This BA final paper analyzes the large amount of classical Chinese style poetry (known in Japanese as kanshi) written by Japanese poets during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and attempts to...Show moreThis BA final paper analyzes the large amount of classical Chinese style poetry (known in Japanese as kanshi) written by Japanese poets during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and attempts to place it in the larger context of Meiji society, Meiji world views (particularly of China) and international relations. Throughout the argument of this paper it becomes clear that, despite the fact that these poets employed the classical Chinese language and were fond of many aspects of classical Chinese culture, they considered their nation as the true successor to this classical Chinese legacy and that their judgement on modern China was harsh.Show less
China claims to be one of the main followers and protectors of the principles of non-interference and sovereignty. It often invokes these principles either in order to protect itself from...Show moreChina claims to be one of the main followers and protectors of the principles of non-interference and sovereignty. It often invokes these principles either in order to protect itself from interference from Western states, or to defend its alternative approach to aid engagement in African countries (Pang 244-245). However, China also violates the principle of non-interference by putting conditions on other countries’ internal affairs, such as demanding that the government does not support issues that China is against, in return for its continued bilateral cooperation. Therefore, China’s foreign policy approaches and especially its use of conditionality seem contradicting. Such contradicting foreign policy approaches can be challenging to understand and counter for other states if the motivations are not known. The academic debate on China’s use of conditionality and foreign policy in general has failed to take into account a wide enough range of foreign policy approaches, something I attempt to do in my paper.Show less
In 2014 EU-China relations have been substantially reformed with a new comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. It is ever more important for the EU to have a coherent EU-wide policy approach...Show moreIn 2014 EU-China relations have been substantially reformed with a new comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. It is ever more important for the EU to have a coherent EU-wide policy approach towards China as it creates greater mutual benefits for all member states. With a trade volume of 428 billion€ in 2013 and annual trade growth rate of 6.8% since 2009, the PRC is one of the EU’s most significant partner in trade and vice versa. Moreover, both regions could potentially impact international relations altogether by jointly challenging conventional norms and US hegemony via international institutions. Yet, various disputes have previously hampered the success of the strategic partnership. These include uncertainty within the EU to what direction the partnership should take, and, the weak institutional mechanism of annual summits with no clear objective. The goal of this dissertation is therefore, to find out what has to change in the EU strategy and member states interest accumulation and perception of China that can make the relationship more effective. Accordingly, the following research questions were addressed: How can the EU-China strategic partnership be more effective and constructive in foreign policy making? 1. To what extent is the newly formulated Europe-China 2020 Strategic Agenda of 2013 an improvement of the EU-China strategic partnership? 2. Are British and German national foreign policies vis-á-vis China competing with each other, which ultimately hampers the effectiveness of the EU-China strategic partnership?Show less
This thesis is an initial attempt to investigate the Chinese perspective in the ivory trade debate, which often falls short in Western representations. The author used a qualitative analysis of...Show moreThis thesis is an initial attempt to investigate the Chinese perspective in the ivory trade debate, which often falls short in Western representations. The author used a qualitative analysis of various sources such as white papers, academic articles, newspaper articles and websites in order to analyse Western depictions of the Chinese role in the ivory trade, which were then contrasted with a Chinese actors' depiction of their involvement and motivations. Finally the thesis discusses NGO awareness campaigns aimed at Chinese consumers. Through the analysis it was found that NGOs generally take into account Chinese customs and realities in their targeted campaigns. It was furthermore concluded that the depiction of China's voracious ivory consumers does not reflect the reality, as the extent of consumption is overemphasized due to China's population size.Show less
The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (CSPFTZ) has been established on September 29th 2013 in Shanghai. Shanghai has been the center of many historical events. In the 19th century, Shanghai...Show moreThe China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (CSPFTZ) has been established on September 29th 2013 in Shanghai. Shanghai has been the center of many historical events. In the 19th century, Shanghai was opened up to the outside world and forced to outside trade relations due to the Nanking Treaty of 1842 after the First Opium War (1839-1842) and was selected as a new port: the ‘Shanghai International Settlement’. The British, American and French settled in Shanghai and after 100 years Shanghai developed as the largest foreign trade port in China. Meanwhile, during the first Sino-Japanese War of 1895, China was mauled by a strong, Western influenced Japan. Attempts to reform China into a modern nation failed but after the 1911 Revolution, Shanghai emerged as a center of modern activities. The population doubled between 1895 and 1910 from 245,675 to 501,541 people as many Chinese were attracted by the city. During World War I (1914-1918) many people left while the diminished supply of Chinese export goods led to a higher demand of these export goods. Especially in the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai grew as many silk filatures, cotton mills, and chemical works emerged. In the 1930s, Shanghai’s Port served as the main shipping center in the Far East; the city was seen as a cosmopolitan city. However, in 1937 Japan bombed Shanghai