Reducing Students’ Study Load

Wherever you live in the world, we all know the value of education. Just like health, it is the only gift that will last you a lifetime. After all, you are never too old to learn and you need to learn as much in order for you to do well in life and in your chosen career. Getting an education is no longer just an assurance that you can land a great job after college since many also hold a degree now but what counts most is how efficient you are in doing your body and how good you are in doing a lot of things, which is often not solely learned inside the classroom but a mix of in-class and real-world learning and experience. And no other is so hardworking when it comes to studying than the Chinese. China is known for their high regards for education and learning as a whole.

Young students in their country take studying really seriously as their parents have taught them the value of education and how vital it is to their future success. As if studying in school for the entire day is not enough preparation for them, many of these kids also have additional classes after school, usually online English classes, and even during the weekends along with a training for a sport or a hobby or two leaving them little time to rest and relax. They don’t even get to sleep more than 9 hours each day considering their heavy school load that it has now raised warning bells and caught the attention of the authorities. They even beat office workers as to how early they leave for school and how heavy their bags are full of books.

Chinese students are known for their excellent mathematics performance, and also for their huge homework workloads.

"The earliest birds waiting for the buses every day are not office workers, but middle school students. Even as a bystander, I feel they're suffering too much," said a bus driver in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.

For decades, efforts have been made by authorities at various levels to cut the workload for adolescents, but their bags continue to swell and they sleep less and less.

A study by China Youth and Children Research Center showed in the decade from 2005 to 2015 that 60 percent of primary and middle school students slept less than 9 hours a day, the minimal amount of sleep required according to the Ministry of Education.

(Via: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/22/c_137055615.htm)

Not only is their school hours taxing enough but the amount of homework they bring home is bordering beyond disbelief too. Year after year, homework load increases without taking into consideration the student’s health and well-being. Extra-curricular classes pose just as much stress as well. Chinese students are becoming great English communicators, thanks to their dedication to learning the language. The bulk of their classes at home are often English classes, as already mentioned, aimed at honing them to become competitive global workforce that can compete with just about every other citizen in most English-speaking countries.

"It's simple [to achieve that]. We just need to improve efficiency in class and increase interaction between teachers and students so that students can absorb knowledge better," said Yu Ying, the incumbent principal.

"We should teach our educators to instruct in a scientific manner and get rid of monotonous, inefficient teaching methods. This is the only way to reduce workloads," said Zhou Hongyu, professor at the Central China Normal University.

(Via: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1094631.shtml)

Students learn from other things too, not just from the school lessons. While they are pushed to go beyond their limits and absorb as much information as they can get, they may miss out in learning practical knowledge from real-life experiences they seldom get to experience as they are too immersed in their school work and homework. Maybe some changes in the country’s educational system can bring about this much-needed change for the benefit of the future generation. Balance is what everyone needs to achieve. For the students to learn as much as they can without getting overwhelmed with all the school work is something educators can address once they start acknowledging that the problem is real after all.

Reducing Students’ Study Load was initially published to CHRDNet

source https://chrdnet.org/2018/05/13/reducing-students-study-load/

Chinese Art In The Modern World

Progress did not just solely come from the West. China has long been the cradle of Asian civilization and it is visible in the countless works of art and historic pieces that speaks so highly of the country’s rich history and culture that has spanned centuries. Even today, China is still a force to reckon with in the global arena. Simply just look at where most products are made and you’d see them labeled as “Made in China” and it is easy to see how much influence The Land of the Red Dragon still has over the rest of the world. If that’s the case, it is still possible for Chinese Art to gain international recognition for being classic masterpieces that they are.

Not only is the government determined in preserving their rich culture but even private individuals with a lot of cash to burn take part in the initiative to protect Chinese contemporary art for the generations to come. Philanthropists like Adrian Cheng is surely able to do this impossible feat as he is backed by his multi-billion businesses in jewelry and real estate. He has long set up a foundation that aims to preserve the works of contemporary Chinese artists to better position contemporary Chinese culture for all the world to see. He values the importance of having a solid cultural identity for the burgeoning younger and wealthier Chinese population that is ready to take on the world and keep abreast with other more popular and known art and culture the majority is more familiar with.

K11’s rapid rise to art-world ubiquity illustrates both the ambition of its founder, billionaire Chinese real estate and jewelry scion Adrian Cheng, and the art industry’s definitive pivot to Asia as dealers and institutions seek to engage the region’s rapidly growing number of billionaires and reflect the rising influence of its artists.

The 38-year-old Cheng does not mince words when describing that ambition. His goal is nothing less than “to create a contemporary Chinese culture,” he said when we met last November in a wood-paneled room at the top of a Shanghai tower that holds offices for two of Cheng’s companies (the Hong Kong-based real estate group New World Development, and Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Group, both founded by his grandfather Cheng Yu-tung, are among his largest holdings). The tower sits atop one of Cheng’s K11 “Art Malls,” as his department stores are known, a growing number of which house a K11 Art Foundation exhibition space alongside their retail offerings.

(Via: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-adrian-cheng-building-new-culture-chinese-millennials-one-art-mall-time)

Having an art mall is definitely a great way to reach a wider audience whether or not they can or not afford to purchase expensive art pieces. At a time and age when people are more social than ever, these art malls are such a big hit and will surely fit in with the growing social consciousness among the masses who loves posting a selfie or two now and then and all the IG-worthy photos that are simply to die for. With this, the K11 Art Foundation has likely hit the bull’s eye. There are countless changes going on in the world today and the same thing is happening in China. People appreciate experiences more than just simple retail therapy and taking their mall-time experience to the next level by allowing them to immerse in the arts is something that will stay in their memories forever.

The artist’s work was praised, and Li eventually left China. He became a professor and a U.S. citizen, and later was jailed in China for his pro-democracy stands. He is now a professor of international business and eminent scholar at Old Dominion University.

During the years, Li has collected more than 250 propaganda posters from the 1950s to the ’70s to preserve that era. More than 20 of the posters are being exhibited at the Chrysler Museum of Art in “The Art of Revolution: Chinese Propaganda Posters from the Collection of Shaomin Li.”

The exhibition includes several personal artifacts, such as Li’s sketchbooks and the model books artists had to use. They contained images approved by the government. The show is organized in several themes, including “The Cult of Mao,” “Glorifying the Military” and “Propaganda as Educational Material in China after Mao.”

(Via: https://pilotonline.com/entertainment/arts/exhibits/article_042ddf1c-2b27-11e8-9b27-5f366f439d78.html)

Even propaganda materials like posters that were used during the Chinese Revolutions are now considered as classic art pieces since they signify an important part of China’s history that has shaped the country that we know of today.  Despite the rapid globalization that is spreading throughout the planet, understanding Chinese history through these fragments of its history and culture can help us better understand why Chinese people are more closely guarded than the rest of the world. It is apparent with the way they live, the way their country is governed, and the things the citizens are allowed to do and not. We can truly learn a lot from seeing cultural art pieces as it explains in vivid detail the policies of a country simply by reading between the lines, in this case, painting a picture in your mind.

Chinese Art In The Modern World Find more on: chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2018/04/30/chinese-art-in-the-modern-world/

Do Not Disregard Mental Health

We’ve heard it time and again that health is wealth. It’s essentially the only thing that will last you a lifetime. You only have one body after all. How you take care of yourself and live a healthy life can likewise determine the quality of your life in your lifetime. However, there is one aspect of human health that is seldom talked about – mental health. A person’s mental well-being is just as important as his/her physical health and we shouldn’t even be arguing about it at this point. When ignored or not cared for properly, a poor mental state can cause various problems in life not only to your health but also your relationships with others.

You’d be surprised to find out that the state of your mind can have a big impact on your body. But it is not surprising to see someone fall ill when they are constantly stressed, losing sleep and worried about a lot of things all the time. You’d notice that you tend to lose weight, get dark circles under your eyes and feel anxious and fidgety all the time when something is bothering your mind. If it persists, it’s not impossible to get sick and exhibit physical symptoms like when you are actually sick with an infection or ailment. Even criminals and offenders are known to have mental health issues, especially that most crimes they do are incomprehensible and only people who have a twisted mind and have no sense of what is right and what is wrong will likely do it.

