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The development of efficient and reliable online assessments has become increasingly important in the digital era. We developed a 10-min online word reading assessment of global English based on the existing paper-and-pencil version of our English silent word reading test. The test includes two parts, namely, random word recognition and contextual word reading. A total of 889 participants (437 children and 392 adults; 62.7% female) took part in the study. They were from various regions including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Poland, the United States, and the Philippines. Reliability and validity analyses on various demographics samples (by age and country/region of origin) demonstrated that the WordSword Test is highly reliable and valid (e.g., the correlation of this test with other English reading measures were above.80). Education level was positively correlated with test performance, while the correlations between age and test performance were not consistent. Ninety-seven children participants also took the paper-and-pencil version of the WordSword Test. The correlation between performances on the online and paper-and-pencil versions of the test was.879, one year apart. With more children and adults taking the WordSword Test, we ultimately hope to establish norms by area, grade level, and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering China's 'isolated' digital ecosystem, this paper examines China's 'check-in' activities to understand how the wanghong economy is driving China's new rounds of urban development, with the purpose of supplementing existing research on digital economies from the Chinese context. Focusing on a representative case study area called Dongshankou in Guangzhou, which is regarded as one of the most popular wanghong places and an emerging commercial centre, I sought to enrich existing studies about digital economies and extend scholarship on platform urbanism from the cultural economy perspective. First, I argue that Chinese consumers' check-in activities function as the data accumulation process, structuring Dongshankou's digital capital through the assemblage of online posts and geotags. Therefore, Dongshankou's urban development challenges the conventional view of creativity as the key factor in the cultural economy for urban development, given that digital capital is now the key driver for urban development in the digital age. Second, the growth of wanghong stores in Dongshankou reveals how the wanghong economy is materialised into urban cultural objects. Emotional value – a crucial selling point that these wanghong stores aim to provide to facilitate consumers' check-in activities – illustrates how China's highly participatory digital ecosystem extracts users' emotions and bodily experiences into the process of capital accumulation, which structures the 'platform urbanism' through our daily lives. This paper broadens the horizon for an alternative theoretical agenda in platform urbanism: beyond focusing solely on platform algorithms, how digital platforms and emotions become inextricably linked in economic production should be further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of membrane structures in China. It begins with a historical review of the early applications of membrane structures in the country, highlighting pivotal events and engineering endeavors that contributed to the development. Subsequently, recent advancements in the realm of membrane structures in China are succinctly summarized. The past decade has witnessed notable progress in the implementation of membrane structures, particularly within expansive stadiums and indoor sports arenas. Additionally, cases exemplifying the diverse applications of membrane structures in various projects are presented. Noteworthy among these are the incorporation of membrane structures in building facades, suspended ceilings for indoor spaces, and the utilization of ETFT membrane structures. Furthermore, applications of air-supported membrane structures are explored, especially in the areas of sports facilities and environmental protections. Technical standards and specifications that have played an important guiding role in the development of membrane structures in China are introduced in the last. Finally, 8 issues for the future research and development of membrane structures are pointed out in the conclusion part. It is expected that this paper can serve as a catalyst for further advancement and practical implementation of membrane structures in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the development process of building cable structures in China over the past 70 years according to three stages: the initial, slow, and rapid development. It also summarizes the types of cable components and joints of building cable structures. The structural characteristics and representative projects of suspension, cable membrane, beam string (cable-supported), and cable dome structures are reviewed in this paper. Finally, the achievements and prospects of cable structures in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering data from the fourth wave of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS2016), this paper examines the impact of mobile Internet usage on the relationship between adult children and elderly parents. Results drawn from ordered Probit and mediation models show that mobile Internet use, rather than the usage of the fixed Internet, enhances the parent–child relationship. Secondly, older parents, having two or more children, cannot benefit well from using the mobile Internet, and they may rely more on phone calls to uphold intergenerational contact. Thirdly, the mobile Internet enhances the non-face-to-face contact between the two generations. Also, it reduces face-to-face contact in child–parent relationships and improves face-to-face contact in the parent–child relationship. Therefore, related to increasing in the population aging, relevant departments should continue to enhance the use of mobile Internet by reducing the usage costs, improving the usage capabilities, and innovating mobile phone functions, and remain cautious due to the reduction in face-to-face communication caused by the mobile Internet use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a methodological reflection on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project that used the photovoice method to unravel the educational experiences of disabled college students in China's higher education institutions. Although CBPR endeavors to nurture equitable community engagement in research processes, there are practical challenges to address the full participation of people with divergent disabilities and access needs. Drawing upon the critical disability studies literature, and particularly upon the activist scholarship of disability justice that revolves around interdependency, collective access, and cross-disability solidarity, we provide an open discussion on the complexities, tensions, and challenges of envisioning and creating access for participants with different disabilities in a visuality-centered CBPR. Our findings suggest that access creation in CBPR should go beyond the checklist style of accommodation and instead be approached as relational, dynamic, and iterative processes that require ongoing reflection, (re)learning, and negotiation among researchers and participants. We implemented nonvisual photography to adapt to the visuality-centered bias in the photovoice method. Nonvisual photography empowered participants with visual disabilities to evoke multiple sensorialities in their photo-taking, displaying, and interpretation. Moreover, the participants without visual disabilities also learned and practiced collective access and interdependency through co-transforming the CBPR into an accessible space for all. The heterogeneity among participants with divergent disabilities and access needs challenged CBPR's envisioning of a unified community with recognized commonalities. The inclusion of participants across disability groups created an