Many studies of government in China either simply describe the political institutions or else focus critically on the weaknesses of the system such as corruption or the absence of Western-style democracy Authors of these studies fail to appreciate the surprising ability of China's government to rapidly transform a once impoverished economy & to recover from numerous crises from 1978 to the present This book on the other hand takes a more balanced more positive view This view is based on a study of changes in China's institutions for coping with critical crises in governance since 1978 These changes include better management of leadership succession better crisis management enhanced social welfare the management of society through treating different social groups differently depending on their potential to rival the Party state & a variety of limited intra-party & grassroots democracy This book applies to the Chinese model the term "pragmatic authoritarianism" It explains changes to & the likely future direction of China's governance model It compares current risks in China's governance with threats that terminated dynasties & the republic in China over the past four thousand years & concludes that the regime can be expected to survive a considerable period despite its existing flaws " Few topics in Chinese politics are as significant as the nature state & prospects of the political regime While the topic had been unduly understudied for a long period of time a young generation of scholars has emerged on this subject Among others the book by Hongyi Lai stands out & provides a comprehensive & penetrating analysis on this topic I am confident that his book will make a significant contribution to the study of Chinese politics & may well define the debate on China's political development governance & model for years to come"
- Yongnian Zheng Director East Asian Institute National University of Singapore
...

Explore the world-changing digital transformation in China China's Mobile Economy Opportunities in the Largest & Fastest Information Consumption Boom is a cutting-edge text that spotlights the digital transformation in China Organised into three major areas of the digital economy within China this ground-breaking book explores the surge in e-commerce of consumer goods the way in which multi-screen & mobile Internet use has increased in popularity & the cultural emphasis on the mobile Internet as a source of lifestyle- & entertainment-based content Targeted at the global business community this lucid & engaging text guides business leaders investors investment banking professionals corporate advisors & consultants in grasping the challenges & opportunities created by China's emerging mobile economy & its debut onto the global stage Year 2014-15 marks the most important inflection point in the history of the internet in China Almost overnight the world s largest digitally-connected middle class went both mobile & multi-screen (smart phone tablets laptops & more) with huge implications for how consumers behave & what companies need to do to successfully compete As next-generation mobile devices & services take off China s strength in this arena will transform it from a global trend follower to a trend setter Understand what the digital transformation in China is & impact on global capital markets foreign investors consumer companies & the global economy as a whole Explore the e-commerce consumption boom in the context of the Chinese market Understand the implications of the multi-screen age & mobile Internet for China's consumers See how mobile Internet use its focus on lifestyle & entertainment is aligned with today's Chinese culture Learn about the mobile entertainment habits of China s millennial generation & the corresponding new advertisement approaches The development of China s mobile economy is one of the most important trends that will reshape the future of business technology & society both in China & the world China's Mobile Economy Opportunities in the Largest & Fastest Information Consumption Boom introduces you to the digital transformation in China & explains how this transformation has the potential to transform both China & the global consumer landscape ...

The Chinese government is one of the most important actors in international affairs today To thoroughly understand how the People's Republic of China has grown in power requires a careful analysis of its political system To what extent can China's economic achievements be attributed to the country's political system & its policies? What are the effects of economic modernization & global economic integration on the Chinese polity? Is the Chinese political system capable of adapting to changing economic technological social & international conditions? Exploring these central questions this definitive book provides readers with a comprehensive assessment of the preconditions prospects & risks associated with China's political development ...

By 2025 China will have built fifteen new supercities' each with 25 million inhabitants It will have created 250 Eco-cities' as well clean green car-free people-friendly high-tech urban centres From the edge of an impending eco-catastrophe we are arguably witnessing history's greatest environmental turnaround
- an urban experiment that may provide valuable lessons for cities worldwide Whether or not we choose to believe the hype
- there is little doubt that this is an experiment that needs unpicking understanding & learning from Austin Williams The Architectural Review's China correspondent explores the progress & perils of China's vast eco-city program describing the complexities which emerge in the race to balance the environment with industrialisation quality with quantity & the liberty of the individual with the authority of the Chinese state Lifting the lid on the economic & social realities of the Chinese blueprint for eco-modernisation Williams tells the story of China's rise & reveals the pragmatic political & economic motives that lurk behind the successes & failures of its eco-cities Will these new kinds of urban developments be good humane healthy places? Can China find a third way' in which humanity nature economic growth & sustainability are reconciled? & what lessons can we learn for our own vision of the urban future? This is a timely & readable account which explores a range of themes
- environmental political cultural & architectural
- to show how the eco-city program sheds fascinating light on contemporary Chinese society & provides a lens through which to view the politics of sustainability closer to home



...