Between 50 and 70 percent of the young prisoners in state juvenile justice systems have a mental disability, but an analysis of those systems found that only one state — Indiana — requires all teachers in such facilities to have special education certification.

(Via: https://sojo.net/articles/mental-health-disorders-are-pervasive-juvenile-justice-system-here-s-how-one-state)

Criminals are no longer just adults who lost their way but a growing number of juvenile delinquents and prisoners show that even young kids can commit crimes so unspeakable it makes you question their innocence after. But since they are still young, it is possible to correct them early and prevent these young offenders from living a life of sin if only an expert who knows how to deal with their fragile state of mental health can work with them and help them see the error of their ways and address their special needs.

In 2013, Villayat ‘Wolf’ Sunkmanitu launched a series of rolling exhibitions to raise awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and to promote creativity as a coping mechanism for disability.

His poetry raised awareness of what living with PTSD feels like, while his photography demonstrated his escape from the ‘Chains of PTSD’.

His exhibitions allowed him to interact with and listen to other people with disabilities, civilians and veterans alike and he was made aware of similar problems being experienced by others but on a wider scale.

“People were opening up at the exhibitions by either leaving comments in the guestbook, through social media or talking to me direct,” said Villayat.

(Via: http://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/article.cfm?id=119739&headline=Camera%20club%20focuses%20on%20effects%20of%20mental%20health%20disorders&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018)

Not only criminals but the victims, most especially, have a more vulnerable state of mental health and will likely require professional help to get them back on track. Virtually everyone who has PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder finds it difficult to cope if not for mental health experts who help them overcome whatever traumatic situation they were once in. In this case, photographs proved to be handy in showing the general public that trauma can be any forms of bullying, abuse, accidents, or anything that felt beyond normal where your usual coping skills faltered and left your emotions and mind vulnerable to undue stress and so much more. It is visible in your physical demeanor whether you are okay mentally or not, so don’t just shrug it off and seek help rather than face your inner demons by yourself.

The following blog article Do Not Disregard Mental Health was first published to chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2018/04/16/do-not-disregard-mental-health/

Students Lead Social Changes

Free speech and democracy have long been enjoyed by the millions of people in the country but it hasn’t always been like that. There was a time when only a handful enjoyed certain privileges while the rest suffered in poverty and slavery. But over time and countless blood, sweat and tears of brave and selfless people, almost equal rights are now enjoyed by all. Take note, almost. While we seem to enjoy most of our human rights nowadays and take for granted the heroic bravery of our forefathers for us to be able to enjoy all these things, there are still a few vulnerable groups in society that don’t get to enjoy all these things like the rest of us.

Students get an education to learn crucial life and professional skills but they also learn about these inequalities and injustices in life. And with their idealistic point of views, it no longer comes as a surprise to see them fighting for various causes and leading up activist groups. The country is quite familiar with student activism and has seen our fair share of peaceful or violent protests in the student’s effort of trying to get their message across. What better cause to fight for than their own access to affordable and quality education. It will take more than just your arm and legs to send your kids to college. The sad thing is that that they’ll be drowning in student loan debt by the time they graduate.

We live in an area where student activism causes change.

The Free Speech Movement began with a yearlong protest at UC Berkeley led by Mario Savio after students were barred from fundraising and distributing political flyers on campus. The university eventually relented, but student-led civil disobedience quickly spread to college campuses throughout the country in the ’60s, coalescing into protests of the Vietnam War.

Tuition for UC and California State University students remained frozen from 2011 to 2016 because Gov. Jerry Brown listened to student protesters.

Merritt College students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale met in 1962 and four years later formed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. As their movement grew, the Panthers’ foot soldiers concentrated on building free breakfast programs.

(Via: https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Oakland-students-walkout-in-keeping-with-Bay-12760481.php)

Student protesters are no longer limited to college campuses as even high-schoolers raise their voices to be heard regarding the rapid rise of gun violence happening schools all over the country. You can’t blame these young minds if they were awakened to the sad reality of life at such a young age because violence is all around them, even in the very place they consider as their second home. Now when you look at it, student activism is now tackling more diverse issues that aren’t solely related to education and children welfare.

Last week's huge, nationwide participation in the student walkouts to protest gun violence in schools should provide a boost of energy for the turnout of young people for this week's March for Our Lives in Washington and at more than 700 satellite marches against gun violence and school shootings, experts say.

The main March 24 event is on Pennsylvania Avenue between the U.S. Capitol and the White House, where organizers have estimated that 500,000 students and others will attend.

"I think there is going to be a lot of energy and a lot of carryover from the walkouts" lifting participation in the marches, said Jeremy Pressman, an associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut and a leading expert on counting the size of protests.

(Via: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/03/21/student-activists-and-celebrity-donors-whos-behind.html)

Now, these student protests even have celebrity donors supporting their causes that in turn attracts even more people to attend their events. It has become a nationwide campaign where students from various states can also participate in somehow that is likewise backed by lots of private funding from high-profile celebrities who believe what they are fighting for. A perfect example is the “March for our Lives” protest that fights for better gun control and has been basically a nationwide event, which is fitting for their cause as various shooting incidents have erupted in different states over the past few years and claimed countless innocent lives. In this essence, it’s no longer just the students’ fight but that of the entire community since the cause is very timely and important for every American in the land.

The blog post Students Lead Social Changes was first seen on https://chrdnet.org/

source https://chrdnet.org/2018/04/03/students-lead-social-changes/

Cheap Chinese Labor, Anyone?

Businesses are booming on a global scale. Even with traditional business, you can sell your goods or offer your services to virtually everyone on the World Wide Web. The growing capitalist economy did an excellent job in conditioning the minds of the people to desire more material things in their lives, which drives the economy even further. While traditional economic principles explain the law of supply and demand, the new breed of entrepreneurs totally changed the landscape by creating demand for things and services that used to be not a necessity in people’s lives.

So, you get big markets for almost everything under the sun: towels and bedding, furniture and appliances, heck, even water pipes and bongs. Meanwhile, the advent of technology brings about a wave of tech gadgets for your every need. The most recent favorite are smart gadgets that not only look sleek and fancy but can do multiple things all at once using just one gadget. They also serve as portals to the web. You no longer need bulky computers or laptops to access the World Wide Web. And with this newfound freedom comes a new set of needs and wants. And for a country with the highest population on the planet today, an opportunity just opened up for China – cheap Chinese labor to meet the market’s demand. The Chinese workforce has been riddled by controversies for quite some time now as the Western World learns more about dire working conditions in most Chinese factories all over Mainland China.

I recently had Mr. Yang, a coal miner from Hunan, the province where the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong was born, on my Radio Free Asia program. He told me that in 2013, the local government closed down the state-owned coal mine where he worked for 12 years. A total of 268 workers were dismissed without any compensation. Mr. Yang, one of the 10 elected worker representatives, said many of his colleagues had lung diseases and an array of crippling injuries ― none of which were work-related, according to their former employer. They were denied compensation and medical care.

Also a few weeks ago, in the northeastern city of Changchun, thousands of Volkswagen contract workers walked off the assembly lines in protest. Their demand: equal pay for equal work. Their claim: they were getting paid as little as half the salary of a full Volkswagen employee.

When the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping initiated China’s economic reforms in 1979 ― under the slogan “let some people get rich first” ― it was implied that the rest of China would follow suit, improving their livelihoods. It’s been almost four decades and still only a few have benefited. In fact, inequality has risen to such levels that an embarrassingly small segment of the population, including Communist Party cadres, is picking the fruits of economic development.

The party has taken note. During the recent National People’s Congress annual meeting, Premier Li Keqiang prioritized in his report the increase of domestic consumption through higher wages, under “complex and challenging circumstances in China and abroad.”