opportunity for all participants to draw meaning from the ableist social and political circumstances that forged them as a community and to develop a sense of belonging and bonding in and through CBPR. In that light, disability justice and access should be reimagined and incorporated into CBPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family income questions in general purpose surveys are usually collected with either a single-question summary design or a multiple-question disaggregation design. It is unclear how estimates from the two approaches agree with each other. The current paper takes advantage of a large-scale survey that has collected family income with both methods. With data from 14,222 urban and rural families in the 2018 wave of the nationally representative China Family Panel Studies, we compare the two estimates, and further evaluate factors that might contribute to the discrepancy. We find that the two estimates are loosely matched in only a third of all families, and most of the matched families have a simple income structure. Although the mean of the multiple-question estimate is larger than that of the single-question estimate, the pattern is not monotonic. At lower percentiles up till the median, the single-question estimate is larger, whereas the multiple-question estimate is larger at higher percentiles. Larger family sizes and more income sources contribute to higher likelihood of inconsistent estimates from the two designs. Families with wage income as the main income source have the highest likelihood of giving consistent estimates compared with all other families. In contrast, families with agricultural income or property income as the main source tend to have very high probability of larger single-question estimates. Omission of certain income components and rounding can explain over half of the inconsistencies with higher multiple-question estimates and a quarter of the inconsistencies with higher single-question estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore how shadowing has been applied as a method for principal development in China, in terms of its aims, the procedure and the transfer of learning. Four shadowing programmes countrywide were selected. The information on the experience of the participants, providers and mentors from high-performing site schools was obtained using semi-structured interviews. A total of 16 programme participants, 4 providers and 4 mentors from high-performing site schools were involved. This study presents a comprehensive picture of the use of shadowing as a method for principal development in China by exploring individuals who were directly involved in the shadowing programmes, and by bridging leadership learning to leadership practice stressing on transfer of learning upon completion of the programmes. The research found that learning by shadowing transferred into some positive changes in participants, at both cognitive and practical levels, when they shadow in high-performing schools. However, orientations for learning and relationships during learning were weakly established in most of the programmes, which could hardly support participants to internalise and contextualise their learning into practice for strategic or systematic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state has been pivotal in both facilitating financialization and dealing with its consequences, through which the state itself has also been reshaped. This paper proposes a "state selective financialization" framework to highlight the intentionality and selectivity of the state in (de)financialization. Based on practices in China, we examine the latest state efforts to reconfigure the land reserve system in order to cope with local financial risks associated with land-backed borrowing. The state de-leverages reserved land locally and uses it to secure bonds through a state-managed top-down process. The changing mechanism demonstrates the central state's intentional role in selecting financial instruments and recentralizing its control over land financialization, whereby it has tried to mitigate financial risks and oversee local development. Instead of financialization versus de-financialization, we find financialization in China is a selective governance tactic to address state concerns. Moreover, rather than seeing financialization as a process outside the state, this research emphasizes that selective financialization is an internal process to reconsolidate the power of the central state and rebuild alignment among multi-scalar state actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editors of EPA: Economy and Space have announced the winners of the Ashby prizes for the most innovative papers published in the journal in 2022. Kun Wang, Junxi Qian, and Shenjing He were awarded for their paper on global destruction networks and hybrid e-waste economies in Guiyu, China. Andrea Ricci was awarded for his paper on global locational inequality. The papers have been made free to access for one year. The authors express their gratitude for the recognition and discuss the importance of their research in addressing cultural and economic issues in the Global South. [Extracted from the article]

Low fertility willingness has become a major practical reality in China. From the perspective of family gender equality, this paper analyzes the impact of division of housework on women's fertility willingness by using the data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). The results of propensity score matching method and instrumental variable method show that husbands' participation in housework can effectively improve wives' fertility willingness. Mechanism analysis shows that husbands' active participation in housework can effectively reduce wives' work–family conflict, increase wives' satisfaction with husbands' housework contribution, and help improve wives' happiness and fertility willingness. Further discussion on whether families have had children or not shows that women who have had children are more sensitive to their husbands' participation in housework. This study provides empirical evidence for the applicability of family gender equality theory in China and the factors affecting women's fertility willingness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research has failed to find consistent relationships between criminal victimization and fear of crime. Except for neighborhood disorder and crime rate, few studies have examined whether other neighborhood conditions matter the victimization—fear relationship. Using survey data in Guangzhou neighborhoods, the present analysis employs multinomial logistic regression models to examine whether neighborhood characteristics moderate the relationship between violent victimization and fear of violence, and between burglary victimization and fear of burglary, separately. Some aspects of the neighborhood environment do differentially influence victims' and non-victims' fear levels. Besides verifying the interaction effect of neighborhood disorder and victimization, the present study finds that neighborhood policing alleviates the harmful effect of violent victimization on fear, while collective efficacy fosters the harmful effect of burglary victimization on fear. This paper underscores the significance of the social context of urban China in explaining the interplay of neighborhood characteristics and victimization on fear of crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government censorship—internet shutdowns, blockages, firewalls—impose significant barriers to the transnational flow of information despite the connective power of digital technologies. In this paper, we examine whether and how information flows across borders despite government censorship. We develop a semi-automated system that combines deep learning and human annotation to find co-occurring content across different social media platforms and languages. We use this system to detect co-occurring content between Twitter and Sina Weibo as Covid-19 spread globally, and we conduct in-depth investigations of co-occurring content to identify those