Silk Road – Spress

One of the top ten famous towns in Sichuan, an important post on the Southern Silk Road, dependent on mountains and rivers

editor — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 06:24:07 +0000

The ancient town of Shangli, located 27 kilometers outside the city of Ya’an in Sichuan, is an important post on the Southern Silk Road and a famous historical and cultural town in Sichuan. A friend in Chengdu said that if you go to Western Sichuan, you can play Shangli Ancient Town and Liujiang Ancient Town, and you don’t need to go to other ancient towns. So of course I have to come and take a look at it. At the tourist distribution center outside Ya’an city, take a yellow bun and go to the ancient town for about half an hour. There are many homestays in the town, settled well, just walk around. There were no people on the street either. There were dark brown wooden buildings on both sides, but there were more shops open for business than Liujiang. Flowers and grasses are indispensable in the ancient town, and the hydrangea is blooming well at the door of this store. Take a photo. Mirabilis, when I was young, it was called Yefanhua in the countryside because it always bloomed in the evening. From the beautiful and beautiful Liujiang Ancient Town with open water to here, I always feel that Shangli Ancient Town is not enough to see, but after a few steps, I saw the river and the old bridge covered with green vines. I feel that Shangli also has its special features. The beauty. Compared with Liujiang, it is smaller and more refined, with a hint of firework. The old slate bridge is covered with moss and vines, reflecting in the water, as thick as an oil painting. There are scattered Ming and Qing buildings, towering ancient trees in the ancient town, and there are many relics of Tang and Song Dynasties on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Han Family Courtyard. The parents at the door all encouraged us to go in and take a look, saying that the inside was very big and beautiful. Anyway, the tickets are not expensive, 10 yuan per person, just go in. When I walked in, the courtyard looked like it had just been celebrated. There were tables and chairs laid out before being removed. Several fellow villagers sat chatting together. There was beef boiled in a pot, gurgling and fragrant heat, and the table was placed on the table. With a large plate of cut beef, people were chatting, drinking and eating meat. An uncle greeted: Come, eat beef! Brother Er and I grabbed two pieces unceremoniously. The owner of this house was probably a martial artist who walked the darts in his early years. The typical buildings in Western Sichuan, with carved beams and painted buildings, are very particular about it. However, it was finally too old and lost its glory. Intricate carvings on the windows. In the lush flowers and trees of the backyard, a cat with a very character. After shopping, continue walking along the old street. There are bamboo utensils for sale on the street, which are indispensable in rural life. The courtyard of a restaurant is large and square, and it can be seen that it is a good family from the past. Deep-fried stalls, there are fish from the river, shrimps, and various insects~~ The Erxian Bridge is the best part of the ancient town. It is a curved arch bridge with green vines all over the bridge. It was built in 1776 and has a history of more than two hundred years. Under the bridge, the green river flows across. Where there is a drop, it looks like a small waterfall. Almost all the shops on the street are open, although there are no people except a few tourists who pass by occasionally. The stage at the end of the street. The restaurant in Linshui, but it’s not time for dinner, so there are no noisy people, and it looks a bit deserted. The bridge on the upper lane is very old, and the weeds grow on the bridge, which looks very old at a glance. Someone was washing by the river, accompanied by a rushing sound. The moss on the bridge attracted me, and I lay there with the second brother and took photos for a long time. It is also very interesting to look at the magnified world under the macro lens. This moss was originally very small, but it was still blooming with needle-sized flowers. Nowhere in the daytime, youth just comes. The moss flowers are as small as rice, and they also learn to bloom peony. It’s getting late, go to dinner with the second brother. An inconspicuous restaurant, but the dishes are really delicious. Especially this bacon and bamboo shoots, the salty bacon, the freshness of the bamboo shoots, and the just right spicyness of the peppers made me and the second senior applaud at the same time. Later, every time we eat a dish that is not satisfactory, we will miss this evening, this bacon bamboo shoot.

