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Encounters Between Chinese and Jewish Civilizations
Demographics, Social Policy, and Asia (Part II) Demographics, Social Policy, and Asia (Part II) Encounters Between Chinese and Jewish Civilizations By Shalom Salomon Wald Comparing Two Civilizations For the Chinese, they were just one of China’s omparison of Chinese and Jewish civ- numerous religious sects with a leader, a holy ilizations does not seem an obvious book, celebrations, and dietary customs. They choice. At first glance, the differences were not seen as a small branch of a much larg- Cbetween Chinese and Jewish history, numbers, er global religion. The Jews of Kaifeng adapted language, religion, and more are enormous. the biblical story to Chinese understanding and Yet since 1605, when Jesuit missionary Matteo wrote that their laws were handed down by a Ricci in Beijing encountered for the first time long line of wise men. All this was perfectly ac- a Chinese Jew, meetings between Chinese and ceptable to Confucians. Equally acceptable were Jews, as well as thoughts about their similari- the Jewish laws of ritual observance, because ties, have fascinated the Western mind.1 Bel- this was exactly what Confucius had demanded gian–Australian sinologist Pierre Ryckmans when he said that spiritual cultivation required called China “the oldest living civilization on the li (ritual observance). On one issue—the earth.” He explained its long duration by spiri- notion of God—Judaism could accept no com- tual memory, language, and the written word, Composite of two eighteenth-century ink rubbings of the 1489 (left) promise and no accommodation: in Judaism, and 1512 (right) stone inscriptions left by the Kaifeng Jews. -
That the Earliest Groups of Jews Came to China Via the Overland Silk Road
Jews in China: Legends, History and New Perspectives By PAN Guang Jews in Ancient China: The Case of Kaifeng It was during the Tang Dynasty (around the 7th - 8th Century) that the earliest groups of Jews came to China via the overland Silk Road. Others then may come by sea to the coastal areas before moving inland. A few scholars believe that Jews came to China as early as the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) — some even go so far as to place their arrival earlier, during the Zhou Dynasty (around the 6th Century B.C.) — though there have been no archaeological discoveries that would prove such claims. After entering China, Jews lived in many cities and areas, but it was not until in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that the Kaifeng Jewish Community formed. In the Northern Song Dynasty, a group of Jews came to the then capital Dongjing (now Kaifeng, as it will be referred to below). They were warmly received by the authorities and allowed to live in Kaifeng as Chinese while keeping their own traditions and religious faith. Thereafter, they enjoyed, without prejudice, the same rights and treatment as the Han peoples in matters of residence, mobility, employment, education, land transactions, religious beliefs and marriage. In such a safe, stable and comfortable environment, Jews soon demonstrated their talents in business and finance, achieving successes in commerce and trade and becoming a rich group in Kaifeng. At the same time, their religious activities increased. In 1163, the Jews in Kaifeng built a synagogue right in the heart of the city. -
The New Silk Roads: China, the U.S., and the Future of Central Asia
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY i CENTER ON INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION The New Silk Roads: China, the U.S., and the Future of Central Asia October 2015 Thomas Zimmerman NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CENTER ON INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION The world faces old and new security challenges that are more complex than our multilateral and national institutions are currently capable of managing. International cooperation is ever more necessary in meeting these challenges. The NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC) works to enhance international responses to conflict, insecurity, and scarcity through applied research and direct engagement with multilateral institutions and the wider policy community. CIC’s programs and research activities span the spectrum of conflict, insecurity, and scarcity issues. This allows us to see critical inter-connections and highlight the coherence often necessary for effective response. We have a particular concentration on the UN and multilateral responses to conflict. Table of Contents The New Silk Roads: China, the U.S., and the Future of Central Asia Thomas Zimmerman Acknowledgments 2 Foreword 3 Introduction 6 The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor 9 Chinese Engagement with Afghanistan 11 Conclusion 18 About the Author 19 Endnotes 20 Acknowledgments I would like to thank the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) for its support during the research and writing of this paper, particularly Professor Pan Guang and Professor Li Lifan. I would also like to thank Director Li Yihai, and Sun Weidi from the SASS Office for International Cooperation, as well as Vice President Dong Manyuan, and Professor Liu Xuecheng of the China Institute for International Studies. This paper benefited greatly from the invaluable feedback of a number of policy experts, including Klaus Rohland, Andrew Small, Dr. -
