Activities In China Research Articles

The 'Zero consumption' phenomenon of elderly people's sports and leisure in the Yangtze River delta region

This study investigates the current status of the "zero consumption" phenomenon in sports and leisure activities among elderly individuals in the Yangtze River Delta region, analyzing its characteristics and underlying causes. Data related to the consumption of sports and leisure activities among the elderly in this region were obtained through methods such as questionnaires and interviews. The results indicate that "zero consumption" in elderly sports and leisure activities is a common social phenomenon in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. It is not only a result of economic income constraints but also a consumption trend formed under the influence of various factors such as aging and declining physical fitness. While "zero consumption" does not significantly affect the elderly' s participation in sports and leisure activities, it may to some extent impact the diversification of these activities. Given the current participation status of elderly individuals in sports and leisure activities in China, it is still unable to play a crucial leading role in the development of the leisure industry as seen in developed countries.

Chan summer camp templestay as an educational leisure and tourism activity in China: Learning process and spiritual outcomes

Chan summer camp (CSC), a unique type of templestays in China with educational benefits, is mainly held by temples during school summer vacations. Drawing on experiential learning theory, this qualitative study explored the learning process and spiritual outcomes of CSCs in China to address the learning benefits of leisure. Participant observation and interviews were employed for data collection. Research findings showed that participants gained knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes through this Buddhist cultural immersion experience. After returning home, the templestay experience outcomes were sustained through reflection and experimentation resulted in spiritual growth. This study contributes to the leisure and tourism research on templestays, as it confirms the role of CSCs in learning and spiritual growth and reveals the learning mechanism to maintain the spiritual effects of the religion-related leisure and tourism environment.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and research activities in obstetrics and gynecology: a national two-stage, stratified, cluster sampling survey in China

BackgroundFew studies quantified the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on medical teaching and scientific research activities in China. This is the first national study to investigate such topics from the viewpoint of physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology in China.MethodsThis is a national questionnaire survey with online interviews for respondents. This two-stage, stratified, cluster sampling method was applied based on city categories (categories 1 to 3 correspond to < 10,000, 10,000 to 30,000, and > 30,000 beds, respectively), hospital levels (primary, secondary, and tertiary), and hospital types (general and specialized) in China among physicians practicing obstetrics and gynecology. Physicians documented notable alterations in both overall and specialized teaching and research engagements. Comparative analyses were conducted across diverse municipal and hospital attributes.ResultsData were collected from a representative sample of 11,806 physicians from 779 hospitals across 157 cities and 31 provinces. Notably, except for online seminars, a minimum reduction of 20% in both overall and specialized teaching and research activities was observed among physicians. Up to 61.7% (95% confidence interval 59.3–64.0) of physicians reported either a complete termination or a > 50% decline in resident training. Compared with category 1 cities and primary hospitals, category 3 cities and tertiary hospitals experienced greater reductions in items of resident or graduate education, visiting scholar, clinical trials, and laboratory studies (adjusted p values < 0.05), coupled with notable increases in online seminar participation (adjusted p values of 0.002 and < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionsAmidst the COVID-19 pandemic in China, activities requiring direct, face-to-face communication were more affected in resource-rich cities and general hospitals compared to resource-limited areas and specialized hospitals. Residency training experienced the most significant decline. Conversely, participation in online seminars increased, providing additional opportunities for continuing medical education.

Slow resistance: Feminist and queer activism in ‘illiberal’ contexts

In recent years in China, NGO activism, street gatherings, and the direct expression of gender and sexual rights have been curtailed, yet paradoxically, online feminist expression and organizing, as well as gay visibility, are happening on an unprecedented scale. Inspired by the notions of slow violence and slow hope, this article proposes the concept of slow resistance in relation to ‘illiberalism’ to think through this paradox. Analyzing recent rich and multifaceted, yet often overlooked, feminist activism in China as an example of slow resistance, the article considers slow resistance in ‘illiberal’ contexts as characterized by its context-dependent (in)visibility due to censorship and limitations in global knowledge production and information circulation. Furthermore, slow resistance can be used to understand activism on a global and transnational scale, beyond the oversimplified liberal/illiberal binary. This binary often fails to capture the complexity of political shifts and social changes within ‘illiberal’ contexts. Moreover, the concept of slow resistance challenges the understanding of power solely as state power and resistance solely as opposition to state power. Developing the concept within feminist activism also highlights the importance of gender and sexual politics in understanding social and political change. Slow resistance offers an indeterminate temporality of resistance that challenges narratives of progress in modernization projects and narratives of decline and despair often associated with ‘illiberal states.’ It is important to note that an excessive emphasis on state oppression or illiberal tendencies may paradoxically hinder, rather than facilitate, the potential for (slow) resistance in such contexts.