The History of Science and Technology on the Silk Road

editor — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 07:17:16 +0000

In order to enhance international interdisciplinary academic exchanges, and promote the study of the history of the Silk Road and the history of science and technology, in response to the “Silk Road Week” event organized by the China National Silk Museum, hosted by the Institute of the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences on the evening of June 16, 2021, Cross-continental exchanges co-organized with the Silk Road Civilization Alliance (ATES) and the China National Silk Museum, and organized by the Youth Promotion Committee of the Institute of the History of Natural Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Youth Academic Group “Study on the Silk Road and the History of Science and Technology with New Perspectives for Each Other” Youth Academic The forum was successfully held. This forum was organized by four young scholars from the German Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Dr. Yang Qiao, researcher Li Liang from the Institute of the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr. Yu Yusen from Oxford University, and Chen Wei, Associate Researcher from the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The report was published in the form of video conference, and the activity was hosted by associate researcher Chen Wei of the Institute of the History of Science. The event attracted more than 150 listeners. Chen Wei first introduced the origin of the forum and explained the meaning of “new vision, new method, and new dimension”. He pointed out that the Institute of the History of Natural Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has a profound academic accumulation in the field of the history of science and technology on the Silk Road. In recent years, young scholars have grown rapidly in this field and have achieved many results worthy of attention. He likened the history of the Silk Road and the history of science and technology to different aspects of the Rubik’s Cube. They seem to be separated by a certain distance, but in fact there are many possibilities for intersection. Through the intersection of vision and methods, different research fields can provide useful inspiration and new research to each other. Dimensions to promote the emergence of more new results. Yang Qiao’s report is entitled “The Silk Road and Science and Technology Exchange in the Mongolian Era”. In the report, she first introduced her research interests in recent years, that is, to explore the relationship between Mongolian rule and the development of astronomical knowledge from the perspective of knowledge and power. She pointed out that the Mongol Empire from the 13th to the 14th century, as an empire spanning Eurasia, played an important role in promoting scientific, technological and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, including astronomy. With the support of the rulers of the Mongol Empire, astronomers from Central and West Asia returned to the Sitiantai to serve and brought Islamic astronomical instruments and books. Iranian astronomers established an observatory in the Malaguey region, where top Islamic astronomers gathered. These astronomical practices set new standards for later Islamic astronomy and even influenced the astronomical revolution in Europe. She also pointed out that the dissemination of knowledge and technology is an extremely complex process, and the study of the history of science and technology on the Silk Road cannot be generalized from a single perspective of the dissemination and acceptance of technology. This should be considered in the context of the Mongolian Empire. On the other hand, the expansion of the concept and scope of the research on the history of science and technology and the diversification of methods have provided important research support for the research on the history of the Silk Road. She reviewed the academic achievements in the field of interdisciplinary research between the Mongolian Empire and the history of science and technology in recent years, and looked forward to future research directions that deserve attention, such as the study of the content of ancient science and technology texts in different languages, the development of pre-modern science and technology history theory, and multidisciplinary collaborative research. Wait. Yang Qiao proposed that the Malaguey Observatory is a testimony to the exchange and collection of astronomical knowledge between Persia and China Yang Qiao shows the 13th-century “Tusi couple” of Malagai described in the manuscript Li Liang’s report is entitled “Silk Road Jingwei: Islamic Astronomy in China”. He keenly grasped the connection between this event and the Silk Museum, connected the concept of “latitude and longitude” in textiles and astronomy, and took the use and dissemination of Islamic astronomy in China as the starting point, from the sources of documents, influence and status, and dissemination Interpretation and interpretation of the connotation of this concept are carried out on the three levels of adjustment and adjustment. Li Liang pointed out that the astronomical achievements during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties were the product of the second large-scale Sino-foreign astronomical cultural exchange in Chinese history. From the perspective of document sources, the Chinese calendar was introduced in the Iranian “Irhan Calendar”. There were also a large number of astronomical calendar books about the Islamic world in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. For example, the “Huihui Calendar” appeared in many Chinese translations during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. In the compiled version, the term “jiu” used in the “Secretary Supervision” can be traced back to the Middle Persian “Zij”, which originally meant rope, originally referring to the arrangement of the weaving centerline, and later extended to the astronomical table. From the perspective of the influence and status of Islamic astronomy, according to documentary records, the “Huihui Calendar” is more precise and complete in calculating solar and lunar eclipses and five-star transgressions, and its latitude is not available in China. Through modern computer simulation calculations, “Huihui Calendar” and “Tongrui of Datong Calendar” have their own advantages and disadvantages in calculating solar and lunar eclipse points. In terms of calculating lunar eclipse points, “Huihui Calendar” is better than “Tongrui of Datong Calendar”. Accurate and advanced in calculating five-star bullying. From the perspective of dissemination and adjustment, Islamic astronomy texts have undergone corresponding adjustments in the process of dissemination and translation in Chinese. For example, when Islamic astronomy texts are converted into Chinese translations, colors are used to distinguish between addition and subtraction and the table format. Adjustments. Li Liang shows the homepage of “Irhan Calendar” Yu Yusen’s report is entitled “Printing in the Islamic World”. He focused on the relationship between book circulation and printing in the Islamic world from the perspective of the relationship between technology and political culture, and further extended to the process of how Chinese engraving was accepted by the Islamic world. He pointed out that the dissemination of technology and its acceptance or rejection (postponement) will be affected by local politics and culture. Technology itself is inseparable from political culture, and sometimes technical problems can be transformed into political problems. Most of the ancient books in the Islamic world are circulated in the form of manuscripts. The large-scale use of printing in the Islamic world is very recent. It was not until the 18th century that it was promoted on a large scale under official sponsorship. It was printed before the 18th century (especially woodblock printing). ) Also exists in the Islamic world, mainly used to make amulets and so on. This unique historical phenomenon is inseparable from the political culture of the Islamic world. Iran’s failure to introduce engraving to print banknotes during the Mongol Empire is an example. In addition, the acceptance and dissemination of printing will also be affected by the form of writing and the type of books. This is also the reason why Chinese ancient books adopted engraving as the main form of printing. In ancient times, the Islamic world was very interested in papermaking and printing. The Islamic world has collected Chinese engraving and printing books, such as books printed with “Twenty-Four Filial Piety” and “Twenty-Four Filial Piety” unearthed from the Jin Dynasty Chronicle Tomb in Xiaoguan Village, Changzi County, Shanxi. The content of the picture is very similar. He also particularly emphasized that when facing new technologies or things such as foreign printing, such as Chinese engraving and Western printing, Islamic culture likes to use the word “odd” to describe it because it cannot understand its internal structure. And think that they are a very strange thing. Yu Yusen shows printed books from the Islamic world Chen Wei’s report is entitled “The Pearl Road: The Material and Technology of Cross-cultural Flow”. The report uses pearls as an example to show the possibility of the intersection between the study of the history of the Silk Road and the history of science and technology. First of all, he defined the history of Silk Road pearls as three levels: production level, processing and sales level, and consumption and acceptance level. He pointed out that current research mainly explores the latter two levels and pays less attention to raw material production and practical knowledge. The center of gravity is shifted between different levels, each level of pearl knowledge is connected with different aspects of knowledge. From the perspective of the history of science and technology, he extensively researched the literature, compared the practice and process knowledge involved in pearl salvage, primary product processing, and circulation between the East and the West, and found that the literature records of different styles, different cultures and environments involve similar principles and operations. The method reflects the possibility of dissemination, but there are differences in the level of detail and the selection of specific materials. As a conclusion, he proposed that the records left by various civilizations of the Silk Road on the same object from different angles provided the possibility of building blocks of exploration, and the Silk Road could become a way to seek the meaning of problem research. Using the method of history of science and technology, the usual research objects of the history of the Silk Road can be transformed into deep-level entrances, so as to explore the in-depth connections between knowledge and practice that were originally imperceptible. Chen Wei proposed that there are different levels of knowledge in the production, processing and consumption places of pearls. After the theme report, the speaker and the audience conducted in-depth discussions on the content of the silk road pearl drilling process text content, the theoretical knowledge of Islamic astronomy and observation instruments during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and the dissemination and conversion of scientific and technological texts.

Will Bitcoin reach $250,000 by the end of 2022?

Vinh Trang — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 19:09:07 +0000

Billionaire venture capitalist and Bitcoin investor Tim Draper still believes Bitcoin will hit $250,000 by the end of 2022 or early 2023, despite the wild fluctuations in the cryptocurrency’s value and the turmoil surrounding it. around the use of non-environmentally friendly energy.

Tim Draper. “I think I would be right on this one,” Draper told CNBC Make It. Draper first made his bold price prediction in 2018, when Bitcoin was trading around $8,000, according to Coinbase. “I will be really right or really wrong [nhưng] I’m pretty sure it’s going in that direction,” Draper said. That’s because Draper believes that virtual currency will be “more used by then”. Draper predicts: “Wait about a year and a half and retailers will use Opennode [một bộ xử lý thanh toán Bitcoin], so people will accept Bitcoin.” Currently only a few major companies accept Bitcoin directly or indirectly through a third-party digital wallet app, including Microsoft, PayPal, Overstock, Whole Foods, Starbucks, and Home Depot. And many experts see Bitcoin as a store of value, like gold, rather than currency. Draper said: “I think [Bitcoin] will continue to increase because there are only 21 million in all. Thanks to its code, only 21 million Bitcoins can be “mined”. To date, over 18 million bitcoins have been in circulation. Draper, 63, who built his fortune by making early investments in Twitter, Skype, Tesla and SpaceX, did not share how many Bitcoins he currently holds or whether he invests in other cryptocurrencies. or not. Draper says most engineers are working on improving Bitcoin right now. Last week, Bitcoin had its first upgrade in four years, called Taproot. Going into effect in November, the reported change will mean greater security and transaction efficiency. It is also meant to unlock the potential for smart contracts on the Bitcoin blockchain, CNBC reported. Bitcoin “Like Microsoft” [trong] software world or Amazon in the world of e-commerce,” said Draper. He believes that Bitcoin will be at the center of all financial activity in the next two to three decades. However, the value of Bitcoin is highly volatile and there are concerns about its massive energy use. For this and other reasons, experts recommend only investing as much money in Bitcoin as you can afford. Hundreds of billions of dollars were wiped out after Elon Musk tweeted in May that he would be suspending Bitcoin purchases at Tesla due to environmental concerns. In 2014, Draper purchased nearly 30,000 Bitcoins seized by US Marshals Services from the Silk Road Online Black Market.

Alliance against China G7 countries decide on global infrastructure plan On the initiative of US President Joe Biden, the G7 countries have agreed on a billion-dollar infrastructure initiative for the emerging countries. It should be an alternative to China’s “New Silk Road”. From Notker Blechner.

editor — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 16:56:22 +0000

Alliance against China G7 countries decide on global infrastructure plan

Status: 13.06.2021 6:38 p.m.

At the initiative of US President Joe Biden, the G7 countries agreed on a billion-dollar infrastructure initiative for the emerging countries. It should be an alternative to China’s “New Silk Road”. From Notker Blechner, tagesschau.de It sounds like a kind of “Marshall Plan” for the poorer countries of the world: At the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, the leading western industrialized countries have an infrastructure project entitled “Build Back Better World” (in German: a better world rebuild) decided. Hundreds of billions of dollars are to be invested by the G7 countries in cooperation with the private sector.

