Chinese supplement 2014 by Lyndsay Jensen

China Happy

Chinese New Y ear!

NEW CHAPTER IN CHINA’S REFORM & OPEN-UP! Discover what modern-day China has to offer

The world is not enough: China’s space mission Chinese Film Festival in Copenhagen

Bilateral business: How Chinese and Danish companies benefit Discover 10 must-see marvels in China

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Free access to all school facilities As a VUF student, you have access to all school facilities, e.g. canteen with student room, study centre offering teacher counselling, language lab and IT facilities including wireless Internet connection, and we offer individual counselling to ensure that you complete your course VUF has a total of 200 teachers and 4,000 students of myriad nationalities. Approx. 850 students taking the Danish course for foreigners. This diversity is part of the strength of the study environment at VUF.

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m o r f e g a s s e M Biwe i A m ba ss a d o r Liu

Before i started my diplomatic mission to denmark, many friends told me, with much admiration, of the beauty of denmark. it is not only the beautiful “kingdom of fairy tales” and the hometown of the little mermaid, but also a country with highly developed modern civilisation. products of danish design such as Lego toys and B&o equipments are increasingly winning popularity among the Chinese people. denmark is deemed the world’s happiest nation and its green development also takes a global lead. these achievements are sure to be

no easy job to have profound knowledge about a country’s national conditions or to truly understand its culture, traditions and policies. I always believe that direct people-to-people contacts with face-to-face dialogues and heart-to-heart exchanges are crucial to enhance mutual understanding and deepen mutual trust. Therefore, China and Denmark should further strengthen dialogues and communications at all levels.

admired by any foreign visitor.

Some friends however, mentioned the long dark winter in Denmark. My mission started during this cold wintery season, but I have only been greeted with the warmth of spring since my arrival two months ago, thanks to the warm welcome and kind assistance from the Danish people and the Chinese community alike. I believe this is not only because of my Ambassadorial role, but rather the wish of people from both sides to deepen bilateral friendship and cooperation. Looking back on the 64 years of the development of SinoDanish relations, starting from 1950 when Denmark became the first Western country to recognise the People’s Republic of China, to 2008 when Denmark firstly established a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in the Nordic region, and further in 2012 when the first state visit by a Chinese president to Denmark took place, our friendly relations have indeed taken great strides forward, not least demonstrated by the above-mentioned firsts. Over the past two months, one question has been on my mind, that is, how to further push our relations ahead, based on the good foundation we have already built. There is certainly a lot that can still be done, but I think it is mainly about advances in two areas: understanding and cooperation. At the time of globalisation and informatisation, it is not difficult to get to know about other countries. However, it is

The recent years have witnessed a frequent exchange of high-level visits between our two countries, which plays an important and irreplaceable role in exchanging ideas and policies, building up understanding and trust, and planning future development of bilateral relations. I hope this momentum of frequent high-level contacts will be maintained and I, myself will work very hard for it. State-to-state relations rely much on friendship between the peoples. For China and Denmark, we enjoy a good foundation of friendship, and people from both sides have a strong desire nowadays to learn even more about each other’s history, culture and customs. I’m most happy to see that more and more Chinese now choose Denmark as a destination for business, tourism or study, whilst more and more Danes begin to learn the Chinese language and actively take part in the various bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Personally, I love to make friends, so I very much look forward to making acquaintance with Danish friends from all walks of life, to help me better understand Denmark and inspire me with new thoughts and ideas for furthering Sino-Danish cooperation. Meanwhile, I also hope to be of some help to Danish friends in enhancing their perceptions of China, through open and frank conversations. China today is at a critical stage of development. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, held in November last year, approved a decision on major issues concerning comprehensively deep-

ening reforms. China is determined to follow the path of more effective, equal and sustainable development, with the view to better achieving the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. In this edition of the China Supplement, you will get information about the Third Plenary and China’s reform drive. China’s consistent efforts to deepen reform and opening-up will provide not only the impetus for its own economic and social development, but also the opportunity for common development with other countries in the world, including Denmark. From the perspective of Sino-Danish cooperation, we can well think of the prospects that both sides will benefit from win-win cooperation in areas such as green economy, energy conservation, environmental protection, water resources, food safety, modern agriculture, health, medicine and elderly care. I am ready to work together with colleagues and friends from both countries to advance these shared interests. The Chinese Spring Festival will take place in the coming weeks with a celebration of Happy Spring Festival in Copenhagen, Århus and other cities in Denmark. In Copenhagen especially, people will have the chance to enjoy a Chinese Film Festival this year. We welcome all friends in Denmark to join us in our ‘Happy Spring Festival’, and to celebrate the Chinese New Year and share the joys of this time with the Chinese people. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2014 is the year of horse. In Chinese culture, horse is the traditional symbol representing a striving and unremitting spirit of the Chinese nation. I hope this good and auspicious meaning of the year of horse will bring good luck to all friends in Denmark, and to the relations between our two countries! Last but not least, I wish to extend sincere greetings and best wishes on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark. Wishing you all happiness, health and every success in the New Year!

president and publisher: Ejvind Sandal ● editor: David Nothling ● Layout: Lyndsay Jensen ● sales director supplements: Hans Hermansen, hans@cphpost.dk, +45 2420 2411

a neW Chapter For China: goVernment reForm For the peopLe

an important meeting With important deCisions

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing in November 2013. Historically, such third plenary sessions of a newly installed Central Committee have acted as a springboard for key economic reforms. This one was no different, and also served as the first test of the new leadership’s commitment to reform. The meeting approved a decision on major issues concerning comprehensively deepening reforms, and issued an array of new reform ideas. The general objective of the reforms is to improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and push on with the modernisation of the country’s governing system and capabilities, this according to the communiqué issued after the four-day meeting.

administrative methods and enhancing the credibility and execution of the government. It recognised that power must be supervised by the people and exercised transparently. Greater importance will be attached to improve the democratic system and to enrich democratic forms. The meeting also decided to abolish the “re-education through labour” system. The meeting stressed that promoting social equity and justice and improving people’s well-being is the starting point and the objective of deepening reform. Efforts will be made to promote the urban-rural integration drive so as to ensure that rural residents equally share the benefits of modernisation. Land in cities and the countryside, which can be used for construction, will be pooled together in one market. Efforts will also focus on gradually narrowing the rural-urban and regional gap in the education sector through information technology. The decades-long one-child policy will be loosened, allowing couples to have two children if one of them is an only child. It was reconfirmed at the meeting that China will press ahead with ecological protection. A sound system will be established to protect the country’s ecological environment. The system concerning property rights of natural resources as assets and the administration of their use will be improved. The meeting urged drawing a “red line” for ecological protection, implementing a system of paid use of resources and ecological compensation, and reforming the system for the protection and administration of the ecological environment.

A timeline is set, with “decisive results” of reforms to be achieved by 2020. Economic reform is the key and central focus of the overall reform drive, with the core economic reform to straighten out a proper relationship between the market and government, allowing the market to play a “decisive” role in allocating resources and improving the government’s role. Both public and non-public sectors of the economy are important components of the socialist market economy and significant bases for economic and social development. China will stick to the dominant role of public ownership, while encouraging, supporting and guiding the non-public sector and enhancing its vitality and creativity. A united and open market system with orderly competition as well as a modern fiscal system that supports the initiative of both central and local governments will be built. Investment thresholds will be lowered, free trade zones will be set up and more opening-up is expected in inland, coastal and border areas.

president Xi Jinping eXpLains China’s reForm pLan

The meeting stressed that government functions must be transformed in a down-to-earth manner to establish a lawbased and service-oriented government. It called for deepening reforms of the administrative system, innovating with

Entrusted by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, explained the decision on major issues concerning comprehensively deepening reforms to delegates at the Third Plenary Session.

The meeting also decided to establish a state security commission to improve systems and strategies to ensure national security. A central leading group for comprehensively deepening reform will be set up as well.

He said that it has been 35 years since the CPC made the landmark decision to shift the focus to economic development and adopt opening-up policies at the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978. Persistential reform and opening-up efforts have deeply changed the image of the country, its people and the Party and have enabled China to become a significant member of the international community. Recalling the former state leader Deng Xiaoping’s reform speeches in 1992, Xi said only socialism can save China, and only reform and opening-up can develop China. Reform and opening-up will decide the destiny of modern China. It is also the key to realising the dream of national rejuvenation. Xi said that in April 2013, the political bureau set reform as the theme of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. A team headed by Xi himself was set up to draft the decision on reforms. Opinions were widely solicited within the CPC and among other parties and organisations. During the drafting, it was made clear that the decision should respond to the hopes as well as complaints of the people, while the reform measures should be bold in mind but steady in steps.

keY deCisions According to Xi Jinping, a significant theory was to acknowledge the market’s decisive role in allocating resources. China has to follow the basic law of the market economy and work on the problems of an underdeveloped market system, excessive government intervention and weak supervision of the market. However, Xi noted that to let the market decide does not mean to let it decide all. “The socialist market economy needs both the market and government but they play different roles,” he explained. He added that the government is to maintain a stable macroeconomy, provide public service, safeguard fair competition, supervise the market, keep market order, promote sustainable development and step in when the market fails. To ensure the smoothness of the reform, the CPC decided to set up a leading

group for overall reform as it is hard for certain or several departments to push forward such a complicated systematic project. The group will be in charge of designing national, major reform on an overall basis, arranging and coordinating reforms in relevant aspects, pushing forward reform as a whole, and supervising the implementation of reform plans. Talking about the to-be-established national security commission aimed at strengthening the unified leadership to the state security work, Xi said that its main responsibilities include stipulating and implementing state security strategies, pushing forward the construction of the rule of law system concerning state security, setting security principles and policies, as well as conducting research. “National security and social stability are the preconditions for reform and development,” Xi said. Xi also pointed at strengthening Internet management to ensure its accurate use and cyber security. Citing rapid growth of social networking services and instant messaging tools, he said concerted efforts should be made to manage the Internet regarding technologies, content and security. Xi also clarified decisions on the basic economic system which allows more private capital into the market to develop a mixed ownership economy, fiscal system reform, rural-urban integration, promoting consultative democracy, improvement of the judicial system, anticorruption as well as natural resources management and supervision.

Courage and action Reform and opening-up is the most significant feature of modern China and the CPC, Xi said. He called for greater political courage and wisdom as well as stronger measures to promote reforms. Except for deepening reforms, he says that there is no other way to dissolve risks and challenges within China and show off the advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He placed emphasis on the emancipation of mind, which is the top priority for breaking the barriers from entrenched interest groups. While thorough research and argumentation is necessary, the reform needs activeness and bold efforts. It is impossible to reform without any risk or changes of current institutions. He urged strengthening top-level design and comprehensive planning so that all the aspects concerning economy, politics, culture, society and ecological progress could coordinate well.

realised, “Could go a long way toward leveling the playing field for private and foreign investors and moving China’s economy toward market principles.” “That’s an opportunity we must seize,” she said. The United States seeks to build a new model of major-country relationship with China, which means “Managing inevitable competition while forging deeper cooperation on issues where our interests converge - in Asia and beyond,” she explained. Fitch Ratings, a London-based credit rating company, said the series of reforms announced could begin to change the way China’s local and regional governments (LRGs) operate. If implemented effectively, these measures could optimise fiscal transparency and overall budget management, said the company. Fitch counts on two reasons for LRGs to achieve medium-term improvements. “The first is that these reforms aim to change the incentives of local government operations and raise their overall level of transparency.” The second reason is expectation of gradual improvements in overall budget management, including complication and disclosure of LRG balance sheets, transition to an accrual-based accounting system, and establishment of debt monitoring and risk-alarm system, said the credit rating company. This would help reduce the unsustainable dependence on land sales and other forms of unstable financing activities. Whilst pointing out that main challenge for the proposed Chinese reforms could be powerful interest groups at the local level, Fitch believes that “Implementation remains the key to actual credit improvements.” Moody, another international credit rating company, said that the policy statements released are credit positive for the sovereign, local governments, state-owned enterprises, property developers and utilities.

