February 23,
2015

ISSUE
No. 39

AMS Weekly Newsletter
Supporting the development of the future stewards of U.S.-China relations
Upcoming events
We have a couple of good events coming up, one in San Diego and one in DC. San Diego's event is on Feb. 26, where Jude Blanchette will be hosting Tongji's Prof. Xie Yue to discuss "The Political Economy of the New Urbanization." In DC, join us March 4 to hear Prof. Su Faxiang of Minzu University discuss Tibet and minority issues.

Also, make sure to check out the job opps at the end of this newsletter--great jobs in Hangzhou and Kunming!

Weekly Readings
 
A primary goal of AMS is to encourage the next generation of stewards of the U.S.-China relationship. An important part of developing genuine expertise is self-awareness, and an important part of thinking clearly is takin
g that awareness to what you know and how you know it. There have been a number of articles over the last year about U.S. expertise and understanding of China. The first reading makes a straightforward statement about what matters and how we judge expertise, and we would encourage reflection. To assist, below are links to three profiles of top Chinese analysts of the United States as well as Max Weber's lecture on politics. The U.S.-China relationship is political in every way, and, for those of you with the time, Weber's lecture discusses politics and the limits of expertise. 





Weibo Watch

The Year of the Sheep is here. Or is that the Year of the Goat? Foreign and domestic media are confused about what exactly a y�ng 羊 is, and Weibo users have some answers-though little agreement. Lots of users claim the zodiac animal is the same as Xǐ Y�ngyang 喜羊羊, the star of the children's cartoon whose name is usually translated Pleasant Goat. But @汉派一杰 argues that it's actually a sheep, just like the one on the Spring Festival stamps issued by the State Post Bureau. Folklore scholar @赵书说民俗 says "the zodiac 羊 an abstract, personified 羊," not a real creature. "Why can't we just invent a new word, yang?" asks @墨竹LR. Follow the continuing debate by searching 羊年是什么羊 in Weibo, or by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1DnjmVn
俗语 in Xi Jinping's  Speeches


 

春天播种,秋天收获
chun1tian1 bo1zhong3 , qiu1tian1 shou1huo4

Explanation: In his 春节 greeting from the Great Hall of the People, Xi Jinping closed with this phrase which means to sow seeds in spring in order to reap harvest in autumn. This is a nice reference to Spring Festival that he uses to focus on the sacrifices that should be made now in order to reap the harvest of a rejuvenated Chinese nation in the future.

Original: 同志们、朋友们,春天播种,秋天收获。让我们踏着春天的脚步,把人民对美好生活的向往作为奋斗目标,扎扎实实干好各项工作,共同创造祖国的美好未来。
Documentary of the Week

Happy New Year, and welcome to the Year of the Ciprinae! This week's video is a short story about the Ram/Sheep/Goat and its place in Chinese language and culture. It is very short (4+ minutes), so take a quick break and enjoy a little daily Chinese practice. We figured you need a break from the heavy stuff once in a while!
大过羊年

Great Job Opportunities in China

Middlebury School in China Assistant Director positions open in both Hangzhou and Kunming. Great for young professionals with excellent Chinese and passion for education abroad. Applicants can find more information on the CET Academic Programs website: http://cetacademicprograms.com/about-cet/work-for-cet/ . Apply by March 10, 2015 for primary consideration, open until filled. Make sure to make note of your American Mandarin Society membership!
Support the American Mandarin Society!

If you appreciate the effort we put into organizing Chinese-language policy events, providing robust 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.