The US is the driving force behind the initiative

The project was promoted by US President Joe Biden. It is reminiscent of the billion dollar infrastructure plan adopted in the USA, which Biden promoted under the slogan “Build Back Better”. The aim is to offer poorer countries “transparent high-quality partnerships”, announced Biden at the end of the summit. The global infrastructure project of the G7 states is supposed to be an alternative to the “New Silk Road” with which China is promoting infrastructure projects from Asia to Europe. The People’s Republic has agreed “Belt and Road” projects with around 100 countries, including the construction of new train routes, ports and roads. According to the business information service Refinitiv, around 2,600 projects with a volume of 3.7 trillion dollars have already been launched. Critics accuse Beijing of driving poor countries into a debt trap and into political dependency. With the “Silk Road”, China is pursuing the goal of expanding its geopolitical influence worldwide. A US official called the new G7 alliance against China’s Silk Road a positive alternative vision that “shows our values, our standards and our way of doing business”. It is not about “the countries have to choose between us and China”.

Transparent alternative to the “New Silk Road”?

Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a less ideological justification for the infrastructure plan of the G7 countries. “We have to deal with the fact that China is running quite successfully infrastructure projects,” she admitted. “We can’t just stand by and watch.” The G7 group must show “that we are an important and successful factor in development work in the world”. She emphasized that the project was “not against something, but for something”, namely the expansion of the infrastructure, especially in Africa. The German economy has been demanding for some time that Europe react to China’s “New Silk Road” with its own infrastructure strategy. “If we want to regain spheres of influence in developing countries, it is not enough to criticize China. We have to make better deals,” said Friedolin Strack, head of the International Markets department in the Federation of German Industries (BDI), to the “Handelsblatt”. German companies usually go away empty-handed when it comes to the Silk Road projects.

Trillions of dollars are needed

According to Biden, there is a global need of 40 trillion dollars for the expansion and modernization of the infrastructure. He didn’t give any details. In a preparatory paper for the G7 summit it was said that 1.5 to 2.7 trillion dollars of additional money would be necessary every year for the developing and emerging countries to achieve the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. In fact, many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America lack modern roads, train lines, bridges and ports, as well as facilities for water supply, sewage and waste treatment. In the opinion of the G7 group, the World Bank and other international financial institutions have proven to be too clumsy when it comes to infrastructure projects. This is why national development banks in particular, such as the German Reconstruction Loan Corporation (KfW) or the US International Development Finance Corporation, are now to develop and implement projects.

Concrete projects only in 2022

It will take a few more months for the G7 countries’ global infrastructure plan to take shape. The first concrete projects are not expected to appear until next year. The new G7 task force for infrastructure projects in developing countries is to make specific proposals in 2022. “I hope that we can present such projects at the next G7 summit,” said Chancellor Merkel. Germany will take over the G7 presidency in 2022.

Criticism of China’s economic project headwind on the “New Silk Road” China is expanding its influence worldwide, the “New Silk Road” is intended to further strengthen the country. But the criticism of the project is growing. At the G7 meeting, the Australian head of government wants to report on his experiences. From Steffen Wurzel.

editor — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 04:30:09 +0000

Criticism of China’s economic project Headwind on the “New Silk Road”

Status: 06/11/2021 12:58 p.m.

China is expanding its influence worldwide, and the “New Silk Road” is intended to further strengthen the country. But the criticism of the project is growing. At the G7 meeting, the Australian head of government wants to report on his experiences. From Steffen Wurzel, ARD studio Shanghai Ding Laisong from the customs authority of the Chinese port city of Ningbo was satisfied at the beginning of the week: Trade with the states of the so-called “New Silk Road” had increased by 30 percent, he said on the Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV. In the case of trade with the particularly committed Silk Road countries in Central and East Asia, the plus is even 50 percent.

Sri Lanka regrets cooperation

China’s state and party leadership continues to sell its controversial strategy and trade project “New Silk Road” within the People’s Republic as a great success. In numerous partner countries, however, the initial enthusiasm for the project has given way to sober insight. China’s state and party leadership has nothing to give away with the Silk Road. On the contrary: in many cases, the Silk Road partner countries have borrowed considerably – with Chinese state banks. This sometimes creates considerable dependencies. One example is the Hambantota port project in Sri Lanka. According to media reports, the expensive Silk Road port project has hardly brought the island state anything economically. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena now openly speaks of a mistake in leasing the port on the southern tip of the country to China for 99 years.

One billion euros in debt for Montenegro

In Europe, too, it is now becoming clear what the Silk Road critics have been calling a debt trap for years: the Balkan state of Montenegro, for example, had borrowed around one billion euros in China for the construction of a nearly 180-kilometer-long motorway. The autobahn is far from finished. But now the repayment is due – and the EU accession candidate lacks the money. The mood has also changed in large industrialized countries: In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Draghi put the Silk Road cooperation with China on hold, and the government in Canberra has also completed two projects in Australia. Only smaller, more symbolic projects were affected, but China’s communist leadership reacted angrily. She described Australia’s decision as “unreasonable and provocative”.

Australia accuses China of “extortionate behavior”

It is becoming clear that the communist leadership sees itself increasingly on the defensive in the Silk Road project, officially known as “Yi Dai Yi Lu”. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison complained at an economic conference in Perth “blackmailing behavior” by states like China. “Where compulsive acts have no consequences, there is little incentive to restrain,” said Morrison. Australia’s prime minister called for the sanctioning mechanisms of the World Trade Organization to be strengthened. Because if blackmailing behavior has no consequences, there is no reason for the corresponding states to hold back.

The G7 summit in Cornwall The heads of state and government of the seven leading industrialized countries (G7) will meet from June 11th to 13th in Cornwall, southwest England. For the first time in two years, they will meet again in person in the afternoon. In addition to climate change, the conference will also focus on trade issues and investments as well as the fight against the corona pandemic. In addition, the meeting will focus on the positioning towards Russia and China.
The G7 group includes the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. Like-minded democratic states such as South Korea, South Africa, Australia and India are invited to the summit as guests. After the government in Canberra demanded a complete clarification of the origin of the Covid 19 pandemic around a year ago, Australia was de facto covered with an economic war by China’s leadership. The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to share this experience with the G7 countries. He will be a guest at the summit in England.

Background Increasing influence How China is entering Europe’s ports Piraeus, Rotterdam, Antwerp and soon possibly Hamburg as well – China has its own terminals in 14 European ports or holds shares in port operators. Critics warn of the consequences of the urge to expand. From Lothar Gries.

editor — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 03:35:12 +0000

background

Increasing influence How China is entering Europe’s ports

Status: 10.06.2021 12:33 p.m.

Piraeus, Rotterdam, Antwerp and soon possibly also Hamburg – China has its own terminals in 14 European ports or holds shares in port operators. Critics warn of the consequences of the urge to expand. From Lothar Gries, tagesschau.de The listed Hamburg port operator HHLA is currently negotiating with the Chinese state shipping company Cosco about a possible participation in one of its container terminals – with the telling name of Tollerort. HHLA recently announced that a legally binding agreement has not yet been reached. However, the publication of such a release indicates that the talks are on the home stretch. Trade with China is by far the most important business for the third largest European seaport. Ships of the Chinese shipping company Cosco have been calling at Hamburg for almost 40 years. Two years ago, China’s Vice President Wang Qishan also visited the Tollerort terminal. With its four berths on a quay wall a good kilometer long, 14 container cranes and a five-track rail connection, Tollerort is one of a total of four container terminals in the Port of Hamburg and the second largest at HHLA.

