April 19,
2014

ISSUE
No. 5

AMS Weekly Newsletter
Supporting the development of the future stewards of U.S.-China relations
大家好!
抱歉, issue 5 is coming to you a day late, as our service provider was down yesterday. If you think of anyone else who you think would enjoy getting this newsletter please forward to them via the link at the end of the newsletter, or share on the social media links above.

We hope you all have a nice and relaxing 复活节 weekend! 真丢脸...my face is really red, as I "jetlaggedly" wished everyone Happy Thanksgiving in the previous version. Rather than let that one stand for posterity, here is a corrected version. Thank you to the many readers who brought this to my attention...
 
Job of the week: the China Program at the Carter Center is seeking a Senior Program Associate. This is a very exciting opportunity!
 

Weekly Readings Monday 
 
The investigation of Zhou Yongkang and the arrest of many of those linked to him may be one of the largest political events in recent years. Although corruption investigations have long been a means to isolating, if
 not removing, political opponents, it is rare to see such an investigation yield such wide-ranging results. Even the ouster in 2006 of Chen Liangyu----then-Shanghai Party Secretary, Jiang Zemin protege, and likely future leader of China----was relatively localized in terms of its fallout. Moreover, one previously could not find such well done Chinese reporting as this series from Caixin; instead, the rumor mills of Hong Kong press and overseas Chinese reporting were the principle sources. 



Bonus Reading:
This review essay by Jonathan Fenby, formerly editor of the South China Morning Post, captures the essence of how "the China Story" is developing in the West.
Language Learning Resources
 
The Marco Polo Project
is a great organization whose website compiles Chinese articles and allows members to compose and edit English translations. Articles can be searched according to difficulty so you can find the articles most suitable for your Chinese level. It is also a great way to work on translation. The org is run by a former translation teacher. See their link here on how to translate on the site:http://marcopoloproject.org/translate/  

Weibo Wednesday
 
This week our Chief Weibo Watcher, Mike Bond, got married and is now enjoying a sunny honeymoon. So we wish him 永结同心, 百年偕老, 美满家庭, 永浴爱河(and much more) and we take a week off from following the latest Weibo trends. Instead, we want to highlight the biggest Weibo news of the week, which for once was not something on Weibo but rather Weibo itself and their IPO in New York.

 

Headlines ranged from "Shares of Weibo Surge on Opening Day," to "Sina Weibo Skyrockets in Debut," to "Weibo's US Debut Underwhelms." Naysayers have focused on the potential for censorship to impact the company's performance and on the pricing of the IPO at the bottom range of expectations while optimists seem focused on the headline number of 143.8 million active users. Either way, shares rose 19% on opening day which leaves them with a market value of around $3B. While some may be disappointed, that is not bad for a company in a risky market, whose vast majority of voting shares are controlled by SINA, and had revenues of $188m last year but losses of $38m.

 

俗语 in Xi Jinping's speeches

逆水行舟,不进则退 
n� shuǐ x�ng zhōu , b� j�n z� tu�

Translation: Like sailing against the current, if you don't forge ahead you will fall behind

讲话情景:习近平4月1日在巴黎联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)总部发表演讲

Explanation: Xi Jinping gave a speech in Bruges on April 1, covering a lot of ground from China-EU relations, to Chinese history and identity, to the need for greater exchange and understanding. When talking about China's reform he used 逆水行舟,不进则退 to convey the urgency of reform in a competitive global environment. There is no choice: reform or fall behind. 

Original quotation: 在激烈的国际竞争中前行,就如同逆水行舟,不进则退。改革是由问题倒逼而产生,又在不断解决问题中而深化。我们强调,改革开放只有进行时、没有完成时。
Documentary Friday
 
For those aspiring to a professional role in U.S.-China relations, it is incumbent to think broader and learn about China's other relationships and negotiations. As Rudyard Kipling rhetorically asked, "And what should they know of England who only England know?" This week's documentary begins the story of talks between London and Beijing over Hong Kong and its return to the mainland in 1997. With interviews from the Chinese participants----such as Deng Xiaoping's translator and director of the Hong Kong-Macao Affairs Office----the first part of the series addresses Hong Kong's history in the 20th Century, including British negotiations with Chiang Kai-Shek (Jiang Jieshi) and the opening of UK-China talks in 1979. With Hong Kong back in the news because of journalist intimidation and democratic activists Martin Lee and Anson Chan touring the United States, this documentary offers much needed perspective for Americans on China's interactions with the world at large.
 
 
For additional background reading:
 
 
Support the American Mandarin Society!

If you appreciate the effort we put into organizing Chinese-language policy events, providing robust web-based language and policy resources on our website, and the kind of content you see in this newsletter, please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible contribution--every bit helps!
The American Mandarin Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Join Our Mailing List
Facebook   Twitter   Pinterest   LinkedIn

Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.