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Posts Tagged ‘beijing’

China’s Zero-COVID Policy Protests

Thursday, December 15th, 2022
People hold white sheets of paper in protest over coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions after a vigil for the victims of a fire in Urumqi, as outbreaks of COVID-19 continue, in Beijing, China, November 28, 2022.  Credit: © Thomas Peter, Reuters/Alamy Images

People hold white sheets of paper in protest over coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions after a vigil for the victims of a fire in Urumqi, as outbreaks of COVID-19 continue, in Beijing, China, November 28, 2022.
Credit: © Thomas Peter, Reuters/Alamy Images

Back in 2020, when COVID-19 broke out, the world slowed down. Scientists and health experts figured out that masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing decreased the chance of infection. However, staying home and testing also helped keep the cases down until vaccines were available. Some countries continued lockdowns and travel bans for longer than most of the world. China adopted a “zero-COVID” policy which required testing, hospitalization or isolation in facilities during infection and after exposure, and lockdowns that halted the country’s economy. While the strict policies did maintain a lower rate of infection compared to the United States and other countries, protesters have pointed out that the policy has harmed the economy and the general quality of life since businesses closed during lockdowns and access to food and healthcare was limited.

On Thursday, November 24th, a fire in an apartment building in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang region killed 10 people and injured 9. The fire broke out on the 15th floor of the building and spread upward. When firefighters arrived, the stream of water from the fire hose could not reach the fire due to pandemic control barriers. Xinjiang had been under strict lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for over three months before the fire. Many residents stayed in their apartments out of fear of breaking lockdown rules.

People began raising white papers at the vigils held to mourn those who died in the apartment fire. White is a symbol of death and mourning in Chinese culture. However, the papers soon became a symbol protesting China’s strict zero-COVID policy and censorship. The papers also cover faces, allowing protesters to hide from cameras. The white paper represents what the protesters would like to say if they were not afraid of the consequences of speaking out against the Chinese government. Some protesters have added messages on their papers to share their thoughts.

The last major demonstration in China was the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. These protests broke out among university students demanding political and economic reform. The current protests began in Urumqi, where the fire occurred, and spread to cities and college campuses around China, including in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. The protesters asked for an end to the strict zero-COVID policy keeping China locked down while the rest of the world copes with the virus. Some protesters demanded President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping step down.

After intense protests throughout the country, China’s Communist Party lifted some zero-COVID policy regulations allowing people to resume daily activities on December 7th. Many people returned to work and dined at restaurants with their newfound freedom. However, many remained in voluntary lockdown in fear of contracting the virus. Health officials believe that cases will rise due to China’s low vaccination rate, the protests, and relaxed regulations. China is now reporting an average of 30,000 cases of COVID-19 a day, despite a decrease in testing.

Tags: beijing, china, COVID-19, pandemic, protests, vigil
Posted in Current Events | Comments Off

Women’s History Month: Snowboarding Champion Chloe Kim

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022

 

Chloe Kim, American snowboarder © Cameron Spencer, Getty Images

Chloe Kim, American snowboarder
Credit: © Cameron Spencer, Getty Images

March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance of women’s achievements and contributions to society. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature woman pioneers in a variety of areas.

Chloe Kim brought home the gold medal in the women’s halfpipe snowboarding event at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games held in Beijing, China. The halfpipe is an acrobatic event performed in a deep trough. Kim also won the gold medal in the women’s halfpipe event at the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In Pyeongchang, she became the youngest woman to win a snowboarding gold medal in the Winter Olympics. In Beijing, Kim became the first woman to win multiple Olympic golds in the women’s halfpipe snowboarding event.

Chloe Kim of the United States is a champion snowboarder. Kim won the snowboarding gold medal in the women's halfpipe competition during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Pyeongchang, South Korea. Credit: © Leonard Zhukovsky, Shutterstock

Kim won the snowboarding gold medal in the women’s halfpipe competition during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Credit: © Leonard Zhukovsky, Shutterstock

Kim has also gained international success in slopestyle events. In slopestyle, competitors perform on special courses that feature various obstacles. Kim was too young to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. However, at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, she won gold medals in both the halfpipe and slopestyle. She thus became the first American woman to win a snowboarding gold medal at the Youth Olympic competition.

Kim had previously earned international recognition for her performances in the X Games, an action sports competition held in the summer and winter and modeled on the Olympics. She won a silver medal in the superpipe, a variation of the halfpipe, at the 2014 Winter X Games. In 2015 and 2016, she won three X Games gold medals in the superpipe. In 2016, Kim became the first female to score a perfect 100 in the superpipe at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. She won the gold medal in the superpipe at the X Games again in 2018, 2019, and 2021.

