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South China Morning Post
05-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Harvard speech by Chinese graduate exposes class disillusionment and education gap at home
Controversy surrounding a speech given by a Chinese Harvard graduate reflects the Chinese public's 'disillusionment' with elite education and 'anger at class rigidity', according to a Chinese academic. Advertisement Jiang was the first Chinese woman selected as the student speaker at a Harvard graduation ceremony. 03:40 Absurd, anxious, concerned: Students react to US revoking Chinese student visas Absurd, anxious, concerned: Students react to US revoking Chinese student visas While her success was initially praised by the Chinese media, it soon drew criticism from social media users who questioned whether her 'privileged' family background truly represented the broader Chinese student population. As the controversy escalates, some academics and commentators have begun to examine how it reflects the Chinese public's growing disillusionment with elite education. Yuan Changgeng, an anthropologist at Yunnan University who has long studied changes in social attitudes, said that in recent years 'China's social classes have become increasingly rigid and tensions between them have been on the rise'. Advertisement He added that within the past two years, few of the 'elites' active on Chinese social media had been held up to public scrutiny without having flaws in their experience or morals exposed. 'People are increasingly recognising that competition in education is ultimately a competition of family finances and social capital [connections and resources],' said Yuan, referring to the fact that children from wealthy families in China often have access to more educational resources, both at home and abroad.
South China Morning Post
04-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Insiders' guide to Kunming: what to eat, drink and do in Yunnan capital
Standing 1,900 metres above sea level, the old city of Kunming has ballooned into a metropolis of almost 6 million, double what the population was 20 years ago. Nevertheless, Yunnan 's provincial capital maintains a small-town vibe when compared with other large Chinese cities. The Old Street, running west off central Zhengyi Street, through the Flower and Bird Market, is lined with gemstone vendors, textile stores and cafes. The city's main draws are the 'wine-glass-shaped buildings' – twin European-style, curved constructions of 1940s provenance – as well as the flower-festooned parks of Cuihu (Green Lake) and Lianhuachi (Lotus Lake). It was Yunnan 's unique natural riches that attracted 19th century botanists to search its hills for exotic flora, establishing the province in the global consciousness as a Shangri-La. And for Yunnan University teacher Joseph Paterson, who has lived in Kunming for 15 years, regional biodiversity translates into healthy eating. Herbivore heaven The Qiongzhu Temple, also known as the Bamboo Temple. Photo: Thomas Bird 'I know all the vegetarian places around town,' says the Briton, before explaining that Kunming's meat-free eateries are typically all-you-can-eat buffets that, he, warns, 'can get busy on auspicious Buddhist holidays, so check the date in advance'. 'Every time you eat out, there are 10 vegetables you've never heard of – and they're all delicious,' says Paterson. 'Plus there are yecai [wild herbs] and, in the summer mushroom season, you can eat fresh shiitake, that would be expensive in Japan, for next to nothing.' Paterson recommends Su Ji Xiang, located between Green Lake Park and Yuantong Temple – a pond-fringed Buddhist complex established more than a millennium ago, where, for 20 yuan (HK$22), one can feast on as many plants as one can digest.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
China's other great wall is impressive, too—and steeped in history
It's the weekend of the mid-autumn festival in Xi'an, and all roads seem to lead to the south gate of the city's wall. In China's central province of Shaanxi, Xi'an is primarily known for the museum that houses the army of terra-cotta warriors commissioned by China's first ruler to protect him in his afterlife. But the wall, on this Saturday evening, is where all the action on this Saturday evening, the wall is where all the action is. Families are taking an evening stroll, complete with laughing, screaming children. There are vendors and buskers, tourists on bicycles, food stalls, and souvenir shops. Couples wearing regal red robes are wilting under the strobe lights for bridal photoshoots. Meanwhile, other photographers are capturing dozens of young women dressed up in flowy hanfu – traditional costumes from the Tang era that are suddenly in vogue among China's youth. Dozens of ornate watchtowers, turrets, parapets, and pavilions are scattered along the length of the wall. As dusk falls and the red lanterns and lights come on, the whole scene assumes a fairytale vibe. When people mention 'wall' in the context of China, it is generally assumed to refer to the mammoth structure known as the Great Wall of China. But there are dozens, if not hundreds, of city walls throughout the country, in Beijing, Nanjing, Fenghuang, Pingyao, and Xi'an, among others. 