It’s 5 a.m. in Liaoning Province, and a shrill whistle pierces the still air. All of a sudden, the lights turn on, and a small group of eight-year-old boys springs up from the ground where they had been sleeping and starts folding their blankets. They quickly put on their clothes and rush outside, meeting up with … Read more
In the corner of a dusty wooden building sits a lightly-battered baby grand, glossy from afar and slightly worn when viewed up close. During the waking hours it remains largely unnoticed by the crowds of excited visitors, the hurried staff, and certainly, the children who are deemed old and competent enough to be leaping around … Read more
“The Great Barrier Reef is an icon under pressure,” warns Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. A mecca of beautiful biodiversity and tourism, Australia’s world-renowned Great Barrier Reef has come under the siege of ugly pollutants and politics. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR), located off the coast of Queensland, nurtures over 2300 kilometers of … Read more
“Completely illegal and unjustifiable,” Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao decried Japanese actions in late 2012, after Japanese officials arrested Chinese trawler captain while fishing near one of the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea. A year later, China responded by extending an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the islands – which the Chinese and … Read more
On December 11, 2014, India’s newly inaugurated Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladamir Putin for the 15th annual summit between the countries. In a joint statement that followed, these two nations expressed their excitement for “a broad-basing of bilateral cooperation to carry the friendship between the countries to a qualitatively new level,” greatly strengthening ties … Read more
On November 11, President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a breakthrough agreement between the two nations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and curb global warming. The two leaders, representing states that have not always seen eye-to-eye, stood side by side against a backdrop of the star-studded flags of both countries as they … Read more
Nineteen thousand cheering fans. Holograms. Brilliant lights and blaring music. Rock concert? Nope. EDM show? Not quite. On September 28, newly elected Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi took to the hallowed ground of Madison Square Garden to hold a victory rally in the United States. Thousands of Indian-Americans turned out for the event, many … Read more
While working in Hong Kong over the past summer, I took the same route back from my office everyday except one. On July 1, I reached Hennessy Road and was met with the sight of thousands marching for democracy. As the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from the British to the Chinese, July … Read more
A week ago, I emerged from the woods with nails black from dirt, hair molded with grease, and heart warm and fuzzy. Throughout the six-day pre-orientation outdoor trip for incoming Harvard students, my co-leader and I watched with nervous excitement as our ten freshmen gradually opened up to the magic of the backcountry. Deep in … Read more
One hundred and fifty years ago, Britain laid the tracks of China’s first railroad. Last month, Britain agreed to allow Chinese firms both to build and operate rail lines and to design, own, andoperate a nuclear power station in Britain as part of a $23.8 billion set of trade deals betweenthe two countries. The deals … Read more