Important loophole

According to experts, by entering Hamburg, China would close the largest gap in its maritime Silk Road. Even more: through a partnership with HHLA, Cosco could also get privileged access to the Italian Adriatic port of Trieste. The Hamburg port operator had taken over the majority in a new terminal there last year – with the express approval of the government in Rome, which wanted to block the way for the Chinese who were also interested. Because a majority stake by Cosco in the largest container terminal in Trieste would have been tantamount to a sell-out from the perspective of the Italians. Now the Chinese could still gain access to Trieste via Hamburg. That would be a decisive move in Beijing’s expansion strategy, since Trieste is the northernmost port in the Mediterranean and therefore particularly important for Central and Eastern Europe. HHLA is also involved in terminals in the Ukraine and Estonia.

“Loss of Sovereignty”

Cosco and its sister company China Merchant already have their own terminals in a total of 14 European ports – or at least shares in the port operators. All the major seaports on the continent are included, from Rotterdam and Antwerp to Le Havre, Bilbao, Genoa, Valencia and Marseille. According to calculations by US experts, more than two thirds of the 50 largest container terminals in the world are already controlled by the Chinese or at least supported by holdings. “Europe has thus lost some of its sovereignty,” complained the former French Prime Minister and China expert, Jean-Pierre Raffarin. The sell-off began in 2016 when Greece, which was practically bankrupt at the time, was forced by the troika made up of the monetary fund, the EU and the ECB to privatize the port of Piraeus. The Chinese were happy to take it and were given complete control of the strategically located port for a bargain price of 280 million euros. Today Piraeus is number four in Europe, behind Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg. The port is the end point of the maritime Silk Road, from China across the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. Beijing also controls its entrance for onward travel through the Suez Canal, with a naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

Silk Road project – anything but a marketing gimmick

The example of Greece shows the political effects of China’s increasing influence in some countries, says Günther Oettinger, the former EU Commissioner and Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg. “Before the European Union imposed symbolic sanctions on China in March, Greece liked the role of delaying and watering down resolutions against China. A rogue who thinks evil”, said the CDU politician in a guest article for the “Tagesspiegel” “. China’s expansion can no longer be stopped. “We cannot blame the Chinese for being smart. We can only blame ourselves for being so stupid,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, referring to China’s strategy, which is an increasingly large one in Europe’s economy Role to play. In fact, the EU countries watched China’s shopping spree for a long time with takeovers of technology companies such as the German robot manufacturer Kuka. “When China’s leadership launched the ‘New Silk Road’ project in 2013, many in Europe believed it was a marketing gag,” said Günther Oettinger. President Xi Jinping was very serious, as can be seen from the trade network that has now been established. In Europe, China prefers to help those states, such as Greece or Hungary, that are poorer than Western Europeans. These countries are to be tied closely to themselves by investing billions in infrastructure in order to create a “China-friendly Europe”, as a high-ranking EU diplomat of the “world” said.

No concerns from Berlin

The most recent decision by the EU Parliament, which Suspend discussions on the investment agreement reached with China at the end of last year . Among other things, it was supposed to regulate the access of European companies to the Chinese market, but met with growing opposition in the European Union. Critics complained that the agreement did not set any limits to China’s expansionist urge. This is unlikely to prevent the Chinese from entering the Tollerort container port in Hamburg. The negotiations are after NDR- Information well advanced and coordinated with the federal government. There are no concerns from the Chancellery, the Ministry of Economics and Transport, or the Foreign Office.

Answer questions about the legend of Polo – The first European to make the journey across Asia

Thanh Xuân — Mon, 24 May 2021 05:27:18 +0000

The book ‘Marco Polo – From Venice to Upper Capital’ will partly answer the lingering controversies surrounding the legend of Polo and the age-old unanswered questions about Macro Polo, the first European to practice. on a journey across Asia.
Marco Polo is considered to be the first European to make the journey across Asia, bridging the bridge between Western and Eastern civilization in the Middle Ages. Depart from Venice to Shanghai, thousands of miles away, along the treacherous Silk Road, and to the court of Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, where he won the trust of one of the kings. the most powerful and feared leader in the world at that time.

Author Laurence Bergreen has followed Marco Polo to his hometown, Venice, and throughout China, visiting the places he has described, including Beijing to the east, Hangzhou to the south and Kunming to West. The author also visited Shanghai, Taiwan to track down the doctrines and relics left by Polo. Especially visit Mongolia and live in a simple round tent to experience Asia and the mystery of Mongolia like Marco Polo did. The author also relies heavily on material on Marco Polo in English, French, Italian, Persian, Latin, Mandarin and Mongolian… to write the book “Marco Polo – From Venice to Venice”. Shangdu”, aims to explore the long-running controversy surrounding the legend of Polo and the age-old unanswered questions. In a lively blend of history, biography and travel, author Laurence Bergreen separates myth from history, narrating and writing with a keen eye for detail to create a most relatable document. about the adventures of Polo. “Marco Polo – From Venice to Upper Capital” is as fascinating as the life it depicts. Commenting on the book, the weekly review of The New York Times said that this is a funny and attractive travel book. The world in which Marco Polo entered was new and stranger than the fable. It’s truly a passionate retelling of Marco Polo’s timeless story, says Jonathan Spence, author of Emperor of China. Laurence Bergreen draws from a series of Marco Polo’s manuscripts that have survived to this day, to provide a compelling portrait of how and where Marco Polo came to China in the 13th century, about what he saw, felt and acted upon when he got there. Readers unfamiliar with the adventures of Marco Polo will find much delight in this book. The book is published by World Publishing House in collaboration with Omega Plus.

Silk Road, America’s most dangerous black website

Vũ Cao (theo FBI Files) — Tue, 04 May 2021 00:22:14 +0000

Appeared for the first time in February 2011 in the US, the black website Silk Road (Silk Road) quickly became known by US players and some countries around the world as an online drug market.
It is run by a hidden program to help customers log in and buy and sell securely. Until Silk Road was destroyed by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the number of its transactions reached more than 1.5 million people and nearly $ 2 billion …

