陕西纪行--岐山周公庙

北欧绿色邮报报道(记者陈雪霏)--要想了解真正的中国历史,应该到陕西岐山周公庙去看看。

中国周朝八百年,是中国历史上统治时期最长的一个朝代,为什么?听周公庙的讲解员讲解,人们可以了解到,中国政府的治理实际上在三千年前就已经设计好了。后来发展的许多理念都是从那里来的。也有一些理念没有执行下去,当然也就导致一个朝代比一个朝代统治得短。

来到周公庙,可以看到这里崇山峻岭之中,背后有高山保护,周公庙仿佛坐在一个靠椅上。这让笔者想起河北的满城汉墓,也是同样的朝向和坐姿。可见古代人的风水观有些相似。

陕西纪行--丝路上的百里生态长廊

北欧绿色邮报报道(记者陈雪霏)--从汉中出发奔宝鸡,也就是过去的陈仓,一路上经过了百里生态长廊,虽然没有下车,但是能感觉到沿河两岸的美景风光。

从汉中过眉县,停车,看到很多猕猴桃树。原来,猕猴桃的正宗故乡是在这里。后来,传到新西兰,在那里发扬光大,让笔者以为KIWI是原产于新西兰呢。

此次采访,纠正了很多误解。例如大蒜实际上是产于丝绸之路上的中亚和欧洲国家,张骞出使西域以后带回来的,此后,在中国大面积推广。如今欧洲市场上的大蒜都是从中国进口的。

过太白的时候,发现路上的柏树很多,山上的桃花很多,路两边的草也不少。很多地方都被休整过了。感叹中国人真是勤劳,不易。

尤其是过煲斜古道的时候,亲眼看到当年诸葛亮屯兵屯粮草的地方,如今已经修成非常漂亮的花园,供游人拍照留念。山坡上还有壁画,用画演绎历史和文化,使旅途新颖愉快。

这里,人们也可以深深地体会到前面在博物馆里讲到的,古人沿河修路。凡是有路的地方就有河,河两边是高山,地势十分险峻。看着那地形,脑海里顿时浮现出三国时期,两汉时期人们的厮杀。这种葫芦峪一样的地形地貌,很容易发生战争。而打仗的时候,诸葛亮的那些计策,或者说古代的三十六计就都是从这里发展而来的,什么明修栈道,暗渡陈仓,什么瞒天过海等等。

现代人修路也是在古代人开辟的道路基础上修的。

丝路上的明珠--茵香河文化旅游区

北欧绿色邮报报道(记者陈雪霏)--记者4月8日随海外媒体团一行来到茵香河文化旅游区。它地处包机市渭滨区石鼓镇南部台塬区与秦岭北麓山区的结合部。从古老的中华石鼓园的青铜博物馆出来,一路九曲回肠之后,来到一处黄土粘土地带,仿佛进入仙境一般。

大树看起来都像千年以上,仿佛齐天大圣在此。下车定睛一看,原来大树都是人工用水泥或黄土泥做的。但看着真的非常逼真。

这里周围都是山河树,中间有河流。景区中间也有小桥流水,这里的水真是清澈见底,树叶倒影非常清晰。

原来,这里是拍摄《英雄时代》电视连续剧炎黄影视基地。这里有《医祖岐伯》的驻地,饮食和神农部落,西陵部落,炎帝黄帝结盟战蚩尤的故事。

进到里边参观他们的兵器,看到一个大锤子,以为非常重,试了一下,原来是泡沫做的。想想他们演电影如果真拿太重了,肯定吃不消。

人们希望通过古代天人合一的故事来吸引现代投资者到这里来继续修缮这个生态修复的创意和实践。这里已经是青山绿水了,但还有进一步完善的余地。因此,希望有投资者继续到这里投资。既可以研究古代中医药理,也可以在这里享受亘古的天然风光。思古泳今,让人流连忘返。

Turkey, third largest humanitarian donor in 2013

By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Stockholm, June 10 (Greenpost)–Turkey has become a more visible global actor over the past decade according to its humanitarian aid.

Its growing aid budget made it the world’s third largest humanitarian donor in 2013, according to a report published in Saferworld.

It has increasingly been focusing on conflict-affected states.

Since 2011, through the deployment of high numbers of aid workers to Mogadishu, the Turkish government and Turkish non-governmental organizations have markedly expanded aid operations in Somalia.

Turkey has been recognized through its humanitarian diplomacy.

 

Iceland to raise interest rate by half a percent

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Iceland has decided to raise the Bank’s interest rates by 0.5 percentage points. The Bank’s key interest rate – the rate on seven-day term deposits – will therefore be 5%, a statement reaching here from Iceland’s central bank said.

According to newly published national accounts, GDP growth measured 2.9% in Q1/2015. Consumption and investment grew by 6.4% and domestic demand by almost 10%. These figures, together with the strong recovery of the labour market, indicate that economic activity is growing broadly in line with the Bank’s May forecast.

Although inflation is still low, the inflation outlook has deteriorated markedly from the Bank’s last forecast, and inflation expectations have continued to rise. The outlook is for higher inflation than the Bank projected in May because wage increases recently negotiated have been significantly larger than was assumed in the May forecast.

