“For a real insider’s look at life in modern China, readers should turn to Rachel DeWoskin.”—Sophie Beach, The Economist Determined to broaden her cultural horizons and live a “fiery” life, twenty-one-year-old Rachel DeWoskin hops on a plane to Beijing to work for an American PR firm based in the busy capital. Before she knows it, she is not just exploring Chinese culture but also creating it as the sexy, aggressive, fearless Jiexi, the starring femme fatale in a wildly successful Chinese soap opera. Experiencing the cultural clashes in real life while performing a fictional version onscreen, DeWoskin forms a group of friends with whom she witnesses the vast changes sweeping through China as the country pursues the new maxim, “to get rich is glorious.” In only a few years, China’s capital is transformed. With “considerable cultural and linguistic resources” (The New Yorker), DeWoskin captures Beijing at this pivotal juncture in her “intelligent, funny memoir” (People), and “readers will feel lucky to have sharp-eyed, yet sisterly, DeWoskin sitting in the driver’s seat”(Elle).

If you have always dreamed of living in China and are ready to take that step, Moon Living Abroad in China delivers what you need to know about your move—in a smart and organized manner. Wife-and-husband author team Barbara and Stuart Strother have extensive experience working, traveling, and living in China. With their expertise, you'll receive the information you need, including essential information on setting up your daily life, applying for visas, tackling finances, and looking for employment. You'll get practical advice on education, health care, and how to rent or buy a home that fits your needs. The book also includes color and black and white photos, illustrations, and maps to help you find your bearings. With insight into navigating the language and culture of China, Moon Living Abroad in China is a helpful resource for tourists, business people, adventurers, students, teachers, professionals, families, couples, and retirees looking to relocate.

As China’s global influence continues to rise, its capital, Beijing, has become increasingly important—and a popular tourist destination, greeting close to five million international visitors each year. An Armchair Traveller’s History of Beijing presents the capital from its earliest beginnings as a prehistoric campsite for Peking Man through its fluctuating fortunes under a dozen dynasties. Home to capitals of several states over time, the site of modern Beijing has been ruled by Mongolian chiefs and the glorious Ming emperors, whose tombs can still be found on its outskirts. Through Beijing, we can experience Chinese history itself, including its more famous residents—including Khubilai Khan, Mulan, and Marco Polo. Special emphasis is placed on Beijing’s precarious heritage in the twenty-first century, as modern construction wipes out much of the old city to make way for homes for twenty million people. This book also offers detailed information on sites of tourist interest, including the pros and cons of different sections of the Great Wall and the best ways to see the Forbidden City and the fast-disappearing relics of the city’s Manchu and Maoist eras. A chapter on food and drink examines not only local delicacies, but the many other Chinese dishes that form part of Beijing’s rich dining traditions. With its blend of rich history and expert tips, An Armchair Traveller’s History of Beijing is an essential introduction to one of the world’s most remarkable cities.

Economic globalization and advanced communication and transportation technologies have greatly increased interconnectivity and integration of China with the rest of the world. This book explores the impact of globalization on China and the interactions of Chinese education with the globalized world. It consists of twenty chapters which collectively examine how globalization unfolds on the ground in Chinese education through global flows of talents, information, and knowledge. The authors, established and emerging scholars from China and internationally, analyze patterns and trends of China’s engagement with the globalized world as well as tensions between the global and local concerning national education sovereignty and the widening gap between brain gain and brain drain. The book covers a wide range of topics, including: Internationalization of Chinese educationStudent mobility and intercultural adaptationCross-cultural teaching and learningTransnational talent mobility The diverse concepts and perspectives represented in this volume provide rich accounts of the effects of globalization on Chinese education and how globalization has transformed Chinese education and society. China’s successes and challenges will inform international researchers and educators about globalization and education in their own contexts with possible implications for change. “This timely volume opens up fascinating insights into the extensive and growing interconnections between Chinese education and the global community. Concepts such as identity, interculturality, transnationalism and double diaspora are given vivid expression in the experience of Chinese students and scholars in diverse global settings as well as that of international students and teachers in Chinese higher institutions. While there are candid critiques of barriers and prejudices that need to be overcome, there is also a sense of hope and dynamism in the rich outflowing of educational ideas rooted in China’s unique civilization. Editors Shibao Guo and Yan Guo are to be congratulated for bringing together such a remarkable collection of essays dealing with internationalization, student mobility, cross-cultural teaching and learning and transnational talent mobility.” – Ruth Hayhoe, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

A guide to the history of China’s capital, from before its rise to prominence as the seat of empires to the 2022 Winter Olympics. Before China’s capital became a sprawling megacity and international center of business and culture, its fortunes fluctuated under a dozen dynasties. It has been a capital for several states, including those headed by Mongolian chiefs and the glorious Ming emperors, whose tombs can still be found on its outskirts. And before all that, it was a campsite for primitive hominids, known as the Peking Man. A Short History of Beijing tells the story of this remarkable city, from its more famous residents—Khubilai Khan, Marco Polo, and Chairman Mao—right up to the twenty-first century, as modern construction wiped out so much of the old city to make way for its twenty-million-strong population. Through his timely and intimate portrait of the world’s most populous capital city, Jonathan Clements reveals the history of China itself.

In the waning years of the Cold War, the United States and China began to cautiously engage in cultural, educational, and policy exchanges, which in turn strengthened new security and economic ties. These links have helped shape the most important bilateral relationship in the late-twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This book explores the dynamics of cultural exchange through an in-depth historical investigation of three organizations at the forefront of U.S.-China non-governmental relations: the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and The 1990 Institute. Norton Wheeler reveals the impact of American non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on education, environment, fiscal policy, and civil society in contemporary China. In turn, this book illuminates the important role that NGOs play in complementing formal diplomacy and presents a model of society-to-society relations that moves beyond old debates over cultural imperialism. Finally, the book highlights the increasingly significant role of Chinese Americans as bridges between the two societies. Based on extensive archival research and interviews with leading American and Chinese figures, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Chinese politics and history, international relations and transnational NGOs.

China is the oldest continuous civilization on earth and holds a unique global place in the 21st century, this books uniquely wide focus shows what makes it such a special country, with topics stretching from the natural wonders including mountains and rivers to the Silk Road, the technological innovations of printing and the compass and the modern vibrant cities of today as well as famous monuments such as the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Great Wall. In this new and updated edition, a team of leading scholars from Asia and the West provide an unmatched account of this vast country. Beyond the quality of the individual entries, The Great Wonders of China provides an unmatched account of Chinese history and culture as well as an essential contribution to understanding and appreciating this ancient land.

The acquisition of Mandarin Chinese, one of the most important and widely spoken languages in the world today, is the focus of this innovative study. It describes the rise of Chinese as a global language and the many challenges and opportunities associated with learning it. The collaborative, multiple-case study and cross-case analysis is presented from three distinct but complementary theoretical and analytic perspectives: linguistic, sociocultural, and narrative. The book reveals fascinating dimensions of Chinese language learning based on vivid first-person accounts (with autobiographical narratives included in the book) of adults negotiating not only their own and others' language and literacy learning, but also their identities, communities, and trajectories as users of Chinese.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains material from the book.

Western 'teachers', many of whom would not be considered teachers elsewhere, teach English in public and private education in China. This book sheds light on their experiences, the effect they have on education and on students' perceptions of 'the West'.