Talking Points, May 7 - 21, 2008

Talking Points
May 7 - May 21, 2008

Foreign and domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profit groups in China have accomplished remarkable things. Groups vary dramatically in size and the problems they seek to tackle. Many are shoestring operations driven by a couple of committed volunteers. Others benefit from government backing, ample and stable funding, and ready access to technical and managerial expertise. Some groups have had their motives questioned and their work constrained by a variety of government agencies. China Development Brief, a publication which followed the work and impact of foreign NGOs, was shut down last year. At the same time, governmental support for an enhanced role for NGOs can be seen in a project where the Asian Development Bank is working with Jiangxi provincial authorities to develop a system to select NGOs to implement state-funded anti-poverty programs.

On Friday, May 9th, Zhuang Ailing, a scholar and veteran leader of a number of non-profit efforts (Amity Foundation, Christian Blind Mission International, and Orbis International), will speak at USC on non-profits in 21st century China. In 2004, she created the Non-Profit Organization Development Center in Shanghai. In 2006, Zhuang was interviewed by China Development Brief. Zhuang’s talk is sponsored by the USC School of Social Work.

Fund-raising, of course, is a huge challenge for such organizations. Some of China’s many successful businesspeople have begun to contribute. One of the most prominent is Niu Gensheng, founder of Mengniu, now one of the world’s largest dairy businesses. In 2005, Niu donated stock worth US $516 million to establish the Lao Niu Foundation which has since underwritten a number of education and nutrition-related projects in rural areas. In March presentations in the U.S., Niu said he hoped others would follow his example:  “It is time for our Chinese companies to rise to the challenge and to find a Chinese way to give that is sustainable and which makes a real difference."

Students here at USC are taking final exams and turning in research projects. Many are also preparing to head to China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan for language study, research, or internships. A group of doctoral students at the Rossier School of Education, for example, are visiting universities in China to learn about challenges and trends in higher education. Twenty-three undergraduates received Freeman Foundation funded “global fellowships” through the Student Affairs Office and will be completing internships in Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, and Beijing. The Beijing-based intensive language courses offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures are fully subscribed. From Business to Social Work, schools across campus are providing students with summer opportunities to learn about China from the inside. Some of these students will be sharing what they’ve learned in presentations and articles and we look forward to reporting on this at our website: http://china.usc.edu.

Thank you for sharing Talking Points with friends and colleagues. We welcome your comments. Please write to us at uschina@usc.edu.

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

USC Events

05/09/2008: The Non-Profit Sector in China in the 21st Century: Practice, Challenges and Trends
MRF 1st Floor, UPC
669 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90089
Time: 10:30am
Dr. Zhuang will speak on some challenges facing the non-profit sector in China in the 21st century. 

California Events

05/07/2008: The Taiwan Elections: Implications for the Future
Stanford University
Philippines Conference Room Encina Hall 616 Serra St., 3rd floor , Stanford, California
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Alan Romberg will analyze the impacts of Taiwan’s recent elections on the three legs of the U.S.-PRC-Taiwan triangle. 

05/08/2008: Cultural Development during the Han Dynasty & Early Chinese Drama
UCLA 10383 Bunche Hall
Time: 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
A talk given by Yao Xiao'ou, a professor of the Institute of Literature, Communication University of China about the development of early Chinese drama in the Han Dynasty. 

05/08/2008: Music and Mission in 18th C. China: Sonatas & Letters of Teodorico Pedrini
Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco
Address: 750 Kearny Street, Third Floor, San Francisco, California 94108
Cost: Free
Phone: 415-422-6401
Time: 6PM
Drs. Allsop and Lindorff will explore the music and lettres of Teodorico Pedrini, an Italian composer and missionary at the Chinese imperial court from the 18th century. 

05/09/2008: Msuic & Culture: Chinese-Western Musical Exchange from the 16th-20th Centuries
University of San Francisco
Harney 232 , San Francisco, California
Cost: Registration required, $30; USF faculty, staff, & students, Free
Phone: 415 422-6401
A symposium featuring the exchange of Chinese and Western music from the 16th-20th centuries. 

05/09/2008: Intellectual and Cultural Trends in China--a roundtable conversation
Stanford University
Address: Okimoto Conference Room, Encina Hall East, 3rd Floor , Stanford, California
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Four leading Chinese scholars from East China Normal University will lead a discussion on mentalities, thoughts and grassroots life in China. 

05/14/2008: Panel Discussion and Screening: Central Asia
UCLA
2:30-4:30 pm 243 Royce Hall: Enforced Migration and Sedentarization in Central Asia
6-7:30 pm Fowler Museum: Koryo Saram: The Unreliable People (2006)
Click here for more information.
05/14/2008: Welcome Reception for Xu Xing
Villa Aurora
520 Paseo Miramar, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Cost: Free
Phone: (310) 573-3603
2008 Feuchtwanger Fellow Xu Xing has won international acclaim for his work, including Shengxia De Dou Shuyu Ni (Whatever’s Left Is Yours), a landmark novel for the current generation of Chinese writers.
 
05/15/2008: Gender Boundaries in Poetry during the Ming-Qing Transition
Stanford University
Okimoto Conference Room, Encina Hall East, 3rd Floor , Stanford, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Professor Wai-Yee Li will discuss the writings produced by women that challenged gender boundaries during the Ming-Qing dynasty transition.
 
