Events

This talk is brought to you by Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore; in collaboration with the National Library Board Singapore.

China’s Leap from the World’s Work Bench:
Tech, Entertainment and the Quest for Soft Power

Speaker      :   Mr Ted C. Fishman, Author of Shock of Gray, and China, Inc.
Discussant  :   Professor Zheng Yongnian, National University of Singapore
Chairperson :   Professor Chua Beng Huat, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

Since the era of market reform began, China has forged an economy that both serves and replicates the productive power of the more mature industrial world. It’s place as “Workbench of the World” has driven the country’s urbanization, its rise as the world number one manufacturing and exporting nation and its educational reforms. Yet, the Chinese government is no longer content with national economic ambitions that cater largely to the tastes of other, affluent nations. Chinese leaders now talk about a nation that controls its own cultural tastes and reshapes those of the rest of the world to align more with those of China. It yearns for a robust culture industry that has goods the rest of the world finds alluring. Wholesomeness, social order, and family values are centerpieces of a cultural industry Chinese planners say they want.  A cultural industry is also essential for a Chinese economy that can be much more than a workbench. And yet, Chinese leaders still have strong agenda items which hinder the country’s ability to create truly attractive global entertainment. This talk will explore the development of China’s culture industries and their potential. It will center on the movie and electronic gaming industries. It will also suggest ways in which China can create strong entertainment that does not cross the political and cultural agendas of the Party and the State.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Ted C. FISHMAN is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author and former derivatives trader. Fishman’s latest book, Shock of Gray, explores how the aging of the world’s population and the worldwide trend toward smaller families drive globalization and change our most important relationships. In his international bestseller, China, Inc., Fishman describes the effects of China’s emergence as a world power on the lives and businesses of people everywhere. Fishman’s essays and reports appear in many of the world’s most prominent publications, including The New York Times Magazine, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Money and Harper’s. He appears frequently on television and radio, including many of the world’s most widely-followed news outlets.  As a speaker, Fishman has addressed hundreds of government, corporate and not-for-profit groups around the globe. Fishman has been a fellow at the think tank for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Longevity. He has also been faculty director and lecturer with programs for global executives through Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Mr Fishman has lived and worked in Japan and Indonesia. He is a graduate of Princeton University and currently lives in Chicago.

ZHENG Yongnian is Professor and Director of East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. He is Editor of Series on Contemporary China (World Scientific Publishing) and Editor of China Policy Series (Routledge). He is also a co-editor of China: An International Journal. He has studied both China’s transformation and its external relations. His papers have appeared in journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Political Science Quarterly, Third World Quarterly and China Quarterly. He is the author of 13 books, including Technological Empowerment, De Facto Federalism in China, Discovering Chinese Nationalism in China and Globalization and State Transformation in China, and co-editor of 11 books on China’s politics and society including the latest volume China and the New International Order (2008).

ARI ASIA TRENDS SERIES

ASIA TRENDS is an ARI flagship public outreach event. This annual series of public lectures is an opportunity for ARI to connect with the local Singapore community through informing and interacting with various public sectors (citizenry, government), civil society organizations, businesses, universities and colleges, by presenting cutting edge research on major trends in Asia. Some trends examined in the past include “Confucian China in a Changing World Order,” “Tsai Ming-liang and a Cinema of Slowness,” “Here Today and Tomorrow: Transnational Domestic Workers and the Decent Work Agenda in Asia,” “Demystifying Stereotypes on Asian Education Systems,” and “’Male Modernity’, Puritanism, and the Southeast Asian City.” Each ARI research cluster hosts an evening talk, during which an overseas speaker, who is a prominent researcher or scholar, is invited to examine an emerging trend in that research field; a Singapore-based researcher then provides comments on local development with regard to the relevant trend. Past lectures have witnessed some interesting interaction between speakers and commentators; some have also seen lively audience participation in the discussions. ASIA TRENDS showcase the work of ARI’s research clusters, highlights the relevance of ARI’s research to Singapore, and relates Singapore to the rest of Asia from the perspective of significant trends in the region.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free, however, registration is required. Kindly register early as seats are available on a first come, first served basis. We would greatly appreciate it if you write to Sharon via email at arios@nus.edu.sg