Voices From Outside China

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim lauded the message from the Third Plenary Session as being “extremely positive” and very encouraging. Kim told a briefing at the World Bank headquarters that, “They’re going to rely much more heavily on the private sector and that the distribution of resources is going to be determined much more by market forces.” He noted that it is very encouraging that despite lower growth figures, China is continuing down the path of reform, making the transition from being mostly investment and export-oriented to consumption and service-oriented. China’s commitment to reforms of the business environment and the role of the private sector seems very firm, Kim added. “We expect them to perhaps grow at a slower rate, but the quality of growth we think will be better,” he said. Susan Rice, US President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, said in an address on “America’s Future in Asia” at Georgetown University that China’s economic reforms, if

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A NEW JOURNEY:

CHINA’S DIPLOMACY (Excerpt from a speech by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a symposium on China and the World held in mid December 2013)

The year 2013 has certainly been an extraordinary year for

ing powers and established powers, engaging in competition

is a builder of Asian security and stability. We have

China’s diplomacy. Many new concepts have been introduced

and eventually slipping into confrontation or even conflicts. In

worked together with other parties to ease tension on

in China’s diplomacy. Commitment to the Chinese dream of

June 2013, President Xi Jinping, upon invitation, had a meet-

the Korean Peninsula, actively pushed for a resump-

national renewal has clearly defined the fundamental pursuit

ing with President Obama at Annenberg Estate, California.

tion of the Six-Party Talks, and supported peace and

of China’s diplomacy in the new situation. A more substan-

They reached important agreement on building a new model

the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. We have

tive presentation of the theory of peaceful development has

of major-country relations. President Xi characterised this

thus played a vital part in maintaining regional peace

elaborated on China’s determination, path and principles of

new model of major-country relationships with three defin-

and stability. China is a contributor to the cause of

peaceful development. The building of a new model of major-

ing features: No conflict or confrontation, mutual respect, and

international development. We have actively partici-

country relations has sent a positive signal of win-win coop-

win-win cooperation.

pated in the making of the post-2015 development agenda, and offered our proposals for and contributed

eration between China and the United States. The concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness has fleshed

China has broken new ground in its neighbourhood diplo-

our share to possible solutions to climate change and

out the basic principles of our neighbourhood diplomacy. The

macy. China’s neighbourhood is crucial to its security, devel-

other global issues.

right approach to upholding principles and pursuing interests

opment and prosperity. There have been extensive high-level

has increased the moral appeal of China’s diplomacy.

contacts between China and its neighbours. In October 2013,

President Xi Jinping underscored that China will be

the first conference on neighbourhood diplomacy was held

firmly committed to the path of peaceful develop-

In the past year, many new initiatives have been put forward

since the founding of the PRC, which set out the strategic

ment, but not at the expense of its national interests.

in China’s diplomacy. A series of major cooperation initiatives

objectives, basic principles and overall plan for our neighbour-

Over the past year, we have forestalled the illegal acts

include the economic belt along the Silk Road, the maritime

hood diplomacy in the next five to ten years, opening up even

of individual countries to encroach upon China’s ter-

Silk Road for the 21 century, an upgraded China-ASEAN FTA,

greater prospects for neighbourhood diplomacy.

ritorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

We also maintain that relevant issues need to be re-

an Asian infrastructure investment bank and so on. These initiatives are in line with the trend of the times and serve

The unity and cooperation between China and other develop-

solved properly through dialogue and negotiation on

the common interests of countries concerned. As such, they

ing countries have come to a new phase. Notwithstanding a

the basis of fully respecting historical facts and inter-

represent the direction of regional cooperation and are well

substantial increase in its aggregate national strength, China

national law.

received in the region and beyond.

has remained a developing country. This is an objective fact that we should recognise, and it will remind us that no mat-

In 2014, China will make all-round efforts in its diplo-

In a short span of the past eight months, President Xi Jinping

ter how far we go in the course of development, we should

macy, and achieve even more exciting result in the

and Premier Li Keqiang have visited 22 countries in Asia, Af-

always speak for developing countries, act in their interests,

year to come. We are going to focus on the following

rica, Europe and the Americas, hosted 64 foreign heads of

and firmly uphold their legitimate rights and shared interests.

areas:

foreign dignitaries. China has reached nearly 800 coopera-

China has given full play to the role of a responsible major-

We will work harder to build a framework of major-

tion agreements with other countries. All these have given a

country and made new contribution in the world. China is a

country relations featuring sound interactions and

strong boost to China’s relations with other countries in the

defender of world peace. At the make-or-break moments

healthy development. We will strengthen high-level

world.

in both Syria and the Iranian nuclear talks, China has reso-

exchanges, deepen strategic mutual trust, increase

lutely safeguarded the basic norms governing international

converging interests and promote sustained, stable

China and the US have entered a new era of jointly building a

relations, upheld equity and justice, and opposed war and

and sound growth of bilateral relations with major

new model of major-country relations. In a rapidly globalising

power politics. It has thus played a positive role in bringing

countries. We will go further in building a new mod-

world of the 21 century, China does not believe in or sub-

the Syrian issue back to the track of a political settlement and

el of major-country relationship between China and

scribe to such fatalism of major countries, especially emerg-

concluding an agreement between the P5+1 and Iran. China

the United States, ensure that China’s relations with

state or government in China and met with more than 300

Russia will always operate on a high level, implement the

more ways for our respective development strategies to truly

China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation and find

dovetail, and elevate our relations with major developing countries. We will work harder to foster a stable, friendly and prosperous neighbourhood to underpin our overall diplomatic strategy. We will thoroughly implement the conclusions of the conference on China’s neighbourhood diplomacy. We will consolidate good-neighbourliness and friendship, enhance mutually beneficial cooperation and build a closely-knit community of shared destiny with neighbouring countries. We will stick to the goal of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and promote the resumption of the Six-Party Talks. We will firmly uphold China’s sovereignty and dignity and resolve disputes over territories and maritime rights and interests with some neighbours through dialogue and negotiation. We will play a good host to the fourth Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process in an effort to promote political reconciliation and economic reconstruction in Afghanistan. We will work harder to deepen traditional friendship with other developing countries. The notion of sticking to the right approach to principles and interests as adopted by China has become a banner guiding China’s diplomacy. We will also follow the right approach to principles and interests and uphold justice and equality in the international arena. In particular,

world the open and inclusive nature of the Chinese dream, China’s commitment to peaceful development and the right approach to principles and interests and how they will benefit the whole world. We will also try to make China’s voice heard, present China’s proposition and play China’s due role regarding regional and international hotspot issues. The Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC opened up a new historic stage of China’s reform and devel-

we will continue to speak up for developing countries and act

opment. China, firmly committed to reform, will continue to

in their interests.

adhere to the win-win strategy of opening-up and forge an even closer community of shared interests with the rest of

We will work harder to step up economic diplomacy to fa-

the world. China will continue to serve as an important engine

cilitate efforts to comprehensively deepen reform at home.

for global growth and a stronger driver of development and

And we will work harder to ensure the success of diplomatic

prosperity of the world and will continue to play its due role

events to be hosted by China, and use the occasions of dif-

as a responsible major country and make greater contribu-

ferent forums and expos to be held in China to explain to the

tion to world peace and stability. advertisement

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Source: Miao Miao, China Features

OPENING CHINA TO THE WORLD! ESTABLISHING PILOT FREE TRADE ZONES TO OPEN UP CHINA’S ECONOMY in an attempt to further open up China, a pilot free trade zone was established by the Chinese government in shanghai, in september 2013. it is a new important move demonstrating China’s willingness to further open up its economy to a global market.

Covering 28.78 square kilometers, the Shanghai free trade zone is built on the basis of existing bonded zones – Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Logistics Park, Yangshan Free Trade Port Area and Pudong Airport Comprehensive Free Trade Zone. The zone will be the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland, and will take about three years to build, to meeting international standards. The pilot zone is a crucial move in adapting to global economic and trade development and imposing a more proactive opening-up strategy, said a statement by the State Council, adding that it will help explore a new path for China’s opening up, speed up transformation of government functions and promote economic restructuring. The zone will also help foster China’s global competitiveness and serve as a new platform for the nation’s cooperation with other countries, and contribute to efforts in building “an upgraded version of China’s economy,” said the statement. China will also adopt a “negative list” approach in the foreign investment management in the zone, and innovate the coun-

Meanwhile, a State Council plan to suspend some laws governing foreign investment in the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone will break new ground in China’s investment management mechanism and boost foreign capital inflow, explain analysts.

try’s opening-up mode. Zhu Jianfang, chief economist at Citic Securities, said that the “negative list” approach, which the zone will adopt, demonstrates China’s willingness for delegation of power.

The aim is to cancel superfluous administrative procedures and make it easier for foreign firms to set up in the zone. The plan conflicts with some existing laws so the idea was mooted to simply suspend the problematic regulations.

“We can no longer rely on preferential policies to improve business and the investment environment. Rather, we should attract investment with highly efficient and transparent administrative services,” said Zhang Youwen, an economic researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

“The free trade zone is not a special zone or new area. Its significance lies not in striving for preferential policies but in establishing a new system in line with international standards and realising highly efficient management in sectors like investment and trade,” said Zhou Zhenhua, director of the Shanghai Municipal Government Development Research Center.

In the free trade zone, the reforms featuring power delegation will be deepened, and financial, business, cultural, education and medical services, which faced many restrictions before, are expected to enjoy more development opportunities, analysts say.

FINANCIAL SECTOR Experiments in the financial sector will be the most important part, such as the marketisation of interest rates and the exchange rate, and offshore finance, said Xu Quan, deputy head of the Shanghai Municipal Office of Finance Service.

SERVICE SECTOR China has rapidly grown into a global manufacturing power with its entry into the World Trade Organisation, but the country remains relatively backward in service industries like financing, shipping, commerce, trade and culture, compared with developed nations, experts say. Shanghai is leading the country in service industry development and the further opening up of the sector is the best

choice for the city, according to Chen Bo, an economic and trade expert at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Since Shanghai was announced to build China’s first free trade zone, more Chinese cities are planning to pilot free trade zones so as to enjoy the policy dividends. Northern China’s port city, Tianjin, is planning to set up a free trade port in its Dongjiang bonded port. Aside from Tianjing, other cities, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Xiamen, Qingdao, and Zhoushan, are also planning to apply for the establishment of free trade zones. As for this momentum, experts suggest that the set up of any other free trade zone should follow scientific planning and rational overall arrangement, as opposed to advancing too quickly.

Niels Steensens Gymnasium More than 500 pupils learn the Chinese language

Niels Steensens Gymnasium (NSG) is a private school with 600 pupils from 6th grade through High School. NSG is part of a worldwide network of Jesuit Schools with more than 2 million students in universities, high schools and primary schools in more than 69 countries. Being a Jesuit school we seek to develop the gifts and talents of each pupil and lay the foundations for life-long learning. The school seeks to foster an attitude of altruism and generosity in its pupils, encouraging them adopt a positive way of engaging with the world which seeks to change the world for the better. NSG provides a range of extra-curricular activities which promote the physical, creative, and intellectual development of pupils.

International profile

dards High academic stan Christian values le International profi

The international dimension is an important part of Niels Steensens Gymnasium. Pupils experience the international dimension through the curriculum as well as through interaction with the many teachers, staff and pupils who originate from different countries and cultures. Furthermore, exchange programmes, offered by the school with NSG’s many partner schools in Germany, Great Britain, France and USA, work to enhance the opportunities for development in the international sphere for our pupils.

year, two High School students are selected to participate in The Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington and New York, where students from around the world receive training to develop leadership and management skills based on dialogue and international understanding.

Chinese at NSG

In order to provide the students with the best qualifications for the future, we provide Chinese teaching to all pupils in our secondary school. The NSG High School section offers the Chinese language both at a basic, and at advanced level. Additionally, in cooperation with the Confucius Institute at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), NSG offers a course that includes Chinese A, Social Science A and Mathematics B together with an associated exchange program with The High School Affiliated with Renmin University in Beijing. Training and education at NSG take place in Danish. However, NSG has considerable experience in teaching students of non-Danish origin.