05/15/2008: Hong Kong as International Financial Center: Development Prospects; Business Opportunities
Stanford University
Landau Economics Building, Lucas Conference Room, Serra Street at Galvez, Stanford, California
Cost: Free
Time: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
K.C. Chan gives a talk on the developmental aspects of Hong Kong as a global economic center. 

05/16/2008: Mei Lanfang Beijing Opera Troupe Performance
Campus Theatre, Nordhoff Hall, CSUN, Northridge, CA
Ticket Information: 677-2488
CSUN Students: $5
General Public: $20
The star-studded troupe performs at CSUN 

05/16/2008: Same Sex Desire & Union in China
Stanford University
Stanford Humanities Center , Stanford, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
This two day conference will explore same-sex desire and union as the theme of multiple fields of Chinese studies. 

05/16/2008: What Is Sinophone Studies?
UCLA 11377 Bunche Hall , LA, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Scholars from ethnic studies and area studies will discuss Shu-mei Shih's book, Visuality and Identity: Sinophone Articulations across the Pacific, and engage the author with comments and questions. 

05/19/2008: Is China as Strong as It Seems?
Stanford University
Philippines Conference Room, Encina Hall, 3rd Floor, Stanford, CA
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Robert Gifford gives a talk on China's many successes as well as the economic, environmental, ethnic faultlines.  
 
05/19/2008: Beijing Opera Comes to UCLA
UCLA, Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater Room 200, LA, CA
Cost: Free
Phone: 310 825-8839
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
The Mei Lanfang Beijing Opera Company performs and discusses works from their repertoire 

North America Events: 

05/09/2008: The Future of Democracy in Hong Kong
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York
Cost: $15 students w/ID; $15 Asia Society members; $30 nonmembers
Phone: (212) 517-ASIA
Time: 8:00 - 9:30 am  
Join us for a breakfast briefing on the future of democratic reforms in the Hong Kong, SAR. 
 
05/10/2008: Maritime Asia in the Early Modern World
University of Washington
Address: Simpson Center for the Humanities, Communications 202
Cost: Free
Time: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
This symposium considers the connections of maritime Asia to world history in the early modern era and China’s relations with Southeast Asia in particular. 
 
05/12/2008: China's Communist Party: Atrophy and Adaptation
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York
Cost: $10 students w/ID; $10 Asia Society members; $15 nonmembers
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Author David Shambaugh discusses the strengths and weaknesses, durability, adaptability and potential longevity of China’s Communist Party. 
 
05/14/2008: Exploding Chinese Art: The Economy of Art/The Art of the Economy
Asia Society and Museum
Address: Auditorium, 725 Park Avenue, New York, New York
Cost: $10 Asia Society and Guggenheim Museummembers; $12 nonmembers; $10 students; seniors
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm 
This panel will discuess the 'economic explosion' reflected in Chinese art and economy. 

05/15/2008: China 2008: Changes in the Chinese Leadership and Beijing's New Policies on Reform, Tibet and Taiwan
The Jamestown Foundation
1111 16th St. NW 7th Floor Conference Room
Washington, DC 20036
Cost: Free
The Jamestown Foundation presents a talk with two leading experts on China.

05/17/2008 - 05/18/2008: Aesthetics and Theories on Chinese Ink Painting
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), New York, New York
Cost: For ticketing and other details, please email: symposium2008@amca.us
May 17th - May 18th
5/17/08: 9:30 am to 12:00 noon, and 1:15 to 4:30 pm.
5/18/08: 9:00 am to 6:30 pm.
The conference will explore the influence that cultural and ideological heritages have on Chinese ink painting. 
 
05/20/2008: The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham and the Making of a Masterpiece
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue @ 70th Street, New York, New York
Cost: $10 Asia Society and China Institute members; $12 nonmembers; $10 students/seniors with ID
Phone: 212 517-ASIA
Time: 6:30-8:30 PM
Simon Winchester gives a talk on the twentieth century English scientist—turned China scholar Joseph Needham.  

05/19/2008 - 05/30/2008: China Institute
Honolulu, Hawaii
This two-week institute on China will focus on Chinese philosophy, history and cultural traditions and contemporary issues concerning the environment, politics and socio-economic development. 

Exhibitions: .  

01/31/2008 - 05/11/2008: Enchanted Stories: Chinese Shadow Theater in Shaanxi
China Institute
125 East 65th Street , New York, New York 10021
Phone: 212.744.8181
General Admission: $7 adult / $4 student and senior
Ninety made of animal hide are presented thematically through famous Chinese legends and characters.

 

01/23/2008 - 05/15/2008: Cycle of Life: Awakening - Works by Asian Women Artists
IEAS Gallery
2223 Fulton Street 6th Floor, Berkeley, CA
Email: ieas@berkeley.edu
An exhibition featuring the art works of Asian women artist.

04/03/2008 - 05/18/2008: Visualizing Revolution: Propaganda Posters from the People's Republic of China, 1949-1989
Nelson Gallery, Art Building University of California, Davis
Formal Opening on April 10, 6 - 8 pm
Katharine Burnett and Yang Peiming, Guest Curators
The exhibition will feature propaganda art from 1949-1989 from the collection of the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center of Mr. Yang Peiming.

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. 

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.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________