Art

Using Social Media To Preserve The Uyghur Language — And Keep It Up To Date

Uyghur, a Turkic language that uses the Arabic alphabet, has about 10 million native speakers, most of them in the Xinjiang province of northwestern China. With the Chinese Communist Party engaged in a campaign to suppress the Uyghur minority and their language (including scrubbing Uyghur websites based in China from the Web), a WeChat group of academics, translators, and other professionals called “Tilchilar” (Uyghur for “linguists”) is doing crucial work to document the language and make sure ...
Tags: Art, China, Chinese communist party, Words, Xinjiang, 02.20.21

Once Censored In China, Peppa Pig Is Now Headed For Chinese Movie Screens

The cartoon character, aimed squarely at young children in Britain, somehow got a “gangsta” vibe in China, thanks to meme-minded internet users with Photoshop. The Chinese Communist Party, disapproving of gangstas, blocked the unfortunate ungulate on several large websites this year. Now the film unit of Alibaba (China’s Amazon) is reclaiming Peppa Pig for wholesomeness with a New Year-themed movie for kids.
Tags: Art, Media, China, Britain, Chinese communist party, 08.13.18, Chinese Movie Screens, Alibaba China s Amazon

Academics Raise Concerns About Chinese Government's Increasing Influence In Education

"In recent years the Chinese government has stepped up its crackdown on domestic dissent at the same time it continues to expand the country's global influence. A confluence of events has China studies scholars raising concerns about whether the Chinese Communist Party is exporting its censorship regime abroad, and what the implications are for free discussion […]
Tags: Art, China, Chinese communist party, Issues, 01.04.18

Chinese Communist Party Pushes Revival Of Traditional Culture (Half A Century After Trying To Wipe It Out)

"Local and national holidays are being celebrated with new vigour. ... State media are boosting the use of Chinese medicine when people fall ill, wearing Han robes when they get married, and keeping fit by practising tai chi and other ancient sports. ... By presenting himself as the defender of traditional values, [President Xi Jinping] […]
Tags: Art, Xi Jinping, Chinese communist party, Issues, 08.17.17