'The word for city in China, cheng / 城 means walled city,' says Kenneth Swope, professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi and expert on imperial Chinese military history. Yinong Cheng, professor at the School of History and Archival Studies at Yunnan University, adds that city walls tended to perform three main functions: defense, flood protection, and show of imperial might. Several of these city walls, dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, are now on UNESCO's tentative list of heritage sites. The Xi'an wall—originally built during the Tang era (618 – 907 C.E.) and later expanded by the Ming dynasty from 1370 onwards—is considered the most complete and well-preserved. The wall runs for 8.5 miles (13.7 km) and measures 40 feet (12 meters) in height and 49 feet (15 meters) in width. Four main gates face each cardinal direction, and there are 14 minor gates in between, and a moat surrounds it. Swope also says that the more powerful the rulers, the higher and more impressive the walls. This certainly makes sense for Xi'an (formerly Chang'an), an important city through early imperial times, serving as capital for the Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Xi'an is also the starting point of the network of trading routes known as the Silk Road. It was a planned city, built as a perfect grid with the wall enclosing it in a complete, rectangular loop. Even today, for some, it is possible to walk the entire length of the wall without a break. 'It was always a significant post not only for commercial transactions but also diplomatic transactions. There is no doubt that Chang'an was already walled in early imperial times, say, by the third-second century B.C.E.,' says Hilde De Weerdt, a professor of Chinese and Modern Global History at KU Leuven in Belgium. 'So, when we say this is a 14th century wall, it is the earliest moment that we know of any (significant) renovation.' The reason for the wall's grandeur stems from Chang'an's strategic importance combined with the Ming dynasty's need to project their stately authority through such structures. 'I can't actually think of a foreign invasion that would have warranted this (wall), because it's not even near any major border,' says Dr Lars Laamann, Assistant Professor of History at SOAS University of London. According to Swope, the Ming era was the pinnacle of 'imperial architecture,' which gave us landmarks like the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Coming right after the nomadic Mongols, the Ming rulers saw these walls as a way to rebuild Chinese pride. The original purpose of these walls may have been to contain the cities or the populace within the perimeter. But over time, the towns grew beyond these boundaries, turning these walls into midtown anachronisms. From the top of the Xi'an wall, the sights and sounds of modern life are inescapable—skyscrapers and neon lights, honking cars and scurrying pedestrians. After the terra-cotta army, the wall is now one of Xi'an's most popular tourist attractions. It has welcomed hundreds of famous visitors, including Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg, who went for a rain-soaked run on the wall's walkway. The Xi'an wall faced the threat of demolition during the 1950s as part of the country's Great Leap Forward narrative. Cheng says that even though widespread demolition started even earlier, towards the end of the Qing era (circa 1912), the wall stayed mostly intact, thanks to Xi'an's status as an ancient historic capital. The real challenge came later. 'The story of conservation takes us from the Ming era to Mao Zedong,' says Dr Laamann, referring to the renowned architectural historian couple Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng. 'It was a power struggle within the Communist Party, when one faction wanted to get rid of old medieval structures in the country, because they thought in the modern world, there was no place for such remnants of the past.' Lin and Liang fought to preserve the city walls everywhere—they lost in Beijing but won in Xi'an. De Weerdt points out that the struggle between conservation and modernization is universal, citing the example of medieval walls in France and Italy torn down in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 'A lot of what we see in the Xi'an wall today is rebuilt with modern materials and modern ways of thinking,' she explains. However, this version of the wall integrates the cultural angle with the social: locals and tourists alike get to appreciate the city's heritage while also using it as an urban public space. Xi'an is connected to all major cities in China, so travelers can get there by plane and high-speed train. You can also fly directly into Xi'an's Xianyang International Airport from a few cities in Asia, such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and Beijing. When you arrive in Xi'an, you can navigate the city easily on foot or by metro. Charukesi Ramadurai writes on travel, culture, environment, and sustainability for various publications around the world. Follow her travels on Instagram.