Kim was born on April 23, 2000, in Long Beach, California. Her parents had immigrated to the United States from South Korea. Kim began snowboarding at the age of 4 and began competing as a member of Team Mountain High in California at the age of 6. She trained in Switzerland from the ages of 8 to 10 and then returned to the United States. In the fall of 2019, Kim enrolled at Princeton University, in New Jersey. She took a leave of absence from her studies in 2020 to concentrate on snowboarding.

Tags: beijing, chloe kim, gold medalist, halfpipe, record, snowboarding, winter olympics, women's history month
Posted in Current Events, People, Recreation & Sports | Comments Off

Beijing 2022: Erin Jackson

Monday, February 21st, 2022
Erin Jackson of USA competing on the 500m during the 2021 ISU World Cup on November 12, 2021 in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.  Credit: © Orange Pics BV/Alamy Images

Erin Jackson of USA competing on the 500m during the 2021 ISU World Cup on November 12, 2021 in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.
Credit: © Orange Pics BV/Alamy Images

In February 2022, Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win a medal in speed skating at the Winter Olympics. She won gold in the 50o-meter race in the long-track speed skating event at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Jackson was the first skater representing the United States to win the 500-meter race since 1994. Jackson also joined Shani Davis as the only two Black athletes to medal in Olympic speed skating.
 
Jackson is an American speed skater. Jackson narrowly missed qualifying for Beijing 2022, earning a bronze in two races at the Olympic team trials. She slipped in the 500-meter, the event for which she was ranked number one in the world. Fellow top-ranking speed skater and friend Brittany Bowe qualified for three events. Bowe stepped down in the 500-meter race to give Jackson her spot, sending Jackson to her second Olympic Games.
 
Jackson became the first Black woman to represent the United States in long-track speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Long-track races are held on an oval 333 1/3 to 400 meters (264 ½ to 437 yards) around. She became the first Black American woman to win a World Cup title for speed skating in 2021. During the 2021-2022 season, Jackson won gold in four World Cup races. She broke the American record, finishing the 500-meter race in 36.80 seconds, at the Salt Lake City World Cup in 2021.
 
Jackson was a top competitor in in-line speed skating and roller derby. In-line skates, sometimes referred to by the trade name Rollerblade, are roller skates with the wheels aligned in a single row. She transitioned to ice speed skating in 2017 to compete in the Olympics. After only four months of training on ice, she made the U.S. National Team.
 
Erin Jackson was born on Sept. 19, 1992, in Ocala, Florida. Jackson began roller skating and figure skating as a child. She began competing on a figure skating team when she was 8 years old. After two years, her coaches moved away, leading her to switch to in-line speed skating in 2002. Jackson joined Inline Team USA in 2008. She competed in the Junior World Championships and Pan American Games in high school. She won gold in the 500-meter race in the 2014 Pan American Games.
 
While attending college, Jackson joined the roller derby team the Ocala Cannibals in 2012. She transferred to a team in Jacksonville, the New Jax City Rollers, in 2013. She competed with the team in the 2015 Women’s Flat Track Derby Association championship. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2015 with a degree in engineering. Jackson has won many in-line skating world championship medals and dozens of national championships.

 

Tags: 2022 winter olympics, beijing, erin jackson, ice skating, roller derby, speed skating, united states
Posted in Current Events, People, Recreation & Sports | Comments Off

Beijing 2022: Eileen Gu

Friday, February 18th, 2022
Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu © Svend S. Nielsen, Shutterstock

Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu
© Svend S. Nielsen, Shutterstock

Eileen Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals in a single Olympics at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Gu won gold medals in women’s ski big air and women’s halfpipe, as a member of the Chinese team. She also won the silver in women’s ski slopestyle at the 2022 Games. Gu is a popular Chinese-American freestyle skier, nicknamed “Frog Princess” for a green helmet she has worn in competition.

Gu competes in the halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events. The halfpipe is an acrobatic event performed in a deep trough. In slopestyle, competitors perform on special courses that feature various obstacles. Big air involves a long, high jump during which the skier performs acrobatic moves.

Eileen Feng Gu, also called Gu Ailing, was born on Sept. 3, 2003, in San Francisco, California. Her mother, Yan Gu, immigrated to the United States from China. Gu grew up in San Francisco, raised by her mother and grandmother. She began skiing at 3 years old and freestyle skiing at 8 years old. She became a professional at age 16. Gu became the first student to graduate San Francisco University High School in three years in 2020.

