2019

Stop Distorting the Image of the Chinese Community in Austria

Last weekend, I ran into an article in the Austrian mainstream newspaper “der Standard” entitled “Wien’s verborgenes Chinatown” or “Unter dem Radar: Wiens chinesische Community abseits der Teigtascherlmafia” (its website). It’s indeed a pity that the author of this article held such a distorted view of the Chinese community in Vienna. By citing a few negative cases, he is generalizing the image of the community and misleading the reader to a wrong interpretation of the reality. The majority of the Chinese living in Vienna as well as other parts of Austria has been conforming well to the rules and laws…


From the Village of Men to the Daughter Tree

The simple background of the countryside houses, the crisscrossed muddy paths, the vast endless fields, in between the real yet metaphorical human figures, half in shadow, half exposed in sunlight … India, an ancient and mysterious country, a country not lacking attraction and charm! But it is the country with the most imbalanced birth ratio of men and women in the world: 1000-750. By 2020, 32 million single men in India will not be able to find a wife. How did this situation come into being? The 2019 Rama Rau documentary “The Daughter Tree” draws a shocking but realistic picture….


50 Years of Municipal Science, Book Presentation by Urban Forum

On 12. November, Urban Forum with Bernhard Müller as its president held a book presentation event at the Wirtschaftsmuseum in Vienna, introducing the new book “50 Jahre Kommunalwissenschaft” (50 Years of Municipal Science). The evening enjoyed the presence of quite a number of important participants in the fields of academia, economy, politics and diplomacy. As the publisher, Mr. Müller, ex-mayor of Wiener Neustadt, moderated the event and gave a brief introduction to the book. Topics on public space, health, housing, education and more are by all means essential when talking about municipal science. Gerhard Schmid, a member of Vienna Municipal…


Qianxinan in Guizhou, China‘s World-Class Mountain Sports Destination

A look at the landscape of Qianxinan in Guizhou Province, is indeed breath-taking. Located at south-west China, the region has a variety of most fascinating geographic features. Right now, the world is opening the eyes to the region‘s internationally-oriented sports like hiking, cycling, SUV crossing, skating, rafting and fishing. From the 29th to 30th of October, the 2019 International Mountain Tourism & Outdoor Sports Conference was held in Xingyi, Guizhou Province, an autonomous prefecture where Buyi and Miao minorities live. The conference brought together over 1,200 guests from around 56 countries/regions including Russia, the U.S., the UK, Japan, South Korea…


Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China

  Today, the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China is held at the Tian’anmen Square in Beijing. The magnificent military parade is divided into four major categories: aerial flag bearing units, infantry formations, military hardware and aircraft, according to China Daily. The showcase includes around 15,000 military personnel, 160 aircraft, 580 military hardware, 59 formations and joint military band in total, making it the biggest military parade in recent history. For the 15 infantry formations, troopers march in square formations representing various branches of the military, including researchers, female soldiers, military reserves,…


Are Killer Robots Going to Be Killer of Human Civilization?

As early as 2013, the United Nations has been calling for a global moratorium on lethal autonomous robotics, weapons systems that can select and kill targets without a human being directly issuing a command. But according to Time Magazine, China and the US are fighting a major battle over killer robots and the future of AI, simultaneously working on the technology while trying to use international law as a limit against their competitors. Being more and more intimidating, the issue of AI killer robots has raised huge concerns during the related yearly UN meeting in Geneva. In August this year,…


Nano Technology for Korean Di Qi Ren Red Ginseng Powder

According to the report of Zhongwai News Agency in South Korea, the famous Korean ginseng brand “Di Qi Ren (Human of Earth Energy)” is entering Shanghai duty-free shops in China this year. Mr.YIN Zhongyuan, the representative of the company, introduced the ginseng products, saying that there are about 32 effective components in Ginsenoside, the main ingredient of Korean red ginseng. The continuous research results of the scholars have not only explained the chemical structure of the ginseng, but also proved its pharmacological activeness. In particular, Korean red ginseng has excellent effects in anti-cancer, anti-oxidation and cholesterol lowering. But “Di Qi…


A Brief Look into Professor Dr. Johann Günther’s New Book „Changes in a Generation”

How to reflect on the last decades? Professor Dr. Johann Günther’s new book „Changes in a Generation” (German original: “Veränderungen in einer Generation“, Freya, 2019) is offering the reader a wide range of answers with essays by 35 authors from 15 countries in different fields, including science, culture, business and politics. Writers, artists, philosophers, musicians, theologians, journalists, managers and technicians all had their say in the book. But it was not just the professional backgrounds that gave the colorful picture and unique touch for this retrospective book, Professor Güntherstressed, it was the authors with different cultural backgrounds who opened the…


Macron and his G7 in Biarritz

This year’ G7 Summit, held from 24 to 26 August in Biarritz, France, ended in rare harmony. The Group of 7 (G7) was established in 1975 with countries including France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. G7 expanded in 1998 by Russia’s inclusion to the G8. On March 25, 2014, the other members expelled Russia due to the annexation of Crimea and returned to the format of the G7. Now, EU is also considered part of the summit. As world powers, G7 member states represent 45% of the global economy. What’s more important, they share…


The First Chinese Girl with SEAD Scholarship

As one of the world’s top dance academies, SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) opened its heart to a girl from China this summer, offering her a full scholarship as an award to her excellent dancing. This is the first scholarship ever offered to a Chinese dancer. Miss Chen Xianjing, a 14-year-old girl from Nanshan District Student Ballet of Shenzhen, was the lucky one. Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in Austria has a wide range of students from more than 30 countries around the world. As a high-niveaued academy, only 20 international students are invited each year, among them are…