Sustainability challenges raised by built environment development are two-folds: on the inflow side these include resource depletion and emission problems due to material production (pre-use); on... Show moreSustainability challenges raised by built environment development are two-folds: on the inflow side these include resource depletion and emission problems due to material production (pre-use); on the outflow side they include problems of construction and demolition waste (after-use). Understanding how the future construction inflow and demolition outflow will develop is essential for early recognition of these problems. A traditional approach is through extrapolation, which is risky because changes of trends may occur. A Dynamic Material Flow Analysis approach, based on the Law of Mass Preservation, provides a better framework for long-term projection. The challenge is to understand the dynamics of the built environment stocks. It is especially true for the emerging countries, where the combined influences of rapid economic development and urbanization have to be considered but are yet rarely investigated. This thesis develops the currently available approaches by including general socio-economic and specific urbanization-driven factors in China. Case studies on Chinese housing stock dynamics indicate: demolition activities in Chinese cities will continue to grow throughout the rest of the 21st century; a shrinking demand for residential steel may be expected over the next few decades, which may lead to a decrease in global steel consumption of up to 10%. Show less
The history of children in medieval China, as in other parts of the world and in pre-modern times, stands in marked contrast to the traditional areas of historical inquiry such as the history of... Show moreThe history of children in medieval China, as in other parts of the world and in pre-modern times, stands in marked contrast to the traditional areas of historical inquiry such as the history of the state, the history of the economy or intellectual history. Children generally do not have political power or economic influence; they do not write about their own lives, but instead appear in the writings of adults. Yet, children are a critical part of the social order. This thesis discusses the major topics concerning children that stand out in medieval Chinese sources, namely children in the context of medical theory and practice, children as part of families, children as the weak part of communities, children and education and children and death. Show less
This thesis investigates the highly complex issue of cross-border marriages between Mainland China and Taiwan in the period from early 1990 to 2004. The objectives of this research is to... Show moreThis thesis investigates the highly complex issue of cross-border marriages between Mainland China and Taiwan in the period from early 1990 to 2004. The objectives of this research is to investigate three aspects of cross-border marriage migration: 1) factors and motivations for cross-border marriage, that is, Why do mainland Chinese women choose to leave China and to come to Taiwan and why do Taiwanese men marry mainland Chinese women? 2) formation and justification of borders of exclusion, that is, Why and how are mainland brides constructed as “others”? 3) negotiation of gender and intra-familial relations among members of cross-border families. These questions are answered by looking at the perspectives of different actors and by examining how these perspectives are formed and whether and how they are substantiated. These actors include the state and the media, the marriage brokerage industry, and cross-strait couples and family members. Multiple research methodologies and sources of data are used, including ethnography, discourse analysis of policy and media representation and participant observation. Show less
In mijn onderzoek schets ik hoe Japanse opinieleiders tegen de wereld aankeken gedurende het Japanse interbellum (1918-1932). Hiermee probeer ik een verklaring te geven voor de grote ommekeer in... Show moreIn mijn onderzoek schets ik hoe Japanse opinieleiders tegen de wereld aankeken gedurende het Japanse interbellum (1918-1932). Hiermee probeer ik een verklaring te geven voor de grote ommekeer in het Japanse buitenlandse beleid dat ten uiting kwam met de Japanse gewapende bezetting van Mantsjoerije in 1931. Er is nog geen overtuigende verklaring voor de plotselinge en drastische omslag van het schijnbaar internationalistische en vreedzame Japan van de jaren twintig naar het autonoom opererende en agressieve Japan van de jaren dertig. Deze dissertatie vestigt de aandacht op de aanwezigheid van twee generaties in deze cruciale periode, wier blik op de buitenwereld fundamenteel van elkaar verschilde. Het belangrijkste element in de scheiding der kampen was of men China als een (toekomstige) gelijke staat kon zien. Hoewel een oudere generatie, de Taishō-generatie, rond 1926 het argument voor Japans-Chinese relaties op basis van gelijkheid in hun betoog incorporeerde, maakte een jongere generatie, de vroege Shōwa-generatie, openlijk zijn onbereidheid kenbaar om China zijn eigen weg te laten gaan. De oudere generatie was tevens in staat om de wereldorde van na de Eerste Wereldoorlog als een relatieve vooruitgang te zien, terwijl de jongere generatie deze afwees als onrechtvaardig omdat de ‘have-not’ Japan zijn gelijke deel niet kreeg. Hoewel het Mantsjoerije-Incident van 1931 een belangrijk politiek keerpunt is, vond de omslag in het Japanse denken over het buitenlandse beleid reeds eerder plaats als gevolg van een natuurlijke wisseling der generaties. Show less
As international newspaper headlines increasingly focus on energy and security issues, one could almost forget that the main ties that bind states and regions of the world together are trade and... Show moreAs international newspaper headlines increasingly focus on energy and security issues, one could almost forget that the main ties that bind states and regions of the world together are trade and economic relations. Show less
When photography is discussed as a colonialist imaging practice, two obvious notions of seeing and being seen come into play. Seeing implies empowerment; being seen does not.