Evaluation of Urban Public Building Renovation Potential Based on Combination Weight Cloud Model—Case Study in China

Currently, urban renovation activities in China are booming. And promoting the renovation of public buildings is a key feature of urban renovation due to its large scale, high cost, and significant impact to the natural and social environment. To reduce the ambiguity and uncertainty in evaluating the potential for the renovation of existing public buildings, a renovation potential evaluation model integrating a game theory-based combination weighting method and cloud model theory is proposed. This paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system based on relevant standards and the literature. Game theory is used to optimize the weights obtained by AHP and entropy weight methods to obtain a combined weight. MATLAB programming is used to calculate the comprehensive cloud parameters of the evaluation index for the potential renovation of existing public buildings and therefore generate cloud Graphs. Through a case study in Nanjing, China, it was demonstrated that the combination weight cloud model can objectively reflect the relationship between the fuzziness and randomness of evaluation indicators for public building renovation potential. The visual expression of cloud Graphs can intuitively reflect the magnitude of renovation and renovation potential and the degree of uncertainty in evaluation results. The research result provides useful references for the sustainable utilization of building resources in the era of building.

A Composite Approach for Evaluating Operational Cloud Seeding Effect in Stratus Clouds

Robust water management is in intense demand in many water scarcity areas, such as arid and semi-arid regions in the world. As part of the regional water management strategy, rain enhancement is vital to replenish groundwater reservoirs, and the key challenge is how to assess its effectiveness. Some recent weather modification experiments attained cloud seeding effect through advanced in situ measurement coupled with accurate numerical simulation. However, there is still a lack of an objective and scientific approach to quantitatively evaluate the rain enhancement effect, especially for many non-randomized operational cloud seeding activities in China. In this study, we proposed a composite evaluation approach by analyzing two operational aircraft cloud seeding cases in stratus clouds in Shaanxi, China. By calculating the aircraft cloud seeding agent plumes, the target areas (as well as the control areas) of cloud seeding were dynamically and roughly determined. Physical properties, such as radar reflectivity and precipitation, were individually quantified in these areas. The cloud seeding effect was then evaluated by calculating the difference in parameter variation between target and control areas. This approach can be applied to qualitative analysis in a single aircraft cloud seeding operation and can also provide quantitative statistical results from multiple cloud seeding cases. We found that the average precipitation enhancement percentage of 18 operational aircraft cloud seeding cases is ~4.84%. Note that the homogeneity hypothesis of the seeding cloud, the error in the calculation of the target area, and the selection of control areas are the major uncertainties likely in the evaluation of the cloud seeding effect by this approach.

Do kindergartens mitigate or exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities in language exposure? The case of home-based and kindergarten-based shared book reading activities in China

Shared book reading is a well-established practice for boosting children’s language exposure and enhancing early development at home and in child care settings. The present study examined the socioeconomic gaps in home-based and kindergarten-based shared book reading practices in China. The participants were 1095 parents and 111 teachers in 69 classes from kindergartens in Chongqing, China. Differences in terms of the quantity of both home-based and kindergarten-based shared book reading across SES spectrums were tested. Multi-level modelling was conducted to examine the factors associated with the quantity of home-based and kindergarten-based shared book reading. The results revealed that the socioeconomic gap in home-based shared book reading and the resultant language exposure were significant. Family SES and home literacy resources were associated with the quantity of home-based shared book reading and the availability of literacy resources in the classroom is associated with the quantity of kindergarten-based shared book reading. Kindergartens did not mitigate the socioeconomic inequities of language exposure related to shared book reading. Intervention programs shall focus on improving access to both home-based and kindergarten-based literacy materials.

