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The unique view of civilization embodied in Chinese-style modernization is a scientific concept of civilization different from the characteristics of modem Western civilization. It's based on the deep traditional culture of the Chinese nation, guided by the Marxist concept of civilization, integrated with the practical experience of modem socialist civilization with Chinese characteristics, and absorbing the beneficial achievements of foreign civilizations. It embodies unique functioning mechanism and profound historical background, and is a profound explanation of cultural connotation and cultural mission in the process of Chinese-style modernization. Under the overall leadership of the Communist Party of China, it adheres to the people-centered value orientation, promotes the coordinated development of the five major civilizations; material, political, spiritual, social and ecological, emphasizes civilization exchanges of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness, and advocates the values common to all mankind. The aim is to break down the limitations of the notion that modernization equal to westernization, and provide both theoretical and practical guidance for shaping a new form of human civilization and constructing a community with a shared future for mankind. It also provides a strategic direction for Chinese-style modernization and the modem civilization of the Chinese nation, a reference model for the modernization process of developing countries, and contributes Chinese wisdom and strength to the development and progress of human civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Western thinking is a linear belief system set in motion by Christianity, Chinese reasoning conceives changes within a circular process that holds together repetition and transformation. Making sense of this is simply to recognize that depending on how we consider the nature of history, we will also partake in a different imprint on society as a whole. The transition from socialist to post-socialist China is also the drift from the stability guaranteed by Chinese philosophy to the individualism offered by the logic of marketization. Over the sociological implosion of Chinese cyclicity, China places its quest for a new identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has become a main host country for international students, but its international programmes for higher education still need improvement. This study aimed to examine the academic challenges that international postgraduates in China face based on Luc Boltanski's idea of ordinary critique. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and data were collected from 18 international students in two universities in China through semi structured interviews. The ordinary critique of academic difficulties by international postgraduates suggests that Westernized learning content is not sufficiently present in curricula, teachers do not have strong academic recognition from Western journals, the value of diplomas is questioned, and English is not regarded in local institutions as a mark of internationalization.Thus, they equate higher education internationalization with Westernization. These findings are analysed in light of common standards for the internationalization of higher education and offer possible implications for higher education internationalization in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Can we modernize without becoming Western?" written by Maurice Godelier raises the relationship between modernization and Westernization, arguing that modernization implies borrowing certain elements from the West. Examples are mentioned, such as Japan, which adopted elements of Chinese culture without losing its cultural identity, and China, which adopted the capitalist economic system but suppressed demands for democracy. The text also talks about Peter the Great's journey to Western Europe in the 17th century to modernize Russia, implementing reforms in different areas. The idea is mentioned that China and other countries seek to end the world order dominated by the United States and the West. The author wrote the book as an anthropologist to analyze the changes generated by the presence and pressure of the West in different societies. [Extracted from the article]

Punk in China suffers from the stigma of inauthenticity and the dilemma of belatedness. That is, it comes 'after' the original punk moment in the West and is understood as derivative and therefore inauthentic. It does not follow, however, that in places that came 'late' to punk, such as China, punk is merely an echo of Western practice. Recent scholarship has embraced the concept of 'global punk', alongside projects to decolonize punk studies, to destabilize Western-centric understandings of punk authenticity. Consistent with this agenda, we undertake a comparative analysis of 60 seminal 1970s UK and US punk songs and 60 Chinese punk songs released since the founding of Chinese punk in the 1990s, to analyse the translocal durability of punk. Punk in China, we argue, mobilizes a durable ethic of do-it-yourself resistance to interrogate local political conditions and adds weight to the catch-cry that 'punk is not dead'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational authorities across countries are concerned to promote the well-being of their children. We discuss the approach that two systems, China and New Zealand, have adopted to support the development of well-being. The Chinese system has roots in the Confucian education tradition, Westernization Movement, and Soviet education lessons. It is characterised by a specialist role, the Banzhuren. The contemporary New Zealand system includes the explicit identification of values and competencies for well-being in curricula and system data about development during the school years. Both systems for promoting have weaknesses and strengths and we argue can learn from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Forum Pedagogiczne / Pedagogical Forum is the property of Uniwersytet Kardynala Stefana Wyszynskiego w Warszawie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study focuses on the question of the classification of the different legal systems. A broad classification is made that distinguishes the Western, continental European and Anglo-Saxon systems, and the systems of Islam, imperial China and India. Within each of these classification terms, issues such as the system of legal sources, the legal order or the elements common to several systems are studied. Subsequently, the author deals with general issues related to the above, such as the systems of government, the different social classes or the legal procedures existing in each of the areas of application of the legal systems outlined. The article ends by dealing with issues such as the impact of systems in the family, inheritance, contractual or criminal law spheres, and the current westernization of all of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the cognitive and discursive process through which the issue of learning from the West is addressed in four of People's Republic of China founder Mao Zedong's political speeches – On New Democracy (1940), On Coalition Government (1945), On the Ten Major Relationships (1956), and Conversation with Musicians (1956). The study adopts a critical discourse analysis (CDA) perspective and utilizes blending theory to investigate the metaphorical conceptualizations Mao uses to cope with the cultural dilemma of learning from the West. The study finds that the focus in Mao's conceptualizations is not on a 'positive Us' vs. 