Landscape In China Research Articles

Co-operative financial institutions and local development in China

Abstract In recent decades the Chinese financial system has undergone dramatic restructuring, which has substantially altered the country's mutual and co-operative financial institutions. This paper aims to contribute to our understanding of the process, practice and consequences of these developments by systematically charting the trajectory and dynamics of the co-operative financial landscape in China, and by analysing the role that these financial institutions have played in China's socioeconomic change. It is argued that China's financial co-operatives have been de-localised through processes of consolidation and centralisation. They have also been increasingly commercialised within a system based on ‘market logic’, which has changed their developmental role in the Chinese economy. At the same time, however, recent policy has sought to reinstitute locally-focused financial and farmer co-operatives in rural areas. Moreover, local informal and semi-formal modes of co-operative organisation and action have continued to be widespread across the country.

Networked Resistance: Digital Populism, Online Activism, and Mass Dissent in China

The ever-expanding communicative space online has provided Chinese individuals with unprecedented access to an exploding base of user-generated content and has engendered innovative ways of mass collaboration and grassroots participation in the information production process. Within this context, an emerging pattern has redefined the contours of Chinese cyber culture in which dispersed individuals creatively coordinate efforts to expose outrageous wrongdoings and transgressions committed by government officials and other targeted individuals. This article scrutinizes the role of social media in China in opening up new windows of opportunities for mass collaboration and collective action. The analysis is embedded in the current Chinese socio-political power relations and hegemonic structure, and focuses on the salient themes, trending patterns, and circumstantial factors underlying this type of social media activism. It concludes with a deliberation on the implications of this type of populism for so-called netizens, the authoritarian polity, and the evolving new media landscape in China.

Chinese Consumer Movement

This paper describes the Consumer Movement landscape in China, especially explains why consumer protection level is not match to the economic development of the country. Most activity on behalf of consumers in China cannot be described as “activism”. Rather, the government dominates consumer affairs and limits it largely to assistance in complaint resolution what suggests the need for citizen pressure for remedial action.

Hulme, Alison: The Changing Landscape of China’s Consumerism

China is often pictured as a “global factory” or the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Few truly know that China’s consumerism has undergone rapid changes in the recent decades along with her dynamic economy. Once self-sufficiency of food in this most populous country was a global concern, the now cash-rich Chinese consumers buying luxurious goods all over the globe has become iconic nowadays. “The Changing Landscape of China’s Consumerism,” edited by Dr. Alison Hulme from the University of London, helps to decipher the present-day consumerism in China. There are eight contributors, coming from diverse backgrounds as Sinology, Literature, Chinese History, Comparative Philosophy, Cultural Studies, and Anthropology, adding to the book an inter-disciplinary flavor and fun to read. The book covers a wide range of topics including the mentality of the middle-class in China and the consequences of their consumption behaviors; consumption of fashion in China; shanzhai (fake) products; medical consumption with the developing state medical insurance programs; cultural impact on consumption; the promotion of selflessness in a world of materialism; and advertising. In the first chapter, which discusses the middle-class consumption, the book develops a logic chain where the middle class in China, for fear of being called “upstarts” (the nouveau riche or baofahu), is more concerned with their suzhi, the human quality of character, thus leading to cultural consumptions such as visiting art galleries and museums, travelling culture-rich destinations, reading classic texts etc. To maintain their intergenerational status, the middle-class also spends huge amount of money on their children’s education. The ‘quasi middle-class’ does the same to facilitate their children’s accession to the genuine middle-class. Cultural consumption is an inherent part of the ‘petite bourgeoisie’ lifestyle (xiaozi). Certainly, the middle class does

State and Society in China’s Environmental Politics

It is increasingly common to encounter headlines detailing China’s environmental woes and the social action that has appeared as a result. These headlines run side-by-side with stories of China’s continued economic growth and rise in global prominence. The fact that these two issues are connected is not lost on Chinese citizens or the Communist Party of China. The way these competing, though related, issues are addressed by state and society in China is of central concern to the country as well as to the global community. Though the topic of environmental degradation and social response has been previously explored by many academics in the context of China, the issue has gained a broader audience. The three books under review generally seek to reach this broader audience and to address key tensions in China’s environmental governance, providing insight into changes in state–society relations. There has been an opening of social space in China over the last twenty years, allowing for increased public activism related to environmental issues, at a scale unimaginable even thirty years ago. The nature of this space, however, and the political context in which it has emerged, are contentious. Judith Shapiro provides an overview of the broad spectrum of related issues involved in China’s Environmental Challenges, using a textbook format to introduce the key debates regarding environmental governance in China. Following her now seminal study Mao’s War Against Nature, Shapiro’s newest book draws on a historical view of environmental issues in the country; shifting

