Weekly News Collection(2013-07-25)

The Symposium on Cutting-edge Issues in the History of China’s Reform and Opening up was held at Central China Normal University on July 11th.

HISTORY

The history of reform and opening up becomes the focus of National and Party’s history

On July 11^th, the Symposium on Cutting-edge Issues in the History of China’s Reform and Opening up convened at Central China Normal University. Discussion centered on the significance of research on reform and opening up, and methodologies for studying this period. One of the ideas expressed at the conference was that researchers ought to broaden their theoretical vision in conceptualizing the significance of reform and opening up, so as to summarize successful experience of China’s reform and opening up. Such an approach will involve actively exploring the cutting-edge issues in reform and opening up and fully questioning how its history can serve as a practical guide.

ECONOMICS

Winners of 15^th Sun Yefang Prize announced

On July 15^th, the recipients of the 15^th Sun Yefang Prize in Economic Sciences (2012) were announced in Beijing. In total, two treatises, Hou Yunchun, Han Jun and Jiang Shengsan’s Civilianizing the Rural Migrant and Liu Shijin’s Trap or Wall: Challenges and Strategies for China’s Economy respectively, and four papers from Wang Guogang, Song Zheng, Lou Jiwei and Xu Chenggang shared the honor of receiving China’s highest award in economics. Since its inception in 1984, the Sun Yefang Prize has been chosen and awarded biennially. The panel for the 15^th award examined publications and papers from 1979 to 2012, though special emphasis was given to papers from the last two years.  The award ceremony will be held in November 2013.

ARCHAEOLOGY

Oldest inscription in Jerusalem found near Temple Mount

On July 11^th, Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced that archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar has unearthed the earliest alphabetical written text ever discovered in Jerusalem. The inscription, in the Canaanite language, is on a large pithos—a neckless jar—dating from the tenth century BCE. The findings will be published in a paper entitled “An Inscribed Pithos from the Ophel” in the Israel Exploration Journal.

LINGUISTICS

1^st International Conference of Manchu Documents convened

On July 12^th to 16^th, the 1^st International Conference of Manchu Documents convened in Beijing, drawing more than 60 scholars from China, Mongolia, Russia, Germany, Japan and South Korea. Scholars discussed the compilation and analysis of Manchu documents worldwide. In terms of historical significance, attendees affirmed the importance and uniqueness of Manchu documents in studying the history of the Qing Dynasty. Other discussions focused on the practical issues of preserving documents in the Manchu language—the best and most appropriate ways to excavate, organize and publish Manchu documents.

EDUCATION

Humanities graduates help British economy, Oxford study shows

On July 11^th, Oxford University’s Humanities Division released a report evaluating the influence of the study of the humanities on Britain’s economy. The report, entitled Humanities Graduates and the British Economy: The Hidden Impact, examined employment history of Oxford humanities graduates who matriculated between 1960 and 1989, finding that during the 1970s and 1980s, these graduates contributed substantially and increasingly to sectors that spurred growth of the UK economy. Dr. Philip Kreager, a senior researcher at the Oxford Institute of Aging Population, researched and authored the report.

CAMPUS

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security chosen as next president of UC system

On July 12^th, current U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that she will step down at the end of August to become the next president of the ten-campus University of California system, according to a statement on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s website. The nomination of Ms. Napolitano comes with some controversy, as the public has questioned whether her experience in government has adequately prepared her for academe. After her predecessor Mark G. Yudof, Ms. Napolitano will be the second president of the UC system to hold a law degree instead of a Ph.D.  

                                                                                                                                      Revised by Charles Horne