Home Wellington Branch Newsletters NZCFS Welling...

NZCFS Wellington Branch May Newsletter

AT OUR NEXT BRANCH MEETING

Dr Paul McDonald

will speak on

“Maoism versus Confucianism: Competing Ideological Influences on Modern Chinese Business Leaders”

Dr Paul McDonald, VUWPaul McDonald, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in the Victoria Management School, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, where he teaches courses in organizational behaviour, organizational design, and leadership. He has held senior administrative positions which have involved frequent travel to China, including being the founding director of Victoria’s International MBA program in Hong Kong. His research interests focus on leadership, including Chinese leadership, neuro-leadership and leadership development. Paul McDonald can be contacted at: [email protected]

 

 

Wednesday, 18 May 2011, at 5.45 pm, Connolly Hall, Guildford Terrace, off Hill Street, Thorndon, Wellington.

(Car park up Guildford Tce beside Hall)Location of Connolly Hall

An optional Chinese buffet meal, supplied by the Fujiyama Café, will follow the meeting at 7 pm. Orders for the $11.00 meal (please pay at the door) will be taken up till 6 pm. If you think you may be arriving late, please let the Secretary know in advance.

NEW MEMBERS – A warm welcome to Nathan Attrill, Chen Ben, Anna Du Toit, Caleb Hoyle and Lulu Luo.

ALSO COMING UP THIS MONTH

7, 14, 21 May 3:15pm Mandarin Corner, 20 Kelburn Parade

25 May 7:00pm Film Evening, 101 Wakefield St

27-29 May NZCFS National Conference and Banquet

28 May 3:15pm Mandarin Corner, 20 Kelburn Parade

See below for further details.

REPORT ON LAST MEETING (from Douglas Day)

Dr Val Lindsay, Associate Professor in International Business at VUW, gave a very interesting presentation on “Service Success in Asia: Spotlight on China”. This was a follow-up to the major two- year research project, funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, that she led on the internationalization of New Zealand service firms into China and India.

The focus of the presentation for us was on China, and Dr Lindsay, with a balance of exposition and illustration (both visual and audio), gave us a fascinating insight into how New Zealand firms are making their presence felt in that country of extraordinary growth and opportunity.

Val LindsayOver the course of the two years for the project, seventy managers in New Zealand were interviewed about their experiences in conducting business in China and/or India. In addition, the customers of many of these New Zealand firms were also interviewed in China.

The ultimate outcome from the project was a high-level framework that underpins how New Zealand companies engage successfully in China, and how a sustainable competitive advantage for these firms can be built. Dr Lindsay’s presentation followed a new direction in topic for our Branch meetings. It was a very successful ‘new direction’.

MEETING DATES FOR 2011

May 27-29: National Conference, Wellington City Council Chambers, Wellington

June 15, Wednesday 5.45pm: The Aroha String Quartet, “Our Story and Our Music”

July 17, Sunday 2.30pm: Professor James Liu, “Chinese Indigenous Psychology”

August 17, Wednesday 5.45pm: Dr Han Xi, “Exciting Developments in the Study of Chinese in Schools”

September 21, Wednesday 5.45pm: HE Mr Xu Jianguo, PRC Ambassador (topic to be confirmed)

October 19, Wednesday 5.45pm: Mr Chris Elder, “Reflections on China”

November 16, Wednesday 5.45pm: Mr David Feickert, “Mine Safety in China: Lessons for New Zealand”

