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Thursday, December 8, 2016 - 19:30

'Tis the Season – The Christian Experience in China

Ian Johnson (moderator), Pulitzer-Prize winning writer

 

Rev. Chris Branstetter, teacher, advisor, writer, editor, and occasional preacher at Beijing International Christian Fellowship

Father Zhang Tian Lu, Priest Director of the Catholic Diocese of Beijing Yanqing Yongning Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

The Rev. Hannah Elyse Cornthwaite, pastor at the Good Shepherd in Beijing

Since opening up in the late 1970s China has not only experienced the light speed development of its economy and urbanization, but also a flourishing growth in religious faith practices among Chinese people, both young and old. This panel will take a look at the Christian faith practice in China, how it has exploded in growth over the last few decades and where it seems to be headed in the future. The panel will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize winning author and religion expert, Ian Johnson. Panelists will include three Christian religious leaders in Beijing who can offer firsthand...
Wednesday, November 23, 2016 - 19:30

Health in China: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Roberta Lipson, Board Chair, United Family Healthcare CEO, Chindex International, Inc.

Roberta Lipson will give a presentation on China’s health policy, its successes and challenges.  Her career in China over the last 37 years has given her a unique first hand view of the developments and challenges of healthcare reform in this vast and diverse country. Roberta Lipson is CEO of United Family Healthcare. Since she co-founded Chindex in 1981, the company has expanded from its business of capital medical equipment distribution to healthcare delivery. She is the creative force behind the United Family Healthcare brand, and its hospitals and clinics in Beijing, Shanghai, ...
Saturday, November 19, 2016 - 10:00

BIS OUTING: Guided Tour of 798 Art District

Jeremie Thircuir, curator and art consultant

Jeremie Thircuir will offer you a guided tour of the 798 Art District. Aside from discovering the latests exhibitions of 798’s best galleries, the tour will provide the audience with key elements to understand the Chinese contemporary art scene and have some insights of the 'geopolitics' of the Beijing art world.   Galleries included in tour: Hive / Beijing Commune / Shang Yixin BTAP / Neo Moroism Hadrien de Montferrand / Ding Yi Elias Crespin Magician Space / Wang Zhongjie Shi Hengbo Space Station / Zheng Jiang  Long March...
Thursday, November 10, 2016 - 19:30

THE CHINA DREAM, THE NEW NORMAL, AND CHINA’S GLOBAL AMBITIONS

James McGregor, chairman of APCO Worldwide's greater China region and author of two highly regarded books: No Ancient Wisdom, No Followers: The Challenges of Chinese Authoritarian Capitalism and One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China

China is a confusing place these days. President Xi Jinping is cracking down on corruption and tightening Party control of everything from the internet to universities to lawyers to journalists to NGOs. Many foreign businesses are watching their opportunities in China narrow as Chinese business aggressively invests and expands overseas. The Party has laid out impressive economic and legal reforms that are inching forward or still sitting on a shelf. Bold international initiatives such as One Belt, One Road and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank are expanding Chinese diplomatic and...
Thursday, October 27, 2016 - 19:30

Putonghua: the Search for a Common Language in Modern China

David Moser, Academic Director at CET Chinese Studies at Beijing Capital Normal University and Author of A Billion Voices

Is there such a thing as "the Chinese language"?  Mandarin, Guoyu or Putonghua? 'Chinese' is a language known by many names, and China is a country home to many languages. Since the turn of the twentieth century linguists and politicians were on a mission to create a common language for China. From the radical intellectuals of the May Fourth Movement, to leaders such as Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, all fought linguistic wars to push the boundaries of language reform. In the process, many Chinese intellectuals wanted to abolish Chinese and replace it with Esperanto, and Chairman Mao...
Thursday, October 20, 2016 - 19:30

A Book Talk: TRAVELS THROUGH DALI with a leg of ham

Mei Zhang: Founder of WildChina, an award winning travel company based in Beijing