Research into a group of 350 elderly Chinese migrants in the Netherlands examines who amongst them expect to return to the homeland, who will regularly commute between China and the Netherlands and... Show moreResearch into a group of 350 elderly Chinese migrants in the Netherlands examines who amongst them expect to return to the homeland, who will regularly commute between China and the Netherlands and who will, most likely, never leave their adopted country. A look at self-reported health within this group sheds light on the question, 'is migration bad for your health?' Show less
Most historians treat late imperial China, 1400-1900, as a time of fading and decay. Indeed, viewed backwards from the Opium War (1839-1842) and Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), events before 1800... Show moreMost historians treat late imperial China, 1400-1900, as a time of fading and decay. Indeed, viewed backwards from the Opium War (1839-1842) and Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), events before 1800 appear to have left China unprepared for modernity. But the 17th and 18th centuries can be considered not only as a 'late imperial' prelude to the end of traditional China, but as an 'early modern' harbinger of things to come. Show less
Fragments, marginal texts, and even ‘bad literature’ can sometimes take us further than better-known, canonical works. I was reminded of this after an unexpected find in Leiden University’s van... Show moreFragments, marginal texts, and even ‘bad literature’ can sometimes take us further than better-known, canonical works. I was reminded of this after an unexpected find in Leiden University’s van Gulik Collection. Show less
Since the late 1980s, scholars have viewed China’s progress towards market capitalism with great optimism, but in the last ten years intellectuals, both in China and abroad, have begun to voice... Show moreSince the late 1980s, scholars have viewed China’s progress towards market capitalism with great optimism, but in the last ten years intellectuals, both in China and abroad, have begun to voice reservations. Critics have pointed out China’s growing problems of income inequality, unemployment and environmental degradation. In this context of critical reflection, Viren Murthy argues that the work of the late Qing intellectual Zhang Taiyan is especially meaningful. Show less
While Chinese authorities closely monitor artists, artistic venues and performances, they give free rein to commercial culture as long as stability, prosperity and consumerism are sustained. The... Show moreWhile Chinese authorities closely monitor artists, artistic venues and performances, they give free rein to commercial culture as long as stability, prosperity and consumerism are sustained. The result, given China’s blistering urban economic growth, is that commercial pressure, more than government restriction, determines the conditions of cultural production and export. This has led to a kind of mass production of the art and culture the state approves of and a snuffing out of what it does not. This is how Chinese communist kitsch has transformed into a kitsch of globalised capitalism. Show less
Since the second half of the 1990s, the Chinese government has made an intensive effort to control ongoing natural resource losses. In order to curb the loss of arable land and the environmental... Show moreSince the second half of the 1990s, the Chinese government has made an intensive effort to control ongoing natural resource losses. In order to curb the loss of arable land and the environmental destruction caused by air and water pollution, central level leadership amended existing legislation, making it stricter and more specific. In addition, the centre organized enforcement campaigns to overcome local resistance against the implementation of the amended laws. In an effort to understand the effects these changes had at the local level, this book details how they influenced compliance with natural resource legislation at Lake Dianchi in Yunnan province. This book combines local case studies with theories about lawmaking, compliance, and enforcement, derived from Western and non-Western contexts. Doing so, it offers a unique body of empirical and theoretical knowledge for those interested in how law functions in China, as well as those interested in the workings of regulatory lawmaking, compliance, and enforcement in a comparative perspective Show less
This case study of the tea trade of the Dutch East India Company with China deals with its most profitable phase, when a direct shipping link was established between Canton and the Dutch Republic... Show moreThis case study of the tea trade of the Dutch East India Company with China deals with its most profitable phase, when a direct shipping link was established between Canton and the Dutch Republic in the second half of the eighteenth century. It focuses on the questions why and how the tea trade was taken out of the hands of the High Government in Batavia in 1757 and put under the supervision of the newly established China Committee in Amsterdam, and explains in detail what factors contributed to the phenomenal rise of this trade and its sudden decline in the 1780s. Show less
