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Monthly Archives January 2010

Sino and American Exceptionalism

One aspect of contemporary Sino-American scholarship largely overlooked is the notion that both China and the United States contain a notion of ‘exceptionalism’ that largely doesn’t exist elsewhere in the world. The most immediate explanation I can think of for why is the enormous size of the two countries as well as their relative insularity [...]

Posted 20 January 2010 † matt_schiavenza § Chinese Internal Affairs § Current Events § History ‡ Comments (6) ° Tagged: , , ,

Google Thoughts

Like Chris I’ve hesitated to weigh in on the latest Google news, though needless to say I consider the company’s brinkmanship with the Chinese government troubling news indeed. James Fallows of the Atlantic and Sky Canaves of the Wall Street Journal have provided a useful summary of what is and isn’t happening with the search [...]

Posted 18 January 2010 † matt_schiavenza § Current Events § Technology & Society ‡ Comments (4) °

Comeuppance

Over the past year I have been unable to obtain more than a three-month, single and double visa at any given time, so as a result constantly must be vigilant about the validity of my stay here in China. This has resulted in no small amount of frustration, particularly when other Americans in my position [...]

Posted 12 January 2010 † matt_schiavenza § Me ‡ Comments (4) °

Avatar in China

The invaluable China Smack has an interesting post translating Chinese netizen reactions to the just-released blockbuster Avatar. Intriguingly, many commenters connected the eviction of the Na’vi people from their forest home to the frequent eviction of Chinese people who stand athwart government-led development. What surprised me most about the film was its seemingly leftist point [...]

Posted 11 January 2010 † matt_schiavenza § China Culture § Film ‡ Comments (6) °

Happy New Year, and a Good Link to Read

Hey all- I hope you’ve enjoyed the first week or 2010, which here in Kunming has been sunny, nice, and warm. Here’s a good article to start the year off- in the Financial Times Gideon Rachman writes that democracies such as Turkey, India, Brazil, and South Africa have increasingly turned their backs against US foreign [...]

Posted 06 January 2010 † matt_schiavenza § Me § Useful Links ‡ Comments (1) °