What are these “challenging circumstances”? The party faces a severe loyalty deficit in its ranks, after years of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign that, though popular among supporters, makes government officials at all levels uneasy about their bookkeeping. Xi may need to rely more on public support instead, but time is not on his side.

(Via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/china-labor-unrest_us_58cadc80e4b0ec9d29d9f778)

What a twisted principle, that is. “Let some people get rich first and the rest of China will follow suit.” It seems that this principle really worked well for some while the majority of the Chinese population are still living in poverty considering how powerful and rich China’s economy is. Most popular brands nowadays have factories in China, because duh, cheap Chinese labor. For them, the end justifies the means. These companies enjoy bigger profits without sacrificing production by getting things done in China than in their own countries.

In response to Daily Mirror‘s article that claimed adidas factory workers in China were paid a monthly wage of £147 ($184 USD), the German brand has responded.

Specifically, the original report also tied in Kanye West, claiming his YEEZY sneakers “are made by workers who slave for 10 hours a day, six days a week. They are expected to arrive 15 minutes early every day to sing the company song and attend production meetings, meaning they do an hour and a half unpaid time every week.”

The accusatory post went on to include images of the factory, the machines the workers use, and photos of their accommodations, ultimately presenting adidas unfavorably. Adding merit to the claims, the Daily Mirror also cites U.S.-based China Labor Watch as a partner. The New York-based NGO works aims to defend workers’ rights in China, and the information was supposedly uncovered during investigation into labor practices at a factory named Apache Footwear in Guangdong, China.

(Via: http://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/04/14/adidas-yeezy-factory-response/)

For a country that takes pride in their fast rising economy, military, and technological advancements, it is disheartening to hear about stories like this where the people are exploited by their own people or even by the government itself. Most Chinese are forced to endure these unacceptable working conditions in filthy and possibly dangerous factory environments only to earn a few dollars each day because most of them are contractual workers – meaning no work, no pay.

The rest of the world do not seem to mind, especially the big companies and corporations that have offshore offices and factories in China – because they got to do what they go to do to grow their business and make sure everyone profits even at the expense of that poor and starving Chinese laborers who’ll forever remain without names. As these stories reach social media and more liberal news outfits, will these conditions change or will this be just a case of minding your own business?

Cheap Chinese Labor, Anyone? Read more on: Chinese Human Rights Development Net

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/10/04/cheap-chinese-labor-anyone/

No Sleep Can Break A Relationship

We all know how it feels when we are lacking in sleep. It resembles the feeling when you are hungry, which makes you hangry = hungry + angry. You’re not just easily annoyed but feel really upset too because you do not function at your best when you are sleep deprived. It is already an issue when you are still single and don’t sleep with anyone yet but it takes on a different meaning once you have a partner or are already married.

Sleep is crucial to married couples as much as their sex life and finances are. And since there is someone else sleeping beside you at night, another person will notice all your little quirks and habits and it’s even worse if you are snoring. Snoring is a symptom of a deadly condition known as sleep apnea in itself knowing that there are countless breathing pauses in your sleep but imagine if you are the unfortunate person to sleep beside a snoring individual. While you worry about your spouse or partner’s health and well-being, you can’t help but think about yours too. The snoring sound lingers in your ear and drifting off the sleep seems like an impossible task each night and you dread going to bed once nighttime falls.

Sleep deprivation can put a major strain on your relationship that may cause you to have hostile fights with your significant other. On top of that, lack of sleep—the goal is seven to nine hours a night for adults—can cause depleted alertness, impaired memory, moodiness, and a poor quality of life, as well as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, obesity, depression, premature wrinkling, and a lower sex drive, says the Cleveland Clinic. Seems like a solid list of reasons to keep anything, let alone a snoring bunkmate, stand between you and ample beauty rest, right?

Because snorers tend to sleep just fine despite the sounds they’re making, they don’t necessarily experience the health effects their REM-deprived partners do, which is why the dozing musicians might not see it as a problem at first. But whether you’re the snorer or the one rocking earplugs, there are some things that can be done to help with the problem.

(Via: https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/snoring-harmful-to-relationships/)

It’s not just a complaint voiced out by partners of snorers but studies have proven how disastrous relationships have ended because of this annoying sound. Life has been such a drag so far with wars here and there, natural calamities hitting different places in the globe with such a force, rising commodity prices, etc., the last thing a person wants to do is stay up all night tossing and turning because they can’t ignore the snoring sound their partner makes. Some who can’t take it anymore leads to break ups and separations while some try unconventional sleeping arrangements like sleeping in different rooms just to stay sane and not hate their partner just as much without losing their precious sleep.

Snoring, overactive sleepers, different temperature preferences or opposite sleep/wake times can ruin a partner’s rest, Phyllis Zee, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, told The Huffington Post.

And while bed sharing does help build emotional comfort and closeness that benefits relationships, sleeping side-by-side is not the only way to achieve that, Zee said. (Couples who sleep apart can try a morning or nighttime routine for cuddling and sex, she added.) 

“Getting good quality sleep is important for relationships ― bed-sharing or not,” she said. “It’s a personal decision, not necessarily a sign of marital problems.”

(Via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sleeping-apart-relationships_us_583358a1e4b030997bc0c643)

It may be a novel concept for couples but it has worked for some and saved many relationships as well. After all, it is better to sacrifice the cuddling and embrace of your special someone at night than leaving them for good. Give it a try if you have a partner that snores. Of course, it is important to get him/her checked but it may be helpful as well to consider this tip rather than let the snoring become a problem in your relationship. Remember that we are human beings with needs that must be met. We get sick if we don’t get cranky first if these needs aren't met such as sleeping and eating. So, spare your relationship all the troubles and either get that snoring checked or move out to the spare room in your house right now.

The following post No Sleep Can Break A Relationship See more on: chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/10/02/no-sleep-can-break-a-relationship/

Internet Censorship In China

China is a global behemoth in the modern world. It is one of the biggest nations in the world with the highest population and one of the strongest economies today. Their military force is one of the strongest as well, with numerous skilled soldiers equipped with the most advanced equipment and munitions. It seems that China has it all. And perhaps it does. The nation is also blessed with a rich history, culture, and the arts along with some breathtaking scenery both natural and man-made.

However, they may be just smokescreens to more pressing yet seldom talked about issues regarding real life in China. Chinese citizens do not enjoy many rights and they have no choice but to obey everything the government says or risk persecution. Life isn’t easy for the ordinary Chinese who not only has to deal with constant human right abuses from people in authority but likewise live in poverty in densely populated and polluted cities. But while their conditions are poor and human right abuses are the norm, they seldom complain because that’s just their way of life. After all, they know so little about life outside the great walls of their nation because the government imposes extreme Internet censorship and its citizens have little use of the World Wide Web so far.

Everyone knows that China has some of the most sophisticated censorship tools in the world, but the details of how they actually work — what they censor and when — are often not fully understood. A new report by Citizen Lab, a research group studying the web, human rights, and global security, sheds some light on one particularly fruitful target for Chinese censorship: mobile messaging.

Citizen Lab looked at how the Chinese government censors discussion on WeChat, a popular messaging app. WeChat is the fourth biggest messaging service in the world, with more than 768 million active users, but is also deeply embedded in Chinese society, where it’s used not only for chatting, but for tasks like banking, paying bills, booking holidays, calling cabs, and much more.

The cornerstone of WeChat censorship is keyword filtering, which blocks messages that contain terms like “human rights,” “mass arrest,” and “spiritual freedom.” However, Citizen Lab found that the censors don’t just block messages containing any one specific phrase, but instead look for combinations of different terms. So you can send a message with the words “human rights lawyer” in it, but if you combine that with the name of a specific lawyer — Jiang Tianyong, who was recently “disappeared” by the government — the message is blocked.