During High School NSG offers the students a two-week exchange program at High Schools in Kentucky and Ohio, and each

Access a Free Info Workshop, a Free Video series, and Free Webinar to learn more. We start our Quan-

Niels Steensens Gymnasium · Sankt Kjelds Gade 3 · 2100 København Ø · Telefon: 16 23 • More information can be found at www.nsg.dk tum39Leap on 40 January 9, 2012 • www.globalgoddessschool.com

CHINA’S PEACEFUL APPROACH: A REVIEW OF CHINESE DEFENCE POLICY

In today’s world, peace and development are facing new opportunities and challenges. It is a historic mission entrusted by the era to people of all nations to firmly grasp the opportunities, jointly meet the challenges, cooperatively maintain security and collectively achieve development.

It is China’s unshakable national commitment and strategic choice to take the road of peaceful development. China unswervingly pursues an independent foreign policy of peace and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China opposes any form of hegemonism or power politics, and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. China will never seek hegemony or behave in a hegemonic manner, nor will it engage in military expansion. China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and pursues comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security. It is a strategic task of China’s modernisation drive as well as a strong guarantee for China’s peaceful development to build a strong national defense and powerful armed forces which are commensurate with China’s international standing and meet the needs of its security and development interests. China’s armed forces act to meet the new requirements of China’s national development and security strategies, follow the theoretical guidance of the Scientific Outlook on Development, speed up the transformation of the generating mode of combat effectiveness, build a system of modern military forces with Chinese characteristics, enhance military strategic guidance and diversify the ways of employing armed forces as the times require. China’s armed forces provide a security guarantee and strategic support for national development, and make due contributions to the maintenance of world peace and regional stability. Facing a complex and volatile security situation, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) resolutely carries out its historical missions for a new stage in a new century. China’s armed forces broaden their visions of national security strategy and military strategy, aimed at winning local wars under the conditions of informationisation, make active planning for the use of armed forces in peacetime, deal effectively with various security threats and accomplish diversified military tasks as follows:

DEFENDING NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY, SECURITY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY The fundamental tasks of China’s armed forces are consolidating national defense, resisting foreign aggression and defending the motherland. Responding to China’s core security needs, the diversified employment of the armed forces aims to maintain peace, contain crises and win wars; safeguard border, coastal and territorial air security; strengthen combat-readiness and warfighting-oriented exercises and drills; readily respond to and resolutely deter any provocative action which undermines China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and firmly safeguard China’s core national interests.

SUPPORTING NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT The Constitution and relevant laws entrust China’s armed forces with the important tasks of safeguarding the peaceful labour of the Chinese people, taking part in national development and serving the people wholeheartedly. Subordinate to and serving the overall situation of national reform and development, the armed forces of China actively participate in national development, emergency rescue and disaster relief, maintain social harmony and stability according to law, and endeavor to protect national development interests.

SAFEGUARDING WORLD PEACE AND REGIONAL STABILITY China’s security and development are closely connected with the peace and prosperity of the world as a whole. China’s armed forces have always been a staunch force upholding world peace and regional stability, and will continue to increase cooperation and mutual trust with the armed forces of other countries, participate in regional and international security affairs, and play an active role in international political and security fields.

Over the years, the PLA has been proactively and steadily pushing forward its reforms in line with the requirements of performing its missions and tasks, and building an informationised military. In November, 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee passed the Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, which also talks about the future military reform: Deepen the reform of the military’s composition and functions. Improve the combined combat command systems of the Central Military Commission and military commands. Push forward reform of training and logistics for joint combat operations. Optimise the structure and command mechanism of the Armed Police Force. Adjust the personnel composition of the military and reduce noncombatant departments and staff members. At the new stage in this new century, China’s armed forces have effectively fulfilled their new historical missions, and enhanced their capabilities of accomplishing diversified military tasks, the most important of which is to win local wars under informationised conditions. They have resolutely defended national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, strongly guaranteed national economic and social development and ensured that the people can live and work in peace and stability. Their accomplishment of a host of urgent, difficult, dangerous and arduous tasks has been remarkable, and through their staging of major exercises and training for combat readiness they have won the full trust of and high praise from the people. At this new historical starting point, China’s armed forces are undertaking missions which are noble and lofty, and assuming responsibilities which are paramount and honourable. They will constantly place above all else the protection of national sovereignty and security as well as the interests of the Chinese people. They will persistently regard maintaining world peace and promoting common development as their important missions, and accelerate the modernisation of national defence and the armed forces. They will continue to actively participate in international security cooperation, and endeavour to foster, together with the armed forces of other countries, an international security environment of peace, stability, equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation.

PAINFUL REMINDER OF PAST ATROCITIES JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE’S VISIT TO THE NOTORIOUS YASUKUNI SHRINE IN TOKYO THAT HONOURS JAPAN’S WAR DEAD, INCLUDING CONVICTED WAR CRIMINALS IN WORLD WAR II, IS BUT A FLAGRANT DENIAL OF THE JUST

TRIALS OF JAPANESE WARMONGERS GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. On 26 December 2013, Abe visited the war shrine, which has been seen as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism as it enshrines 14 Class-A WWII war criminals. It is the first time in seven years a sitting Japanese prime minister has visited the shrine. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid a visit in August 2006, souring relations between Japan and its Asian neighbours. The Yasukuni Shrine, built in 1869 under Emperor Meiji, highlights Japan’s wartime nationalism and is regarded as a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese aggression in WWII. Among the 2.5 million soldiers honoured in the shrine were 14 convicted Class-A WWII criminals, who masterminded a brutal war and led the Japanese army to heinous atrocities in its war of aggression, including the Pearl Harbor attack and invasion of China, Korea and other countries. In China alone, 35 million lives were lost and huge material losses were caused. After China’s then capital city of Nanjing was occupied by Japanese troops on December 13, 1937, at least 300 000 Chinese were killed over the course of six weeks by barbarian Japanese soldiers.

ENSHRINING OF CONVICTED WAR CRIMINALS Since 1978, the convicted war criminals have been enshrined at Yasukuni. The Yasukuni Shrine was so notorious that the current Japanese Emperor Akihito has not visited the shrine since ascending to the throne in 1989. Wartime Emperor Hirohito, known posthumously as Emperor Showa, refrained from visiting the shrine either.

nese war criminals as part of the implementation of the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Declaration, the Instrument of Surrender and the Moscow Conference. In particular, the Potsdam Declaration had called for trials and purges of those who had “deceived and misled” the Japanese people into war. The court formally prosecuted 28 Japanese Class-A war criminals, including wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, and sentenced Tojo and six other criminals to death. The tribunal, operating from early 1946 until the end of 1948, was composed of 11 judges from 11 nations, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and Australia. The international trials took two years and seven months to complete, held 818 open hearings, involved 419 witnesses attending the court and 779 sending their written testimonies, with verdicts totaling 1,231 pages and taking

Given the clear fact that the conviction of the war criminals is recognised by Japan, Abe’s choice to visit the Yasukuni Shrine was a deliberate attempt to deny the historical conclusion on Japanese militarism, and challenge the post-war world order. The visit was also meant to whitewash Japanese aggression and colonial rule. It has aroused painful memories Japan has brought to the Chinese people and other nations, and has drawn strong condemnation and indignation from within China and abroad. Since taking office, Abe has adopted right-leaning policies, taking irresponsible attitudes toward Japan’s war history by refusing to apologise to its Asian neighbours and trying to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution. Abe has shown his true colours by visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. His pledges to an “active pacifist” road turned out to be active militarism.

seven days to read. The tribunal was the biggest postWWII international trial, both in scale and duration, sur-

JUST TRIALS

passing the Nuremberg trials. Both the legal documents

In 1946, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, also known as the Tokyo Trials, was convened to try Japa-

backing the Tokyo Trials and the conviction of the war criminals have been recognised by Japan.

The flagrant challenge to international justice and human conscience has given Japan’s neighbours and the international community every reason to be highly vigilant and deeply concerned over the road Japan will take in the future.

SUSTAINABLE

URBANISATION DANFOSS PROVIDES VIABLE SOLUTIONS FOR CHINA’S RAPID URBANISATION As a global leader with 80 years of experience in the climate and energy industry, Danfoss offers solutions to China’s sustainable urbanisation challenges: Greater use of well-proven solutions with short pay-back time can save millions of tons of CO2 right away and help combat climate issues, easing environment pressure and building a sound base for energy security through raising energy efficiency that are essential for making China’s ongoing urbanisation sustainable. danFoss’ phiLosophY: saving energy with existing high-efficiency technologies is the fastest and cheapest way to reduce carbon emission and alleviate the environmental problems.

danFoss’ neW pLant in WuQing The need for Danfoss’ products and solutions has grown fast in China since Danfoss’ first factory was built in Wuqing in 1996, a pretty town between Tianjin and Beijing. In September 2013, Danfoss broke ground for the expansion of the Anshan plant, a city in Northeast China with substantial demand for heating in winter. The factory expansion is to meet the greater needs of Danfoss products in district heating and cooling, amongst others in mid-2012 Danfoss clinched the district heating renovation project in the city of Anshan, during a state visit to Denmark by China’s then President Hu Jintao. The new factory will be completed by 2015 covering a total of 60 000 square meters. The new district heating system will use non-utilised waste heat from the local Anshan Steel plant, China’s 3rd largest steel producer, as the primary heating source. The network will provide a more stable heat supply, noticeably cleaner air and an improved indoor climate for the more than 1.8 million residents living in Anshan. In November 2013, Danfoss inaugurated two new plants in Haiyan, a city located in the most developed east coastal area of China, only 1½ hour’s drive from Shanghai. The two new plants altogether taking up 63 000 m2 will bring

about greater manufacturing capacities so that Danfoss will be able to meet the ever growing needs in China.

ContriButing to LoCaL Communities Danfoss aims to be a good corporate citizen wherever the company has operations around the world. Apart from doing business, Danfoss also actively promotes the Danish low-carbon practices in China by trying to bring in best practices and experience to local communities. In November 2013, Sonderborg and Haiyan entered into a strategic partnership with Danfoss’ help. As Haiyan continues its efforts to build itself into a new model for urbanisation in China, inspiration from prestigious ProjectZero in Sonderborg, a project that will make the city carbon neutral by 2029, 21 years ahead of Denmark national target and introduction of more Danish energy efficiency technology and solutions is enabling the city to embark on a more sustainable path. The cooperation project between Haiyan and Sonderborg has been selected by the Chinese government and EU Commission as one of the ten EU-China Urbanisation Partnerships. Danfoss has a long-term commitment to China and to its sustainable economic growth through increased energy efficiency. Since the company started operation in China in 1996, Danfoss has always regarded China as the “Second Home Market”. Today, China has become the third largest market of Danfoss. It has the second largest number of employees (4000+) among all countries where Danfoss has a presence, and is the largest sourcing market for Danfoss. 11

30 YEARS OF ONE-CHILD POLICY COMES TO A CLOSE

Shortly after the decision was issued, a major Chinese web portal started an online poll regarding whether people would choose to have a second child. Thousands of people voted in less than two hours, and more than 60 percent of them said yes!

BACKGROUND

China’s population development measures have attracted worldwide attention since its family planning policies were launched in 1980. The CPC Central Committee issued an open letter on Sept. 25, 1980, calling for CPC and Communist Youth League members to have only one child, in a bid to improve living standards. China’s population reached 1.335 billion at the end of 2009. It would have been 1.7 billion if the birthrate had remained at the early 1970s level, according to statistics from the National Population and Family Planning Commission. The effective control of population growth has contributed much to China’s social and economic development over these 30 years. Per capita gross national product in China has been increasing at an 8.6 percent per annum rate during the period – four times the world average. The dependency ratio has been reduced by one third, resulting in a longtime demographic dividend period which helps ensure rapid economic growth in China. At the same time, the average life expectancy in China has surpassed 73 years, equivalent to the level of a moderately developed country. People over 15 years of age received 4.5 years of education on the average in the late 1970s. Now, they receive 8.5 years of education, higher than the average level in other developing countries. In addition, the number of impoverished people has decreased from 250 million to 40 million.

A DANISH HERO

THE CHINESE PEOPLE WILL NEVER FORGET During the Nanjing Massacres of 1937Durin 38, Bernhard Arp Sindberg, a Dane born in Aarhus on February 19, 1911 and died

Source: Extracted from reports by Xinhuanet

After China announced its decision to loosen the one-child policy, heated discussion and controversy has broken out in the country’s most populous province, Henan. According to the decision approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee, the new policy will allow couples to have two children if one of them is an only child.

