Interesting news from China

[TaiShang]

China-Australia joint Research Centre established

Friday, 15 May 2015


Sustainable livestock production will benefit from a new China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Ruminant Production between The University of Western Australia and Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University in China.


Researchers from UWA, including Professor Graeme Martin and Principal Research Fellow Dr Shimin Liu, both from the School of Animal Biology and Institute of Agriculture, and UWA Adjunct Professor Johan Greeff, a Senior Research Officer from the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, signed the agreement in support of the Centre during a visit to China last week. UWA has an ongoing Memorandum of Understanding with Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University.


Professor Martin, who led the delegation, said the purpose of the Joint Research Centre was to establish collaboration in research and training, and create research teams with complimentary expertise that would target persistent, high-impact activity in research on sustainable ruminant production.


“Clean, green, and ethical management of the responses of ruminant livestock to global climate change is a high priority,” Professor Martin said. “This will be achieved through collaboration on mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from ruminant livestock, improvement of efficacy of animal production, and breeding naturally healthy ruminant animals.”


Dr Greeff’s research on parasite resistance has provoked excitement in China where there is a rapidly developing vision for ‘clean, green, and ethical’ livestock management with less dependence on medication for animal healthcare.


“Resistance of intestinal worms to the available drugs is a serious problem in China,” Dr Greeff said. “Current medication practices are not sustainable and breeding genetically resistant sheep is the only long-term solution.”


Another main area of activity for the Centre will be training the next generation of researchers in ruminant production in dry-land agricultural regions.


“By 2050 the agricultural industries need to feed 50 per cent more people in the world, while minimising damage to the planet. A new generation of professionals must be prepared to respond to this mission, so training the next generation is an important role for the Centre,” Professor Martin said.


The delegation also visited University of Nanjing in Nanjing and China Agricultural University in Beijing to discuss collaborative research opportunities in breeding sheep and goats against diseases, to strengthen old ties and establish new relationships between these universities and UWA.

 

[ahojunk]

Some news of Tibetan Buddhist institutions in China offering advanced "degrees"........

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China invests in Tibetan Buddhist schools to produce next generation of religious leaders
By Huang Jingjing Source:Global Times Published: 2015-5-20 20:08:01

During a graduate exam for Nyingma sect lamas, a Tho Ram Pa program student (sitting in the center) of the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China is challenged by four Buddhist scripture debaters invited by the college from other temples to test the candidate. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A graduation ceremony was held at China's top educational institution for Tibetan Buddhism on Wednesday in downtown Beijing. Dozens of monks were awarded with advanced and intermediate academic titles. Meanwhile, several government-funded Tibetan Buddhism colleges are under construction in areas with significant ethnic Tibetan populations. The government strives to draw more monks to study in the colleges, so as to cultivate qualified Tibetan Buddhists who are highly educated and politically reliable.

Last week, loud clapping was frequently heard coming from several of the halls of Xihuang Temple in Beijing. One by one, dozens of candidates were being challenged by Buddhist scripture debaters, a vital step in their quest to attain top academic awards.

The High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China (HTBCC), a top government-run educational institution that was established in 1987, is located in a temple Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Emperor Shunzhi built in 1652 for the fifth Dalai Lama.

The college aims to cultivate patriotic and highly-qualified religious teachers. In May, its students, either tulkus (Living Buddhas who are believed to be reincarnations of religious figures of the past) or eminent monks, face their final examinations.

On May 20, after days debating doctrines and defending their thesis, 11 graduates were awarded with Tho Ram Pa, an academic rank equal to a doctoral degree, and 28 were awarded with Chi Ram Pa, equivalent to a master's degree.

The college established the academic ranking system in 2004 and started enrolling students for its three-year Tho Ram Pa program and two-year Chi Ram Pa program. Last year, it doubled its student admission quota for the Tho Ram Pa program to 26.

Tho Ram Pa means "advanced learned sage" in the Tibetan language.

Fierce competition

HTBCC is the only institution that issues the highest officially-recognized academic rank of Tho Ram Pa. So far, a total of 121 monks have been awarded the title.

