Have you heard of the greatest story ever revealed here on earth? It’s of a nation that was once historically great with a civilisation unmatched by any others, held in awe by all, conquered when weak followed by a period of humiliation & destruction not just by one enemy but a host of western power with superior war weapons of mass destruction. Worst were the Japanese calling China “the sick man of Asia” and the British publicly declaring the Chinese as equivalent to “dogs”. There are things which are forgivable but not forgettable, especially when the perpetrators keep on denying & unapologetic.
It is naturally believable that going downhill is easier & faster than going uphill.
However, for all the past humiliation, property ravages & war atrocities & sufferings, in the last three to four decades China has miraculously & surprisingly woken up to recapture its past glory. The dragon is wide awake & sleeps no more. Napoleon was wise to leave China alone in his many great conquests.
Japan is purely populated by Japanese, other nationalities are not permitted as permanent residents. China by contrast has some 55 official ethnic minority groups. The major minority ethnic groups in China are Zhuang (16.9 million), Uyghur (11.5 million), Hui (10.5 million), Manchu (10.3 million), Miao (9.4 million), Yi (8.7 million), Tujia (8.3 million), Tibetan (6.2 million), Mongol (5.9 million), Dong (2.8 million), Buyei (2.8 million), Yao (2.7 million), Bai (1.9 million), . . .Among them Han Chinese account for 91.59% of the overall Chinese population, all making up an overall population of close to 1.4 billion.
One interesting point to note is that Chinese has never been superimposed or influenced by any conquering cultures such as the Monguls or Manchurians. As a matter of fact, the reversed process took place naturally through “sinicization”. These foreigners converted themselves into Chinese by adopting Chinese language & culture, the Chinese way of life.
In this modern age, the minority groups still retain their culture & customs. In times of festivals, you can see them in their beautiful traditional attire, sing & dance according to their music rendering the atmosphere with true joy, peace & harmony. They all want to claim themselves as Chinese & in many cases you can hardly tell them apart from the Han Chinese. In Shenzhen, they have a cultural display centre where different groups assembled.
Taoping Minority from Sichuan Province
China has long been a cradle and host to a variety of the most enduring religio- philosophical types – Taoism, Buddhism, lslamism, Protestantism and Catholicism have all developed quite a following in this country. Freedom of belief is a government policy, and normal religious activities are protected by the constitution.
Geographically, China offers a unique landscape. In the vast western reaches of China – mountains, high plateaus and deserts dominate the landscape, while in the central and east areas, the land slopes into broad plains and deltas. The Gobi Desert runs west to east along the border with Mongolia. There’s a variety & diversity unifying China from snow to sand.
China is around the same size as Australia. Australia is approximately 7,741,220 sq km, while China is approximately 9,596,960 sq km.
China despite its size has only one time zone – same time as Singapore & Perth.
The great unifying factor is the language. Everybody speaks & writes Mandarin. Communication is no problem. English is becoming more widespread. Great festivals like Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festivals etc are celebrated by all usually accompanied by a long spell of holidays.
To the foreign visitors, this vast continent is seen as many worlds in one. Seeing places & meeting faces all spell awe & admiration, a unique experience not to be found anywhere else . . . history & modernity, mystery & discovery contributing to one Big Picture!
The Spratly Islands (Chinese name: Nansha islands), Vietnamese Name: Quần đảo Trường Sa, Filipino Name: Kapuluan ng Kalayaan) are a disputed group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea.[6] The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia (Sabah), and southern Vietnam. Named after the 19th-century British explorer Richard Spratly who sighted them in 1843, the islands contain approximately 4 km2 (1.5 mi2) of actual land area spread over a vast area of more than 425,000 km2 (164,000 mi2).
The Spratlys are one of three archipelagos in the South China Sea which comprise more than 30,000 islands and reefs, and which complicate governance and economics in this part of Southeast Asia. Such small and remote islands have little economic value in themselves, but are important in establishing international boundaries. No native islanders inhabit the islands which offer rich fishing grounds and may contain significant oil and natural gas reserves.
The Spratlys are one of three archipelagos in the South China Sea which comprise more than 30,000 islands and reefs, and which complicate governance and economics in this part of Southeast Asia. Such small and remote islands have little economic value in themselves, but are important in establishing international boundaries. No native islanders inhabit the islands which offer rich fishing grounds and may contain significant oil and natural gas reserves.
Satellite imagery indicates China is building an island islandthat could be the site for its first airstrip in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, defence specialists IHS Jane’s reports., a few days ago.
The images of the reclaimed island on Fiery Crtoss Reef, taken on August 8 and November 14 (2014) show that over the last three months, Chinese dredgers have created a land mass 3Km long & 200m to 300m wide, large enough for a runway & apron.