However, China still faces some population development issues, including the quality of new births, a gender imbalance and a growing aged population.

PROS ”The adjusted birth policy did not only meet many people’s expectations, but is also in line with a long-term balanced development of the population in China,” said Zhang Yuanzhen, a professor at Henan Institute of Family Planning. “It could be positive for structural population problems such as the aging problem, persistent imbalance of genders and decrease of working population.” The new policy will help keep the birth rate stable, preventing a sharp decline in population after it reaches the peak,” said Zhang. It is estimated that China’s population will reach a peak of 1.5 billion around 2033.

years old when he went to China seeking adventure, and eventually found a job as a watchman at the Jiangnan Cement Factory, run by a Danish firm. His arrival coincided with the Japanese invasion of Nanjing in December 1937, making him a witness to extraordinary brutality perpetrated against unarmed soldiers and civilians. 12

hospitals for more babies.” Discussion of second babies or not has also led to some fights. Wei, who is a doctor at a local hospital in Henan, says that both sides of his family want him and his wife to have another baby, but he and his wife are doctors, and say that they are too tired to have another child.

SPOKESMAN’S REMARKS China is to fine-tune its 30-year-old family planning policy, but any step taken must serve to maintain a low birth rate while satisfying individual families’ desire to have more children, said Mao Qun’an, the National Health and Family Planning Commission spokesman. China’s social and economic development as well as demographic changes will also be considered in relation to any policy changes made, Mao said.

The family planning policy was introduced in the late 1970s to slow down population growth by limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children if their first child was a girl. It is estimated that the policy has resulted in 400 million fewer people in China, and the current fertility rate is stable between 1.5 and 1.6, far lower than the population replacement level.

HESITATION As the most populous province with 120 million, Henan faces the pressure of continuing population growth. Will there be another baby boom which will worsen the difficulties of sending children to kindergarten and school? People are starting to wonder.

He added that fine-tuning the current policy has always been high on the commission’s agenda. “We’ve conducted lots of investigations and research, focusing on population quantity, quality, structure and distribution to work out a guideline to fine-tune the family planning policy. In the next step, the commission will implement the new policies set by the central government,” he said. Mao stressed that any policy changes will be made in a prudent and well-coordinated way, taking into account the current and future situation. He said China will continue to uphold the family planning policy as a basic national policy, given that its huge population places a heavy strain on eco-

Internet user Huang Shan said, “I don’t want any more children. The problem is that there are not enough social re-

nomic and social development, resources and the environ-

For 107 days during the bitter winter of 1937 and 1938, along with a German colleague Karl Gunther, Sindberg established a make-shift camp for Chinese civilians inside the cement plant, ran a small field-hospital for the wounded and tried to provide food and other supplies to the refugees. It is believed this assistance helped save the lives of up to 20 000 Chinese.

cle in search of people

ment in the long run.

who knew a Dane who had been in Nanjing in 1937-1938.

Since

then,

Sindberg’s life and stories have resurfaced. In February 2011, Sindberg was

in California in 1983, helped save thousands of Chinese lives. He was just 26

sources. It would be funny if there aren’t enough schools and

Sindberg’s name and actions in Nanjing were re-discovered when the diaries of John Rabe, a German who helped rescue many Chinese in Nanjing during the Massacre, were published in 1997, in which Sindberg’s name was mentioned several times. A Nanjing Massacre exhibition came to Denmark in 2000 and the local newspaper Aarhus Stiftstidende ran an arti-

honoured at an event in Aarhus City Hall, marking his 100th birthday, organised in partnership with the Chinese Embassy in Denmark and Aarhus City Council.

CHINA MOVES FORWARD

ON JUDICIAL REFORM

ensuring lawful, independent and fair use of its judicial and procuratorial authority in order to guarantee unified and accurate law implementation.

In a key policy document of the Communist Party of China, published at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, it was decided that

the system for judicial administration would be reformed, according to the decision on major issues concerning comprehensively deepening reforms, approved by the meeting.

Source: Xinhuanet

China also will improve the operation mechanism for judicial power by optimising the allocation of judicial authority, strengthening a mechanism for judicial power to cooperate and restrict each other, and enhancing legal and social supervision of judicial activities. The country will reform the judicial committee system and improve the re-

The document also calls for openness of trials and procuratorial affairs, such as recording the entire pro-

sponsibility system of presiding judges and collegial panel in order to let those

cess of court trials, enhancing the reasoning of legal documents and disclosing judgement documents.

who hear cases judge and shoulder responsibilities, the document said.

It orders to strictly regulate procedures for commutation, conditional release and medical parole and strengthen supervision. The systems of people’s juries and people’s supervisors should be extended to

Functions of all levels of courts should be clarified and their supervisory re-

broaden channels for the masses to orderly participate in justice, the document added.

procuratorates below the provincial level should have their personnel and

China will also build a judicial personnel management system that respects its professional characteristics

property under unified management, the document said, while calling for a

and improve a mechanism for recruitment, exchanges and selection of judges, prosecutors and police, it

judicial jurisdiction system which is “relatively separate” from the administra-

said, adding it will improve the classified management system for judicial staff and strengthen their job

tive division.

security.

COOPERATION THROUGH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: DANE WINS HIGHEST CHINESE SCI-TECH AWARD in 2012 danish professor, Flemming Besenbacher, was awarded the international scientific and technological Cooperation award of the people’s republic of China. Besenbacher is currently professor at the

branch offices, 117 institutes with legal entity, more than 100 national key laboratories and national engineering research centres, and about 1 000 field stations throughout the country. Its staff even surpasses 50 000.

interdisciplinary nanoscience Center (inano) and dept. of physics and astronomy, aarhus university. the award is China’s highest science award.

This award is to commend and honour those eminent foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to facilitate cooperation with China. The award is given to encourage more efforts that will strengthen China’s innovation capacity and lead to improvements in its research performance, education and training, management, and reputation in the international scientific community. In December 2013, Besenbacher was elected as a new foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS).

CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was founded in Beijing in November 1949, one month after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In the early days, the CAS was mandated as the key force of the new China’s scientific research system, undertaking missions of defining scientific research orientations, restructuring its research institutions, encouraging and helping overseas Chinese scientists to return home, training and properly allocating professionals, outlining strategies for the nation’s future scientific and technological development while contributing to the national economic and social development. The CAS, at present facing a new era of development, is now targeting at the national strategic needs and world frontiers of science, striving to accomplish world-class science and to continuously make fundamental, strategic and forward-looking contributions to national economic construction, national security and social sustainable development by strengthening original scientific innovation, innovation of key technologies and system integration. The CAS membership system includes members, emeritus members and foreign members. It has now 694 CAS members in total. Today’s CAS has 12

At present, Chinese Academy of Sciences has established formal contacts with major research and academic organisations in more than 60 countries (including Denmark). In addition to various kinds of cooperative activities on mutually interested issues, CAS has signed more than 70 cooperative agreements at the Academy level and more than 700 agreement at the institute level with their partners spread over 40-odd countries and regions in the world. Through official and non-official channels, Chinese Academy of Sciences carries out various kinds of collaboration with its foreign partners, such as joint investigations, joint ventures, joint laboratories, joint young scientist groups, workshops, training courses, bilateral and multi-lateral seminars. Substantial international cooperation has been conducted focusing on the national and Academy’s major projects and has played an important role in basic research, applied research and development work.

SINO-DANISH SCIENCE RELATIONS AT ALL TIME HIGH Prof. Besenbacher has been involved in the advocacy and promotion of the Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research (SDC), in particular, the direction of the nanoscience education programme, actively discussing the promotion of the interdisciplinary curriculum. SDC has subsequently helped with the exchange of science and technology personnel and cooperation on jointly sponsored projects between the two countries. Prof. Besenbacher has played a major role in promoting high level interactions for strategic development of science and technology between Denmark and China. He is a pioneer in the development of scanning probe microscopy and in applying it to the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. His relationship with China can be traced back to the early 1990s, when he first visited China to foster a cooperative link between Denmark and China actively promoting academic cooperation and exchanges in science and technology. Since 1990 he has collaborated with the Institute of Chemistry, CAS and the scanning tunneling microscopy laboratory lead by Prof Chun Li Bai, carrying out academic exchange, student transfer and publishing joint papers. In 2009 the Sino-Danish Self-assembly and Nanostructure Functional Materials Centre was established and as director of the Centre, Professor Besenbacher has promoted the centre into a world-leading centre performing high-level research in the field of self-assembly. In 2012 he was also the recipient of the People’s Republic of China Friendship Award selected by the Chinese State Council. 13

Sources: http://english.cas.cn; http://besenbacher.au.dk

lationship regarding trials should be standardised, it said. Local courts and

IS NOT ENOUGH:

CHINA LAUNCHES PROBE TO THE MOON

in december 2013 China launched the Chang’e-3 lunar probe with the country’s first moon rover aboard, marking a significant step toward deep-space exploration.

Oct. 1, 2010, Chang’e-2 verified some crucial technologies for Chang’e-3 and reconnoitered the landing area. It also made the world’s first lunar holographic image with a resolution of seven meters. Currently, Chang’e-2 is more than 60 million km away from the Earth and has become China’s first man-made asteroid. It is heading for deep space and is expected to travel as far as 300 million km from the Earth, the longest voyage of any Chinese spacecraft. China is likely to realise the third step of its lunar programme in 2017, which is to land a lunar probe on moon, release a moon rover and return the probe to the Earth. The moon is considered the first step to explore further extraterrestrial bodies, such as the Mars.

Chinese in spaCe

The Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying China’s Chang’e-3 lunar probe blasted off from the launch pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in China’s southwest Sichuan Province on the second of December 2013. This marked the first time that China sends a spacecraft to soft-land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body, where it will conduct surveys on the moon. It also became the first moon lander to be launched in the 21st century.

Amid efforts to promote its lunar probe campaign among the public, the Chinese Academy of Sciences opened a microblog account for the Chang’e-3 mission, attracting more than 260 000 fans who continuously posted congratulatory comments. The probe’s soft-landing was set to be the most difficult task during the mission, said Wu Weiren, the lunar program’s chief designer. “This will be a breakthrough for China to realise zero-distance observation and survey on the moon,” he explained. More than 80 percent of technologies and products of the mission are newly developed, he went on to say.

China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003, becoming the third country after Russia and the United States to achieve independent manned space travel. Despite the fast progress of its lunar mission, China is still a newcomer in this field. Chinese space scientists are looking forward to cooperation with other countries, including its close neighbor India. Li Benzheng, deputy commander-in-chief of China’s lunar programme, told media that China’s space exploration does not aim at competition. “We are open in our lunar programme, and cooperation from other countries is welcome. We hope to explore and use space for more resources to promote human development,” he said. On July 13, 2013, China’s Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft, which was carrying three astronauts, successfully completed an automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space module. It is China’s fifth manned spacecraft and the first application-orientated flight under China’s space programme since the country introduced its manned space programme in 1992.

Wang Yaping, one of the three astronauts on this mission, became China’s first female astronaut. Wang Yaping became the world’s second and China’s first “teacher in space”.

The Chang’e-3 will lay a solid foundation for manned lunar orbit missions and manned lunar landings. So far, only the United States and the former Soviet Union have soft-landed on the moon. Chang’e-3, comprising a lander and a moon rover called “Yutu” (Jade Rabbit), presents a modern scientific version of an ancient Chinese myth that a lady called Chang’e, after swallowing magic pills, took her pet “Yutu” to fly toward the moon, where she became a goddess, and has been living there with the white rabbit ever since. Tasks for the moon rover include surveying the moon’s geological structure and surface substances, while looking for natural resources. A telescope will be set up on the moon, for the first time in human history, to observe the plasmasphere over the Earth and survey the moon surface through radar.

third in a Line oF suCCessFuL missions Chang’e-3 is part of the second phase of China’s lunar programme, which includes orbiting, landing and returning to the Earth. It follows the success of the Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2 missions in 2007 and 2010 respectively. After orbiting for 494 days and intentionally crashing onto the lunar surface, Chang’e-1 sent back 1.37 terabytes of data, producing China’s first complete moon picture. Launched on 14

Wang was born and raised in the rural area of Yantai city, Shandong province of China, and entered Changchun Flight Academy as a pilot candidate in 1997. As one of the seventh group of female pilots in China, she can fly four kinds of aircraft and took part in the important missions for the Beijing Olympic Games and Wenchuan earthquake. In 2010, she became one of China’s second batch of astronauts and was further selected as a crew member of the Shenzhou-10 manned space mission in April 2013. Assisted by her two colleagues, whilst in space, she delivered a science lecture on space knowledge from China’s highest podium ever, which was over 300km away from the Earth. In the 40-minute lecture, the astronauts showed mass measurement, pendulum movement, twirled gyroscope, making a water film and a floating water ballon, and so on, demonstrating how the features of physical movement and surface tension of liquid change due to weightlessness. They also took questions from the audience on the ground. This telecast lecture was watched by tens of millions of students and teachers from about 80 000 middle schools across China.

