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Thursday, December 4, 2014 - 19:30

Heavenly Empire: The Rise of Christianity in China

Jamil Anderlini, Beijing Bureau Chief, Financial Times

Christianity first reached China in the 7th century AD; its history in the region has seen many ebbs and flows. Jamil Anderlini will discuss the astonishing revival of Christianity in China and how it is affecting modern Chinese society. Jamil Anderlini was named Beijing Bureau Chief for the Financial Times in 2011, having already worked for four years as Beijing Correspondent for the paper. In 2010, Mr. Anderlini was named Journalist of the Year at the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Editorial Excellence Awards, and won the Best Digital Award at the Amnesty...
Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 19:30

Mental Health X-ray: Seeking to Treat China's Mental Health Issues

George Hu, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist, Beijing United Family Hospital & Clinics

Work pressure, the breakdown of traditional society, changing family trends, and other stresses of China's rapid modernization have brought a profound psychological impact to the population. Can the mental health care system cope? What are the effects on the next generation? Clinical psychologist George Hu, PsyD, will discuss the state of today's mental health care system, how mental illness is diagnosed and the direction ahead for this delicate and complicated health issue. George Hu, PsyD, earned his bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and...
Thursday, October 23, 2014 - 19:30

Chomping at the Bitcoin: The Past, Present and Future of Bitcoin in China

Zennon Kapron, Author

In May 2013, China's main state-run broadcaster aired a documentary about a little known virtual currency called Bitcoin. Over the next six months, the value of Bitcoin rocketed as Chinese money poured in. Unfortunately for many latecomers, the rapid rise in Bitcoin's price and popularity also attracted government scrutiny, causing an unforeseen and catastrophic plummet in value. In Chomping at the Bitcoin: The Past, Present and Future of Bitcoin in China(Penguin China Specials, 2014), finance industry expert and author Zennon Kapron investigates this mysterious digital...
Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 10:00

BIS Outing: Hutong Heritage and Preservation

Matthew Hu Xinyu, Head of Development

Prince's Charities Foundation (China)

Join cultural preservationist Matthew Hu Xinyu on a tour of the recently opened Shijia Hutong Museum, the first museum in Beijing dedicated to the heritage and preservation of hutong life and the siheyuan – the courtyard homes that link together the extensive network of narrow alleys and form the fabric of Beijing's traditional and cultural life. Matthew Hu Xinyu is the head of development for Prince's Charities Foundation (China). He is the former managing director of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, China's leading civil society organization dedicated to mobilizing...
Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 19:30

The Transformation of Chinese Women

Yang Lan, Broadcast Journalist and Media Entrepreneur;

Co-founder and Chair, Sun Media Group and Sun Culture Foundation
Nathan VanderKlippe, Asia Correspondent, The Globe and Mail; Moderator
From the deputy foreign minister to today's leading actresses to the editor of Caixin, the spotlight is shining on Chinese women and their role in contributing to their country's greatness and future. Yang Lan, one of China's leading women and Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women, will take us through the transformative journey from an age when her grandmother rebelled against foot-binding to what shapes the self-perception of Chinese women today and the powerful influence their aspirations and contribution will have on the direction the country takes ahead. Yang Lan is a household name...
Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 19:30

Stumbling Giant: The Threats to China's Future

Timothy Beardson, Author

Leo Lewis, Moderator

Timothy Beardson, author of a major new book on China's future, Stumbling Giant: The Threats to China's Future, presents a multidisciplinary discussion of the threats to the country's continuing rise and bold policy prescriptions addressing these challenges and explaining why without substantial reform China is unlikely to replace America as the next superpower. Timothy Beardson has been one of the main commentators on China at the World Economic Forum at Davos for the last 15 years. He has lived in Hong Kong for 35 years and founded, majority-owned and ran Crosby, the largest...
Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 19:30

Building the Chinese Dream

James Miles, Beijing Bureau Chief

The Economist

In 2012, Chinese president Xi Jinping launched his expected decade in power with the catchphrase: “The Chinese Dream”—a striking break from the party's tradition of ideology-laden slogans. "Zhongguo Meng," now endlessly invoked in official speeches and the subject of numerous books and songs, the phrase is clearly intended to appeal to upwardly mobile urban residents striving for the comforts of their rich-world counterparts. But is this the real Chinese Dream? As he prepares to leave China after more than two decades as a foreign correspondent in Beijing, The Economist's...
Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 19:30

The Art of Filmmaking in China

Chen Daming, Film Director

Yang Shu, Cinematographer

Tiger Chen, Actor and Martial Artist

Michael McDermott, Founder, Gung-Ho Films

James Chau, Moderator
How do filmmakers communicate their craft to an audience in a country that's in a constant state of transformation? Join BIS for a conversation with acclaimed director Chen Daming, leading cinematographer Yang Shu, actor and martial artist Tiger Chen, and Michael McDermott, founder of Gung-Ho Films, to learn how today's filmmakers approach China's diverse social, political, historical and cultural realities in an increasingly complex film environment. CCTV anchor, James Chau, will moderate. Daming Chen is the writer-director of Manhole (2004), One Foot...
Thursday, May 8, 2014 - 19:30

