LinkChinese UK News

Paul Watkins reviewed Jiang Rong’s critically-acclaimed book Wolf Totem. The English translation has recently published by Hamish Hamilton.

FEW PLACES ON EARTH conjure in the Western mind images of desolation quite as much as Inner Mongolia. Even for most Chinese, the region speaks of such remoteness that, once reached, returning is not always possible.

But one man, Jiang Rong, did return. In 1967, as an officer in the Red Guard, he left Beijing for a post among the nomadic Mongols, remaining until 1978. Back in Beijing, Rong waited many years before writing Wolf Totem, his first novel, which is closely based on his experiences in the Gobi. It sold millions of copies in China and won the recently created Man Asian Literary Prize (from the same people who brought us the Booker) and has secured a record £55,000 for translation rights into English.

Wolf Totem tells the story of Chen Zhen, a man much like Rong, who is sent to Mongolia during the time of the Cultural Revolution. Once there, his role of educating the local population is quickly superseded by his own education in their ancient way of life. The focus is upon the delicate balance between the sheep-herding nomads and the wolves that prey upon the flocks.

Read the full story.

 

The Guardian reports a study done by the thinktank the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) about the contribution of skilled migrants towards British ecomony:

A record number of highly skilled migrant workers such as nurses and teachers will enter Britain over the next four years, contributing an estimated £77bn to the country’s economy, according to new research by an economic thinktank.

The study, compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) for a global recruitment consultancy, Harvey Nash, concludes that skilled migrants fill skills shortages and without them the country’s international competitiveness could suffer. It estimates that these migrants, the majority of whom work in education, health and government services, already account for 2.5% of the country’s workforce and generate more than £36bn for the economy in what they produce.

However, the report, entitled Future Flows, forecasts that this will rise to 2.8% and £46bn in 2012, based on economic trends and predicted demands for professionals such as nurses and IT specialists. The CEBR report forecasts that there will be 812,000 such migrants in the UK by 2012, an increase of 14% on the 715,000 in 2007.

Read the full story.

 

China Design Now exhibition is held at Victoria & Albert Museum from Saturday 15 March until 13 July.

Guardian’s Tim Adams previews of the exhibition.

 

BBC reports government’s ID card plan announced by Home Secrectary Jacqui Smith:

Ms Smith confirmed that some non-EU migrants applying for leave to enter or remain in the UK, such as students or spouses, will need ID cards from November.

The aim is that by 2015, 90% of foreign nationals will have identity cards, she added.

From November 2008 non-EU nationals will have to apply for “biometric residence permits” or “biometric visas” and the biometric details will be entered into the national identity database. The government also wants all foreign nationals living in the UK to have identity cards. The government’s aim is that 90% of foreign nationals in the UK will have ID cards by 2015.