Gu began her career representing the United States. She chose to represent China beginning in 2019, becoming a naturalized Chinese citizen. At the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, Gu won gold in big air and halfpipe, along with silver in slopestyle.

Gu became the first woman freestyle skier to land a double cork 1440—a trick that includes four horizontal rotations of 360 degrees and two vertical rotations—in November 2021. She became the first Chinese freestyle skier to earn multiple medals at the World Championships, with gold medals at the 2021 World Championships in Seiser Alm, Italy, and the 2022 World Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Gu became the first Chinese X Games champion at the 2021 games in Aspen, Colorado. She was the only woman to compete in three disciplines and the first rookie to win three medals, earning gold in slopestyle and superpipe, a variation of the halfpipe, and bronze in big air.

Besides skiing, Gu has also had a successful modeling career. She has modeled for high fashion brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany and Co.

Tags: 2022 winter olympics, beijing, china, eileen gu, freestyle ski
Posted in Current Events, People, Recreation & Sports | Comments Off

Nathan Chen Brings Home Gold for USA

Thursday, February 10th, 2022

 

American figure skating champion Nathan Chen Credit: © Mladen Antonov, Getty Images

American figure skating champion Nathan Chen
Credit: © Mladen Antonov, Getty Images

American figure skater Nathan Chen clinched his highly anticipated and long-awaited first gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The men’s figure skating event is decided by combining scores from the short and long programs. At the 2022 Games, Chen set a world record in the men’s short program with a score of 113.97. The previous record was set by Japan’s Olympian Yuzuru Hanyu, with 111.82 in 2020. Chen has been gunning for gold since his last Olympic performance, in which Hanyu took gold at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Chen was a member of the United States team that won a bronze medal in team figure skating at the 2018 Games. Chen finished fifth in the men’s figure skating event at the 2018 Games, while cementing his nickname, the “Quad King.” He made Olympic history by becoming the first skater to land six quadruple jumps in one program. In a quadruple jump, the skater jumps and makes four full revolutions in the air.

Chen won the men’s World Figure Skating Championship sponsored by the International Skating Union (ISU) in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The ISU is the governing body of international figure skating. Chen also won the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The Grand Prix, organized by the ISU, includes six international figure skating events leading to a Final competition for the top skaters.

Chen won six U.S. Figure Skating Championships (also called the nationals, or U.S. Championships), consecutively from 2017 to 2022. U.S. Skating is the national governing body of figure skating in the United States. The organization sponsors competition at many levels, including novice, junior, and senior competitions that lead to national titles. During the U.S. nationals in 2017, Chen became the first skater to land five quadruple jumps in one program.

Chen was born on May 5, 1999, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents emigrated from China to the United States in 1988. Chen began skating at the age of three. He entered his first figure skating competition in 2003, at the age of four. Chen won the national novice title at the U.S. Championships in 2010, the youngest novice champion in the history of U.S. Figure Skating. For the 2011-2012 season, Chen moved up to the junior level and won the junior men’s title in 2012. He won the bronze medal at the 2014 World Junior Championships. He won the gold medal in the Final of the 2015 Junior Grand Prix.

 

 

Tags: 2022 winter olympics, america, beijing, china, figure skating, nathan chen, olympics, record, yuzuru hanyu
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Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics: Opening Ceremonies

Friday, February 4th, 2022
Erin Jackson of USA competing on the 500m during the 2021 ISU World Cup on November 12, 2021 in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.  Credit: © Orange Pics BV/Alamy Images

Erin Jackson of USA competing on the 500m during the 2021 ISU World Cup on November 12, 2021 in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.
Credit: © Orange Pics BV/Alamy Images

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games commence this Friday, February 24, with the arrival of the legendary Olympic torch in Beijing, China. The torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, in October 2021 and began making its way to the Chinese capital. From February 2 to 4, it was carried by more than 1,000 people across the cities of Yanqing and Zhangjiakou and into Beijing. The procession included the first Olympic torch handover from robot to robot—underwater! Audiences were limited in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so many watched the torch’s progress online.

The Games officially begin after the opening ceremony on Friday evening. The ceremony takes place at the National Stadium, nicknamed the “Bird’s Nest,” which was originally built for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The themes of the ceremony showcase China’s “willingness to pursue world peace” and celebrate the Beijing Games’ slogan, “together for a shared future.” However, multiple countries’ officials will not be attending the Games in protest of human rights violations.

