This study proposes a new explanation for institutional differences of organizations in China. It focuses on how two organizational forms dominant in contemporary art markets – commercial galleries... Show moreThis study proposes a new explanation for institutional differences of organizations in China. It focuses on how two organizational forms dominant in contemporary art markets – commercial galleries and auction houses – were first established in China in the 1990s. Based on archival and interview data, it argues that the organizational forms were introduced to China due to mimetic isomorphism, and that their divergences from the foreign models are the result of unintended consequences of institutional work. It highlights the role of individual agency, including the role of foreign nationals, in organization-building in China. The findings also have implications for institutional theory: the article shows how the political, cultural and institutional context in China shaped institutional work that needed to be conducted and led to unintended consequences of institutional work. Show less
Faust, M.; Schneider, F.A.; Herdin, T.; Ji, D.; Negro, G.; Zhou, T.; ... ; Oliveira Nascimento, A.K. de 2018
In this article, contributions from scholars working in the field of visual communication and/or online communication are gathered whose scholarly work falls into the BRICS countries realm. The... Show moreIn this article, contributions from scholars working in the field of visual communication and/or online communication are gathered whose scholarly work falls into the BRICS countries realm. The interviews are framed by a brief sketch of the relevance of BRICS countries research in communication and media studies and some prospective comments on this novel field. The contributing scholars in this issue focus on China and Brazil in particular and work across the globe in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, PR China, the UK and Brazil. They shared their ideas on the subject even though their scholarly roots lie in fields as diverse as regional studies, political studies, communication and media studies and educational studies. Their thoughts were collected through email interviews and they are presented here in form of a cross-disciplinary dialogue on the issue of visual online communication in BRICS countries and the De-Westernization discourse. Gratefulness goes out to all the ones who have contributed and hopefully this project will have a say in many future dialogues between scholars from across the world. Show less
China’s displacement of Russian economic influence in Central Asia is generating great interest in Western academic and policy circles, but this research has, as yet, yielded few analytical... Show moreChina’s displacement of Russian economic influence in Central Asia is generating great interest in Western academic and policy circles, but this research has, as yet, yielded few analytical nuances. This article attempts to shed light on the under-researched question of what explains Central Asian governments’ failure to more effectively capitalize on the growing Central-Asian rivalry between Russia, China, the United States, Turkey, Iran, South Korea, Japan and other regional powers that, since the early 1990s, have been overwhelmingly directed towards strategic energy considerations and hydrocarbon interests. Show less
What explains the differences in the Sino-Russian oil and gas cooperation? Overall, I suggest, the several trajectories are explained by the dissimilarities of oil and gas as commodities and... Show moreWhat explains the differences in the Sino-Russian oil and gas cooperation? Overall, I suggest, the several trajectories are explained by the dissimilarities of oil and gas as commodities and potential foreign policy tools. These differences, along with other factors, such as corporate culture and individual personalities, shed light on the strategies of Russia’s gas conglomerates, Gazprom and Rosneft. Yet, if a more nuanced understanding of variation within these energy markets illuminates the reasons behind the sequencing of oil and gas cross-border pipeline projects, what explains the particular timing of the landmark 2014 gas deal? Why after 15 years of stalemate in the Sino-Russian gas cooperation did breakthroughs occur in 2014? And what explains the modesty of the record in gas cooperation to date? Many factors are undoubtedly involved, both economic and political; however, I contend that the conclusive factor can be found in underlying domestic politics.The article outlines the role of national narratives in driving both Russia and China’s energy foreign policy and goes on to argue that the Sino-Russian gas breakthrough in 2014 was due to the peculiar way in which domestic factors paired with international circumstances to produce the outcome at that particular moment. Show less
This is a study of the mandalas that depict the teachings of the Liqujing (Guiding Principle Scripture), which was translated from Sanskrit to Chinese by the Esoteric Buddhist master Amoghavajra ... Show moreThis is a study of the mandalas that depict the teachings of the Liqujing (Guiding Principle Scripture), which was translated from Sanskrit to Chinese by the Esoteric Buddhist master Amoghavajra (705–774). These mandalas were prescribed in his Liqushi (Explanation on the Guiding Principle Scripture). Amoghavajra considered this scripture, its commentaries, and mandalas to be crucial works in a new Esoteric Buddhist system he called the Yoga of the Adamantine Crown. I examine the set called the Liqujing shibahui mantuluo (Mandalas of the Eighteen Assemblies of the Guiding Principle Scripture) in Kyoto’s Daigo Temple. The Shingon school claims that the iconography is based upon Amoghavajra’s Liqushi. A systematic investigation of the Liqushi, the mandalas it prescribes and the iconography of the Daigoji set has not been done by Asian or Western scholars. I assign responsibility for the iconographical and iconological changes seen in the Daigoji set to the transmission of the Chinese master Faquan (c. 800–870), whose transmission has not yet been studied. I investigate the transmissions of Amoghavajra and the Chinese Esoteric Buddhist masters who followed him, especially Faquan. Such an investigation reveals the concerns of these masters and the Chinese assimilation and transformation of Indian Esoteric Buddhism. Show less