Burning in agricultural landscapes: an emerging natural and human issue in China

Burning is one of the most widely used methods for removing crop residues during harvest seasons. It cleans fields faster and costs less in comparison to other residue removal methods. Agricultural burning, however, has been recently limited or banned during harvest seasons in China, mainly due to the air quality and human health concerns raised from its use. This paper reviews recent studies on the burning of agricultural landscapes in China to understand the natural (environmental and ecological) and human (economic and social) impacts and identifies uncertainties, gaps, and future research needs. The total annual crop straw output in China is more than 600 billon kg, with about 110, 130, and 230 billion kg coming from rice, wheat, and corn, respectively. Agricultural burning removes about one-fourth of total crop straw and emits about 140–240, 1.6–2.2, and 0.5–0.14 billion kg of CO2, PM2.5, and black carbon, respectively. Agricultural burning accounts for upto half of the total PM10 concentrations in the major burning regions during harvesting periods. Burning emissions contribute to regional haze and smog events. Therefore, limiting or banning agricultural burning is a necessary measure for reducing air pollution in China. The estimations of total burned crop straw amounts and emission factors are the major uncertainty sources for emission estimates. More studies are needed to better describe the smoke plume rise, dispersion, and interactions with weather and climate and to simulate the ecological impacts of agricultural burning. Effective alternatives need to be explored in order to provide solutions for farmers to remove agricultural residues in the wake of the burning ban.

Perceived Value of the Chinese Calligraphic Landscape in Tourism Settings: From the Perspective of Chinese Tourists

This study investigates Chinese tourists’ perceived value of the Chinese calligraphic landscape in tourism settings. Four-hundred and twenty-two valid questionnaires were randomly collected among Chinese tourists in a touristic site with a calligraphic landscape in China. Four dimensions of perceived value of calligraphic landscape are proposed and identified: functional tangible value, functional intangible value, social value, and emotional value. In addition, this study suggests that functional intangible value and emotional value of a calligraphic landscape play significant roles in affecting tourist satisfaction and loyalty. A one-way analysis of variance reveals that the perceived value of a calligraphic landscape varies across tourists with different levels of liking for and familiarity with Chinese calligraphy.

Canis lupus familiaris involved in the transmission of pathogenic Yersinia spp. in China

To investigate canines carrying pathogens associated with human illness, we studied their roles in transmitting and maintaining pathogenic Yersinia spp. We examined different ecological landscapes in China for the distribution of pathogenic Yersinia spp. in Canis lupus familiaris, the domestic dog. The highest number of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica was shown from the tonsils (6.30%), followed by rectal swabs (3.63%) and feces (1.23%). Strains isolated from plague free areas for C. lupus familiaris, local pig and diarrhea patients shared the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern, indicating they may be from the same clone and the close transmission source of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica infections in these areas. Among 226 dogs serum samples collected from natural plague areas of Yersinia pestis in Gansu and Qinghai Provinces, 49 were positive for F1 antibody, while the serum samples collected from plague free areas were all negative, suggested a potential public health risk following exposure to dogs. No Y. enterocolitica or Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was isolated from canine rectal swabs in natural plague areas. Therefore, pathogenic Yersinia spp. may be regionally distributed in China.

Expansion of Chinese Social Health Insurance: who gets what, when and how?

This article asks ‘who gets what, when and how’ from China's recent social welfare expansion. Little research to date examines the overall landscape of China's social health insurance, which has changed dramatically since 2003, and the distributive consequences and implications thereof. Drawing on public survey data and fieldwork for empirical support, this article finds that China's recent social health insurance expansion does significantly expand people's access to social health insurance. However, the expansion, which entails health insurance fragmentation and increasing benefit disparities, not only reinforces existing social cleavages such as the rural–urban divide, but it also generates new divisions within urbanites and workforce. Moreover, multiple social cleavages that cross-cut class differences have been institutionalized into China's social health insurance system. This reflects authoritarian regimes' ‘divide and rule’ tactic in social welfare provision.

