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Thursday, December 10, 2015 - 19:30

Thinking through China

Jerusha McCormack, Professor, Beijing Foreign Studies University

John Blair, Professor, Beijing Foreign Studies University

Thinking through China, the latest book written by Professors Jerusha McCormack and John Blair, takes ten Chinese concepts that act as keys to Chinese worldviews, explaining how they relate to their Western counterparts. It poses questions which are asked repeatedly about China. But rather than answering these questions in Western terms, the authors respond using these ten Chinese concepts. Not surprisingly, the answers are quite different from the ones produced through Western categories. This newly altered perspective is used to look again at the West and how it has...
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - 19:30

Goods instead of Weapons: Investment as a Tool of Chinese Foreign Policy

Frank Sieren, Handelsblatt Columnist and Best-selling Author

China is the foreign power vastly present on the African continent today. It was the first to recognize the opportunity on the continent, and for close to thirty years China has been investing with breath-taking speed in local infrastructure. Today many African economies are booming and China's contribution to economic growth and development in Africa has been steadily increasing. Not only in Africa. In Latin America also the Chinese strategy of “goods instead of weapons” has been working extremely well. And now China hopes to try the same thing on the Asian continent, through...
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 19:30

Beethoven in China

Jindong Cai, Conductor, Music Director, Professor and Co-author of Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People's Republic

It was during the Cultural Revolution that composer Jindong Cai fell in love with Beethoven's music. He will explain the roots of that love in his talk on his recently published book which he co-authored with his wife Sheila Melvin: Beethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People's Republic. Following the lecture, we will be fortunate to be joined by piano maestro Kemin Zhang who will perform the 1st movement of Beethoven Moonlight Sonata for our BIS audience. At the turn of the...
Tuesday, November 3, 2015 - 19:30

The Awakening of Forbidden City's Sleeping Beauty: New Discoveries and the Implication for the Conservation and Preservation of the Qianlong Garden

Henry Ng, Executive Vice President, World Monuments Fund (WMF) and

Nancy Berliner, Curator of Chinese Art, Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston

Located in the northeast side of the Forbidden City, the Qianlong Garden was built for the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty in 1771-1776 to serve as part of his retirement complex. The garden and its buildings which are considered as a masterpiece of design, were closed off in 1924 and have never been fully opened to the public. Since 2002, the World Monuments Fund (WMF), a privately funded international historic preservation organization based in New York City, has been working in partnership with the Palace Museum to conserve and restore the Qianlong Garden in the Forbidden City...
Thursday, October 15, 2015 - 19:30

Why Seapower Matters in the South China Sea

Dr. Alessio Patalano, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the Department of War Studies, King's College London

East Asia is on the rise. This region is home to the world's second and third largest economies, dynamic markets like Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, as well as emerging realities like the ASEAN countries. Militarily, this rise became particularly evident in 2012, when for the first time the overall region surpassed Europe in defence spending. Whilst the rise of East Asia as an influential regional system in international affairs is undisputable, less clear is the extent to which the risk of conflict will affect this emergence. In particular, disputes over maritime boundaries...
Saturday, September 26, 2015 - 10:00

BIS Outing: Red Gate Gallery at Dongbianmen Watchtower

Brian Wallace, Founder, Red Gate Gallery

Red Gate Gallery, founded in 1991 by Brian Wallace, has a special place in Beijing's art life. Housed inside the 600-year-old Ming Dynasty watchtower at Dongbianmen, the gallery unites past and present by coupling contemporary art within the unique environment of the watchtower – an important symbol of Beijing's cultural and architectural heritage. Brian Wallace will talk about the history of the gallery and the building it is in. The attendees will also have a chance to enjoy the current exhibition “...
Thursday, September 17, 2015 - 19:30

Comrades in Arms: Untold Stories of Foreign Friends who fought alongside China during World War II

Michael Crook, Third Generation China Hand

So many battles were fought during the Second World War affecting many countries, and changing forever many lives. One of the most important campaigns of the War, without doubt, was China's resistance. Its military and civilians made enormous sacrifices during those harrowing years resulting in 35 million casualties. But China wasn't alone in this fight. Many foreigners fought shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese and contributed to the victory. As China is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War II, Michael Crook will present the war through the eyes of...
Thursday, May 21, 2015 - 19:30

Love, Dating, Sex and Marriage: Intimate Chinese Stories Revealed through The Leftover Monologues

Roseann Lake, Journalist and Director, The Leftover Monologues

Roseann Lake is an American journalist and former Beijing resident. The author of a forthcoming book about love and Chinese leftover women, Lake spent two years interviewing 100+ “leftovers,” both male and female, as well as dozens of Chinese parents in varying degrees of distress over their lack of grandchildren, and developed a play called The Leftover Monologues. Loosely based on The Vagina Monologues, The Leftover Monologues relies on first-hand accounts written and recounted by a group of bold performers whose stories provide stirring new insight into the...
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 19:30