Exploring Chinese Food: A Conversation with Cook and Food-Writer Fuchsia Dunlop

Fuchsia Dunlop and Melinda Liu

Fuchsia Dunlop is a cook and food-writer specializing in Chinese cuisine. She is the author of Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China, an award-winning account of her adventures in exploring Chinese food culture, and three critically-acclaimed Chinese cookery books, including, most recently, Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking. Fuchsia writes for publications including The Financial Times, Lucky Peach, The New Yorker, The Observer, and Saveur. She was named “Food Journalist of the...
Saturday, April 26, 2014 - 10:00

BIS Outing: Beijing's Dashilar Neighborhood

Lars Ulrik Thom, Beijing Postcards

Machtelt Schelling, Ubi Gallery

Join BIS and Beijing Postcards for a walking tour in "Dashilar" (Dazhalan) – one of the city's oldest and most intriguing neighborhoods – once known for the exploits of Sai Jinhua, Beijing's most famous prostitute – and today, its transformation into an exciting design hub, helping to bring Dashilar legend back to life. Lars Ulrik Thom is a Danish expert on Chinese history and the owner of Beijing Postcards. Machtelt Schelling is the founder of Ubi Gallery, and a leader in connecting Dashilar with arts and culture. A former cultural counselor at the Netherlands Embassy, she...
Thursday, April 17, 2014 - 19:30

Great Walls and Great Firewalls: Internet and Opportunity in China

Jeremy Goldkorn

Founder and Director, Danwei

The internet in China represents one of the greatest shifts in access to information and opportunity the country has seen over the past ten years. Long-term China resident Jeremy Goldkorn, founder and director of leading research blog Danwei, will address the ways in which the internet is empowering the public as it navigates this sprawling and nebulous platform. Who is capitalizing on internet growth and what are the pitfalls? How far-reaching is censorship and what effect do these limitations actually have on users? Jeremy will use his experience of over two decades in China to explore...
Thursday, April 3, 2014 - 19:30

Isabel Brown Crook and Family: Reflections on a Century in China

Isabel Brown Crook and sons, Michael and Paul Crook

In the late 19th century, a social gospel movement arose in Canada. Many idealistic young Christians decided to go out into the world to "do good." The Canadian Protestant church decided education and health were the two services they might provide. Canadian medical and education missionaries began coming to China (mainly to Sichuan and Henan) in the 1880s. Isabel Brown Crook's Aunt Eveline came to China just before the end of the Qing dynasty. Her own parents arrived just after the republican revolution of Sun Yat-sen. Her father worked mostly with the West China Union University,...
Thursday, March 27, 2014 - 19:30

Will China and the Renminbi Rule the New World Economic Order?

Eswar S. Prasad, Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy, Cornell University; and Author of The Dollar Trap: How the U.S. Dollar Tightened Its Grip on Global Finance

Andrew Browne, Senior Correspondent and Columnist,The Wall Street Journal
The rise of a country's economic power is often matched by international acceptance of its currency. Join Cornell University professor Eswar S. Prasad, in conversation with Andrew Browne, senior correspondent and columnist for The Wall Street Journal, for an in-depth discussion on where the renminbi is going and whether it can displace the dollar as the world reserve currency, whether far-reaching reforms can maintain China's growth, and how international competition will play out in a new world economic order. Eswar S. Prasad is also Senior Fellow at the Brookings...
Thursday, March 13, 2014 - 19:30

The Siege of Tsingtao

Jonathan Fenby, Author and Historian

In 1914, Europe was not the only continent coming to terms with a new form of conflict. Through a mix of complex alliances and global ambition, the war had spread to northern China, where the German-held port of Tsingtao became a key battleground. In The Siege of Tsingtao, the first of the Penguin China Specials on the First World War, celebrated historian Jonathan Fenby examines the causes of the battle, its complex political context, and the path it set East Asia on for decades to come, the full impact of which is still being felt today. Jonathan Fenby, CBE, has been the...
Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 19:30

Growth and Control: Economic Development in East Asia

Jeroen Lamers

Head of Economic Department, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Beijing
Historically speaking, culture and civilization in East Asia spread from the Chinese mainland, via the Korean peninsula, to the Japanese archipelago. Modern economic growth, in contrast, has travelled the other way. This presentation will take a closer look at the cultural and historical sources of economic growth in East Asia, focusing on three main economic powerhouses — China, Korea and Japan. Mr. Lamers will discuss common patterns and particularities in the growth of each of these countries and show how such a historical and comparative study serves to understand the region's economic...
Thursday, January 23, 2014 - 19:30

Crossing the Talk: Exploring Comedy in China

Jesse Appell

Fulbright Scholar and Comedian

"I like to call myself an intercultural comedian," says Jesse Appell, a Fulbright Scholar in Beijing and the comedy catalyst of LaughBeijing.com. Looking to bridge the gap between East and West in an unorthodox way, Jesse Appell connects through comedy of many types and on many levels. Join us for an evening of one American's version of how to delve deeper into cross-cultural communication through the power of comedy. Jesse Appell is a Fulbright Scholar researching what Chinese people think is funny. He is a disciple of master crosstalk ("...
Thursday, January 16, 2014 - 19:30

Continuity in a Time of Change: Doing Business in China

David Mahon, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer,

Mahon China Investment Management Ltd.
Reforms from the Third Plenum; opening of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone; anti-corruption campaign: these are just a few of the major changes that have taken place in China this year. As a country that is in a constant state of flux, how can businesses navigate this environment? David Mahon, a New Zealander who has conducted business in China since 1984, will discuss how foreign businesses can succeed in China and his views on the Chinese economy for 2014. David Mahon is the Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Mahon China Investment Management Ltd. Mahon China is one of...