Articles by Helen Chang

HIGHLIGHTS OF PASCO’S ONLINE-HELD ANNUAL MEETING THIS YEAR

On November 29, 2020, PASCO (Promotion Association for Scientific and Technical Cooperation between Austria and China) held its annual meeting per Zoom platform, abiding by the corresponding policies by the Austrian government due to the Covid-19 situation. Around 60 participants including the invited guests attended the online activity, enjoying the rich program highlighted by the expert lectures, this year unmistakeably on the topic of COVID-19. PASCO is a talent hub based in Vienna, Graz and Leoben in Austria, striving for bridging scientific and technical projects of mutual interest between Europe and China. It is well connected with other associations for…


Beethoven Forever —- “An die ferne Geliebte”

This year of 2020 was to commemorate Beethoven’s 250 birthday. The Vienna music world prepared numerous related music events/feasts without realizing them due to the rampant continuation of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet two young men took a brave move to pay homage to the master despite of the glooming atmosphere around the famous Musikverein mansion. The evening of October 10th saw the highlight of an energetic and dedicating concert entitled “An die ferne Geliebte” (To the distant beloved, Op. 98). Amid the touching applause of the audience, Mr. Byron YUE and Mr. Di YANG bowed and smiled broadly, knowing that…


A Lesson Vienna Should Learn after the Terrorist Attack

On November 2, 2020, Vienna was hit by a terrorist attack. 4 people were killed and 23 injured, of which more than 10 in critical situation. As a top livable city, Vienna enjoys a worldwide reputation for safety, tranquility, elegance, tolerance and good public infrastructure. The attack in this peaceful city is not only shocking, but also beyond belief.   The attack took place the night before the curfew ordered by the Austrian government due to the worsening situation of Covid-19. Many citizens came to the city center to enjoy the last-hour freedom in a “carnival” like mood. The area…


BACOPA’s Video Presentation of Prof. Wolfgang Kubin

A series of recent short videos presented by the Austrian Book Publisher BACOPA offer the viewers great moments of the well-known German scholar as well as Chinese expert, Professor Wolfgang Kubin reading literary passages of his friends as well as his own works. Professor Kubin has always adopted a philosophical perspective to study Chinese literature and intellectual mentality, which draws curiosity and oddity in his own homeland. The interview with the publisher, Mr. Walter Fehlinger, opens the heart of the Professor as half an Austria, too. Enjoy!


UN Secretary-General’s Message on 75th Anniversary of UN Charter

Today we face a global pandemic.   Worldwide, people rightly raise their voices against racism.   Confronting problems is a start. But we also have to solve them.   We have a timeless guide to tackle our shared challenges and fix the world’s fragilities.   That guide is the United Nations Charter.   The Charter was signed 75 years ago – and its principles ring just as true today.   Faith in fundamental human rights.   The equal rights of men and women.   The dignity and worth of every person.   International law and the peaceful settlement of disputes….


Governments and International Organizations Together to Address Economic Challenges and Sustainability Related to COVID-19

  Governments and international organizations come together to address economic challenges and sustainability High-level event on financing solutions related to COVID-19 NEW YORK, 28 May (UN Information Service) — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, will convene world leaders and international organizations today in a joint initiative to sharpen and accelerate our global response to the significant economic and human impacts of COVID-19, and advance concrete solutions to the development emergency. This pandemic requires a large-scale, coordinated, comprehensive multilateral response to support countries in need, enabling…


Will Europe Face Food-Shortages?

In the shadow of the COVID-19 lockdown, food issues have become a major concern of the international community. As of 19. April this year, more than a dozen countries in the world have imposed export restrictions on agricultural products, including Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey. The produces restricted or suspended include wheat, rice, eggs, potatoes, onions and buckwheat, etc.. Meanwhile, due to insufficient manpower and problems in the supply chain caused by the epidemic, agricultural products in many countries have been hampered in harvest or cannot be shipped out in a timely manner. Will the human world face…


The Awakening of Viennese Spring in the Eyes of YU Feng

The COVID-19 lockdown since mid-March has brought the artists in Vienna to a standstill. The galleries are closed. The exhibitions are cancelled. The get-together are postponed… While the existential question is being pushed more and more to the front desk, the artists rarely allow themselves to be let down by it. They are free in their own creative world. So is the Chinese painter Yu Feng who has spent the last 30 years in Vienna, considering this rich cultural capital as his true second home. The lockdown brought him to the more serious pondering of the relationship between human beings and…


The Language of Mud Sculpture by ZHANG Zhenfu

Mud sculpture, a unique art form in China, has found a new language with its subjects at the time of the rampant COVID-19. A well-known and multiple prize-winner sculptor from Henan Province, Mr. ZHANG Zhenfu, carved a series of figures among whom the “whistleblower” LI Wenliang, the doctor in Wuhan who died of the new coronavirus. While the pandemic is gradually coming under control, those key medical experts in China who have been working hard on finding out more truth bout COVID-19 have entered the sculpturor’s heart. One of them is Mr. ZHONG Nanshan. During the course of lockdown, thousands…


Effective TCM Medicine against COVID-19

In the campaign against COVID-19, the traditional Chinese medicine has up to now contributed a lot to successfully put some cases under control. According to a report by the newspaper China Daily, the following recipes are proved to be effective to a certain extent.   Jinhua Qinggan Granule(金花清感颗粒) Jinhua Qinggan Granule was developed during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. It consists of 12 herbal components including honeysuckle, mint and licorice, and can clear heat and detoxify lungs. It has a curative effect in treating mild and moderate patients and can also improve the recovery rate of lymphocyte and white blood…