As well as the land mass, which is almost the entire length of the reef, the dredgers are creating a harbour that could be large enough to receive tankers & major surface ships, it added.
The Spratly Islands, reefs midway between Vietnam & Philipines, are claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, The Philipines, China, Taiwan & Vietnam.The only habitable part of the reef is a concrete platform built & maintained by China’s military.
IHS Jane’s said the reclamation at the reef was the fourth such project China has undertaken in the islands in the past 18 months. No other can house an airstrip in its current form, IHS Jane’s said. (Source: The West Australian 27 November 2014).
Edited by: Paul Chong / 18 November 2014Source: USA Today/Forbes/Bloomberg
Jack Ma
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive & believe, it can achieve.” – Dr. Napoleon Hill (“Think & Grow Rich”)
His Chinese name Ma Yun (马云) denotes that he’s a Horse (Surname 马), perhaps a Dark Horse, in his case. His other name (云) meaning Clouds could indicate that he’s been dreaming from up high. Significantly, he’s uniquely in a league of the highest order.
Jack Ma or Ma Yun (Chinese: 马云; born October 15, 1964 is a Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, a family of highly successful Internet-based businesses. He is the first mainland Chinese entrepreneur to appear on the cover of Forbes. As of November 2014, he is the richest man in China and 18th richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $29.7 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.(Wikipedia)
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, China’s largest e-commerce business, topped the Top 400 China Rich List with US$195 billion wealth, according to the latest Forbes ranking release.
Jack Ma received world-wide attention thanks to Alibaba’s recent massive IPO in New York. How Hong Kong, often the gateway to China’s Listing, must be disappointed to miss this tremendous opportunity. Though scrawny & standing just over 5ft tall, he now stands among the financial giants in the financial world.
Ma was followed by Robin Li, founder of Baidu, the largest search engine in China, and Ma Huateng, Chairman and CEO of Tencent, one of China’s largest internet companies.
“China’s internet entrepreneurs have started to catch up with iconic people in the industry in the United States such as Paul Allen, Eric Schmidt, Jerry Yang and Sheryl Sandberg”, Russell Flannery, Shanghai bureau chief for Forbes said. “In the era that e-commerce and mobile services become more and more popular, even if China can’t surpass the United States, it can share a large amount of fortune,” Flannery continued.
Former English teacher Ma captured the world stage like no other Chinese businessman before him in September with the record-breaking $25 billion initial public offering of e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba Group on the New York Stock Exchange. The listing turned him into China’s richest man and enriched Alibaba shareholders Softbank and Yahoo. Up next: a higher profile for Alibaba’s payments affiliate,Ant Financial Services Group. Ma will also need to weave together more than a dozen investments – from a stake in a soccer team to a film production studio – that Alibaba made this year. He is likely to make time for his philanthropy. Ma sits on the board of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences with fellow power person Mark Zuckerberg and Yuri Milner, among others.(Forbes)
When I first started Alibaba, I was immediately met with strong opposition from family and friends. Looking back, I realised that the biggest driving force for me then was not my confidence inthe Internet and the potential it held,but more of this: “No matter what one does, regardless of failure or success, the experience is a form of success in itself.” You have got to keep trying, and if it doesn’t work, you always can revert back to what you were doing before.
Initial meeting with friends at Jack’s home
Jack Ma: Before I founded Alibaba, I invited 24 friends to my house to discuss the business opportunity. After discussing for a full two hours, they were still confused — I have to say that I may not have put myself across in a clear manner manner then. The verdict: 23 out of the 24 people in the room told me to drop the idea, for a multitude of reasons, such as: ‘you do not know anything about the internet, and more prominently, you do not have the start-up capital for this’ etc etc.
There was only one friend (who was working in a bank then) who told me, “If you want to do it, just try it. If things don’t work out the way you expected it to, you can always revert back to what you were doing before.” I pondered upon this for one night, and by the next morning, I decided I would do it anyway, even if all of the 24 people opposed the idea.
As with this quote by T.E. Lawrence – “All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream in the dark recesses of the night awake in the day to find all was vanity. But the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, and make it possible.” Jack Ma: People lose out in life because of these 4 reasons:
“Being myopic to opportunity
Looking down on opportunities
Lacking understanding
Failing to act quickly enough”
“You are poor, because you have no ambition.”
“Ambition is living a life of great ideals; a magnificent goal in life that must be realised”.
In this world, there are things that are deemed unfathomable, but there is nothing in this world that cannot be done. The depth of one’s ambition determines the potential of one’s future.