Integrating global socio-economic influences into a regional land use change model for China

With rapid economic development and urbanization, land use in China has experienced huge changes in recent years; and this will probably continue in the future. Land use problems in China are urgent and need further study. Rapid land-use change and economic development make China an ideal region for integrated land use change studies, particularly the examination of multiple factors and global-regional interactions in the context of global economic integration. This paper presents an integrated modeling approach to examine the impact of global socio-economic processes on land use changes at a regional scale. We develop an integrated model system by coupling a simple global socio-economic model (GLOBFOOD) and regional spatial allocation model (CLUE). The model system is illustrated with an application to land use in China. For a given climate change, population growth, and various socio-economic situations, a global socio-economic model simulates the impact of global market and economy on land use, and quantifies changes of different land use types. The land use spatial distribution model decides the type of land use most appropriate in each spatial grid by employing a weighted suitability index, derived from expert knowledge about the ecosystem state and site conditions. A series of model simulations will be conducted and analyzed to demonstrate the ability of the integrated model to link global socioeconomic factors with regional land use changes in China. The results allow an exploration of the future dynamics of land use and landscapes in China.

中国西南喀斯特石漠化时空演变特征、发生机制与调控对策

中国西南喀斯特石漠化及发展态势的遏制与综合治理是长江、珠江流域的生态安全需要。通过总结前人的研究成果、采集中国科学院环江喀斯特生态试验站部分收集整理和试验数据，尝试性地提出了新的石漠化概念和分类标准，探讨了西南喀斯特石漠化的空间分布及动态变化规律，阐明了不同石漠化程度生态系统的植被和土壤物理、化学、微生物等属性的表现特征，从自然和人为两个方面揭示了西南喀斯特石漠化的发生机制，提出了不同石漠化程度的治理对策，以促进喀斯特区域生态、经济、社会的全面协调与可持续发展。;The karst landscape in China are mainly located in the southwest of China around Guizhou province and cover an area of 550 000 km². Southwest China is most famous in the world for the continuous distribution of karst landscape, for holding the largest area of bare carbonate rocks and for experiencing the strongest karst development in the world. The karst area in southwest China is characterized by unique geological background, high landscape heterogeneity, low ecological capacity. In the meanwhile, this region is populous and in turn the exploitation of natural resources has been very high. For example, most natural vegetation has been converted to croplands. As a consequence, the region has experienced serious soil erosion or rocky desertification over the past decades due to the fragile nature of the ecosystems here, which posed great threat on the sustainable development of this region. In addition, since southwest China is located in the headwaters region of the Pearl River and Yangtze River, the ecological degradation in this region directly impacts the ecological safety the in the middle or lower reaches of the two rivers' watersheds. Therefore, a comprehensive control of the karst rocky desertification and an effective restoration of the degraded areas are necessary for ensuring the ecological security of the Yangtze and Pearl rivers' watersheds. In this paper, we systematically synthesized the information regarding rock desertification in the karst area in southwest China obtained largely from but not limited to Huanjiang Observation and Research Station of Karst Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences. We proposed a new definition of rocky desertification and its classification criteria. Based on remote sensing data, we discussed the spatial distribution and dynamics of rock desertification in the karst area in southwest China. At different stages of rocky desertification, the ecosystems were related to different characteristics embodied by a combination of vegetation, soil physics, chemistry, and microorganism. The occurrence of karst rocky desertification was explained from natural factors (e.g., geological factors) and human activities, especially agricultural activities. We proposed several regulation strategies according to the degree of rocky desertification to boost the harmonious and sustainable development of ecology, economy and society in the karst areas of southwest China.

The need and the prospects for developing large-scale green corridors to protect biodiversity

Habitat fragmentation can decrease species numbers and mobility and increase mortality rates. This process is widely recognized as the primary threat to the loss of biodiversity loss and the primary cause of species extinction. Green corridors provide a natural link between large areas of natural landscape. These corridors facilitate the movement and migration of wildlife. Several foreign environmental conservation groups have been aware of the positive impacts of large-scale green corridors on the protection of biodiver- sity and landscape connectivity, and a number of attempts have been made to pursue this goal. In China, the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest project launched in 1970s composed large scale ecological barrier system in most area of arid region, which is an example of large-scale green corridors. At present, the applications of green corridors in China primarily involve urban greening. These corridors are generally planned and imple- mented on a small, local scale without adequate consideration for ecological integrity and connectivity. This article introduces the primary mission and development history of the world's principal large-scale corridors. The progress of development and the practice of planning for green corridors in China are topics of concern, and the shortage of green corridors in the country has been recognized. Based on the current status of the Nature Reserve System, Urban Corridor Network and specific natural landscapes in China, a feasible devel- opment scheme for large-scale green corridors in China has been proposed.