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization SIPRI Policy Paper No. 17 Alyson J. K. Bailes, Pál Dunay, Pan Guang and Mikhail Troitskiy Stockholm International Peace Research Institute May 2007 © SIPRI, 2007 ISSN 1652-0432 (print) ISSN 1653-7548 (online) Printed in Sweden by CM Gruppen, Bromma Contents Preface iv Abbreviations and acronyms v Map of member and observer states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization vi Table A.1. Basic data for the member and observer states of the Shanghai vi Cooperation Organization, 2005 1. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a regional security 1 institution Alyson J. K. Bailes and Pál Dunay The background and purpose of this assessment 1 Origins and basic features 3 The Shanghai Cooperation Organization members and their interests 8 The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and its members’ security 20 Evaluation and conclusions 27 2. A Russian perspective on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 30 Mikhail Troitskiy Introduction 30 Russia in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 31 Russia and the substance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s work 35 Looking ahead 40 In conclusion: Russia’s general vision 44 3. A Chinese perspective on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 45 Pan Guang Introduction 45 The strategic significance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for China 45 The demonstrative role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Chinese 46 diplomacy China’s driving role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 48 The substance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s work: achievements 50 and challenges Looking ahead: big tasks and a long journey 55 In conclusion: key points 58 About the authors 59 Preface There is a clear trend in the 21st century for regional organizations to multiply, to become more multifunctional and to devote themselves in whole or part to security goals. -
Washington Journal of Modern China
Washington Journal of Modern China Winter 2008 - 2009, Vol. 9, No. 1 ISSN 1064-3028 Copyright, Academic Press of America, Inc. Washington Journal of Modern China Winter 2008 - 2009, Vol. 9, No. 1 Published by the United States-China Policy Foundation Editor Marcia R. Ristaino, Ph.D. Assistant Editors Kelsey Strampe and Corinne Milliken Publisher/Founder Wang Chi, Ph.D. The Washington Journal of Modern China is published twice a year. The journal is a policy-oriented publication on modern Chinese culture, economics, history, politics, and United States- China relations. The views expressed in the journal are those of the authors. The publishers, editors, and committee assume no responsibility for the statements of fact or opinion expressed by the contributors. The journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts and book reviews from scholars, policymakers, government officials, and other professionals on all aspects of modern China, including those that deal with Taiwan and Hong Kong, and from all points of view. Manuscript queries should be sent to the Editor, the Washington Journal of Modern China , The United States-China Policy Foundation, 316 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Suites 201-202, Washington, DC 20003. Telephone: 202-547-8615. Fax: 202-547- 8853. The annual subscription rate for institutions is $30.00; for individuals, $24.00. Shipping and Handling is $5.00 per year. Back/sample issues are available for $14.00/issue. Subscription requests can be made online, at www.uscpf.org or sent to the address above. Advisory Committee Pieter Bottelier Leo Orleans Johns Hopkins University, United States-China Policy SAIS Foundation Bates Gill James Przystup Stockholm International National Defense University Peace Research Institute Robert G. -
Wtp PE March 2015 WT&P 021615 Flats.Pmd.P65
14 Points East JOIN THE SINO-JUDAIC INSTITUTE The Sino-Judaic Institute is a non-denominational, non-profit, and non-political organization, founded on June 27, 1985, in Palo Alto, California, by an international group of scholars and lay Vol. 30 No. 1 A Publication of the Sino-Judaic Institute persons, to promote friendship and understanding between the Chinese and Jewish peoples and March 2015 to encourage and develop their cooperation in matters of mutual historical and cultural interest. Its objectives are: How the Sino-Judaic Institute Began Excerpts from the 2014 Annual Report 1) The study of the ancient Jewish community of Kaifeng and assisting its descendents as appropriate. by Anson Laytner of the Diane and Guilford Glazer 2) The study of Jewish life in Shanghai, Harbin, Tianjin and elsewhere in the 19th and 20th centuries. For a number of years in the late 1970s, Michael Pollak had Institute of Jewish and Israel Studies at been tirelessly and thoroughly tracking down leads and refer- 3) The support of Jewish studies programs in China. ences to the Kaifeng Jews, which resulted in the publication of Nanjing University his book, Mandarins, Jews and Missionaries, in 1980. Through I. Major Events 4) The study of cultural intersections between Chinese and Jews, for example adoptions, literature, his correspondence, Pollak became connected with almost ev- diasporas, etc. ery living authority and activist on the subject of the Kaifeng A. Glazer Chair Professor Position Jewish community past or present. According to the agreement between Nanjing University and 5) The study of Sino-Israeli relations. Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, The Diane and Simultaneously, as China began to open up following the purg- Guilford Glazer Chair of Jewish and Israel Studies was cre- 6) To cooperate with other groups whose interests lie in Sinitic and Judaic matters. -