and occupied parts of China again, which lasted until 1945. People lived under brutal circumstances under the occupation of Japan and the conditions to develop into a cosmopolitan city moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong. In 1949, the CCP, led by Mao Zedong, took power and focused on rural regions resulting in neglected cities; the nation controlled Shanghai and the city was forced to dispose of its cosmopolitan life. However, when Mao Zedong died in 1976, the balance of power changed: Hua Guofeng established the ‘Open Door’ policy in 1977 before Deng Xiaoping returned to power in 1978. The new policy led to the beginning of its modernization process and several Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were established mainly to attract foreign direct investment. Since the opening up until 1997, China attracted billions of foreign investment (US dollars) and by the mid-1990s, the economy moved away from a command economy to a functioning market economy. After 1978, China’s modernization process took off really quickly and created a gap between South China including its coastal regions and North-East China as the South and its coastal areas are developing much faster. Therefore, China can be divided into two different phases of modernization according to Rostow’s Five-Stages of Growth (1960). The South and its coastal regions can be assigned to the final phase of modernization while the North-East part of China can be assigned to phase three. The SEZs which have been established since 1978 are particular geographic regions in countries used to encourage export services, industry, and manufacturing. In China, initially four SEZs were established in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Xiamen and Shantou to test the new policies and new institutions for the market-oriented economy in order to improve China’s economy. The role SEZs, and especially Shenzhen, played in China’s modernization process was quite apparent as average annual growth has been 9.4 percent since the 1980s: the SEZs boost China’s economy and moved towards a more technology-intensive and higher-value economy. 34 years later, on 29th September 2013, a new SEZ was established in Pudong, Shanghai: the CSPFTZ. The CSPFTZ has been established to enhance China’s economic position globally and to develop a new, replicable financial and administrative system which can be implemented in every region of the country. Nevertheless, the privileged status of ‘special’ is diminished since there are already many SEZs in China. However, as analysis shows, the zone operates differently from the majority of the SEZs which enables the CSPFTZ to offer enough advantages to attract foreign investors to be successful. The chances of success nonetheless depend on the government. The government encourages so many aspects and is experimenting with so many measures that the chance of success is questioned. But, if the government is able to achieve its aims, the CSPFTZ can be successful and could contribute to China’s South and coastal regions’ modernization process as the leading sectors shift towards more durable consumer goods and services in Rostow’s final phase.Show less
Television possesses the power to frame people’s lives and activities on a scale that no other form of media has ever been able to enjoy. This paper explores the various political missions of the...Show moreTelevision possesses the power to frame people’s lives and activities on a scale that no other form of media has ever been able to enjoy. This paper explores the various political missions of the Chinese television broadcast, and examines the modern type of propaganda publicized and disseminated throughout contemporary TV formats. Since its first introduction to China, the domestic digital box has become one of most efficient media for the spread of a new form of propaganda, thus helping the Party in its attempts to construct people’s identities. Given the findings that the media have always acted as mouthpieces of the government, this research points out that some particular television formats have been widely employed as thought work distributors. This thesis focuses primarily on TV serial dramas, which, despite often appearing to be the most innocuous and entertaining of broadcasts, are instead practically brimming with political discourses. More specifically, the main aim of this study is to explore the social and political contexts that have given rise to Dynasty dramas, which have emerged as the most conspicuous genre present on prime time TV thus far. Which sorts of political messages are concealed behind historical dramas? And for which reasons is the Party so committed to promulgating these types of ideas? Do these messages serve to legitimize the Party’s mandates? This research departs from the well-researched trend of exploring governmental media use in broad terms, turning its attention instead to television in particular. This essay widely examines the use of television in modern society, and epitomizes it as the new platform upon which the Party is able to construct or mold “politically educated” and “spiritually civilized” identities. Ultimately, the active engagement of dramas with cultural and political issues is proved, through the analysis of two of the most renowned contemporary Dynasty series “Yongzheng Dynasty” and “The Great Han Emperor Wu”-.Show less
This thesis studies the pictorial transformation among three Christian illustrated books, Evangelicae Historiae Imagines, Song nianzhu guicheng, and Tianzhu jiangsheng chuxiang jingjie, which were...Show moreThis thesis studies the pictorial transformation among three Christian illustrated books, Evangelicae Historiae Imagines, Song nianzhu guicheng, and Tianzhu jiangsheng chuxiang jingjie, which were producedand published by the Jesuits in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. Three research questions will be discussed in this thesis: 1. How were the Christian images transformed from the European representation, in Evangelicae Historiae Imagines, into Chinese style in the latter two books? 2. How did the Jesuits combine Christian doctrines with Confucianism, and use inculturation on the Christian illustrations? 3. Who was the target of these illustrations and what was the audience’s reaction and perspective about these Gospel illustrations in Late Ming China?Show less
Wat is de waarde van zilver voor de wereldhandel? En welke rol speelt China in de zilverhandel? In deze scriptie is geprobeerd antwoord te geven op bovenstaande vragen.