'negative Them' dichotomy between Chinese and Western cultures, but on a good vs. bad dichotomy inside Western culture, implying that only certain parts of Western culture should be (selectively) emulated. While the natural compatibility between Western culture and Chinese society is constructed as out of the question, the possibility of compatibility after human effort is not rejected: the selected part of Western culture should be transformed to serve a new socialist culture in China. In this process, the agency and rational thinking of the Chinese are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The main purpose is to empirically investigate the outcomes of a Western-style Master of Social Work program that was designed by School of Social Work, University of Southern California and contextually implemented in School of Social Development and Public Policy, Beijing Normal University. Method: A three-wave panel study was used and a focus group discussion was conducted to evaluate the program. Results: Students reported a significant improvement in professional competence and satisfaction and a moderate decline in professional commitment after classroom training. However, after field training, there was almost no significant difference in professional competence and satisfaction, but there was a decline in professional commitment. Conclusions: The results come down to gaps between organizational development and students' personal development, between education and practice, and between students' expectation and reality. This study highlights the importance to fill in the gaps and sheds light on the way to indigenize social work education in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to provide an overview of the general development of Chinese political science and a critical analysis of the problems and challenges faced by Chinese scholars. The development of Chinese political science is characterised by institutionalisation, professionalisation, and internationalisation on the one hand, and tensions between Westernisation and indigenisation, scientification and methodological pluralism, and the "ivory tower" and political relevance, on the other. The debate centres on contending beliefs on the nature of political knowledge and ways to convert understanding of Chinese politics into knowledge and shows a serious tension and conflict between scientific, universalistic, and positivist traditions on the one hand and particularistic, historical, and contextual traditions on the other hand. We argue that a "glocalisation" approach might be adopted to integrate "globalisation" and "localisation" of Chinese political studies by exploring the reciprocal influences of the two aspects, being methodologically both "scientific" and "pluralistic", and balancing between scholarship and public relevance. We hope to help Western academics learn about achievements and struggles in the study of political science in China, and also to push Chinese political science to engage more with the rest of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper offers a critical appraisal of the global knowledge developments in education using China’s contributions in a fashion similar to a case study. The paper scrutinizes the complicity of Western educational research to euro-centric biases and discusses the pursuit of a global epistemological eclecticism. To support this claim, the magnitude of the global knowledge economy, including country-by-country comparisons, is explored together with data pertaining to the success rate of submissions and citations. These data are used as the basis for arguments that the dominant research practices and developmental work serve Western interests, Western thought and a Western economy tied to standardization rather than eastern epistemological interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Confucian revival, which manifests itself in the modern Confucian current, belongs to the most influential and important streams of thought in contemporary Chinese philosophy and represents a crucial part of the new prevailing ideologies in P. R. China. Although many books and articles on this topic are available in Chinese, academic studies in Western languages are still few and far between. The present article aims to introduce this stream of thought which is grounded in the conviction that traditional Confucianism, understood as a specifically Chinese social, political, and moral system of thought can, if renewed and adapted to meet the conditions of the modern era, serve as the foundation for an ethically meaningful modern life. Simultaneously, modern Confucian philosophers also aim to provide a spiritual antidote to the alienation which is seen by them as a collateral effect of the capitalistic glorification of competition and the single-minded pursuit of profit. The scholars belonging to this stream sought to reconcile 'Western' and 'traditional Chinese' values, in order to create a theoretical model of modernization that would not be confused or equated with 'Westernization'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After its defeat in the Opium Wars, China was drawn into the orbit of Western influence. Since then, dewesternization has always been one of the hotly debated topics among Chinese intellectuals and politicians. With the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, China’s economic take-off was almost instant due to its low-cost labor, rich resources, and the government’s firm resolution to modernize. The booming of a market economy with Chinese characteristics can be quoted as a success story of China’s dewesternization project. However, while enjoying the benefits of its attempts to modernize itself, China also begins to encounter the dark side of modernity. Problems like environmental deterioration, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, and food safety are causing anxieties among Chinese people. In order to cope with the detrimental effects of the neo-liberal doctrines, harmony was put forward as a state strategy. Ostensibly