Meetings and contacts

This year again I visited China for the purpose of improving my knowledge of China’s reforms. Apart from my traditional contacts with Tsinghua University (especially Professors Hu Angang, Cui Zhiyuan, Li Xiguang, and Yang Yongheng), Renmin University (Professors Dong Keyong and Qin Huimin), the National Development and Reform Commission (Professors Sun Xuegong and Zuo Chuanchang); the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong - CELAP (Professor Liu Genfa). I also established some new contacts with the Beijing Institute of Technology (Prof. Ma Ming), the South-West University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing (Prof. Guo Xiaoke) and the Central China Normal University in Wuhan (Prof. Huang Yonglin, Xu Zengyang and Zhan Yihong).

I was invited to visit Central China Normal University by its Vice-President, Prof. Huang Yonglin (whom I met in April in Geneva) who organized my conference, the contacts with their  master and PhD students in public administration, as well as an interesting exchange of information with the National Research Centre of Cultural Industries (Prof. Zhan Yihong), in charge activities for the preservation and diffusion of China’s cultural heritage. And last, but not least, my former student, Liu Dehao, came to see me during my stay in Wuhan. A very pleasant surprise, as the last time I met Dehao was in 2010 in Hainan (see What's new 2010 and September 2008).

I also re-established contact with the Chongqing Party School I visited in 2001, thank to a contact with Prof. Su Wei with whom I had a long discussion about the present situation in China. Prof. Su Wei has published on the internet a summary of our discussion (http://www.guancha.cn/SuWei/2013_11_16_185681.shtml) and has asked me to provide an article on the theme of “Social change and China’s Dream” to be published eventually in Chinese in the Journal Tansuo (Probe) (i.e.: Research).

While in Chongqing I visited several old "migrant workers communities", thus completing the visit of one of the most recent one in 2012 (see "What's New 2012").

As usual I also paid a visit to the Swiss Embassy in Beijing with the purpose of keeping them informed about my activities in China. The Swiss Ambassador Jacques De Watteville (whom I met last year in Beijing) had just been promoted to the post of Secretary of State in charge of international affairs and had therefore left Beijing for Bern. As his successor had not yet been appointed, I had an interesting meeting with Ms Salome Meyer (Minister, Deputy head of Mission) and Ms Fabienne Aemissegger (Deputy head of the Political Section, who is also one of my former students at the University of Geneva).

Conferences

During my stay I gave 7 conferences: for the staff of the Centre for China Studies at Tsinghua University (directed by Prof. Hu Angang), for the master students of Prof. Cui Zhiyuan also at Tsinghua University, for the students of the School of Management and Economics at the Beijing Institute of Technology), for a group of senior civil servants at the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong - CELAP in Shanghai-Pudong where I also had an interesting discussion with Ms Song Jin (Director General of the Department of International Exchange) and Prof. Lui Genfa, for the students on public administration at the Central China Normal University (where I also had a workshop with their master and PhD students), for the students in public administration of the South-West University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, and for the researches of the Department of Research at the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing.

The main themes of the conferences where: the difference between market economy and capitalism, the consequences of New Public Management in the West and in China, how to evaluate if a country has realized its country’s dream, especially in China; “China’s dream” is the label under which the new China’s President, Xi Jinping, has placed the reforms to be undertaken under his leadership.

Conference at Wuhan Normal University

Conference at Wuhan Normal University

My former student LIU Dehao came to Wuhan to attend my conference

My interpreters at Wuhan Normal University

Visit to the Wuhan National Research Center for Cultural Industries

Workshop with graduate students at Wuhan Normal University 2

Workshop with graduate students at Wuhan Normal University 2

Visit to the Wuhan Museum

With my guide to the Wuhan Pagoda

Conference at the National Development and Reforms Commission Beijing

Conference at the National Development and Reforms Commission Beijing

Conference at the National Development and Reforms Commission Beijing

At CELAP with Liu Genfa, Ms Song Jin and Sean Wu

Conference at CELAP - China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong Shanghai

Chongqing Municipa Library

Chongqing Municipa Library

Chongqing with a migrant

Chongqing with a migrant

Migrants at railways station Chongqing

Migrants in Chongging

Migrants in Chongging

Migrants in Chongging

Migrants in Chongging

Migrants in Chongging

Migrants in Chongging

Diner with researchers of the Chongqing Law and Pol. Science Univerity

Prof. Guo Xiaoke introducing my Conference at Chongqing Law and Pol. Sci. University

Conference at Chongqing Law and Pol. Sci. University

Meeting wirh my former student Zhu Peter, now at Chongqing Party School

Meeting with Prof. Su Wei Chongqing Party School

Preparing my conference at Beijing Institute of Technology with Prof. Ma Ming

With the graduate students of the Beijing Institute of Technology

got to the top of the page

The paper I wrote in 2009 (posted on this website under "Papers and Publications") was published in 2013 in a revised and expanded version: "Reinventing Chinese Society, Economy and Polity: A Very Short History and Interpretation of China’s Reforms”, Politics and Society, Special Issues of Journal of Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Vol. 1, no. 2, September 2013, pp. 1-39.

got to the top of the page

©2022 Paolo Urio | Email: paolo.urio@unige.ch |