Low-carbon (LE) technologies have a significant potential to reduce the total carbon emissions in China. Yet, in existing research, most authors analyzed such implications for China as a whole... Show moreLow-carbon (LE) technologies have a significant potential to reduce the total carbon emissions in China. Yet, in existing research, most authors analyzed such implications for China as a whole rather than the amount of carbon embodied in the products and services for China’s exports. We took a regional approach, since the implementation of LE and the production of products and services for China’s exports very heterogeneously distributed over the various Chinese regions. Current studies also tend to neglect the carbon emissions related to the investments in LE. Against this background, after providing an overview of China’s carbon emissions from a multi-sectoral perspective in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 analyzes the impact of LE development on carbon emissions embodied in the exports of China’s 30 provinces during 2002-2014. Moreover, Chapter 4 focuses on the carbon impact of LE infrastructure expansion using a demand-driven MRIO mode. Finally, Chapter 5 projects the carbon impact of LE investments during 2015-2040. The results show the patterns of carbon impacts of LE development across provinces and over the years, given the dynamic nature of China’s economic development and the heterogeneity of China’s regions. Show less
On China's web, networked actors ranging from state agencies to private Internet users engage in highly active online discourse. Yet as diverse as this discourse may be, political content remains... Show moreOn China's web, networked actors ranging from state agencies to private Internet users engage in highly active online discourse. Yet as diverse as this discourse may be, political content remains highly regulated, particularly on issues that affect the legitimacy of the ruling party. A prominent issue in this regard has been modern Chinese history, particularly the “national humiliation” that Japan inflicted on China's populace during events like the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. This article asks how the discourse on this particular event is structured on China's web, and what such practices of digital “remembering” can tell us about nationalism in the information age. Combining content analysis and digital tools, the article shows how the mass-media model that the Chinese authorities and various commercial actors apply to the web ultimately reproduces the very logic of “imagined communities” that makes reconciliation of historical disputes in East Asia so protracted. Show less
The Chinese economy has undergone large-scale changes since the implementation of the“reform and opening to the outside world” (gaige kaifang) policy in 1978. Thistransformation is reflected in... Show moreThe Chinese economy has undergone large-scale changes since the implementation of the“reform and opening to the outside world” (gaige kaifang) policy in 1978. Thistransformation is reflected in collective labour relations, which have evolved from anenvironment of harmony between labour and employer during the command economy toconflict between these forces in the present socialist market economy. This situation hasarisen as a result of the diversification of employer ownership in the course of theeconomic reforms. Marxist-Leninist arguments are no longer convincing for workers,especially those in the non-state economy who face particularly harsh workingconditions. Following the wave of strikes in the summer of 2010, labour relations inChina began to take on a more collective character. The increasing number of collectiveactions by workers is in tension with the labour law system, which was designed mainlyto protect and to resolve labour issues involving individuals Show less
This article proposes a novel approach to studying markets through metaphor. Unlike other sociological studies of market emergence, it focuses on emic perceptions and their consequences for actions... Show moreThis article proposes a novel approach to studying markets through metaphor. Unlike other sociological studies of market emergence, it focuses on emic perceptions and their consequences for actions in an emerging peripheral market. By analysing a guiding conceptual metaphor for the contemporary art market in China it investigates how market actors make sense of their market and its global position. It draws on 125 in-depth interviews and observations conducted in Beijing in 2012–2014. The market is conceptualised as an organism and juxtaposed to “mature” Western markets. This metaphor enables China’s market actors to (a) describe the market, (b) justify illegitimate behaviours, and (c) see the future and the possible ways of action. This study contributes to the sociology of markets as it suggests applying metaphor analysis to markets, as well as theorising non-agentic elements of market construction and focusing on the time dimension of market emergence. It contributes to globalisation literature as it discusses the perception of globalisation in a peripheral market, and suggests that this market’s participants do not self-Orientalise. Show less
Yuan, R.; Behrens, P.A.; Dias Rodrigues, J.F. 2018