disinterested, harmony aims at the well-being, happiness, and welfare of all. However, while harmony can serve as a national strategy to ameliorate the fermenting social discontent in China, it may also be a lofty ideal to attract, unite, and inspire people in other parts of the world. According to the spirit of harmony, different nations can pursue the well-being of their own people in their own ways which is in accordance with the notion of pluriversality as proposed by decolonial thinkers. Besides analyzing the social, economic, and political significance of harmony both within China and abroad, this essay also attempts to address the theoretical problems posed by harmony, if it is to be considered a productive ideal in this globalized world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking China as a case in point, this paper addresses the concern among some Western scholars that the concept of translation in the European tradition is narrower than in some other cultures so that the spread of Western concepts and theories to the rest of the world is threatening "biodiversity". A re-examination of the evidence presented shows that this claim is based on a series of misinterpretation of 'fanyi,' the Chinese word for 'translation'. In fact, the traditional concept of translation in China used to be very narrow and rigid. It gradually loosened up only after the transfer of Western translation theories into China, which challenged traditional thinking. Ironically, the concern of the few Chinese scholars who resist Westernization is that the process has put an end to uniformity. As a result of the transfer of Western academic norms and 'pure' translation theories, translation research in China has become more sophisticated. The influence of Western ideas in China has caused some concern about Eurocentrism mainly among Western scholars. This concern, however, might itself be Eurocentric since Sinocentrism is the major cause for concern among most Chinese scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper was to conduct an experimental design of Americans' preferences for the English version of Chinese brand names by drawing from prior research in psychology, linguistics and marketing. The impact of string length and semantic relevance to English on meaningfulness, memorability and likeability of brand names from Chinese companies was assessed. Design/methodology/approach - A 2 × 2 experimental design was used, whereby brand names are categorized by string length (short vs long) and semantic relevance to English (with vs without). Respondents' perception of the Chinese language in terms of pronounceability, language familiarity and language attitude is used as covariate. Findings - Results reveal shorter brand names, and those with semantic relevance to English are perceived as more memorable. It was also found that pronounceability of the brand name does influence brand name preference in terms of their meaningfulness, memorability and likeability. Research limitations/implications - This exploratory paper is limited to Americans' perceptions of the English version of Chinese automobile brand names. Practical implications - Chinese companies should therefore carefully consider the brand name characteristics in terms of string length and semantic relevance, as well as their ease of pronunciation when choosing and introducing their brand name in the USA. Originality/value - This is the first paper which assesses Western consumers' perception of brand names from Chinese automobile companies in terms of their brand meaningfulness, brand memorability and brand likeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's experience with globalization is still contested. This paper seeks to examine the impact of global integration and industrialization on labour markets in China. The evidence shows that rising trade and flows of foreign direct investment has not only quickened industrialization and structural change but it has also stimulated a rapid rise in overall and manufacturing real wages. The government's framework of absorbing marketization while maintaining planning control through decentralization has been critical in the development of technological capabilities in manufacturing. Although the nature of economic development after reforms has also widened regional inequalities with the Eastern coastal provinces enjoying higher growth and structural change than the Western and other inland provinces, rising wages suggest that the material conditions of the majority of workers in China have improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes how the Civil Service examination system in Vietnam responded to the crisis French military aggression posed to that nation in the late 19th Century, and how it adapted to the French protectorate in the early 20th Century. It presents evidence that contests the notion that the examination declined in relevance along with "Chinese influence" over Vietnam, and that adoption of European-style modernity led to its elimination. Instead, this essay proposes that officials adapted the examination to fit with the circumstances of the time. Furthermore, the changes within the examination were not a realignment in emphasis from "China" to "Europe" but rather a shift from envisaging a universalistic world to imagining a particularistic, nationalist one. In support of this central argument, it will consider specifically the way that examination answers represented France. The examinations of 1862, 1877, and 1904 will receive particular attention as case studies demonstrating this shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes main melody TV drama—an official genre that has emerged in the context of China’s most recent social and cultural transformations when the old socialist TV drama was losing viewership. Focusing on the TV drama Provincial Party Secretary as a case study, the author argues that main melody TV drama reconstructs socialist TV drama with a Hollywoodized creative strategy through which the didactic tradition of socialist TV drama has been transformed from direct propaganda to ideological persuasion. The development of main melody TV dramas since the 1990s indicates that a soft and repackaged propagandistic model has been developed in contemporary Chinese television with the aim of revitalizing the Party’s ideological control over society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the political narratology and consensual development in China in the period following the death of Mao Zedong, the leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 1949 to 1976. Topics include the narrative strategies adopted by Chinese democrats and political leaders, the self-interest of individuals on both sides motivating compliance with that discipline regardless of their intentions, and logic of westernization and self-orientalization.

