The Institute for Urban Strategies at the Mori Memorial Foundation recently released its annual Global Power City Index (GPCI). London occupied the highest position for the third year in a row, while former top spot, New York City, fell to second. Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, and Seoul fill out positions three to six while Hong Kong ranked a respectable seventh.

In addition to Hong Kong’s top ten ranking, China faired relatively well on the index: Shanghai came in 17th position while Beijing came in 18th. Taipei ranked 32nd.

The GCPI ranks city strength in six categories: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment, and accessibility.

Hong Kong was awarded the seventh position on the GCPI predominantly on the merits of its livability, accessibility, and  economy; three categories in which it performed the best. By comparison, the GCPI ranked Hong Kong’s research and development as well as its cultural interaction as weak spots.

Despite the impressive showing on the global stage, Hong Kong has lost much of its standing in mainland China. This past June, Hong Kong was shut out of a top-ten position for the first time in a ranking of China’s most competitive cities, coming in at 12th position.

Hong Kong’s GCPI rank out of the top five was explained by China Institute of City Competitiveness director, Gui Qiangfeng, as due to the city’s poor performance in GDP. As well, Gui said Hong Kong is not as competitive as other Chinese cities because of its societal friction, the ineffectual nature of local government, an imbalance of local supply and demand, and lack of capital for new industries.

The post Global Power Cities Index Puts Hong Kong 7th appeared first on The Nanfang.

Compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (“EIU”), the list ranks global cities on a “livability index” of 30 factors, including safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure and environment. Melbourne, Australia scored the top spot as the world’s most lovable city, followed by Adelaide (Australia), Sydney (Australia), Perth (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), Toronto (Canada), Calgary (Canada), Vienna (Austria), Helsinki (Finland), and Auckland (New Zealand).

Chinese don’t take issue with the selection of the top ten, or even that Beijing snagged the 69th spot. Rather, Chinese have a problem with the fact that Beijing rose five spots from last year to be named the “best” city to live in mainland China.

Netizens largely cited the capital’s notorious pollution record as the primary reason for rejecting the idea of Beijing as “livable”. Beijing started 2015 with a better air pollution record than the year before; but, by July, it was once again included on China’s top ten list for most polluted cities.

“Beijing is our most livable city? They must be joking. Maybe for someone functioning without lungs,” remarked Guangdong Weibo user, Liew Jia Kit. Another Weibo user said, “Pollution everyday? This must be dark humor.”

Others on Weibo didn’t think the EIU understood China whatsoever. Weibo user Xiang Xueyee said, “Let me tell you all a joke: Chinese cities are among the most livable in the world,” while another said, “Don’t take this list seriously. The men who made it probably never lived in China.”

Equally surprising to netizens was the list’s inclusion of Tianjin as the second-most livable city in mainland China. With the August 12 explosions still weighing on people’s minds, Chinese were understandably skeptical. One user wrote, “How did Tianjin even make the list? Where were the surveyors last week? Mars?” while another said, “Devastation aside, transportation in Tianjin is terrible! What a strange choice.”

According to the annual report, the reason behind the good showing of Beijing, and other Chinese cities, on the list was “largely due to a lower threat from civil unrest”. Suzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Dalian, Guangzhou and Qingdao also made the list.

A similar list compiled by the China Institute of City Competitiveness came up with rather different results. Based on seven major indexes including environmental health, urban safety, economy strength, civilization and reputation, the list named Shenzhen as its most livable city, followed by fellow Pearl River Delta entry Zhuhai.

The post Beijing Residents Scoff After City Named China’s Most Livable appeared first on The Nanfang.

Civil Aviation Data Analysis (CADA), a Chinese organization that tracks the on-time performance of 103 major international airlines, released a report comparing Chinese airlines with their global peers. Needless to say, the local carriers didn’t perform particularly well. OK Airlines was China’s top performer at 80th on the list, followed by China Southern Airlines at 86th, Air China at 93rd and China Eastern at 94th.

Hong Kong and Taiwanese airlines fared better. Taiwan’s TransAsia Airlines ranked 65th, followed by Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific in 74th spot. EVA came in 78th.

The ranking of other mainland Chinese airlines were not mentioned in the report. However, with the best mainland airline rated at 80th position in a list of only 103, we can assume that mainland China’s approximately 25 other airlines round out the bottom of the list, if they are included at all.

