November 2019

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…