When a message is censored, users are not notified of this fact. They see it as sent in their own app, but it just never reaches its intended recipient. The system works by examining every message that is sent when it passes through WeChat’s servers. The list of filtered keywords is also reactive, and changes in relation to the news; and only to WeChat accounts using mobile phone numbers registered in the Chinese mainland. Citizen Lab says much of the censorship on WeChat is currently focused around the “709 Crackdown” — a series of arrests against civil dissenters that began on the 9th of July 2015 (hence the name).

(Via: https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/18/15337660/chinese-web-censorship-wechat-messages)

If you live in a free country anywhere in the world, learning about these things can shock you. You’d probably wonder how people live with such restrictions in this modern day and age. But that is just the way it is in China. The people don’t even know what they are missing out on because the government is very good in limiting their access to the web and are prompt in addressing potentially problematic issues in their infancy. No wonder that Facebook and Twitter are not welcome in the Red Dragon of Asia. These social networks are notorious for controversial social and political remarks, discussions and arguments that may likely mess the internal equilibrium there is in China.

The mobile internet, accessed via smartphone, is capturing a growing share of daily time that adults in China spend on major media, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast.

In 2017, adults in China will spend an average of 1 hour 38 minutes with their smartphones. eMarketer has raised its previous estimates for time spent with smartphones by 7.4 minutes per day. This is largely due to the availability of cheaper smartphones with capabilities similar to flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy and the iPhone, which in turn has led to increased smartphone adoption and deeper engagement with the devices.

“As attention continues to migrate from offline to online formats and from desktop to mobile devices, advertising dollars, too, will shift,” said Shellen Shum, senior forecasting analyst at eMarketer. “Coupled with improvements in targeting and measurability, digital and mobile ad formats will continue to fare better than their counterparts in traditional media.”

Adults in China still spend less time on smartphones than they do with TV—but that gap is closing. eMarketer estimates that by 2019, adults will spend an average of 2 hours 9 minutes with their smartphones per day, just 25 minutes less than the average amount of time spent watching TV.

(Via: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/China-Time-Spent-on-Mobile-Internet-Continues-Grow/1015693)

But it seems that the Chinese government should work even harder as the threat of technology and everything that comes along with it is now reaching even rural areas in Mainland China. Freedom of speech, information and of the press is a popular concept that is heavily influenced by modern western democratic culture and societies. They are something that Chinese leaders don’t want their people to openly enjoy as it might trigger an uprising against the government. Chinese traditional media acts as puppets, only showing what the government wants the people to see and know of.

While the advent of the Internet posed a new and bigger challenge to the Chinese government, they managed to find a way to address this through the vast centralized censorship program. But if you look at it, what they are doing is even in clear violation of the Chinese Constitution itself that supports freedom of speech, publication, assembly, association, procession, and demonstration. But leave it to the Chinese to find a way to do whatever they want. The whole world remains as distant onlookers who will keep on guessing what is really going on in this powerful Asian nation.

The following article Internet Censorship In China is republished from CHRDNet Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/29/internet-censorship-in-china/

China: Emerging Travel Hub In Asia

The world is getting smaller and smaller as the days go by. This is all due to technology and the power of the Internet. You’d often see photos and videos of various to-die-for places on social media and some even have corresponding budget travel packages for people who’d rather take the journey and make more happy memories in life than watch people live their lives to the fullest on the sidelines. And with the help of the web, ordinary tourists can make their way on various travels without ever needing professional help from travel agents.

And if there is a country worthy of being on anyone’s travel list, it has to be China. With a vast land area and numerous attractions to visit, you’ll never run out of ideas when traveling there. The Chinese economy is flourishing and it’s not just about making money on traditional industries, a lot of the money pouring into China also comes from tourism, both local and foreign tourists.

Airbnb may have stumbled slightly last week when it rolled out its new strategy for conquering the Chinese market – which included a doubling of its investment there and a flashy new name: Aibiying. This is where the problem lies. The name isn’t easy to say for Mandarin speakers, and many Chinese netizens have reacted negatively.

As one Weibo user put it: “Airbnb has given itself a stupid Chinese name, and even shot an MV (music video) for it. It is just like a foreigner trying to speak poor Chinese.” However, despite the name issue, Airbnb may actually be better positioned than other US tech companies that have tried (and failed) to crack China – most notably Uber.

First and foremost, there’s the sheer size – and growth potential – of the Chinese travel market. Tourist spending totalled $500bn in 2015 and is expected to more than double to $1.2tn by 2020, according to a China National Tourism Administration report.

Most of this travel is happening domestically, too. According to the report, the number of trips taken inside China reached a remarkable 4.1bn in 2015, an average annual growth of 10.2%.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/mar/31/why-airbnb-well-placed-to-crack-china-holiday-rental-market-aibiying)

Although we are all aware how difficult it is to dominate the Chinese market because of strict government policies and censorship, Airbnb was able to overcome these challenges and position itself in the market not far away from local counterparts. What a feat, indeed. And there is more to gain for them as Chinese tourism is also on the rise with many infamous attractions you ought to visit in your lifetime.

Like a writhing dragon’s tail, the Great Wall of China snakes its way across China’s northern border. As its name suggests, the Great Wall is an imposing architectural marvel, and it’s often hailed as one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world.

The Great Wall of China’s history stretches back more than 2,000 years, to a time before China was even a unified country.

But the Great Wall of China isn’t really a single great wall. “The first thing to note,” travel expert Stan Godwyn told Travel + Leisure, “is that it’s actually a series of walls and fortifications.”

Godwyn typically arranges for clients to visit one of four main sections — Badaling (the most well-known and accessible for travelers of varying mobility), Mutianyu (well-restored but much less crowded), Simatai (a crumbling, rugged stretch of wall), and Jinshanling (for serious hikers).

Despite its cultural and historic importance, it wasn’t until 1987 that the Great Wall of China was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

(Via: http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/the-great-wall-of-china#president-obama)

And no other Chinese attraction can beat the popularity of the Great Wall of China. Just seeing this sight alone is reason enough for many travelers to cross borders and travel to China at least once in their lives. After all, it is a sight to behold and the only manmade structure visible from space. Aside from the great wall, many other attractions and the chance to eat authentic Chinese food is worth a trip to the home of the Chinese and to plainly immerse in the culture as unique as theirs. And now is the perfect time to travel to this emerging travel hub in Asia with affordable flights and accommodation to help you afford the travel of your dreams.

The article China: Emerging Travel Hub In Asia was initially seen on https://chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/22/china-emerging-travel-hub-in-asia/

China In Growing Conflict With North Korea

What used to be allies may soon be fast enemies. China and North Korea have been diplomatic allies for decades. They share the same uptight quality most Chinese and North Korean people possess and both have been a mystery to the world for a long time, although China stepped out of the dark and into the light and opened its doors to the rest of the world for quite some time now. Meanwhile, North Korea remains to be out of touch with reality and so little is known about what really goes on in this tiny yet proud nation.

However, not all good things last. China and North Korea may have enjoyed a friendly relationship in the past but that is gradually changing as China is increasingly worried about North Korea’s active and highly dangerous missile program. China is more vocal now about their concerns and this has not escaped the attention of the public. But the gradual severing of ties that is happening now between these two nations isn’t something new but actually started in 1992 when China established diplomatic relations with the home of the KWave, KPop and Kdrama, South Korea.

If we look at North Korea and South Korea, who is a friend of China and who is an enemy? Outwardly, China and North Korea are allies, while the United States and Japan support South Korea against North Korea.

That is a legacy of the Cold War. But I believe that after decades of contention and shifts in the international landscape, there has long been a fundamental transformation.

My basic conclusion is, judging by the current situation, North Korea is China’s latent enemy and South Korea could be China’s friend. To call North Korea a latent enemy of China means that, for now, this still has not come to the fore.

Diplomatically, when leaders of the two countries talk to each other, they do not use particularly hostile rhetoric. But that does not count. Do not look at the rhetoric. Look at fundamentalinterests.