Sources : Xinhua/Li Gang; Xinhua News Agency

THE WORLD

the moon in Chinese poetrY The moon is one of the most important themes in Chinese poetry. The following are some of the most famous poems about the moon at different periods in Chinese history:

Abed, I see a silver light,

”prelude to Water melody” By su shi (1037-1101), song dynasty

I wonder if it’s frost aground.

How rare the moon, so round

Looking up, I find the moon bright;

and clear!

Bowing, in homesickness I’m drowned.

With cup in hand, I ask of the blue sky,

(translated by Xu Yuanchong)

“I do not know in the celestial sphere

”a tranquil night” by Li Bai (701-762), tang dynasty

What name this festive night goes by?” I want to fly home, riding the air, But fear the ethereal cold up there, The jade and crystal mansions are so high! Dancing to my shadow, I feel no longer the mortal tie. She rounds the vermilion tower, Stoops to silk-pad doors,

”reply to Li shuyi” by mao Zedong (1893-1976), founder of the people’s republic of China I lost my proud Poplar and you your Willow, Poplar and Willow soar to the Ninth Heaven. Wu Gang, asked what he can give, Serves them a laurel wine. The lonely moon goddess spreads her ample sleeves To dance for these loyal souls in infinite space.

Shines on those who sleepless lie. Why does she, bearing us no grudge, Shine upon our parting, reunion deny? But rare is perfect happiness-The moon does wax, the moon does wane, And so men meet and say goodbye. I only pray our life be long,

Earth suddenly reports the tiger subdued,

And our souls together heavenward fly!

Tears of joy pour forth falling as mighty rain.

(translated by Lin Yutang)

HUAWEI

DENMARK For many the name Huawei is still unknown, even though it´s growing in recognition among consumers all over the world mainly through its smartphones. Huawei is one of the world´s biggest communications technology vendors and its products and solutions are being used by over a third of the world´s population. The company mainly provides network infrastructure to operators and enterprises, but has recently started a push to become a household name through its mobile broadband devices and smartphones. In its quest, Huawei has become one of the top three vendors for Android based smartphones. The Nordic region has always played an important part in Huawei´s international development. The company’s first European office was established in Stockholm, Sweden and more recently entered into an important partnership with TDC to build and manage its 4G network in Denmark that will cover over 99% of the population.

tdC huaWei ContraCt signing CeremonY Huawei, headquartered in southern China, has over 150 000 employees in over 140 countries, with about 70 000 employed in research and development. This focus on innovation has resulted in Huawei becoming one of the key contributors in the European telecommunications industry and its technologies have revolutionised the use of mobile devices. Huawei has put Internet access at the fingertips of people throughout Europe since 2005, thanks to its mobile broadband devices. In Denmark, Huawei has been supplying communication solutions since 2007, and over the past five years Huawei Denmark has built up a local organisation to become part of the Danish telecommunications industry. Currently, Huawei has two offices in Denmark, one is located in Copenhagen and one in Aarhus. 2013 represented a milestone in the development of Huawei Denmark and an exciting future lies ahead of the organisation. Huawei came into the spotlight

in September 2013, when the incumbent operator TDC announced that they had signed an agreement with Huawei to build their nationwide 4G network in Denmark. At the end of 2015, over 99% of Danes will have access to high-speed mobile Internet and together the two companies have set the ambition to build the best mobile network in Denmark, based on the consumers’ user experience. We are excited about our development in denmark and look forward to providing our cutting edge technologies to enrich people’s lives through communication. huawei will continue to invest in denmark and support the local community. - mr Xiao Binbing (Country manager of huawei denmark) As a result of the partnership, Huawei is now recruiting intensively to transform its Danish organisation. Huawei moved to its new office at the end of 2013, and the first Nordic Network Operation Center will be opened early this year. Over the next six months they expect to create over 100 new job opportunities and in total employ over 200 staff by June 2014, as they take on the task to supply Danes with superfast mobile broadband. 15

Sources: Shi Yangkun / Xinhua News Agency; Gui Tao, Wang Ruoyao and Mao Pengfei / China Feature; Guo Cheng/Xinhua News Agency

internet empowers China in 1987, the first e-mail from China read: “across the great Wall we can reach every corner in the world”. a quarter of a century later, the internet is reshaping every corner of China.

poWering the eConomY At the China Internet Conference in Beijing in August 2013, visitors queued at the vending machines. One young man wanting a bottle of water scanned a QR code with WeChat, a messaging app on his cell phone. At a beep, he punched in his bank ID number and the purchase was completed in seconds. “It bridges online payment and offline consumption. “When all the shopping malls provide this payment by scanning, I won’t need my wallet or even a credit card,” he said. WeChat, owned by Chinese Internet giant Tencent, came into the market two years ago. Now with 400 million users, it is pioneering new roads in China’s lucrative e-commerce market. “Internet-related consumption of information products and services together with e-commerce are becoming the two biggest drivers of China’s economic growth and restructuring,” says Liang Chunxiao, vice president of the country’s leading online trading platform company, Alibaba Group. He predicts that online retail revenues will account for more than 16 percent of China’s total social sales in 2020 when the total e-commerce value will exceed 28.8 trillion yuan (4.7 trillion U.S. dollars). “E-commerce will boost related sectors such as logistics and raw materials, and help release the consumption potential in many remote areas,” Liang says. China’s Internet economy will account for 6.9 percent of its GDP in 2016, up from 5.5 percent in 2010, according to a research report by the Boston Consulting Group in 2012. Guidelines from the State Council, China’s Cabinet, released in August 2013 said that Internet-related consumption of information products and services is expected to reach 2.4 trillion yuan (392 billion U.S. dollars) in 2015, rising by more than 30 percent a year. China’s Internet users reached 590 million in the first half of this year, and 80 percent use their smartphones to go

online. More businesses are recognising the online potential of China’s huge consumer market. Home appliance retailer Suning, footwear manufacturing Xtep and commercial real estate developer Insite Space, businesses that once seemed unlikely to make an impact on the digital world, all participated in the Internet Conference. The impact of the Internet industry has just begun, says GaoXinmin, vice president of the Internet Society of China. “It will be ubiquitous in a few years. It will revolutionise all industries, and catalyse China’s economic rebalancing and industrial upgrade,” he says.

Fighting Corruption China’s netizens have formed a powerful force that serves as an informal watchdog that digs, spots and exposes officials in their words, misconduct and suspicious behaviour. Their power as an anti-corruption force was demonstrated when Liu Tienan was removed from his post as Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission in May 2013 and put under judicial investigation in August of the same year. Many believe Liu’s sacking was a result of efforts by Luo Changping, a deputy editor of Caijing magazine, to expose Liu’s alleged wrongdoing on the Internet in December 2012. The 58-year-old official was one of a series of officials brought down by Internet whistleblowing. In November, Lei Zhengfu was dismissed as Party chief of the southwestern Chongqing City’s Beibei District after independent investigative journalist Zhu Ruifeng revealed he was involved in a sex scandal. The landmark downfall of Liu suggests the ruling party welcomes netizens in joining the anti-corruption campaign in a rational, legal way and encourages them to report

neWsrooms aBuZZ on WeChat Lu Jiuping starts working at 4am every day, but the 50-year-old businessman has never made a cent from his current occupation. He starts his day by reading several financial websites, picking out valuable bits of business or IT news. Not satisfied to digest the information alone, he posts these news items in “Tearoom 90,” an official account he registered on WeChat. Since it was set up in February 2013, Lu’s free subscriber service has attracted a readership of over 14,000, quickly turning it from a “tearoom” to a “newsroom,” much to the delight of the amateur media strategist. “I am working as the chief editor of an e-magazine,” Lu said. The Official Account is one built-in WeChat function that offers broadcast messaging. Operators of each account can share anything in any format with their subscribers and receive instant feedback. According to Tencent’s website, the platform was originally created for big brands, such as airlines and banks, and celebrities, but it has unexpectedly struck a chord with ordinary people and citizen reporters, like Lu, who are taking advantage of the platform to develop specialised storytelling styles.

wrongdoing under their real names, explains Zhou Shuzhen, a politics professor at Renmin University of China. Since April 19 2013, major news and commercial portals provided links on their homepages to official tip-off websites of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the Party’s organisation department, as well as the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Land and Resources. Daily page views of the five websites more than tripled and the number of reports they received almost doubled, according to statistics issued by the State Internet Information Office. Chinese people traditionally write complaint letters, pay petition visits or dial hotlines to report corruption and other misconduct by officials. However, the Internet has empowered them to fight corruption and to shine a light on official wrongdoing. These exposures have triggered investigations by media and disciplinary authorities into possible corruption or other wrongful behaviour by officials. Liu Hongyi, deputy secretary of the National School of Administration branch of the Communist Party of China, says that the public has always been concerned about corruption, and the Internet gives them a channel to release what they find. “Easy access to public opinion has served as an additional pair of fists for the government to crack down on corruption, leaving corrupt officials nowhere to hide,” says Liu.

MICROBLOGGING In the past few years, Sina Weibo, China’s most popular Twitter-like service, has exploded in popularity. Millions of Weibo users use the service to speak their mind. Platforms such as Sina Weibo and WeChat are changing the way media works, with netizens now discovering and discussing social events online. However, spam and misinformation have grabbed onto the coattails of the service, and people are getting tired of ir-

relevant or boring microblogs that pop up on their screens all day. Lv Xin, Dean of the New Media Department of Animation and Digital Arts School of Communication University of China, described this as the “parabola” of social media development. He said that the rise of microblogging inspired ordinary people from all walks of life to voice their opinions on social issues, breaking down traditional media’s long-held domination over the spread of information and speeding up information transmission. As they become increasingly immersed in social media, however, users find that it gets “boring” to sift through massive amounts of irrelevant information to find news that interests them. Instead, they prefer to spend their time perusing concise and well-organised information delivered to them directly. “The parabola has reached its peak, and it will go down, but people’s demand for social media will go up,” says Lv. The professor attributed the popularity of WeChat to the platform’s ability to push content that meets public demand. “In the social media age, no dish suits all tastes. People need more information to serve their personal interests. The Official Account on WeChat provides a venue for both institutions and individuals to publish their personal information,” one blogger wrote. Lu’s case helps to illustrate that point. He describes his “Tearoom 90” as a professional business magazine. “My target customers are industry insiders, and those gossip girls or boys have little interest in following.” The customised information helps to attract people with shared interests to subscribe, but subscriber-only content, which only subscribers can read or comment on, could be used to broadcast false information. “It could create content regulatory risks,” according to Zhang Yi, CEO of IIMEDIA Consultation Group, a market research company focused on China’s mobile Internet sector. “If you want to see hard news, I believe that information published by authoritative media is the preferred choice, because they are more credible,” Zhang said.

Indeed, traditional media does not need to stop reporting on a broad spectrum and narrow down their scope to expand their audience. In April 2013, China Central Television, a stateowned broadcaster, launched its official WeChat account “CCTV News” to spread news reports and photos, as well as receive reader comments. Many national newspapers, magazines and websites have also landed on the platform. Government departments have also opened accounts for hearing opinions from the public. According to a report released in May by Tsinghua University, the number of government accounts on WeChat has reached 1000 across China. This had led Zhang to worry that the WeChat official account mania may also result in an information overload, which would leave customers disappointed, much like the microblog sphere has. Advertisement

ASIA HOUSE H ome o f B usiness

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Asia House provides a venue for activities that strengthen the ties between Denmark and the Asian countries. For more information about Asia House please contact: Head of Secretariate Erik Ljunggren (elj@asia-house.dk) Administrator Charlotte Bjørner (cb@asia-house.dk)

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an eduCated

peopLe: higher eduCation

in China

sCaLe oF higher eduCation

China’s higher education has made remarkable achievements since the adoption of reform and opening up to the outside world. In 1999, the Chinese government made the decision to expand the scales of higher education. In the years that have followed, the scale of China’s higher education has become the largest in the world, surpassing that of Russia, India and the United States successively. In the first decade of the 21st century, gross enrollment rate in higher education

institutions increased to 26.5%. Over 31 million students were studying in all manners of higher education institutions, including 22.32 million undergraduates or junior college students, and 1.54 million postgraduates.

