Month: September 2019

Protest posters from HK

by at

Readers might be interested in this collection of very stylish protest posters from HK–Richard Kraus <rkrausa@comcast.net>

Source: Archive.org
Collection of posters from Hong Kong protests 2019 – 1/3

Publication date: 2019
Topics: Hong Kong, , Posters

more posters at:

https://archive.org/details/HongKongProtests2019_posters_02
https://archive.org/details/HongKongProtests2019_posters_03

galleries:

https://archive.org/details/HongKongProtests2019_gallery_001
https://archive.org/details/HongKongProtests2019_gallery_002
https://archive.org/details/HongKongProtests2019_gallery_003

Identifier: HongKongProtests2019_posters_01
Scanner: Internet Archive Python library 1.8.4
Year: 2019

NACCL 2020–cfp

by at

We are pleased to announce that the 32nd North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-32), will be held at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, on April 24 – 26, 2020. The theme of NACCL-32 is collaborativity and interdisciplinarity in Chinese linguistic studies.

Conference Website: https://sites.google.com/site/naccl32uconn
Abstract submission: http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/naccl_2020

NACCL-32 invite abstracts in all subfields of Chinese linguistics, including but not limited to, phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, dialectology, historical linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and corpus linguistics. We particularly encourage submissions that are relevant to our conference theme: connectivity, collaborativity and interdisciplinarity in Chineese linguistic studies. Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be allotted 20 minutes to present their research and 10 minutes to answer questions. Abstracts and presentations can be given in either English or Mandarin Chinese. Continue reading NACCL 2020–cfp →

What China experts have to do to get on Beijing’s ‘whitelist’

by at

Source: Washington Post (9/5/19)
What China experts have to do to get on Beijing’s visa ‘whitelist’
By Isaac Stone Fish

Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks during the unveiling of the Communist Party's new Politburo Standing Committee in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2017. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks during the unveiling of the Communist Party’s new Politburo Standing Committee in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2017. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

“I call it a ‘whitelist,’” the Chinese government official told me. Beijing, he explained, wanted to reward academics, scholars and business people who spoke positively about the U.S.-China relationship, promoted engagement and overlooked Chinese human rights abuses. “We don’t want people critical of China” visiting China, said the official, who asked to speak anonymously when I met him in New York in August. So Chinese officials in the United States are creating a list of China-watchers whom they will reward with multiple-entry visas. I asked him to share the list, and he replied that it was confidential; he did say, though, that those who “signed the open letter” in The Post would certainly be viewed favorably. Continue reading What China experts have to do to get on Beijing’s ‘whitelist’ →

Liu Wei Invisible Cities exhibition

by at

Liu Wei: Invisible Cities
Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland
Mueller Family Gallery, Cohen Family Gallery, and Cahoon Lounge
September 13, 2019-January 5, 2020

Liu Wei’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States, Invisible Cities, takes its title from Italian writer Italo Calvino’s novella of the same name. Presented across two institutions (moCa and the Cleveland Museum of Art) and developed in direct response to both spaces’ architecture, Invisible Cities presents a constellation of works that employs abstraction and fragmentation to create new narratives. Like Calvino’s book—an imagined set of conversations between traveler Marco Polo and the emperor of the thirteenth-century Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan—Liu’s work examines how objects can function as physical traces and intangible links between the visible and invisible. From sculptures carved out of books, a series of cut-up and repurposed household appliances (a refrigerator, a washing machine, and a waffle maker), to architectural monuments made from rawhide dog chews, Liu asks us to examine the relationship between material and power. The installation of works in Invisible Cities echoes the cities Polo describes—fantastical, beguiling places where things are never as they seem—and emphasizes that the world we live in is infinitely larger than what we can see. Liu’s work is an evocative reminder that how we perceive and negotiate our relationship to place allows us to see the conditions of its very construction. Continue reading Liu Wei Invisible Cities exhibition →

USC premodern position

by at

The East Asian Languages and Cultures Department of the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) is seeking a tenure track assistant professor of premodern Chinese literature and culture. A Ph.D. in relevant field of study is required at time of appointment.