More than 1.2 million black transactions over 2 years The work started in mid-2010, Ross Ulbricht, born in 1984, obtained a master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, majoring in Computer Science but passionate about free economic theory. In February 2011, Ross and his two friends Jones and Smedley gave birth to the Silk Road website with the statement: “I create a model so that everyone can experience firsthand what we have. trading rights… ”. However, the things Ross sold for sale on the Silk Road site are murderous things. It includes heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, amphetamine, meth, marijuana, ecstasy … Customers who want to log into this website are required to buy an account and pay a monthly fee. After buying, Silk Road will provide them with a software that hides all information each time they log in to avoid the tracking of authorities such as the FBI, the US Drug Prevention Agency ( DEA). The average person who goes to the Silk Road site will only see it advertising about 10,000 products such as clothes, art works, books, cigarettes, jewelry … with public terms, such as “no sale or purchase. anything that has a malicious or deceptive purpose, including child pornography, stolen credit cards, weapons … ”but in fact, 70% of all goods sold online are drugs. Grouped with titles: Stimulants, hallucinogenic drugs, drug precursors, meth, opium, ecstasy, psychotropic drugs and steroids. Besides, there is also a fake driver’s license, but only members with access can access this “market”. Also to avoid being tracked, Silk Road’s server was located in Reykjavík, Iceland, while Ross took his alias (nickname) as Dread Pirate Roberts. All transactions on the Silk Road site are made with Bitcoin virtual currency, not cash. Ross Ulbricht, the owner of Silk Road. In June 2011, information about Silk Road began to appear in the press, making it famous, leading to increasing traffic. In this situation, an American senator, Mr. Charles Schumer, asked the FBI and DEA to close it. The collapse of Silk Road began in February 2013, when an Australian national cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) dealer became the first person to be convicted for crimes directly related to Silk Road. While searching the man’s home, the police discovered files on his laptop that proved he bought drugs from Silk Road. In December 2013, Australian police cooperated with DEA to arrest another New Zealander when he had just received 15 grams of methamphetamine purchased on Silk Road. The FBI obtained 11.02 Bitcoins – equivalent to $ 814 at the time. According to the FBI and DEA, based on collected data, from February 3, 2012 to July 24, 2012, an estimated $ 15 million in transactions were made on Silk Road. “A significant increase in volume from $ 30 million to $ 45 million in a short period of time won’t do,” Nicolas Christin, a Silk Road researcher, said in an interview with the Global Economic news site. I am surprised. The buyer and seller make all transactions in the virtual currency Bitcoin in the form of Mr. A, for example, placing an order for Bitcoin at an investment channel – of course it is legal. Then, Mr. A sold to Mr. B – it is also legal but in fact, the Bitcoin A sold to B is the amount to pay to buy drugs. Silk Road holds A’s Bitcoins through B’s account until A receives the goods. However, by the time A transfers Bitcoin to B, Silk Road will activate a hedging mechanism that allows B to retain the value of Bitcoin relative to the USD. Any change in Bitcoin price that occurs in the process of not being delivered to A, Silk Road is not responsible ”. According to the FBI and DEA, from February 6, 2011 to July 23, 2013, there were 1,229,465 completed transactions on the Silk Road website with the participation of 146,946 people, of which 30% came from the United States. followed by UK, Australia, Germany, Canada, Sweden, France, Russia, Italy and the Netherlands. The rest about 27% did not declare their address. Also during the 60-day period from May 24 to July 23, 1,217,218 messages were sent through Silk Road’s own system. The ecstasy sells on Silk Road for 0.69 Bitcoin 1 gram, but requires an account to log in. Make billions of dollars by selling drugs through the web At 3:15 p.m. on October 2, 2013, Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, was arrested while in the Glen Park library, San Francisco city, California on charges of buying, selling, transporting narcotics, money laundering, illegally entering computer networks. Initially, the FBI seized 26,000 Bitcoins from Silk Road accounts, equivalent to $ 36 million (as of 2013). Near the end of October, the FBI collected an additional 144,342 Bitcoins, worth $ 87 million. The capture of Ross is also not easy because Silk Road operates on the hidden operating system, The Onion Router. First, FBI computer experts discovered Ross’s email address on the Gmail website. In those emails, a number of files were sent to a person named Altoid. From there the FBI knew that Altoid had once posted an article on a forum about the virtual currency Bitcoin, asking experts in the field to email him at an address. Following that address, the FBI found it linked to multiple Gmail accounts. Youtube and Linkedin all share the same destination, Silk Road. And because every time online, Ross uses the VPN protocol to conceal his location, so the FBI has to apply for a court order, requiring the internet provider to publish Ross’s VPN. It leads to an internet cafe in San Francisco and eventually a library in the Glen Park neighborhood, where Ross was arrested. Ross’ trial began on January 13, 2015 in Manhattan Federal Court. During the interrogation, Ross admitted he had founded the Silk Road website but he said that he transferred the admin rights to someone else shortly after Silk Road was born. In defense of Ross, the lawyers assumed that the nickname Dread Pirate Roberts was actually Mark Karpeles, and Karpeles used Ross to commit illegal acts. However, Judge Katherine B. Forrestra ruled, dismissing all of these excuses During the second week of the trial, the prosecutor presented documents and chat logs from Ross’s computer, proving he directly managed Silk Road using BitTorren software to conceal all manipulations. on the Silk Road site for both drug dealers and buyers. When the FBI arrested Ross, his personal computer was still running the software. Silk Road drugs sent to buyers by mail were seized by the FBI. On February 4, 2015, a jury convicted Ross of seven offenses, including “continuous participation in a criminal business, drug trafficking, intentional concealment of income, money laundering and trespassing. illegal computer entry ”. Ross was sentenced to life in prison without parole. It is worth noting that during the trial, Judge Forrest received death threats multiple times. On a website called The Hidden Wiki, someone posted Judge Forrest’s personal information, including his home address and social security number. Ross’s attorney Joshua Dratel stated that he and his client “strongly condemned anonymous posts concerning Judge Forrest”. “Ross has nothing to do with the site, and his The Hidden Wiki posts do not reflect his opinion,” Dratel said. In a letter to Judge Forrest prior to his sentencing, Ross said his actions through Silk Road were an expression of liberal economicism, and: “Silk Road was created to give everyone the right to their own choices, “but Ross also admitted” made a terrible mistake, ruined a lifetime. ” On May 29, 2015, a jury of the Manhattan Federal Court ruled that Ross had to serve 5 sentences, including 2 life sentences without parole, Ross was also confiscated $ 183 million. On May 31, 2017, the Court of Appeal rejected Ross’s appeal and the Supreme Court also refused to review Ross’ case. Parallel to the Ross trial, the court also brought to the trial two federal agents who secretly investigated Silk Road. One of these two is Carl Mark, a DEA employee, and the other is agent Shaun Bridges. Both took Ross’ money for falsely reporting Silk Road activities. Among the more than 130 suspects arrested by the FBI for drug trafficking and money laundering, there is Dutch drug dealer Cornelis Jan “Maikel” Slomp, 23, who was accused of buying and selling drugs on a large scale through the site. web Silk Road and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Another, Steven Sadler, was sentenced to five years in prison. In addition, there are two Silk Road administrators Andrew Michael Jones and Gary Davis with the nicknames “Inigo” and “Libertas”, both of which were also sentenced to prison. Shortly after Silk Road collapsed, on the Internet, there suddenly appeared a website Silk Road 2.0, operated by the nickname “Defcon”. On February 13, 2014, Defcon announced that $ 2.7 million in Silk Road 2.0’s escrow accounts had been stolen, but he promised to return the full amount to the account holders. On November 6, 2014, the FBI arrested Blake Benthall, who ran Silk Road 2.0 under the name “Defcon” with an Englishman, Thomas White, who started the website Silk Road 2.0 but information about the arrest. only announced by the FBI in 2019. Yet, in order to “follow” the Silk Road brand, in January 2015, Diabolus Market launched the Silk Road Reloaded website with features similar to Ross’ Silk Road. but it was also taken down by the FBI. On November 3, 2020, FBI agents specialized in currency tracking discovered 2 transactions with a total of 69,370 Bitcoins, worth about $ 1 billion at that time, made from a related address. Silk Road website. Investigation results showed that this Bitcoin belongs to an individual with the nickname “X”. who bought Bitcoin from Silk Road before it collapsed. According to the FBI, they are still investigating this address to see if it is a new generation Silk Road, or just the remaining issues of Silk Road.