BuiLding-up top-CLass uniVersities The Chinese government initiated the “211 Project” and “985 Project” successively to accelerate the building of top-class universities. Launched in 1995, “211 Project” aimed at developing 100 first-class universities and a number of key fields of study for the 21st century, with 112 universities in the program as of today. At the turn of the century, The Chinese gov-

ernment decided to launch the “985 Project” which aimed at developing top world-class universities and world-famous research universities. The programme was started at Peking and Tsinghua Universities in 1999, and was expanded to 39 universities across the country. “211 Project” and “985 Project” are currently in phases of long-term planning, dynamic management and implementation in phases.

administratiVe sYstem reForm The administrative system of China’s higher education has gone through profound reform, which in turn has optimised the allocation of educational resources and increased the quality and effectiveness of the universities. The number of higher education institution were reduced to 250 from the previous 612, after merging and reconstruction, while the number of universities that are under the direct jurisdiction of ministries of the State Council was reduced from 367 to 111. Most of the others get input from both local and central governments and are mainly under the management of the local government. The State Council also granted the provincial governments the right of examining and approving the registration of vocational colleges, and the right of drafting a plan to recruit two to three years college students in higher education institutions. More obligations, rights and benefits were shouldered by the provincial governments in arranging the overall development of local higher education. Thus, a new administrative system, in which higher education is managed jointly by the central and provincial governments, has taken shape. Higher education institutions have also deepened the reform of internal management systems by downsising staffs and optimising structure in recent years, so as to enhance efficiency and transform functions. Steady progress has been  18

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without exams. In 2010, over 9.5 million students registered for the NUUEE, but only around 6.6 million students could finally enter into regular universities and colleges. The system of the NUUEE has played a vital role in promoting education equity. Statistics showed that the number of applicants rose by 9.5% annually during the first decade of the new millennium, while in rural areas the growth rate stood at 11.7%. The number of enrolled students through NUUEE scored an annual increase of 12.8%, with a 15.4% rise in students from rural areas. In 2010, female students accounted for 48.8% of the total applicants, slightly higher than the percentage of females in the total population. The number of enrolled female students surpassed that of male students in that year, taking up 50.8% of the total. Meanwhile, the enrollment rate of students of ethnic minorities was 77.9%, 9.3% higher than the nationwide rate.

ruLe oF LaW Since the adoption of the reform and opening up policy in 1978, the National people’s Congress of China and its standing committee successively issued the following laws with regard to higher education management: Academic Degree Regulation, Education Law, Higher Education Law, Teach made in the fields of reforming tuition systems and employment systems of university graduates. The national system to aid students and the educational cost-sharing mechanism under the socialist market economy have been initially established. Logistical socialisation has made substantial headway too, with most regions across the country achieving this basic goal.

FaCuLtY BuiLding In recent years, the structure and the quality of faculty in China’s higher education institutions have been greatly optimised and improved. By 2010, the number of faculty in China’s regular higher education institutions reached 2.15 million, including 1.34 million full-time teachers. The number of full-time teachers who held doctoral degrees increased by 84.57%, from 0.109 million in 2006 to 0.2012 million in 2010. It is also worthwhile to note that 24.01% of the doctoral holders were between 31 to 35 years old, and 23.68% were between ages 36 and 40.

sCientiFiC researCh The funding and personnel scale in Chinese universities have kept continuous growth. By 2010, the number of scientists and engineers, who participated in research programmes in higher education institutes of science, agriculture and medicine, amounted to 322 900. Higher education institutions spent about 73.4 billion RMB Yuan on scientific research. Progress has also been made to establish research bases as well as scientific and technological innovation platforms. The capability of scientific innovation and commercialisation of scientific findings has also been improved.

reForm oF enroLLment sYstem Universities and colleges in China enroll new students mainly through the National Unified University Entrance Examination (NUUEE), while some institutions may organise exams independently or may receive students who are recommended for admission advertisement

ers Law and Law on the Promotion of Privately-run Schools. The State Council stipulated several administrative regulations related to education, including Regulations on Teacher Qualification and Regulations on Chinese-Foreign Jointly-run Schools. Several regulations were also promulgated by the Ministry of Education, such as Regulation on Students Management in Regular Higher Education Institutes, Temporary Measures on Formulating Regulations of Higher Education Institutions and Provisions on the Faculty Representatives Congress. Meanwhile, local governments also issued a series of local educational regulations. All of the above form the basic legal framework for management of universities and colleges in accordance with the law.

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MARVELS OF CHINA

Shanghai

CHINA IS A VAST AND DIVERSE COUNTRY, WITH MUCH TO SEE AND DO. MAKE SURE THAT ON YOUR NEXT VISIT TO THIS ASIAN GIANT, YOU TAKE IN THE FOLLOWING BREATHTAKING SITES. FROM WORLD HERITAGE SITES AND NATURAL WONDERS TO MAN-MADE MARVELS, CHINA HAS IT ALL!

1. Shanghai Shanghai, Hu for short, is a renowned international metropolis drawing more and more attention from all over the world. Situated on the estuary of Yangtze River, it serves as the most influential economic, financial, international trade, cultural, science and technology center in East China. It is a popular destination for visitors to sense the pulsating development of the country. In addition to its modernisation, and the city’s multicultural flair endows it with a unique glamour. Tourists can find the perfect blend of cultures, the modern and the traditional, and the western and the oriental. This incredible city is a colourful mix of futuristic sky scrapers and remnants of centuries-old culture. Shanghai will take your breath away from the observation platforms towering high above the city in some of the world’s tallest buildings, all the while you fall in love with the narrow streets of Chinatown. Shanghai is very much about knowing where to look for the hidden gems and surprises that are just behind the glittering surface.

2. Guizhou and Hunan Guizhou province, also called “Qian” or “Gui”, is a mountainous area. The mountainous areas and hills account for 92.5 per cent of the province’s total. Climates vary based on altitude in the province, and as one local puts it, “One can experience all four seasons climbing a mountain, and all different kinds of weather exist within 10 miles.” Due to its special geographical environment, the province has distinct seasons. Spring is warm and windy. Summer does not suffer from searing heat, and winters are relatively mild. Located in the south-central part of the Chinese mainland, Hunan Province has long been known for its natural beauty. It is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and by the Yangtze River on the north. Its mixture of mountains and water makes it among the most beautiful provinces in China. The prov22

inces of Guizhou and Hunan are largely overlooked by foreign visitors coming to China, which is a shame, as they both have a lot to offer. Between lush mountains you will find beautiful valleys with little minority villages, and as road conditions have improved greatly in recent years these areas are now easily accessible. To take a trip to Guizhou or Hunan is to take a trip to the China of rural farming villages, wooden Drum Towers, colorful minorities and endless rice fields.

3. Terracotta Army The Terracotta Army, built under the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and more than 2000 years old, is a true man-made marvel. The life-sized clay soldiers stand shoulder-by-shoulder, row-by-row, attesting to the might of Emperor Qin. Every face is different, and the army is an incredible sight, one of the true must-sees of China. The Terracotta Army is found near the historic city of Xi’an, a fascinating place that is also home to the impressive City Wall, the lively Muslim Quarter and the smaller but no less impressive Han Yangling Terracotta Army.

4. Southern Gansu Province The southern part of Gansu Province is home to stunning mountain ranges, colourful temples and Tibetan culture. Prepare yourself for some extraordinary experiences in the far south of the province when seeing the incredible landscape open up to you, and inhale the atmosphere of the temples as you travel deeper into the remoteness of Gansu. If you should happen to find yourself in this part of the world in February do not miss the once-in-a-lifetime experience of participating in the Tibetan New Year Festival out here, centered at the villages of Langmusi and Xiahe. Each year this spectacle draws tens of thousands of pilgrims to the area, and they all flock to the ‘Sunning of the Tangka’-ceremony and the Cham Dance. The sight of thousands of pilgrims and monks in prayer with the snow-capped mountains as a backdrop will take your breath away.

5. Yellow Mountains Huangshan, known as “The loveliest mountain of China”, was much acclaimed through art and literature for a good part of Chinese history. Today it holds the same fascination for visitors, poets, painters and photographers who come on pilgrimage to the site, which is renowned for its magnificent scenery made up of many granite peaks and rocks emerging out of a sea of clouds.

6. Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the Northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. The Great Wall is the world’s longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6400km from Shanhaiguan in the East to Jia Yuguan in the West, along an arc that roughly delineates the Southern edge of Inner Mongolia. It is also the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass. At its peak the Wall was guarded by more than one million men. It has been estimated that somewhere in the range of two to three million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the Wall.

7. Li River Li River – Guangxi is a Zhuang minority autonomous province in southern China, bordering Vietnam to the southwest. Described as one of the most beautiful rivers of China, the Li River rises in the Mao’er Mountain

Sources: www.gogct.com; www.touropia.com; www.whc.unesco.org; www.visitourchina.com; www.greatwall-of-china.com; www.imperialtours.net; www.china.org. cn; www.guizhou.chinadaily.com.cn; www.lonelyplanet.com; www.chinavillagetour.com

10 MUST-SEE

above: Guizhou and Hunan

or Cat Mountain, passes southward through Guilin, Yangshuo, Xingping, Dahebei and many other villages to open out to the Xijiang River of Wuzhou City. Its total length is 437 kilometers, with the 83-kilometer-long section between Guilin and Yangshuo the highlight. Endowed with amazing limestone hills, mountains, caves and little streams, the Li River is a perfect place to admire rice paddies, bamboo groves and forests, waterfalls, water buffalos, ancient villages and the symbol of the area: Fishermen and their cormorants floating by on bamboo rafts. Dotted with eye-feasting scenery, the river is always pristine with its surrounding lush landscape, fauna and peaks reflecting on the clear green and mirror-like water under the blue sky. Ping’an is a Zhuang minority village high up in the mountains surrounded by spectacular Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces. For more than 600 years, the Zhuang have lived on the terraced rice fields, from one generation to the next. Make sure to visit Ping’an to see the incredible rice terraces while enjoying the slow-paced village life.

above left to right: Terracotta Army, Southern Gansu Province

8. Hakka Houses Strewn across the hills where the three provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong merge, the colossal Hakka earth buildings (Kejia tulou) are a mesmerising picture of an ancient but slowly disappearing way of life. It is said that when the Hakka people left the Northern provinces and migrated south, they could not afford to build homes of wood and brick. Instead they began constructing the impressive tulou, earth houses, some of which can hold 80 families or more. Stay in a village up here in the mountains and spend your time exploring a countryside that is dotted with earth houses between rice fields and clear rivers.

above left to right: Yellow Mountains, Great Wall of China

9. Shaoxing Lying to the south of the Yangtze Delta and in the north of Zhejiang Province, Shaoxing, like a pearl with simple but elegant light, stands in the line between Hangzhou and Ningbo. It is one of the famous historical cities in China. Numerous accomplished scholars or figures were born or lived here such as Yu the Great in the far ancient China and the famous writer Lu Xun in modern times. It was the seat of the ancient Yue Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC) and quite prosperous during that time. Shaoxing is also known variously as the ‘City of Waters,’ ‘City of Bridges,’ ‘City of Calligraphy,’ ‘City of Tea,’ and ‘City of Scholars.’ It gives off an image of an elegant and peaceful locale with deep cultural connotations, south of the Yangtze River. Shaoxing’s rich history dates back more than 2500 years and has managed to preserve large parts of the original canals and classic Lower Yangtze buildings. It is easy to spend a few days here, taking in the sights and enjoying the tranquil way of life while sipping green tea in one of the many canal-side tea houses.

above left to right: Li River, Hakka Houses, Shaoxing; Below: Mogao Caves

10. Mogao Caves The Mogao Caves, a shrine of Buddhist art treasures, including caves, wall paintings, painted sculptures, ancient architecture and movable cultural relics, is located 25km from downtown Dunhuang on the Eastern slope of Mingsha Shan (Mount Echoing Sand). A network of plank reM og a o d inforced roads lying North to South, 1600 met ra n s l at e h ig ters long, lead to the cave openings which are m ea n s h e stacked five stories high, some reaching up to u p in th 50 meters. e rt

de s

CHINESE

SPRING FESTIVAL 2014 the Chinese spring Festival or the Chinese Lunar new Year, is the most widely observed festival throughout the whole country. to the Chinese people it is as important as Christmas to Christians in the West. the dates for this annual celebration are determined by the lunar calendar rather than the gregorian calendar, so the timing of the holiday varies from late January to early February. to the ordinary Chinese, the festival actually begins on the eve of the lunar new Year’s day and ends on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar.