Look at whether the fundamental interests of China and North Korea are aligned and consistent. Speaking in light of my own research into the history of the Chinese-North Korean relationship, China and North Korea really were friends and allies in the past. That was when the relationship was a special friendship created by Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung and other senior Chinese and North Korean leaders.

When China and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992, that totally destroyed the political basis of the Chinese-North Korean relationship. By 1992, at the end of the Cold War, the Chinese-North Korean relationship and alliance created by the previous generation no longer existed.

Practically speaking, everything had changed in the relationship. In foreign policy, economics, politics, everything, the interests of China and North Korea had diverged, and the basis for an alliance had disintegrated.

The treaty of alliance between China and North Korea became a piece of scrap paper.

(Via: http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/why-north-korea-chinas-latent-enemy)

Basically, the close diplomatic relations between China and North Korea virtually disappeared when the former made peace with South Korea, a known enemy of North Korea. So you see, politics is really a difficult issue to discuss since the facts can get twisted over time and loyalties are never permanent – not even loyalty to one’s party but only loyalty to one’s self. The same can be said about inter-global relationships. Each nation has their own interests to protect and go after and alliances are formed or broken when nations share or no longer share the same interests. After all, is there really any other nation that understands North Korea aside from China? It’s hard to tell if there is because North Korea has shut itself from the world for as long as everyone can remember.

China sent the Trump administration "positive signals"  that it will increase economic sanctions to pressure ally North Korea to abandon its development of nuclear weapons and missiles, a threat that has raised the prospect of a military confrontation with the United States, the State Department revealed Monday.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive signals from the Chinese but it takes time,” Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said on a conference call with reporters. “You don’t know if these kinds of economic pressure will work until it works.”

U.S. diplomats will meet with the Chinese and American allies at the United Nations later this month to discuss the way forward, Thornton said. But if the Chinese are unsuccessful, the U.S. will move to increase pressure on North Korea on its own.

(Via: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/04/17/us-china-sends-positive-signals-help-defuse-north-korea-crisis/100572358/)

The wind is now blowing in a different direction indeed as China hints of its support to the U.S. rather than to its longtime ally, North Korea. Amidst the threats of a nuclear war between the U.S. with the help of South Korea through an aggressive war drill against North Korea, China openly expressed they will not support such barbaric acts. However, this is a tricky situation China found itself to be in since they can’t just allow the destruction of their smaller ally for reasons such as potential refugee rise to China, among many others.

Meanwhile, the United States isn’t interested in destabilizing North Korea at all. They just want them to stop their nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles testing that can potentially destroy America. Where China sits in this mess depends on them and it won’t likely take long for everyone to find out.

The following article China In Growing Conflict With North Korea Find more on: The Chinese Human Rights Development Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/15/china-in-growing-conflict-with-north-korea/

How Terrorism Affects Travel

The world is a big place that you lose a lot of opportunities in learning a new place, language, and culture by just staying in one place for the rest of your life. The love for travel is made more popular these days thru social media. The web is a great place to see different places that it ignites a deep yearning in you to go out there and see the big wide world for real.

There are many beautiful and amazing natural attractions in different parts of the globe. The biggest challenge here is money. Of course, you pay for airfare, food, and accommodation. Even backpackers shell out a small amount to get from one place to another. After all, almost everything has a price now that you can seldom avail of anything for free. Another major issue that affects travel today is the threat of terrorism. Terror acts happen everywhere it’s difficult to tell where they will strike next. It’s a major consideration when you plan for your next travel getaway although some aren’t deterred by these travel alerts or bans at all.

Many airlines have suspended flights to and from Qatar's capital, Doha.

The issues arose after the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen all cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. They say it backs Islamist terror groups, which Qatar denies.

Those countries have now closed their airspace to the country's flag carrier, Qatar Airways.

So what should passengers do?

Who is directly affected?

Anyone who'd planned flying direct between Qatar and the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain will be impacted.

So too are passengers to/from those four countries who were due to be transiting through Qatar, for instance Singapore to Cairo via Doha or London to Riyadh via Doha.

(Via: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40168780)

It’s no longer surprising to find out that certain governments are connected with terrorists. Even ISIS itself have been claimed to have started with the help of the US Central Intelligence Agency. With terror attacks happening all over the globe for days in a row now, everyone is on high alert and governments only have the safety and security of their people in mind. It’s why Qatar is now considered an outcast of a nation. With rumors that it fund terror groups, other countries have canceled their flights in and out of Doha indefinitely.

The recent terrorist attack in the United Kingdom prompted President Donald Trump to resume his pursuit of the travel ban to prevent terrorism in the United States.

“People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!” he said.

The temporary ban blocks travel and immigration from six Middle Eastern countries — Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Trump’s second attempt at instating a ban was blocked in March by a federal judge in Hawaii, which was upheld by an federal appeals court in May. The president’s first attempt was withdrawn by the White House after it was also blocked by the courts. Trump signed his support for the stronger, first ban.

(Via: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/05/donald-trump-bring-back-the-travel-ban-to-fight-terror/)

Ever since assuming office, the most common solution Donald Trump could come up with is to issue travel bans as the answer to many of the issues America is facing today. While it is acceptable considering he only has the safety of the millions of Americans in mind, it is not the best and only solution for issues like terrorism. First off, the terrorists are often already in the United States themselves and have been here for quite some time too. Singling out Muslims isn’t sensitive and sensible as well as it only divides the people even more and creates further conflicts than there already was.

It takes more than just a simple travel ban to wipe out terrorists for good. Even after killing many of these terrorists, new ones will just sign up as a Jihadist, for instance, and pledge allegiance to their terror group. Moreover, the media seems to be fanning the flames and triggers more confusion than being of actual help. If you really need to travel to any of these high-risk places as of the moment, just exercise eternal vigilance. Try to avoid going to crowded areas whenever possible and always be on your toes when out and about. It is always better to be safe than sorry. However, don’t let these terror threats stop you from exploring the world. You only live once. Just remember to travel at your own risk if you really want to pack up and travel somewhere far.

The blog post How Terrorism Affects Travel is republished from CHRDnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/08/how-terrorism-affects-travel/

The China-Australia Row

Not all nations go along with each other very well. Others are civil while a few are at war. Our modern world is continually in conflict with one another albeit in a subtle way. World War 3 may not have been declared yet but various wars and conflicts are happening all over the globe without the knowledge of everybody. Even the bigger and more powerful nations aren’t exempt and are in a row now with one another for various reasons too.

Aside from news on terror attacks and more terror attacks happening in different nations the world over, conflicts over political espionage is arising between the superpower that is China and the continent nation of Australia from down under. Any nation, no matter how big or economically prosperous it is, has to interact with other nations for trade or for other reasons. That’s how global modern life works but chaos ensues when this sense of balance is tarnished. The truth is, 34% of Australian exports (energy products and services and animal produce) go to China. Even the Chinese likes to invest in the Australian market with over $80-billion in investments over the past ten years.

Australia is reviewing its espionage laws and banning foreign political donations over concerns that China is buying influence by using rich businessmen to funnel millions of dollars in donations to political parties.  “Just as modern China was based on an assertion of national sovereignty, so China should always respect the sovereignty of other nations, including, of course, our own,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters on Tuesday.  Many other western nations, including the US and UK, prohibit foreign political donations, and Washington has expressed concern both over Chinese meddling in Australian politics and the role of a wealthy diaspora in Beijing’s drive to project soft power overseas.

(Via: https://www.ft.com/content/13e46a12-4a5d-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b)

Despite their seemingly long-standing economic ties, conflict is brewing between the two nations with issues of political espionage over Chinese political donations to the Liberal and Labor parties amounting to roughly A$6.7 million. Australia wants to maintain the integrity of the electoral system and take seriously issues involving foreign interference in the country’s electoral processes through monetary donations, which China has been found to be guilty of doing for quite some time now.

Nine months ago, Peter Hartcher, the international editor of the Fairfax-owned Sydney Morning Herald, published a provocative article calling for action against “foreign manipulation” in Australia by alleged pro-Chinese government “rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows.” Under conditions of immense war dangers on the Korean peninsula and flaring tensions between China and the US and its allies over strategic influence in Asia, last September’s anti-Chinese campaign is resurfacing to the centre of Australian political life.