Postglacial inception and growth of anthropogenic landscapes in China, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East

Abstract With the onset of deglaciation in the Northern Hemisphere about 20,000 years ago, a rich temperate biota, earlier driven southward by ice-age cold, began its long, slow return to East Asia. Fully modern and technologically sophisticated Upper Paleolithic Homo sapiens communities re-engineered their ecological niche in keeping with these changes by mapping on to newly productive hunting localities, gathering grounds, and raw-material sources and situating their wintering/home base residential sites in relation to the others. Acorns, nuts, annual seeds, and other foods accessed within such logistic networks were at first gathered wild, but over millennia came to be harvested, tended, and finally domesticated in great quantity. Agriculture, population, and infrastructural additions to natural landscapes expanded in scope. Over a long period, originally familistic lineage heads and elders claimed an ever-increasing authority and personal share of the collective wealth generated by the community. Archeological evidence and written histories, appearing earliest in Central China, document the rise of elite family dynasties that garnered enormous wealth and luxury through their control of agriculture, industry, and trade, while peasant laborers profited far less. Military force applied to outsiders on their borders, and at times to their own people, became an important instrument of this ruling class. Central Riverine China led in all these developments, and over time neighboring peoples in Northeast China, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East engineered their own civic and productive infrastructures according to the same dynamics, resulting in a pervasive spread of anthropogenic landscapes throughout East Asia.

The landscapes of China: past and present influences on society and politics

The landscapes of China: past and present influences on society and politics

Research review on development stages and disciplinary fields of vernacular landscapes in China

论文对不同学科在乡土景观领域的学术成果进行了综述性研究, 探索低资源建设高效性人工生态系统的途径, 具体方法为: 围绕农业农田景观及乡村聚落景观两大对象梳理了研究发展历程, 横向比较了美学、社会学、文化地理学、景观生态学、建筑学及风景园林学科关于乡土景观研究对象、目的、方法及内容的差异, 总结出既往研究的两大特征, 即纵向观察得出的外部因素对乡土景观研究热点变迁的主导性影响, 横向观察得出的多学科交叉互动对乡土景观研究的推动作用。从以上两大特征可以看出, 在乡土景观的形成过程中, 人的主体性体现为高效利用地域资源方面的经验与智慧, 这些经验和智慧深刻地反映在生活、生产和生态环境等物质空间中, 体现在不同尺度的乡村聚落景观系统、农田景观系统和整体人文生态系统中, 呈现出不同的物质空间形态和组合特征, 具有典型性和模式化特点, 值得认真继承与发扬。利用低资源建设高效性的人工生态系统即为乡土景观研究的本质问题。从而界定出如下结论: 乡土景观的概念为能够充分适应特定地域自然与人文环境、在特殊人地关系长期作用下形成的乡村复合生态系统。最终, 提出加强深层本质问题与基础理论的深化研究, 推进学科领域的多元探索与范式收敛的研究展望。

Protestant Christianity and Civil Society in Authoritarian China

Recent research has suggested that Western donors working in China have channelled most of their funds to government-affiliated entities, including state-affiliated think tanks, academic institutions, and government agencies, rather than to grassroots civil society organisations. A more state-centred approach may have made sense in the early years of the reform era, when few non-governmental organisations existed in China that could serve as effective partners to Western donors. Yet the rapid growth and development of the civil society sector in China over the last several years means that a number of new actors are doing very important work on a range of issues related to human rights and the rule of law. The author argues that Western funding for newly-formed grassroots civil society organisations is crucial to the ongoing development of Chinese civil society. In addition, because grassroots groups can often make fuller use of key advocacy tools, such as interest group mobilisation, media advocacy, and strategic litigation, they may in some cases be even more effective in pursuing progressive goals than academic or government-affiliated entities. Western donors active in China should take note of the rapidly-changing civil society landscape in China and make efforts to ensure that their funding strategies are in line with the evolving country context.