The Chinese calendar is a combination solar/lunar calendar, based on a number of rather complex astronomical calculations, including the longitude of the sun. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, keeping in mind that all months begin with a new moon. Spring Festival is a time for family reunions, for visits with friends, and for good wishes for the coming year. In addition, the whole family will eat dumpling together, and on the first day of the Spring Festival, friends and relatives will call on each other to exchange greetings and wish each other the happiest possible New Year. Preparations for the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year begin during the last few days of the last moon, when houses are thoroughly cleaned, debts repaid, hair cut and new clothes purchased. Houses are festooned with paper scrolls bearing auspicious antithetical couplet and in many homes and temples, people burn incense to pay respects to ancestors and ask the gods for good health in the coming months. Spring couplets and big characters of “福”, meaning “happiness”, are displayed everywhere as a prayer for good luck. “过年” (pronounced Guo Nian) literally meaning “passing the year” in Chinese, is the commonly used term among the Chinese people for the Spring Festival. It actually means greeting the New Year. At midnight at the turn of the old and New Year, people let off firecrackers, which serve to drive away the evil spirits and to greet the arrival of the New Year. In an instant, an entire city is engulfed in the deafening noise of the firecrackers.

THE YEAR OF HORSE 2014 in China is the year of Horse according to the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve year cycle, each year in that cycle relates to an animal sign. These animal signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

RED POPPY LADIES’ PERCUSSION This year, we will have Beijing Red Poppy Ladies’ Percussion giving performances in Denmark as part of the celebrating Spring Festival . Red Poppy was founded in 2000 and has participated in over 3000 performances around the world since then. The percussion first attracted its audience in 2001 in the CCTV Spring Festival Show, hosted by China’s largest broadcasting station. Red Poppy increased its features by percussion with dancing, background music and other factors of presentation. They have also performed percussion concerts around the world such as in Sydney Opera House, Cairo Opera House, Kennedy Art Centre and Vienna Golden Hall amongst others. In 2004, Red Poppy was honoured with the “World Peace Award” by World Culture Open (WCO) in South Korea. Red Poppy’s proudest moment was their contribution to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: Not only did Red Poppy performed in the Closing Ceremony on the main stage, they joined designing of 2008 Fou drums at the beginning of the Opening Ceremony that was seen by the world.

The selection and order of the animals was originated in the Han Dynasty (206 – 220) and based upon each animal’s character and living habits. Ancient people observe that there are 12 full moons within one year. So, its origin is associated with astronomy. For a long time there has been a special relationship between humans and the 12 zodiacal animals. It is believed that the years represented by the animals affect the characters of people in the same manner as the sign of zodiac adopted by western civilisations. In Chinese culture, the Horse is a symbol of nobility, class, speed and perseverance. People born in the Year of the Horse are smart, fabulous speakers who have a gift for getting through to other people. People bearing the horse sign strive towards seeking freedom and happiness.

their notaBLe aChieVement

s inCLude:

★ 33 Musical shows in Broadway, NYC in Dec. 2012. ★ Show Time Festival of London Olympic, Aug. 2012; ★ Chinese New Year concert with orchestra in Golden Hall of Wien in 2012; ★ Percussion concerts in Europe in 2011 and 2012; ★ New Year Eve Grant Show of CCT V; ★ Closing Ceremony of Beijing Olym pic, 2008; ★ Concert in Opera House of Cair o;

★ 2006 CCTV Lantern Festival Sho w; ★ One Year Ceremony of Athens Olym

★ Concert in Kennedy Centre of USA ★ Concert in Sydney Opera House

pic

★ “World Peace Award” by WCO ★ Performing in 8 Cities of USA

★ 2001 New Year Eve Grand Sho w of CCT

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Sinex Travel is established in 1993 by Laila Liu. Laila Liu is born in China and has lived in Denmark for the last 28 years. Original Laila Liu is educated as a school teacher both in China and in Denmark. She is the first teacher who gave Chinese lessons to Danish adult students. Through this work, Laila Liu began to arrange tours to China for her students, and established Sinex Rejser. Today Laila Liu has focus on Culture Exchange between China and Denmark, with which she has made a great success.

Sinex Rejser, Rosenørns Alle 29 1, 1970 Frederiksberg Tlf.: 33882266 e-mail: rejser@sinex.dk web: www.sinex.dk 25

DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS

IN TIBET

tibet is located in the southern part of the Qinghai-tibet plateau and stands at the south western border of China. it is an autonomous region of the people’s republic of China, and has been an integral part of China since ancient times.

FeudaL Beginnings Prior to the 1950s, Tibet was a society of feudal serfdom under theocratic rule, a society characterised by a combination of political and religious powers. Government officials, aristocrats and monasteries collectively maintained tight control over Tibet’s resources and wealth, and the Tibetan people lived in dire misery without any freedom. In his 1905 book The Unveiling of Lhasa, former British journalist in India Edmund

Candler, who worked for the Daily Mail, recorded the details of the old Tibetan society: Old Tibet “is governed on the feudal system. The monks are the overlords, the peasantry their serfs.” “...at present, the people are medieval, not only in their system of government and their religion, their inquisition, their witchcraft, their incarnations, their ordeals by fire and boiling oil, but in every aspect of their daily life.” “... he toils a lifetime to win by his own labour and in scanty measure the necessaries ...” Lhasa was “squalid and filthy beyond description, undrained and unpaved. Not a single house looked clean or cared for. The streets after rain are nothing but pools of stagnant water frequented by pigs and dogs searching for refuse.” In Portrait of A Dalai Lama: The Life and Times of the Great Thirteenth, a 1940s work by Charles Bell, the British Tibetologist made observations of the harsh punishments in old Tibet: “At the same time the Tibetan criminal code is drastic. In addition to fines and imprisonment, floggings are frequent, not only of people after they have been convicted of an offence, but also of accused persons, and indeed witnesses, during the course of the trial. For serious offences, use is made of the pillory as well as of the cangue, which latter is a heavy square wooden board round the neck. Iron fetters are fastened on the legs of murderers and inveterate burglars. For every serious or repeated offences, such as murder, violent robbery, repeated thefts, or serious forgery, the hand may be cut off at the wrist, the nose sliced off, or even the eyes gouged out, the last more likely for some heinous political crime. In former days those convicted of murder were put into a leather sack, which was sewn up and thrown into a river.”

making progress The founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 opened up new prospects for the nation’s development and progress on an unprecedented level. In 1951, the Central People’s Government and the local Tibetan government signed 26

the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, signifying the beginning of Tibet’s development and progress together with the people of the whole nation. The year 1959 marked a turning point in Tibet’s history. In that year the reactionary upper ruling strata of Tibet failed in an armed rebellion to perpetuate feudal serfdom, and the Central Government publicly announced the dismissal of the Tibetan local government. Meanwhile the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet launched a sweeping democratic reform to overthrow Tibet’s feudal serfdom system under theocracy, ushering in a social reform that was considered the most extensive, profound and progressive in Tibetan history. In 1965, the Tibet Autonomous Region was founded, and the systems of the people’s congress and regional ethnic autonomy were established. The former serfs and slaves as well as the feudal aristocrats all became modern citizens who enjoy equal rights and exercise their political rights to equally participate in the management of state affairs and the affairs of their local ethnic groups autonomously.

modernising tiBet At the end of 1978, Tibet initiated the reform and opening-up drive toward modernisation along with the rest of the country, ushering in a new stage of economic and social development. And in the 21st century, Tibet has entered the fast lane of development. Tibet’s gross regional product has grown from 129 million yuan (21 million U.S. dollars) in 1951 to 70.1 billion RMB Yuan in 2012, representing an annual growth of 8.5 percent on average. Since 1994, Tibet has realised double-digit growth for 19 consecutive years, with an annual growth rate of 12.7 percent on average. Substantial improvements have been made in the people’s lives and their living standards. The per capita net income of

farmers and herdsmen in Tibet had maintained double-digit growth for 10 consecutive years, reaching 5,719 Yuan in 2012. By the end of 2012, a total of 408,300 low-income houses were built, providing housing to 88.7 percent of local households of farmers and herdsmen. In rural areas, infrastructure has been improved to provide the necessary facilities for the local population, including water, power, transportation, telecommunication, natural gas, radio and television, and postal services. As life improves, the people are beginning to have more choices in consumption. Refrigerators, color televisions, telephones, computers, washing machines, motorcycles, mobile phones and other consumer goods have entered ordinary households. According to the “CCTV Economic Life Survey” jointly hosted by the National Bureau of Statistics, China Post Group, and China Central Television (CCTV), Lhasa topped the “happiness index” for five consecutive years. Economically, Tibet is now also more and more closely linked to the world. In 2012 the total volume of its foreign trade reached 3.424 billion U.S. dollars, more than 850 times that of 1953, which stood at four million U.S. dollars. By the end of 2012 actualised foreign investment in Tibet was 470 million U.S. dollars. Taking advantage of its geographical position, Tibet is strengthening friendly cooperation with India, Nepal and other neighboring countries.

CuLture and reLigion As an important part of Chinese culture, Tibetan culture attracts people from all over the world with its unique charm. Over the years, the Central Government and the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region have worked together to preserve and promote the outstanding traditional Tibetan

culture while developing advanced socialist culture, and to protect places of unique folk cultures. The study and use of the Tibetan language and script are protected by law in China. Bilingual education, with Tibetan as the principal language, is widespread in Tibet. And Tibetan is widely used in political life. Resolutions, laws and regulations adopted at people’s congresses at all levels, formal documents and declarations and so on are written in both Tibetan and Chinese. In judicial proceedings, Tibetan is used to try cases involving litigants of the Tibetan group; and the Tibetan language is used in writing the legal documents. In addition, the use of Tibetan is becoming more and more ITbased. Computer coding of Tibetan characters has met the national and international standards. Cultural relics and historic sites have been effectively preserved in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Currently, Tibet has 4,277 cultural relics sites (including 55 state-level ones and 210 regional ones), and 2.32 million items of cultural relics are in their collection. The Potala Palace, the Norbulingka and Jokhang Temple are on the World Heritage List. Lhasa, Shigatse and Gyangtse are honored as State-level Historical and Cultural Cities. Tibet Museum is a state-level museum. Since 2000 the Central Government has invested 2.04 billion yuan in key projects for the preservation and maintenance of cultural relics in Tibet. According to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief as a basic right. In Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, Bon, Islam, Catholicism and some other religions coexist, and there are different sects within Tibetan Buddhism. After the democratic reform, Tibet abolished feudal serfdom under theocracy and separated re-

ligion from government, removed what had been tarnished by feudal serfdom and restored the true nature of religion, realising true freedom of religious belief and religious tolerance between different religious beliefs and sects. In presentday Tibet it is not difficult to see prayer flags, Mani stones inscribed with Buddhist scriptures, and believers taking part in religious activities.