This is a negotiation game in the truest sense of the word In it players acquire ownership of sections of city blocks then place tiles representing businesses onto the block-sections At the end of each turn each tile you&ve laid gives you some sort of payout but completed businesses (formed of three to six connected tiles of the same type) pay quite a bit better All these resources are dealt to the players randomly however so players must trade to get matching businesses & adjacent locations ...

Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play In a legendary performance three-time Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson stars as private eye Jake Gittes Hired by a mysterious woman to investigate Hollis Mulwray the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Gittes& sleuthing brings him into contact with Mulwray&s wife (Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway) a stunning socialite with secrets of her own As a determined Gittes delves deeper he soon realises that even the City of Angels has a dark side Director Roman Polanski&s Chinatown has evolved from an atmospheric film noir mystery into a modern-day classic with Robert Towne&s Academy Award-winning script unforgettably & brilliantly capturing a lost era of deceit corruption & treachery Actors Jack Nicholson Faye Dunaway John Huston Diane Ladd John Hillerman Roman Polanski Richard Bakalyan Darrell Zwerling & Roy Jenson Director Roman Polanski Certificate 15 years & over Year 1974 Screen 169 Anamorphic Languages English
- Dolby Digital (51) Additional Languages French ; German ; Castillian Spanish Subtitles English for the hearing imapired ; French ; German ; Danish ; Italian ; Swedish ; Norwegian ; Castillian Spanish ; Finnish ; Dutch Duration 2 hours & 5 minutes (approx)
...

The Chinese language is traditionally taught through a series of between roughly 180 & 215 radicals These radicals are then used to form the characters of the Chinese language Chineasy (TM) has broken down this collection of characters into their most basic & recurring forms allowing students to learn fewer & simpler radicals that we have termed 'building blocks' One building block or a specific compound form of the building block can be combined with one or more other characters to make a compound character Two or more independent characters can be placed next to one another to make phrases In compounds a whole new character is created; in phrases the placement of characters next to one another gives a new meaning to the collection of characters This principle of building blocks is what makes Chineasy (TM) so easy! ...

The Chinese language is traditionally taught through a series of between roughly 180 & 215 radicals These radicals are then used to form the characters of the Chinese language Chineasy (TM) has broken down this collection of characters into their most basic & recurring forms allowing students to learn fewer & simpler radicals that we have termed 'building blocks' One building block or a specific compound form of the building block can be combined with one or more other characters to make a compound character Two or more independent characters can be placed next to one another to make phrases In compounds a whole new character is created; in phrases the placement of characters next to one another gives a new meaning to the collection of characters This principle of building blocks is what makes Chineasy (TM) so easy! ...

Shao Lan Hsueh a Taiwanese entrepreneur based in London couldn't find an effective way of teaching her children Chinese so she developed a groundbreaking visual method to make reading characters fun & easy By learning the most commonly occurring characters
- the building blocks of the entire language
- readers of all ages can swiftly grasp basic concepts & words Chineasy (TM) Everyday teaches over 400 of the most used & useful Chinese characters phrases & sentences Organized into eleven themes that reflect our daily lives it brings the stories & myths behind the characters to life providing a unique perspective into Chinese history & culture ' Learning Mandarin just got Chineasy (TM) May revolutionize the teaching of Chinese around the world' The Sunday Times

...

Learning Chinese is notoriously difficult & has long put off even the most linguistically savvy Westerners until now Shao Lan has used her entrepreneurial & software background to unpick Chinese characters & create a simple system for quickly understanding the basic building blocks of the written language Working with renowned illustrator Noma Bar she has developed a unique set of illustrations that are engaging & delightful & offer a glimpse into the wonder of the Chinese language & culture ...