Hospitals boost beds, plus China says no to Pokemon Go
Top society and culture news for January 11, 2017. Part of the daily The China Project news roundup "Taiwan scrambles jets."
- China to boost beds, staff to handle healthcare strains / Reuters
As part of its 2016–2020 five-year health plan, China aims to add 89,000 new hospital beds and train 140,000 new obstetricians and nurses by the end of the decade, partly due to the country’s aging population and the relaxation of its one-child policy. According to the new plan, demographic problems are likely to become more pronounced in the coming five years as China’s average life expectancy is expected to increase, along with its population. - How mixed Chinese-Western couples were treated a century ago / Asia Society
An interview with Emma J. Teng, a professor of Asian civilizations at MIT and author of the book Eurasian: Mixed Identities in the United States, China, and Hong Kong, 1842–1943, on challenges for racially mixed couples in the United States and China in the 19th century and what historical stands can still be felt today.
- Edifice complex: China is the world’s largest skyscraper factory, again / WSJ (paywall)
- China: The secret lives of urban waste pickers / The Guardian
- Hong Kong divided over Forbidden City museum plan / BBC News
- Feminism in China and the Wandering Life: An interview with Maura Elizabeth Cunningham / LA Review of Books
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China says no to Pokemon Go over public safety and national security concerns / Beijing Morning Post (in Chinese)
China’s media regulating authority announced on Tuesday that Pokemon Go, along with other augmented reality games, will be banned in China for now until potential security risks related to them are fully evaluated. The authority’s statement explained, “given overseas consumer experience and several cases, games of this genre present big social risks during their operation, such as posing a threat to geographical information security, social transportation safety, and personal safety.” The statement drew mixed reactions online, as some commented that “the government is truly afraid of public gathering,” while others applauded the decision, writing that “national secrets are very likely to be disclosed if the game is introduced to China.”