The college is unusual as it isn't open to the public and the students can't leave without permission.

But it covers all the students' living costs, even any medical treatment they may require and transportation fees for their vacations back home. Each year they have a three-month summer vacation.

Every class has a head teacher who is in charge of managing the students' daily lives, offering them guidance and recording their attendance.

The school's rules are strict. Last year, three students were expelled for missing classes, according to Luosang Jinmei, an official from the student affairs department.

But just as it is hard to be accepted by top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University, becoming an HTBCC student is not easy.

The applicants must already be a licensed tulku or monk, be willing to pledge their support to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, profess their love of the socialist system, promise to safeguard national unity and oppose separatism.

These requirements are checked by their local governments, which then decide whether to approve their application.

After being recommended, then they can apply to take the entrance examinations organized by the college, which are composed of scripture debates, written tests on constitutional law and Tibetan language exams.

Gatuo Texiu, a Tho Ram Pa student from Long'en Temple in Gande county in Qinghai Province, said when he applied, more than 20 monks joined the entrance examinations in Gansu and only the top two were enrolled.

"I won first place," Gatuo Texiu said.

Patriotic education

According to the HTBCC's teaching schedule, 60 percent of class hours are spent on Buddhist teachings.

The others are used for general education, such as learning about China's legal system, socialism with Chinese characteristics, China's history, as well as the Chinese language and computer skills.

"We never force the students to be patriotic. It's a process that aims to influence them unconsciously by having them feel and see by themselves," Luosang Jinmei said.

According to the student handbook, the college's task is to cultivate and build a reserve of Tibetan Buddhists who are "politically reliable, educated and venerable."

Gatuo Texiu said there's nothing wrong with demanding that a monk love his own country.

"Every country has such requirements for its religious believers. As a monk, we should strictly obey the disciplines and learn to be a good citizen first," Gatuo Texiu told the Global Times.

The students say the college has never taught them about the exiled Dalai Lama but they were told to stay away from separatist content or people with malicious intentions from time to time.

Xirao Duojia, a Chi Ram Pa program graduate from Yanduo Temple in Chaya county in the Tibet Autonomous Region, said that his two years of study in HTBCC have been worthwhile.

"I don't think patriotism is instilled into us. The principles of unity, harmony and justice are consistent with the doctrines of Buddhism," he said.

He believed that the college has offered him a sound environment to study and expand his horizons.

"The Buddhist teachers are excellent. Here, I can communicate with monks from other temples and sects and make friends with them," he said.

Value of the certificates

The certificates are an official recognition of the monks' high degree of education and diligence. For some students, they are also a means to get promoted.

According to Luosang Jinmei, who has worked in the HTBCC for more than 24 years, right now the remuneration for monks who have achieved the Tho Ram Pa or Chi Ram Pa differs from area to area.

"Some places will put them in more important positions, such as on a political advisory body or the temple's management committee," he said.

But in other places, the changes the certificate brings are small, he revealed, adding that the college is cooperating with local religious authorities to use graduates as a talent pool for senior religious managers.

"Based on the responses we have received from local temples and authorities, the graduates from our college perform well in their duties," said Luosang Jinmei.

But for Gatuo Texiu, with his Tho Ram Pa certificate, the best thing about holding the qualification is that he can hold large-scale religious assemblies at which he can preach doctrines and knowledge. When he didn't have the certificate, the government wouldn't grant him a permission to hold such assemblies.

Monks getting a higher-level certificate is a trend at the moment, he said. "This high academic degree is recognition of my knowledge. With it, I'm able to preach doctrines convincingly."

But he says he also hopes the authorities and temples make better use of them so that they can play a larger role in religious life.

Jiasacang, a Living Buddha and chairman of the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Buddhist Association, said the significance of the certificates needs to be recognized more widely.

"Many certificate holders didn't receive better treatment. The certificate didn't win them respect when they go back to their temples," Jiasacang, who was invited by the college to help assess the Chi Ram Pa exams, told the Global Times.