that constitute an inflow of information from the global information ecosystem into China. We find that approximately one-fourth of content with relevance for China that gains widespread public attention on Twitter makes its way to Weibo. Unsurprisingly, Chinese state-controlled media and commercialized domestic media play a dominant role in facilitating these inflows of information. However, we find that Weibo users without traditional media or government affiliations are also an important mechanism for transmitting information into China. These results imply that while censorship combined with media control provide substantial leeway for the government to set the agenda, social media provides opportunities for non-institutional actors to influence the information environment. Methodologically, the system we develop offers a new approach for the quantitative analysis of cross-platform and cross-lingual communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space grid structures are widely used in the field of structural engineering due to their good mechanical properties and simple construction procedures. This paper reviews the development of space grid structures and mainly introduces the development of space grid structures in China in recent years. Some typical applications of space grid structures are introduced and the technical developments are summarized. It shows that China not only has a large number of engineering applications of space grid structures, but also a rapid development of related technologies. Finally, some prospects for space grid structures are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Tien Lan, widely recognized as one of the key founders and pioneers of modern spatial structures in China. In addition to his significant contributions in research and design, this paper explores Professor Lan's social initiatives and accomplishments, such as founding committees and associations related to spatial structures, organizing conferences, and contributing to the development of specifications for design and construction. Professor Lan's contributions have been recognized by several prestigious awards and honors received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined how gay men were incorporated into China's HIV/AIDS policies from 1987 to 2019. We also explored how these policies reflect the country's broader position regarding homosexuality. A textual analysis method was adopted using China's national-level HIV/AIDS policies, regulations, a nd guidelines (1987–2019, N = 26). Three periods related to the incorporation of gay men into China's HIV/AIDS policies were identified: 1987–1990, 1991–2001, and 2002–present, based on whether gay men are explicitly mentioned in the national HIV/AIDS policies. Four ways in which gay men are addressed through national HIV/AIDS policies were identified. Notably, heteronormativity-related moral and sex education remains in place in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), while homosexuality has already symbolically decriminalized and depathologized since the late 1990s and the early 2000s, respectively. Additionally, increased education on sexual orientation was included in the HIV/AIDS policy as of 2017. While China's pragmatic approach to HIV/AIDS has contributed to the increased visibility and representation of gay men in official and public discourse, the country's response to HIV/AIDS seems to reflect its persistent regulation of nonnormative sexuality as well as moral control toward homosexuality. Other underlying issues regarding China's HIV/AIDS policies and suggestions to improve HIV/AIDS governance are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 2000s, scholars have proposed the notion of "world anthropologies" to expose the pluralistic nature of anthropology, and to counter the colonial legacy embedded in knowledge production. This paper discusses how anthropological knowledge in and of China contributes to, is distant from, and challenges, such intellectual movement at both intellectual and institutional levels. First, unlike Western anthropology which shifts from colonialism to liberalism and then to postcolonialism, anthropology in China began with a progressive agenda of anti-colonialism, and then leaned toward liberalism. In the context of China's rise, "China" has been further embroiled in a puzzle of imperialism. This reversed ideological tendency contributes to the disorientation of the critical energy in anthropology focused on China. Second, just as China has taken an active role in the competition for education and research in a globalized, yet uneven academia through discipline construction, anthropology in the West, particularly the United States, has become provincialized in terms of its intellectual agendas. Many of the younger generation of Chinese anthropologists have become stuck in the disjuncture, struggling to channel their critical energy through engaged scholarship, both within and beyond academic institutions. The epistemic politics in and of China, at both the intellectual and institutional levels, reveals that the post-socialist condition deserves to be reference points in world anthropologies. If decolonization posits treating plural standpoints as equal, then being counted in the decolonizing efforts necessitates subscribing to the dominant framework. Thus, more attention to the post-socialist condition, and ultimately the pluralization of the reference points of political potency, should truly pluralize, and ultimately decolonize, anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect white wax is a type of biological wax, mainly produced in Jiading Fu (now Leshan, Sichuan province) in southern Sichuan province, also known as Sichuan wax. It is a special export product in China and an important source of income for local wax farmers. From the seventeenth century onward, Westerners who traveled deep into southwestern China studied the wax, including its geographical distribution, biological experiments, and production techniques. They assessed its commercial prospects and strove to introduce it to Europe and the areas it controlled. Based on the reports of the European scholars' expeditions, travelogues, conference proceedings, and correspondence, this paper examines the history of Western research on the insect white wax and aims to investigate the underlying motivations for the exploration activities, proposes the concept of "object colonialism," and discusses the impact of adopting objects from their countries of origin on the world's political and economic landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the China Family Panel Studies to investigate the relationship between educational difference between partners and wife's happiness. Employing some econometric models, this paper finds that the status of wife having more education than husband has a negative impact on wife's happiness. To alleviate the endogeneity of educational difference, this paper uses an instrument variable approach to identify the causal relationship between them, and obtains conclusions consistent with the baseline regression. Heterogeneous analysis shows that for women who are less educated and subject to external traditional cultural norms, the negative happiness effect of wife having more education than husband is particularly significant. While greatly influenced by traditional cultural norms, these women are not only unwilling but also afraid to deviate from the role orientation of women in the existing social norms. Therefore, once women transcend the traditional norms to have more education than their husbands, their happiness will be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Board informal hierarchy plays a crucial role in board governance and corporate strategic decision-making. The article empirically examines the impact of board informal hierarchy on corporate digital transformation based on relational contract theory, using a fixed-effects model with Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed manufacturing companies from 2012 to 2019 as research subjects. The findings of