Opening-up Policy Research Articles

From the "Li Yuchun Phenomenon" to See the Dissemination of Contemporary Chinese Popular Culture

With the promotion of reform and opening-up policy, Chinese mass culture has had great influence on China, and caused great changes in the past 40 years. Compared with office culture and elite culture, mass culture has been one of the most profound and extensive cultures affecting the Chinese public, which affects people's world outlook, view of life, values, but also made sound economic sense. This paper will analyze the absence of Chinese popular culture at the beginning of the 21st century, Li yuchun phenomenon and its producing process, This discusses the significance of Li Yuchun's rise to celebrity symbol for contemporary Chinese popular culture.

Skills in the German language: Auditory skills - listening and speaking.

In this article we can see to what extent the role of Language skills is in German. Listening comprehension and speaking Are an integral part of the article. Also focuses on the special role of language skills in Language learning, with the focus on the role of Language skills in German and their imparting to learners. The importance of grammar has a traditional background. Before the opening-up policy in the 1980s, oral communication with Germans was hardly necessary in China. Back then, people were more concerned with written texts. The grammar was the focus of the reaching. Poor Performance can be due to the learners if, for example they lack motivation or the correct Learning technique when learning German. In my opinion it is due to three Misjudgments.

A Study of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone under China's New Normal

As China's economy enters a new normal, transformation and upgrading are inevitable. As a testing ground for reform and opening up, the FTZ is charged with the important task of promoting the mature economic and financial system to the whole country. The Guangdong FTZ, which is connected to Hong Kong and Macao, is a frontier of reform and opening up, and its development prospects are immeasurable. This paper explores the current status of the Guangdong FTZ and provides a comprehensive analysis and positioning of its competitive advantages in order to explore Guangdong's opening-up policies and proposals that are in line with China's new normal.

An overview of less commonly taught languages education in China: historical perspectives and practical concerns

The teaching of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) in China started in late World War II and developed rapidly after the implementation of China’s reform and opening-up policy. In the 21st century, LCTLs education has entered a new stage. The Chinese government has promulgated a good number of policies to encourage the development of LCTLs professionals. In the meantime, the changing international landscape and the adjustment of the national development strategies have raised higher requirements and expectations for the construction of LCTLs majors. With an overview of the history of LCTLs undergraduate education, this paper focuses on the process of LCTLs undergraduate professionals development in China in the 21st century as well as summarizes the achievements and challenges of Chinese LCTLs education from the perspectives of disciplinary planning, curriculum development, teacher development, international training, and artificial intelligence.

Overseas Chinese Policy of the PRC in the Era of Deng Xiaoping (1977-1992)

From both theoretical and practical points of view, the contemporary Overseas Chinese policy of the PRC is largely based on the experience gained during the de facto reign of Deng Xiaoping (1977–1992). In the shortest possible time after the end of the "cultural revolution (1966-1976)" Deng was succeeded to carry out restoration work on interaction with the diaspora and include it in the strategic development plan of the PRC for decades ahead. Talking about the PRC's Overseas Chinese policy, the author minds both the foreign policy – towards overseas Chinese (huaqiao-huaren: emigrants and ethnic Chinese with foreign citizenship, and the internal policy – towards re-emigrants and relatives of emigrants in the PRC (guiqiao-qiaojuan), who are directly connected with Overseas Chinese. The article analyzes the first steps of Deng Xiaoping's team to restore work with the Chinese diaspora before the official announcement of the policy of reform and opening-up: reconstruction of the administrative structure for Overseas Chinese Affairs, planning the main directions of work with diaspora, including it in the strategic development plan of the PRC. The author explains the legal details and examines the main theoretical approaches to the work with the diaspora in the first years of reform and opening-up. The paper deals with the processes of creating the basis for long-term cooperation between the PRC and the Chinese diaspora. It concludes that Deng Xiaoping completely restored external and internal work with the diaspora and created conditions for further comprehensive cooperation with it in the short, medium, and long term.