Revealing his ambition – and a love of numbers common in China – Jack Ma says Alibaba will last 102 years so the Internet empire he founded in 1999 can span three centuries.
Under Ma’s maverick leadership, the 15-year-old firm has already bridged a period of extraordinary change in global trade and the Chinese economy. He raised a still-growing giant whose U.S. initial public offering, which will start trading under the BABA ticker Friday, is the largest in history.
HIS HUMBLE BEGINNING
His rags-to-riches journey is just as spectacular. A scrawny Ma, just over 5 feet tall, was rejected by KFC and other employers in his hometown of Hangzhou in east China. He believed in the Internet’s business potential when few other Chinese did. Outlandish ideas earned him the nickname “Crazy Jack Ma.” No one thinks he’s mad now, even when dressing in wild wigs and lipstick for his annual meeting where he serenades a stadium full of Alibaba employees.
Ma’s readiness to make fun of himself, and speak his mind, stands in contrast to China’s often conservative corporate barons. Charismatic and energetic, this former teacher has become an inspiration to millions across China. He flunked at math but loved English, and countless books and DVDs sell his business lessons in every airport lounge.
Ma – now stars in the coming-out party for China’s private sector onto the world stage. He praises and uses Western management techniques but also quotes regularly from Chairman Mao Zedong. He is a fan of China’s kung fu novels and made those legends part of his company’s culture. He travels the world with a tai chi trainer.
His parents performed a type of musical storytelling that was banned during Mao’s devastating Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1976. Chinese parents back then, Ma’s father beat him growing up. But there were childhood pleasures, too. He liked collecting and fighting crickets, an ancient pastime that Mao also banned. Ma developed an expert ear, able to distinguish the type and size of cricket just by the sound, his friend and personal assistant at Alibaba, Chen Wei, wrote in his 2013 book on Ma.
Ma’s grandfather, a local official under the Nationalist Party that Mao defeated, was persecuted as an enemy of the Communist revolution. Ma and his relatives all suffered at that time, wrote Chinese author Zhang Yongsheng in a 2009 biography.
Starting at age 12, Ma says he awoke at 5 a.m. to walk or bicycle to Hangzhou’s main hotel so he could practice his English with foreign tourists, who started trickling into the country after Mao’s death in 1976. He did this for nine years and acted as a free tour guide to many, befriended several and later visited one family in Australia.
Those experiences opened his eyes. “I realised what they told me was quite different from what I had learned in school or heard from my parents,” Ma told Xiao-Ping Chen, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, in an interview published last year.
MA’S BELIEF IN THE INTERNET
After twice failing the national college entrance exams, Ma entered what he called “Hangzhou’s worst college.” Graduating in 1988, Ma married his college sweetheart and taught English at a local college for five years, earning $15 a month. During that time, he also applied for, and failed to land, jobs at a local KFC, a hotel and the city police.
Determined to enter business, Ma set up a translation company, but he still had to peddle goods on the street to get by. He traveled to the United States in 1995 as a translator to help a Chinese firm recover a payment. The attempt failed, and the American who owed money pulled a gun on him, Ma says. But a friend in Seattle showed Ma the Internet, and an idea began brewing.
Ma noticed there was not a single online listing for “China” and “beer,” unlike those that popped up for American and German beer. He returned to China and set up a listing site that he later sold to the government. After working in Beijing for an Internet firm under the Ministry of Commerce, Ma returned home to Hangzhou to pursue his dream.
ALIBABA FOUNDED
With the help of more than a dozen friends who pooled their resources – just $60,000 – he founded Alibaba, a business-to-business online platform. The company now makes more profit than rivals Amazon.com and e-Bay combined, as China’s burgeoning middle class are big spenders online, and small companies rely on Alibaba and its online payment system.
Ma seized opportunities as China was transforming into a market economy. At the time, the Internet was first being promoted, and small, private businesses struggled to get loans and had to compete against government-protected state firms, said economist Feng Pengcheng, director of the China Research Center for Capital Management at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
“The business model Ma Yun created in China suited the Chinese market. It might be a failure in the U.S. market, but it’s so successful in China,” Feng said. “What’s more, Ma Yun is good at cooperating with other talents. His company culture and his personal charm attracted employees, and his slogans are uplifting,” he said.
Chen Wei, Ma’s friend & personal assistant, writes:
“For a billionaire so outspoken on company and business issues, Ma says little about his family and manages to keep his private life quiet and scandal-free. Ma and his wife Zhang Ying have a son, an undergrad at the University of California-Berkeley, where Ma had audited classes. A black-and-white photo of a young Ma with his older brother and younger sister went viral this month in China’s cyberspace, as many people were unaware their richest citizen even had siblings.”