Job Announcement Link: <https://usccareers.usc.edu/job/los-angeles/assistant-professor-of-premodern-chinese-literature-and-culture/1209/13116956>
In order to be considered for this position, all candidates must apply via: <https://facultypositions.usc.edu/FAS/application/position?postingId=REQ20079519>

The applicant should upload a CV, a letter of interest, writing sample(s), and the names of three individuals who will be contacted by USC for references. Application materials are due October 15, 2019. Inquiries may be sent to Professor Brett Sheehan at bsheehan@usc.edu, but application materials must be submitted online. Continue reading USC premodern position →

Su Shaozhi dies at 96

by at

Source: The Guardian (9/3/19)
Su Shaozhi obituary
Chinese political scientist who was forced into exile after the Tiananmen Square massacre
By John Gittings

Su Shaozhi was a prominent campaigner for reform of the Chinese Communist party

Su Shaozhi was a prominent campaigner for reform of the Chinese Communist party

The political scientist Su Shaozhi, who has died aged 96, was a campaigner for reform of the Chinese Communist party in the post-Mao years, until he was forced into exile after the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. Su was eventually allowed to return to China, but the news of his death has been ignored except on unofficial websites.

In his earlier career, Su would admit, he had “put obedience to the [Communist] party in first place”, churning out what was required to “elaborate the thoughts of Chairman Mao”. He made up for this in the 1980s by denouncing the party’s “feudalism and Stalinism” and proposing democratic reforms that are still unachieved. Privately he was even more outspoken, telling me in 1985 that “we need to make a clean sweep of the leadership”, which still insisted on rigid control. Continue reading Su Shaozhi dies at 96 →

Animator Dai Tielang dies

by at

Source: ACAS (Association for Chinese Animation Studies) (9/4/19)
Dai Tielang (1930-2019) Passed Away on September 4, 2019

Dai Tielang, widely known as the “father” of Police Chief Black Cat (Heimao jingzhang, 1984-1987), passed away at 8:40pm on September 4, 2019. Dai was born in Singapore in 1930. He graduated from the Animation Department of the Beijing Film Academy in 1953 and joined the Shanghai Animation Film Studio in the same year. He was an animation designer for a long time before starting to work as a director in 1979. His animated directorial debut was The Hens’ Relocation to a New Home (Muji banjia, cel animation, 1979). His films, often featuring scientific subject matter and catering to the interest of children, were very popular among young audiences. He also worked as art designer and screenwriter for his own films. From 1984-1987, he directed a well-known TV animation series Police Chief Black Cat, which won the first “Calf Award” (Tongniu jiang) in China in 1985. His film My Friend the Little Dolphin (Wode pengyou xiao haitun, cel animation, 1980) won the President’s Silver Award at the Italy International Children and Youth Film Festival.

Lam withdraws extradition bill

by at

Source: NYT (9/4/19)
Hong Kong’s Leader, Carrie Lam, to Withdraw Extradition Bill That Ignited Protests
阅读简体中文版 | 閱讀繁體中文版
By Austin Ramzy and Elaine Yu

HONG KONG — Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said Wednesday that the government would withdraw a contentious extradition bill that ignited months of protests in the city, moving to quell the worst political crisis since the former British colony returned to Chinese control 22 years ago.

The move eliminates a major objection among protesters, but it was unclear if it would be enough to bring an end to intensifying demonstrations, which are now driven by multiple grievances with the government.

“Incidents over these past two months have shocked and saddened Hong Kong people,” she said in an eight-minute televised statement broadcast shortly before 6 p.m. “We are all very anxious about Hong Kong, our home. We all hope to find a way out of the current impasse and unsettling times.” Continue reading Lam withdraws extradition bill →

Face-swapping app censured over privacy concerns

by at

Source: Sixth Tone (0/2/19)
Chinese ‘Deepfake’ App Censured Over Privacy Concerns
Netizens demanded that the Zao face-swapping app be removed from app stores after noticing that it had reserved the right to sell user-generated content to third parties.
By Tang Fanxi

A promotional photo for the Zao “deepfake” app. IC)

A newly released face-swapping app has come under fire for a clause in its terms and conditions allowing it to sell users’ photos and videos, Sixth Tone’s sister publication, The Paper, reported Sunday.

Zao — meaning “make,” “build,” or “fabricate” in Mandarin — turns users into “stars” by digitally grafting their faces onto the bodies of celebrities in scenes from movies, TV shows, and music videos to create what is known as a “deepfake,” a technological portmanteau combining “deep learning” and “fake.”