National Geographic
06-03-2025
- National Geographic
China's other great wall is impressive, too—and steeped in history
It's the weekend of the mid-autumn festival in Xi'an, and all roads seem to lead to the south gate of the city's wall. In China's central province of Shaanxi, Xi'an is primarily known for the museum that houses the army of terra-cotta warriors commissioned by China's first ruler to protect him in his afterlife. But the wall, on this Saturday evening, is where all the action on this Saturday evening, the wall is where all the action is. Families are taking an evening stroll, complete with laughing, screaming children. There are vendors and buskers, tourists on bicycles, food stalls, and souvenir shops. Couples wearing regal red robes are wilting under the strobe lights for bridal photoshoots. Meanwhile, other photographers are capturing dozens of young women dressed up in flowy hanfu – traditional costumes from the Tang era that are suddenly in vogue among China's youth. Dozens of ornate watchtowers, turrets, parapets, and pavilions are scattered along the length of the wall. As dusk falls and the red lanterns and lights come on, the whole scene assumes a fairytale vibe. China's city walls When people mention 'wall' in the context of China, it is generally assumed to refer to the mammoth structure known as the Great Wall of China. But there are dozens, if not hundreds, of city walls throughout the country, in Beijing, Nanjing, Fenghuang, Pingyao, and Xi'an, among others. 'The word for city in China, cheng / 城 means walled city,' says Kenneth Swope, professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi and expert on imperial Chinese military history. Yinong Cheng, professor at the School of History and Archival Studies at Yunnan University, adds that city walls tended to perform three main functions: defense, flood protection, and show of imperial might. Several of these city walls, dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, are now on UNESCO's tentative list of heritage sites. The Xi'an wall—originally built during the Tang era (618 – 907 C.E.) and later expanded by the Ming dynasty from 1370 onwards—is considered the most complete and well-preserved. The wall runs for 8.5 miles (13.7 km) and measures 40 feet (12 meters) in height and 49 feet (15 meters) in width. Four main gates face each cardinal direction, and there are 14 minor gates in between, and a moat surrounds it. Swope also says that the more powerful the rulers, the higher and more impressive the walls. This certainly makes sense for Xi'an (formerly Chang'an), an important city through early imperial times, serving as capital for the Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Xi'an is also the starting point of the network of trading routes known as the Silk Road. It was a planned city, built as a perfect grid with the wall enclosing it in a complete, rectangular loop. Even today, for some, it is possible to walk the entire length of the wall without a break. History of the Xi'an wall 'It was always a significant post not only for commercial transactions but also diplomatic transactions. There is no doubt that Chang'an was already walled in early imperial times, say, by the third-second century B.C.E.,' says Hilde De Weerdt, a professor of Chinese and Modern Global History at KU Leuven in Belgium. 'So, when we say this is a 14th century wall, it is the earliest moment that we know of any (significant) renovation.' The reason for the wall's grandeur stems from Chang'an's strategic importance combined with the Ming dynasty's need to project their stately authority through such structures. 'I can't actually think of a foreign invasion that would have warranted this (wall), because it's not even near any major border,' says Dr Lars Laamann, Assistant Professor of History at SOAS University of London. According to Swope, the Ming era was the pinnacle of 'imperial architecture,' which gave us landmarks like the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Coming right after the nomadic Mongols, the Ming rulers saw these walls as a way to rebuild Chinese pride. The wall at present The original purpose of these walls may have been to contain the cities or the populace within the perimeter. But over time, the towns grew beyond these boundaries, turning these walls into midtown anachronisms. From the top of the Xi'an wall, the sights and sounds of modern life are inescapable—skyscrapers and neon lights, honking cars and scurrying pedestrians. After the terra-cotta army, the wall is now one of Xi'an's most popular tourist attractions. It has welcomed hundreds of famous visitors, including Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg, who went for a rain-soaked run on the wall's walkway. The Xi'an wall faced the threat of demolition during the 1950s as part of the country's Great Leap Forward narrative. Cheng says that even though widespread demolition started even earlier, towards the end of the Qing era (circa 1912), the wall stayed mostly intact, thanks to Xi'an's status as an ancient historic capital. The real challenge came later. 'The story of conservation takes us from the Ming era to Mao Zedong,' says Dr Laamann, referring to the renowned architectural historian couple Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng. 'It was a power struggle within the Communist Party, when one faction wanted to get rid of old medieval structures in the country, because they thought in the modern world, there was no place for such remnants of the past.' Lin and Liang fought to preserve the city walls everywhere—they lost in Beijing but won in Xi'an. De Weerdt points out that the struggle between conservation and modernization is universal, citing the example of medieval walls in France and Italy torn down in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 'A lot of what we see in the Xi'an wall today is rebuilt with modern materials and modern ways of thinking,' she explains. However, this version of the wall integrates the cultural angle with the social: locals and tourists alike get to appreciate the city's heritage while also using it as an urban public space. Getting around Xi'an is connected to all major cities in China, so travelers can get there by plane and high-speed train. You can also fly directly into Xi'an's Xianyang International Airport from a few cities in Asia, such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and Beijing. When you arrive in Xi'an, you can navigate the city easily on foot or by metro. Charukesi Ramadurai writes on travel, culture, environment, and sustainability for various publications around the world. 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