Regional Heterogeneity of the Impact of FDI on China’s Marketization Process

As the process of marketization gradually takes place in China after 1978’s initiation of the reform and opening-up policy, FDI which is attracted by China’s preferential policies has become the main driving force of Economic growth. This paper tries to identify the determinants of marketization from the perspective of FDI based on provincial panel data ranged from 2000 to 2017 in China. Two-way-fixed effect model shows that the relationship between FDI and Marketization Level existed huge regional heterogeneity in China. Specifically, Eastern regions with higher development showed a stronger relationship, while in less developed western regions, this relationship was less significant. We also explore the heterogeneity from the time periods. The results indicate that FDI’s positive effect on Eastern China’s marketization level was slowing down, while FDI’s positive effect on Western China’s marketization level was escalating.

Trade liberalization and the health of working-age adults: Evidence from China

Abstract Past research has examined the effects of import competition on workers' health outcomes, but few studies have investigated the impact of export expansion. We take advantage of the exogenous changes in export tariffs on Chinese products after the Reform and Opening-Up policies in China to estimate the effect of reductions in export tariffs on the health of working-age adults. Using China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 1993 to 2009, we create individual-level panels and find that reductions in export tariffs improved the health of working-age adults. Analysis of possible mechanisms shows that reduced export tariffs led to increased earnings and hours worked as well as decreased malnutrition, suggesting an income effect driven by export-led growth. This conclusion is further supported by the observation of greater health improvements among those without urban residency and those with low educational attainment. The findings contribute to the limited evidence on this topic among developing economies as well as the ongoing discussion of the relationship between income and health.

Hizbullah’s Post-Islamist Trends in the Performing Arts

This article outlines Hizbullah’s shift to post-Islamism and its various cultural activities in Lebanese society that underpin this shift. The Party’s involvement in these activities is integrated in current research on post-Islamism and its various social, political, and cultural manifestations. In its Islamist stage, Hizbullah anathematized the Lebanese political system and state institutions. In its post-Islamist phase, Hizbullah became pragmatic by embarking on a policy of opening-up (infitah) in politics along with cultural and social practices. This article studies Hizbullah’s popular culture and lifestyles by focusing on its purposeful art or ‘resistance art’, which is a cultural resistance against oppression, domestic deprivation, disenfranchisement, and repression, as well as foreign aggression, invasion, occupation, and subjugation. Hizbullah exploits the concepts of cultural citizenship and cultural politics to encourage, in mixed gender spaces, purposeful performing arts: music, dancing, singing, revolutionary theater, and satire. Hizbullah appears to equate modernity with European art forms rather than indigenous forms. In its ideology and politics, Hizbullah fluctuated between Islamism and post-Islamism. While in its performing arts, Hizbullah conveyed a post-Islamist face legitimized by the principle of maslaha (public interest).

From relief to life, the last memory of leprosy sanatorium: investigation and patient interview in Wukang sanatorium

Zhejiang Wukang sanatorium evolved from Hangchow C. M.S. Hospital, which was founded in 1887. It is the leprosy prevention and treatment center of Zhejiang Province after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Most of the leprosy patients (convalescents)in sanatoriums entered the hospital successively in 1960s. Due to the limitation of dapsone monotherapy and the poor living conditions, the convalescents need to receive long-term isolation treatment and engage in collective production. After the implementation of Reform and Opening-up policy, the leprosy patients' health care has been greatly improved. The leprosy prevention and treatment course has been gradually reduced; the widespread knowledge of leprosy gradually freed leprosy patients from the dilemma of being stigmatized. In the post-leprosy era, Wukang sanatorium changed from the original focus on disease treatment to strengthening the psychological construction of patients. Its function changed from isolation and prevention to rest and pension, and the status of leprosy patients changed from "patients" to "convalescents" . These changes reflect the humanistic care and guidance of destigmatization in the process of leprosy isolation and epidemic prevention from prevention to treatment to the aged.

Why North Korea Could Not Implement the Chinese Style Reform and Opening? The Internal Contradiction Between Economic Reform and Political Stability

Can North Korea implement Chinese-style reform and opening-up policies? This is an important question, directly relevant to the policy debate on North Korea’s nuclear challenges. Through comparative historical analysis, I argue that Pyongyang has failed to adopt the Chinese-style reform and opening-up for the internal and structural restraints. The Chinese experience shows that the economic reform and opening, to be successful, requires a certain degree of political reform and openness to be executed together. North Korea could not implement the economic reform and opening policies as effectively as China did, not because of the external conditions like international sanctions or security threat to the country, but more for the internal contradiction that North Korea’s own economic development is likely to endanger the stability of the political system more rapidly and widely than China has experienced. For this analysis, I rely on North Korea’s published laws and economic policies, previous survey works and scholarly works published in Korean and Chinese.