this study demonstrate a positive correlation between board informal hierarchy and digital transformation. Specifically, the presence of a chairman with the highest rank in the informal hierarchy strengthens this relationship, while the presence of a CEO with the highest rank weakens it. Mechanistic analysis shows that informal hierarchy accelerates digital transformation through three channels: improving board decision-making efficiency, mitigating management myopia, and facilitating information communication. This study extends existing research. On the one hand, this paper explores the drivers of digital transformation in manufacturing firms at the level of corporate governance and board characteristics. The findings provide empirical evidence to support the understanding of transformational change behaviors of manufacturing enterprises in the digital economy. On the other hand, it also opens up the "black box" of the internal operation of the board and provides valuable lessons for strengthening board governance. JEL Classification: D21; M12; Z13. Plain Language Summary: Board Informal Hierarchy and Digital Transformation The article empirically examines the impact of board informal hierarchy on corporate digital transformation based on relational contract theory, using a fixed-effects model with Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed manufacturing companies from 2012 to 2019 as research subjects. The findings of this study demonstrate a positive correlation between board informal hierarchy and digital transformation. Specifically, the presence of a chairman with the highest rank in the informal hierarchy strengthens this relationship, while the presence of a CEO with the highest rank weakens it. Mechanistic analysis shows that informal hierarchy accelerates digital transformation through three channels: improving board decision-making efficiency, mitigating management myopia, and facilitating information communication. This study extends existing research. On the one hand, this paper explores the drivers of digital transformation in manufacturing firms at the level of corporate governance and board characteristics. The findings provide empirical evidence to support the understanding of transformational change behaviors of manufacturing enterprises in the digital economy. On the other hand, it also opens up the "black box" of the internal operation of the board and provides valuable lessons for strengthening board governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how bank funding diversity and lending affect bank performance, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. We employ the Generalized Method of Moments to analyze unbalanced panels of commercial banks in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The empirical results show that a percentage increase in bank funding diversity and bank lending in the sample negatively affects profitability. In contrast, the results are mixed in each country due to different market microstructures. While holding diversified funding strengthens bank profitability during the pandemic, increasing lending activities dampers the bank's performance. Finally, this research has important implications for bank managers and regulators to develop sustainable banking performance in emerging markets, especially during pandemics. Plain Language Summary: This paper investigates how bank funding diversity and lending affect bank performance, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. We employ the Generalized Method of Moments to analyze unbalanced panels of commercial banks in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The empirical results show that a percentage increase in bank funding diversity and bank lending in the sample negatively affects profitability. In contrast, the results are mixed in each country due to different market microstructures. While holding diversified funding strengthens bank profitability during the pandemic, increasing lending activities dampers the bank's performance. Finally, this research has important implications for bank managers and regulators to develop sustainable banking performance in emerging markets, especially during pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mixed ownership reform of China is a kind of further partial privatization for the listed state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and an opportunity for non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) to expand their commerce boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of heterogeneous blockholders on corporate innovation. Spanning the analysis with listed companies in China from 2007 to 2017, we find that heterogeneous blockholders have a significant positive effect on enterprise innovation. Lowering agency costs and improving corporate innovation efficiency are the two plausible mechanisms. From further research, we find that compared with non-SOEs, the positive effect of heterogeneous blockholders on enterprise innovation is more pronounced for SOEs, and the effect is more positive with the improvement of relative power balance between heterogeneous blockholders. The paper sheds light on the innovation effects of mixed-ownership reform in emerging and transitioning countries. JEL Classification : G32, M13, D23, G34 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper observes the practice of postpartum confinement by urban women in China with high educational levels from the perspective of cognitive conception and behavioural practice. It reveals the cognitive conflict and self-adjustment in these women between 'modern health notions' and 'traditional medical practices', and analyses the rationality of the long-standing presence of and local differences in the practice as a traditional postpartum nursing behaviour for Chinese women. Moreover, this paper emphasizes the important value of postpartum confinement as a kind of local knowledge and holds that adhering to and advocating the locality and diversification of knowledge, including scientific knowledge, is conducive to the long-term coexistence and sustainable development of different knowledge traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian and gay adults' self-reported experiences of violence from family of origin in adulthood have been less examined in previous research on interpersonal violence from intimate others. In China, while it has been understood that lesbians and gay men face mounting pressure to marry and have children, there is little empirical evidence on their experiences of violence from family of origin. This paper analyzes self-reported experiences of negative treatment and violence from a larger-scale study in China of 11,048 Chinese lesbian and gay cisgender adults. The majority of Chinese lesbians and gay men felt pressure to get married and have children (70.4%), and experienced different forms of negative treatment and violence from their family members based on sexual orientation (54.2%). A significant gender difference was observed. This paper provides novel empirical evidence for the lived experiences of lesbians and gay men in China and bears implications for China's Anti-domestic Violence Law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of issuing and using local government debt, local officials may be corrupted by self-interest into inappropriately increasing the bond supply, leading to excessive expansion of local government debt and an increase in debt risk. Adopting the perspective of government investment efficiency, this paper employs a piecemeal causal steps approach to analyze the influence of local official corruption on local government debt. The results from panel data on 30 provinces in China show that the local official corruption triggers the expansion of local government debt. A mediation analysis reveals that the effect operates by impairing government investment efficiency. An analysis of regional heterogeneity further shows that the impact is weaker or even disappears in developed in comparison to underdeveloped regions, which further indicates that the anticorruption campaign supports local government debt management, especially in developed regions. This paper not only explains the relationship between local official corruption and local government debt, but also provides new ideas for local government debt management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 calls for a new understanding of urban landscape and associated living. As an emerging topic, lockdown urbanism involves an unpredictable future where lockdown or quarantine may be a come and go new normal for everyday practice, but the topic itself seems to have escaped historical inquiry. This paper attempts to answer why the strict lockdown is suitable for China by revealing a long and complex history of urbanization and its social and administrative organization. The urban fabric is characterized by a system of urban patterns: enclosed communities, the spatial layout and service distribution of the neighborhood, and the formation of the center. It was also animated by daily ritualistic practices, such as the control of time, quotidian lockdown practice (yejin), and individual ties within the enclosed neighborhood. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the deep history of urban form and the order and logic behind lockdown urbanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than half of the presidents in top universities of China have been grown up in their original universities. According to the upper echelon theory, the "indigenization" characteristics of university presidents will have an impact on their cognitive level and thus affect the scientific research performance of universities. Based on data from the National Natural Science Fund Projects and the National Social Science Fund Projects of China from 2007 to 2016, as well as individual characteristics of presidents, this paper empirically investigates the influence of the growth experience of presidents in 115 "Project 211" universities on scientific research performance. The results show that the presidents who grow up from the original universities have a significant negative impact on national fund projects, especially on the national natural science foundation projects. This paper suggest that the reason maybe the insufficient motivation and less access to external resources for native presidents. Some corresponding policy recommendations are proposed for this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turquoise is one of the key ingredients in some magical Tibetan medicines, and its quality and content directly affect the medicine's effectiveness. In this paper, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology was first applied to detect the raw materials of Tibetan medicine. The traditional data analysis methods could not meet the practical requirements of modern Tibetan medicine factories due to matrix effects. The concept of correlation coefficient (ρ) in pattern recognition technique was introduced as an evaluation index, and the model was established based on the intensities of the four characteristic Al and Cu spectral lines of the samples for different contents of turquoise, which was applied to estimate the contents of turquoise in the samples to be tested. We detected the LIBS on 126 samples of raw ore from 42 areas in China and evaluated the turquoise content using self-developed software with an error of <10%. This paper's technical testing process and methods can also be applied to test other mineral compositions and provide technical support for modernizing and standardizing Tibetan medicines. Graphical Abstract This is a visual representation of the abstract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists and diplomats have significant differences in professional skills, activity time and work content, but they should work together. With the deepening impact of science and technology (S&T) on socio-economic development and international relations, S&T has become a crucial component of national strategies, particularly for diplomacy. There is a need for scientific evidence and advice, meaning that mastering more knowledge and skills in S&T would be helpful in negotiations. This paper analyses the ideas of S&T diplomacy, including a review of its 40-year history in China, its definition (with detailed connotations) and its characteristics. The paper focuses on the significant role of people-to-people communication in S&T, which may inform future work. Five suggestions are given to strengthen the strategic planning of S&T diplomacy: (1) A more clarified, strategic goal of future-oriented S&T diplomacy is required; (2) It is important to build a theoretical system for China to describe S&T diplomacy; (3) The creation of a global S&T cooperation map that adapts to the new type of international relations would be valuable; (4) Fairness and justice shall be maintained, while a reform of the global S&T governance system is promoted; (5) It is a must to adhere to bottom-line thinking and strengthen risk prediction and emergency responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The portrayals of "new state capitalism" in both the popular media and policy-making circles have become a potent geopolitical category. This politically realist categorization is understandably popular because of its simplicity—states proactively participating in capital accumulation are construed as threats to institutions underpinning the "free market". This paper complicates this portrayal by framing what appears to be a "rise" of state capitalistic maneuvers from China as a dynamic sovereignty–accumulation nexus. Specifically, Chinese state capitalism—and arguably state capitalism in general—constitutes the reproduction of sovereign rule. Underpinning this tension-filled process is territoriality: the use of territory for political, economic, and social ends. This dynamic relationship will be illustrated through an examination of how and why Yunnan, a southwestern Chinese province that was economically marginalized for several decades, emerged as a geostrategic platform for facilitating new rounds of capital accumulation. Through large-scale infrastructural investments in Yunnan, the Chinese state generated new territorial configurations that (a) enabled the positioning of Yunnan as a "bridgehead" of Chinese economic statecraft and (b) encouraged investments aimed at capturing new growth opportunities. While this state-led developmental process partially resolves tensions generated by previous rounds of capital accumulation, it also generates new tensions. Building on this case study, the paper demonstrates how Chinese state capitalism more accurately exemplifies a state-building process that is embedded in and is constituted by a central contradiction between the territorial and capitalistic logics of power. It concludes by presenting two directions for future research on Chinese state capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the motivations and contexts for China's highly educated, financially independent single urban women to willingly participate in parental matchmaking. Based on the analysis of two rounds of in-depth interviews with 25 never-married women in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, we find that their participation in parental matchmaking is best understood as an intergenerational alliance formed to mitigate perceived insecurities. Neo-familism, state-endorsed stigmatization and discriminatory polices explain why parents and daughters both prioritize socio-economic security in mate selection. However, the benefits of this inter-generational collaboration are doubtful and asymmetrical, more beneficial to parents than daughters. We contribute to the literature by specifying how state-promoted discourses, neo-familism and women's lived experiences explain their participation in parental matchmaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, the People's Bank of China (PBC) together with multiple departments issued the Guidance on Building a Green Financial System (the Guidance), which marked a great breakthrough in China's green finance policy. Aiming to clarify the actual