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he current academic researches on Guizhou’s edible fungi mainly are based on biology, economics, horticulture, and agricultural sciences, etc., which lack historical studies. Therefore, based on the existing local chronicles since the Ming and Qing dynasties, combined with other relevant historical records, this study analyzes and investigates the historical consumption and commercialization of edible fungi in Guizhou, aiming to enrich and supplement the historical documentation related to the economic development history of Guizhou during that period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of triticeae crops planting area in Southeast China in the Southern Song Dynasty was a special phenomenon, which was formed on the basic of special social and economy environment. In the early Southern Song Dynasty, wheat, barley, buckwheat and other triticeae crops were widely popularized to the five southeast provinces, and wheat farming achieved considerable development. However, its prosperity was also flourishing, and its decline was also sudden, in the middle and late Southern Song Dynasty, triticeae crops planting area rapidly shrank and stabilized as a supplement to rice cultivation. From the perspective of social and economic history, this paper, by observing the choices of interest groups such as the emperor, local officials, northern immigrants and southern natives, discusses the driving forces of expansion of triticeae crops planting area from four aspects: orders with rewards or punishments, relief loans and taxes, immigrants’ dietary preference, and triticeae crops’ relief function, and draws the following conclusions: The imperial court promoted wheat and barley through administrative and economic means: orders with rewards or punishments were the main contents of administrative means, while relief loans and taxes were the main contents of economic means. Northern immigrants’ pasta preference promoted wheat demand’s growth, especially in Liangzhe and Jiangnandong Province, but in Jiangnanxi and Fujian Provinces, the immigrants’ preference had not shaken the local rice eating habits. Triticeae crops were considered as “the grain that can meet the shortage of rice”, under the situation of tension between people and land, triticeae crops’ relief function was to promote rice farms to grow wheat and barley to cope with famine. To sum up, the expansion of triticeae crops planting area was the coupling of two driving forces: the promotion of the government and the dietary preference of immigrants, which were the external driving forces; the natural attribute that wheat and barley are harvested when rice is green, which was the internal driving forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Qing Dynasty, the flag cantonments in the Yili region had a significant impact on the development of local agriculture. The Qing court's cantonment in Yili included various forms such as criminal cantonment and Hui cantonment. The progress of flag cantonment, which appeared a little later, lies in the fact that the army was also engaged in farming and warfare, i. e., the main personnel engaged in farming were the Eight Banners army, which led to a change in the structure of the productive and non-productive population of the garrison and the structure of the arable land in the garrison, plus the allocation of land to army personnel, which stipulated that it was a person's worldly property and greatly increased the enthusiasm for production. Ili flag tunnels originated in the eight banners Xibo and other battalions, since then the scope of application has been expanding, playing an important role in the development of agriculture in Ili. The economic history of the Qing dynasty in the Yili region is due to the fact that the Qing court’s policy of stationing battalions such as the Xibe was well adapted to their farming habits, and the good economic benefits thereafter led to the spread of banner towns on a larger scale. This paper explores the rise and development of the Yili flag cantonment from an economic history perspective, hoping to contribute to the study of cantonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modernization of Chinese Traditional Economic Thought has rigorous structure and clear logic. It is a useful attempt to promote the study of the history of Chinese economic thought with scientific philosophy. By using the theoretical tools of scientific philosophy, historical materialism and modern economics, and using the methods of case analysis, comparative analysis and historical empirical analysis, the author investigates the modern changes of the history of Chinese economic thought from the perspective of scientific evolution of Chinese traditional economic thought, and then puts forward the second path hypothesis of the modernization of modern Chinese economic thought—the modernization path of Chinese traditional economic thought, that is, inheriting and innovating Chinese traditional economic thought, following the paradigm of modern economic science so as to construct the school of economic science with regional and national characteristics. This book has rich implications for the exploration of research paradigms and methods of relevant fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Japan has a large population and very little land, the Japanese government stresses economical and intensive land use. As a result, they are establishing a series of plans on land use, urban infrastructure, and transportation system, to realize urban reconstruction and intensive land use. For example, to control the unlimited expansion of city and the decline of city center, they use land intensively in the city center and along public transport routes to build “neo-compact