BeautiFuL Land Tibet serves as an important ecological safety barrier in China. Vigorous efforts are being made to promote local ecological progress and build a beautiful Tibet. Being one of the areas with the best environmental quality in the world, most parts of the region have maintained their original natural states. In Tibet, a total of 47 nature reserves at various levels have been established, including nine national-level ones, 14 at the autonomous region level and 24 at the prefecture or county level. Nature reserves account for 33.9% of the total land area of the region and leading all the other areas of China. All the region’s 125 types of wild animals and 39 wild plants under state key protection are well preserved in the established nature reserves. Forest and grassland ecological protection in the autonomous region has been crowned with signal success. Tibet has also intensified its efforts in the areas of water and soil conservation, and prevention of geological disasters. At present, the Tibet Plateau is the third cleanest area in the world in terms of its environment, after the South and North poles. Right now, people of all ethnic groups in Tibet and in the rest of the country are making combined efforts in fighting for the great renewal of the Chinese nation. There are reasons enough to believe that, in the course of this, the Tibet Autonomous Region will have a better future.

THE CHINESE FILM FESTIVAL

! G N I M IS CO

The Chinese Film Festival will be held from 17 to 31 January 2014, jointly sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in Denmark and the Danish Film Institute. The following films will be shown at Cinemateket (Gothersgade 55 1123 København K): TAIJI II 

FALLING FLOWERS

Length: 95 min

Length: 129 min Director: Huo Jianqi Starring: Song Jia, Huang Jue, Wang Renjun, Zhang Bo

Director: Stephen Fung Starring: Tony Leung Ka Fai, Jayden Yuan Xiao-Chao, AngelaBaby Produced by: Huayi Brothers Media Group This is a kung fu legend. Zaiyang, the eldest son of the Chen family, amazes the awestruck fellow villagers by his mastery of an elaborate form of martial arts. When all the villagers turn on Yang Luchan, the thoughtful and far-seeing Master Chen exposes his son Zaiyang’s trick. Luchan and Yuniang go to Peking to present a petition to the imperial court and a fight between top martial arts masters thus takes place in the royal kitchens. Yang’s kung fu and integrity win respect of Royal Prince Chun, who redresses the injustice that the Chen family suffers and names the Chen boxing as Tai Chi Boxing. Yang Luchan, after all the sufferings and hardships, finally becomes a Tai Chi master and lives happily ever after with his beloved one.

In 1942, Xiao Hong, the diseased female writer, was trapped in Hong Kong besieged by Japanese army, by the company of Luo Binji, a young writer from Northeast China. Xiao Hong told about her ten-year-vagrant life as a writer, and her romances with Xiao Jun and Duanmu Hongliang, especially with Xiao Jun. Luo Binji was impressed and fell in love with this charming woman who experienced wars and misfortunes but still had faith in love. However, Xiao Hong’s disease was incurable then.

CAUGHT IN THE WEB

THE FLYING SWORDS

Director: Chen Kaige Starring: Gao Yuanyuan, Yao Chen, Wang Xueqi, Mark Zhao

Length: 120 min Director: Xu Ke Starring: Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun Produced by: Bona Film Group

Ye Lanqiu, a White-collar woman, completely rewrote the fates of several people who were involved in the incident because she refused to give her seat to an old man on the bus: Shen Liushu, a millionaire, has been in anxious since then, his wife Mo Xiaoyu fled from her family, Yang Jiaqi, a trainee in a TV station, saw through the indifference in workplaces therefore, Chen Ruoxi, an experienced TV reporter, was defeated both in work and love, and indebted Yang Shoucheng obtained an unexpected fortune. In seven days, these ten people who were involved in the rare incident that happened on the bus, had their lives derailed, even their destinies were radically changed.

During the reign of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty in ancient China, the imperial eunuchs took power of the Court and murdered many loyal officials who opposed their abuse of authority. A swordsman, Zhou Huai’an, killed the director of the East Bureau, Cao Shaoqin, in a rescue operation, which provoked an order wanting his life from the West Bureau. The army of the Bureau, led by its director in chief, Yu Huatian, chased after Zhou to the vast desert on the border, where, among the rare tornados that could happen only once every 60 years, a duel of life and death was about to take place between the good and the evil.

LOST IN THAILAND Length: 105 min Director: Xu Zheng Starring: Xu Zheng, Wang Baoqiang, Huang Bo Produced by: Beijing Enlight Pictures Co., Ltd. Xu Lang and Gao Bo jointly developed an agent named the King of Gas which can ferment gasoline. In order to obtain the fund that a Thailand tycoon used to purchase the patent, Xu Lang went to Thailand without informing Gao Bo. At a Thailand airport, Xu ran into Wang Bao, a shopkeeper of onion pancakes, and found Gao Bo followed them and tried to stop them everywhere. Wherever they went, they encountered many difficulties and dangers. Feeling ridiculous and awkward, they appreciated the exotic customs of Thailand. Finally, they realised the value of friendship and cooperation

PAINTED SKIN II Length: 135 min Director: Wuershan Starring: Zhou Xun, Zhao Wei, Chen Kun, Yang Mi Produced by: Beijing Enlight Pictures Co., Ltd. An ancient fox spirit embarked on a diabolical quest to become human after escaping an icy prison. In order to become mortal to break free of the underworld, the fox spirit Xiaowei needed a pure, brave and warm human heart offered willingly to her. On her way to flee from the frozen cell, she met Princess Jing, a disfigured princess who was seeking the love of a noble guard, her childhood sweetheart. When they were younger, Princess Jing was hurt by a black bear and had to hide her deep facial scars under a mask of pure gold. Meanwhile, Huo Xin, her former protector, remains haunted by his failure to save her. Xiaowei, understanding the delicate relationships between the lovers, deceived Princess Jing by saying that men only love the beautiful skin of women, thus lured Princess Jing to offer her heart to her and switched their skins. After getting Princess Jing’s heart and the skin, Xiaowei replaced the Princess to finish a peace-making marriage in Sirius State.

FENG SHUI Length: 118 min Director: Wang Jing Starring: Yan Bingyan, Chen Gang, Jiao Gang Produced by: Beijing Antaeus Film The film is set in the city of Wuhan in 1990s. Ma Xuewu, head of the general affairs office of a state owned factory, moves into a new apartment provided by the factory, together with his wife Li Baoli, who works at a socks shop, and their son Xiao Bao. However, the move is by no means the beginning of a happier life for the family. Ma suggests a divorce, his wife finds out about his cheating and his homeless mother moves in with them. Unable to cope with these changes in life and the pressure that comes with them, Ma takes his own life. Baoli’s best friend, Xiao Jing, believes that all the mishaps are due to the bad Feng Shui of their new house, calling it a heart shot by ten thousand arrows. Baoli, the strong-minded widow, refuses to yield to her destiny, yet is determined to support the whole family on her own. 28

a Bite

OF CHINA

Chinese food is very popular the world over. The history of Chinese cooking dates back thousands of years and has changed from period to period. A meal in China always consists of two general components: Main food or staple food - a carbohydrate source or starch, typically rice (predominant in southern parts of China), noodles, or buns (predominant in northern parts of China); and accompanying dishes, such as vegetables, fish, meat, or other items. Colour, aroma and flavour are considered to be the three most important elements in Chinese cooking. China is a geographically huge country, it is diverse in climate, ethnicity cooking. Traditionally there are eight types of dishes, namely Hui Style, (Anhui), Yue Style (Cantonese), Min Style (Fujian), Xiang Style (Hunan), Su Style (Jiangsu), Lu Style (Shandong), Chuan Style (Szechuan) and Zhe Style (Zhejiang). The Chuan Style and Xiang Style are characterised by their spicy and pungent flavors, while Yue Style which is mostly seen overseas and in Denmark, tastes clear, light, crisp and fresh.

Shrimp with Snow Peas ingredients: 250g gound shrimp 80g snow peas Some canned straw/button mushrooms (optional) 2 teaspoons cooking oil 2 slices peeled ginger

In 2012, a Chinese documentary television series A Bite of China was produced by China’s CCTV channel. This seven-episode documentary series, which quickly gained much popularity, introduces the history and story behind foods of various kinds in more than 60 locations all around China. For foreigners, it serves a good way to get some idea of Chinese cooking.

ingredients (sauce): /4 teaspoon salt 1 /8 teaspoon sesame oil 4 tablespoons water 1 /2 teaspoon corn starch 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing or rice wine) 2 dashes white pepper powder 1

method for preparing the shrimp: 1. Defrost the shrimp, peel the shell and devein the shrimp. 2. Use a little salt and “massage” the shrimp for one minute. Rinse thoroughly with cold running water for about five minutes and pat dry with paper towels. 3. Add a little egg white, potato starch (or corn starch), and a bit of baking soda and marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes. For best results, marinate the shrimp for a few hours to get the perfect crunch method for preparing the sauce: 1. Prepare the shrimp using the techniques above. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside 2. Heat up a wok to high heat and add the cooking oil. Add the sliced ginger into the wok and stir-fry until aromatic and then followed by the shrimp. Toss the shrimp in the wok a few times or quickly stir-fry the shrimp a few times before adding the snow peas. 3. Add the sauce into the wok and quickly stir to coat the sauce well with the shrimps and snow peas. 4. As soon as the shrimps are cooked, dish out and serve immediately.

Cashew Chicken ingredients: 1 boneless & skinless chicken breast, about 300g (cut into small cubes) 1 /2 cup unsalted cashew nuts 1 small green bell pepper, about 100g (cut into small square pieces) 2 slices ginger 1 /4 onion (cut into small square pieces) ingredients for sauce: /2 tablespoon oyster sauce 3 /4 teaspoon soy sauce 3 tablespoons water 3 dashes white pepper powder 1 /2 teaspoon sugar 1 /2 teaspoon rice wine 1 /8 teaspoon sesame oil Salt to taste 1

ingredients for marinade: 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon corn starch 1 /2 teaspoon rice wine

method: 1. Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (Please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda.) 2. Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rice wine and corn starch, for 15 minutes. Mix the sauce together and set aside. 3. Heat up a wok with one tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the colour turns white or half-cooked. Dish out and set aside. 4. Add another one tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers and onions. Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken meat back in. 5. Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste, if you like. 6. Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs. Dish out and serve the Cashew Chicken hot with steamed white rice.

Source: http://www.a-bite-of-china.org/

and cultures, it is not surprising that there are many distinctive styles of

Promoting Nordic-Chinese trade and investment Multilateral cooperation for meaningful and sustainable economic development The Nordic-Chinese Chamber of Commerce The Nordic-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (NCCC) is a non-profit, independent business network committed to building the bridge between the business communities of the Nordic countries and China. There are enormous commercial opportunities ready to be explored by Nordic business communities within China. Nordic countries possess the technologies and know-how available to overcome many of the needs and challenges of which China is faced with. The commercial exchanges between China and the Nordic region are increasing. However, many small or medium-sized private business, commercial organisations and business communities in China have a hard time finding the right entry or contacts in Nordic countries that suit their individual needs. It is the aim of the NCCC to assist organisations gain easy access to these markets. Nordic countries, at the same time can benefit from the huge Chinese markets by joining forces to penetrate the Chinese market.

NCCC’s Mission ■ To serve as a single entry for the Chinese companies to Nordic regions. ■ To provide a platform for the small and medium-sized companies from both sides to build up business relations ■ To facilitate knowledge exchange on topics relevant to Nordic and Chinese business communities ■ To promote Nordic-Chinese trade and investment activities. ■ To systematically introduce Nordic regions to Chinese markets

Vision: NCCC strives to be the best gateway for Nordic business communities to China, and for Chinese business communities to Nordic countries

Opening up markets “The NCCC was an idea that was born out of my visit to Beijing with the Lord mayor Frank Jensen when Copenhagen signed the sister city agreement with Beijing in 2012. During this visit I was contacted by a Chinese Chamber with 50 000 members, who found it hard to contact Danish companies and organisations since there are many entry requirements. A single entry to Denmark was thus needed,” explains Heidi Wang, current CEO of the NCCC. The NCCC has a vast network both in China and within the Nordic region, which its members can make use of. The organisation provides a platform for members to meet with Chinese delegations, attend seminars and knowledge sharing. It has also helped promote Chinese products and services in both Denmark and China. The state visit by President Hu has opened China’s eyes to the kind of societal model, with clean air and clean civil servants, design and many other areas where Denmark has her strength. Heidi says that the Chinese need contacts, cultural understanding and Chinese speaking people to help them with possibility for procurement, investment and trade, and that the NCCC plays the role of ‘care taker’ and a bridge for those who are ready to explore the Danish and Chinese markets.

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