The state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Fairfax’s newspapers—the so-called “liberal” wing of the Australian media—are conducting a joint “investigation” into “how China’s Communist Party is secretly infiltrating Australia.” Last night, the ABC’s current affairs’ program “Four Corners” was dedicated to sensationalist claims that the Chinese regime is seeking to exert clandestine “power and influence” over Australian politics and foreign policy.

Top journalists from both outlets, including Melbourne Age foreign affairs’ writer Daniel Flitton, a former intelligence analyst, and the ABC’s political editor, Chris Uhlmann, are conducting the investigation. And they make no secret of the fact that they are serving as the direct conduit for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which is repeatedly cited as their primary source of information.

(Via: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/06/06/four-j06.html)

While these political espionage issues remain to be allegations, you can’t deny the strengthening of ties between America and Australia may also be a factor here. We all know that China and the US aren’t on good terms, so to say. However, a brewing war between China and Australia will not only hurt the latter’s economy but prove to be disastrous to many of the Chinese-Australians and Chinese citizens living down under.

Australia takes their sovereignty seriously just like China does. The government aims to review and make amendments to their existing espionage and foreign interference laws this 2017 to ensure that no foreign influence can dictate the Australian government anytime soon.

The China-Australia Row is republished from CHRDNet

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/09/01/the-china-australia-row/

Venezuela Turns Down Foreign Aid

Powerful nations like the United States extend a helping hand to struggling third-world nations more often than not. Many of these countries don’t have access to the most basic of services, leaving their citizens impoverished and suffering in times of crisis. At times, it is the government’s fault why the country can’t meet the needs of the people. Poor economic management has led to soaring inflation and an epidemic shortage of food and medicines badly needed by the people.

It’s what happened to the socialist country that is Venezuela even though theirs is a country naturally rich in gold and oil. People die even from the most minor of injuries and medical conditions. Unfortunately, instead of accepting help, the Venezuelan government refuses foreign aid much to the horror of its suffering constituents. And the situation will probably worsen than it already is because the possibility of electing a new leader this coming election won’t likely happen with the stronghold of the current administration that is still currently actively seeking out and persecuting those who protests under the current Maduro administration.

For the last two years Norma Camero Reno has been shipping a steady supply of desperately needed medicines from the United States to Venezuela. Reno and other members of her nonprofit, Move Foundation, pack painkillers, cold medicines and other supplies to be distributed to hospitals, health clinics and churches throughout the beleaguered nation.

Two weeks ago, however, that all changed.

Reno, a Venezuelan-born, Tampa-based lawyer and founder of the foundation, said that for years her organization faced very little pushback from the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro when sending packages of food and medicine to the country. But when she arrived in the small, Venezuelan coastal city of Barcelona two weeks ago, Reno discovered that none of the recent medicine shipments had made it to her contacts in the country.

While the group has in the past had to deal with Venezuelan officials confiscating food shipments, this was the first time that medicine has been stopped from being delivered.

“They are stopping everything from going in,” Reno told Fox News. “They are taking everything for themselves.”

(Via: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06/06/venezuela-blocking-medicine-humanitarian-aid-from-us-groups.html)

Some humanitarian groups have tried yet failed to deliver these much-needed medicines to the Venezuelans. Even the wife of the opposition leader who is now rotting away in prison wrote a plea to the government to at least open the humanitarian channel, so that civic groups can send foreign aid especially medicine supplies desperately needed by many Venezuelans these days.

 After four years of sending monthly shipments of medicine and food for hospitals and needy people in Venezuela, Move Org, a non-profit based in Miami, abruptly stopped three weeks ago.

"We stopped because we are seeing that boxes and containers are being opened and searched in Venezuela. We don't want problems," said Hilda Marina Alcalá, the Florida vice-president of the non-profit.

Move Org had been sending up to five to seven pallets of donations monthly to help alleviate the burden that the economic and political crisis gripping the South American nation has had on its people.

But recently, the Venezuelan government banned the import of a series of items they deem "war material." Government officials accuse the opposition in Venezuela of using international courier services to send products to equip protesters in the two months of almost daily clashes with security forces.

(Via: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/medicines-supplies-grounded-u-s-after-venezuela-tags-them-war-n767346)

Although the main reason why the Venezuelan government shuns foreign aid is that they are searching for possible war materials sent by non-profits, which are actually often just bulletproof vests and gas masks and helmets but consequently prevented the delivery even of medicines and medical supplies that are urgently needed by many sick Venezuelans.

As a result, even foreign non-profits that have been extending assistance for years and decades now have stopped sending weekly food and medicine shipment among others knowing that they will just be confiscated by the government and not reach its intended recipients. These groups have been arguing how the government can consider medicines as war materials that will be used in the on-going violent anti-government protests by the Venezuelans who have long been upset with the system and desperately in need of change.

The blog post Venezuela Turns Down Foreign Aid was initially published on CHRDnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/08/24/venezuela-turns-down-foreign-aid/

Demand For Industrial Robots Increases In China

China is a known global superpower. With the second biggest economy in the world, you don’t need to think long enough to determine where all this money comes from. China’s economy is mainly driven by its manufacturing industry. If you look at many of the products you now have in possession, a lot of them are probably “Made in China”. But since change is the only permanent thing in this world, China is embracing this reality and will do its best to ensure that they stay on top of the manufacturing industry for a long time regardless of the changes around them.

China intends to do this with the help of industrial robots. Known for their cheap labor and harsh working conditions, the Chinese government no longer has to deal with these allegations by using robots instead of human workers. If there is a downside to this trend, though, it’s that some of the impoverished Chinese laborers will lose work to these efficient inanimate objects over time.

China is the buyer of 27 percent of the world’s industrial robots. As the country presses full steam ahead with manufacturing automation, the demand for industrial robots continues to surge. While imports constitute the overwhelming majority, the state is also promoting domestic robot manufacturers. The national program of “Made in China 2025” seeks to make China a robotics powerhouse in eight years. In the year 2015 alone, the government of Guangdong Province invested $150 billion to encourage automation and foster robotics innovation.

Ostensibly, it seems that a Chinese robot takeover is imminent, prompting one analyst to warn that China is planning “world robot domination.” But what is really going on inside China’s industrial robot industry? What are the business prospects for the world’s robotics firms? I contend China still has a long way to go in matching the technological sophistication and scale of leading global robotics companies. Nonetheless, China is an enormous market where there are billions of profits in waiting.

(Via: http://thediplomat.com/2017/05/who-will-satisfy-chinas-thirst-for-industrial-robots/)

Automating the manufacturing industry is the solution to the rising costs and aging Chinese population. This move is especially helpful and practical when it comes to electronic and automobile manufacturing companies. Aside from ensuring an efficient operation all the time, the use of industrial-grade robots enables companies to enjoy millions of savings, mostly savings in labor costs.

Production per person increased from 8,000 pieces to 21,000 pieces, which is a 162.5% increase, and product defect rate fell from 25% to 5%—this sounds like a dream for any organisation. Well, this is a dream come true for Changying Precision Technology Company factory in Dongguan province of China which has replaced 90% of its human workers with robots. The data reflects a new form of human-robot co-working environment that will soon sweep the world.

The Dongguan company has automated production lines that use robotic arms to produce parts for cellphones. It has also automated machining equipment, autonomous transport trucks, and other automated equipment in the warehouse and number of employees have dropped from 650 to 60 and likely to come down to 20.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as China has a hugely ambitious plan to have a robot density of 150 units per 10,000 employees in the next two years, up from 36 now; and it is moving rapidly in this direction. Robotics will give a huge boost to China’s dominance of the world market with low cost robotic manufacturing replacing human labour, the cost of which is increasing every day. China has become the biggest market for industrial robots with nearly a 30% market share.

