The Dizi, a Chinese bamboo flute

May 29, 2010

The Dizi is a traditional Chinese musical instrument that was popular during the Warring States period (472-221 BC) and was used in opera during the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties.

There are two opinions about where the Dizi came from. Official Imperial documents say that a messenger for Han Emperor Wudi brought one with him from western China in 199 BC.

Chen Yue – “Touching Dizi”

However, older bone and bamboo flutes have been found in ancient tombs. One was found in an Eastern Han tomb (206BC – 9 AD).  Several bone flutes were found in Zhejiang province and more than thirty flutes have been found that were nine thousand years old.  The number of holes varies.

Discover more about Chinese music. See the Gu Zheng

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

His latest novel is the multiple-award winning Running with the Enemy.

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11 Comments | China, Chinese arts and music | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Intel in China

May 28, 2010

When you hear Americans complaining about China stealing jobs, here are a few facts to know.

Chinese consumers buy computers. In fact, there are more Chinese using the Internet than the entire population of the United States. That’s a lot of Internet surfing. Source: Internet World Stats.com

For that reason, Intel’s President and CEO, Paul Otellini said, “China is our fastest-growing major market and we believe it’s critical that we invest in markets that will provide for future growth to better serve our customers.”

Intel is one of the largest foreign investors in China and is opening a wafer fabrication facility in Dalian, Liaoning Province.  This added investment in China will cost $2.5 billion bringing Intel’s total investment to $4 billion. The last new fabrication plant Intel built was in Ireland in 1992.

Intel now has over 6,000 employees on assembly and test research and developing in 16 cities in Mainland China. Intel also has a facility in Bangalore, India. Source: Intel

In the United States, Intel has over 20 different locations. In Oregon alone, Intel has invested $22 billion and employs 15,500 Americans with an annual payroll of $1.5 billion. Source: Intel

Learn more about Chinese Stereotype Alive and Rotten in America

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the author of the award winning novels My Splendid Concubine and Our Hart. He also Blogs at The Soulful Veteran and Crazy Normal.

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1 Comment | America, business, China, economy | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Exports and Imports Equals Jobs

May 28, 2010

When rumors say that China is going to sell Euros or cash in on US Treasurys, stock markets tend to panic. Then China denies the rumors as they did recently. “Europe has been and will be one of the major markets for investing China’s exchange reserves,” China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange says. Source: 24/7 Wall St

It would not serve China’s interests to hurt Europe or America’s economies since China exports more than 200 billion Euros worth of mainly industrial good to Europe, which means jobs in China. Europe also exports more than 80 billion Euros in goods to China, which translated into European jobs.

Overall, China imported $922 billion  dollars worth of products from the rest of the world last year while exports declined to an estimated 1.19 trillion.

Although exports to the U.S. fell in 2009 by 12.2% to 296.4 billion, China’s imports only went down to 69.6 from 69.7 billion dollars from the prior year so America improved its trade deficit with the PRC by 15.4% in 2009. This means jobs were lost in China but not as many jobs were lost in America from what America sells and exports to China.  Source: China Trade Statistics 2009

See Jobless in America and Angry at China

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the author of the award winning novels My Splendid Concubine and Our Hart. He also Blogs at The Soulful Veteran and Crazy Normal.

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Leave a Comment » | America, China, economy | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
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China and North Korea

May 27, 2010

Due to the latest tension between North and South Korea over the sinking of a South Korean navy ship by North Korea, China has been asked to step in and help. However, China’s response has been for the “relevant parties” to “calmly and properly handle the issue and avoid escalation of tension.” Source: Politics News

If China is reluctant to be sucked into the latest North Korean conflict, what could be causing this response? One reason might be that China has a history with Korea going back to the Tang Dynasty in 688 AD, when there was an alliance with Silla, a Korean state.

North Korean National Musical Troupe currently visiting China performing “Dream of Red Mansion” (adapted from Chinese classic novel).

Then it could be because Chinese culture, written language and political institutions have had an influence in Korea since the 4th century and in the 14th century, Korea came under the influence  of Confucian thought influenced by Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism).

China’s reluctance to put public pressure on Pyongyang to step off the warhorse might be because the Chinese feel it would be like pressuring a family member. A 1,700-year old relationship might have more weight than the one China has with America that isn’t even forty yet. However, measuring that weight may also depend on the trillion or more China has invested in America.

Punish North Korea or Not?

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

His third book is Crazy is Normal, a classroom exposé, a memoir. “Lofthouse presents us with grungy classrooms, kids who don’t want to be in school, and the consequences of growing up in a hardscrabble world. While some parents support his efforts, many sabotage them—and isolated administrators make the work of Lofthouse and his peers even more difficult.” – Bruce Reeves.

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China’s Holistic Historical Timeline

 

1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Confucianism, cultural differences, politics, Taoism | Tagged: , , | Permalink
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