Using multilayer network analysis to detect the collaborative knowledge construction characteristics among learner groups with low, medium, and high levels of cognitive engagement

Collaborative knowledge construction (CKC) is advanced by group members' cognitive engagement across three levels: individual-level knowledge processing and proposing, the peer-level social interactions and knowledge exchanges between two group members, and the group-level coordination and construction of knowledge across multiple group members. The interconnected and transformative relationship among three levels is an essential factor during the CKC process. Individual viewpoints can trigger peer feedback, which can be further refined by other group members; the group-level consensus can provide foundations for subsequent individual- or peer-level cognitive engagement. The group-level coordination of knowledge advancement involves the processing, synthesis, and reflection of knowledge from multiple members to reach a group consensus. However, previous analytical approaches have faced challenges in modeling distinct types of interconnections across the individual, peer, and group levels during the CKC process. To address this gap, this research employed multilayer network analysis (MNA) to model and quantify the multi-level and interconnected characteristics of CKC in a series of face-to-face, computer-supported CKC activities in China's higher education. First, small groups were categorized into the high, medium, and low levels of cognitive engagement groups. Second, multilayer networks were constructed for each category, where students' use of cognitive strategies were set as nodes, the interconnections between cognitive strategies were set as edges, and three levels (i.e., individual, peer, and group levels) were set as layers. The node-, layer-, and network-level metrics were calculated to quantify the overall characteristics of the networks, the interconnected characteristics within a level and across the three levels. The MNA results revealed that, compared to lower level of cognitive engagement groups, groups with higher cognitive engagement demonstrated (1) more influential moderate and deep cognitive strategies at group and peer levels; (2) interconnections between cognitive strategies with higher diversity, connectivity, and more balanced distribution across three levels, but relatively lower information exchanging efficiency; and (3) communities with more interconnections related to the moderate and deep cognitive strategies at peer and group levels. Based on the empirical findings, this research proposed pedagogical implications for CKC practices and analytical implications for using MNA to improve the understanding of computer-supported collaborative learning mechanisms.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation activity in China 2022-2023. The proportions of peripheral blood for stem cell source continue to grow: a report from the Chinese Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry Group.

Over past two years, a total of 39,918 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) cases were reported, with 18,194 and 21,714 transplants performed in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Autologous HSCT accounted for 6562 cases (31%) in 2022, while allogeneic HSCT comprised 12,632 cases (69%). In 2023, the number of allogeneic HSCTs exceeded 15,000, maintaining a 69% share. Participation in the 2022 and 2023 surveys included 193 and 212 transplantation teams, respectively, from 27 provinces, municipalities, or autonomous regions. The leading indication of HSCT was acute leukemia, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and mixed phenotype acute leukemia, with a total of 17,421 cases. AML was the most common disease (10,339, 38%) for allogeneic HSCT, which was followed by ALL (5925 cases, 21%). Peripheral blood emerged as the primary source of stem cell grafts, utilized in 54% of matched sibling donor transplants and 77% of haploidentical donor transplants. The BuCy-based conditioning regimen was the most prevalent, used in 53% of allogeneic HSCT cases in the past two years. This survey offers a comprehensive overview of the current HSCT landscape and serves as a valuable resource for clinical practice.

“A Comprehensive Review on the Psychological Underpinnings of Investment Decisions among Chinese Investors"

Through a systematic literature review, this paper provides insights into the psychological and behavioural factors that influence Chinese investors' investment decisions. It is found that Chinese investors' behaviours are influenced by a complex interaction of cultural values (e.g. Confucianism), economic factors and the regulatory environment. Common psychological biases such as overconfidence, loss aversion and herding behaviour are prevalent among Chinese investors but are often moderated by cultural factors. Influenced by cultural norms, Chinese investors generally exhibit a long-term investment orientation and high savings rates. The study also found that the fast-growing technology sector and the property market are notable areas of investment activity in China, demonstrating both successes and failures. In addition, regulatory changes and government policies play an important role in shaping investor sentiment and decision-making. However, existing research remains deficient, particularly with regard to the interaction between cultural factors and individual investor characteristics, as well as institutional investor behaviour. This study provides insights into the unique aspects of Chinese investment psychology and behaviour for regulators, investors and financial institutions, contributing to a better understanding and characterisation of the Chinese investment market.