In order to facilitate the conclusion of wage settlements, the Government has announced measures that will increase public expenditures and reduce tax revenues. This will entail an easing of the fiscal stance, other things being equal, as they have not been financed. Furthermore, the authorities have announced measures aimed to prepare for liberalisation of the capital controls. Some of these measures will generate revenues for the Treasury, and it is important that these revenues be allocated so as not to stimulate the domestic economy still further, i.e. by activating the hitherto sterile component of money holdings. The MPC will monitor developments closely and will take appropriate countervailing measures if necessary. In recent MPC statements, the Committee has repeatedly pointed out that large pay increases and strong growth in demand could undermine the recently achieved price stability and require that interest rates be raised again. The outlook for developments in wage costs, the increase in inflation expectations, and indicators of robust demand growth make it unavoidable to respond to the worsening inflation outlook now, even though inflation is still below target. Furthermore, it seems apparent that a sizeable rate increase will be necessary in August, followed by further rate hikes in the coming term, so as to ensure price stability over the medium term.

Overnight lending: 6.75%
Seven-day collateralised lending: 5.75%
Seven-day term deposits: 5.00%
Current account: 4.75%

My Splendid Experiences in New Zealand

http://english.cri.cn/messenger/list/200405.pdf

By Chen Xuefei

F rom March 2003 to April 2004, I stayed in New Zealand as a visiting scholar. It’s hard to describe my feelings and experiences over there. If I have to describe the place in one word the first thing that pops into my head is “beautiful”. But clearly, that‟s not enough: the longer I think about it the more I realize that a single word doesn‟t really do it justice, and it at least needs to be modified. “Absolutely beautiful” is what I‟ll leave you with for the time being. And the Kiwi people are very nice as you can always hear a “hello” even you just meet them in the street. The following are a few segments of my unforgettable experiences in New Zealand.

Beautiful Campus in A Beautiful City

It was a rainy morning when I arrived on the campus. I stood in front of the University of Canterbury‟s Students’ Union Building waiting for Head of Department Jim Tully to pick me up. I was stunned by the beautiful trees growing all over the campus. There was a maple forest before my eyes and most of the maple leaves were red or yellow. I couldn’t help thinking: “This is exactly the place where I‟d like to stay.” Jim arrived. Then, much to my surprise, he went to buy some birthday cake for one of the 20 students in Graduate Diploma in Journalism class. Jim remembers everybody’s birthday and buys some cake to help add a “sweet” element to the special day. As we got to the classroom, it was almost time for the next class. Jim introduced me to the 20 students and then began the class focusing on objective reporting in journalism. To improve my skills and get to know more about journalism in the west, I joined this class. I almost got lost when I tried to go back to the bus stop after class as the campus is, especially for someone who has just arrived, a little confusing. It’s huge and well forested, with trees and flowers everywhere. Fortunately, there is a map almost in every corner and an arrow to show where you are. When I left the campus, I ended up in another beautiful place, Hagley Park. The park is located between my apartment and the campus, and I pass through it everyday. It’s a huge park, and if you walk around it, it takes more than an hour. Most of the trees in the park are hundreds of years old; but there is at least one tree which is very young, planted by the Mayor of Gansu, Christchurch‟s sister city. There were very few people in the park, which is surprising considering its beauty. The botanical garden in the center of the park is surrounded by a stream where people can take small boats to see the surrounding beauty. And, interestingly enough, there‟s a sailor wearing handsome uniform that moves up and down the stream in a boat. The day before I left Christchurch for Beijing, I went to the park again and began to think there really is a “Heaven on Earth”. The city of Christchurch got its name from a Christian church located in the city center. The church was built in the 18th century and still serves the people everyday and is a place that proudly displays the city‟s history. Not very far from the church, is the newly-opened art gallery that shows modern aspects of the city. It is made of glass and hosts both modern and classic art exhibitions. Some of the most common descriptions I heard from Chinese students are “fresh air”, “blue sky” and “beautiful gardens”. And they are right! Christchurch is a real garden city.

An Unforgetable Dinner

People often asked me what I eat and if I cook. To tell you the truth, most Chinese staying abroad cook for themselves, and I was by no means an exception. It‟s less expensive and makes it a little easier to keep the tastes of home alive and well. Here I‟d like to tell you about a special dinner I had with my Kiwi classmates. We went on a reporting trip to the Marlborough Express newspaper in Blenheim, in the northern part of New Zealand‟s south island. Jim drove us there on June 16th, and the next day we went to work at the Marlborough Express. Our assignments were to write soft stories like profiles for their weekend edition. I interviewed a few Asian students including some from China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. They all expressed that it was a good place to study because of its beauty, tranquility. However, while many of them cherished the opportunity of studying abroad, they usually discovered that there was no “taste like home”. They were not used to having bread or drinking milk twice a day. Although the schools took measures to hire Asian cooks to serve them Asian food every Tuesday, they still missed eating good hometown food all the time. After work, we went to the Countdown supermarket to buy some food for our meal. This evening, we would cook dinner in pairs. After we arrived at our Motel, Jim said: “You can start now.” The two Nicolas, Nicola B and Nicola W, started first. They took a big piece of pan cake, and then they put mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and many other things on it. They were making pizza! After this, they put it in the oven to bake. And then the other students follow suit. I also tried to make a pizza, my first one! “To my surprise,” I said to Jim, “I didn‟t realize western food can also help create such a good atmosphere. It reminds me of Chinese Spring Festival when every member of the family joins hands to make dumplings. I feel at home!” “Yes,” Jim replied. “food always helps create a good atmosphere and good feelings.” It‟s true. Especially when my pizza was ready, I felt very warm to say the least. When I took my pizza out, Jim said it looked very good. In fact, it tasted even better! It was a great dinner! It was the first time I‟d ever eaten with a large group of students outside of China and I feel it was unforgettable.