1St Berlin Conference on Asian Security (Berlin Group) Berlin, 14/15 September 2006
1st Berlin Conference on Asian Security (Berlin Group) Berlin, 14/15 September 2006 A conference jointly organised by Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), Berlin, and the Federal Ministry of Defence, Berlin Discussion Paper Do Note Cite or Quote without Author’s Permission SCO’s Success in Taking Responsibility for Security in Central Asia By Pan Guang September 2006 SCO’s Success in Taking Responsibility for Security in Central Asia By PAN Guang Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is now showing a more active posture in safeguarding security and promoting economic-cultural development in the region, caring about the situation in areas around Central Asia like Middle East and South Asia, and demonstrating that this five-year-old young organization has embarked on a new course of pragmatic development, Achievements in Maintaining Security in the Heart of Eurasia Since 1996, the process of the "Shanghai Five" - SCO is advancing with remarkable achievements in security cooperation, which mainly displayed in following aspects: Confidence-building measures were put in place, leading finally to the resolution of the border problems left over from history. Within the frameworks of the "Shanghai Five" - SCO, and due to joint efforts of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, all the disputes regarding the western section of the formally Sino-Soviet border of more than 3,000 kilometers, that had bred instability and conflicts for centuries, were completely solved in 6 years, which is a rare case in the history of international relations. Close cooperation in the struggle against the trans-border evil forces, which bring big troubles to the region. -
Department of Religion
The George Washington University Department of Religion 2106 G Street NW, Washington D.C. 20052 P: 202-994-6325, F: 202-994-9379 E-mail: [email protected], Newsletter Web: http://departments.columbian.gwu. edu/religion Summer 2015 A Note from the Chair Rob Eisen Volume 18 _________________ Inside: Welcome to our newsletter for the 2014-15 Robacademic Eisen year. The most exciting news of this past year has to do with a number of developments in our new MA program in Islamic Faculty Book Studies. The program has been in existence for two years, and we are about to graduate our Notices first cohort. We have also added a certificate option to the program for students who want to NEH grant for expand their knowledge of Islam but do not want to complete the full MA program. The Summer Institute on certificate program is ideal for professionals in the D.C. area who deal with the Muslim “American Muslims” world. But most important, we received a gift of $440,000 from a group of donors to support Farewell to Allison various aspects of the program. Finally, I would like to note, as I have in previous newsletters, Taylor-Adams that our program is unique in teaching about both Sunni and Shi’ite Islam. Most programs in Xu Xin lecture on the U.S. are focused only on Sunni Islam. Given that the rift between these two major “Chinese Perceptions branches of Islam is having an enormous impact in the international sphere nowadays, we of Jews” hope that our program will produce a new generation of scholars able to analyze and perhaps MA program find ways of reconciling the two communities. -
China's Central Asia Problem
China’s Central Asia Problem Asia Report N°244 | 27 February 2013 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Entry Into Central Asia ..................................................................................................... 3 A. China and the Newly Independent States ................................................................. 3 B. China’s Political Interests: Stability and Friendly Regimes ...................................... 6 C. Russia: Privileged Interests, Frustrated Ambitions .................................................. 8 III. China’s Economic Footprint ............................................................................................. 11 A. Strategy ...................................................................................................................... 11 B. Business Practices ...................................................................................................... 12 C. Risks Associated With Doing Business in Central Asia ............................................. 13 IV. Security Situation ............................................................................................................ -
Reflections on Israel Studies in China Paper Series