Energy-related CO2emissions in China have been extensively investigated. However, the mechanisms of how energy-related emissions are driven by inter-sectoral linkages remains unexplored. In this... Show moreEnergy-related CO2emissions in China have been extensively investigated. However, the mechanisms of how energy-related emissions are driven by inter-sectoral linkages remains unexplored. In this paper, a subsystem input-output model was developed to investigate the temporal and sectoral changes of emissions in China from 1997 to 2012. We decomposed total emissions into internal, spillover, feedback, and direct components. Our results show that the equipment manufacturing, construction and services sectors are the main sources of emissions during the whole period, which have a larger spillover component, primarily through indirect upstream emissions in the heavy-manufacturing, transportation, and power sectors. The emissions from the power and transportation sectors are dominated by direct rather than the spillover emissions. The shares of the feedback and internal components in the heavy manufacturing sectors were significantly higher than those of other sectors. Our results suggest that further addressing carbon emissions along the supply chain of equipment manufacturing, construction and services sectors, and improving technologies in the heavy manufacturing and power sectors holds important future opportunities for curbing the rapid growth of carbon emissions in China. Show less
The stable isotope ratios of carbon (d13C), nitrogen (d15N) and sulphur (d34S) are measured to examine human diet, social stratification, mobility and animal husbandry practices. Three locations... Show moreThe stable isotope ratios of carbon (d13C), nitrogen (d15N) and sulphur (d34S) are measured to examine human diet, social stratification, mobility and animal husbandry practices. Three locations comprising four sites from the Yellow River Valleys of north China are investigated: Nancheng (Hebei Province), Xishan (Gansu Province), Liyi and Shanren (Shaanxi Province), and this work represents one of the largest and most detailed isotopic research projects ever conducted in China. This thesis focused on time periods and cultures that were previously underrepresented, in the literature such as the early Bronze/Iron Ages to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). Further, this thesis found new evidence concerning dietary patterns, social stratification (or lack thereof), animal husbandry practices and human mobility during these formative pre-Qin Empire periods. Show less
Tussen september 2016 en mei 2017 verrichte het LeidenAsiaCentre onderzoek naar Chinese beleidsvisies en percepties inzake de Europese Unie, de EU-China relatie en bilaterale betrekkingen tussen... Show moreTussen september 2016 en mei 2017 verrichte het LeidenAsiaCentre onderzoek naar Chinese beleidsvisies en percepties inzake de Europese Unie, de EU-China relatie en bilaterale betrekkingen tussen Nederland en China. Dit artikel bevat een verkorte weergave van de belangrijkste onderzoeksbevindingen en conclusies naar aanleiding van een brede analyse van Chinese publicaties en een rondgang bij 30 beleidsmakers, diplomaten en waarnemers in Beijing, Shanghai, Brussel en Den Haag. Op grond van hun bevindingen stellen de auteurs dat het tijd is voor een realiteitscheck en herziening van het huidige China-beleid in Nederland en Europa. Show less
This study focuses on the life, exploits and ideology of Guru Wuguang (1818-2000), an eclectic and influential Taiwanese Buddhist figure who studied Daoist alchemy, multiple forms of Chinese,... Show moreThis study focuses on the life, exploits and ideology of Guru Wuguang (1818-2000), an eclectic and influential Taiwanese Buddhist figure who studied Daoist alchemy, multiple forms of Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as biology, thermodynamics, philosophy, theology, and occulture. This is done in order to understand what happens when a tradition ‘purified’ from its ‘mythical’ elements reincorporates itself in the tension between its ‘enchanted’ past and ‘scientific’ present. Wuguang is famous throughout the Chinese-speaking Buddhist world for resurrecting Zhenyan, a school of esoteric Buddhism said to have flourished in China during the Tang Dynasty. The academic community has largely ignored Wuguang, making this the first in-depth exploration of this figure, whose influence is truly global. Building upon David McMahan’s work on Buddhist modernism, Jason Josephson’s secular-religious-superstitious trinary, scholarly discourse concerning Weberian disenchantment, and employing the Religious Economy Model, I argue that Wuguang’s teachings represent an intentionally reenchanted form of Buddhist modernism aimed at harmonizing magic with modern science and philosophy. While scholarly discourse on Asian magic in the modern world has been confined to popular religion, this study additionally focuses on ‘High-Church Buddhism’ by analyzing Wuguang’s magico-scientific interpretation of complex Buddhist doctrine. Show less
As evidenced by Goal No. 14 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, the importance of oceans governance as a matter of global policy can hardly be overstated. The unsustainable uses of their... Show moreAs evidenced by Goal No. 14 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, the importance of oceans governance as a matter of global policy can hardly be overstated. The unsustainable uses of their resources could lead to serious consequences, not only for coastal communities, but remote landlocked countries as well. This special section aims to take the international community's clarion call for effective norms, institutions, and multi-stakeholder cooperation back to the oceans through three topical case studies. Each in its own way illustrates humanity's high stakes in blue growth, offering recommendations on how states and governments must craft coherent, effective, and actionable policies to make sustainable oceans governance a reality. Claire van der Geest's article opens the special section with a focus on the Indian Ocean and the need to redesign its fisheries governance. Hongzhou Zhang and Fengshi Wu subsequently investigate two of the most significant structural shifts of China's marine fisheries sector in the past decades, namely, going outward and focusing on high market value species. James Malcolm concludes the special section by switching attention to small island developing states, arguing that sustainable oceans governance for them represents not ‘only’ an environmental or economic concern, but indeed a matter of national security. Show less