Celebrating Spring Festival in RNZI

Another unforgettable thing was celebrating Spring Festival at Radio New Zealand International where I worked for almost 3 months. RNZI has only 11 permanent staff, but runs 24 hour programs. It was fun to be there. I didn‟t realize what time of year it was until I started to receive a few emails of festival greetings, which meant Spring Festival or Chinese New Year was on the way! The next day at noon, I went out to get some sweets, which they call lollies in New Zealand. I put the candy on the table which stands in the middle of the newsroom. “Hello everyone, please take some candies to celebrate the Chinese New Year!” “Wow! Happy New Year, Xuefei!” my Kiwi colleagues cheered. Janine and Penny were both born in the year of monkey. They were very happy to know that this year belonged to them. “What is it like to be a monkey?” Janine couldn‟t help asking. “Well,” I said, “it’s just like a monkey, intelligent, clever, smart and hard-working also. By the way, my mother was born in the year of monkey too.” Then, everyone starts to wonder what symbol is his or hers. In the end, we found out that Walter, Koro and Steven and I were all born in the year of horse. Then we drew the conclusion that horses make good journalists and editors because they are enthusiastic, independent and hard-working. And here the four horses are at different ages with Walter older and Koro younger than me. Then Lynda wondered what her birth symbol was and I guessed that it must be ox. An ox is definitely a good worker. It‟s true with Lynda, mother of two extremely energetic boys, who was very hard working and efficient, a good journalist. Sara turned out to be a rat, intelligent, sensitive, and easygoing. Then someone found some information about the Chinese zodiac and printed it out in English. As Linden came over, I told her that she was a tiger. “What is a tiger like?” She asked. “Just like you, in charge, very demanding and also capable.” I said. She burst out laughing. Linden is the manager and she is a good team leader because you can often hear laughter coming out of her office. And if you have any worries, she‟s also an amazing problem solver! Then the ladies started thinking of their partner‟s or children‟s birth symbol. After an enthusiastic discussion about their zodiac signs, people went back to work. As Penny came back to her desk after an interview, she said, “Our life is not the same any more.” I didn‟t really know what she was getting at. No one pointed out what she meant. But after a while I began to understand that the knowledge they gained caused them to wonder about their family members’ signs: what year their parents were born; and what kind of character their children and friends had. It gave people a new way of understanding others. It doesn‟t matter where they‟re from, the zodiac applies as equally to Chinese people as it does to Kiwi‟s and everyone else around the world. Everyone cares about their fate, their luck, their future and their relatives. It‟s a thread that links us all together. Even the next day we continued to talk about it. And we found out that Don‟s birth symbol was also monkey. Johnny was a rabbit and he would like to come to China some day soon. And a colleague of Steven‟s found out that he was born in the year of the dog. He said his mother even gave him a name Damin, which, at least in his opinion, is a dog‟s name. There weren‟t any fireworks or big family reunions, but I felt I had a great Spring Festival celebration in RNZI‟s newsroom.

Farewell to the University of Canterbury

200405The year passed so quickly that I barely had time to catch my breath, but the time came that I had to say goodbye. Why? The campus is a sacred place, it‟s fun, it‟s hard, it‟s frustrating and totally unforgettable. In fact, I didn‟t really feel that the campus has anything to do with academics; rather, it seemed much more like a social place to me, where I, and everyone else for that matter, could socialize freely. It was fun to practise Teeline or short-hand in English during journalism classes and I also found that I‟d developed a serious interest in media law along the way. Interviewing Chinese and other Asian students in Bleinheim was a wonderful experience. But what I found even more inspiring was to see students protest an increase of their tuition fees. As a visiting scholar from China Radio International, I really enjoyed sitting in the classroom, listening to lectures and having heated discussions with classmates. I was deeply impressed with the professors‟ attitudes and lectures; yet, I could also feel the stress they experienced during recent restructuring. I felt the library was extremely convenient because you only needed one card for everything.

The University of Canterbury has over a hundred years of history, yet it‟s also a melting pot for people coming from all over the world. It doesn‟t matter where you‟re from, anyone from anywhere can become a member of it. Goodbye, Canterbury, I loved you at first sight, and I will love you forever! (Chen Xuefei)