XIANGXI MIAO MINORITY DRUM DANCE

Xiangxi Miao Drum DanceThe drum dance is the drum and folk dance from the ancient home of the Miao people of Hunan Province. The drum dance is in the blood of the Miao people whose festivals come alive with the rhythm of drumbeats and dance. When they gather to celebrate feast days, there are bound to be endless sounds of the drumbeat. There are more than ten kinds of Miao Minority drum dances. The most familiar ones are the flower-drum dance, the monkey drum dance, the single-female drum dance, the single male drum dance and the reunion drum dance. Drums accompany the dancers who jump around and use their feet and hands to beat at the ground. Different dances have different levels of physical exertion. The monkey dance is flexible, the flower dance is gentle, charming and feminine, the male dance is bold and unconstrained, the female dance is gentle and the reunion dance is magnificent and lively. The Xiangxi Miao Minority drum dance has a long history and started in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220). In the process of combating the foreign armies and fighting against the feudal court, the drums of Miao Minority played a positive role in rallying the Miao people and thus it became the holy symbol of the Xiangxi Miao Minority, who refer to it as a ‘tool for reaching the gods’ or ‘a drum that reaches to heaven’. [from ChinaCulture.org. Date 7 April 2011]

CHINESE FILM 中国电影

Date: Wednesday 25 May Time: 7.00pm – 9:30pm

Venue: Committee Room One, Wellington City Council, 101 Wakefield Street (please note the venue change, moved back to Wellington City Council meeting room.)

7.00pm – Chinese Documentary: I wish I knew 海上传奇(hai shang chuan qi) [2010]

Focuses on the people, their stories and architecture spanning from the mid-1800s, when Shanghai was opened as a trading port, to the present day.

Director: Jia Zhang Ke贾樟柯. Starring: Hsiao-hsien Hou, Tao Zhao, Hsin-i Chang. DVD 116 minutes, English subtitle. Gold coin donation.

More information available at http://baike.baidu.com/view/633671.htm#sub5397034 (in Chinese).

ZHOU DAIBAO (Mrs Bao)

With great sadness we acknowledge the passing of Zhou Daibao on 14 April 2011; at the age of 80. For many years she was deeply involved in the work of the Branch, NZCLA and Mandarin Corner. Our thoughts are with Bao Zhengying and his family at this time.

MANDARIN CORNER 汉语角 3.15pm – 4.30pm Saturdays during school terms

Victoria University of Wellington, Seminar Room, 20 Kelburn Parade. Gold coin donation.

Open to all ages, all levels. One to one or small groups.

Four sessions in May 2011: 7 May, 14 May, 21 May, 28 May

Contact: Ellen Yang 027-4756888 [email protected]

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE NEWS

Confucius Institute VUW Board
Back (from left): Mr Feng Yu, Prof Xiaoming Huang, Dr Hui Luo, Prof James Lui, Dr Chen Ben; Front: Mr Douglas Day, Prof Neil Quigley, Prof Deborah Willis

The Confucius Institute held its inaugural board meeting on Monday 21 March in the Victoria Room at VUW.

 

At this meeting, attention was devoted to the CI mission and Strategic Plan, the forthcoming Opening Ceremony and Arts Festival, and Confucius Classrooms and Xiamen-related initiatives.

Consideration was also given to proposed programmes and activities of the CI, which cover three main areas: Arts and Culture; Intellectual Exchange; and Chinese-language Education.

Potential activities of the CI will include exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, lectures, readings, workshops, conferences and festivals; often to be organised by the CI in collaboration with Chinese and New Zealand cultural institutions.

The Branch is looking forward to close collaboration with the CI in the future.

ECO-FRIENDLY BUILDING (Contributed by George Mills)

Tian Fang Tower, Tianjin
artist's impression

China is becoming a leader in the development of “green” buildings, a reference to the construction of office and residential buildings designed to conserve resources and reduce negative impacts on the environment – whether it is energy, water, building materials, or land. One example of such an eco-friendly project is the planned Tian Fang office and shopping centre tower planned for construction in Tianjin.

 

Once completed in 2013, Tian Fang will generate approximately 20% of its energy on site, using a combination of solar panels, wind turbines, and hydrogen fuel cells. Another 20% of the tower’s energy use will be saved using conservation efforts. According to its specifications, the tower’s design will be such that the building will maximize use of daylight and wind resources for natural lighting within the building, and for the complex’s heating and cooling, respectively. Furthermore, Tian Fang will draw about 40% less energy from the local power grid than comparable building complexes in the area. “Green” building is a sub-category of the Energy Efficiency segment of what is know as CleanTech (Clean Technologies), a dynamic and innovative industry aiming to improve operational performance, productivity and efficiency while reducing costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste and pollution.