唐宋史料筆記에 보이는 ⾼句麗 관련 기록 연구

Historical texts are classified into public and private sources. Public sources, represented by the Chinese canonical histories officially compiled by the respective dynasties, have played an important role in overcoming data limitations in the study of Korean ancient history. However, relatively little attention has been paid to private sources, including historical notes. Historical notes written by intellectuals contain a great deal of historical information. In recognition of their historical value, China has long categorized and published such materials under the name of “Historical Notes”. Among them, the “Historical Notes of the Tang and Song Dynasties” published by the China Book Bureau is highly authoritative. Focusing on this book, this study identified 42 articles related to Goguryeo from a total of 60 texts. The identified Goguryeo-related articles have some overlap with the existing materials of the public sources represented by the canonical histories. However, considering that many of them were compiled before the “Old Book of Tang” and the “New Book of Tang”, their historical value is not insignificant. Moreover, even if they are the same, most of them have slight differences in words and phrases. The historical notes contain a wide range of information, including data on the wars between Goguryeo and Tang, the lives of the Goguryeo people who migrated to Tang after the fall of Goguryeo, and the views of the Tang and Song dynasties on the Goguryeo people. In particular, this study has identified several new materials in “Chaoye Jinzai,” “Minghuangzalu,” and several others that have never been found in the canonical histories. Examples include Goguryeo’s espionage activities in China’s interior before the fall of Goguryeo and a belt worn by the king of Goguryeo that was taken from Goguryeo during the fall of Goguryeo. The materials found in the historical notes are expected to contribute to further research on the history of Goguryeo.

Strong financial regulation and interbank activities in China

ABSTRACT This study employs a Continuous difference-in-differences (DID) design to examine the impact of strong financial regulation on interbank activities in China. Using a natural experiment of the New Regulation on Asset Management, we find that strong financial regulation significantly reduces interbank activities. Our conclusions underwent multiple robustness tests to ensure its validity. This study offers theoretical and empirical insights into the effectiveness of financial regulation, highlighting the importance of robust regulatory frameworks in maintaining financial stability and mitigating systemic risks. The findings suggest that stringent financial regulations can effectively control speculative activities and enhance the overall health of the banking sector, providing valuable guidance for policymakers in designing and implementing financial regulations.

Can the digital economy development limit the size of the informal economy? A nonlinear analysis based on China's provincial panel data

This paper investigates whether and how digital economy (especially digital platforms and digital finance) restrains the informal economic activities in China measured by the MIMIC (multiple indicators multiple causes) model. Using Chinese provincial panel data from 1995 to 2020, we find that the average size of China's provincial informal economy displays a five-stage fluctuation, ranging from 13.63 % to 17.53 %. More importantly, we uncover a robust “inverted U-shaped” nonlinear relationship between the digital platform development and the informal economy, with a turning point of 0.4189. Initially, the development of digital platforms increases informal economic activities by disrupting traditional sectors, causing new types of tax evasion, challenging regulators and raising digital crime. However, beyond a certain threshold, digital platforms can overcome these problems through more job creations and improved regulation. Meanwhile, the digital financial development is proved to have a negative impact on the informal economy because it can offer much more advantages in addressing informality such as making payments transparent, easing credit constraints, raising total income, helping governments reach people and businesses. Our study provides convincing evidence and valuable advice for policymakers when developing digital economy to curb the informal economy.

