In this paper, Lucie Qian Xia, London School of Economics, examines the complex nature of Europe as seen through the eyes of China. She analyses Chinese perceptions of the EU - examining Europe as both an 'idea' and a model - and the implications for the China-Europe relationship. She concludes that the 'perception gap' in the relationship is actually necessary for its development and that China and Europe have much to gain from broadening their engagement. Read more about this eventthe full article

In this paper, Yu Tao, University of Oxford, describes the development of religious communities in rural China today. He explains how China’s burgeoning religious communities have acted as a powerful emerging social force in its domestic political arena, especially at the grassroots level. While Beijing now acknowledges that its anti-religious Communist  policies of 1957 to 78 were wrong, its laws and regulations for implementing religious freedom have remained “frustratingly insufficient and ambiguous” over the past three decades. Drawing upon this, Yu offers a new framework to explain why religious communities in China have developed better in some places than others.   Read more about this eventthe full article

On 13 September 2011, ECRAN hosted the first Young China Researchers' PhD Student Forum at the University of Nottingham. The theme of the Forum was 'China: Prospects and Challenges 2020" and formed part of the 4th International Forum for Contemporary Chinese Studies.  Read more about this eventthe full article