After the Asian financial crisis in 1997 which demonstrated the incapability of the global financial institutions, especially the International Monetary Fund, to adequately respond to the crisis in...Show moreAfter the Asian financial crisis in 1997 which demonstrated the incapability of the global financial institutions, especially the International Monetary Fund, to adequately respond to the crisis in East Asia. Regional dissatisfaction with the IMF led bail-out caused a series of efforts to build regional institutions in order manage future crises. The most prominent is the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI). The CMI was created in 2000 by the ASEAN+3 countries as a tool to prevent another financial crisis like the one striking the several Asian countries in 1997-1998 from happening. Later it developed into the CMIM. This thesis aims to investigate the usefulness of the CMI/CMIM to China.Show less
The Chinese government has been influencing the Chinese society through the media for many decades. To research whether the role of women in society is still being influenced through media by the...Show moreThe Chinese government has been influencing the Chinese society through the media for many decades. To research whether the role of women in society is still being influenced through media by the government, various online media are studied. Well-known Chinese women portrayed in these media are linked to one of the four categories created by Hung and Li. However, an apparent difference between the images of women in formal and informal media was not found to illustrate whether the government manages the society via this instrument. This does not necessarily mean that the Chinese government does not desire to influence its society on this topic.Show less
Documentaries have a history of being the mouthpiece of the Chinese government; an important medium to present a good image of the country. The Party knows that at the same time a critical...Show moreDocumentaries have a history of being the mouthpiece of the Chinese government; an important medium to present a good image of the country. The Party knows that at the same time a critical documentary can do harm. Nevertheless, especially economic reasons have made the government less rigid on documentary making—the times that the only documentaries in the country were pure Party propaganda is over. Internet has been another influence that weakened Party control. Crowdfunding gives the crowd the possibility to gather together, share ideas and financially support the creation of products. Although through crowdfunding of documentaries a different voice can be heard, the existence of these websites does of course not mean the disappearance of censorship. Therefore we cannot expect a big shift in the democratic potential of documentaries just because of the better possibilities for active audience participation through crowdfunding. Research on recent prohibited documentaries showed most of the banned documentaries regard suppression by the government of citizen rights: the government wants to prevent an upsurge of social tensions. The fact that the documentaries of the case study that address social issues are allowed to be shown across the country backs this. Crowdfunding in China thus does offer more people the opportunity to voice their opinion through documentaries, also critical opinions, but it does not increase the democratic potential in Chinese documentary art.Show less
The Three Kingdoms hero Guan Yu has long been a very interesting subject of study due to his gradual rise from the status of tragic hero to that of deity. Over the course of this image-building...Show moreThe Three Kingdoms hero Guan Yu has long been a very interesting subject of study due to his gradual rise from the status of tragic hero to that of deity. Over the course of this image-building process he has accumulated a number of different titles and functions. This thesis seeks to contrast this image has taken shape through the literary and religious realms in which he played a role.Show less
This thesis contains the results of my research on the topic of the Austrian town of Hallstatt and its Chinese replica Hallstatt see. My research will introduce China’s predilection for replicating...Show moreThis thesis contains the results of my research on the topic of the Austrian town of Hallstatt and its Chinese replica Hallstatt see. My research will introduce China’s predilection for replicating some of the biggest architectural achievements of the West by examining the case of Hallstatt. The main goal of this research will be to find out to what extent the Chinese copy town has influenced Hallstatt to date, regarding economy, tourism, atmosphere and quality of life. In that regard I especially focus on how the residents of the original Hallstatt have reacted to the fact that their town has been copied in China without consultation or permission. Furthermore, this thesis will discuss the history of copying in China, the emerging ‘duplitecture’ (copied architecture) trend in China and the Chinese meanings associated with the copy - with the aim of providing a complete overview of the copy phenomenon. Methodically, I will gather information by conducting empirical research in the form of an online questionnaire, which will be submitted to the residents of the Hallstatt area. Apart from that a lot of attention will be devoted to theory and the academic debate concerning the topic.Show less
This thesis analyzes the main factors which are contributing to the popularity of cosmetic surgery among Chinese women, focusing on social contexts, such as marriage and finding a job,...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the main factors which are contributing to the popularity of cosmetic surgery among Chinese women, focusing on social contexts, such as marriage and finding a job, globalization and its outcomes such as the influence of mass media and South Korea. To understand these factors this thesis dives into the concept of beauty by understanding what it means to be beautiful in China throughout history and who ultimately defines it. It is argued that there has been a change of beauty standard in China, meaning that the steps of obtaining beauty changed from applying make-up and wearing certain hairstyles and clothes to a whole new high level which can now only be obtained by cosmetic surgery. A number of factors are ‘defining’ the beauty standard of today, which is globalization, which can be seen as mass media and the popularity of South Korea, and China’s beauty economy which also contributes to higher standards in personal and professional success.Show less