“Ma Yun’s lifestyle is very simple and modest. His hobbies are still tai chi and kung fu novels,” Chen, his friend and assistant, said last week from Boston, while accompanying Ma on Alibaba’s U.S. roadshow before the IPO.
“I don’t think he has changed much, he is still that old style. After the IPO, I am sure his lifestyle will be simpler. He won’t change,” Chen said. In his book, being published in English this month, Chen said Ma enjoys meditation in the mountains, playing poker with friends and writing his own kung fu fiction. By Ma’s own account, he believes in both Buddhism and Taoism, and follows many tenets of Confucianism.
IT’S A DIFFERENT CHINA
“My father said if you were born 30 years ago, you’d probably be in a prison, because the ideas you have are so dangerous,” Ma told Charlie Rose in a 2011 TV interview. Despite such bravado for a Western audience, Ma has always been careful in China to avoid statements and actions that could jeopardize his business.
Ma resigned last year as Alibaba’s CEO, but he clearly remains in charge as the firm’s executive chairman. He has hinted at exploring more “cultural” pursuits, such as film-making, education and environmental protection.
“One issue facing China is that people’s wallets are bulging, but their heads are empty,” he told Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post last year. Ma also promises more philanthropy, including what may be China’s largest charity foundation. Expect to hear plenty more from maverick Ma.
Let this be an inspiration to all.
I am but an average man in the street who once emailed Alibaba over a year ago about purchasing an Ab-Exercising Machine, but till today I keep receiving brochures & other info from the Company.
The 9/11 attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, the mystery of which still hangs in the air. Believably, it’s a ploy & strategy for US justification to strike at others.
It’s moronic, insane & totally unthinkable for any country in the world to dare to invade or attack the US with all its war weapons & sophisticated military technology, nuclear power & capabilities, war ships & plane fighters, its fleet of aircraft carriers, its thousands of military bases covering the surface of the world. It would be suicidal & absolutely insane to say the least.
However, US is contradictorily telling the world that its national safety & security are being threatened. It’s driving itself like crazy to war with Russia, creating turmoil , chaos & instability just about everywhere. Its gutter level of propaganda is unimaginable.
President Obama, recipient of the Nobel Prize Award for Peace, has waged more wars than his predecessor Bush, besides constantly threatening wars on others. This is really ironic & laughable for he should be expected to promote peace rather than war. Shouldn’t his Nobel Prize be withdrawn?
There’s an old adage to make friends rather than enemies for even one enemy may turn out to be everywhere you turn. The Chinese are being wise extending peace & goodwill wherever they go – building, developing & sharing with other nations the prospect of prosperity. It’s clear to see the American are doing the reverse laying waste & destruction.
The American are indeed following the footstep of Islam, as invented by Prophet Mohammad, not as a religion of peace but as to justify his aggregation of worldly power & wealth.
If the American act as though all Muslims are evil, they run the risk of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are well educated Muslims who generally are decent & peace-loving who deserve human respect & friendship.
Smile begets smile. Aggression begets aggression. That’s the natural law in operation. The same goes towards making friends or enemies.
I am no politician but like most observers will perceive, US is driving in all possible directions to provoke Russia to war over the question of Ukraine. Good thing that Russia has the good sense to remain cool & patient. Both countries have nuclear capabilities. Should there be a war, both will be annihilated.
China is not a hostile country. It certainly does not come near to compare with the might & power of US military. China quite easily is still 20 years behind the US in terms of military capabilities & technology. Given US technical assets, it will be a long way before China stands head over shoulder in this respect . . . unless China has had made some secret serious strides in the last few years.
What is there for US to fear except fear itself. Let’s hope US is not acting like a lame tiger in the jungle of survival, desperately pouncing & devouring on every animal big or small.
Hong Kong Chinese Singing & Dancing With Motherland China
“All That Glitters IsNot Gold” is a poem written by J. R. R. Tolkien for his fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. It is a verified truism meaning that not everything that looks precious or true turns out to be so. The phrase is appicable to people, places, or things & political systems that promise to be more than they really are. The expression, in various forms, originated in or before the 12th century and may date back to Aesop. In William Shakespeare‘s play “The Merchant of Venice”, a line therein employs the word “glisters,” a 17th-century synonym for “glitters” which renders this saying its popularity.
Gold in its raw form appears dull and does not glitter. Panning for gold often results in finding pyrite, aka fool’s gold, which reflects substantially more light than does authentic gold.
Western democracy is not the be-all & end-all of the government system. For all its faults & follies, US – self-acclaimed as the champion of democracy – is intimidating others to follow suit.
