How the Chinese Political System Can Elevate More Competent Government Officials

MICHAEL TAN examines the Chinese civil service system and why it can potentially produce more effective leadership than democratic systems. Would a TV-celebrity and real-estate mogul with no political experience whatsoever ever be able to achieve the presidency in China? Such a feat, while possible in the United States, has next to no chance of happening in China, for reasons that lie in the extremely rigorous … Continue reading How the Chinese Political System Can Elevate More Competent Government Officials

2019 25 Under 25: Leaders in US-China Relations

In 2013, China Hands became the first magazine to honor young individuals for their exceptional contributions to US-China relations and China studies. We are humbled and excited to present the fifth edition of “25 Under 25: Leaders in US-China Relations.” After multiple rounds of selection, honorees were selected for recognition as leaders in US-China relations, notable for their contributions to fields including business, art, journalism, politics, and … Continue reading 2019 25 Under 25: Leaders in US-China Relations

Too Crazy, Too Rich?

“But why would I see it just because its cast is all Chinese? – Xia’an, one-star Douban Reviewer Crazy Rich Asians depicts how Chinese American Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) meets the ultra-rich and elite Singaporean-Chinese family of her boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding). Complete with delectable Asian food and elements of Chinese culture, the film begins as a family visit and wedding for Nick’s best … Continue reading Too Crazy, Too Rich?

The Forgotten Fusionist: Review of《追寻新共和:张东荪早期思想与活动研究 1886-1932》

ZHEYAN NI reviews the excellent historical work《追寻新共和:张东荪早期思想与活动研究 1886-1932》(The Search for a New Republic: A Study on Thoughts and Activities of Zhang Dongsun at His Early Age 1880-1932) published in 2018. To historians of Modern China, Zhang Dongsun cannot be more familiar. Yet outside of academia, he is almost unknown by the general public. Highly politicized historical narratives of twentieth century China only canonized winning or … Continue reading The Forgotten Fusionist: Review of《追寻新共和:张东荪早期思想与活动研究 1886-1932》

Entangled in Huawei?

JOE WU evaluates the evidence against Huawei and whether provable security concerns justify targeting Huawei and potentially fracturing the global telecommunications order. On December 1st, 2018, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was detained in Vancouver on suspicions that Huawei had violated economic sanctions on Iran. The unsealed indictment revealed additional allegations charging Huawei with obstructing justice and stealing technology. If the allegations are proven and the … Continue reading Entangled in Huawei?

Evil’s First Soft Touches: Uyghur “Re-Education” in China

ANGELA LU details China’s massive internment of Uyghurs in “re-education camps,” as well as the international response and China’s subsequent tactical revisions. Since April 2017, as many as 1 million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim ethnic minority groups have been indefinitely detained in an ever-expanding secretive network of extrajudicial re-education camps across Xinjiang province. China’s rulers have long held a deep suspicion of Xinjiang’s ethnic … Continue reading Evil’s First Soft Touches: Uyghur “Re-Education” in China

Blockchain: Rising Tide or Binding Fetters for the Next China?

SHARON LI analyzes the Chinese government’s extensive use and potential abuse of blockchain technology in the context of Beijing’s opposition towards cryptocurrency. As the mayhem around bitcoin has begun to die down in the United States, the record-keeping technology behind it—blockchain—still surges forward. In China, this is no exception. The most basic definition of blockchain calls it a “distributed, decentralized, public ledger”; in other words, … Continue reading Blockchain: Rising Tide or Binding Fetters for the Next China?

Shadow of Cultural Revolution: Review of《故园的背影》

ZHEYAN NI reviews the gripping generational memoir《故园的背影》(Retreating Figures in the Garden of the Past) published in 2018. Guyuan de Beiying 《故园的背影》(Retreating Figures in the Garden of the Past) consists of a series of memoirs written by Chinese students enrolled at Hunan Normal University in the early 1980s who later moved abroad to study and work in the United States. These stories vividly portray the authors’ memories … Continue reading Shadow of Cultural Revolution: Review of《故园的背影》

Eye Spy: Chinese Surveillance and the Dawn of Digital Authoritarianism

SHARON LI does a deep dive into China’s surveillance development and its domestic and global implications. As China races towards establishing itself as the world’s leading technology superpower, new developments in advanced technology have seen large-scale integration on the state level, particularly within the expanding presence of the country’s surveillance state. In previous decades, surveillance has largely been limited to vast sets of video footage … Continue reading Eye Spy: Chinese Surveillance and the Dawn of Digital Authoritarianism