The CADA report is consistent with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which recently reported that the industry was getting worse with each passing year: before 2009, 80 percent of Chinese flights arrived on time, compared with 68 percent today. Industry observers cited bad weather and increased passengers as the main cause of flight delays.

Things are not all bad if you’re travelling in Asia and looking for an airline that’s on-time. The number-one ranked airline for on-time service was Thailand’s Nok Air, rated at 99 percent. Other Asian airlines in the top ten included Japan Airlines at 4th and All Nippon Airways at 6th position.

The post It’s Official: When It Comes To Delays, Chinese Airlines Are The World’s Worst appeared first on The Nanfang.

London-based political consultancy firm Portland Communications released a ranking of 30 countries that compares their soft power resources through six different categories: government, culture, education, global engagement, enterprise and digital. As part of the study, over 7,000 people in 20 countries were polled throughout the world.

Despite its good intentions, China ranked last, with the report saying much of the success China has been able to achieve has been undone by its policies on censorship, restrictions of personal rights and freedoms, and its foreign policy.

It’s not for lack of trying, though. China has set up thousands of Confucius Institutes, established the Xinhua news agency throughout the world, and held international events like the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. For China, the price of soft power is not cheap. According to Chinese foreign policy expert David Shambaugh, China spends around $10 billion annually on “external propaganda”.China spends around $10 billion annually on “external propaganda”. And when including economic policies and investments like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank or the “Belt and Road” initiative, this sum jumps to $1.41 trillion.

So with all the money being spent, why is China still so sorely lacking in soft power?

Shambaugh describes the inability of China to launch an international charm offensive: “While China’s economic prowess impresses much of the world, its repressive political system and mercantilist business practices tarnish its reputation.”

Portland Communications said China’s political system “has not kept pace with the nation’s economic dynamism”, to which public polls show a lack of trust in China to “do the right thing in global affairs”. These opinions are reflected in China ranking last in the “government” and “digital” categories.

And yet, China looks to improve its soft power in other ways. In a New Year’s speech last year, President Xi Jinping said China “needs to build its capacity in international communication, construct a communication system, better use new media and increase the creativity, appeal and credibility of China’s publicity” in order to strengthen its soft power.

A 2010 People’s Daily Online op-ed also looked at soft power, saying that it can be achieved by “preventing giant foreign media agencies from monopolizing the right of voice, enabling foreign people to hear the voice of China and popularizing actual and outstanding Chinese culture”.

That sounds like it will cost a lot of money. However, as pointed out by Portland Communications, one country is making huge advances in soft power this year, and they’re not spending a dime to achieve it. India wasn’t on the Soft Power 30 yet, but was praised by Portland Communications for its advancements in soft power that were mostly due to its new leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi was lauded for his use of digital tools as he has launched several initiatives on social media. In fact, Modi’s Facebook page is cited as having the most engagement out of any world leader.

It may seem strange for China to spend so much money on something just to get such little return. But the People’s Daily Online suggests, the reason why soft power is so expensive is because you have to pay for it:

China needs to take all kinds of measures to educate the world about China so they can love it.

Maybe the problem isn’t the amount being spent, but the message.

The post China Ranks Last in Soft Power, Despite Spending Billions to Buy It appeared first on The Nanfang.

University of Tokyo took the overall top spot, but Japan has slipped to number two in the total number of universities that made the list at 19.

China’s top universities on the list are Peking University (seen above) at fourth place and Tsinghua University at fifth. Other Chinese entries are scattered throughout the list, from Fudan University at 24th position to Xi’an Jiaotong University at 95th spot.

Universities from China’s special administrative region are also well represented. All of Hong Kong’s six universities made it to the top 100, including two in the top ten, while Macau is represented by the first time on the list with the University of Macau at 40th position.

However, Taiwan universities have not been performing well. While the island has 11 universities on the list with National Taiwan University at 17th, Taiwan had six schools removed from the top 100.

As surprising as China’s ascent has been, much of the expert analysis from Times Higher Education’s own report focuses upon Japan’s fall in the standings. Simon Marginson, professor of international higher education at the UCL Institute of Education, said Japanese universities are “now largely standing still”.

“Japan is careful to maintain the leading edge of its very top universities such as Tokyo and Kyoto, but has been less committed than has China to pumping more investment into the universities on the next level,” said Marginson. On the other hand, many Chinese universities have had the benefit of investments made in research and development.