Tasseled cap transformation for HJ-1A/B charge coupled device images

At-satellite reflectance based tasseled cap parameters were extracted from HJ-1A/B satellite imagery, the charge coupled device (CCD) data of the Chinese environmental satellites that were launched on September 6, 2008. Sixteen scenes selected from the four sensors (HJ 1A CCD1, HJ 1A CCD2, HJ 1B CCD1, HJ 1B CCD2), respectively were used. The objectives are evaluating the consistency of the tasseled cap parameters for four sensors and proposing combined tasseled cap parameters for all four HJ-1A/B CCD. The results indicated that the direction of corresponding tasseled cap vectors of four sensors were almost the same. Then a combined at-satellite reflectance-based tasseled cap transformation was developed based on eight HJ-1A/B CCD scenes representing a variety of landscapes of China in both leaf-on and leaf-off seasons. Extraction combines the principle component transform with Gram-Schmidt Orthogonalization (GSO) process. The accurate brightness was obtained with the help of the first principal component eigenvector, and then greenness and wetness. The fourth one was obtained by the GSO. The first two dimensions (the brightness and the greenness) typically capture over 98%, and the brightness, greenness, and wetness account for over 99.9% of the total spectral variance. The fourth one occupies a very low proportion.

The Chinese Model of Teacher Education: Retrospects and Prospects over a Century

This article aims at a comprehensive examination of the Chinese model of teacher education by critically revisiting the developmental trajectory of the teacher education system in China over the past century, with a particular focus on policy trends since the 1990s. It interrogates the Chinese model of teacher education with two macro lenses: the historical and the comparative. The historical lens looks deeply into the Chinese way of reform with a catch-up mentality in various stages, while the comparative lens locates the Chinese model of teacher education in an international context. The paper begins with a comprehensive review of the related literature, surveys the historical pathway of China’s modern teacher education system since its birth in 1897, presents an overview of the current provisions of the system, and examines recent policy trends in the landscape of China’s teacher education. Finally, the article concludes that the Chinese model consists of a hybrid system of teacher education provided by normal schools, normal colleges and universities, with the participation of comprehensive universities and internet-based higher education institutions, and accompanied by a consistent licensing system for the teaching profession. With such core features as independence, openness, adaptability and diversity based on Confucian epistemology and pragmatism, the Chinese model of teacher education is likely to illuminate new paths for the development of education and the pursuit of excellence in the global community.

Restless Urban Landscapes in China: A Case Study of Three Projects in Shanghai

ABSTRACT:This paper investigates the emergence of diversified landscapes in postreform China. The new urban forms are understood as a result of broader changes in the institutional and sociocultural spheres since reform. The commodification of housing provision on the supply side and the rise of a new rich and consumer culture on the demand side have together led to an ever-important role of place marketing in adding to the exchange values of land and buildings. Three projects in Shanghai are further studied in detail to illustrate what has been built and how they are built. It is revealed that, whatever the building style, the landscapes are manipulated to conjure up a certain type of good life by mixed-use packages and distinctive images. Furthermore, a new mode of public–private partnership favoring place marketing and holistic development strategies has also emerged. In comparison with other countries that have witnessed similar urban changes, an important process that China is experiencing is the commodification of urban space under globalization. But the dominant role of the state makes the case of China distinct. How market and global forces could shape the built environment still largely depends on the state’s urban policies.

The ‘revolution’ of 1911 revisited: A review of contemporary studies in China

Reviewing the last decade of Chinese-language scholarship on the 1911 Revolution, this article suggests that we should view the Revolution in richer ways, rather than simply focusing on the political event on 10 October 1911. By contextualizing the revolution in its world, this article argues that it is necessary to view 1911 in its own terms and in global perspective in order to articulate historical continuities and discontinuities beyond 1911. How did, does, and will the spirit of modern revolution function and reshape the mental landscape in China’s past, present, and future? The revolution is considered here to be not only a transhistorical source of transformation but also part of the restructuring of social life and ideals. Revolution has become the ontological ground of China’s modern society. The meaning of the spirit of revolution lay in providing the Chinese people with a space of hope, where they could transcend current disappointment and discontent, and pursue political, economic, and cultural visions to fundamentally change their world. For individuals, revolution offered a means of meeting personal needs; for the nation, the revolution has meant the unending pursuit of ‘standing up, enriching up, and strengthening up’.