Western Democracy, as practised in the West particularly in the US, isn’t as precious as deemed to be. It is shattering, chaotic, unequally representative, manipulated by the rich & powerful, controlled by big corporations and manned by diplomats & politicians with fork tongues. Lies & hidden agenda are evident everywhere. Instead of spreading peace & goodwill, western democracy is spreading war & destruction. Compare what the Chinese government is planning & doing in building, developing & sharing globally as against the intimidation & forces of destruction unleashed by the US.
Western democracy does not guarantee fairness & justice irrespective of colour, class or creed. US is probably the most corrupt nation in the world and in more & bigger ways than any others. Relatively, US has more poor & impoverished people than China. Read “How China lifted 500 million people out of extreme poverty” at http://skollworldforum.org/2014/03/13/china-lifted-500-million-people-extreme-poverty/.
This number of 500 million lifted out of poverty is greater than the total population of US! This speaks volume for the Chinese Communist government . . . an incredible performance with none to compare. This is but only one aspect of China’s achievements.
If the protesting Chinese students in Hong Kong (Occupy Central or Umbrella Movement) are seeking to find gold at the end of the end of the western rainbow, they will be much disillusioned. Right now Hong Kong Chinese may be craving for democracy without realising the pros & cons of the system. They may not even catch sight of the rainbow, let alone seeking for it.
Internationally, there has been a growing understanding that the Chinese government has never been a monolith, but since Deng Xiaoping’s era Chinese government officials are receptive & open to outside ideas that are well tested & proven relevant to China’s specific circumstances & needs. It’s logical to adapt, adjust & adopt in accordance to your own circumstances & requirements.
China is practising a unique brand of democracy, born out of needs & historical circumstances. The Mainland Chinese are no “monkies/monkeys” simply aping the West. They have the benefits of hindsight and the wisdom of some 5,000 years of civilisation. In fact, no visitor to China can today find any sign of communism.
China is blooming, growing & prospering. It does so all within only one whole generation – a feat unsurpassed by any other country, not UK nor US. With prevailing peace, stability & harmony, further growth & progress can be achieved.
China has come a long way. This is just the beginning. The best is yet to come. More than 100 million people still remain in dire poverty in rural areas. China is rendering its vast resources to change the face of China & the world and no doubt Hong Kong is not forgotten.
Hong Kong Chinese would be wise to close all its umbrellas, pack up & go back to their books & class/lecture rooms and be prepared to stand proud as Chinese. China has a more secured & protective umbrella for the Hong Kong Chinese. Ultimately, “ask not what China can do for you, but what you do for China.” In so doing, you’d be carving your name in China’s history.
“Democracy” should be rightly spelt as “Demo-crazy”.
Don’t be British stooges nor be the “running dogs” of US
Hong Kongers, Hong Kongese or Hongkees, whatever name the people in Hong Kong like to be known as, are like “frogs in the well” . . . so confined & restricted in their outlook that they don’t know the realities of life in the outside world. For far too long (156 stolen years) they have been “kidnapped, forcibly occupied, indoctrinated & influenced by an evil imperial regime whose domination is no less evil in India, Malaysia & other colonies.
You know the world would have been a better place now if Adam & Eve hadn’t failed to disobey God about eating the forbidden fruit. Western media are more cunning & devious than the Devil in controlling the hearts & minds of people. It is not the object of this writing to detail their acts, but the diagram below demonstrates clearly the whole propaganda machine at the disposal of US & its puppets:
For example, Hana Alberts, an editor & writer for Forbes & alternatively for the weekly HK Magazine, must have got rocks in his head when he wrote in his article “We Are All Hongkongers” of a “borrowed place living on borrowed time”. This is clearly a journalistic lie & propaganda of western media to create instability & further insinuating with the question of constantly ”struggling with identity issues”.
If the people in Hong Kong know their root & genealogy, they will understand that they are Chinese . . . yes, nothing but Chinese with ancestral ties in Mainland China. A large part of them are Cantonese, having come from the province of Guangdong. The national language medium of Mandarin is understood by most in Hong Kong. There’s no question of “identity issues.” Before taking flight, you must fundamentally know your root.
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” This clearly illustrates the notion that things cannot change their innate nature.
Hong Kong was & is part of China. It was the British who usurped Hong Kong through an unfair treaty. Britain was evil & avaricious to gain a foothold onto China and for 156 years ruled Hong Kong without democracy or free speech. In fact, the Chinese were treated as “dogs”. There were privileged clubs & designated areas where “Chinese & Dogs Are Prohibited”. Humiliation suffered by the people then may not be known by the present generation of Hong Kong. Many would not have known of the humiliation of opium addiction because of the evil trading of the British East India Company. Hopefully, the Chinese in Hong Kong are no longer “sick” oblivious & still craving for opium deviously introduced by the British.