Silk Road, America’s most dangerous black website

Vũ Cao (theo FBI Files) — Mon, 03 May 2021 23:30:16 +0000

More than 1.2 million black transactions over 2 years The work started in mid-2010, Ross Ulbricht, born in 1984, obtained a master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, majoring in Computer Science but passionate about free economic theory. In February 2011, Ross and his two friends Jones and Smedley gave birth to the Silk Road website with the statement: “I create a model so that everyone can experience firsthand what we have. trading rights… ”. However, the things Ross sold for sale on the Silk Road site are murderous things. It includes heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, amphetamine, meth, marijuana, ecstasy … Customers who want to log into this website are required to buy an account and pay a monthly fee. After buying, Silk Road will provide them with a software that hides all information each time they log in to avoid the tracking of authorities such as the FBI, the US Drug Prevention Agency ( DEA). The average person who goes to the Silk Road site will only see it advertising about 10,000 products such as clothes, art works, books, cigarettes, jewelry … with public terms, such as “no sale or purchase. anything that has a malicious or deceptive purpose, including child pornography, stolen credit cards, weapons … ”but in fact, 70% of all goods sold online are drugs. Grouped with titles: Stimulants, hallucinogenic drugs, drug precursors, meth, opium, ecstasy, psychotropic drugs and steroids. Besides, there is also a fake driver’s license, but only members with access can access this “market”. Also to avoid being tracked, Silk Road’s server was located in Reykjavík, Iceland, while Ross took his alias (nickname) as Dread Pirate Roberts. All transactions on the Silk Road site are made with Bitcoin virtual currency, not cash. Ross Ulbricht, the owner of Silk Road. In June 2011, information about Silk Road began to appear in the press, making it famous, leading to increasing traffic. In this situation, an American senator, Mr. Charles Schumer, asked the FBI and DEA to close it. The collapse of Silk Road began in February 2013, when an Australian national cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) dealer became the first person to be convicted for crimes directly related to Silk Road. While searching the man’s home, the police discovered files on his laptop that proved he bought drugs from Silk Road. In December 2013, Australian police cooperated with DEA to arrest another New Zealander when he had just received 15 grams of methamphetamine purchased on Silk Road. The FBI obtained 11.02 Bitcoins – equivalent to $ 814 at the time. According to the FBI and DEA, based on collected data, from February 3, 2012 to July 24, 2012, an estimated $ 15 million in transactions were made on Silk Road. “A significant increase in volume from $ 30 million to $ 45 million in a short period of time won’t do,” Nicolas Christin, a Silk Road researcher, said in an interview with the Global Economic news site. I am surprised. The buyer and seller make all transactions in the virtual currency Bitcoin in the form of Mr. A, for example, placing an order for Bitcoin at an investment channel – of course it is legal. Then, Mr. A sold to Mr. B – which is also legal but in fact, the Bitcoin A sold to B is the amount to pay to buy drugs. Silk Road holds A’s Bitcoins through B’s account until A receives the goods. However, by the time A transfers Bitcoin to B, Silk Road will activate a hedging mechanism that allows B to retain the value of Bitcoin relative to the USD. Any change in Bitcoin price that occurs in the process of not being delivered to A, Silk Road is not responsible ”. According to the FBI and DEA, from February 6, 2011 to July 23, 2013, there were 1,229,465 completed transactions on the Silk Road website with the participation of 146,946 people, of which 30% came from the United States. followed by UK, Australia, Germany, Canada, Sweden, France, Russia, Italy and the Netherlands. The rest about 27% did not declare their address. Also during the 60-day period from May 24 to July 23, 1,217,218 messages were sent through Silk Road’s own system. The ecstasy sells on Silk Road for 0.69 Bitcoin 1 gram, but requires an account to log in. Make billions of dollars by selling drugs through the web At 3:15 p.m. on October 2, 2013, Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, was arrested while in the Glen Park library, San Francisco city, California on charges of buying, selling, transporting narcotics, money laundering, illegally entering computer networks. Initially, the FBI seized 26,000 Bitcoins from Silk Road accounts, equivalent to $ 36 million (as of 2013). Near the end of October, the FBI collected an additional 144,342 Bitcoins, worth $ 87 million. The capture of Ross is also not easy because Silk Road operates on the hidden operating system, The Onion Router. First, FBI computer experts discovered Ross’s email address on the Gmail website. In those emails, a number of files were sent to a person named Altoid. From there the FBI knew that Altoid had once posted an article on a forum about the virtual currency Bitcoin, asking experts in the field to email him at an address. Following that address, the FBI found it linked to multiple Gmail accounts. Youtube and Linkedin all share the same destination, Silk Road. And because every time online, Ross uses the VPN protocol to conceal his location, so the FBI has to apply for a court order, requiring the internet provider to publish Ross’s VPN. It leads to an internet cafe in San Francisco and eventually a library in the Glen Park neighborhood, where Ross was arrested. Ross’ trial began on January 13, 2015 in Manhattan Federal Court. During the interrogation, Ross admitted he had founded the Silk Road website but he said that he transferred the admin rights to someone else shortly after Silk Road was born. In defense of Ross, the lawyers assumed that the nickname Dread Pirate Roberts was actually Mark Karpeles, and Karpeles used Ross to commit illegal acts. However, Judge Katherine B. Forrestra ruled, dismissing all of these excuses During the second week of the trial, the prosecutor presented documents and chat logs from Ross’s computer, proving he directly managed Silk Road using BitTorren software to conceal all manipulations. on the Silk Road site for both drug dealers and buyers. When the FBI arrested Ross, his personal computer was still running the software. Silk Road drugs sent to buyers by mail were seized by the FBI. On February 4, 2015, a jury convicted Ross of seven offenses, including “continuous participation in a criminal business, drug trafficking, intentional concealment of income, money laundering and trespassing. illegal computer entry ”. Ross was sentenced to life in prison without parole. It is worth noting that during the trial, Judge Forrest received death threats multiple times. On a website called The Hidden Wiki, someone posted Judge Forrest’s personal information, including his home address and social security number. Ross’s attorney Joshua Dratel stated that he and his client “strongly condemned anonymous posts concerning Judge Forrest”. “Ross has nothing to do with the site, and his The Hidden Wiki posts do not reflect his opinion,” Dratel said. In a letter to Judge Forrest prior to his sentencing, Ross said his actions through Silk Road were an expression of liberal economicism, and: “Silk Road was created to give everyone the right to their own choices, “but Ross also admitted” made a terrible mistake, ruined a lifetime. ” On May 29, 2015, a jury of the Manhattan Federal Court ruled that Ross had to serve 5 sentences, including 2 life sentences without parole, Ross was also confiscated $ 183 million. On May 31, 2017, the Court of Appeal rejected Ross’s appeal and the Supreme Court also refused to review Ross’ case. Parallel to the Ross trial, the court also brought to the trial two federal agents who secretly investigated Silk Road. One of these two is Carl Mark, a DEA employee, and the other is agent Shaun Bridges. Both took Ross’ money for falsely reporting Silk Road activities. Among the more than 130 suspects arrested by the FBI for drug trafficking and money laundering, there is Dutch drug dealer Cornelis Jan “Maikel” Slomp, 23, who was accused of buying and selling drugs on a large scale through the site. web Silk Road and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Another, Steven Sadler, was sentenced to five years in prison. In addition, there are two Silk Road administrators Andrew Michael Jones and Gary Davis with the nicknames “Inigo” and “Libertas”, both of which were also sentenced to prison. Shortly after Silk Road collapsed, on the Internet, there suddenly appeared a website Silk Road 2.0, operated by the nickname “Defcon”. On February 13, 2014, Defcon announced that $ 2.7 million in Silk Road 2.0’s escrow accounts had been stolen, but he promised to return the full amount to the account holders. On November 6, 2014, the FBI arrested Blake Benthall, who ran Silk Road 2.0 under the name “Defcon” with an Englishman, Thomas White, who started the website Silk Road 2.0 but information about the arrest. only announced by the FBI in 2019. Yet, in order to “follow” the Silk Road brand, in January 2015, Diabolus Market launched the Silk Road Reloaded website with features similar to Ross’ Silk Road. but it was also taken down by the FBI. On November 3, 2020, FBI agents specialized in currency tracking discovered 2 transactions with a total of 69,370 Bitcoins, worth about $ 1 billion at that time, made from a related address. Silk Road website. Investigation results showed that this Bitcoin belongs to an individual with the nickname “X”. who bought Bitcoin from Silk Road before it collapsed. According to the FBI, they are still investigating this address to see if it is a new generation Silk Road, or just the remaining issues of Silk Road.