2021 - HARVARD-YENCHING FROM ENEMY STUDIES TO AREA STUDIES: INSTITUTE WORKING REFLECTIONS ON ISRAEL STUDIES IN CHINA PAPER SERIES Song Lihong | Nanjing University From Enemy Studies to Area Studies: Reflections on Israel Studies in China* Song Lihong (Nanjing University) Abstract: Having emerged from the context of enemy studies in the 1960s and 1970s, Israel studies in China is developing rapidly within the framework of area studies owing to the impetus of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was launched in 2013. This essay addresses the beginnings of Israel studies in China, some Chinese perceptions of Israel that have exerted significant impacts on Israel studies in China, and the challenges for future growth that Israel studies scholars in China are facing. Keywords: Israel studies, China, enemy studies, area studies Although Israel studies hardly existed in China before its diplomatic relations with the State of Israel were normalized in 1992, the field is now well-established among Chinese universities. China’s academic environment is very different from that of the US or Europe: our Israel studies positions are not privately funded but state-sponsored; the standing faculty and the students are non-Jewish, hence without particular emotional ties to Israel; antisemitism in its classical manifestations and the BDS movement are irrelevant in Chinese academic circles. Consequently, no doubts have been raised about the legitimacy of Israel studies as an academic field of study. From 2014 through 2019, roughly 32 scholarly monographs and edited volumes, 31 Chinese translations of scholarly books, and 172 journal articles on Israel studies were published in China, on a range of topics that are almost all-encompassing: from diplomatic relations to military affairs, from political parties to the education system, from agriculture in Yishuv to the start-up economy in Tel Aviv, from migrant laborers to the national heritage conservation, from Etgar Keret to Sinology in Israel, from the diamond industry to banking regulations. -
Among the Jewish Descendants of Kaifeng
Among the Jewish Descendants of Kaifeng By Irwin M. Berg Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought Winter, 2000 KAIFENG IS ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE AND DIRECTION from Beijing that Knoxville, Tennessee, is from the District of Columbia. And there are other similarities between Kaifeng and Knoxville. Kaifeng has about five percent of greater Beijing's population and once enjoyed grander days. During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 C.E.), Kaifeng was the capital of China with well over one million people – more than twice its current population.1 Today Kaifeng sits on a flat, intensely-farmed area near the Yellow River and has little or no industry. Its young people are being attracted to the nearby city of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, and beyond to Shanghai and Beijing. No one knows for sure when Jews first came to Kaifeng or their origin. We know that they arrived sometime before 1163 C.E. because in that year they were given permission to build a synagogue.2 Professor Xu Xin of Nanjing University, who interviewed many Jewish descendants in Kaifeng, says that the descendants trace their origin to Mesopotamia and the year 1090 C.E. when they were dislodged from their homes by ravaging Crusaders.3 Scholars, however, believe that the community was started by Jewish traders and merchants from Persia and India who began to travel overland to China along the Silk Road as well as by sea even prior to the Northern Song Dynasty.4 1 Jiang Qingxiang and Xiao Guoliang, "Glimpses of the Urban Economy of Bianjing [Kaifeng], Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty," in Jews in Old China: Studies by Chinese Scholars, edited by Sidney Shapiro (New York: Hippocrene Books, 1984). -
Chinese Jews and China-Israel Relation
Chinese Studies, 2014, 3, 121-127 Published Online November 2014 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/chnstd http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/chnstd.2014.34016 Chinese Jews and China-Israel Relation Song Jian1,2 1Chinese Academy of Engineering, Beijing, China 2Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China Email: [email protected] Received 1 August 2014; revised 4 September 2014; accepted 26 September 2014 Academic Editor: Shaodan Luo, Wuhan Irvine Culture and Communications, China Copyright © 2014 by author and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract This is a passage excerpted from its author’s memoir written recently. The author recounts the role he played in the establishment of official diplomatic relation between the People’s Republic of China and Israel 20 years ago. The memoir cites the historical records that show a considerable Jewish community who migrated from Mumbai, India 1000 years ago and settled down in Kaifeng, the Capital of Song Dynasty (960-1127). The ensuing emperors, personally concerned about these Diasporas, allowed them to stay in the Capital, conferred Chinese surnames upon them, and made official positions in government obtainable by them. Synagogues had stood in Kaifeng for as long as 700 years until they were finally destroyed by a big flood in 1854. Since then they had never been restored. The Jewish community gradually dispersed nationwide and fully intermixed with other ethnicities via intermarriage. Now millions of Chinese people may have distant lineage from Kaifeng Jews. China is one of a few countries that have always been treating Diasporas graciously as compatriots for a millennium.