impact and underlying mechanisms of green finance policy on Chinese listed companies' ESG disclosure quality, this study employs the difference-in-differences (DID) model and examines the impact of the Guidance on ESG disclosure practices of A-share listed companies on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) during the period 2006 to 2022. This study reveals a positive correlation between the Guidance and listed companies' ESG disclosure. Upon further examination, it becomes evident that the Guidance has a more noticeable positive impact on the quality of ESG disclosure among listed companies that operate in industries with high levels of pollution, state-owned enterprises, and regions that exhibit greater levels of economic development. This paper provides essential insights to policymakers, facilitating a deeper understanding and more thorough assessment of the economic implications of green finance policies. Additionally, it acts as a strategic resource for listed companies, guiding the enhancement of corporate ESG disclosures and the implementation of ESG strategies influenced by green finance policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of consumers' gender and age on the relationship between their attitudes and purchase intentions for choosing a sustainable retirement village, drawing on the Ecological Theory of Aging and the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit. About 931 research participants were collected in China through an online research firm, which distributed questionnaires to its sampling database. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The study reveals that (1) consumers' attitudes toward sustainable retirement villages mediate the relationship between social and environmental sustainability and purchase intentions; (2) The link between the attributes of sustainable retirement villages and consumers' purchase intentions is mediated by their attitudes, which are not influenced by the consumers' gender or age. This research demonstrates that neither the gender nor age of consumers significantly impact their attitudes and purchase intentions regarding sustainable retirement villages. The scope of this study is constrained by its sample and variables, as the research subject focuses specifically on Chinese consumers' attitudes and intentions toward sustainable retirement villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore whether the development of competitive computer gaming (eSports) industries is sustained in China. In doing so, we apply the Generalized Supremum Augmented Dickey-Fuller (GSADF) method to investigate when the bubbles originated and crashed in the Chinese eSports market from 2014 to 2021. Utilizing the data of the Chinese Electronic Sports Thematic Index (CESI), the empirical outcomes show that the Chinese eSports industry may deviate from its market value and that the industry witnesses bubble behaviors. The latent reasons might be attributed to government policies, economic growth, stock market crises, and venture capital investments. Therefore, to promote the stabilized and sustained development of the eSports industry in China, regulators and authorities should pay attention to the evolution of bubbles. Moreover, maintaining policy consistency and continuity may be beneficial in stabilizing investors' expectations and reducing speculative investment behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the factors influencing the career decisions of Chinese college graduates. The study applied the experimental method, with a survey conducted among two groups of college graduates (Chinese and international students). The experiment involved 686 students (343 Chinese students and 343 international students) in their final year. The main criteria for career choices among Chinese students include motivation (76%), interest (62%), personal development (53%), aptitudes (48%), awareness of the profession (38%) and attitudes of their parents/instructors (72%). By contrast, international students chose personal development (81%), aptitudes (74%) and motivation (68%) among the criteria. A career guidance training programme has been developed in order to improve motivation and willingness of college graduates to make decisions about their careers. The practical value and research outlooks are based on the opportunities arising when determining the influence of cross-cultural characteristics on the choice of a profession in the course of exploring the motivation and willingness to make career decisions not just for college graduates but also for universities in China and other countries in a comparative context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of vocal exercises with visual art and interactive tools might contribute to development of students' musical skills and enhance learning effectiveness. This paper gets an insight into the effectiveness of the vocal exercises developed with visual art tools and a vocal training app. The survey was conducted among 110 students from a music school in China. Students from small groups B who used MOOC and the developed vocal exercises performed 8.6% better compared to the control group, suggesting the programme's effectiveness for teaching vocal performance. Group B post-assessment of the special factors showed increased scores on the three assessment criteria after the intervention. This study has practical value and is important for further research because it demonstrates the developed vocal exercises' effect on musical skills. Research findings may be applied in educational institutions that are interested in finding ways to develop musical skills and improve the effectiveness of vocal training. The results are important for teachers, education officials and everyone interested in the introduction of interactive environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grandparenting duties can affect the well-being of the elderly both positively and negatively. This paper disentangles the interactions between grandparenting, quality of life, and life satisfaction in China. Using a panel dataset of 3205 respondents in three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011, 2013, and 2015, we find that grandparents who look after grandchildren are less at risk of depression, receive more financial and in-kind transfers from their children, and report greater life satisfaction than grandparents who do not look after grandchildren. These benefits vary across gender and rural-urban status, however. The positive effect of grandparenting is driven mainly by the direct effect with negligible mediating effect attributable to better quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite steady progress in drug control work, drug-related crimes are ranked third in the total number of criminal cases in China. Based on in-depth interviews with 24 offenders who are now incarcerated for drug offenses, this paper examines the strategies employed by drug offenders to evade detection and mitigate their punishment for drug dealing. Their most frequently-used strategies focus on filtering out risky people, ensuring information asymmetry and knowing when to stop. Exploring how offenders adapt their behavior in response to punishment helps to further our understanding of crime commission and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total solar eclipse was recorded in a classic Chinese book with the title The Travels of an Alchemist: the Journey of the Taoist Ch'ang Ch'un from China to the Hindukush at the Sumons of Chingiz Khan. In the present paper, possible locations of the solar eclipse observation are investigated, taking into account the geographical characteristics of local environments. With a modern astronomical planetary ephemeris, the authors confirm the observation records and derive an upper limit of +768 seconds for the Δ T value at the epoch A.D. 1221. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous scholarship in qualitative methodologies commonly classifies researchers' status in the field into insiders or outsiders. However, the prevalence of participatory observation in numerous social science disciplines has blurred the insider/outsider dichotomy and highlighted that the levels of researchers' involvement in the field are becoming context-specific and far more complex than just insider or outsider. Inspired by this tendency in fieldwork methodology, this paper seeks insights from a theory in communication studies, role theory, to understand researchers' status regarding the roles they adopt in their interactions with research participants. Through reference to relevant sociological and psychological schools of thought, this paper highlights discourse as a crucial instrument for researchers' role-making in fieldwork. This study draws on the author's experience conducting fieldwork in a Central China city to demonstrate how a researcher engages in shifting field contexts by intentionally assuming numerous roles. To explore state-firm relations in local development, the author recruited two groups of research participants: government officials and business managers. The author actively learned and employed comparable discursive techniques in interactions with each group of participants, thereby assuming various roles in different contexts. These findings underscore the purposeful self-presentation and intentional role-playing/change as effective means for human geographers and researchers in extensive disciplines to be involved in participant groups for gathering data more efficiently. Meanwhile, the author's self-reflection also illuminates the consequent impacts on research outcomes and ethical issues due to the involvement of researchers in their participants, therefore highlighting the necessity for detachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has made remarkable progress in preventing and intervening in domestic violence against women. Scholars have reported on this development. Methodologically, this paper, which draws on 3362 references selected from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, uses the bibliometric method to summarize the characteristics, evolution, and frontiers of key topics into research on abused women in China between 1993 and 2020. The paper has three key findings. (1) The volume of literature has grown continuously, but in three stages: initial, rapid growth, and peak fluctuation; (2) the topic has five research hotspots: fundamental issues in domestic violence against women; new legislation, notably the 2015 Anti-Domestic Violence Law ; social support for abused women; matrimonial disputes involving abused women; and conviction and sentencing of abused women who kill their husbands; and (3) the current research frontiers lie within the defects of the Anti-Domestic Violence Law and challenges in the implementation of the law. In addition, the paper examines characteristics and limitations of the study on abused women in China and suggests changes in practice, policy, and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Issues of the aging population and disability of older persons have been rapidly developing in China over the past 20 years. Since 2016, the Chinese government has been exploring remedies to alleviate social and family burdens and ensure the dignity of the disabled old persons by implementing long-term care insurance systems in a few pilot cities across the country. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present the current challenges faced by China's long-term care insurance system and put forth suggestions for the future, based on literature research and the feedback obtained from its implementation in pilot areas. Research Design: This paper conducts a theoretical study based on the principles of public health ethics. Study Sample: Since 2016, China has launched two batches of pilot cities for long-term care insurance. The analysis object of this study is the feedback on the policy implementation of the existing 29 pilot cities that participated. The relevant data involved in the analysis are from the authors' field research and published literature on the analysis of pilot cities. Analysis: The ethical value and importance of long-term care insurance policies in China are evaluated from the perspectives of policy philosophy and social individual interests. Results: The results of this evaluation show that the core ethical values were not met in the development of China's current long-term care insurance system. Moreover, distributive justice norms were neglected, and access to the system between different social groups and within the groups covered by it was unequal. Conclusions: This paper argues that long-term care insurance should not differentiate between urban and rural areas in allocating nursing resources. Additionally, it would be essential to build democratic supervision and manage public opinions by adopting open and transparent information-sharing policies. Standards of disability assessments and treatment payment should be at par to ensure a balance between the rights and obligations of policyholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological innovation is the key to develop wind power and photovoltaic power industries. The feed-in tariff (FIT) policy, as a demand-pull policy, is important to support renewable energy technological innovation. Using the "difference-in-differences" method, this paper investigates the impact of FIT policy of wind power and the impact of the FIT policy designed according to differences in the distribution of resources on wind power technological innovation. The findings show that the FIT policy can drive patenting in wind power technologies during the implementation period, but may play a relatively weak promoting role in technological innovation in the latter term, and the FIT policy designed according to differences in the distribution of resources also stimulates more patent counts. Finally, based on the fixed effect negative binomial regression model, this paper finds that the higher feed-in tariffs can increase the patent counts in photovoltaic power technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon 2 years of ethnographic fieldwork, this study proposes "aspirational taste regime" as a critical concept through which to examine the emergence of a discursively constructed normative system in China's Pick-Up Artist (PUA) training programs. By unpacking how taste is practiced both digitally and corporeally in these programs, the paper argues that Chinese PUA learners carefully curate taste for an illusionary, at times even deceptive, presentation of idealized masculinities to increase their matrimonial chances. In doing so, this paper extends the literature on taste regimes by moving beyond its typically Western focus. It directs attention to an aspirational taste regime that capitalizes on young men's aspirations for idealized masculinities and prescribes a seemingly effortless but in fact highly curated online presentation of cultural-capital-oriented consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authoritarian regimes in the 21st century have increasingly turned to using information control rather than kinetic force to respond to threats to their rule. This paper studies an often overlooked type of information control: strategic labeling and public statements by regime sources in response to protests. Labeling protesters as violent criminals may increase support for repression by signaling that protests are illegitimate and deviant. Regime sources, compared to more independent sources, could increase support for repression even more when paired with such an accusatory label. Accommodative labels should have opposing effects—decreasing support for repression. The argument is tested with a survey experiment in China which labels environmental protests. Accusatory labels increase support for repression of protests. Regime sources, meanwhile, have no advantage over non-governmental sources in shifting opinion. The findings suggest that negative labels de-legitimize protesters and legitimize repression while the sources matter less in this contentious authoritarian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a quest for