Follow Marco Polo from Venice to Shanghai

HỒ SƠN — Mon, 03 May 2021 18:15:19 +0000

Marco Polo is considered the first European to make a journey across Asia, bridging the bridge between Western civilization and the Middle East in the Middle Ages. This journey has been faithfully and vividly reproduced by the author Laurence Bergreen in the book Marco Polo – From Venice to Shanghai (Omega Plus and The World Publisher).
Depart from Venice to Shanghai miles distant, along the dangerous Silk Road and to the court of Kublai Khan – grandson of Genghis Khan, where Marco Polo won the trust of one of the the most feared and powerful leader in the world at that time.

Polo introduced China’s cultural wealth to Europe, sparking the West’s centuries-old fascination with Asia. His journey has marked as a legendary journey that few astronauts in history have matched, in terms of its impact on the minds of both contemporaries and posterity. One of the rare books that truthfully explores much information about Marco Polo’s great journey Laurence Bergreen (co-author of the book Columbus – Four voyages ) followed Marco Polo’s to his hometown – Venice, and throughout China, visiting the places he described, including Beijing in the east, Hangzhou in the south and Kunming in the west. The author also visited Shanghai, Taiwan to track down the theories and relics that Polo left behind. Visit Mongolia in particular and live in a simple round tent to experience Asia and the mysteries of Mongolia like Marco Polo did. The author also relied significantly on Marco Polo resources in English, French, Italian, Latin, Mandarin, Mongolian … to write this work to explore the controversy surrounding lingering around. Legend of Polo and ancient questions that have not been answered. On the cover of the book is a picture of Dai Han Kublai Khan hunting. The Khan can be considered the main character in the story of Marco Polo as well as in the work of Bergreen. He was a powerful influence on Marco. His hunt can be compared to a battle, which during nearly 20 years working alongside the Khan, Marco accompanied many times. In a lively blend of history, biography and travel, author Laurence Bergreen separates legend from history, narrative, and writes with a keen eye to detail to create a plausible document. Best about Polo’s adventures. Hence, Marco Polo – From Venice to Shanghai as fascinating as the life it describes. According to Laurence Bergreen, a few years ago, when he intended to write about explorers, Marco Polo was the first person he thought of because of his influence on the Age of Discovery in general and on the adventurers. others in particular such as Magellan and Columbus. “I write about the victories and legacy that he left behind recently, but this idea has been conceived for years. His life story has many fascinating and interesting details because there are not many writings about him or his journey for adults. One of the reasons that inspired me to write about Marco Polo is that I believe that his adventures live forever, ”the author said. Laurence Bergreen started this book with research about the thirteenth century, but at the end of the project he realized that the world was not much different then that it is today. The human nature and geography have not changed, the belief systems he witnessed still exist today. The West was attracted to China and traded with them just like Polo’s. “After a while, I asked myself,” Has anything changed? ” Of course there are many, but his adventures are still very rewarding, new and highly reportable ”, shared Laurence Bergreen.

The story of trade through the life of the traveler Marco Polo

Quang Lộc — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 05:08:12 +0000

Marco Polo, whose name is more or less strange in Vietnam, in fact the story of the relationships he witnessed as a traveler in spaces nearly eight centuries ago can suggest new lessons for them. me. The book ‘Marco Polo – From Venice to Shanghai’ by Laurence Bergreen, released by Omega + Book Company, provides readers with these trade stories.
Trade, globalization, the silk road in the 13th century in the book “Marco Polo – From Venice to Shanghai” can be said to have connected with trade, globalization, the silk road of today.

Marco Polo is considered the first European to make a journey across Asia, bridging the bridge between Western civilization and the Middle East in the Middle Ages. Depart from Venice to Shanghai a thousand miles away, along the treacherous Silk Road, and to the court of Kublai Khan – grandson of Genghis Khan, where he won the trust of one of the most feared and powerful leader in the world at that time. A fascinating biography about Marco Polo has just been released to readers in Vietnam Polo introduced China’s cultural wealth to Europe, sparking the West’s centuries-old fascination with Asia. His journey has marked as a legendary journey that few astronauts in history have matched, in terms of its impact on the minds of both contemporaries and posterity. Author Laurence Bergreen (b. 1950) – an American historian who followed Marco Polo to his hometown – Venice, and throughout China, visits the places that Marco Polo has described, including Beijing in the east, Hangzhou to the south and Kunming to the west. The author also visited Shanghai, Taiwan to track down the theories and relics that Polo left behind. Visit Mongolia in particular and live in a simple round tent to experience Asia and the mysteries of Mongolia like Marco Polo did. The author also relied significantly on Marco Polo resources in English, French, Italian, Persian, Latin, Mandarin and Mongolian … to write this work to explore the controversies. stretches around the legend of Polo and long-standing questions that have not been answered. In a lively blend of history, biography and travel, author Laurence Bergreen separates legend from history, narrative and writes with a keen eye to detail to create a document that is most relevant. about Polo’s adventures. “Marco Polo – From Venice to Shanghai” is as fascinating as the life it describes. According to author Laurence Bergreen, today there are more Marco Polo ever. With this film biography, he is talking about global entrepreneurs who pioneered East-West trade promotion. Like Marco in the past, they discovered that trade is a common language that can cross all religious, political and geographical boundaries. The author also said that with Marco Polo’s life more or less “fictional”, this traveler still made him go from surprise to surprise. The first is how to apply his observations to today’s world, to international trade, to diplomacy, global conflict and the weakening and demise of political systems, and finance. Another aspect is how Marco Polo is classified. Marco Polo has always been considered a typical medieval explorer, but the medieval period in which he grew up was extremely prosperous and dynamic. It is not a rigid stage where everything becomes one. Venice is one of the most developed regions in Western Europe. Just being born there gave him the advantages of the times. Despite a medieval mindset, Marco aimed to go beyond the limits and challenge the mainstream. “By today’s standards you have done many things beyond common sense. Although he does not say clearly, but he sees man as the measure of everything, so in my eyes he looks more like a person from the Renaissance “- author Laurence Bergreen wrote.

China accelerates its technology autonomy strategy

PHƯƠNG NAM tổng hợp — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 15:20:10 +0000

As the West seeks to block China from accessing technology, it has developed a plan to autonomy at least 70% of the volume of high-tech products.