There is no question of “borrowed time”. Hong Kong is China’s. Its sovereignty lies with China. With due respect & honour, peace & goodwill, no other western power should intervene or interfere with China’s internal affairs. Of course, outside forces are just waiting for things to go wrong, but China is no longer the “sick man” of Asia (all because of opium).
China is changing. It is not perfect, but will get better & better with the passage of time. No Utopia or Shangrila exists in this world. In fact, no visitor to Hong Kong or China can visibly fathom or see any evidence of “communistic characteristics”. Under the “one country two systems”, the Rule of Law, free speech & the right to protest are protected . . . something which the Hong Kong people never had under the British. The idea of any kind of democracy was first introduced by the Chinese government with adopting the Basic Law in 1990 including the commitment that in 2017 the territory’s chief executive would be elected by universal suffrage. It also spelt out the nomination of candidates would be a matter for a nominating committee. Democracy activists claim that China’s plans will allow it to screen out the candidates it doesn’t want.
Hong Kong people are forgetting that all its past 28 governors were appointed by the British government & was ruled from 6,000 miles away in London. All colonies failed to realise the suffering of classical exploitation with “drainage” trade benefiting the colonial masters.
There are complicated problems that require great long term insight & administrative skills, so decisions cannot be hastily made nor can it be trusted to the average Chinese citizens. The Chinese system of governance/democracy has won favour with lots of global academicians. Need I say more . . . results of economic growth & development in the last thirty years speak louder than words. Hong Kong no doubt has had its fair share.
I fail to understand the Hong Kong people’s resentment at mainlander’s success & the extent of looking down on the mainlanders – their own kind. This is really deplorable.
It’s a civil disobedience movement which began in Hong Kong on September 28, 2014. It calls for thousands of protestors to block roads & paralyse Hong Kong’s financial district if the Beijing & Hong Kong governments do not agree to implement universal suffrage for the chief executive election 2017 & the Legislative Council elections in 2020 according to “international standards.” The movement was initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, in January 2013.
Millions have been lost since this Occupy Central started. Occupy Central was to be carried out with Love & Peace. But in exercising their rights to assemble, they are encroaching upon the rights of others. It’s unlawful when you deprive others of their livelihood such as the taxi drivers, bus drivers, business operators & others. This upheaval is causing Hong Kong to lose its role as the gateway to China
The Law has been more than patient. In the 17 years since the return, China has, whatever the gainsayers might suggest, overwhelmingly honoured its commitment to the principle of “one country, two systems”. The same mus understandably be shown by these young protestors. The golden era enjoyed by the Hong Kong people is not result of the British but of the Chinese.
Hong Kong got rich because of China. It fed an ego & an arrogant attitude when the Hong Kong Chinese came to enjoy a much higher standard of living than the mainlanders. This resulted in their arrogance of looking down on the mainlanders as being inferior peasants, poor, ignorant & uncouth. To look down on your own kind is unforgivable and they want to be associated with the westerners because of material wealth or status.
Shanghai, Shenzhen & Guangzhou would soon surpass Hong Kong. Initially, China might have needed Hong Kong but it is not really as true now. Hong Kong now would be in trouble without China. Since the return of Hong Kong China has given more & more without taking even the taxes. Hong Kong Chinese are enjoying a life style all mainlanders would be envy of.
You are urged to stop monkeying around. All things considered, stop being idealistic but be pragmatic. Hong Kong is the “Pearl of the Orient”. Don’t spoil it. China is proud of it & would do no harm to it. China is Hong Kong’s future.
UPDATE
AS ON 4 NOVEMBER 2014
HK RESIDENTS COLLECTED
1,835,793 SIGNATURES
AGAINST THE PROTESTORS
SOURCE: CCTV
oKong governments do not agre
US Now Admits it is Funding “Occupy Central” in Hong Kong (The Washington Post 1/10/2014)
Here’s one proposal for China to add to its many giant infrastructures that are reshaping the global landscape. It will certainly counter all the propaganda adversities constantly advocated by the aggressive West bent on regime changes under the guise of democracy, fighting terrorism,regime tyranny, the laughable weapons of mass destruction, intervening & disrespecting all sovereignties of lesser nations . . . all too conveniently camouflaging their own hidden agenda.
Instead of GREED & AGGRESSION
why not PEACE & GOODWILL?
Human beings are not animals nor enemies . . . Why these ceaseless wars? Wars achieve nothing except atrocities, destruction, mass suffering & misery. Peace is the greatest achievement & prize of mankind to ensure a harmonious world of prosperity for all.