Phil Baty, rankings editor of Times Higher Education, said this is proof that a government’s serious commitment to higher education with investments in research and development really does pay off.

Last year, 377,000 foreign exchange students enrolled at Chinese universities, making it the third-most popular international destination for overseas study behind the USA and the UK. Looking to attract 500,000 exchange students by 2020, the majority of students are described as not from first-world countries looking to study language, but from third-world countries looking for a degree in engineering or medicine.

As a report by the Ministry of Education disclosed, China’s economy was the top reason for coming to study in China, but foreign exchange students are only interested in a fraction of China’s universities.

Times Higher Education compiles its university rankings based upon 13 performance indicators that include teaching, research, knowledge transfer, industry income, citations, and international outlook.

Related:

• 8,000 Chinese Students Expelled from US Schools as They Struggle to Adjust
• Singapore the Most Lucrative Place for University Grads, But Chinese Grads are Happier
• The Easiest Universities in China to Find a Date
• President’s Daily Reminder To Go To Bed Early Ignored by University Students
• Peking University Blasted for “Brothel-Like” Ads to Recruit New Students

The post China, Passing Japan, Now Has More of Asia’s Top Universities appeared first on The Nanfang.

Here’s a list that went viral recently of the top triggers of reverse culture shock for people coming back to China

1. No longer needing to hold the door for the person behind you
2. Having to remember to bring cash with you whenever you go out
3. Everyone understands Mandarin, so it doesn’t work as a secret language with your friends when you’re out
4. Flip flops are no longer an option
5. Needing to bring your own umbrella
6. Needing to have your own toilet paper when using a public toilet
7. No longer needing to worry about the concept of right of way when driving
8. Having loads of options when ordering at a restaurant
9. Not needing to rely on saying “thank you” and “I’m sorry” 

An earlier list hints at a No. 10 that has since been harmonized from the Chinese internet. What do you think it is? Sound off in the comments below and tell us the habits you’ve found the hardest to break after coming back to China.

The post Chinese Returnees Discuss Reverse Culture Shock appeared first on The Nanfang.

1. Spring Airlines 春秋航
2. Lucky Air 祥鹏航空
3. Shanghai Airlines 上海航空
4. China Express Airlines 华夏航空
5. Chongqing Airlines 重庆航空
6. Xiamen Air 厦门航空
7. Shenzhen Airlines 深圳航空
8. Tibet Airlines 西藏航空
9. Hebei Airlines 河北航空
10. China United Airlines 中联航

Spring Airlines is the worst of the lot, scoring an average rating of just 56 percent punctuality. Shenzhen Airlines is no stranger to delays, having been ranked the nation’s worst in 2006.

Related:

• Could Flight Delays in China Finally Be a Thing of the Past? Country to Open More Commercial Airspace
• Enough with Flight Delays, Consumer Group Says Airlines Need to Compensate Passengers
• Fights, Smashed Computers, and Food Thrown in Riot at Shenzhen Airport Over Delayed Flights

The post China’s Top 10 Most-Delayed Airlines appeared first on The Nanfang.

China is home to more than 20 of the most congested cities for traffic in the world, and five are ranked among the world’s top 20, according to a report by TomTom, a dutch company specialising in car navigation services.

China’s most congested cities are its first-tier ones, with Chongqing taking top spot in China and 12th internationally, followed by Tianjin, Beijing and Guangzhou. Chengdu rounded out the top five Chinese cities, coming ahead of Shanghai as well as making it one of the top 20 most congested cities in the world at no. 19.

A number of cities in the Pearl River Delta made it onto the list. In addition to Guangzhou are Shenzhen as China’s 11th most congested city, Zhuhai in 12th place and Dongguan at 21. Another group to note are the Chinese cities that will make up the future Beijing supercity of Tianjin, Beijing and Shijiazhuang, Hebei at the number seven spot.

Taipei also made it onto the list as the 11th most traffic congested city in the world.

TomTom compiled the data by comparing travel times during peak periods against non-congested travel times, and expressing the result as a percentage. Chongqing has a congestion level of 38 percent in which an ordinary commute that takes 30 minutes in unobstructed traffic is delayed by 27 minutes during rush hour.

