left Behind: Deficiencies in the Education of China’s Migrant Children

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Analysis, Society & Culture, Uncategorized

Your Toilet Knows: Non-Surveillance Uses of Facial Recognition in China

SHARON LI explores applications of facial recognition technology in commerce and public facilities in China. In October 2019, the Trump administration added 28 additional Chinese organizations to its “Entity List,” effectively banning them from trading with US companies without government approval. Among these organizations were video surveillance companies Hikvision and Dahua, which the Commerce Department alleges are “implicated in China’s campaign targeting Uighurs and other … Continue reading Your Toilet Knows: Non-Surveillance Uses of Facial Recognition in China

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Analysis, Society & Culture, Uncategorized

Comparative Analysis of Factory Girls and Korean Workers

ZHEYAN NI reviews Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China and Korean Workers: The Culture and Politics of Class Formation. An inquiry has been occupying my mind for a long time: are journalists or scholars the better story tellers of a society? Contrasting the two books in this review helps us understand their differences in approach and effect. Leslie Chang, the wife of famous China … Continue reading Comparative Analysis of Factory Girls and Korean Workers

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