Study on the C-E Translation of Publicity Materials from the Perspective of Venuti’s Foreignization—A Case Study of “An Overview of the World Exposition Shanghai China 2010”

Since the implementation of China’s reform and opening-up policy, the rapid development of economy and the international exchanges require a growing need for the publicity materials and translation, C-E translation in particular, in which, faithful reproduction of China’s culture and image should be regarded as the priority. Many translators have been aware of the great importance of the cultural communication in translation of publicity materials, and various theories had been applied to study this issue both at home and abroad. In terms of preserving the source-language culture, Venuti advocates the dissimilarities between two languages. And that is why he puts forward foreignization. However, due to the dominating position of domesticating translation theory in China, Lawrence Venuti’s theory of foreignization failed to receive enough attention in the field from translators and translation researchers in China. This paper, by using the theory of Venuti’s foreignization to analyze the C-E translation of the publicity materials, especially a case study of An Overview of the World Exposition Shanghai China 2010, aims to demonstrate the application of Venuti’s foreignization to analyzing the translation of the publicity materials, and therefore provides a brand-new approach for English learners to analyze the C-E publicity materials.

An empirical study on spatial–temporal dynamics and influencing factors of apple production in China

In the context of supply-side structural reform, revealing the characteristics of spatial–temporal dynamics and influencing factors of China’s apple production layout is of great significance to ensure apple supply and demand balance and timely adjustment of industrial policies and regional layout strategies. Based on national and provincial apple production data from 1978 to 2016, this study used the apple production concentration index to analyse the evolution characteristics of regional apple production patterns in China. A theoretical analysis framework was established and a spatial econometric model was used to quantitatively explore the influencing factors of China’s apple production layout. The results showed that, first, since the reform and opening-up policy, a general trend of fluctuating growth was found for apple production in China. The centre of apple production layout moved in the southwest direction, with the shift from the Bohai Bay region to the Loess Plateau region. Second, apple production had a significant spatial correlation, while the degree of spatial agglomeration gradually decreased. Third, these changes were significantly influenced by apple comparative income, infrastructure, policies, and climatic conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to continue optimizing and adjusting the apple spatial layout to enhance the technological progress and economic effect of the apple industry and to ensure the stability and balance of regional supply and demand.

Land and Resources Development and Research on Regional Economic Development

<p>Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, the domestic economy has been rapid developing and the focus of social construction has gradually shifted to economic construction. In the process of social and economic development, more attention is paid to the use and development of resources. Among them, the important material basis for the survival and development of residents is land and resources. The relevant managers are required to be fully aware of the relevance between regional economic development and land and resources development, so as to make full use of land and resources. This article is mainly about the research of land and resources development and regional economic development, for the reference of relevant professionals.</p>