"Ordinary Buddhists have more respect for monks who are accredited through the traditional way in temples," he said.

Traditional or government-run

There's a long history of Tibetan Buddhist temples offering monks education in topics ranging from medicine, painting and sculpture to the sciences, and internal educational systems for monks to reach higher degrees and become learned lamas or abbots have been around for a long time.

But during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), some temples and educational institutions were shut down and the system was fractured, according to Han Fangming, chairman of The Charhar Institute, a Beijing-based non-governmental think tank.

In 1980s, several Tibetan Buddhist colleges were officially established by the government. In 2005, the Geshe Lha Ram Pa, traditionally the highest academic title issued to the most learned lama at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, was reinstated.

But the degree is only issued to Gelug sect monks who hold a Tibet-region household registration, said Tsering Thar, professor with the College for Tibetan Studies at the Minzu University of China. This has led to monks of other sects or those who are not from Tibet, who have no other options, to seek education overseas,

"They have become the targets of the separatism forces to implant separatist thoughts," Thar said in an article collected in a book published by the United Front Work Department of Qinghai in December 2014.

"These monks are always the most intelligent and ambitious, and most of them are already influential in their temples. If they accept adverse propaganda, it's easy for them to be a source of instability in Tibetan areas," he said.

The government-run colleges can be a solution to this problem. Thar said the central government is promoting the construction of religious colleges and has allocated funds to build new facilities.

The Gansu Daily reported that the new campus of the Gansu Tibetan Buddhism College is under construction on the Sangke Grassland in eastern Qinghai.

After its completion, there will be eight official Tibetan Buddhism colleges in China, including four provincial-level schools with one each in Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan and three prefecture-level institutions in Yunnan's Diqing, Sichuan's Ganzi and Qinghai's Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefectures.
.

 

[ahojunk]

More news of HTBCC from last year.

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Monk students graduate from China's Tibetan Buddhism College
2014-05-15 16:03:00 | by: Lethe Guo |
From: China Tibet Online

23 monk students of the Jonang Sect of Tibetan Buddhism received their graduation certificates in the college. [Photo/China Tibet Online]

BEIJING, May 15 (China Tibet Online) The High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing has witnessed two graduation ceremonies of both the "Nzhing Ram Ba" intermediate and "Tho Ram Pa" advanced Tibetan Buddhism degree classes.

Yesterday, 23 monk students of the Jonang Sect of Tibetan Buddhism received their graduation certificates in the college. And 12 monk students with seven from the Gelugpa school and five from the Kargyu school graduate today.

The degree awarding ceremonies will be held on Saturday this week. Hopefully, almost all of them will be awarded with the title of "Nzhing Ram Ba" or "Tho Ram Pa".

After more than two years study in Beijing's college, they will go back to their stationed monasteries in Tibet and Tibetan inhabited areas in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces to fulfill their resolution of Buddhism cultivation and serve their believers.

Kunga Rinpoche, a Tibetan boy born in the 1990s in Sichuan, is a student of the "Nzhing Ram Ba" class. Upon the graduation, he is not only happy to see his effort of cultivating Buddhism accredited but also reminiscing already. "I can concentrate on Buddhism cultivation in the college, but need to get run all day long when I go back to my temple. It's my duty though; I have been enjoying the life here."

Since most of the monk students of the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China are accomplished Tibetan monks and lamas who have passed the strict selective entrance exams, they tend to have many followers who would pay homage when the monk is at home and call very often when the monk is in Beijing. In fact, monk students in the college have two to three months summer vacation during which they would go back to their stationed temples or homes to fulfill their religious roles and duties. Yet still, devotees' need on them is far beyond that. Thus the graduation of their study in Beijing also marks their busy days' coming.
.

 

[ahojunk]

Stumbled on more news of HTBCC, but this time from 2013.

