Baduanjin Exercise for Adults Aged 65 Years and Older: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies

This study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the health effects of Baduanjin exercise on adults aged 65 years and older. Chinese and English databases were electronically searched using search terms related to the PICO model from inception through June 2021. The study quality assessment and meta-analysis were conducted using the PEDro scale and RevMan 5.4 software. Eleven included Chinese studies, published between 2015 and 2021, recruited participants from the mainland of China. The aggregated results showed significant benefits of Baduanjin on physical function, walking ability, balance, and anxiety. A long-term Baduanjin intervention could also improve quality of life and reduce falls and pain. Baduanjin appears to have the potential to improve the health of older adults, but conclusions are limited due to the lack of rigorous and robust studies within and outside of mainland China. Larger, well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.

Regional Complex of Southeast Asia: A Case of Applied Analysis Focused on the Situation in Myanmar

This paper uses the method of applied analysis of regional complexes developed at the Centre for Comprehensive Chinese Studies and Regional Projects, MGIMO University (Moscow, Russia). Its scientific relevance is defined by the importance of understanding the international and political situation in and around Myanmar. The aim of this study is a scientific exploration of the Rohingya crisis by means of applied methods of regional analysis, designed by the author. This methodology aims to trace scenarios of the development of international and political situations in the region based on the types of interactions within the Southeast Asian regional complex. The article offers the authors own definition of regional complex that builds on the works of Alexei D. Voskressenski, introduces an algorithm of scenario analysis, outlines six ideal types of regional complexes, and defines stable and unstable types of regional complexes. The first part of the article is devoted to current approaches in the study of regional problems in International Relations and World Regional Studies; the second part describes the authors conception of applied international political analysis of regional complexes; and the third part contains an example of the application of scenario analysis to specific regional and domestic affairs - in this case, the contemporary situation in Myanmars Rakhine State. The research yields the following results: 1) by using a combination of the methods of news monitoring and event analysis, the author collected information on political processes in Rakhine over the last five years; 2) this information was arranged according to the matrix compiled by the author, which characterized the situation development according to the negative (-5-1) and positive (+1+5) scenarios; 3) based on the results of the aforesaid analysis, the author comes to a conclusion on the character and intensity of the Rohingya crisis and describes possible ways of its settlement.

The Predictive Role of Grapho-Morphological Knowledge in Reading Comprehension for Beginning-Level L2 Chinese Learners

Reading comprehension entails a set of distinct, yet interdependent cognitive, linguistic, and nonlinguistic processes. Previous second language (L2) Chinese studies have identified significant and positive impacts of grapho-morphological knowledge at the character and subcharacter (radical) levels on passage reading comprehension; however, little is known regarding how early L2 grapho-morphological knowledge at the character and radical levels jointly predict later L2 reading comprehension. This study aimed to fill this gap. One hundred and five beginning-level L2 Chinese collegiate learners were recruited, and completed two character-related and two radical-related tasks in Week 8, as well as one reading comprehension tasks in Week 18. The main findings, based on correlational and path analyses, suggested that L2 Chinese learners’ early character-level and radical-level grapho-morphological knowledge significantly predicted later reading comprehension, yet the interrelations among grapho-morphological knowledge at the character and radical levels were complex. Path analyses identified direct and indirect paths from early character-level grapho-morphological knowledge to later reading comprehension, as well as indirect paths from early radical-level grapho-morphological knowledge to later reading comprehension. Methodological and pedagogical implications for L2 Chinese reading research and practices are discussed.

Becoming a Confucian in Contemporary Singapore: The Case of Nanyang Confucian Association

Using the Nanyang Confucian Association (NCA) as a case study, this paper explores the multi-faceted processes through which a segment of Singapore’s Chinese community constructs its self-identity based on an understanding of Confucianism that dismisses its religious attributes while underscoring the ethnic and cultural dimensions. Tracing the history of the association since its formation in 1914, the paper hopes to contribute to recent overseas Chinese studies on the rethinking of the notion of the Chinese diaspora within the context of the formation, circulation, and contest of a global Chinese identity by asking the following questions: Does identifying with the Confucian tradition necessarily require one to acknowledge their connection with China? Would a self-proclaimed Confucian be perceived as someone who looks to China for ethnic and cultural affiliation and thus appears less local? The authors argue that, while still acknowledging the spatial–temporal centrality of China as the origin of Confucianism and Chinese civilization, leaders of the NCA clearly intended to simultaneously position the NCA at the center of global Confucian activism. What emerges from the processes initiated by the NCA in constructing its identity is a complex overlay of history, geography, and culture that gives rise to a vision of multiple centers.

Cours de chinois pendant le confinement

With approximately 1,000 students enrolled, the Chinese Studies Department of the Inalco (National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations) is one of the largest Chinese language training centres in Europe. Founded in 1843, this department has about 40 teachers who give more than 70 classes per week. The courses are held exclusively in the Institute's premises. The brutal confinement following the health crisis that the whole world has experienced since the beginning of 2020 has been a real shock for the students and teachers who have seen their working and studying conditions totally modified. How did the department arrange courses to ensure good pedagogical continuity? How did the learners follow these courses and what were their assessments of the effectiveness of the courses offered? This article presents the results of two surveys of undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Chinese Studies.

A Study of Rock Art Monuments in the Archaeology of China (Ancient and Medieval Times)

The project aims at a detailed review of the published Chinese studies of rock art. The petroglyphs are extremely instructive; however, they remain largely unknown outside of China. These data are of particular relevance to Russian archaeologists as the petroglyphs of Northern, Northwestern, and Northeastern China share many similarities with the rock art of the neighboring territories of Southern Siberia, Mongolia, and the Far East. The paper briefly presents the key stages of the field study of Chinese rock art and the main findings. The authors also list the unimplemented developments, which may serve as a basis for future expeditions.

The Contribution of Modern Chinese African Studies to the Promotion of National Interests in the African Direction

The article examines the development of African studies in modern China and the interrelationship between the attitude of the Chinese state to the development of national African studies, on the one hand, and the promotion of the national interests of the People’s Republic of China in the African direction, on the other. The paper explores the stages of the formation of Chinese African studies, the existing institutional foundations for the development of African studies in the country, the connection between the rapid quantitative growth and qualitative rise of African studies in China during the last decade and a half with the success of regular China–Africa Forums. The author exposes the scope of research topics of Chinese Africanists. A separate part of the article is devoted to the analysis of Chinese studies on relations between Russia and African states. It displays the assessments on the part of Chinese scholars of the Sochi (2019) Summit and the Russia–Africa Business Forum as well as the influence of the Russian Federation on the continent.

Stanisław Kuczera (5 May 1928–28 July 2020)

Stanisław Kuczera (May 5, 1928–July 28, 2020) was an eminent figure in Polish, Soviet, and Russian Chinese Studies, holding the position of one of leading experts in a vast number of fields (most prominently, archeology, epigraphy, and the translation of classics) over a period decades, until his last days. His life, filled with a thirst for knowledge and harsh vicissitudes, is a story that is worthy of being told and remembered.