At present, emerging economies such as China, are the major importers as well as investors in Africa’s extractive sector. Indeed, they maintain a “stranglehold” on the continent regarding finance... Show moreAt present, emerging economies such as China, are the major importers as well as investors in Africa’s extractive sector. Indeed, they maintain a “stranglehold” on the continent regarding finance for development. Their success in gaining access to the resources of Africa is linked to an effective strategy that combines trade inducements, increased investment flows, aid for infrastructure and construction and technology transfers. With the recent dramatic decline in the price of commodities, and China’s re-balancing with greater emphasis on consumption-driven growth model, growth prospects in commodity-dependent Africa has dampened. Qatar, with its abundant hydrocarbon reserves and US$10 billion foreign exchange reserves, deploys its “soft power” to enable African countries develop their extractive sector fully, industrialize and end China’s financial stranglehold on the continent. Qatar can help develop Africa’s mineral processing industries through public private partnerships and experience. This is because of Qatar’s track record as a sound manager of natural resources. This type of partnership will assist African countries to get more out of their natural resources through valueaddition, and further deepen domestic technological capacity and job creation. Show less
At present, emerging economies such as China, are the major importers as well as investors in Africa’s extractive sector. Indeed, they maintain a “stranglehold” on the continent regarding finance... Show moreAt present, emerging economies such as China, are the major importers as well as investors in Africa’s extractive sector. Indeed, they maintain a “stranglehold” on the continent regarding finance for development. Their success in gaining access to the resources of Africa is linked to an effective strategy that combines trade inducements, increased investment flows, aid for infrastructure and construction and technology transfers. With the recent dramatic decline in the price of commodities, and China’s re-balancing with greater emphasis on consumption-driven growth model, growth prospects in commodity-dependent Africa has dampened. Qatar, with its abundant hydrocarbon reserves and US$10 billion foreign exchange reserves, deploys its “soft power” to enable African countries develop their extractive sector fully, industrialize and end China’s financial stranglehold on the continent. Qatar can help develop Africa’s mineral processing industries through public private partnerships and experience. This is because of Qatar’s track record as a sound manager of natural resources. This type of partnership will assist African countries to get more out of their natural resources through valueaddition, and further deepen domestic technological capacity and job creation. Show less
In September 2017, Leiden University opened the Asian Library to house its world renowned and extensive Asian collections. This includes the largest collection on Indonesia worldwide and some of... Show moreIn September 2017, Leiden University opened the Asian Library to house its world renowned and extensive Asian collections. This includes the largest collection on Indonesia worldwide and some of the foremost collections on South and Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and Korea. "Voyage of Discovery" contains more than twenty essays by academics, curators, and authors on their experiences with the Leiden collections. Richly illustrated and showcasing twenty-five treasures from the Asian Library, such as unique manuscripts and rare maps, this book offers a beautiful look inside the Asian Library. Show less
China’s influence in neighboring Central Asian states is growing at a fast pace. Since the launch of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative to accelerate China’s engagement in Central Asia and... Show moreChina’s influence in neighboring Central Asian states is growing at a fast pace. Since the launch of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative to accelerate China’s engagement in Central Asia and beyond, nearly all Chinese activity in this region has been gathered under OBOR. OBOR now seems to cover a plethora of spatially and temporally expanding state and privately driven projects. In this paper, I discuss large- and small-scale Chinese farm enterprises in Tajikistan, in which discussions around China’s “global land investments” and OBOR intersect. Beneath abstract conceptualizations of OBOR and the Chinese presence in Central Asia, my analysis shows that Chinese land investments in Tajikistan are shaped by Chinese dynamics of agrarian change and are contingent upon country-specific conditions. Rather than state-led endeavors as is often assumed, the main Chinese actors in Tajik agriculture are capitalist yet partially state-embedded enterprises driven by profit-oriented goals. Chinese farm enterprises tap into specific market demands that are either unanswered or underdeveloped in Tajikistan, or which have emerged due to the growing number of Chinese consumers in Tajikistan. The nature and drivers of Chinese land acquisitions in Tajikistan shed light on the various, sometimes competing, factors driving China’s broader foreign “land rush,” in Central Asia (and beyond). Show less