Concert traditions of choral conducting in China in the second half of the 20th – early 21st century

Statement of the problem. Historically, choral performance and conducting in China got extraordinary development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. But the artistic achievements of Chinese choral performance, the formation of organizational foundations and concert traditions of leading choral groups, the creative manner and achievements of outstanding conductors have not received adequate coverage and generalization in scientific literature. Only since the beginning of the 21st century, some attention of musicologists has been paid to conducting and choral practice and education (Ma Xu, A. Rastrygina, Liu Zhenyan), the activities of regional choral groups (Gui Junjie), the work of some outstanding artists and their groups (Tang Fang). The insufficient research of the stated problem actualizes the topic of the proposed article. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The scientific novelty is due to the purpose of the article – to highlight the creative achievements of outstanding choral conductors and collectives, to reveal the formation of organizational foundations and concert traditions of Chinese choral art of the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century, which did not become the subject of a separate study. A complex of scientific methods and approaches was used, the main of which are historical and cultural (for identification of the features of development, specifics, stylistics and forms of concert performance), historical and biographical (for covering the creative path of outstanding Chinese choral conductors and groups), musicological (analysis of individual performance style, artistic interpretation, repertoire policy), generalization (historical assessment of concert performance achievements of choral art in China). Research results and conclusion. A review of the development of choral art in China in the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century proved that until the 1980s, the features of its development were determined by the ideology and policy of the Communist Party. It was found that the concert activity of the leading Chinese choirs is characterized by a peculiar manner of performance. The concert programs were analyzed, and it was found that the basis of the repertoire of most choirs are plays by Chinese composers and arrangements of songs of various peoples of China. Works of the world repertoire are mainly performed by Chinese groups during participation in international events. Since the 1990s, the organization of national and international choral competitions and festivals has played a significant role in the development of concert traditions and the spread of choral concert activities in China. At the beginning of the 21st century, the expressiveness of the musical component has been enhanced by theatrical performance. With the spread of Internet networks and computer technologies, new virtual forms of choral concert work are being introduced.

Understanding SMEs’ internationalization through digital platforms: the role of knowledge sharing and consumer education

PurposeThe aim of this study is to understand how digital platforms and context-specific characteristics of China – such as swift guanxi – affect opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) entering this market.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative approach based on a multiple-case study of Italian SMEs in the wine industry that have activated international activities in China. Primary data consist of 32 interviews with SMEs’ managers, local consumers and other stakeholders involved in firm internationalization.FindingsThe findings of this study highlight that in SMEs’ internationalization, the process of knowledge/learning on digital platforms takes place in a bidirectional way thanks to the interactions among multiple stakeholders, which activate consumer education and knowledge sharing.Originality/valueWhile previous research has emphasized firms' knowledge acquisition in the internationalization process, this study incorporates both the consumer perspective and the firm perspective, along with considering interactions with various stakeholders.

Fried. Krupp’s ‘Chinese Trade’ prior to the First World War, 1895–1914

Abstract The German arms company Fried. Krupp exported weapons and military material to China beginning in the early 1870s. It achieved marked success during the 1880s and 1890s. The Sino-Japanese War (1894/95) represented an important milestone for the company’s ‘Chinese trade’. Because the Chinese government had to pay war reparations to Japan, it did not have the funds for purchasing weapons. As a result, not even the posting of German advisors to China saw particularly positive results. Following the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), an embargo on the import of weapons to China was declared. After the embargo was revoked in 1903, the German manufacturer never again achieved the results it had attained in 1884 and 1894. The Germans were negatively affected by the rise of Japanese influence in China following Japan’s victory in its war with Russia. Additionally, some of China’s plans were not in line with Krupp’s capabilities. The Essen company’s managers, for example, considered entirely unrealistic China’s plan to form thirty-six new divisions equipped with modern weapons, which Krupp would supply, by funding the construction of a huge munitions factory in Central China. Although China remained a major purchaser primarily of Krupp’s guns until the First World War, it was no longer one of its main customers. The outbreak of the First World War marked an end to Krupp’s activities in China and the entire Far East.