cities,” they build metropolitan areas with polycentric structures, and they make the best use of space available both above and below ground to build “vertical cities.” Through these ways, Japan has become one of the densest countries in the world. This paper summarizes Japan’s actions on land use, by literature search and by collecting official information from Japanese government websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huaxi Village is regarded as the model of neo-socialist rural construction for the remarkable performance of its collective economy. In essence, the so-called Huaxi Village collectivism is centralization plus market: the quasi centralized planning system is executed within the village, while it trades with external markets through its large scale factories, and realizes rural industrialization in doing so. However, its three-legged strategy of "economical dependency, thought control and political monopoly" will inevitably lead to social stratification within the village. The miracle of Huaxi Village may be due to the combination of planning, marketization and industrialization. The rationale of Huaxi's collectivism is that it enables villagers to achieve common prosperity out of extreme poverty by sacrificing individual freedom for materialistic gains. However, with economic development, members of Huaxi Village begin to pursue diversity, and the constraints on individual freedom by the collectivistic economic system will be increasingly incompatible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As to the applied range and optimization of grey forecast model, according to the principle that grey GM(1,1) model's parameters are grey and adjustable, the connotation model and parameter packet formulas of GM(1,1, β) were put forward in this paper, and some properties of the model and model's optimization algorithm was analyzed. The results show that the objective valuing region of parameter a of GM(1,1, β) model is (-∞+ ∞), and the objective valuing region of parameter a of GM(1,1) model is (- 2,+2), the objective valuing region of parameter a is determined by the background value coefficient, and it has nothing with raw data sequence; GM(1,1, β) grey differential equation completely suits for the homogeneous exponential function series. Finally, the example of simulating and forecasting the per capita income of urban dwellers in China shows that the grey differential equation GM(1,1, β) is valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Khitan took the historical chance at the beginning of the 10th century to conquer north China and southern Manchuria and found the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), which stood in north Asia for more than two hundred years as rival for the Chinese dynasties in the south. In their effort to rule such a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural empire, the Liao rulers created a unique dual political system, in which two different sets of political institutions were established for the Khitan and the Han-Chinese respectively. The Liao central government was comprised of the northern and the southern administrations: the northern administration was responsible for Khitan and other nomadic tribes, while the southern administered Han-Chinese and Bohai. On the local level, traditional tribal organs of the Khitan were kept parallel to Han-Chinese prefectures and counties. This paper attempts to trace the origin and historical developments of this dual system, to identify various factors which helped to shape its form, and finally to discuss in detail various administrative institutions of this dual system in the Liao central and local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Cold War, Mongolia was a member of the Asian countries among the group dominated by the Soviet Union, and a member of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance. The great changes of the Soviet Union and East Europe in the 1980s and 1990s had profoundly affected Mongolia, which in turn relinquished its highly centralized regime and planned economy and started the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, our young people will face challenges that their parents have not seen before. Rapid changes in technology, deteriorations in the natural environment, worsening economic crises, growing natural resource shortages, and increased regional instability caused by hostile international relations and local social unrest all call for decisive and well-informed responses. Young people need not only new tools, but also a new mindset to deal with these challenges. As the new generation becomes more globally connected by technology and culture, educators believe that media and information literacy (MIL) education will play an important role in equipping our young people with the necessary skills to deal with this uncertain future. Educators also hope that throughout this process, various gaps can be bridged from those who are better prepared to "plug in" to those who are not. The purpose of this short article is to examine the future possibilities of participatory culture and new media in Hong Kong so educators can take advantage of the latest developments and encourage youngsters to seize future opportunities . The article is based on selective reviews of existing literature and education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland in the economic area such as trade, finance, and tourism has become closer in the recent 15 years since the handover. The national "12th Five-Year Plan" supports the development of Hong Kong in the finance, maritime, logistics, tourism, information, and other high value-added services industries. It consolidates and enhances Hong Kong's status as an international financial, trade, and