分类：Culture & Public Commentary

On the Discussion on the Teachers’ Blogs: An Interpretation of the University

Culture & Public Commentary2007.05.01
On the Discussion on the Teachers’ Blogs: An Interpretation of the University
One Interpretation of the University 2007-04-28 09:19:49 http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/48c5bb42010009ql Tags: university Confucianism education general education personality formation one interpretation of the university Mei Yiqi [Tsinghua Journal] (The main text omitted) Comments (16)┆Quotation┆Reads (45)┆Circle┆Print┆Rewarded Report Article Comments The following comments from netizens represent only their personal views and do not represent the views or position of Sina.com [anonymous] Xinzhai Old Jiang 2007-04-28 16:39:14 Tired from working, I’ve come up to chat a few words: my office is Xinzhai, so I took it as a condition for my screen name, because among the teachers working in Xinzhai, I’m the only one surnamed Jiang. Next door are Mingzhai and Shanzhai, and in front are…
culture education university Confucianism
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2007年5月1日
On Music and Poetry

Culture & Public Commentary2007.04.13
On Music and Poetry
I know very little about music, and I don’t listen to much of it either. But that is not to say that I seldom have music on. In fact, whether I’m reading or writing, online or wandering about, I generally have music playing. In terms of time spent, I certainly don’t listen to music less than other people. The thing is, I often only need to listen to a few pieces over and over again; they rarely grow tiresome, and I’m often too lazy to switch them out. I may well spend months repeatedly listening to the same set of music, so all told the number of pieces I’ve listened…
culture China music Buddhism
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2007年4月13日
Planting Trees and Reforesting Is Not as Good as Preserving Wasteland

Culture & Public Commentary2007.03.31
Planting Trees and Reforesting Is Not as Good as Preserving Wasteland
At the time of Arbor Day, I had finished listening to the Keke Forum and was about to write this piece, but after jotting down a title, for some reason I put it aside and forgot about it… A while ago I saw a news item about a “barren mountain painted green” incident, saying that somewhere they had smeared an entire barren mountain with paint and counted that as greening; it really was laughable. Later I heard that this was all because of “feng shui.” Actually, if one really planted trees out of feng shui concerns, that would instead be a very good thing! I think if you rummaged through…
culture China tradition environment
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2007年3月31日
Highly Recommend “New Sayings from Peking University” — ★

Culture & Public Commentary2007.03.19
Highly Recommend “New Sayings from Peking University” — ★
Just finished reading a little over half of it. Of course it’s a quarterly recommendation! And more than that, a seriously urgent quarterly recommendation. Here’s a passage I just happened to read: Page 76: In 1998, Peking University held its centennial celebration. A TV reporter interviewed Chen Hansheng and asked him to say a few words wishing Peking University well. By then Chen was already a hundred years old; counting on his fingers, he said: “I have three things to say to Peking University’s teachers: first, take good care to help young students; second, don’t become officials; third, write more books.” The reporter insisted that he say something in祝福, a…
book reading notes scholarship Peking University
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2007年3月19日
Reflections on a Japanese Anime Series: Introduction: How Should We View Japanese Culture and Eastern Character?

Culture & Public Commentary2007.03.16
Reflections on a Japanese Anime Series: Introduction: How Should We View Japanese Culture and Eastern Character?
My leisure and recreation since college have mainly consisted in watching Japanese animation. I have seen many animated works, long and short, of all sorts and kinds, and I often want to write down some reflections on certain classics or typical examples—I watch anime purely for entertainment, but I do still think about it. On the one hand, excellent animated works themselves contain many elements that invite deep reflection; on the other hand, I myself must also take the initiative to reflect, otherwise, after years of immersion, I will certainly be permeated by Japanese culture. Of course, from the very beginning I have not been anti-Japan. Japanese culture has many…
culture China tradition anime
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2007年3月16日
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sex Appeal—A Cultural Interpretation”

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.31
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sex Appeal—A Cultural Interpretation”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sexiness—A Cultural Interpretation” Xingding posted on 2007-01-31 20:05:58 Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sexiness—A Cultural Interpretation,” Hainan Publishing House, July 2003 This book, just as Teacher Jiang says in the preface, is a “fun” book. Perhaps it also counts as a “sexy” book. Of course, it is somewhat unsuitable for children—at least R-rated, I’d say. I don’t often read this sort of thing, but I certainly don’t reject it; a fun book is a fun book. And online, I actually found the complete electronic edition: http://lz.book.sohu.com/learning/serialize.php?id=1370 Among the “group” of scientific and cultural figures whom I deeply admire, Teacher Jiang is probably the “big boss.” He was the first doctor of…
book reading notes history of science human nature
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2007年1月31日
[French] R. Shep et al. (interview): “The Empire of Technology”

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.30
[French] R. Shep et al. (interview): “The Empire of Technology”
[French] R. Shepu and others (interview): “The Empire of Technology” Xingding posted on 2007-01-30 16:26:52 [French] R. Shepu and others (interview): “The Empire of Technology,” translated by Liu Li, SDX Joint Publishing Company, (how come they didn’t print the month and year of publication!?) It feels rather average. The last interview has a bit to it. January 30, 2007, 16:22 Read 198 times Comments Personal homepage Toss a note Folder: Reading—Buying Books
book reading notes history of technology instrument
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2007年1月30日
[EN] Frank Furedi: “Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?” —☆

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.28
[EN] Frank Furedi: “Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?” —☆
[English] Frank Furedi: Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone? Translated by Dai Congrong, Jiangsu People’s Publishing House, September 2005 Page 1 A number of unforeseen circumstances prompted me to write this book. In May 2001, I wrote an article for the Sunday Times titled “What Are Universities For Nowadays?” in which I aired some of my concerns about the direction in which British universities were developing. The article focused on the relative lack of academic stimulation and challenge on today’s campuses. I recounted some of the stories students had told me about how deeply bored they were with their university careers; I pointed out that all too often students could…
book reading culture notes truth
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2007年1月28日
[U.S.] George Marsden: “Understanding American Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism”

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.26
[U.S.] George Marsden: “Understanding American Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism”
[U.S.] George Marsden: *Understanding American Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism* Xing Ding posted on 2007-01-26 00:20:35 [U.S.] George Marsden: *Understanding American Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism*, translated by Song Jijie, proofread by Chen Zuoren, Central Compilation & Translation Press, May 2004 Introduction, p. 1 Fundamentalists are evangelical believers who are furious about certain things. That sounds simple, yet it is extremely precise. Jerry Falwell even took it as a vivid definition of fundamentalism. Introduction, p. 4 The basic beliefs of evangelicalism include (1) the Reformation doctrine of the Bible’s ultimate authority; (2) the Bible’s record of God’s real, historical acts of salvation; (3) the salvation of eternal life on the basis of Christ’s atonement;…
book reading culture science notes
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2007年1月26日
Tension Is Harmony

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.25
Tension Is Harmony
The term “tension” often appears in academic discussions, but as a concept it is by no means abstruse; it can be understood directly in its literal sense: “Zhang” refers to a state of “tension.” Imagine a rubber band, or better yet a taut violin string—that is “tension.” “Harmony” is the word best suited to describe music. Thus a very simple fact is this: only when a string is under an appropriate degree of tension can it produce harmonious tones. If the tension is too great and the string snaps, or if the tension is too slight and the string slackens, then it cannot be played. Many paired categories, such as…
culture science faith
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2007年1月25日