Dongping Yang – författare

China’s environmental problems and ecological crises are still considerable. Pollution and ecological deterioration are becoming worse, while the booming economy and rising population are adding to the pressure. Will the PRC be able to avoid the traditional route of industrialization and embark on the path of sustainable development? Friends of Nature is China’s first environmental NGO, and their first environmental yearbook deals with the year 2005, the year of the Songhua River toxic spill crisis, the bird flu attacks, but also of a number of governmental and local initiatives to begin to tackle the increasing pressure on the environment. Here are the voices of experts and witnesses from the PRC itself describing and commenting upon the environment and protection measures in China in 2005, from the public perspective.

This volume of The China Environment Yearbook is the second in a series of annual records written, commissioned, produced, and edited by Friends of Nature, China’s premier environmental non-governmental organization. This book provides a window on debates and events as they have affected China’s struggles toward a more just and sustainable model of development during the year 2006. Courageous essays question policies of fencing Inner Mongolian grasslands in a way that contradicts local culture and ecology; probe the wisdom of the South-to-North water transfer scheme in the upper Yangzi (and of a potentially even more ecologically intrusive mega-project called the Shuotian Grand Canal Project); and analyze shortcomings in government efforts to clean up some of China’s most heavily polluted waterways. There are candid accounts of new levels of environmental degradation in rural areas and of the difficulties encountered in China’s effort to produce a “green GDP” that would accurately reflect the costs of natural resource extraction and pollution. Other hard-hitting articles describe China’s role in the global trade in illegal logging, analyze the problem of “cancer villages,” and make clear the seriousness of problems with widespread groundwater contamination and lack of access to safe drinking water.

China’s education system has grown increasingly complex, creating the need for an annual critical review of the education system by China’s top scholars. The Blue Book of Education, as it is known in Chinese, has gained a reputation for offering the most penetrating perspective in China on educational reform and development. In this important English translation combining the Blue Books published in 2007 and 2008, the issues, developments, challenges, and crises in Chinese education are comprehensively discussed and critically analyzed. This volume’s incisive contributions address a wide range of pressing issues including: debt caused by the expansion of higher education, quality of education, employment of graduates, corruption of scholarship, education for migrant children, the gap between policy and practice in bilingual education for minority students, the popularization of no-fee compulsory education in rural areas, reform of the national university examination system, and thorny problems faced by private daycares and private schools. The volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the perspective of some of China’s most critical scholars about the most pressing challenges facing education.

The China Environment Yearbook, produced by China's preeminent environmental organization Friends of Nature, has established itself as the standard source for on-the-ground civil society perspectives about environmental issues in China. The third English language volume in the series brings readers up to date on the main issues and events in 2007. These include national debates about water and air pollution, the Lake Tai algae crisis, the environmental protests in the city of Xiamen, challenges faced by those planning a “green” Olympics in Beijing for 2008, and the adverse impact of global climate change. The research and analysis contained in the volume depicts the broader patterns of an emerging environmental politics in China - a more assertive and restive citizenry in environmental affairs, the rise of interest groups, and international influences on domestic policy debates. The China Environment Yearbook, Volume 3 is an indispensable source for scholars and policy makers concerned about how China's environmental policies and practices will affect its own future and the future of the earth.

The second volume of the English-language The China Educational Development Yearbook offers international scholars a glimpse into key issues in Chinese education today from the perspective of Chinese academics, practitioners, and applied researchers. An edited translation of the 2009 volume of the Chinese-language Blue Book of Education, it opens with an excellent overview of educational developments in the preceding year by Dr. Yang Dongping. Beyond providing authoritative, up-to-date sources on developments in mainline topics in educational policy, practice, and research in China, this volume offers timely attention to the educational implications of three major developments that have occurred outside the realm of the educational system: the occurrence of the tragic Sichuan Earthquake; the convening of the Paralympics in Beijing; and the growing presence of migrant children in China’s cities.