Een analyse van drie films van de Zesde Generatie regisseur Zhang Yang over het thema verstedelijking in zijn films. Het betreft Shower (1999), Sunflower (2005) en Full Circle (2012). Het werkstuk...Show moreEen analyse van drie films van de Zesde Generatie regisseur Zhang Yang over het thema verstedelijking in zijn films. Het betreft Shower (1999), Sunflower (2005) en Full Circle (2012). Het werkstuk bestaat uit twee delen met in deel één de beschrijving van een theoretisch kader waarop de analyse van de films in deel twee wordt gebaseerd.Show less
The objective of the paper is to find an explanation for the seemingly contradictory behavior of China vis-a-vis the IMF an World Bank. How can we interpret that we see at the same time ...Show moreThe objective of the paper is to find an explanation for the seemingly contradictory behavior of China vis-a-vis the IMF an World Bank. How can we interpret that we see at the same time 'socializing' and 'challenging' actions? The paper examines first to what extent socialization theory can help to explain China's increasing role in the governance of the IFIs. Next is an analysis from different perspectives if there is evidence that China is 'challenging' the IFIs. The final section will illustrate that China is taking an alternative route to exerting its influence on the IFIs, and that there are other theses about engagement and interaction that current International Relations Theory is not capable of explaining. This analysis of the nature of China's influence on the governance of the international financial institutions aims to give us an insight into what kind of member of the international community China aspires to be.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
The Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province is often seen as the success story of China’s reform policies that were initiated by Hua Guofeng in the late 1970s, and popularised by Deng...Show moreThe Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province is often seen as the success story of China’s reform policies that were initiated by Hua Guofeng in the late 1970s, and popularised by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Shenzhen – China’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) – is also representative of the ideal of a new, modernized, and economically strong China. The communist ideals of the Maoist era have long been pushed aside to make way for newer ideologies such as ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics’, or more recently, Xi Jinping’s ‘Chinese Dream’. These shifts in ideology have had a significant influence on the identity that the Chinese state wishes to convey to its citizens and beyond. This paper examines how national and regional identities and their subsequent narratives interact or conflict in the permanent exhibition of Shenzhen museum. Furthermore, I will look at how similar exhibition practices (Shenzhen Museum and the National Museum of China) are used to convey a different message. Shenzhen Museum plays an important part in communicating the city’s identity and its position in China as a model city both to the local population and beyond. Shenzhen illustrates that the way we perceive nationalism has to change in an ever-globalising world, where large cities within a nation can play as large a role in defining the nation as the country at large.Show less
This thesis raises the point that incorporating bottom-up understandings of psychology in Chinese society can give us a more complete outlook on the level of development of psychology in the nation...Show moreThis thesis raises the point that incorporating bottom-up understandings of psychology in Chinese society can give us a more complete outlook on the level of development of psychology in the nation. This is done by using academic stress as the focus of research. By looking at Chinese internet sources of everyday situations of academic stress and analyzing these with the help of Foucauldian thought and the theory of “Interpretive Perspective”, these results are compared to the current state of psychology as an academic discourse in China. It is concluded that psychology is indeed much more developed in China than top-down academic discourse may give it credit for. Furthermore, a more complete account on how academic stress is experienced by students in China is given by integrating primary internet sources with secondary literature and finds that academic stress is not expressed the same by all students.Show less
In the last few decades the internet has become an indispensable part of people’s lives. Especially the younger generations have a broad knowledge of how digital devices work and the advantages and...Show moreIn the last few decades the internet has become an indispensable part of people’s lives. Especially the younger generations have a broad knowledge of how digital devices work and the advantages and conveniences of using the internet. According to Golub and Lingley, the Chinese government has always viewed the internet with ambivalence, because on the one hand it is a sign of modernity, but on the other hand it provides access to a different world view, different opinions, and additional information, which might not conform to the government’s view (2008). However, the number of internet users in mainland China has increased from 620.000 in 1998 to 649 million people at the end of 2014, it is the world’s fastest–growing online population (Stewart 2010; CNNIC 2015). About 55% of those users are below 30 years old. In the same year, China