Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol.64/No.42 i Beijing Review

A picture-perfect scenery has become an increasingly common sight at Erhai Lake in the city of Dali, Yunnan Province, thanks to efforts to improve its environment over the past few years. As the sunset glow reflects on the rippling water surface each afternoon, visitors and photographers follow the paths winding along the lakeside, accompanied by the chattering of black-headed gulls, looking for the best spot to capture the lake’s spectacular views. Dubbed the “mother lake” by local residents, the ear-shaped body of water sits about 2,000 meters above sea level and covers an area of more than 250 square km. It reportedly attracted millions of tourists every year before the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. At the recent Erhai Forum on Global Ecological Civilization Construction, participating ecologists said Dali’s experiences in…

Over the past few months, with the northward migration of Asian elephants in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, the wild species has caught the eye of the international community, and the preparation for the establishment of an Asian elephant national park in China has been pushed forward. With the promotion and establishment of elephant national parks all over the world, especially in African countries featuring rich biodiversity resources, a well-preserved ecological environment and traditional know-how, a lot of experience in elephant protection has been accumulated. Valuable knowledge Kenya is one of the countries in Africa with a large number of elephants. At present, the number of elephants remains at about 35,000. Elephants inhabit nearly one fifth of Kenya’s land area and nearly half of them reside in national parks and reserves.…

Wuerhe, located 90 km from downtown Karamay City in the northern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is home to some 50,000 people from 10 ethnic groups, including Han, Mongolian and Uygur. It is widely known because of the popular Ghost Town scenic spot boasting the Yadan landscape and the dreaded howling of the ferocious winds. Additionally, the district is located on the route to Kanas, an even better-known landmark in northern Xinjiang. Xinjiang had been a top travel destination long before the region was engulfed by bouts of extremist thought and attacks. Its rich landscapes and inclusive cultures intermingling with numerous ethnic traditions featured high on the list of many explorers from home and abroad. As the region in northwest China has shaken off both absolute poverty and the…

Inclusive Universities The China Disabled Persons’ Federation said on October 11 that 57,477 students with disabilities gained admission to colleges and universities in the 2016-20 period, up 50.11 percent from the 2011-15 period. A further 9,966 students with disabilities were enrolled at institutions of special higher education between 2016 and 2020, an increase of 47.54 percent from the previous five-year period. China has seen a steady rise in employment among college graduates with disabilities, with one-on-one services provided by more than 2,700 employment institutions readily available, according to the federation. Flood in Shanxi Continuous rainstorms have left 15 people dead and three others missing in Shanxi Province, according to a press conference held on October 12 by the provincial government. People’s basic needs are being guaranteed and daily production and…

Earlier this year, a herd of wild Asian elephants wandering in southwest China’s Yunnan Province captured the attention of the entire world. Departing their home range in Xishuangbanna on the very southern border of Yunnan as early as March 2020, the herd traveled more than 500 km north before reaching the provincial capital, Kunming, in June, and finally returned home in August after a 500-day round trip. While the elephants’ adventure led them into close proximity of towns, villages, croplands and other human settlements, effective management by local governments prevented clashes with local people. Key in moderating the human-elephant interaction was the oft-cited fact that while crops will grow back next year, endangered elephants are a precious and irreplaceable treasure. The epic journey of this troop of 14 elephants, which…

When Li Yuhan spotted a snow leopard leisurely sitting on a snow-covered mountain in the Sanjiangyuan area, glancing down at her like an emperor trying to decide if the unexpected guest was actually worth its valuable time, she suddenly understood why the big cat is known as the “king of the snowy mountains.” About 10 minutes later, the snow leopard turned around and vanished. It obviously had no interest whatsoever in Li or the other volunteers from the Shanshui Conservation Center, a Beijing-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that monitors local wildlife, particularly the famously elusive snow leopards which are gradually becoming a less enigmatic species to Chinese biologists. “Seeing him made me reconsider the relationship between man and animal; we can forge a harmonious type of coexistence,” Li told Beijing Review.…

President Xi Jinping’s speech marking the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution, or the Xinhai Revolution, delivered on October 9 has undoubtedly dealt a blow to “Taiwan independence” advocates both at home and abroad, as well as showcased China’s strong determination and confidence in the country’s reunification. For about a century following the First Opium War in 1840, the Chinese nation was long trampled on and oppressed by various imperial powers. The 1911 Revolution, which was led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen and overthrew the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as well as put an end to the country’s over 2,000-year-old dynastic rule, ushered in an era of modern national democratic revolution in China, inspiring the exploration of the country’s great rejuvenation. Later, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC),…

On October 4, Fumio Kishida replaced Yoshihide Suga as Japan’s prime minister. In his inauguration speech, delivered on October 8, Kishida vowed to stay ahead of the COVID-19 crisis, implement new capitalism and strengthen diplomatic and security guarantees. He said he would work with all Japanese people to carry out these policies and carve out a new era of prosperity. The question is how effective Kishida will be at leading Japan into the new era he promises. Factional politics While Japan lauds itself as a democratic country, a closer observation of Japanese politics reveals it has nothing to do with ruling by the people. Japan’s so-called democratic system, established by the U.S. after World War II (WWII), is a big step forward compared to the political system that preceded it,…

Foreign Trade China’s total imports and exports expanded 22.7 percent year on year to 28.33 trillion yuan ($4.38 trillion) in the first three quarters of 2021, official data showed on October 13. The figure marked an increase of 23.4 percent from the pre-epidemic level in 2019, according to the General Administration of Customs of China. Both exports and imports continued double-digit growth in the period, surging 22.7 percent and 22.6 percent from a year earlier, respectively. The growth of trade value with its top three trading partners—the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union and the United States—stood at 21.1 percent, 20.5 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively. China’s trade with countries along the Belt and Road routes rose 23.4 percent year on year during the same period, while that…

When the Luosuo River, the largest tributary of the Lancang River, takes an almost round-about turn in Mengla County of Yunnan Province, it encircles a piece of land blanketed with trees and meadows. On that land lies the largest tropical botanic garden in China that is home to more than 13,000 species of flora. In a building hidden among the trees is the office of Kyle Warwick Tomlinson, who currently serves as deputy head of the Center for Integrative Conservation at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG). The Irish native from South Africa has devoted the past years to research on savanna ecosystems and the impact of forest fragmentation in Yunnan and Southeast Asia at large. Tomlinson arrived in China in 2008, after completing a postdoctoral program at Wageningen University in…

China’s tourism industry showed strong momentum during the National Day holiday, which lasted from October 1 to 7. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), the country’s tourism revenue reached 389 billion yuan ($60 billion) during the period, 59.9 percent of that over the same period in 2019, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020. Travelers booked over 500 million trips during the holiday, 70.1 percent of the pre-pandemic level during the same period. Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy, said that thanks to pandemic control, the performance of the tourism market during the National Day holiday had met expectations, and he is optimistic about the future of the overall industry. According to Dai, tourism operators should be taking advantage of the current…

On the afternoon of September 16, 18-year old Nurbigul Tohti sat quietly in the art room of No.4 Middle School of Kuqa, part of Aksu Prefecture in south Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Her eyes were fixated on the face sketch in front of her. The room was immersed in silence, except for the soft sounds of pencils brushing against the canvas. “I like taking these optional drawing classes. It is a great time to detach myself from the heavy compulsory curriculum studies and it may also help me get into a better university,” Nurbigul, a high school senior, told Beijing Review. Her dream university is in Xi’an, a time-honored city with magnificent historical places she often sees on Douyin, the domestic version of TikTok. Like Nurbigul, students in both primary…