Category: Home

This course is targeted at students who have had Economics 101 and 102 (the “Principles” sequence) though in the past motivated students with an interest in China but little economics background have done well. China’s growth is slowing from real GDP growth of a heady 10+% pa to (officially) between 6%-7%. Why, and so what?… Continue reading Winter 2017: MWF 2:30-3:25 pm →

*Hangzhou is my hometown but not many people in the U.S. have heard about it so I decided to write a third blog on it. Hangzhou, the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Easter China, is famous for its West Lake and other surrounding attractions. The permanent population was 8.9 million at the… Continue reading Heaven of Earth: Hangzhou, Zhejiang →

According to New York State Department of Health, PM 2.5 are tiny particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated. It is believed to post the greatest health risks, which includes “respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity from lung cancer, such as aggravation of asthma, respiratory symptoms”.… Continue reading PM2.5 and Public Health →

When thinking about meeting designations, there is just about every type and size: from major convention hubs to smaller, boutique style cities. The key for meeting planners, is finding the right fit for their specific meeting. Often times, you might hear a planner say that their annual meetings are only held in 1st tier destinations. Or… Continue reading The Designation of 1st, 2nd, 3rd tier cities in China →

Since China’s economic reforms under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, Chinese steel production has increased greatly and in 2015 produced 803.8 million tones of steel, over 50% of the world’s total production (World steel). Various large state-owned groups such as Baosteel, Angang Steel Company, Tangshan, and Hebei Iron and Steel lead the Chinese steel industry.… Continue reading Chinese Manufacturing Employment →

There is a fascinating web site put up by the consortium of journalists working with the Mossack Fonseca papers. The home page is at panamapapers.icij.org with a signup page for new updates. The files they have go back 40 years, and the information contained in them has already led to the resignation of the Prime… Continue reading The Panama Papers →

Lishui, located in the Zhejiang province, houses 2.5 million citizens. Within the province, Lishui ranks first in the natural resources: timber, waterpower, mineral deposits and wilderness. However, more recently, Lishui’s economy has been characterized by rapid industrial development. The main industries include wood and bamboo production, textiles, pharmaceuticals, like herb medicines, and electronic machinery. The… Continue reading Lishui →

China has a series of “trunk roads” that run all across the mainland connecting high populated cities to one another.  Citizens oftentimes refer to these roads as highways, however they are not necessarily freeways due to their traffic control measures.  There is an accepted speed limit on the highways of 100km/h, but rarely do drivers… Continue reading China’s National Highways →

Since China’s economic reforms under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, Chinese steel production has increased greatly and in 2015 produced 803.8 million tones of steel, over 50% of the world’s total production (World steel). Various large state-owned groups such as Baosteel, Angang Steel Company, Tangshan, and Hebei Iron and Steel lead the Chinese steel industry.… Continue reading Chinese Steel Production Slowdown →

Chinese New Year is celebrated annually at the beginning of the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The New Year is a huge event in China, and festivals occur for fifteen straight days beginning the evening before the turn of the month. The first day of the New Year is decided by the new moon between January 21st… Continue reading Chinese New Year →

There is no institution in any culture more significant than the family. China, of course, is no exception—and its traditions of family structure have been historically ingrained in Chinese culture. One of the defining characteristics of Chinese familial structure is virilocality. Virilocality means that once a husband and wife are wed, they live with the… Continue reading Chinese Virilocal →

March 21, 2016 Press Release: IMF Managing Director Concludes Visit to China March 20, 2016 Opening Remarks at the 2016 China Development Forum: China in the New Five-Year Plan March 20, 2016 Accelerating Reforms to Establish a Risk Prevention System March 17, 2016 Tax Administration Reform in China John Brondolo | Zhiyong Zhang: Series: Working… Continue reading Recent IMF resources →

See this 2013 snippet in which the author is visiting a “ghost city” publicized on 60 Minutes. He shows the program segment to bemused residents – the same day it first aired! It’s not just an exercise in debunking, because it includes the “why” of new but deserted cities, and the track record of what… Continue reading Followup on Ghost Cities →

Hong Kong, the previously British colony located in southeastern China, has a shockingly high percentage of domestic workers that are being forced into labor. The Justice Centre Hong Kong (JCHK) recently conducted a survey that found 17% are engaged in forced labor. That is more than one out of every six. The JCHK defines forced labor:… Continue reading Forced Labor →

As the economy rapidly grew in China, demand also grew for credit, especially to companies that cannot qualify for a bank loan. “A decade ago, conventional banks, which are almost all state-owned and tightly regulated, accounted for virtually all lending in China”, but this new demand let to a accelerating growth in shadow banking in… Continue reading Shadow Banking in China →