This paper surveys constructivist scholarship in the study of international political economy (IPE) in China. Chinese scholars in the field of IPE have until recently rarely used constructivism as an approach to study IPE for two reasons. The first, like Western IPE, is the short history of constructivism as a theoretical perspective. The second, unlike Western IPE, stems from the long-standing dominance of Marxism, China's official state ideology, in the academic field. In China, Marxism's materialist core shapes the basic research questions of IPE. Unsurprisingly then, constructivist analysis is quite alien to the dominant intellectual discourse in China. Nonetheless, of late, more Chinese scholars have begun to apply constructivist analysis. This paper surveys these developments and is divided into three sections. The first section provides an overview of how Chinese Marxist scholars approach the major issues of IPE as they relate to China. The second section provides an overview of the work of liberal-minded Chinese scholars who work on major IPE issues, another counterpoint to the Marxist school. The third section, which is the major focus of this paper, examines how Chinese scholars have applied the constructivist concepts to study major IPE issues in the Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article refers to the rapid transition underway in Chinese cities towards more western models. This not only as a result of the vast dimensions and territorial differences affecting development in China, and on account of very different urban processes: that hark back to the socialist past and where the registry of residence prevented rural immigrants from being considered as town dwellers; but also to the fact that interurban social organization in production units has led to rapid land transactions. This dual system, with separation between use and ownership has an influence of the dynamics of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the images of the U.S. that were published in the Shanghai, China women's magazine "Linglong" during the 1930s and how they depicted a false image of American society. The author explores how these images provided a symbolic meaning for Chinese women who wanted to be modern and cosmopolitan, examines how images of American life impacted the feminine behavior of Chinese women and westernized their views of family, fashion, and relationships, and discusses how the magazine compared Chinese Confucian morality and American depravity.

Research Findings: Western ideas and progressive pedagogies have been introduced to China (including Shenzhen), Hong Kong, and Singapore to replace traditional Chinese pedagogy. But these imported ideas are not congruent with traditional Chinese culture and thus have encountered resistance from Chinese teachers. The present study observed and analyzed 18 early childhood classrooms in the 3 localities and questioned the class teachers about their respective teaching practices to see how those ideas were actually turned into practice. Whole-class direct instruction was found to be the predominant Chinese pedagogical mode. This indicates that Chinese traditional pedagogy still dominated those Chinese preschool classrooms. Slight societal differences in classroom practice were also found, reflecting the spectrum of openness and Westernization of the 3 cities. Practice or Policy: The findings suggest that people should adapt rather than adopt those pedagogical innovations developed in other sociocultural milieu, as different societies have different social, cultural, and educational traditions. Cultural appropriateness should be seriously considered when choosing the pedagogies to be adapted. Moreover, influences from the culture, language, teachers, parents, resources available, and the prevailing education system should also be taken into consideration when planning for pedagogical reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Chinese people in Western Culture, and their views regarding the world. It mentions the works of British historian Arnold Toynbee, in which features the civilizations on human history, and his studies on various civilizations such as Western and Christian civilizations. It also cites the Westernization after the World War II, and in developing national culture.