Zhang Mei always cherished the ham from her native province of Yunnan. Growing up poor on a dam site on one of the provincial rivers, Mei relished the small bits of ham her father would toss in a dish of spicy green peppers and leeks. Over time she learned that true magic of Yunnan ham lies not just in its salty-sweet taste, produced by an intricate curing process, but also in its ability to bring people together to carry on a time-honoured way of life. Now a successful entrepreneur, Mei returns to her childhood home, finds a leg of ham and travels with it through Yunnan's cultural and...
Thursday, September 29, 2016 - 19:30

Back to School: A Panel Discussion on Alternative Education in China

Caroline Nath, Journalist, Member of the UWC Education Movement in China
David Weber, Teacher in Waldorf Schools
Malcolm McKenzie, Head of School, Keystone Academy, Beijing

The three-member panel will discuss alternative education opportunities in China and how they have been fast developing over recent years. As a long-time Waldorf educator, David Weber will address the issue of « Educating for the Future » and speak about the astonishing growth of Waldorf schools in China over the past decade. Caroline Nath, who has a strong interest in psychology and education and has spent almost 30 years in China, will talk about parents’ and children’s motivations for choosing alternative education, as well as selection criteria for admission to a UWC...
Thursday, June 16, 2016 - 19:30

The State of the Performing Arts in China – Challenges and Opportunities

Presented by Alison M. Friedman, Director/Founder, Ping Pong Productions

For BIS's season finale, Ms. Friedman will share her insider's perspective on China's burgeoning performing arts industry, the challenges it faces (guess what, it's not all about censorship!), how far it has come and where it might go next. She'll offer context on China's arts funding structures at a national and local level, how market pressures affect the creation of new works, and introduce some of China's groundbreaking dance and theater artists through videos and images. Ms. Friedman came to Beijing 15 years ago on a Fulbright fellowship to research modern dance in...
Thursday, June 2, 2016 - 19:30

BIS Outing: James Turrell's "Gathered Sky" Light Installation at Beijing's Temple 东景缘

Temple 东景缘 which was once a Qing Dynasty Buddhist temple is the proud home of Gathered Sky by world-known artist James Turrell, who was present at its inauguration in October 2012. It is the first and only work by Turrell in China, showing his breathtaking explorations into light, color and their influence on human perception. During this outing, Belgian entrepreneur and founder of Temple 东景缘 Juan van Wassenhove will talk about this spellbinding exhibition before the sunset viewing of Gathered Sky. The outing will also include a guided tour of the...
Thursday, May 26, 2016 - 19:30

Analyst, not Lobbyist: Examining the Chinese Two Sessions / Liang Hui

Mark Pinner, Managing Director, Interel China

The profession of public affairs is frequently (mis)labelled as ‘lobbying’, conjuring negative stereotypes around the world. However, the reality is that the work of public affairs in China is often much more a mixture of analysis and insight. Observing the yearly ‘Liang Hui’ / ‘Two Sessions’ of the Chinese legislatures provides a good example of this. In his talk, Mark Pinner will examine the Liang Hui to highlight how China watchers can analyze governmental events, and merge his talk with examples to shed light on the practice of public affairs in China. Mark Pinner...
Thursday, May 12, 2016 - 19:30

Nineteen Seventy-Six: The End of the Mao Era in a Contemporary Context

Ragnar Baldursson, Diplomat, Scholar of Chinese Philosophy, and Author of Nineteen Seventy-Six

Radhika Jha, Moderator

1976 was a year of convulsive events for China: Mao Zedong died, the Gang of Four fell, and hundreds of thousands perished in the Tangshan Earthquake. Ragnar Baldursson, then an idealistic student in Beijing, was one of a few foreigners present to witness these important events. Forty years on, living in a different China, Baldursson has compiled a memoir of his experiences in Beijing at that time entitled Nineteen Seventy-Six. In this talk moderated by author Radhika Jha, Ragnar will give a first-hand account of these massive events and offer us rare glimpses of life...
Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 19:30

Marriage, Family and Sexuality: How Have Traditional Values Changed in China?