economies of scale, access to technologies, and, most importantly, expansion of market share, Chinese public companies have been engaged in several consecutive waves of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) involving mostly domestically domiciled non-listed targets from the same or adjacent industries. Relying on a comprehensive panel dataset of 7,998 transactions completed between 1993 and 2020 by 2,842 publicly listed acquirers domiciled in China, the paper attempts to establish whether M&A deals allow acquirers to improve their market share and, consequently, their relative market position. We use dynamic panel regression and ordered logit models to establish and quantify the link between deal characteristics and the post-deal market share of the combined entities. Our empirical findings demonstrate that corporate consolidations exercise no significant impact on the relative competitive positioning of firms. Only acquisitions by industry leaders produce a sizeable increase in the latter's market share and lead to higher industry concentration. Most consolidations occur among outsiders exhibiting a high degree of similarity, relatively lower profitability, and stagnant market shares within the more competitive industries with higher rates of firm creation. These consolidations, often in the form of mergers, are not effective in advancing the combined entities' competitive positioning. Despite the fact that the bulk of corporate consolidations appears unlikely to constitute a threat to competition in the medium term, careful regulatory oversight may be warranted within the currently fragmented and highly commoditized industries, which appear likely to consolidate at the fastest pace. JEL Classification: G30, G32. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's manufacturing industry has emerged as a major contributor to both the nation's economic growth and global trade. Achieving high-quality development in this sector is not only crucial for China's sustainable progress but also holds significant implications for the global economy. Considering the importance of Chinese manufacturing industry, this paper establishes a framework for exploring the mechanism of manufacture industry's high-quality development in China's three economic regions based on the Driver-Pressure-State-Response (DPSR) model and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). SEM is established for analyzing the multiple paths of manufacture industry's high-quality development in the eastern, middle and western economic region of China. The findings reveal distinct patterns in each region. In the eastern region, a unidirectional path of "Driver-Pressure-State-Response" is confirmed, with a particular emphasis on quality improvement and efficiency increase. The middle region exhibits a leapfrog path characterized by "Driver-Pressure-State" and "Pressure-Response," where quality improvement and dynamic conversion play critical roles. Conversely, the western region demonstrates an interrupt path of "Pressure-State-Response," highlighting the significance of structural rationalization and dynamic conversion. Based on these results, sustainable solutions and suggestions for promoting high-quality development in the manufacturing industry are proposed, providing valuable targeted insights for the transformation and advancement of China's manufacturing sector. This study makes a novel contribution by developing a DPSR-SEM model and expands literature and knowledge in high-quality development of manufacturing industry. Practically, this study can guide decision-makers, managers, and stakeholders in understanding the interactions between driving forces, pressures, states, and responses in the context of manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the environmental pollution of economic development, countries around the world pursue high-quality economic development model. However, the relationship between R&D investment agglomeration and high-quality economic development has not been thoroughly revealed in existing studies. Taking 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2009 to 2018 as research samples, this paper empirically examines the relationship between regional R&D investment agglomeration and high-quality economic development by using system GMM method and spatial econometric model. Theoretical analysis shows that regional R&D investment agglomeration promotes regional high-quality economic development by increasing regional knowledge capital, improving innovation efficiency, and promoting knowledge spillovers through scale effect, synergy effect, and spillover effect, respectively. The empirical results show that regional R&D investment agglomeration can significantly promote regional high-quality economic development. The degree of regional integrated innovation can positively adjust the promotion effect of regional R&D investment agglomeration on regional high-quality economic development. Regional R&D investment agglomeration can effectively promote the high-quality economic development of surrounding regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper seeks to understand whether the current basic endowment insurance policy has properly played the role of supporting the elderly needs through intergenerational support within the family. Theoretically, there are problems of the imbalanced structure of pension security, retirees' comparatively higher pension and the low-level security of young people's in-service income, and drawbacks of the existing endowment insurance system, both have a certain causal relationship with "gnawing the old." Data on China's family tracking survey in 2016 (CFPS2016), Probit model, IV and PSM robustness testing methods were also used to study the relationship between parents' pensions and their grownup children's "gnawing-the-old" behavior. The results show that: (1) Compared with young people from families without pension income, those with pensioned parent(s) will less possibly choose to work; the parents' financial assistance behavior would restrain the children's intention to work and increase the possibility of "gnawing the old"; (2) Neither the amount of pension income nor financial assistance given to the children is significantly related to young people's "gnawing the old"; (3) Young people's "gnawing the old" behaviors are different according to their parents' professions and living areas; (4) The gap between parents' pension income and children's in-service income also adds to the causes of "gnawing the old." The policy implications of these findings are discussed particularly the formulation of a scientific mechanism for pension income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green port construction has a profound impact on China's international climate commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. To examine the carbon emission reduction potential of 20 major ports in the Yangtze River Delta port cluster of China, this study takes the perspective of environmental efficiency and employs dynamic exogenous variable DEA in efficiency evaluation. The results show the increasing environmental efficiency of the ports in the Yangtze River Delta, rising from 0.5116 in 2013 to 0.7276 in 2019. Also, there are significant spatial differences in efficiency. After considering exogenous variable, the average efficiency has increased from 0.5537 to 0.6276, indicating that regional green development is a critical factor in port environmental efficiency evaluation. Finally, the overall efficiency of input and output have risen, the slackness of carbon emission shows a trend of decreasing, and there is great potential for reducing carbon emissions from the perspective of port environmental efficiency. The previous studies paid less attention to dynamic efficiency, exogenous variables, and carbon emission. Therefore, this paper is the first comprehensive examination on the carbon emission reduction potential of China's Yangtze River Delta port cluster from the perspective of dynamic environmental efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]