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Tibetan Buddhism College of China highly esteemed by lamas
2013-10-25 09:40:00 | by: Lethe Guo | From: China Tibet Online

Tsedrup Gyatso, a 46-year-old lama of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism attended the "Nzhing Ram Ba" degree examination this year after a two-year intermediate degree education in the high-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in 2004 and 2005. [Photo/China Tibet Online]

Lama students graduating from the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing would be respected much higher if they return to their stationed monasteries after study, according to a 46-year-old lama attending the "Nzhing Ram Ba" degree examination.

The ongoing first session of "Nzhing Ram Ba" Tibetan Buddhism intermediate degree examination has assembled 61 lama candidates and 15 judges from the six major sects of Tibetan Buddhism and Bonism from Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas in the surrounding provinces.

After four days sutra debating and defending dissertations, candidates who pass the exam will receive the "Nzhing Ram Ba" degree, which is like a master degree in the university education.

Tsedrup Gyatso, a 46-year-old lama of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism attended the "Nzhing Ram Ba" degree examination this year after a two-year intermediate degree education in the high-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in 2004 and 2005. After he finished his study in the college in Beijing, he went back to his stationed temple, the Tsen Drak Monastery in Machu County of Gansu's Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. This is his second time to Beijing.

"When I return to my monastery in 2005 after two years study in the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College, other monks in the monastery became more respectful to me and asked me to teach them what I had learned here," said Tsedrup Gyatso.

According to his account, most of the monks in monasteries studied sutras and Buddhism classics within the temple's own dratsangs (monastic colleges teaching various subject of sutra) from the monastery's own sutra teachers.

He took monastic life at the age of 16. During the following two decades, he could learn scripture from his own monastic teachers and also studied in the provincial Tibetan Buddhism College in the Labrang Monastery, which is one of the six major monasteries of Gelug Sect. After a monastic examination of sutra debating and paper testing, he was granted with the opportunity as the monastery's No. 1 lama student to go to the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing.

"I felt proud and happy, and my peer lamas respected me more. And the local residents around our temple tend to invite me to perform religious rituals for them because I was outstanding," said Tsedrup Gyatso with a smile.

He appreciated this opportunity very much, "I can meet many masters of Tibetan Buddhism not only from our Gelug Sect but also other sects such as Sakya, Nyingma, Kargyu and Bonism. It's a great opportunity to learn from them and exchange our studies and ideas with other candidate lamas as you can see in the sutra debating part of the exam. And after all, I can share my wonderful experience and learning with my fellow monks when I come back to my temple, which is really great."

 

[JSCh]

Potential for research cooperation with western scholars on Tibet exists: Chinese scholar
Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-5-23 10:51:31

Western audiences are interested in learning more about Tibet, and there is great potential for research cooperation with western scholars regarding Tibetan issues, Hao Shiyuan, a Chinese scholar, said in Vienna on Friday.

Hao, assistant to the president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, made the remarks in a speech on the cultural and historical background of the Tibet Autonomous Region at the University of Vienna.

Hao said that he noticed some positive changes in attitudes in Europe during his visit, especially in Germany.

He said that westerners, especially German politicians and some law makers have an eagerness to communicate and to learn more about Tibet, wanting to enhance the mutual understanding between the two sides.

The scholar said that much of the research from Chinese scholars on Tibetan history is partially based on western journalist's records and photos of Tibet, which show the darkness of serfdom in Tibetan history before the abolition of serfdom by the Chinese government.

Headed by Hao, the Chinese cultural delegation from the country's Tibet Autonomous Region is visiting Europe, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The scholar said advancements have been made in various aspects in modern-day Tibet, and that it is just the "beginning" of its development.

In Europe, people who are interested in Tibetan culture and history normally obtain the information from reports in the western media.

In Germany, the delegation met with representatives of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and welcomed a Tibetan-German dictionary project being carried out by the academy.

Hao said German scholars are also conducting research on Tibet, and that there is a big potential for research cooperation between both parties.

 

[AndrewJin]

Hardworking boy or naughty boy who forgets to do homework at home?

 

[ahojunk]

@AndrewJin
Let's give the boy the benefit of doubt. Let's say he is hardworking as we know Confucian societies place a premium on education.