Confucius and the World He Created

Michael Schuman, Journalist and Author

Confucius is perhaps the most important philosopher in history. His teachings shape the daily lives of more than 1.6 billion people throughout East Asia and influence everything from business practices and family relationships to educational standards and government policies. In his newly released book, Confucius: And the World He Created (Basic Books, 2015) (http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/new/?ID=2201), journalist and author Michael Schuman demonstrates it is impossible for the West to understand China and contend...
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 - 19:30

Women's Rights in China – Progress since the 1995 Beijing Women's Conference and Current Challenges

Joan Kaufman, Professor, Columbia University; and Director, Columbia Global Centers | East Asia

In 1995 Beijing hosted the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women, with delegates creating a “Beijing Platform for Action” to further gender equality and women's rights and empowerment globally. The Chinese government, an early signatory to the global CEDAW convention (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), committed itself to the twelve main goals agreed to at the conference. How far have Chinese women come in realizing these goals and the rights their government committed to through CEDAW? What are the current challenges related to employment...
Saturday, April 18, 2015 - 10:00

BIS Outing: Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling

This Saturday morning outing is limited to 20 BIS members, reservations only.

There is no outing fee. Please send your reservation request to info [at] beijinginternationalsociety.com

Reservations are valid only upon receipt of a confirmation email from BIS.

The three Soong sisters, Ai-ling, May-ling and Ching-ling, have been described in this way: “One loves money, one loves power and one loves China.” The life of Soong Ching-ling (1893-1981) (widow of Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Chinese Republic) spanned major events of 20th century China including war, upheaval, invasion and the Chinese communist revolution. She was often referred to as the “First Lady” and the “conscience” of China. Our guide will take a detailed look at the life of one of China's leading female figures while we tour the picturesque Qing Dynasty grounds and gardens of...
Thursday, April 16, 2015 - 19:30

Bling, Bang, Boom: Luxury, Lifestyle and the Changing Tastes of the Chinese Consumer

Sara Jane Ho, Founder, Institute Sarita

Timothy Coghlan, Director, Savills Property Services China, and Founder, Maosuit.com

Laurie Burkitt, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Nathan VanderKlippe, Moderator

Wealth and good fortune, icons and brands, shifting tastes and tendencies — where is Chinese consumerism heading? Join us for a panel discussion among three informed voices in the field: Sarah Jane Ho, founder of China's first finishing school, Institute Sarita; Timothy Coghlan, director of luxury retail at Savills Property Services China; and Laurie Burkitt, who covers the consumer beat for The Wall Street Journal. Nathan VanderKlippe of The Globe and Mail will moderate. A native of Hong Kong, Sara Jane Ho is the founder and principal of Institute Sarita. Ms. Ho...
Thursday, March 19, 2015 - 19:30

Urbanization: The Great Sprawl of China

Rosie Blau, China Correspondent

The Economist

In ancient times, Beijing built towering city walls that helped to prevent undefendable sprawl. These days it builds ring roads, stretching built-up urban areas ever outwards. China depends on its cities for economic growth and innovation, but how many supersized cities can China build and sustain? Or will China's urbanization be a key to shaping the world's development in the 21st century? Rosie Blau will discuss the state of current urban expansion in China and how success is slow to come when building its "megacities," a term now used to officially describe a city population that...
Thursday, March 12, 2015 - 19:30

Reclaiming China's Past: Building a Better Future with Cultural Heritage Preservation

Matthew Hu (Hu Xinyu)

China Representative, Prince's School of Traditional Arts (PSTA);

Co-founder, The Courtyard Institute

China's urban development has brought destruction to its traditional neighborhoods and to the inherent cultural fabric of many communities. Has the preservation of China's cultural identity been neglected? Can Beijing's cultural authenticity be reclaimed? How can heritage preservation serve as a new form of soft power for the country? Matthew Hu (Hu Xinyu) will take a closer look at both the history of heritage preservation in China and today's changing awareness of cultural heritage, as the conversation on preserving cultural integrity takes a new and forward-thinking direction....
Thursday, January 29, 2015 - 19:30

Outlook 2015: Prospects for China’s Political and Economic Future

Victor Gao, Executive Director and Chairman, International Committee of Beijing Private Equity Association; and Director, China National Association of International Studies

The world's focus is shifting to China's slower growth and greater volatility. What can we expect for 2015? Join prominent and influential China-observer, Victor Gao, for an up-front look at the year ahead. Victor Zhikai Gao is an executive director and chairman of the International Committee of Beijing Private Equity Association, and a director of China National Association of International Studies. Mr. Gao is a member of the Asia-Pacific advisory board of MasterCard International, a member of the advisory board of the Brookings Doha Energy Forum, a member of the Beijing Energy...
Thursday, January 15, 2015 - 19:30

Seasoned Success: An Entrepreneurial Journey in China

Michelle Garnaut, Founder, M Restaurant Group

Melbourne-born Michelle Garnaut is a trained chef and restaurateur with a culinary career that spans over twenty-five years, several continents and positions that have ranged from waitress to chef to caterer and proprietor. An enterprising pioneer in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, Michelle Garnaut will share insider tips and a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and demands she has encountered through the course of her entrepreneurial journey, culminating in her signature “M” becoming an icon of fine dining, culture, comfort and style in China's three most sophisticated cities....