Beijing National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest"

Beijing National Stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest”

To keep athletes and Beijing residents safe from illness, international spectators will not be allowed to attend the events, and additional safety measures have been put in place. There will be 3,000 performers at the ceremony. The vast majority will be teenagers, who are at low risk of long-term health effects from the disease. Small groups of spectators will be invited to watch events at the Games as long as they abide by COVID-19 safety protocols.

Beijing is holding a record number of sporting events, with 109. There are seven new events at the Beijing 2022 Olympics in skiing, snowboarding, and monobob—that is bobsledding with a single athlete. Many events focused on mixed-gender teams, giving Beijing the greatest balance of women’s and men’s events in the Olympics yet.

The mascot of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games is a panda named Bing Dwen Dwen, from the Chinese words meaning ice and children. The design features a spacesuit to embody the future and a heart on Bing Dwen Dwen’s left paw to symbolize Chinese hospitality.

Tags: 2022 winter olympics, beijing, bobsled, china, freestyle skiing, monobob, opening ceremonies, snowboarding
Posted in Current Events, Recreation & Sports | Comments Off

Tiananmen Square 30

Wednesday, June 5th, 2019

June 5, 2019

In the early morning hours of June 4, 1989, 30 years ago yesterday, Chinese government troops killed and wounded thousands of protestors in Tiananmen Square, a large public area in Beijing, China. The violent incident was the climax of nearly two months of protests for political and economic reform in the tightly controlled Communist country. Chinese officials stated that some 200 people died in the June 4 incident (often remembered in China as “6/4″). However, international observers said that more than 1,000 people were killed, and thousands of other people were injured. The protests and the military response were widely televised. Many people throughout the world expressed support and sympathy for the protesters.

A Beijing demonstrator blocks the path of a tank convoy along the Avenue of Eternal Peace near Tiananmen Square. For weeks, people have been protesting for freedom of speech and of press from the Chinese government. Credit: © Bettmann/Getty Images

This photo of a demonstrator–remembered as “tank man”–blocking the path of tanks near Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, is one of the most famous images in history. It became a worldwide symbol for people resisting government oppression. Credit: © Bettmann/Getty Images

On April 15, 1989, former Chinese Communist Party head Hu Yaobang died. He was known for his commitment to political and economic reform and was supportive of more freedom of expression. Hu had been removed from office in 1987 by government officials who thought his views were too liberal. However, those very views made Hu popular with many Chinese citizens, particularly students, who wanted more freedom.

After a decade of liberalization and growth, China not only experienced new prosperity, but it also witnessed the spread of inflation and corruption among government officials. The announcement of Hu’s death coincided with growing popular dissatisfaction and led to a spontaneous outpouring of grief by Beijing’s citizens. On April 16, 1989, people began gathering in Tiananmen Square to honor Hu’s memory.

The gathering to honor Hu quickly became a major protest led by students from Beijing universities. The protesters called for greater freedoms of speech and the press; increased funding for higher education; government openness; and an end to government corruption. A student-led hunger strike gained support from around the country and the world. Students and supporters from all over China traveled to Beijing to take part in the protests, which at times included more than 1 million people. Similar, smaller gatherings occurred in other Chinese cities.

At first, the government, led by Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, adopted a moderate stance. However, as the protests continued, more conservative members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party believed they threatened the party’s legitimacy. Government officials, including Premier Li Peng, called for the use of force.

By the end of May, Li Peng had won the support of the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. On May 20, Li declared martial law (an emergency government under military rule) and told the protesters to leave Tiananmen Square. Army and police troops headed toward Tiananmen Square, but Beijing residents built blockades in the streets to slow the advance. The blockades kept the troops and vehicles from the square for two weeks.

On June 3, the government said that protesters would be forced from the square if they did not leave on their own. That night, soldiers and tanks began firing. Many unarmed protesters were shot while trying to flee. A number of protesters attacked the troops with rocks and bottles. Some demonstrators set fire to military vehicles.

On June 4, as violence continued, government troops sealed off Tiananmen Square. In the days that followed, the government shut down protests in other cities and searched for the students who had led the demonstrations. Many of the student leaders fled the country.

People around the world expressed shock at the Chinese government’s actions. Diplomatic and economic relations between China and a number of other countries became strained. In the wake of the protests, the Chinese government further restricted free speech and democracy. General Secretary Zhao Ziyang was dismissed from his post for showing support for the protesters. Since 1989, Chinese government censors have banned news programs and other media presentations that discuss the June 4 incident.