had a total of 366 million online gamers and the largest game population in the world (CNNIC 2015). Online gaming has become a popular way for children, adolescents and adults alike to spend their free or not so free hours. However, with the gaining popularity of online and offline gaming, it often replaces other more social activities, like playing sports or real-life socializing. Gaming addiction also has become a very serious issue, which has a profound impact on society. Since 2002, there have been many cases of aggression and bizarre behavior caused by gaming addiction. Golub and Lingley (2008) mention a few in their article, such as an obese man dying after a marathon gaming session, and a 13-year old jumping of a building after playing Warcraft hoping to “join the heroes of the game” (62; Xinhua News Agency 2006). Although, in a lot of countries, there is still an ongoing debate about whether gaming addiction is an addiction at all, China was one of the first to label problematic online gaming as a clinical disorder and is together with South Korea, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States, one of the few countries that has treatment centers for internet addiction, the first being opened in 2004 (CCTV International 2009). In my thesis I will discuss different stakeholders and how they look at the phenomenon of online game addiction among Chinese youth. I will use Foucault’s theory on power relations as a supporting framework for my research (Foucault 1981). I define Chinese youth as the age group between 12 and 30, but with a focus on high school and higher education students. I define online gaming as using an internet connection while gaming, often on a computer, instead of offline gaming on a console, and focus mainly on Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMO) as they are believed to be the most addictive online games and they are the most widespread in China.Show less
This thesis looks at whether or not Japanese prime minister Abe has framed the rise of China as a threat to Japan's security environment in order to exercise the right of collective self-defense; a...Show moreThis thesis looks at whether or not Japanese prime minister Abe has framed the rise of China as a threat to Japan's security environment in order to exercise the right of collective self-defense; a right that is currently banned under the Japanese constitution. Discourse analysis is used to analyze several incidents that have framed a China threat narrative. Based on the research, this thesis states that the Japanese government may have potentially framed China's rise in order to push for collective self-defense. Further research must be done in order to give a more general conclusion.Show less
Een beschrijving van een beroemde rol uit de Chinese kunstgeschiedenis, gemaakt door Zhang Zeduan, en hoe deze in de Song dynastie past. Daarna volgt een vergelijking met een bekende kopie van deze...Show moreEen beschrijving van een beroemde rol uit de Chinese kunstgeschiedenis, gemaakt door Zhang Zeduan, en hoe deze in de Song dynastie past. Daarna volgt een vergelijking met een bekende kopie van deze rol, gemaakt in de Qing dynastie.Show less
The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) growing economic power has been frequently linked with its growing political and military power. Academic articles and Indian newspapers interpret China’s...Show moreThe People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) growing economic power has been frequently linked with its growing political and military power. Academic articles and Indian newspapers interpret China’s Maritime Silk Road (MSR) policy in threatening and in a non-threatening ways. The dominant discourse interprets the MSR from realist (strategic competition) and liberalist (economic cooperation) perspectives. However, the picture is not as clear-cut as it seems: the literature lacks a constructivist and poststructuralist approach. This paper attempts to fill this gap and considers the study of media representations as an important tool for understanding international relations and the promotion of foreign policy in India. It uses a poststructuralist discourse analysis as a method in the case study on the ‘China threat’ and MSR discourse in four online Indian newspapers. In line with French poststructuralist Foucault, it demonstrates the importance of discourse, identity, knowledge and power. The discursive construction of China as Other in the Indian media is based on historical identity formations. Identity is at the heart the ‘China threat’ discursive foundations: the ‘String of Pearls’ (SOP), India’s neighborhood, China-Pakistan relations and the ongoing Sino-Indian border dispute. In representing the ‘truth’ about the MSR as a future threat to India, the Indian media fails to address China’s participation in global anti-piracy missions. The ‘China threat’ discourse is produced and reproduced for India to domestically implement a strong strategic IOR policy, to invest in the army, and transnationally to deepen diplomatic ties with neighboring IOR countries and to establish a security alignment with the US and Japan.Show less
In deze masterscriptie wordt onderzocht welke frames de Nederlandse en Chinese media hanteren in de berichtgeving over de eenkindpolitiek en het 'heropvoeding door arbeid'-systeem. De aanleiding...Show moreIn deze masterscriptie wordt onderzocht welke frames de Nederlandse en Chinese media hanteren in de berichtgeving over de eenkindpolitiek en het 'heropvoeding door arbeid'-systeem. De aanleiding van dit onderzoek zijn de hervormingen van deze omstreden wetten die na een belangrijke vergadering door de Chinese partijtop zijn aangekondigd. Een kwalitatieve inductieve frameanalyse van krantenartikelen levert een overzicht op van zeven dominante frames. Verder wordt besproken welke frames in welk mediasysteem voorkomen. Hieruit blijkt dat door zowel de Chinese als de Nederlandse berichtgeving te analyseren de gereconstrueerde framebundels een completere weergave van de werkelijkheid geven dan wanneer er slechts één mediasysteem zou zijn geanalyseerd.Show less
