Articles by Helen Chang

Interview with Prof. Wolfgang Kubin, A Dialogue

On 18. January 2022, SINOPRESS held an interview with Prof. Wolfgang Kubin, one of today’s most influential Chinese experts. A scholar with more than 200 publications, Prof. Kubin defined himself first of all as a poet. In the interview, he talked about his time in Beijing, his memory of Vienna, Berlin, Bonn, and his longing for returning to Shantou University where he finds his happiness right now. The talk touched German philosophy, Western music and Chinese poetry, embracing the shared opinion in understanding the human nature and finding abode in transcending oneself. An inspiring journey into life and its enlightenment….


Beijing Winter Olympic Games 2022 Encountering Chinese Spring Festival

The 24th Winter Olympic Games will kick off in Beijing on February 4, 2022. The three competition areas of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou have respectively completed their independent Olympic Villages, each with its own characteristics. Health issue is essential in the concept of the construction, which strives to make the athletes feel safe, at ease and comfortable. Being the “home” of the world’s top ice and snow athletes during the Winter Olympics, the three major Beijing competition regions have made full preparations for the food, clothing, housing and transportation in the Winter Olympic Villages. The “Winter Olympics Menu”, a diversity…


UN Secretary-General’s Message for the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime

  On occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime, 9. December 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a message to the world: On this day, every year, we honour the memory of the victims of genocide and other atrocity crimes, and we rededicate ourselves to preventing these horrendous acts. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide has given us a better understanding of early warning signs and risk factors.  Yet, today, genocide remains a very real threat.  The international community…


“Human Rights in Afghanistan” Organization Held its First Online Event

  On 20. October, the newly established organization “Human Rights in Afghanistan” with the objectives of knowing and investigating the human rights situation in Afghanistan, studying the causes and seeking solutions, informing and connecting with the Afghan population to learn about their situation, held their first online event. The event was attended by more than 70 participants around the world. The two-hour long discussion with five speakers followed by some questions of the listeners concentrated on such topic as the general situation of human rights today, political decisions and how they affect civilian populations, the military presence in Afghanistan in…


The Legend and Poetry on the Moon Festival

Today (21. 09. 2021), a traditional festival is celebrated in China with the beautiful full moon in the sky and the delicious moon cakes in the hand. The festival is called the Mid-Autumn Festival (or Moon Festival), that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar. A legend about the festival tells a story of a fairy maiden named Chang’e, who flew to the moon and lives hence there with a cute white rabbit. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, family members would get together to enjoy the moon (which is supposed…


Announcement of Online Forum on “Nobel Peace Prize and Peace-Making”

We are proud to announce the upcoming forum on Friday, 17. September, 2021 on the topic of „ Nobel Peace Prize and Peace-Making””, an event co-organized by URBAN FORUM and SINOPRESS.   Time: 3.30pm – 5.00pm CET Venue: Online Conference ZOOM Link: https://zoom.us/j/93279832199?pwd=Y1IwRVM2eFR5VXJ6WG85YUZOdUxrZz09 Meeting-ID: 932 7983 2199 Passcode: 631772   Agenda: Early this year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated that 329 candidates have been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Among the announced individuals and organizations are NATO, Alexei Navalny, Black Lives Matter, Martin Lee and Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, etc… The question is: What is the ultimate goal…


Privacy vs. Security in a Brave New World

  Privacy vs. Security in a Brave New World — Pegasus spyware and the problem of electronic mass surveillance for human rights and democracy By Mag. David Kainrath   Recent revelations about the Pegasus spyware are just the latest in a long row of disconcerting news of digital mass surveillance. At the heart of the problem lies the technological possibility for governments and companies to put everyone under complete electronic surveillance and thereby violate the human right to privacy. Apart from the severe loss of personal freedom that every individual suffers who is a victim of electronic spying, a political…


UN Statement on IPCC Report upon Global Heating

On 9. August 2021, The UN Secretary-General António Guterres made a statement on the IPCC working group I report on the physical science basis of the sixth assessment: Today’s IPCC Working Group 1 Report is a code red for humanity.  The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable:  greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.  Global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible. The internationally agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius is perilously close. We are at imminent…


Review of Forum on “the Role of NGOs in the Course of Human Civilization”

On Wednesday, 30. June, 2021, 10 NGOs from Switzerland, Israel, Hungary and Austria respectively gathered together for an online forum on the topic of „The Role of NGOs in the Course of Human Civilization”, an event co-organized by URBAN FORUM and SINOPRESS, moderated by Ms MMag. Alice Schmatzberger from ChinaCultureDesk. Topics discussed during the forum included problems in protecting human rights under international humanitarian law, definition and realization of human rights, role of cultural differences in interpreting human rights, security and human rights, hegemonial power and double moral standard, and the role of NGOs in the future course of humanity,…


Forum on „The Role of NGOs in the Course of Human Civilization”

  We are proud to announce the upcoming forum on Wednesday, 30. June, 2021 focusing on the topic of „The Role of NGOs in the Course of Human Civilization”, an event co-organized by URBAN FORUM and SINOPRESS.   Time: 10am – 11.30am CET Venue: Online Conference ZOOM Link:  https://zoom.us/j/98457057125   Agenda: Surfing the internet these days, one can easily find innumerable amounts of NGOs dedicating to the course of human civilization, maintaining the decency of humanity, bringing to attention the forgotten parts of the world, fighting for human rights and offering a helping hand wherever necessary. As is justified, human…