Atmospheric emissions of respirable quartz from industrial activities in China

Atmospheric emissions of respirable quartz from industrial activities in China

Impact of the Winter Regional Hadley Circulation over Western Pacific on the Frequency of Following Summer Tropical Cyclone Landfalling in China

Abstract The poleward migration of tropical cyclone (TC) activity in recent years has been linked to the expansion of the Hadley circulation (HC). Here, we investigate the impact of the winter regional HC over the western Pacific (WPHC) on the frequency of following summer landfalling TC (LTC) in China. Results show that interannual variation of the LTC frequency has a very close connection with the northern WPHC edge (WPHCE). After removing the El Niño–Southern Oscillation signal, there still exists a significant correlation between them. When the winter WPHCE shifts poleward, the associated lower-level southwesterly (easterly) wind anomalies over the subtropical western Pacific (tropical central-eastern Pacific) induce sea surface temperature (SST) warming (cooling) anomalies therein via suppressing (enhancing) upward surface heat flux. In turn, the SST warming (cooling) excites an anomalous cyclonic (anticyclonic) circulation to its west via a Rossby wave response, thus maintaining the southwesterly (easterly) wind anomalies. In addition, the negative rainfall anomalies over the tropical central-eastern Pacific induced by negative SST anomalies can stimulate an anomalous intensive Walker circulation with anomalous upward motion around the tropical western Pacific. Through this positive air–sea interaction, the winter WPHCE signal would be preserved in the ocean and maintained to the succeeding summer, then favoring LTC genesis landward by decreasing the vertical wind shear and increasing the low-level vorticity and midlevel humidity. Meanwhile, anomalous midtropospheric easterly winds over the subtropics are favorable for steering more LTCs toward China’s coast. This study suggests that the winter WPHCE variation is a potential predictor for the prediction of the following summer LTC activity over China. Significance Statement Tropical cyclone (TC) is one of the most catastrophic high-impact weather events, which may cause great casualties and severe property losses over the coastal areas, particularly when it makes landfall. Previous research studies have related the poleward migration trend of TC locations to the Hadley circulation (HC) expansion. Compared to the long-term trend, the magnitude of the year-to-year change of the HC edge (HCE) is even larger, leading to a stronger impact on the TC activity. A recent study has suggested that the northern HCE over the western Pacific (WPHCE) in boreal winter exhibits a notable interannual variability. In this study, we reveal that the wintertime WPHCE has a very close connection with the landfalling TC (LTC) frequency over China in the following summer. After removing the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal, there still exists a significant positive correlation between them. Observational evidence and numerical model experiments consistently confirm that this time-lagged association is attributable to the air–sea interaction processes in the tropical Pacific. Thus, the results of this study could provide an additional predictor besides ENSO to improve understanding of the LTC activity in China.

Navigating climate challenges: Focusing on the effectiveness of natural resource rents, fintech, green finance, environmental quality, and digitalisation

China indeed has made great efforts to maintain environmental quality. However, it should be noted that climate challenges normally emerge when certain nations heavily depend on non-renewable resources to meet energy demands. It is quite difficult to reduce the dependency because such economies are ranked as a major importer of fossil fuel resources. This means, pollution and emission rates in subsequent economies are increasing with the passage of time. The spontaneous fintech growth and financial inclusion, natural resource volatility and increasing economic activities in China have triggered vicious climate challenges. Therefore, the study intends to explore the relationship between fintech, financial inclusion, green finance, natural resource rent and environmental quality in China over the time period of 1998–2022. Using ARDL technique, it was found that fintech, financial inclusion and green finance enhance environmental quality, whereas natural resource rents are responsible of degrading environmental quality. Therefore, Chinese authorities should use resources related to green finance to facilitate fintech industry. Besides, blending fintech solutions such as NFTs and cryptocurrencies with traditional financing for environmental sustainability, there is also a need to establish standard laws and procedrues for these products.

Do global uncertainties impede insurance activity? An empirical evidence from top two economies

Insurance companies have long-dated assets and liabilities, so their balance sheets are very sensitive to large changes in risk. Using global investor confidence, oil price uncertainty, world pandemic uncertainty and world uncertainty as proxies for global uncertainties, we examine the influence of global uncertainties on insurance activities in China and US to explain their interdependence and causality from 1992 to 2022. Running continuous wavelet transforms and wavelet coherence analysis, we found that while life and non-life insurance activity in Chinese and American market lags investor confidence and pandemic uncertainty, only non-life insurance activity in the US leads world uncertainty. Since the relation does not hold for their Chinese counterpart, this is not a global effect. Furthermore, the nexus between Chinese and American life insurance activity and oil price uncertainty is insignificant. We conclude that insurance activities in China and US adhere to demand-following hypothesis.