The current and increasing interest of local, regional and global actors in the region is related, in particular, to the possible reserves of oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea. After the... Show moreThe current and increasing interest of local, regional and global actors in the region is related, in particular, to the possible reserves of oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, slumbering ethnic sentiments were unleashed and developed into violent conflicts. Subsequently, weak state structures and tense relations between ethic groups have caused instability, political disagreement, conflicts and economic decline. Furthermore, in addition to local reasons for conflict, the political-strategic and economic importance of the South Caucasus has been ground for (attempts at) involvement in this area by states and organisations, such as Iran, Turkey, Russia, the USA, NATO and the EU. Show less
The Wenzi is a Chinese philosophical text that is traditionally ascribed to a disciple of Laozi, the alleged founder of Daoism. The text was read, discussed, quoted and admired by the lettered... Show moreThe Wenzi is a Chinese philosophical text that is traditionally ascribed to a disciple of Laozi, the alleged founder of Daoism. The text was read, discussed, quoted and admired by the lettered class in imperial China for centuries, until the Northern Song dynasty. From the Southern Song dynasty, however, the Wenzi was branded a forgery and consigned to near oblivion. The recent discovery of an age-old Wenzi manuscript, inked on bamboo strips, refueled interest in the text. In this combined study of the bamboo manuscript and received text, Van Els argues that the Wenzi was written in the early Former Han dynasty and thoroughly revised after the Latter Han dynasty. He also maintains that, given the drastic revision, the two Wenzi’s should be seen as distinct texts, not as different versions of one text, and he subsequently studies the date, authorship and philosophy of each Wenzi. The study is concluded with an analysis of the reception history of the revised text, with an emphasis on the dramatic change in its evaluation: from an admired authentic work to a worthless forgery. This analysis sheds light on changing views on authorship, originality, authenticity and forgery in Chinese history, both past and present. Show less
In the mountains of northwest China, crowds of people gather at remote temples every summer. The normally grim and deserted landscape becomes a backdrop for elaborate feasting, chanting and... Show moreIn the mountains of northwest China, crowds of people gather at remote temples every summer. The normally grim and deserted landscape becomes a backdrop for elaborate feasting, chanting and sacrificing. While the mood is festive, the meetings take place in a region which has seen centuries of violent conflict between Muslims and Buddhists, Han-Chinese and Tibetans. Inter-ethnic relationships remain uneasy, but during the temple festivals people from different backgrounds accept the challenge of competing with one another on a very different kind of battlefield: that of love. Show less
In the 1990s, increasing numbers of Chinese companies developed connections with African countries with the aim of increasing trade between China and the African continent. This development of... Show moreIn the 1990s, increasing numbers of Chinese companies developed connections with African countries with the aim of increasing trade between China and the African continent. This development of Sino-African relations has not gone unnoticed, but the discussion in the West has not been well informed. In order to fill this lacuna, the present paper gives an overview of Sino-African relations, China's aid programme to Africa, and the state of trade relations between China and African countries, with special emphasis on African exports of natural resources, the export market for Chinese products in Africa, and Chinese investments in Africa. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
Mian Mian pouring beer on Wei Hui's head in a Shanghai bar; Wei Hui baring her breasts at a press conference; mutual threats on the internet - self-labelled Beauty Writers Mian Mian and Wei Hui... Show moreMian Mian pouring beer on Wei Hui's head in a Shanghai bar; Wei Hui baring her breasts at a press conference; mutual threats on the internet - self-labelled Beauty Writers Mian Mian and Wei Hui fear no accusations in their public catfight over alleged plagiarism in turn-of-the-century Shanghai. The rivalry began after publication of their semi-autobiographical 'shock novels' portraying hedonists searching for love and self in Shenzhen and Shanghai. Plagiarism or not, Wei Hui's Shanghai Baby and Mian Mian's Candy are products of their time. Show less
Beijing, 16 December 2005, 3pm. Two hours before Beijing's first Gay and Lesbian Culture Festival, organisers are making final arrangements at On/Off, a well-known Beijing gay bar, when policemen... Show moreBeijing, 16 December 2005, 3pm. Two hours before Beijing's first Gay and Lesbian Culture Festival, organisers are making final arrangements at On/Off, a well-known Beijing gay bar, when policemen barge in. Despite organisers' fervent defence of the festival's innocuous nature, the officers insist the event is illegal without prior official consent. After finding an expired fire extinguisher, the police force the owner to close his bar for a week. The first attempt to launch a major cultural event featuring the Chinese gay community is stymied. Show less