Copyright of Anthropologica is the property of CASCA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

He early reformist thinkers proposed many reformation views in the late Qing period as following: Firstly, to transform the idea of "Tianxia" to the global consciousness by regarding the western civilization as the model; Secondly, to develop commerce to strengthen the country; Thirdly, Rightness -Profit Unity; Fourthly, to develop education; Fifthly, to advocate the western Parliamentary politics; Sixthly, to improve political system and ideals. These ideas were not only influenced by the enlightenment of the Westernization Movement but also resulted from the reformist thinkers' foreign experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This response to Zongjie Wu’s ‘Interpretation, autonomy, and interpretation’ focuses on the ‘battle between East and West’ which contextualizes Wu’s proposal to counter the current Western domination of Chinese pedagogic discourse with an ‘authentic language’ recovered from the Chinese classics. It points out that it is impossible and undesirable to reject all Western influences. The dualistic opposition between East and West over-simplifies and blinds one to the complexity of China’s history and culture, and unnecessarily limits future possibilities. It challenges Wu’s conflation of Confucianism and Daoism and his claim that the authentic ‘language of Tao’ recovered from the Analects is a language ‘pointing to the nameless’. The response concludes with an alternative Deweyan account of how to make Chinese education authentic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since garnering the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been lionized, particularly by Western politicians and media, who now promote him as the leader of the "democratic forces" in China. Meanwhile, Liu's politics and those of the award itself are studiously ignored. Liu, however, was chosen for the prize, over many other imprisoned dissidents (including Chinese) nominated for it, precisely because of his politics: he is a neoconservative/neoliberal in the U.S. mold. Not an advocate of peace, but of the wars waged by the United States and its allies, Liu also endorses the total Westernization of China and wholesale privatization of its economy. Despite the common conception of Liu as an advocate of democracy in the face of China's authoritarian government, he seemingly does not even back universal suffrage. The award of the prize to Liu both continues the tradition of a small group of Norwegian politicians using it to advance Western elite ideological interests and represents a new stage of "soft power" warfare against China as the perceived long-term strategic competitor of the United States and its NATO allies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the rule of law of China and defining a basic Western idea of the rule of law. Topics discussed include supremacy of the Constitution, court independence, and the rule by law constitutional amendment; rule of man nature of the Chinese traditional culture through analyses of the Chinese family system and ethnic society, power-over-right tradition; and investigating the conflicting roles of traditional values and legal westernization in China.

An essay that examines how modernity is viewed by historians is presented. It addresses issues related to defining modernity as a distinct period of time in a distinct place and questions what occurs when two places experiencing this form of modernity meet. It examines issues related to the spread of Christianity in China, East-West relations and westernization.

The way a language encodes sensory experiences changes over time, and often this correlates with other changes in the society. There are noticeable differences in the language of perception between older and younger speakers of cantonese in Hong Kong and Macau. Younger speakers make finer distinctions in the distal senses, but have less knowledge of the finer categories of the proximal senses than older speakers. The difference in the language of perception between older and younger speakers probably reflects the rapid changes that happened in Hong Kong and Macau in the last fifty years, from an underdeveloped and less-literate society, to a developed and highly literate society. In addition to the increase in literacy, the education system has also undergone significant Westernization. Western-style education systems have most likely created finer categorizations in the distal senses. At the same time, the traditional finer distinctions of the proximal senses have become less salient: as the society became more urbanized and sanitized, people have had fewer opportunities to experience the variety of olfactory sensations experienced by their ancestors. This case study investigating interactions between social-economic "development" and the elaboration of the senses hopefully contributes to the study of the ineffability of senses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globalization of building design services is a significant phenomenon that occurs among various cities within the world-city hierarchy. This article investigates the internationalization of building design in Beijing, the capital of China. The article reveals that Westernization, particularly Europeanization, of public building design has penetrated from the suburbs to the most historical districts of Beijing. A broad spectrum of factors—such as modernization, diplomacy, cultural identity, and economic equity—shape the pace of internationalization. Tensions have arisen between modernization and historical presentation, as well as globalization and economic equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Based on Stereotype Content Model (Fiske et al., 2002), in the current study we examined Mainland Chinese''s stereotypes towards Hong Kong Chinese, and whether perceived inter-group structural relations between the two Chinese groups predicted different components of stereotypes. A survey study was conducted among 183 Mainland Chinese college students. The results showed that in addition to the traits (competence and warmth) proposed by Stereotype Content Model, values and beliefs also served as important components of stereotypes towards Hong Kong Chinese. Canonical