This volume of the China Environment Yearbook is the fourth in the seminal series by China’s first environmental NGOs, Friends of Nature. The fourth English translation updates readers on environmentally significant issues of 2008, a year of both tragedy and hope. 2008 was an eventful year that included such setbacks as the Sichuan Earthquake, debilitating snow and ice storms, an algae bloom at the site of the Olympic sailing venue prior to the games, and a worsening global economic crisis. But there were also events that filled the country with optimism, including a successful Beijing Olympic Games with good air quality, the upgrading of the State Environmental Protection Agency to ministerial level status, and significant developments in China’s environmental legal system and environmental public information disclosure mechanism.Other topics explored in this volume include marine pollution, wetlands, road ecology, eco-compensation, debates surrounding the newly instituted “plastic bag restriction” policy, public interest litigation, the concept of a low carbon economy, and the environmental performance of enterprises in 2008. Volume four is essential for those looking for a window into issues affecting China’s environment from the viewpoint of civil society.

The third volume of the English-language The China Educational Development Yearbook offers international scholars a glimpse into key issues in Chinese education today from the perspective of Chinese academics, practitioners, and applied researchers. This volume starts with an excellent overview of educational developments in 2009, which witnessed the formulation of the National Outline for Medium and Long Term Educational Reform and Development initiated by the Chinese government. The formulation of the Outline is a milestone event for Chinese education and has triggered enormous enthusiasm for the belated educational reform. Scholars and practitioners discussed the significance of the Outline and its implications on the development and reform of pre-school education, basic education and higher education. In addition, this volume provides timely attention to the educational implications of major developments such as the impact of the financial crisis on China’s education, corruption in various branches of academics, and the development of non-profit educational organizations. The China Educational Development Yearbook, Volume 3 informs the Western readers of the current educational development in policy, practice, and research in China.

With the annual publication of the China Environment Yearbook by Friends of Nature, China’s environmental situation is revealed through the eyes of civil society. In this fifth volume, key issues affecting China’s environment in the year 2009 are explored through five main themes: Public Policy, Litigation, Pollution and Health, Consumption, and Ecological Protection. The year 2009 began with the global financial crisis and ended with the frustration of the climate change conference in Copenhagen. In this context, issues surrounding citizens’ rights and the state’s responsibility are discussed by environmentalists, scholars, lawyers, and journalists. Other topics covered in the China Environment Yearbook, Volume 5 include green growth from the financial stimulus package, resource development in western regions, protests against waste incineration power plants, water consumption in Beijing, pollution related lawsuits, giant panda protection, and several alarming environmental and health related incidents, including toxic wastewater in Yancheng and elevated blood lead levels in children.

The first volume of the English-language Chinese Research Perspectives on Educational Development (formerly The China Educational Development Yearbook offers international scholars a glimpse into key issues in Chinese education today from the perspective of Chinese academics, practitioners, and applied researchers. This volume starts with an excellent overview of educational developments in 2010, which witnessed the formulation of the Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long Term Educational Reform and Development 2010-2020. With the formulation of the Outline and the start of implementation in 2011, China saw progress by the government, at all levels, in prioritizing educational development. Scholars and practitioners discuss the significance of the Outline and its implications on the development and reform of pre-school education, basic education and higher education. In addition, this volume provides timely surveys and research on a variety of topics from government’s investment in education to the mental health of Elementary and Secondary school teachers and students. Chinese Research Perspectives on Educational Development, Volume 1 informs the Western readers of the current educational development in policy, practice, and research in China.Chinese Research Perspectives on Educational Development is a co-publication of Brill and Social Sciences Academic Press (China).

Chinese Research Perspectives on the Environment (formerly The China Environment Yearbook), Volume 1, was written and produced by China’s first environmental non-profit organization, Friends of Nature. This edition of the book combines two years of reports on China's environment from the view of civil society. With a special focus on natural and unnatural disasters, the book also covers the themes of pollution and ecological protection, urban environmental issues and livability, sustainable consumption, policy and governance, civil society and public participation, and China and the world in an environmental perspective.In this volume, readers are brought up to date on the main environmental issues and events of 2010 and 2011. Beginning in 2010, debris flows, landslides, and droughts brought about considerable debate on the human factors involved in “natural disasters” and on China’s urban growth mode. The concept of urban livability is discussed within the backdrop of the waste and water crises. Several environmental incidents, including the Bohai Bay oil spill and the chromium slag pollution incident in Qujing, are also explored within the book. Meanwhile, increased public participation and environmental information transparency give reason for hope. Other articles include research and analysis on China’s investments in Africa, its struggling environmental courts, public interest litigation, the controversial Xiaonanhai dam and others on the Mekong River, green supply chains, and the PM2.5 debate.