The Spillover Effect of US Monetary Policy on China’s Macroeconomy

How to quantitatively measure the macro dynamic effect of monetary policy is one of the most critical issues in the mainstream macro research （Benanke and Gertler, 1995; Christiano, et al., 1999）. In the context of global financial integration, how will a country’s monetary policy affect the macroeconomy of other countries? This international spillover effect of monetary policy has been hotly debated in the academy, but it has not yet been conclusive. The reason is that, empirically, how to identify the impact of exogenous monetary policy has not been well resolved at the technical level; theoretically, mainstream macroeconomic models provide various transmission mechanisms, and no consensus has been reached.Due to the above difficulties, research on the international spillover effect of monetary policy is still in its early stage, and the impact of US monetary policy on China’s economy is seldom studied. From the empirical point of view, this article follows the latest literature Barakchian and Crowe （2013, hereinafter referred to as BC） to identify the impact of exogenous monetary policy in the United States, and studies the dynamic impact of US monetary policy on China’s macroeconomy and its underlying transmission mechanism. This article provides new evidence on the international spillover effect of monetary policy and also tests the existing theories in international economics from an empirical perspective.The primary issue to be addressed in monetary policy research is how to identify exogenous monetary policy shocks. However, macroeconomic regulation often relies on the current situation of aggregate economy. Since there is a strong endogenous relationship among economic variables, it is difficult to directly construct a system that includes policy variables and macroeconomic indicators to identify exogenous monetary policy shocks. To this end, BC （2013） solves the endogenous issue regarding the identification of monetary policy shocks. The exogenous shock constructed through their indicator not only avoids making ad hoc assumptions about the feedback rules of monetary policy, but also avoids the endogenous problems and the sample selection issue in traditional identification methods.Based on the US monetary policy shock constructed by BC （2013）, this article studies the spillover effect of US monetary policy on China’s macroeconomy and therefore solves the aforementioned endogenous problem of monetary policy shocks. The basic model of the empirical analysis is a three-variable structural vector autoregressive error correction model （SVECM） that includes China’s industrial output, price index, and US monetary policy shocks. Based on this model, we find that the opening-up policy of WTO accession at the end of 2001 has a significant structural impact on the spillover effect of US monetary policy and its transmission mechanism. Specifically, we divide the monthly data from 1996−2008 into two sub-samples before and after January 2002. Using the 2002−2008 subsample, we find that the impact of the US’s tightening monetary policy significantly causes China’s output to rise and prices to fall, thus performing as a positive supply shock to China’s economy. Based on the 1996−2001 subsample, US monetary policy will not have a significant impact on China’s economy. The above findings are largely different from the findings in Kim （1999, 2001）, Canova （2005）, and among others.In the analysis of the transmission mechanism, this article finds that the price channel can well explain the stylized facts in the data. Our theory proceeds as follows: The US tightening monetary policy will lead to the appreciation of the US dollar, which will cause US manufacturers to lower their export prices in US dollars （Exchange Rate Pass-Through）. Due to the yuan-dollar fixed exchange rate system, China’s import prices will decline, and the prices of domestic raw materials and CPI will decline. Lower production costs lead manufacturers to increase production, which is reflected by an increase in China’s output. Therefore, the price channel indicates that the US tightening monetary policy is equivalent to a positive supply shock, which will simultaneously increase China’s output and reduce the price level. Based on the extended SVECM system, we find that Chinese macro data can identify the price channels of imported goods. Further robustness analysis shows that our main findings are robust to different sample periods and different model settings. Besides, in order to better explain the identification of import price channels, we have conducted empirical tests on several standard theories in international economics. The results show that the standard theories fail to explain the Chinese data. Therefore, the price channel provides the primary transmission mechanism of the spillover effect of US monetary policy on China’s economy, and this channel also explains the empirical finding that WTO has a structural impact on the spillover effect.

‘FROM POINT TO SURFACE’: THE ROLE OF POLICY EXPERIMENTATION IN CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION REFORMS

ABSTRACT China has undergone unprecedented changes since the Reform and Opening-up policy in 1978. Policy experimentation (PE) has been key in generating and catalysing reforms in the process. This study proposes a conceptual framework to describe the different pathways of PE-enabled reforms. Comparing two empirically informed case studies, this study demonstrates the functions of this policy tool plays within China’s higher education policy-making and development: generative, rhetorical and regulatory. The paper argues that PE can be a genuinely productive mechanism for producing, identifying and negotiating new policy options while allowing the government to supervise and regulate institutional reform behaviours. However, under certain conditions, it assumes more of a symbolic role allowing the government to acquire or consolidate reform legitimacy without engaging substantial innovation. By highlighting those key roles of PE, this paper provides a distinctive perspective for understanding the policy-making and reform process in China’s higher education development.

Forty Years of the Return of Advertising in China (1979–2019): A Critical Overview

Despite advertising now being ubiquitous in China, the phenomenon is still considered to be relatively new. It was officially reintroduced after the Maoist years, thanks to the economic reforms and opening-up policy initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1979. Advertising has seen tremendous growth over the past 40 years and is now acknowledged as an indispensable tool in the country’s economic growth: it fuels domestic consumption and is the main source of income for the national media. In 2011, China became the second biggest advertising market in the world, but the Chinese authorities still have an ambivalent attitude towards it. Although advertising is a key creative industry in China and is strongly supported by the government, through dedicated plans and policies, it tends to be strictly aligned with the Party-State’s political agenda and, as a result, it is heavily regulated and required to help with the construction of a socialist spiritual civilisation. This article provides the first comprehensive and up-to-date critical overview of the 40 years since the return of advertising in China, addressing its history, growth, recent trends and government regulation, as well as the development of its counterpart for the common good – public service advertising.