correlations revealed that perceptions of the higher status and greater westernization of Hong Kong society were related to stereotypes of greater competence, along with westernized values and beliefs judged to be held by Hong Kong people. Perception of stronger competition from Hong Kong Chinese was related to stereotypes of lower warmth and greater social cynicism of the Hong Kong Chinese. These findings were discussed in terms of the historical, societal and inter-group context characterizing these two groups and how future research could illuminate this complex, embedded process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It is commonly perceived that the 'globalization of science' may result in a 'Westernization of science'. In this paper, however, I use the case of stem cell science in China to demonstrate that developing countries are sometimes able to effectively shape the norms of global / local scientific exchange. Based on interviews with 38 stem cell scientists in six Chinese cities in early 2008, this paper elucidates Chinese scientists' outlook towards cross-border collaborations and the effects that the internationalization of science has had on everyday laboratory operations. Findings suggest that although there still exists an asymmetry of scientific influence, and in many aspects China is still 'catching-up' to the West, there is also a changing nature of communication beyond borders. One key aspect of recent international scientific development is the growing necessity for local stakeholders to acquire a global mindset and to compare, reflect and accommodate diverse interests. This is what I define as the 'cosmopolitization of science'. The study empirically examines the sociological and methodological implications of the cosmopolitization process and further develops Ulrich Beck's cosmopolitan theory by delineating four main features of the 'cosmopolitization of science': shared future benefits, passive ethicization, reflexive negotiation, and continuous performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it is generally acknowledged that China, in its public sector reforms, has "learnt from the West," the mechanisms and effects of the processes of learning and imitation in China are little understood. The recent "Sixth Round of Administrative Reforms" in which the Western concept of the "super-department" was presented as a key theme is used as a case study of the processes involved. Chinese leaders intentionally and actively sought the administrative reform experience from Western nations. A broad and coordinated search for models and lessons was undertaken involving a number of government agencies and research institutions, including universities. However, the government-sponsored research seemed to stay at the surface of the issue and, once the model was chosen, the policy makers tended to idealize it in order for it to be accepted by the public. We conclude that this was a case of "superstitious learning" and "biased contextualization" in which the symbolic—as distinct from instrumental—purposes of borrowing a Western reform idea for domestic purposes was the predominant feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the process of westernization of Chinese education – of the Chinese educational “system”– was marked by ongoing conflicts between traditional Chinese and modern western culture. This paper looks at the process by which, within the larger context of the “world-society,” educational thought was constituted or reconstituted (regenerated) in modern China, thus taking on a more hybrid form. My analysis is guided by a Luhmannian approach which focuses on the distinction between the educational system and its environment, and on the changing concept of “education” throughout an important period in the history of modern China. I will try to analyze the historical description of the distinction between traditional Chinese and modern Western educational ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the emergence of the modern social security system is determined by the economic and political causes, it is also based on some social values. The mainstream ideas of social values in Britain, Germany, and America respectively exert great influences on the formation and contents of their social security systems. The English Poor Law in the 18th and 19th centuries was the result of the collaboration between the protestant ethics and the classical liberalism, which gave equal emphasis to the individual's responsibility and the laissez faire; the batch of social insurance laws enacted in the 19th-century Germany retained its deep-rooted conservatism: on the one hand, the government's responsibility for the citizens was emphasized, and on the other, the citizen's obligation to respect the state power was also stressed. The mainstream American culture has been advocating the individual's relying on his own efforts; though the Social Security Law enacted in 1935 acknowledged that the government had limited responsibility for the citizens' livelihood, it retained the emphasis on individualism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenging existing approaches and assumptions, this essay identifies the phenomenon of Hollywood piracy in China as an agent of American expansion in the region, amplifying the distribution of US popular culture artifacts. This accidental, yet relevant public diplomacy occurrence thrives outside the control of central governments, driven by transnational profit oriented entities, both legal (Hollywood studios producing and distributing entertainment content) and illegal (counterfeiters amplifying uncensored distribution through piracy). Drawing parallels with US public diplomacy efforts beyond the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, the essay suggests that a similar transformation is occurring through this illegal practice in the digital global media landscape of the twenty-first century. In fact, the diffusion of Hollywood content in China, legally and illegally, increases the diffusion of the American influence in the region through the diffusion of its language, music, and material culture embedded in Hollywood's entertainment artifacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the late 1970s the once-popular theory of