maritime centre. With the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta, and the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation, the central and Guangdong governments once again introduced measures to strengthen cooperation between the Mainland and Hong Kong. Hong Kong can make a positive difference if the SAR government can play an active role in implementing the 36 supportive measures and the recommendations made on Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most single-parent families are economically disadvantaged. Children more often live with single mothers, but the mothers are usually less educated. In addition, single-parent families face social discrimination. The government, however, puts too little emphasis on preventive education to enhance the problem solving ability of single-parent families. Social policy cannot meet the needs of these families as long as a long-term social welfare policy is lacking. As a result, single parents are unable to obtain sufficient resources, and their children easily become poor themselves. Society should thus improve the situation of single- parent families in the above areas; it should also invest in the parents so they will be able to provide a better growth environment for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of economically disadvantaged young people in Hong Kong has been increasing over the past decade, raising public concern about their chance of upward social mobility. This article provides a brief overview and analysis of the current situation. It reveals that the educational opportunities and employability of some young people have lagged behind because of their vulnerable backgrounds, the economically disadvantaged status of their families, or the lack of community support. Left unchanged, this undesirable situation will affect their development. The author suggests a review of existing policies in education, employment and social welfare planning by the Hong Kong SAR government leading to steps that will meet the needs of deprived youth and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines and analyzes the impact of poverty on Hong Kong young people living in the remote area of Tung Chung. It further discusses the effectiveness of a total integrated service delivery model and shows how it could alleviate the impact of this poverty on youth problems at the regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic achievement of imperial China reached its peak in the Ming-Qing period (1368-1912). While the Ming-Qing period has captured much scholarly attention, previous works on Ming-Qing socio-economic history mainly focused on the population growth, the development of the taxation system, and a variety of commercial issues. However, women were often neglected or regarded as objects of subordination. Is it true that Ming-Qing women had little importance and contribution to the economy? If we re-examine this significant period by shedding gender perspectives, how will the history of Ming-Qing economy look different? This article attempts to place women into the historical picture as active agents and trace their substantial participation in various economic activities by focusing on four main aspects: agricultural history, textile history, commercial history, and consumption history. Making use of different sources to rediscover women's active engagement in many economic activities, the author examines the extent to which women's participation has been overlooked in previous narrations, and calls for a revision of Ming-Qing socio-economic history by the integration of gender perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the economic performance of Hong Kong's cultural and creative industries, and its contribution to the local economy. It also examines the salient features of creative manpower as well as the structure of the labour market. Analysis of these areas will help policymakers to have a better understanding of the dynamic relationship between the creative industries and the labour market, and to set the right policy measures. The paper proposes some theoretical premises about the constituents of the creative manpower market, in the hope of filling the gaps in this research topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why did the Han government allow the southern Xiongnu to immigrate into the prefectures on the fringe of the Han border? In this paper we discuss only the financial reasons of the Han empire's policy on this issue. The nomad economy of the Xiongnu was not self-sufficient. They depended on the supply of the agricultural society of the Han empire in several ways. First, the Xiongnu raided the Han border prefectures and took the ration and other goods. Second, the Han emperor offered consorts to the Xiongnu chieftains when the latter surrendered and were recognized as the subject of the former. Third, the Han emperor made payment of cash and goods to the Xiongnu when the latter was strong and the former wanted peace. The Han government had to pay the Xiongnu whatever they asked to maintain peaceful relations. The only way the Han government avoided payment to the Xiongnu was to wage war, defeat the Xiongnu and chase them far away from the border. But the cost of war deemed too expensive. In the beginning of the Eastern Han, the southern Xiongnu surrendered to the Han emperor. The Han government settled them in the regions inside the border, and kept them under surveillance. The government considered that this was the best way to handle the matter financially, though the emperor still gave a large sum of valuable gifts annually to the Chief of the southern Xiongnu, and provided the tribesmen with economic assistance in their difficult times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]