Factors affecting employment quality in China: evidence based on spatial panel data model

ABSTRACT China has given priority to the improvement of employment quality as a part of its strategy to make people enjoy a better life. This article aims to analyse factors affecting employment quality in China. Based on the comprehensive employment quality index which is derived by entropy, this article formulates a Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) model to evaluate factors affecting employment quality by using data ranging from 2011 to 2017. It is found that the economic growth is not the only determining factor, and it has different impact on different regions in both direct effect and indirect effect. Other factors such as labour market level, industrial upgrade and open-up policy also have positive and negative impact on employment quality.

Opening or Solidifying? The Trend of the Intergenerational Mobility in China since the Implementation of the Reform and Opening-up Policy

Based on the findings of the China General Social Survey, this study aims to analyze the trend of the intergenerational mobility in China since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy by evaluating the absolute and relative mobility rates through the mobility table. The intergenerational mobility level in China is relatively high from the perspective of the absolute mobility rates. Besides, the overall trend is upward and social openness is quite high. However, the intergenerational mobility level is relatively low and gradually declining from the perspective of the relative mobility rates that reflect the equality of mobility opportunities. In addition, the social class structure shows a tendency of solidifying. While the absolute mobility rates reflect the efficiency of the intergenerational mobility, the relative mobility rates reflect its fairness. However, since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, Chinese society appears to be in a state of inadequate equality but with high efficiency. In this study, we generally regarded education as a critical factor of the intergenerational mobility. Lately, China has implemented a series of education policies, including the resumption of university entrance examination policy, compulsory education policy, and college enrollment expansion policy. The Chinese government endeavors to enhance national education attainment and sustain absolute mobility at a higher level. Nevertheless, the differences in education attainment of offspring from different social classes have increased gradually, making education inequality a significant factor of lower relative mobility. Thus, the government should increase the intergenerational mobility level by creating a healthy and stable economic development environment and improving education inequality.

Opening or Solidifying? The Trend of the Intergenerational Mobility in China since the Implementation of the Reform and Opening-up Policy

Based on the findings of the China General Social Survey, this study aims to analyze the trend of the intergenerational mobility in China since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy by evaluating the absolute and relative mobility rates through the mobility table. The intergenerational mobility level in China is relatively high from the perspective of the absolute mobility rates. Besides, the overall trend is upward and social openness is quite high. However, the intergenerational mobility level is relatively low and gradually declining from the perspective of the relative mobility rates that reflect the equality of mobility opportunities. In addition, the social class structure shows a tendency of solidifying. While the absolute mobility rates reflect the efficiency of the intergenerational mobility, the relative mobility rates reflect its fairness. However, since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, Chinese society appears to be in a state of inadequate equality but with high efficiency. In this study, we generally regarded education as a critical factor of the intergenerational mobility. Lately, China has implemented a series of education policies, including the resumption of university entrance examination policy, compulsory education policy, and college enrollment expansion policy. The Chinese government endeavors to enhance national education attainment and sustain absolute mobility at a higher level. Nevertheless, the differences in education attainment of offspring from different social classes have increased gradually, making education inequality a significant factor of lower relative mobility. Thus, the government should increase the intergenerational mobility level by creating a healthy and stable economic development environment and improving education inequality.​

Towards a Model of Optimal Social Distancing During a Pandemic

The approach to reducing the current harm from the COVID-19 disease is to mandate or encourage an array of social distancing behaviors. These behaviors have the negative effects of reducing GDP, personal incomes, and increasing unemployment leading to calls for opening up the economy and thereby reducing social distancing. This makes more sense to do in developing economies which lack the private and public safety nets to compensate for the lost income. However, if this opening-up policy is followed, we suggest that social distancing be maintained at the level that minimizes deaths.