Didi Kirsten Tatlow, Correspondent, International New York Times

Susie Jolly, Program Officer, Ford Foundation

For decades now, Chinese people have experienced rapid social and economic changes. While strong cultural codes are still very much in effect, these social and economic changes have had a significant impact on some of the most important and fascinating aspects of life. Didi Kirsten Tatlow from New York Times and Susie Jolly from Ford Foundation will lead us through these changes to explain where things stand with sexuality, marriage and family in China today. Didi Kirsten Tatlow is a correspondent in China for the International New York Times, and...
Thursday, March 24, 2016 - 19:30

China's Economy: Can It Avoid the Japan Trap?

Arthur R. Kroeber, Head of research, Gavekal, Editor, China Economic Quarterly

In the last three decades China has surged from impoverished backwater to become the world's second-biggest economy and largest trading nation. Yet as the recent tumult on global markets shows, China risks destabilizing the world as it makes the hard shift from an investment-driven to a consumer-oriented economy. The headwinds of a rapidly aging population, a battle against rampant corruption and an enormous national debt are also slowing the country's growth. Will China mature into a global economic leader, trigger a crisis, or stagnate like Japan? Arthur Kroeber, one of the world's...
Friday, March 11, 2016 - 19:30

If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Great Wall of China

William Lindesay, O.B.E.

William Lindesay arrived in Beijing in March 1986 carrying a backpack. His aim was to trek the Great Wall from ‘end to end’. In a colorful, diverse and inspirational presentation to mark 30 years since first setting foot in old Beijing, Lindesay will tell his very personal Great Wall story, fully illustrated by his own archive of photographs and latest aerial video footage. He will share recollections of his 1987 marathon adventure and his bold conservation efforts to awaken the national consciousness to protect the Wall. In his talk, Lindesay will also focus on his two latest...
Thursday, February 25, 2016 - 19:30

New Realities in the United States – China Relationship

Paul Haenle, Director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center

The U.S.-China relationship has always involved elements of cooperation and competition, but because of new realities, both dimensions have intensified in recent years. Despite the progress made during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the U.S. in September, much work lies ahead to ensure the two countries can manage increasing competition while growing mutual cooperation in areas of common interest going forward. Paul Haenle, Director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center and the former White House China Director on the National Security Council staffs of President George W. Bush and...
Thursday, February 18, 2016 - 19:30

Back to the Future: Shanghai Modernist Architecture & its Cultural Value

Francesco Cosentino, Author, Cultural-Anthropologist and Sinologist

Shanghai is endowed with a rich and varied heritage of Art Deco and Modernist structures, which are a treat for urban architecture geeks. In his presentation author Francesco Cosentino, a cultural-anthropologist, sinologist as well as veteran China resident, embarks on a citywide promenade to show us some of the most interesting buildings belonging to the roaring 1920s and '30s, illustrated from his own archive of photographs. The selection is taken from his book Shanghai from Modernism to Modernity, which is an investigation into the ongoing relationship between the city's history...
Thursday, January 28, 2016 - 19:30

Children in China: The Opportunities and Challenges of Growing up in a Rapidly Changing Context

Pia MacRae, Country Director, Save the Children (China)

Pia MacRae who is the country director of Save the Children will speak to our BIS audience on child health, education and protection in China. In her talk, Ms. MacRae will focus particularly on the implications of China's floating population on the childhood experience. Ms. MacRae will explain the challenges in ensuring that no child gets left behind, literally (as in the case of the many millions of children left by their parents, seeking work), or metaphorically as the socio-economic and aspiration gaps grow between different groups of children. Before joining Save the Children in...
Thursday, January 21, 2016 - 19:30

One Belt One Road (OBOR): What Does This Initiative Have to Do With Me?

Victor Gao, Chairman, China Energy Security Institute; Vice Chairman, Sino-Europe United Investment Corporation

The One Belt One Road is a major development initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping and actively promoted by the Chinese government. One Belt one Road could be a misleading or confusing term to many people outside of China. English and other foreign language translations may not bring out the full scale and scope of the OBOR initiative itself. How to look at the OBOR Initiative? What are the four corners of this Initiative? What does the OBOR Initiative have to do with me (assuming “me” is someone in Europe, or in Central Asia, or in MENA (or WANA), or in South Asia, or in...