Instead of warships & aircraft carriers, the very weapons of mass destruction, the seas & oceans could be floating with ships of friendship, which all ports of call would welcome. Floating megaships that could serve as “Marine Ambassadors” or “China’s Ships of Peace & Goodwill” calling on BRICS members, friendly ports & countries towards building peace & harmony, sharing plans for economic growth & prosperity, financial help & assistance on a win-win situation.
These megaships could well be “Cruise Ships” for fun loving holiday makers, but to be well equipped with facilities for trading, cultural exchanges to build & foster relationships, promoting goodwill & friendship, sharing sort of like a permanent expo of human advances & technologies.
In line with Xi Jinping’s recreation of the “Maritime Silk Route” these megaships would be fulfilling the same purpose. They would be showing to the world at large what a wonderful that this could be.
To begin with, one could sail the eastern seas & oceans with one other covering the West. The days of “inward looking” are no more! Maritime Silk Route will further open up China . . . linking & sharing its prosperity with the world.
The Chinese have traditionally known the medicine values of Goji berries.
Eating these berries on a regular basis supplies antioxidant and anti aging effects, protect the liver; supports eye health and enhance vision, strengthen the immune system and build formidable body and promote cardiovascular health. Also helps in prevention of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and many other diseases.
Delectable sweet red Goji berries are considered to be the most nutritious food source which contains high proteins and carbs. However, do not confuse Goji berries to wolfberries which are somewhat bitter & do not belong to the same Solonaceae family. Largely grown in rich valleys in the Tibetan and Mongolian Himalayas & China, these red berries consist of the greatest nutritional values that render the body fit and healthy.
The Goji Berry juice is officially certified as being free from contaminants and chemicals. The berries are dehydrated in semi shade. Goji berries are not harvested by hand, but instead gathered by shaking the vines because contact with hands causes to loose some of their nutritional potency.
Important edges of berries are that they replenish the stores of nutrients in the body, give boundless energy, invigorate good health and support optimum nutrient amounts. Goji berries include zinc, copper, iron, calcium, germanium selenium, phosphorus and many most abundant sources of carotenoids, including beta-carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B6 and vitamin E. polysaccharide the strong secretagogue a material in berries stimulates the secretion to rejuvenate human growth hormone by the pituitary gland and also fortify the immune system. Goji berries comprise about 11mg or iron per 100 grams, beta-sisterol an anti inflammatory agent, linoleic acid a fatty acid, sesquiterpenoids and betaine.
Sweet yummy Goji berry juice is an auger effective stress buster and tension reliever. It supplies more edge for those people who are suffering from obesity. It makes to feel less hungry and decreases the desire to eat more food. It greatly works on losing weight & all the while enhancing the overall energy levels in the body. The natural anti-inflammatory is another quality of Goji berry. (For more info, kindly see the site gojipro). This fruit juice is especially helpful to guys due to the tendency to provide considerable virility increases by lowering muscular degeneration levels and in maintaining healthy arteries. Goji berry juice supplies the body to combat arthritis with an increased ability as well as helps reverses infertility among girls.
Goji berry juice is entirely free from side effects that blight medications made out of chemicals and other materials. Red Goji berries and juice mostly stands on its three columns known as huge medicinal values, enjoyable flavor and zero side effects. It’s tremendously beneficial to individuals experiencing diseases that are chronic.
It’s been said that by consuming just a little bit of this fruit on a daily basis, an individual’s life span can be extended.
Goji are taken in dried form or as tea and soups. The principal ingredients are zeaxanthin, and beta carotene, carotenoids.
Research studies show that Goji berries are very helpful in controlling the spread of cancer, by inhibiting its cell reproduction ability. They also help to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
You might experience some unfavorable side effects, if you are taking any drugs that have anti coagulants. Hence, always check with your doctor before beginning experimenting with nutritional supplements or any new health drinks.
The take-off from the newly-opened Daocheng Yading Airport should be a relatively short affair.
Standing at 4,411 metres above sea level it is already half the height of a plane’s average cruising altitude.
Perched in the mountainous Tibetan region of south-west Sichuan Province, China‘s newest hub has broken the record for highest civilian airport in the world.
Touching down: Local Tibetans wave hada, or traditional silk scarves, as they greet the first group of passengers at Daocheng Yading Airport. It takes the title from Qamdo Bamda Airport, also in Tibet, which sits at 4,334 metres.
Star appeal: Tibetans took pictures of themselves in front of the Air China flight
The first Air China flight arrived at the 1.58 billion yuan (£164million) airport on Monday to great fanfare and locals were seen taking photos of themselves on the runway.
The airport was built to connect the Garzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture with the capital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu.
