Talking Points, October 22 - November 6, 2008
The USC U.S.-China Institute's weekly enewsletter.
Release Date: 10/22/2008
Talking Points
October 22 - November 6, 2008
Thirty years ago, Chinese leaders initiated the economic reforms that have enabled China to enjoy 9-10% average annual GDP growth rates, lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, erect dazzling skylines, and spend $43 billion to prepare for and host the Olympic Games. This week the Chinese government announced its latest reform: turning ownership of rural land over to individual rural Chinese.
In the early 20th century, Sun Yatsen and others argued that improving the livelihood of farmers required giving them title to land, giving them a stake in improving it and improving their social status. During the Chinese civil war, the Communists carried out land reform in areas under their control, redistributing land seized from the better off to those with or no land. This won the Party the gratitude of those receiving land, demonstrated the authority and ambition of the Party, and broke the economic base of the existing rural elite. The process was sometimes violent and was extended to all parts of the country after the Communist triumph in 1949.
Individual ownership of agricultural land came to an end in the mid-1950s, as farmers were brought first into small cooperatives and then into larger collectives. The household responsibility system initiated in 1978 gave farmers the right to use and profit from assigned plots, but ownership remained with the collective. In the industrialization and building boom of recent decades, collectives have transferred land to companies and developers, often without providing reasonable compensation for the farmers displaced in the process. Farmer outrage over such transfers has frequently boiled over into large and sometimes violent demonstrations.
The mechanics and conditions of these land grants are not yet fully outlined, but many Chinese and foreign observers have lauded the plan. They and the government hope it will be an important step towards reducing the great disparity that exists between urban and rural Chinese in terms of incomes, resources, and life choices. Reducing those disparities are critical to increasing domestic consumption (essential for continuing China's economic growth) and lessening state-society tensions. It's a dramatic anniversary year initiative.
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The USC U.S.-China Institute invites proposals from postdoctoral scholars for 2009-2010. We invite applications from recent PhD recipients who specialize in U.S.-China relations, very broadly conceived, or on an issue in contemporary China that is likely to affect U.S.-China relations. Consideration will be given to applicants in all areas, but we are especially eager to encourage applications from scholars focusing on topics such as energy, the environment, investment, new media, film and television, soft power, migration, ethno-religious issues, and identity. Application details are available at: http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=1188. Next week the Institute will issue calls for research proposals from USC faculty and graduate students.
On Friday, October 26, UCLA is hosting a conference exploring the changing legal climate in China. New laws regarding property, labor, and contracts will be among those discussed. In November, USCI will present talks by Victoria Tin-bor Hui (Notre Dame) and David Bachman (Washington). Hui will examine China’s past for clues as to potential policies toward other states and Bachman will explore how China’s rise affects American ties with China’s neighbors. For more information, please visit the calendar section of our website.
Please share Talking Points with friends and colleagues. We welcome your comments. Please send them to us at uschina@usc.edu.
USC:
California:
10/22/2008: China: After the Olympics
Omni Los Angeles Hotel
251 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Cost: $45 for Asia Society members; $50 Guests and General Admission
Phone: 213-613-9934 ext.24
Time: 8:00AM - 10:30AM
An in-depth look at China's current economic and political environment and its opportunities ahead.
11/06/2008: Luxury Car
Laemmle Theatres Downtown
Mandarin with English subtitles.
Call to reserve your seats: 213/613-9934
Asia Society Southern California presents this film as part of the monthly Asian Film Series.
North America:
10/25/2008 - 10/26/2008: CIGI'08: China in the Shifting World Order
57 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Cost: $200- $250
This event is by invitation only.
Approximately 200 leading experts and policy makers from Canada and around the world gather to discuss possible solutions to the issues raised by CIGI's research.
10/27/2008: Chinese Lessons: Roadblocks on the Way to China's Superpower Status
Columbia University
Address: International Affairs Building, Room 918 , New York, NY 10027
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM - 1:30PM
John Pomfret speaks at Brown Bag Lecture Series, "Reporting China"
10/28/2008: China: Political and Security Challenges for the Next Administration
Harry Harding Auditorium,
The Elliott School of International Affairs
Suite 213, 1957 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Sigur Center for Asian Studies presents a panel discussion on U.S.-China Relations.
11/04/2008: The Rise of Guanxi in Chinese Transition Economy
University of Michigan
Room 1636 School of Social Work Building
1080 South University , Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Time: 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Professor Yanjie Bian explores his theoretical model in which the role of guanxi is a function of institutional uncertainty and market competition.
11/05/2008: Factory Towns: Portraits of Modern China
Columbia University
International Affairs Building, Room 918, New York, NY 10027
Cost: Free
Time: 12:00PM - 1:30PM
No Reservations Required
Leslie Chang, former Wall Street Journal Beijing correspondent and author of the forthcoming Factory Girls
Peter Hessler, staff writer for the The New Yorker and a contributing writer to National Geographic.
Exhibitions:
09/17/2008 - 01/11/2009: Confucius: Shaping Values Through Art
Pacific Asia Museum
Address: 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena , CA 91101
Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for students/seniors
Phone: (626) 449-2742
Confucius: Shaping Values Through Art explores how Confucian values have permeated East Asian culture. It utilizes the Museum’s own collection as a case study.
09/05/2008 - 01/11/2009: Art and China's Revolution
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), New York City
General admission is $10, seniors $7, students $5 and free for members and persons under 16
Asia Society Presents First Comprehensive Exhibition Devoted to Revolutionary Chinese Art from the 1950s Through 1970s.
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