After downloading the app, users are asked to upload photos of themselves that can be used to make a face-flipped clip of their choice. Each video takes less than 10 seconds to generate, with enhanced quality if users agree to let their cellphone’s camera film their face from various angles, and while blinking their eyes or opening their mouths. Continue reading Face-swapping app censured over privacy concerns →

Mainlanders don’t think alike on HK

by at

Source: China File (8/27/19)
China’s Government Wants You to Think All Mainlanders View Hong Kong the Same Way. They Don’t.
By Kiki Tianqi Zhao

Chinese counter-protesters wave the flag of the People’s Republic of China as members of the U.S. Hong Kong community protest against what they say is police brutality during the ongoing Hong Kong protests, in Santa Monica, California, August 17, 2019. Mark Ralston—AFP/Getty Images

Are mainland Chinese, especially tech-savvy millennials, overwhelmingly hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent towards the protests that have engulfed Hong Kong over the past three months? Both the Chinese government and the international media seem to think so.

They flood the Internet with messages calling protesters in Hong Kong “useless youth.” They send obscene messages and death threats to supporters of the Hong Kong demonstrations. They gather in Australia telling Hong Kong protesters to “get the fuck out of” Hong Kong because all of China is theirs.

Video footage of rallies outside mainland China shows groups of young mainlanders hurling profanities at supporters of the Hong Kong protesters. In one clip, Hong Kong sympathizers in Australia chant, in English, “Hong Kong stay strong,” and mainland Chinese students shouting in Mandarin respond, “Fuck your mother.” Continue reading Mainlanders don’t think alike on HK →

‘If I have a choice, the first thing is to quit’

by at

Source: Reuters (9/3/19)
Exclusive: ‘If I have a choice, the first thing is to quit’ – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam – transcript

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam holds a news conference in Hong Kong, China, September 3, 2019. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

HONG KONG (Reuters) – This is a transcript of a talk given last week by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to a group of businesspeople in the city. The transcript is taken from an audio recording of Lam’s remarks that was obtained by Reuters.

People who attended the talk say she spoke for about a half hour. The recording, which runs 24 minutes, captures the bulk of the event. Reuters has redacted the transcript in a few spots to remove the names of individuals mentioned by Lam, as well as details related to the meeting. The transcript does not include a short question and answer session after her talk.

CARRIE LAM:

In the last two years, one of the policy areas that I have spent most time in is innovation and technology. Now, I actually personally chair the steering committee. Continue reading ‘If I have a choice, the first thing is to quit’ →

HK’s changing attitude toward China

by at

Source: NYT (9/3/19)
Hong Kong Was Once Passionate About China. Now, It’s Indifferent or Contemptuous.
By Andrew Higgins

Hong Kong’s harbor. The attachment many Hong Kongers once felt with the mainland is fading. Credit: Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

HONG KONG — As a young student learning classical Chinese, I stopped off in Hong Kong nearly 40 years ago to catch a slow train up to Beijing, then still known as Peking. At the station, I bought a Chinese-language magazine of politics, culture and ideas that I was advised to hide when I crossed the border out of what was then still a British colony into China.

With only a rudimentary grasp of modern Chinese, I spent much of my three-day journey north trying to decipher the Hong Kong magazine’s articles that were wrestling with China’s past political convulsions under Mao, its present challenges and future possibilities. It was my first taste of what was then the city’s raucous and passionate debate about China. Continue reading HK’s changing attitude toward China →

Alai’s In the Cloud

by at

Source: News China (Sept. 2019)
Requiem on the Ruins
By Liu Yuanhang

Book launch for In the Cloud, May 25, 2019

In his latest novel In the Cloud, award-winning ethnic Tibetan writer Alai breaks his decade-long silence on his experience with death during the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. In an interview with NewsChina, Alai discusses past trauma, his literary transformations and social challenges to come

Alai was working on his mythological novel The King of Gesar at his home in Chengdu, Sichuan Province when the ground violently trembled under his feet.

“At that moment I was writing about the fury of the gods, who make the entire world quiver in fear. It took me a few seconds to judge whether the violent quake was real or my imagination. I felt the tremor instantly spring up from the ground to my desk and it almost flung me to the floor. Then I realized it was not from my hallucination. It was a real earthquake,” reads the preface of In the Cloud, Alai’s latest book released on April 30. Continue reading Alai’s In the Cloud →