When the People’s Republic of China was established in October 1949, among the total population of 550 million in China, 80 percent were illiterate. In 1952, 1956 and 1958, the Chinese government repeatedly launched free literacy-education campaigns, which were responded to enthusiastically by 150 million participants.
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After WWII, the Korean Peninsula was divided along the 38th Parallel to be under the wings of the Soviet Union and the United States respectively, following the status quo in Germany, for the reason put forward by the Americans that judging by history, the Korean people were not yet ready for self-determination.
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On December 13, 1937, Chinese capital Nanjing fell. To punish Chinese soldiers’ audacity to resist their invasion, the Japanese troops went on a killing spree that lasted for 6 weeks. In six weeks, Japanese troops killed between 200,000 and 300,000 Chinese, mainly civilians.
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One of the big differences between ancient Chinese cities and buildings and the architecture from most other ancient civilizations is the materials they employed. Chinese mainly used timbers and bricks, which makes the physical footprints of ancient Chinese civilization easier to fate in time comparing to the ones formed with stones. However, a finding in the autumn of 1976 shows […]
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From left to right: Japanese Admiral Kiyoshi Hasegawa, General Iwane Matsui, and Prince Yasuhiko of Asaka in Nanjing, China, 18 Dec 1937 The Mastermind of the Nanjing Massacre Prince Asaka Yasuhiko was an uncle of Japanese Emperor Hirohito, who had directed a plan to wage a war against China as early as in 1935. In March of 1936, a year […]
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The following is a Chinese post titled “Why None of the Student Leaders Died? (很多学生死了, 为何柴玲, 吾尔开希, 李录等发起人却还活着?) “, written in 2004. The author took a hunger strike on Tiananmen Square until the last minute. Translation and photos added by Fish. The so-called “pro-democracy student leaders” claimed there was a “massacre” taken place on June 4th in Beijing. The question is, if this […]
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The following is an eye-twinness account penned in 2009 by 彩云舒, a Beijing scholar. English translation by Fish, photos and captions also added by Fish. In 1989, I briefly returned to Beijing for a research project that was jointly carried out by China’s Science Academy and an overseas company and had an opportunity to observe the whole process of the […]
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The following are an article penned by wanxi398 who witnessed the Tiananmen Incident 1989 and the English translation. Photos are added by Fish. When the Tiananmen Incident occurred, I was just eight-year-old. Although it is an age too young to be able to comprehend complicated matters, I was however aware of what was going on in the world around me. […]
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The following are a Chinese language post penned by 老气横秋 who participated and witnessed the Tiananmen Incident 1989 and its English translation. Photos and captions are added by Fish. May 18, 1989, Beijing factory workers joined the anti-corruption movement taking place in the Tiananmen Square initiated by university students. The corrupted officials were mainly referring to Deng Pufang, Deng Xiaoping’s […]
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A tram in Shanghai during the 1920s. Early Days Of Shanghai Tram Once upon a time, there was a popular nursery song in Shanghai: There is an old uncle aged eighty plus eight, who took Tram Route 8 to Eight Immortals Bridge, bought eight bowls of Eight Treasures rice, which cost him eight yuans plus eighty-eight fens. 有个老伯伯年纪八十八，乘了八路电车到八仙桥，买了八碗八宝饭，一共用脱八块八角八。 Old uncle […]
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Ancient Shanghai city wall near the Bund, 1850. COMMENTS FROM MINDS soxfan1957 Would have loved to walk around this. All Things Chinese Shanghai city walls are no longer there, demolished about 100 years ago. Eric I am constantly amazed at how the people in ancient time, Roman Collisium as an example, can stand for thousands of years while we in […]
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Ma Haifang (马海方) is a Chinese artist born and grew up in Beijing’s outskirts. Below are some of his works illustrating the lives of the ordinary rural and city folks in Beijing in the last century. A summer afternoon in an old Beijing village. COMMENTS FROM MINDS soxfan1957 Aaaah! The old fashion back scratcher. One of the best inventions ever. […]
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