(Via: https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/news/2017/05/10/rise-of-the-robots-china-takes-a-powerful-lead-artificial-intelligence-robotics-rpa)

For now, China is accepting both locally-made and foreign industrial robots but their goal is to automate the manufacturing industry using domestic robots by the year 2025. Other countries like India are also using industrial robots to boost the manufacturing industry like that of China. These measures just make perfect sense considering robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning will soon be our reality rather than just concepts discussed among elite circles.

Robots are everywhere. They’re stocking shelves, pruning trees, making cocktails, delivering room service. Now they’re even showing up for work in some of the smallest factories, in a boost for manufacturing in the U.S. and a potential new threat to traditional production-line jobs.

The robotics wave began sweeping into automobile and other plants decades ago, stopping short of shops staffed with a relative handful of people. Many businesses couldn’t afford the contraptions, which weren’t designed to squeeze into tight spaces or operate very close to human beings.

(Via: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-10/armed-with-don-t-hurt-humans-sensors-robots-hit-small-factories)

Even the US has long since embraced this advanced concept and has also been using robots that many small manufacturers can now also afford. Most jobs today are at risk once the use of industrial robots goes full-scale. However, it is not always a bad thing because even though many jobs will be lost, other opportunities will open up that can compensate for the loss of work. The government should likewise look into the matter and set up contingency plans on how to help ordinary laborers who will run out of work when this happens like an alternative livelihood, so their lives don’t necessarily suffer as our technology progress.

Demand For Industrial Robots Increases In China See more on: The Chinese Human Rights Development Blog

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/08/17/demand-for-industrial-robots-increases-in-china/

Chinese Economy On The Rise

It is no longer unknown to many what an emerging superpower China has become, not only to Asia but to the whole world. The Chinese economy is on an upward momentum and is only the beginning of many more good things to come for China. Even Western countries are surprised at how steadily China’s economy kept on going up without showing signs of ever slowing down.

Many of the world’s economies suffered badly over the last few years. The United States is not an exception. The U.S. itself suffered badly from the last recession and is still recovering. While how the U.S. economy will fare is still a mystery to everyone as doubts about Trump’s capability in leading the country to greatness fills the minds of many and his first few policies continue to divide the country, China is stronger than ever and has surpassed everyone’s expectations.

China's economy stormed back in the first quarter, clocking its first back-to-back acceleration in seven years and bolstering the global growth outlook just as signs of subdued consumer spending have surfaced in the U.S.

The Chinese economy accelerated to a better-than-expected 6.9 per cent, powered by strength in housing, infrastructure investment, exports and retail sales. And it looks to have done so without worsening credit risks, a welcome development for economists worried about the nation's towering debt burden.

The world's second-biggest economy accounted for about one-third of global growth last year and, given the strong first quarter data, is on track to contribute at least as much in 2017, according to Rob Subbaraman, chief economist for Asia ex-Japan at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore.

"China, at least in the near term, is in a sweet spot with growth momentum strong and inflation pressures easing," said Subbaraman. "Whichever way you dice it, the first quarter was a strong set of numbers."

(Via: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/91676001/China-economy-roars-back-as-US-consumer-outlook-weakens)

This is no longer surprising as we can all see how much China has contributed to the world economy in general. Many nations import resources and manpower from China because they are undeniably cheaper. This is one of the first drivers of the Chinese economy and continues to do so up to these days. Name a popular brand and they likely have a factory somewhere in Mainland China. Tourism is also picking up now that China has opened its doors to foreign tourists who can’t wait to explore all the hidden wonders of this great nation.

China's economy grew 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017, government data showed Monday, beating expectations in the latest sign of stabilisation for the world's second-largest economy.

Beijing has said it wants to transition away from a reliance on debt-fuelled investment and towards a consumer-driven economic model, but the transition has proved bumpy.

The economy grew at just 6.7 percent in 2016, its slowest rate in a quarter of a century.

"For the first time in the recent years, China starts a year with a strong headline GDP," Raymond Yeung of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group told Bloomberg News.

"Thanks to strong investment and property, the economy is performing well."

(Via: https://www.enca.com/money/chinas-economy-grew-69-in-first-quarter-of-2017-govt)

Like with any other nation, there are factors that can affect the Chinese economy and China is still susceptible to those factors as well. Fortunately, they have their booming tourism to thank for that got its back in times of crisis. The western influence is always there no matter how hard the Chinese government tries to shut them off and spare their citizens from outside influence. Despite it all, Chinese tourists are still growing and they are traveling in and out of China in bigger numbers than ever. Now, who would say that most Chinese live in poverty when most of them can afford to go on luxurious travels on different corners of the globe? It just goes to show that the Chinese economy will weather the storm and still emerge on top after all.

The post Chinese Economy On The Rise was first published on chrdnet.org

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/08/09/chinese-economy-on-the-rise/

Religious Repression In China

The topic of religion has sparked countless debates and even fueled many wars over the centuries. Alliances were either formed or broken because of religious conflicts from one nation to another. And while this no longer comes as a surprise to many, there is no religious freedom among the many citizens of China. We all know what an authoritarian state China is. It means that the government is strict in enforcing stringent rules that most of the time does not make sense to the rest of the world.

With one of the earliest civilizations in the world, China has been through a lot over the years. These three religio-philosophical traditions have endured the most and among the most practiced by the Chinese: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. They also helped shaped the modern Chinese culture we now know. Yet despite the many changes in Chinese society and to the world at large, the Chinese government tries their best to resist these changes, so that every citizen obeys the law and they can rule the land however they please. Many cases of human rights abuse are reported and among them is the violation of the Chinese people’s freedom to religion.

President Xi Jinping’s China is becoming a more fearful place. The government has cracked down both on dissent and contact with the West. Religious persecution also is rising: the communist god that failed fears competition.

A new Freedom House report details how “the authorities have intensified many of their restrictions, resulting in an overall increase in religious persecution” since Xi took power in November 2012.

Persecution reveals a leadership which is nervous, even scared. The Chinese Communist Party is filled with ambitious time-servers, people too smart to believe Marxist and Maoist nonsense but too venal to reject the fictions by which China’s rulers justify their power.

In recent decades reforms have expanded the space for expressions of religious faith. That liberty is not easily retracted.

Explains Freedom House: “Rather than checking religion’s natural expansion and keeping it under political control, the CCP’s rigid constraints have essentially created an enormous black market, forcing many believers to operate outside the law and to view the regime as unreasonable, unjust, or illegitimate.” In turn, “believers have responded with a surprising degree of resistance, including in faith communities that have generally enjoyed cooperative relationships with state and party officials.”

(Via: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2017/04/17/commentary/world-commentary/nervous-china-ramp-religious-persecution/#.WPydiYiGPIU)

Rather than respect the religious expressions of their people, the Chinese government does their best to prevent people from embracing a religion not endorsed by the government. You can even get persecuted if you become too vocal in your chosen faith. For the rest of the world, these are inhumane acts and should not be tolerated. It is why the international community is urging Chinese officials to address these abuse issues and let the majority of the Chinese enjoy the human rights they have been stripped of for so long now.

Christians are not the only ones who undergo intense persecution in China. Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan Buddhists and the Uighur Muslims also experience "high" or "very high" levels of persecution, the report said.

While in some places in the country, Christians are able to practice their faith without fear of the authorities, there are places where religious restrictions are enforced more strictly. The degree of enforcement varies, depending on the government's perceived threat toward an individual or a church.

Examples of persecution include banning holiday celebrations, using violence and torture and desecrating places of worship. In some instances, local authorities either illegally detain or terminate Christians.

Since 2014, the government has embarked on an intensified crackdown of Christian churches, and many have been affected by its cross removal and church demolition efforts. The government has also arrested human rights lawyers who represent persecuted Christians.  

Authorities also employ "nonviolent forms of control," such as limiting the number of new ministers and teaching twisted religious doctrines.