Tags: 1989, beijing, china, communism, democracy, Tiananmen Square
Posted in Current Events, Government & Politics, History, Military, People | Comments Off

Chinese Capital Strangling in Smog

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

January 15, 2012

Air pollution in China’s capital, Beijing, has for the past week greatly surpassed levels considered hazardous by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, the density of a kind of particle pollution known as PM2.5 soared to 700 micrograms per cubic meter in many parts of the city on January 12, a level considered extremely dangerous. An unofficial reading from a monitor at the United States embassy in Beijing registered levels of more than 800 micrograms per cubic meter. According to WHO standards, levels above 25 micrograms are considered unsafe. Yesterday, levels dropped to about 350 micrograms on the Beijing government scale, still dangerously high.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, particle pollution, also known as particulate matter (PM), is a mixture of microscopic solids and liquid droplets suspended in air. PM includes such acids as nitrates and sulfates, organic chemicals, metals, soil or dust particles, and such allergens as fragments of pollen or mold spores. PM exists in a wide range of sizes. Particle pollution that is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter–1/30th the diameter of a human hair–is known as PM2.5. Such pollution can penetrate deep into the lungs. Numerous health studies have linked PM to premature death from heart or lung disease, according to the EPA. The Beijing Shijitan Hospital reported a marked increase in the number of patients seeking treatment for asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and other respiratory illnesses associated with exposure to PM2.5.

Beijing can easily be seen in a satellite image of northeastern China made on January 3, 2013. (NASA)

Extremely heavy pollution obscures Beijing and surrounding areas in a second satellite image, made on January 14, when pollution levels were 15 times greater than the level considered “safe” by the World Health Organization. (NASA)

Fuel combustion–the burning of fossil fuels and biomass–is a major source of PM2.5. Sulfate particles form when sulfur dioxide emitted from electric power and industrial plants reacts with sunlight and water vapor in the air. Nitrate particles form in the same way from nitrogen oxides emitted by electric power plants and automobiles and other forms of combustion.

Rapid industrialization, a reliance on coal for power, and the explosive growth in car ownership has made air pollution a major problem in China. Weather conditions and the burning of coal for heating generally make conditions worse in winter. When coal, a carbon-based mineral, is burned, sulfur and nitrogen oxides are released into the air. In 2010, China was dependent on coal for nearly 80 percent of its energy and electric power output, according to the International Energy Agency.

Additional World Book articles:

  • Smog
  • Advances in Understanding Asthma (a special report)
  • The Case for Renewables (a special report)
  • China’s Global Awakening (a special report)

 

Tags: air pollution, beijing, china, smog, world health organization
Posted in Business & Industry, Current Events, Energy, Environment, Government & Politics, Health, Medicine, Weather | Comments Off

Massive Storms Cause Widespread Destruction in Chinese Capital

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

July 23, 2012

A torrential 10-hour downpour on July 21 and 22 in Beijing left 77 people dead. According to local meteorologists, the storm was the greatest single deluge in Beijing since record keeping was begun in 1951. Approximately 6.7 inches (17 centimeters) of rain fell in some parts of the Chinese capital, and as much as 18 inches (45.7 centimeters) fell in some suburban districts. Floodwater in some streets rose to as high as 20 feet (6 meters). Flooding at electric power generating plants led to blackouts in parts of the city. Fierce thunderstorms forced the cancellation of 500 flights at Beijing International Airport, stranding some 80,000 passengers overnight.

Downtown Beijing has many modern skyscrapers, hotels, shopping centers, and office buildings. Some structures in the city, such as the pavilion in the foreground, feature elements of traditional Chinese architecture. (© Art Directors)

The number of deaths and the widespread destruction triggered criticism of the poor quality of the city’s infrastructure and of the government’s feeble response to natural disasters. Despite the billions of dollars spent to upgrade Beijing’s infrastructure, rainwater quickly overwhelmed the city’s sewage system. One Beijing newspaper published an article stating that the downpour “exposes holes in the modernization drive. . . . In recent years, floods caused by rain storms have repeatedly occurred in Chinese cities. And the latest downpour in Beijing has stirred up a new round of skepticism on the quality of infrastructure amid rapid urbanization.” Another newspaper openly criticized the government for not deploying an emergency broadcast system, not setting up special emergency hotlines, and not opening government shelters.

Tags: beijing, china, deluge, thunderstorm
Posted in Current Events, Environment, Government & Politics | Comments Off

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