A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, how to deal with China, Biden’s border bind (12:01) and how the pandemic has changed the shape of global happiness (27:34). Zanny Minton Beddoes hosts.
Tag Archives: China
Walks: ‘The Forbidden City – Beijing, China’ (4K Video)
The Forbidden City is the palatial heart of China. Constructed in 1420, during the early Ming Dynasty, it is China’s best-preserved imperial palace, and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world.
As one of the five most important palaces in the world, the grand halls and walls proudly display the essence and culmination of traditional Chinese architecture, fitting for the capital city of the world’s largest nation.
Analysis: ‘China’s Digital Currency Concerns’ (WSJ)
As China moves closer to rolling out its new digital cash, there are concerns the government will track every transaction––not just of citizens but of foreign companies in the country. WSJ travels to Chengdu to see this money revolution in action. Photo: Lorenz Huber for The Wall Street Journal
Walks: The Great Wall Of China – Badaling Section, Beijing (4K HDR Video)
The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe.
The Great Wall was continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of the country as the great military defense project of successive Chinese Empires, with a total length of more than 20,000 kilometers.
The Great Wall begins in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west. Its main body consists of walls, horse tracks, watch towers, and shelters on the wall, and includes fortresses and passes along the Wall. The Great Wall reflects collision and exchanges between agricultural civilizations and nomadic civilizations in ancient China.
It provides significant physical evidence of the far-sighted political strategic thinking and mighty military and national defense forces of central empires in ancient China, and is an outstanding example of the superb military architecture, technology and art of ancient China. It embodies unparalleled significance as the national symbol for safeguarding the security of the country and its people.
Morning News Podcast: U.S. Jobs Report, Covid-19 Relief, China & HOng Kong
The Labor Department’s new jobs report comes out today as Congress is poised to pass a new round of COVID-19 relief. The Biden administration ended Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, but that doesn’t mean the asylum system is up and running.
And, the Chinese national parliament meeting that begins today will include a proposal to give the Chinese government new control over Hong Kong’s elections.
Walking Tour: ‘Qiliang Cave’ In China (4K Video)
Qiliang Cave is found in the north of the ancient city of Fenghuang. In the local area, there is a saying that “no other caves better than Qiliang Cave”. There are mountains in the Qiliang Cave, and buildings in the cave, and there are cliffs, gardens and villages in the cave. The Yinyang river in the cave is the mysterious part of the cave. On the top of the high cave lie bats that signifies the darkness. Behind the water curtain on the riverside is the place where the previous Miao King held prisoners.
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions.
World Economy: ‘China’s New Silk Road’ (Video)
The “New Silk Road” is an enormous Chinese international development project. It’s a trade network that involves Asia, Africa, and Europe — and more than 70 countries are already involved. It may turn the old world order upside down. China is investing in bridges, port facilities, railroads, and roads around the world. Beijing is spending several hundred billion euros on what it calls the “Silk Road Economic Belt.” Eastern European and the Balkan countries in particular are interested in Chinese loans and investments, as they look beyond the EU for sources of capital. In turn, the region is attractive to China because of its strategic position as a gateway to the West. A new coal-fired power plant is being built in Tuzla, Bosnia, with the help from China. But not everyone is in favor of the project. While the new plant will emit fewer emissions which will have a positive effect on air-quality, some question the country’s decision to commit to using coal for decades to come.
Evening Walk: ‘Fenghuang Ancient City’, China (Video)
Fenghuang Ancient City, also know as Phoenix Ancient Town, is located in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in southwest of Hunan Province. It is one of the smaller counties in Hunan, but now it is known as the most beautiful ancient town for its long history and well-preserved appearances. The name of Phoenix (Phoenix in Chinese Pinyin is Fenghuang) town mainly derived from the Phoenix Mountain which is in a phoenix shape.
Space Programs: ‘The Search For Life On Mars’
China, the UAE and the U.S. all have spacecraft visiting Mars in February to study the Red Planet. WSJ explains how out-of-this-world technology is being used by NASA’s Perseverance and China’s Tianwen-1 in the search for evidence of life beyond our planet. Photo: NASA
Morning News Podcast: Impeachment Trial Videos, President Biden & China
House impeachment managers showed chilling new footage to senators during Day 2 of Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.
Also, President Biden spoke with China’s president in an opening conversation about the vast economic, climate, and security challenges between the two nations. And, the U.S. will impose sanctions and other consequences on Myanmar’s military leaders in response to the coup carried out there earlier this month.
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