Other CleanTech segments include Energy Generation, Storage and Infrastructure, Transportation, Air & Environment, Agriculture and Recycling & Waste. In 2010, and according to a study by the Pew Environment Group released in March this year, China was the world’s leading investor in clean technologies with a US$54.4-billion investment, up from US$39.1 billion in 2009, surpassing both the US and Germany, the world’s other top leading investors in this field. China’s growing commitment to green development is also strongly reflected in the 12th Five Year Plan, recently adopted by China’s National People’s Congress.

SHANGHAI TOTEMS – The images shown here are copyrighted by the artist, so visit his website to see the whole series: www.alaindelorme.com/?p=works&ga=totem

 

 

 

 

 

NZCFS 2011 NATIONAL CONFERENCE – WELLINGTON MAY 27-29

Full information on the National Conference, which is being hosted by the Wellington Branch, has been provided in the last two newsletters and can also be accessed from the following website:

nzchinasociety.org.nz/5386/nzcfs-2011-national-conference-wellington-27-29-may-3/

A Registration Form was attached with Newsletter 1103 and further copies of this form can be requested from Ray Brownrigg at [email protected]. Members are asked to support even just the Conference Banquet, which will be held on Saturday May 28, 7.00pm at Dragons Restaurant, 25 Tory Street. (Cost is $35. Please use the Conference Registration Form for booking. Alternatively contact Treasurer Doreen Launder directly)

CHINA’S PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT (Contributed by George Mills)

HE Liu Xiaoming at Chatham House
Liu Xiaoming addresses Chatham House

In a speech given at London’s Chatham House in mid-March 2011, China’s envoy to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, shared a very comprehensive review of his government’s perspective on China’s position in the world for the next five years (a transcript of this speech is available to subscribers of CH’s 24 Mar ’11 E-Newsletter). Mr. Liu divided his speech into two parts. One on China’s “scientific development”, and the other on China’s “peaceful development”; essentially, the two interconnected pillars of China’s current (12th) Five Year Plan. It is his comments on the latter, that I highlight here in short summary.

 

Mr. Liu explained that to understand peaceful development, one had to be aware of three key points. Firstly, peaceful development was the natural extension of China’s scientific development; the name given to China’s currently emerging economic model, emphasizing a move away from unsustainable growth based largely on low-end manufacturing and exports, to a sustainable one based on innovation, higher-end manufacturing, services, resource efficiency, and a strong consumer market. As such, and in the context of peaceful development, China will continue to seek international cooperation and peace in world affairs, recognizing that these conditions are essential for the success of its economic model. Secondly, peaceful development is “open, cooperative, and win-win” to others. That is, as China seeks sustainable economic development for herself, she does so interdependently with all other willing nations, and at no other nation’s expense. And thirdly, China’s peaceful development is a “blessing and opportunity” for the rest of the world. That is, the more China achieves for itself, the more it can contribute toward the wellbeing of others.

Given China’s spectacular economic growth over the past 30 years, with both the very positive but also negative effects on herself and others, as well as China’s recently growing military power, not a few of China’s near and far neighbours will be wishing her the best in achieving success with both sides of her development coin.

SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS

There are still a few members who have not yet renewed their 2011 subscription. Please contact Treasurer Doreen Launder urgently (contact details at the end of this newsletter) if you need a renewal form.

BOOK CORNER (from Douglas Day)

Non Fiction

Drink Water, but Remember the Source: Moral Discourse in a Chinese Village, by Ellen Oxfeld, University of California Press, 2011.

This book investigates how ordinary Chinese still place intense value on moral obligations and the nature of the social ties that connect them to others. The study explores the moral sphere as a key to understanding how rural people experience and talk about their lives in a period of rapid economic transformation in China.

Fiction

Three Sisters, by Bi Feiyu, trans. Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-chun Lin, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

This engaging novel about the inhabitants of Wang Family Village, documents in very human terms the low value accorded to the lives of women in China and the deep divide in that country between rural and urban areas.