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Now, the following is interesting. I have not heard or aware that China organized such events annually. What's more interesting is that this was held in Kunming, Yunnan. Kunming is planned to be the connection point for HSR to South East Asia. Looks like all the pieces of a very big puzzle is slowly being put in place.

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13th ASEAN Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference kicks off
2015-06-12 10:43 | China News Service | Editor:Li Yan

Photo taken on June 11, 2015 shows the opening ceremony of the 13th ASEAN Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. More than 750 overseas Chinese entrepreneurs from 42 countries and regions would take part in this conference. (CNS photo/Liu Ranyang)

 

[AndrewJin]

@AndrewJin
Let's give the boy the benefit of doubt. Let's say he is hardworking as we know Confucian societies place a premium on education.

--------------------

Now, the following is interesting. I have not heard or aware that China organized such events annually. What's more interesting is that this was held in Kunming, Yunnan. Kunming is planned to be the connection point for HSR to South East Asia. Looks like all the pieces of a very big puzzle is slowly being put in place.

--------------------
13th ASEAN Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference kicks off
2015-06-12 10:43 | China News Service | Editor:Li Yan

View attachment 229608

Photo taken on June 11, 2015 shows the opening ceremony of the 13th ASEAN Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. More than 750 overseas Chinese entrepreneurs from 42 countries and regions would take part in this conference. (CNS photo/Liu Ranyang)

Men and women in this hall dominate the economy of ASEAN

 

[AndrewJin]

Police dogs are trained to line up before dinner.
Well, they should be given nicer plates.

 

[terranMarine]

LOL that's funny, police dogs queuing with a bowl in their mouth

 

[ahojunk]

China man recovers hand after being grafted to leg
2015-07-17 17:00 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

The hand was preserved by being grafted to his leg. (Photo/Weibo)

A man successfully had his severed hand restored to his arm after it was preserved by being grafted to his leg, said the surgeon on Friday.

The man, surnamed Zhou, from central China's Hunan Province, now has slight movement of his fingers but he still needs further rehabilitation, said Tang Juyu, head of the hand microsurgery department of Xiangya Hospital in Changsha, capital of Hunan.

This is the second such surgery performed by the team, with the first in late 2013.

Zhou lost his left hand in a work accident in the city of Xiangtan.

"My mind went blank at that moment and I just thought that I had lost one hand," he recalled.

After being sent to a local hospital, he was devastated to learn he would need an amputation. But he was then transferred to Xiangya Hospital in the provincial capital, which is much more advanced in this area.

Surgeons at Xiangya Hospital could not reattach the hand straight away. His arm was badly hurt and the nerves and tendons needed time to heal.

"In normal temperatures, a severed finger should resume blood supply within 10 hours. The time is even shorter for a separated limb," said Tang.

"If it falls short of blood for long, the tissues dies and it would be impossible to get it back," he said.

The surgeons chose to graft the severed hand to his ankle to ensure blood supply and kept it alive there for more than a month. After Zhou recovered from his work accident, they restored the hand to its original limb in a 10-hour surgery.

 

[hexagonsnow]

Their names should be shown at the airport customs with their passport photos. No privacy for them.

Agree，bad example for tourists need to be punished anyway!

 

[ahojunk]

Mountain trees resemble giant Chinese character in SW China

Plants form the shape of the giant Chinese character Ben ("犇" meaning run quickly) on a tree-covered mountain ridge in Qionglai city, Southwest China’s Sichuan province, July 20, 2015. The shape also resembles people holding hands. It’s unknown if the shape is manmade or naturally occurring. (Photo/CFP)

 

[TaiShang]

6 rare then-and-now photos of WWII China
Published: 2015-7-21 14:10:28

Highlights: Photos recently released by the Xinhua News Agency provide rare then-and-now views of sites in Southwest China that played important roles during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

• Left: A US convoy carrying aid to China takes a twisty mountain road in Qinglong county, Guizhou Province in March, 1945. (File photo)
  
  Right: The mountain road in Qinglong county, Guizhou Province pictured on June 24, 2015 Photo: Xinhua