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-08-29T00:00:00Z
The current study investigated and compared the development of Chinese girls adopted from institutional care, foster care, or from a mixture of both types of care to the Netherlands. The sample...Show moreThe current study investigated and compared the development of Chinese girls adopted from institutional care, foster care, or from a mixture of both types of care to the Netherlands. The sample consisted of 1106 girls who were between 4 and 18 years of age (mean age 7 years). Parents completed several questionnaires addressing all kinds of subjects related to the health and development of the adopted children. Results revealed that most girls adopted from China were healthy and experienced few developmental delays. Most girls scored high on individual strengths and competencies as well and they had satisfying relationships with their adoptive parents. Part of the adoptees showed some indiscriminate friendliness. A comparison of the care groups revealed that girls adopted from foster care were in an advantage with regard to their general health and developmental status. Mean differences between the groups, however, were small. Neither a mediating effect of children’s self-regulatory abilities, nor a moderating role of either age at adoption or the parent-child relationship could be established. Some direct effects, however, were found. Children adopted before their first birthday and children who had a very good relationship with their parents showed most developmental gains. Overall, this study provides information regarding the adjustment and development of female children adopted from various types of care in China that might be useful to adoptive parents and a range of professionals and organizations working with international adoptees.Show less
Homosexuality has been a controversial topic globally for the last decade. Many countries have slowly accepted the emergence of homosexual relationships, some more than others, but in some...Show moreHomosexuality has been a controversial topic globally for the last decade. Many countries have slowly accepted the emergence of homosexual relationships, some more than others, but in some countries it remains a sensitive subject. For mainland China, it is generally believed that the Chinese government adopts a ‘3-no’ policy – no approval, no disapproval, and no promotion.1 Homosexuality has mainly been developing as an underground phenomena. Homosexuality in Hong Kong on the other hand is much more visible and relatively more accepted than in mainland China. Taiwan has been the most progressive region, developing a visible homosexual subculture and literary movement. In this thesis I look at the historical development and the cinematic development of homosexuality in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and specifically at the portrayal of homosexuality in two Chinese-language films, Stanley Kwan's Lan Yu and Zero Chou's Ci Qing.Show less
Deze scriptie beschrijft de transformatie van de Chinese vrouw onder invloed van de sociale en economische ontwikkelingen in het hedendaagse China, zoals in beeld gebracht in drie recente...Show moreDeze scriptie beschrijft de transformatie van de Chinese vrouw onder invloed van de sociale en economische ontwikkelingen in het hedendaagse China, zoals in beeld gebracht in drie recente speelfilms. Door per film te onderzoeken hoe de vrouwen worden neergezet en behandeld door anderen, tracht deze scriptie de positie van de Chinese vrouw in de hedendaagse stad weer te geven en van commentaar te voorzien.Show less
For China, 2013 was the year of anti-corruption. The starting point of my research is that anti-corruption is not just a process of punishing political or economic crimes or improving supervision...Show moreFor China, 2013 was the year of anti-corruption. The starting point of my research is that anti-corruption is not just a process of punishing political or economic crimes or improving supervision mechanisms, but also a process to reconstruct the Party’s legitimacy. Therefore, from the perspective of political legitimacy, questions concerning how to tell the story of corruption become crucial. My central research question focuses on (1) what the discursive range of anti-corruption reporting by different Chinese media was and (2) how these narratives related to the Party’s legitimacy.Show less