modernization gradually faded away, to be replaced by globalization theory. The reason for this change is that Westerners, especially Americans, have seen their concerns for the future greatly increase. Therefore, they began to change from "Americanization" or "Westernization," which holds in itself certain elements of altruism, to a more selfserving Westernization or Americanization. In addition, more thorough research, changes in people's understanding, and development in the real world have caused some assumptions in the old modernization theory to lose ground. Our country is currently engaged in an all-out modernization effort, so we should follow Luo Rongqu's good example in dealing with contemporary globalization theory, just as he dealt with the theory of modernization. We should start from the basic principles of historical materialism while examining China's and the world's development from various angles to understand modernization and globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction and examination of teaching materials for literary theory studies has long been the focus of literary studies. As the time-honored basic issue of literary theory, the classification of literary forms is also the essential part of the teaching materials for literary theory studies. Since the founding of PRC, setting the terms for literary classification in the teaching materials has successively undergone Sovietization, localization, and westernization which roughly correspond to the 1950s - 70s period, 1980s, and the period from 1990s up to now. The key terms used in the teaching materials also suggest that the classification of literary forms has experienced the following three stages: the period of sticking to a misplaced differentiation between the literary type and literary form by modeling Soviet Union; the transitional period of trying to integrate literary forms which were finally intertwined with literary types again; the period of reconstruction by adopting the term of genre and re-integrating the literary types. In terms of normativity, unity, and interactivity, the construction of the terms for literary classification is far from satisfactory in that different things share the same name and different terms refer to the same thing, thus leading to a state of confusion. The general survey of the current state of the terms used for literary classification demonstrates that it is urgent to conduct an adequate research on the literary classification. In the new century, there is a long way to go for the construction of teaching materials for literary theory studies, which demands a good understanding of such relationships as those between learning from others and tapping the domestic resources and between a macroscopic horizon and microscopic deliberations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontiers of Education in China is the property of Higher Education Press Limited Company and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article the author discusses China's decision to implement a pilot project that will require a select group of schools to teach mandatory Chinese opera classes. Over the course of the 20th century China has embraced Western-style drama while Chinese opera has become seen as a relic of the past. The author discusses the cultural implications of the decision and the emergence of an attitude that is less concerned with Westernization.

This article is a study of Liu Xiaobo, a widely recognized spokesman for the social discontent of the younger Chinese generation. As a believer in Western irrationalism, Liu infers all human things from sensuousness. The priority of sensuousness over reason is at the core of his philosophical discourse; thus the outburst of sensuousness is taken as the realization of a "genuine" humanity. Using Nietzsche's "superman" as a mode! of heroic individualism and moral nihilism, Liu moves toward Sartre's early notions of absolute freedom, emphasizing personal, unique, society-alienated self-choices. Taking an extremely antiharmonious approach to freedom, Liu defines conflict, cruelty, and the will to power as the essential elements of the aesthetic state. With this vision of the human world, Liu insists as a radical antitraditionalist that Confucianism is responsible for the formation and survival of the "slave personality "—his terminological counterpart of Nietzsche's "slave morality." Thus, according to Liu, the first step of China's modernization is to develop a transcendent anti- traditionalism, and transform the Chinese national character, in particular the collective personality of Chinese intellectuals. Such a step should be a national task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appearance-related media from the United States and other Western nations has been implicated in explanations of increased body images concerns among non-Western women. However, researchers have rarely examined the impact of endogenous appearance media versus Western appearance media on body image issues, particularly within longitudinal research designs. Therefore, in this 12-month prospective study, we assessed associations of experiences with appearance media imported from Western nations versus appearance media from China and other Asian nations on body image concerns and cosmetic surgery interest among young Chinese women. Participating women (N = 1836) completed self-report measures tapping specific sources of appearance dissatisfaction (fatness, facial features, stature), cosmetic surgery interest, and appearance media influences at baseline and a 12-month follow-up. The women reported significantly more pressure from and stronger preferences for appearance depictions in Asian than Western media. Elevations in appearance pressure and preferences from Asian media explained more unique variance in specific body image concerns at follow-up than did complementary Western media influences. Contrary to "Westernization" hypotheses, Asian appearance media influences are more salient for young Chinese women and should be prioritized as targets of interventions to reduce body image disturbances in this group., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest No conflicts of interest were associated with this research., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)