As bad as traffic conditions appear in Chongqing, car travel in Beijing may actually be worse. While Beijing has a 37 percent congestion level with a delay of 24 minutes for every 30 minute commute, it has more roads than Chongqing that still get clogged up. Though they are both large first-tier cities, Chongqing’s road network is only 5,575 kilometers long, of which 196 kilometers are highways. By comparison, Beijing has a road network of 20,834 kilometers in which 1,177 kilometers are highways.

Here is the list of China’s most congested cities for traffic, followed by their international ranking:

1. Chongqing; 12th
2. Tianjin; 14th
3. Beijing; 15th
4. Guangzhou, Guangdong; 17th
5. Chengdu, Sichuan; 19th
6. Shanghai; 24
7. Shijiazhuang, Hebei; 25th
8. Fuzhou, Fujian; 28th
9. Shenyang, Liaoning; 29th
10. Hangzhou, Zhejiang; 30th
11. Shenzhen, Guangdong; 31st
12. Zhuhai, Guangdong; 33rd
13. Changchun, Jilin; 35th
14. Changsha, Hunan 39th
15. Nanjing, Jiangsu; 42nd
16. Quanzhou, Fujian; 49th
17. Ningbo, Zhejiang; 52nd
18. Wuhan, Hubei; 54th
19. Xiamen, Fujian; 80th
20. Suzhou, Jiangsu; 82nd
21. Dongguan, Guangdong; 83rd
22. Wuxi, Jiangsu; 105th

Istanbul, Mexico City, and and Rio de Janeiro are the three most congested cities in the world.

The post China Has the Worst Traffic in the World appeared first on The Nanfang.

That’s the takeaway from a study published by a Japanese newspaper that compared the average monthly salaries of 2,000 “20 year-old university graduates” from 10 Asian countries. China came in fourth place at RMB 8,500 (approximately $1,400) with over 80 percent of respondents saying they felt “financially comfortable”.

The list is topped by university graduates from Singapore, who make an average of RMB 19,000 ($3,000) each month, followed by those in South Korea (RMB 13,200, or $2,100) and Japan (RMB 11,700, or $1,900).

However, even though Singaporean grads made the most, they weren’t all that satisfied compared to Chinese grads.

In fact, most of the non-developed Asian countries on the list featured university graduates that felt financially comfortable. For instance, Indonesia ranked eighth on the list with an average salary of RMB 3,700 ($590), but they were most satisfied. India and China followed on the list in second and third spots.

It goes to show that the amount of money isn’t necessarily what makes people happy.

Photo: univs.cn

The post Singapore the Most Lucrative Place for University Grads, But Chinese Grads are Happier appeared first on The Nanfang.

At the other end is Tokyo, where taking a cab is downright prohibitive. A 10 kilometre ride in the world’s largest city is 25.39 Euros (RMB 200.1, approximately $32.64), 6.7 times more than Beijing.

The taxi services of other world cities fall in between. A ten kilometer taxi trip in London costs 22.5 Euros (around $28.93); in New York City, it costs the equivalent of 13.98 Euros (approximately $17.97); and in Paris, such a trip will set you back 12.20 Euros (about $15.68).

Wang Limei, secretary of the Chinese National Raod Transportation association, explained that these European and American cities have higher taxi fares because “foreigners have higher salaries”.

Traffic expert Zhang Haitao said Beijing fares couldn’t ever get as high as those overseas:

From downtown Washington to the airport, it will cost about $100. This is too expensive for locals, and removes the effectiveness of (the taxi) by its price.

Caijing explained that taxis in these other countries are used as an emergency measure, and not regularly used for commuting like in Beijing. Residents of the USA and Europe also take fewer taxis because they have a convenient and effective public transportation system. (The fact that many Europeans and North Americans also own cars wasn’t mentioned).

Caijing went on to say each of these world-class cities have subway stations within a 100 to 200 meter walk, and that it is even convenient to take luggage on the subway .

At the end of it all, you get what you pay for. You get cheap fares in Beijing, only to sit in the worst traffic in the country.

Related:

• Beijing Taxi Driver Dozes Off Behind The Wheel Before Fatal Crash
• Foreigner Charged RMB 2,700 for a Ride in a Fake Taxi in Beijing
• Conde Nast Names Beijing One of the World’s Most Unfriendly Cities
• Hong Kong Taxi Scam Targets Drunk Foreigners
• Forget Regular Guangzhou Taxis, Now You Too Can Be a High-Roller

Photo: roll.msn

The post Beijing Taxi Fares Among the Cheapest in the World appeared first on The Nanfang.