Above: Wartime-era Huitong Bridge across the Nujiang river (Yunnan section) (Copy of file photo)

Below: The Huitong Bridge on July 6, 2015 Photo: Xinhua

The Huitong Bridge was built in 1933 with donations from patriotic overseas Chinese. The bridge, which makes up part of the Burma Road, was a key crossing point during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Above: A jeep travels under the “Tiger Mouth” cliff near Huitong Bridge. (File photo)

Below: An SUV in the same spot on July 6, 2015 Photo: Xinhua

Located in Longling county, Tiger Mouth is a concave rock formation along the west bank of the Nujiang River (Yunnan section) that locals say resembles the open mouth of a tiger.

Above: Yunnanyi Airport pictured during World War II. (File photo)

Below: The site as pictured on June 29, 2015 Photo: Xinhua

Yunnanyi Airport was an important air base for the Allied Forces in the China-Myanmar-India Theater during World War II.

Above: A jeep travels across the Wanding Bridge to Myanmar after Stilwell Road was opened in January 1945. (File photo)

Below: The site as photographed on July 9, 2015 Photo: Xinhua

Meaning “bright sunshine” in the language of the local Dai ethnic minority, Wanding Bridge crosses the river that separates China and Myanmar and is the terminus of the Burma Road (China section). International aid was transported into wartime China on this bridge after the Burma Road opened in 1938.

Above: US army jeeps drive on the Burma Road in World War II-era China. (Copy of file photo)

Below: The same site as pictured on July 6, 2015 Photo: Xinhua

 

[TaiShang]

Most Stubborn Nail Family Still Lives in BuildingSurrounded by Highway Ramps
By Liu Rong July 22, 2015

In a small piece of land surrounded by five highway ramps in Guangzhou, Guangdong, stands an eight-story tall yellow building that seems to be out of place with its surroundings. What has added to its strangeness is that there is only one family who currently lives there.

The building should have been demolished several years ago so that the place can be turned into a lawn to add some beauty to the traffic hub. But it still hasn't happened as this family has refused to move out.

Meng Lixia and the other six members of her family have held out here since the start of the construction of a traffic tunnel near her building in late 2008. For the first several years, they had fought for compensation from construction companies along with other households in the building. As the other families made their deals and moved out one by one, Meng's family has become the most stubborn nail households in the city.

Since the construction could still be done without getting rid of the building, the local developer did not resort to extreme practices to drive out the family. The building still has water, electricity and phone connections, but has no access to cable services.

The family failed to reach a deal with the developer over compensation while the construction was underway and then they were left alone. Now, as the tunnel has been finished and put to use, the family is being put in a more disadvantageous position in negotiations for compensation. What's worse is that now they even don't know with whom they should bargain.

With the completion of the tunnel, the administration responsible for negotiating a deal with the family has backed out and no longer contacts them. The family has tried to reach out to the various offices related to issue, but has been ignored.

So the family is in a dilemma right now: move out or hold out? Leaving the building won't get them more compensation, if any. Staying behind does not seem to be a better choice either. With no compensation in sight, the seven family members will continue and try to get by in a space of only about 30 square meters. It will still be a long and uphill battle if they want to get the compensation they want.

How a 15-year-old girl earns admission to China’s top university

15-year-old girl Yang Qisen scored 691 in this year’s college entrance exam and has been admitted by Tsinghua University, one of China’s top universities.

“I am always the youngest in my class,” Yang Qisen told Chongqing Evening Daily. “My daughter entered primary school when she was just four years old,” said Yang Qisen’s mother. “Then she often wetted her pants because she was too young.”

“I am seldom worried about her study for she has strong self-discipline,” her mother said, adding that her daughter is independent and often takes care of her younger brother.

Yang doesn’t regard herself as hard-worker. “Hardworking is another kind of laziness” is her motto. “I don’t like immersing myself in studying, and prefer effective study,” she said. More self-discipline and deeper thinking is key to her success.

http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0721/c90000-8923751.html