Search

The article discusses mass science in Maoist China. It attempts to study a broad perspective on the relationship between science and state and to ascertain whether the model can be utilized in other historical cases. The author analyzes concepts such as scientific expertise, the scientific establishment and the concept of elite science, and theoretical notions of the state. The article discusses the role of the Cold War in Maoist China, and the Xingtai earthquake in March 1966 and the Tangshan earthquake in July 1976 in the connection between what the author identifies as mass science and the state.

The article discusses some problems which have arisen in the course of China's efforts to transition to a market economy. Certain sectors, such as electric power, have been less successful than others at adapting to market principles. The article focuses on a political struggle between two groups which has stalled further reform. One group is described as bureaucrats in favor of market reform. The other group consists of power sector industrialists and bureaucrats from a related state agency. This latter group's vested interests would be damaged by further market reform, so they oppose it.

This essay examines the experiences of about five thousand Chinese students/scientists in the United States after the Communist takeover of mainland China in 1949. These experiences illustrate the often hidden transnational movements of people, instruments and ideas in science and technology across the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. I argue that those hundreds who returned to China represented a partial "Americanization" of Chinese science and technology, while the rest of the group staying in the United States contributed to a transnationalization of the American scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented regarding the economic growth which has occurred in China from the 1970s through 2008 and what this change means for the future of China. Speculations regarding the way in which the economic and social changes occurring in China may impact the country's future are discussed. The books "China Road," by Rob Gifford and "The China Fantasy," by James Mann are discussed.

The author reports on changes which have occurred regarding the legal profession in China. The author discusses an initiative which began in the 1990s that privatized the legal profession. Legal challenges which lawyers are involved in, such as cases which have a social impact on people's everyday lives, are discussed. Weiquan lawyers, who advocate for a cause larger than their clients, are discussed. The formation of weiquan lawyers is discussed, as is their basic taxonomy and the way in which they have assisted in creating Chinese society.