Talking Points, July 9 - 23, 2008

Talking Points
July 9 - July 23, 2008

During the G-8 Summit this week, U.S. President George Bush, Japanese Prime Minister Fukada Yasuo, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy all announced that they will attend the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Bush subsequently met with Chinese President Hu Jintao noting, “I’m hoping to get tickets for the U.S.-Chinese basketball game. If you can help me get a ticket, I’d appreciate it.”

Bush says he’s going to cheer American athletes on, but also because “not going … would be an affront to the Chinese people….” There’s little doubt that the Chinese leadership and people would notice his absence. As a USC U.S.-China Institute study tour group found this week, within China, the focus on the Olympics is intense. Even Mao Zedong has been pushed aside. The Communist Party leader died in 1976 but lies in rest in the center of Tiananmen Square while an enormous portrait of him looks down from Tiananmen. But this week the Chairman lost his place on the 10 yuan note. He’s being replaced by the “Bird’s Nest,” the nickname for Beijing’s Olympic Stadium and the place the Olympics are set to open at 8:08 pm on 8/8/2008.

Click on the image to see the new 10 yuan note.

***

America’s trade deficit with China is expanding. In March it was $16.1 billion and in April it was $20.2 billion. We get the U.S. Department of Commerce’s figures for May tomorrow. China's foreign reserves now exceed US $1.76 trillion. Some of these resources are being used for foreign acquisitions, more than US $40 billion of which have been made this year.  The latest such acquisition is the China National Overseas Oil Corporation's purchase this  week of the Norwegian oil services firm Awilco for US$2.5 billion.

China's rising economic strength is one of the subjects examined in the new documentary series The People’s Republic of Capitalism which is being broadcast this week by the Discovery Channel. This series is hosted by Ted Koppel and begins with a look at the tightly intertwined economic relationship. The USC U.S.-China Institute previewed the series at a June 17 screening with producer Elissa Rubin (click here for a Chinese language news report on the series and our screening).

Please help your friends and colleagues stay abreast of China-centered events by forwarding our newsletter and encouraging them to subscribe. They can sign up for their own copy of Talking Points at http://china.usc.edu/subscribe.aspx.

Best wishes,
The USC U.S.-China Institute
http://china.usc.edu

USC Events

06/28/2008 - 07/18/2008: 2008 California NCTA Summer Study Tour to China and Japan
Led by Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute, participants of the 21-day tour will visit several of China and Japan's most interesting destinations.

07/28/2008 - 08/07/2008: 2008 Summer Residential Seminar at USC
USC, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Currently accepting applications
For more information please contact Miranda Ko at  mirandak@usc.edu.
An intensive nine-day equivalent of our "East Asia and New Media in My Classroom" professional development seminar for K-12 teachers employed outside of the greater Los Angeles area.

California Events

07/13/2008: Buried With the Sky
Time: 1:30PM
Location: Bowers Museum, 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Cost: Free with paid museum admission and to members; Lecture only $8
Bowers Museum presents Dr. E.C. Krupp's talk about astronomy and the tombs of ancient China.

07/20/2008: Purple Reign
Time: 1:30PM
Location: Bowers Museum, 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Cost: Free with paid museum admission and to members; Lecture only $8
Bowers Museum presents archaeology magazine writer and editor Samir S. Patel as he talks about preserving the color of the terra cotta soldiers.

07/23/2008: Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles
Time: 1:30PM
Location: Bowers Museum, 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Cost: General $7; Members $5
A film about a fisherman who vows to complete his estranged and dying son’s documentary and his odyssey into the heart of China where he befriends a fatherless boy.

North America Events:  

Exhibitions: 

03/06/2008 - 07/27/2008: Chinaman's Chance: Views of the Chinese American Experience
Pacific Asia Museum
46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena , CA 91101
Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for students/seniors
While the experience of being of Chinese heritage and living in America is unique to each individual, this exhibition will investigate the similarities and dissimilarities of these experiences. 

01/29/2008 - 09/07/2008: The Shape of Things: Chinese and Japanese Art from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue , New York, New York
Cost: Free
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
This exhibition of ceramics, metalworks, sculpture, and painting demonstrates that a depth of information can be revealed through the careful observation and study of the form of an object. 

06/27/2008 - 09/21/2008: Power and Glory: Court Arts of the Ming Dynasty
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street (between Fulton and McAllister Streets), San Francisco, CA 94102
Cost: Cost varies (see website for details)
This exhibition will explore the glories of the Ming dynasty imperial court.

05/18/2008 - 10/12/2008: Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of the First Emperor
Bowers Museum
Address: 2002 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Phone: 714-567-3600
This summer exhibit at Bowers Museum showcases the famous terra cotta warriors buried with the First Emperor of China.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please invite others to subscribe to USCI’s free email newsletter for regular updates on events and programs. We will not share names or email addresses with any other entity. Sign Up.

We provide information about China-related events as a community service. If you would like your event considered for inclusion in the USCI calendar, please click here to submit event details.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You have received this e-mail because you have subscribed to receive updates from USCI. If you feel this message has reached you in error or you no longer wish to receive our updates, please click, unsubscribe, and enter "Remove" in the subject line.