Travel between the two used to take two days by bus, but has now been reduced to a one-hour flight.
Mountain retreat: Yading Nature Reserve is a site of Tibetan pilgrimage
Designed to handle 280,000 passengers a year, China hopes the airport will encourage tourism to the Yading Nature Reserve, a mountainous area that is a site for Tibetan pilgrimage.
Three of the snowy peaks – Mount Yangmaiyong, Mount Xiaruoduijie, and Mount Xianairi – were sanctified by the 5th Dalai Lama and the area is known for being barely touched by outside influence.
The Chinese government hopes to attract 15 million tourists to the Tibetan regions by 2015, which would bring two billion yuan (£205million) into the country.
However, both the tourism plan and airport are controversial, as they help to further Chinese political control in Tibet.
The number of self-immolation incidents carried out by monks and protestors over Chinese rule has risen in the past two years, leading China to close the border to foreign visitors on several occasions.
Tibet declared its independence from China in 1913, but the Chinese army re-entered the country in 1950, bringing it back under Chinese power.
The Tibetan head of the Buddhist religion, the Dalai Lama, fled to India in 1959 and has since led calls from Tibet to regain its independence and for the protection of the Tibetan culture from Chinese influence.
On the back of ongoing movie theater building in China, Wang’s Dalian Wanda Group bought North America’sAMC Entertainment last year for $2.6 billion, making it the largest exhibitor in the world.
Wang Jianlin, chairman of China’s largest commercial property developer Dalian Wanda Group — along with several rapidly expanding entertainment subsidiaries — is now China’s richest person, according to the latest
Wang’s net worth is estimated to be $14.2 billion, which places him $3.2 billion wealthier than China’s second-richest individual, Zong Qinghou, founder of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, China’s third biggest beverage maker.
Last year, Wang’s Dalian Wanda acquired North American cinema chain AMC Entertainment for $2.6 billion, making the company the largest movie exhibitor in the world. Apart from the AMC theaters, Wanda’s entertainment subsidiary has more than 500 cinemas with 6,000 screens in China, plus 68 karaoke bars, live performance venues, theme parks and an increasingly active film production and distribution business. The company’s latest film, the Qing Dynasty love story, Under the Hawthorn Tree, opened in China last Tuesday. The company’s other recent production credits include Keanu Reeves‘ directorial debut and Chinese co-production, Man of Tai Chi, which Radius opens in North America this fall.
Wang’s and Wanda’s entertainment holdings amount to just $1.3 billion of the tycoon’s net worth. The vast majority of his wealth sits in Wanda’s vast real estate empire, which has 148 million square feet of commercial property under management, worth $7.4 billion. The conglomerate’s department store subsidiary, meanwhile, is valued at $5.6 billion. Through direct ownership, various shell companies and investment vehicles, Wang and his family own 100 percent of Dalian Wanda Group.
Wang’s personal biography is one of the great rags to mind-boggling riches stories of contemporary China. Born to a military family in the country’s Sichuan province near Tibet, the 58-year-old tycoon endured the depravations and food shortages of the cultural revolution era as a child. Following his father, who fought against the Imperial Japanese, he left school as a teenager and entered the military and served for 16 years. In the early 1990s he was honorably discharged and started work for a struggling real estate developer in the country’s north east, which he soon took over and branded Dalian Wanda. Perfectly timed to China’s historic economic boom, the company’s expansion has been relentless.
Now at the pinnacle of the Chinese business world, Wang’s ambitions remain aggressive. In June he acquired British mega-yacht maker Sunseeker – whose luxury watercraft are featured in the James Bond movies – for $1.6 billion. He now owns 40 five-star hotels and plans to double that number by 2015. He has also said he intends to increase his commercial property under management by 68 percent by the end of 2014.
Part of the ongoing commercial real estate expansion includes steady construction of more cinemas. Last month, the company’s exhibition unit, Wanda Cinema Line Corp. partnered with Imax, ordering up to 120 new giant screen theaters for the expansion of its shopping mall network and commercial centers across China, making it Wanda’s largest international exhibition partner. Wanda has also previously expressed interest in purchasing a European cinema chain.
Paul Chong Thursday, 5 October 2017
Have you heard of the greatest story ever revealed here on earth? It’s of a nation that was once historically great with a civilisation unmatched by any others, held in awe by all, conquered when weak followed by a period of humiliation & destruction not just by one enemy but a host of western power with superior war weapons of mass destruction. Worst were the Japanese calling China “the sick man of Asia” and the British publicly declaring the Chinese as equivalent to “dogs”. There are things which are forgivable but not forgettable, especially when the perpetrators keep on denying & unapologetic.
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