China sums up its Olympic performance in a sweet & bitter flavor |
18-08-2012 |
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While the Olympics are always good fuel for national pride, mixed emotions take over the Chinese hearts when looking back at the London Olympics: Great medal achievements, yet inferior to the US; complete dominance in several sports, but uncertainty whether these competitions would remain Olympic events in the future; glorious moments but some extraordinary failures (Liu Xiang?). Above all a bitter taste of victimhood seems to fill to mouths of politicians, athletes and netizens, particularly when discussing the refereeing in London 2012.
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Liu Xiang's dramatic Olympic failure and the mixed feelings of the Chinese public |
08-08-2012 |
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China's most popular athlete, Liu Xiang, is acclaiming the unflattering title of 'Liu Shuaishaui' ('falling Liu'), after a dramatic tumble on the 110m hurdles race at the London Olympics. While the popularity of Liu was never in question, some popular reactions in China express little support and question the problematic morality behind his failure.
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Sexy Mandarin: The appeal of Chinese language through bodies of women |
01-07-2012 |
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No more subtle and insinuative associations between Chinese culture and Asian femininity, but rather utilizing attractive bodies as a direct platform for language learning... The language website "Sexy Mandarin" is becoming viral in recent months, leading Chinese to debate over its significance: Another indication for the dominance of Chinese culture or an easy way to expose local skin.
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Chinese and English versions of China's leading news portals – Two styles of journalism |
15-08-2011 |
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Some of China's leading newspapers, particularly those with a developed online interface, present both Chinese and foreign language (mainly English) pages. Though some news items are naturally congruent in both languages, the editors seldom simply translate news from one language to another and rather create two distinct news pages in Chinese and English, with different sections, articles and points of emphasis. This article briefly examines the cases in the portal of China leading newspaper People's Daily renmin ribao 人民日报, and the more international oriented China Daily zhongguo ribao中国日报.
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Weibo Microblogs – A Western format with new Chinese implications |
06-08-2011 |
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Already exceeding 200 million users, an impressive number even when considering the immense internet population size, the Chinese weibo-microblogs format has become a channel for spontaneous expression and platform which is regarded by Chinese media and government with respect, as the leadership allows netizens to express themselves quite freely, while attempting to broaden its self legitimacy through the weibo.
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Li Na - From an athlete in the shadows to a new national hero |
05-06-2011 |
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Li Na (李娜) reached success through the backdoor, but within hours she had become the number one source of national pride. How will the 2011 French Open victory (and the first Grand-slam title won by an Asian!) change the career, public relations and the character of China's new tennis hero?
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周杰伦 Jay Chou – Different appeal in East and West |
01-06-2011 |
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A singing model or a skillful songwriter? A honorable spokesman of Chinese companies or a proud Taiwanese? Different forces are linked to the Zhou Jielun (Jay Chou) enterprise, but it seems that they all push his popularity forward.
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Jiaozi and TV – Chinese New Year Traditions |
02-02-2011 |
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In its 28 years, the CCTV (China Central Television) New Years Gala (chūnjié liánhuān wǎnhuì) has become one of the biggest New Lunar Year traditions. Despite not managing to avoid criticism of not keeping up with modern society, most families still regard it as the finest dinner dish.
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Christmas in China – Who, Where and Why? |
02-01-2011 |
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Christmas is becoming a major event in China. Considering the small proportions of Christians in the Chinese population, China is perhaps the country were Christmas is most celebrated as a secular holiday. But can the wide acknowledgement of Christmas in China really be considered as a true Christmas celebration?
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Filial Piety – Tradition, Social Stability and TV Rating |
06-11-2010 |
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Appreciating and supporting one's parents seems to be an emotional theme and an essential value, appearing frequently in the Chinese media and entertainment content. Why is filial piety such a concensus and how does the media and commercial TV use it for their own interests?
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Chinese BBS – The Social Activity that Never Grows Old |
05-08-2010 |
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Social Networks have become a hit in China like in most other places, though the strength and popularity of BBS (Bulletin Board Systems), which generally speaking are internet forums and discussion boards, evolution-wise a long distance behind the web2 technology, cannot be restrained.
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Why do So Many Chinese Dislike Zhang Ziyi |
22-07-2010 |
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A beautiful actress, a huge success story and a familiar face worldwide, but for some reason Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) seem to get on the wrong side of many Chinese's nerves. How come?
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Yu Hua’s (余华) Novels – Simple Chinese, Quality Literature |
05-06-2010 |
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Yu Hua, one of the most famous Chinese novelists, tends to use spoken and simple language, which fits the ambience of his poor characters. The results are books which are quite easy to read and yet comprise of sophisticated literature.
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Ermo (二嫫) - Women’s Independence, Men’s Impotence |
21-05-2010 |
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The fascinating 1994 movie 'Ermo' 二嫫, discusses the story of a peasant woman, Ermo, in her quest to join the modern capitalist race. Ermo's initiative is induced by her veteran husband's metaphoric and physical impotence.
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No, it's not Political |
25-04-2010 |
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Western critics of Chinese art, film and literature often only praise works that express political criticism and sadly disregard wonderful works which discuss complex or optimistic themes.
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