(Via: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/70185/20170419/religious-persecution-china-intensified-2012-believers-responded-surprising-degree-resistance.htm)

Nobody can really tell the Chinese what to do. Other world leaders can make a plea or encourage them to make gradual changes but it is still up to the Chinese government whether they will agree to such conditions or not. After all, much of the world’s economy relies on China. Over the past few decades, China’s economy had been on a continuous growth spurt and they are basically the ones determining how well the overall global economy performs.

And because of that, the Chinese government knows they have the upper hand and will likely resist any request from other nations to loosen their tight rein over their people or even answer the long list of human rights abuses directed at them. Not only is their repression when it comes to religion in China but on just about everything else.

The blog post Religious Repression In China Read more on: CHRDNet

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/08/02/religious-repression-in-china/

No Freedom On The Web For The Chinese

The Internet is limitless in a way. You can do so much without having to go far physically. The World Wide Web serves as the portal to unlimited possibilities and you are free to explore it whether for work or for fun. And that is the case for the majority of the people who are free to use the Internet without any limitations. However, that is not the case if you live in China because of the government’s extreme Internet censorship. You don’t have access to lots of content that other Internet users across the world can view on the web.

This totalitarian approach is the Chinese government’s way of limiting Western influence over its people. The Chinese obey their laws no matter how outrageous they may be. They are also stripped of many rights that are otherwise enjoyed by the majority of the people all over the world. If they have free access to the web, they will realize that life in China is not normal and that their human rights have been violated for a long time now. It may trigger dissent and encourage more people to protest in the streets, something that the Chinese government won’t allow to happen. So, that’s just the way it is. The government will do their best to curb Internet freedom of their people to the best that they can.

Great Firewall of China, or Golden Shield Project

If you look at the rating of Freedomhouse in the previous years, we can see that the last place is regularly taken by China. China started to develop the filtration system in 1998, and in 2003 it was implemented across its territory. The Shield is a system of servers on the Internet channel between providers and international information networks that filter the information.

Based on the description published on the website Techinasia, the current situation in the Chinese segment of the Network is as follows: a strict censorship was imposed, there are lists of ''bad words'' (mostly in political terms), input of which is blocked, or the activity of people using them is carefully monitored. Besides, many foreign resources (such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, partially Wikipedia) are blocked in China. Local people use Chinese analogues and often do not even know about the existence of the originals. Besides, some of the scientific websites and other portals, in some way or another associated with the development of freedom of speech in the country, are blocked. Of course, bans complicate the lives of many educational institutions and hinder the businesses — any ''cloud-based office packages'' are out of the question.

(Via: https://realnoevremya.com/articles/1371-new-vitaly-milonovs-bill-on-children-and-social-networks)

Imagine life in China without all our favorite social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Even Youtube that has saved your sanity from boredom for years now can’t be accessed in the Red Dragon of Asia. And Google. Google is one of the best things to happen to the web but the Chinese miss out on it big time. Not only does Google serve its purpose as a search engine but it does so much more.

Authorities in the northern Chinese province of Hebei are rolling out a series of measures that will require any businesses or workplaces providing public wi-fi access to install surveillance technology that records user activity online.

A copy of the regulations issued by the police department in Hebei Tangshan city seen by RFA call on local businesses and workplaces to comply with the new requirements, which are described as "online safety protection measures," or face fines or other sanctions.

Under the rules, companies must "record and retain user registration information ... user login and exit time, caller ID, port number, account number, IP address, domain name, and system maintenance log."

They must also record and retain internet sites visited by users, using "special safety equipment," holding onto records for more than 60 days.

Shopping, catering, leisure, entertainment, public transportation, hospitals, and other public places are all required to implement the rules, purchasing government-approved equipment at their own expense, the notice said.

"Police will strengthen supervision and control of wireless networks," it said.

(Via: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/monitor-04062017121748.html)

Even the use of wireless networks is monitored by Chinese authorities. China does not take this Internet censorship thing lightly. It means a lot to them to keep the status quo within their nation no matter what kind of commotion is going on in the outside world. In reality, the government isn’t just protecting their people from the dangers of the web but curtailing their freedom of speech and expression among many others. The people should be free to pursue their interests and not be persecuted for it. Regardless of how far technology has come, it is still a long way to go before China relaxes its control over the web or give its citizens the freedom to do as they wish without their actions being monitored by the authorities.

The article No Freedom On The Web For The Chinese Read more on: Chinese Human Rights Development Net

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/07/25/no-freedom-on-the-web-for-the-chinese/

The Chinese Educational System: Successful Or Failing?

For many people, education is the key to uplifting their lives. This belief is especially true among the poor and the impoverished that lacks material wealth and opportunities. They see education as the tool to open their doors for a better life in the future. And that is true. Educated people have higher chances of landing stable and better-paying jobs. However, competition in the global marketplace is tight and even college graduates struggle in looking for jobs despite having their diplomas.

China is the economy driver in the world for years now. As we all know, a big majority of the goods sold in the market today are made in China. Chinese factories and production lines are sought after by foreign investors, businessmen, and companies because they get to save a lot of money by hiring cheap Chinese laborers. However, things are changing now as the middle class is rising and more and more Chinese families are growing in affluence. And partly, education is responsible for this positive change in the Chinese landscape. However, is too much education depriving young kids of their chance to enjoy their childhood or is it but right for the adults to force kids to study hard for a bright future.

Like other East Asian societies, China has historically placed high value on educating children. Due to the country’s vast population and the limited resources of elite schools, not only is there intense competition during entrance exams, but there are also top colleges putting students’ unique abilities — such as performance in science competitions, writing ability, oral skills, musical talent, and achievements in dance — under the microscope.

Such cruel competitions have been denounced across society by those who feel that they monopolize children’s free time, place too much emphasis on performing under test conditions at the expense of cultivating creativity and imagination, and — most concerningly — stunt students’ interest in learning. Against this background, government departments have begun to staunchly promote holistic education.

(Via: http://www.sixthtone.com/news/why-relieving-student-burdens-will-not-work)

Like in other countries around the world, most students are overworked. From school to their homes, children are loaded with homework and assignments that take up most of their time. All they have left to do each day is study, study, and study some more. But despite this rigorous school routine, children aren’t performing as well as parents and teachers are hoping. China’s education system is a state-run public education system overseen by the Ministry of Education and characterized by a 9-year compulsory education. It seems that the Chinese are indeed taking the children’s education seriously.

The General Office of the Ministry of Education in China released its first official statement in February that condemns homeschooling and warns Chinese parents it is a forbidden practice.

“The statement follows a related decision by the Communist Party’s Central Committee in December, when it mandated that education must include ideological teachings on socialism, and that these teachings must be incorporated in the national curriculum,” writes Mike Donnelly, director of global outreach for the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

The Chinese government’s new policy states, “[Students] should not be allowed to study at home to replace the national unified implementation of compulsory education.”

According to the Communist Party’s instructions, “core socialist values” should be part of the national curriculum and “cover all schools and those receiving education.”

Parents who wish to homeschool their children for health issues are now required to obtain province-level approval.

(Via: http://www.breitbart.com/education/2017/04/06/china-adopts-policy-officially-condemning-homeschooling/)

Whether it is failing or not is not an easy question to answer. The Chinese government is among the most resilient in the world and they always find a way to enforce things they consider are important in building their nation. And you can see it now. The Chinese workers are no longer limited to jobs as factory workers who won’t mind getting treated badly and overworked for a measly few dollars. The affluent population in China are growing. You can see it from a growing number of Chinese tourists who can afford to travel the world for leisure.

Furthermore, their advancing infrastructure and modern technology are just proof of what the Chinese are capable of building and producing. It is all because they have put emphasis on the education of the Chinese youth who are the future of their nation, well basically, the future of just about everyone. They have tailored their educational system to match the demands of the times. Now, is it a hit or miss? It all depends on how the children feel and that is subject to interpretation.

The Chinese Educational System: Successful Or Failing? See more on: https://chrdnet.org/

source https://chrdnet.org/2017/07/11/the-chinese-educational-system-successful-or-failing/