China pushes up chip production for technology autonomy In addition to “Made in China 2025”, China also has a “dual circulation” strategy, with the ambition to introduce new technology standards different from the West. Fast but unstable With this new strategy, China moves towards a self-sufficiency policy, reducing dependence on foreign countries. Specifically, with semiconductor technology, China will mobilize its own human resources to develop a new-generation chip research, design and production network to disrupt the isolation created by the US. The trade war with Western countries is seen as a reminder to the Chinese leadership that the country cannot depend on imports but must develop domestic core technology and pursue leaps and bounds. technology, especially in essential industries like semiconductors. China has set out many goals to realize its ambition such as: fostering a contingent of domestic technology talent, building high-tech companies with global influence to expand the model of “sovereignty network “in order to strictly control the Internet. In addition, there is securing secure information infrastructure, enhancing state censorship and surveillance in the digital space, and building a managed and enhanced digital economy. network security capabilities. Beijing has also stepped up building a “digital China” towards fulfilling its future technological ambitions of the world in the fields of quantum computing, 5G, semiconductors, and blockchain technology. (blockchain), big data, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and robotics. With the aim of accelerating the technology autonomy plan, China Development Bank prepared more than $ 60 billion in loans for more than 1,000 key businesses in its strategic innovation plan, and raised $ 30 billion for a new government-backed microchip fund. From March this year, news that Eastern Communications, a subsidiary of China Putian Information Industry Group (Potevio), will restructure and merge with China Electronic Technology Corporation (CETC) to make surplus. attention comment. The reason is that Potevio and CETC are both state-owned enterprises, run by the China State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC). Potevio is an enterprise specializing in manufacturing telecommunications equipment, such as components for 5G infrastructure, server systems, memory, automatic teller machines. Potevio’s strengths relate to wireless communication and security. Meanwhile, CETC is the main supplier for the Beihou satellite system and is known to be a software and service provider for the Chinese military. The company also participates in the development of a Chinese version of the Windows operating system and develops many other areas such as the manufacture of semiconductors and antennas for 5G networks, and equipment for technology. self-propelled vehicle. The merger is intended to enhance the CETC’s resilience from US sanctions against the group’s companies, including Hikvision, the world’s top security camera maker. However, although China is actively promoting domestic technology development, it is difficult for observers to reach its goal of technological autonomy. In the past, Beijing had planned to spend 2.5% of its GDP on research and development, but actual spending has yet to reach that target. One area that has struggled with China is microchips, where most electronic products depend on it. In the past, Chinese companies were confused by the extremely complicated chip manufacturing process, so they decided instead of researching, they imported most of the necessary semiconductors. Over the years, although the government has supported the Chinese manufacturers to develop some chip manufacturing capabilities, the results have not been as expected. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, Chinese chipmakers have received government subsidies of up to $ 50 billion over the past 20 years. Domestic companies also benefit from tax exemptions, free land, concessional loans, and priority purchases. Despite progress in chip design, China’s problem lies in its ability to produce high-end chips. China is currently only able to make mid-range chips because making semiconductor chips requires high precision. Many doubts The gradual technological autonomy has led China to a bolder plan: to export technology abroad. The dominant Chinese products in the world market are drones, laser equipment, equipment used in space technology, 3D printing, telecommunications equipment … China has taken advantage of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to implement this plan. Through the BRI, in Africa, China provides loans, exports technology and builds infrastructure to countries such as Guinea and Kenya, while exploiting the natural resources of the leading country. private. China has organized a number of technology fairs, digital economy with many countries participating in BRI such as: Digital technology fair with 17 countries in Central and Eastern Europe belonging to Group 17 + 1; Digital technology forum with 5 countries in Central Asia including: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan. These fairs aim to launch 1,334 digital and information technology projects along the “Digital Silk Road” corridor with 3 continents of Asia – Europe – Africa, of which, the focus is on regions. : Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Central Europe, Eastern Europe and East Africa. At the same time, to deploy new types of technology such as Internet connecting things, big data, digital infrastructure and project “Smart Africa” with 26 countries in Africa. Major Chinese technology companies such as Huawei and ZTE expand their “Digital Silk Road” plan through Chinese-built fiber-optic networks, as well as equip local authorities with monitoring tools. Internet monitoring and censorship. There are no official technology export statistics for 2020, but the most recent report said that in 2019, China’s technology exports reached a trade value of 32.1 billion USD, equivalent to import value. This is a miraculous development, because 6 years ago, the proportion of export – import was 1 – 2. However, the technology “made in China” still caused many doubts. Observers say that Chinese companies are exporting “next generation surveillance systems” in several regions of the world, including Latin America. Venezuela alone, with the help of Chinese telecommunications conglomerate ZTE, has built up a database that can track citizens’ behavior through citizenship. The use of big data for security purposes is acceptable to the general public in South America, but after being widely used, those systems can be misused for espionage purposes. Moreover, according to observers, the Chinese technology industry, although developing rapidly, is not stable. This country has not mastered the technology of new generation chip production that the US, Japan, and South Korea are very proficient in. China’s domestic chip production will only meet 15.9% of the country’s demand in 2020, said IC Insights, a semiconductor research company in the US, compared with 15.1%. in 2014.

Bang Cau Dan Ha – “princess” is forgotten

Trần Ngọc Nga — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 06:05:12 +0000

Danhe Bang Cau, also known as ‘Ice Valley’ (Ice Valley) belongs to Dan Ha National Geopark, about 50km from Truong Dich City in Gansu Province (China). This place is famous for rocks of various shapes standing in the midst of heaven and earth.

Stone camels.

History begin

Located in the middle of Ha Tay corridor, on the famous ancient silk road, the south bordering Thanh Hai province, the north bordering Noi Mong, Dan Ha geopark has two areas, that is That Thai Rainbow) and Ice Fishing. If the yellow, red, and light brown rocky mountains of That Thai are very famous, Bang Cau is less known because it was discovered in 2014 and has not received much media coverage. Most people who come to Truong Dich only visit Rainbow Mountain, but forget another “princess” of the desert.

Dan Ha Bang Cau is about 300km2 wide and lies at an altitude of 1,500m to 2,550m above sea level. About 100 million years ago, when alluvial rivers dried up, the sediment here oxidized to rust. After about 30 million years, geological change continued to create a layer of sandstone and other minerals. In addition, the collision of continents and wind, floods contributed to the mountains like today.

If That Thai is a color vision party, Bang Cau is a surprise when visitors witness the mother of nature sculpting the mountains into various amazing shapes like camels. Tower, palace … Standing on the highest viewing point of Bang Cau, you will see the Ky Lien mountain range in the distance. In winter, when the mountains are covered with white snow, the red-orange rocks in Bang Cau become even more vibrant, creating a very impressive scene.

Bang Cau Dan Ha is a complex of unique natural stone sculptures.

Unique natural stone sculpture complex

Bang Cau Dan Ha is a complex of unique and lively natural stone sculptures. There are hundreds of different animal-shaped rocks, of which the most famous are the camel-shaped rocks and the rock called “The Ghost of Lourve Castle”.

To protect the extremely fragile geological and biological layers here, the Chinese government has built a separate passageway for each viewing spot. Tourists are only allowed to move within that area by means of the center, not to move freely and not step outside to preserve the landscape and ecosystem. The environment here is also extremely well preserved when there is no litter, bottle cover on every street. To each main attraction, the bus will stop outside, and visitors walk around until they want to go to the next destination, then return to their old place, waiting for the next bus.

Right at the first stop, visitors can admire the camel-shaped rocks in many poses and are very romanticly named “Golden Camel’s Love”. ), “Greeting Camel” (Greeting camel). These stone camels are reminiscent of camels carrying heavy goods on their backs across the arid desert to distant lands as far as Central Asia, Persia, and Europe along the Silk Road. Leaving the lovely stone camels, visitors are surprised by the stone pillars with strange shapes and names such as Yin Yang column, Tran Vu god, Vong Phu stone … Each stone is named In Bang Cau, there is a story, the accompanying tale makes visitors love to read and imagine.

At the last main viewing spot is the rock called “The Ghost at Lourve Castle”. In fact, this rock is 150 meters wide and 50 meters high, 20 meters taller than Lourve in real life. This “Lourve Castle” is like a veranda wall that challenges time, protecting this land from ancient times to the present day. From here continue to go down is rock mixed together with rocks like a giant mushroom garden. In the midst of the immense space, surrounded by the valley, are majestic mountains coinciding with the horizon.

If you have the opportunity to go to Truong Dich, you definitely have to go to Bang Cau, a wonderful complex of 40km long rocky mountains waiting for you to explore.