Tag: china

Historical Topics

Jianbi Qingye: The Environmental Warfare of the Taiping Rebellion: Walls of War, Fields of Fire 

Shawn Liu The Taiping Rebellion is infamous for being one of the bloodiest civil wars in history, but it was also an ecological catastrophe. While historian John Fincher has described the conflict as a “heavily saturated topic” in historical scholarship, its ecological dimensions remain strikingly underexplored. Beyond the well-documented clashes of ideologies and armies, another form of destruction took place, one measured not in human … Continue reading Jianbi Qingye: The Environmental Warfare of the Taiping Rebellion: Walls of War, Fields of Fire 

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Historical Topics

Panda Politics and Oxen Ordeals: The Politics of U.S.-China Animal Diplomacy

Shawn Liu In early February last year, Chinese internet users on the popular social media platform Weibo began voicing concern over pictures of Yaya, a Chinese panda at the Memphis Zoo in the U.S. The picture circulated online shows Yaya sitting against a bamboo pole, seemingly malnourished and emaciated. These users accused the Memphis Zoo of subjecting Yaya the panda, a sacred Chinese animal, to … Continue reading Panda Politics and Oxen Ordeals: The Politics of U.S.-China Animal Diplomacy

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Historical Topics

A Window to the Past: How A Political Cartoon Can Help Us Understand Asian Xenophobia in Early 20th Century America

Will Foster In a December 1900 edition of the weekly satirical magazine Judge, US artist Victor Gillam depicted a scene reflective of America’s broader view of China and Chinese people. The image, entitled “Some One Must Back Up,” shows Uncle Sam piloting his “Auto-Truck of Civilization and Trade” across a narrow mountain pathway until he is confronted by a bloody sword wielding Chinese “Boxer” atop … Continue reading A Window to the Past: How A Political Cartoon Can Help Us Understand Asian Xenophobia in Early 20th Century America

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Historical Topics

The History of Masculinity in China

Zhanhao Zhang In 2020, during the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, committee member Si Zefu  criticized male teenagers for being too “feminine.” The Ministry of Education responded by promoting physical education and research on the influence of popular culture on the “feminization of male adolescents.” Suddenly, the concept of masculinity (阳刚之气) and its traditional meanings became a hot topic on Chinese social media. Many people, … Continue reading The History of Masculinity in China

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