Higher Education Admission Policy and Social Class of Ethnic Minority:The Case of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,China

Gaokao has been considered as the gatekeeper of intergenerational class reproduction in today’s slowing social mobility in China.In order to bolster the fairness of Gaokao,the Policy of Bonus Scores for Ethnic Minority Candidates(PBSEMC)has been issued,whose,however,effectiveness in promoting upward social class has not been adequately empirically explored.The difference-in-differences(DID)analysis based on cross-sectional data,which is distinct from the traditional DID analysis paradigm,was implemented to assess the Reform of PBSEMC in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1988.The results showed that PBSEMC had a significant and positive impact on the social classes of ethnic minorities,and gender,residence type and occupation type were also relevant to social class,aligning with the previous literature.The PBSEMC is effective in improving the social classes of ethnic minorities.However,the PBSEMC policy should be made more precise,in order to benefit the candidates who are in genuine need of assistance.

From religious manual to herbal pharmacopoeia:a textual study of the formation and transformation of Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica

The earliest Ben Cao Jing(Classics of Materia Medica;25 C.E.–220 C.E.)appeared during the reign of the Han Dynasty(202 B.C.E.–220 C.E.);their origins are traceable to the religious group called Fang Xian Dao.In addition to their use as a medical reference,the Ben Cao Jing works were also used for religious purposes.Tao Hongjing(456 C.E.–536 C.E.),a famous doctor and Daoist(one member of the Chinese local religion,Daoism)of the Liang Dynasty(502 C.E.–557 C.E.),compiled the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu(Variorum of Classics of Materia Medica;456 C.E.–536 C.E.)based on the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing(Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica;25 C.E.–220 C.E.).During the compilation of this book,Tao made a radical medical revision to the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing,by reducing its religious contents while complementing its medical contents.After such revisions,the ancient Ben Cao Jing was transformed from a religious manual into an herbal pharmacopoeia.

Sharing Economy: A Paradigm Revolution and Chinese Narrative

Sharing economy delivers structural impact on traditional theories of social sciences. To a certain extent, it subverts the classic issues of “invisible hand,”“society must be defended,”“free-rider problem” and “big government vs. small government” in traditional Western theories of economics, public administration and sociology. Under such circumstances, it is imperative to examine this theoretical innovation from the perspective of paradigm revolution. The Chinese economy(the Internet-enabled sharing economy in particular) is a revolutionary innovation of great significance in world history. China should take this “sharing” tide as an opportunity to promote digital China construction and industrial restructuring and create a new landscape for the construction of a socio-cultural system, a new national regulatory system and a modern governance system. This will help develop a China-led theoretical system of social sciences and essentially support the building of a new world order and a global discourse system.