Soft Power & Hard Currencies: Balancing Politics, Culture and Economics in China

NEW YORK - April 29, 2013 - PRLog -- On April 27, 2013, Zoomdojo's co-sponsored China event - “Soft Power” and Hard Currencies: Balancing Politics, Culture, and Economics - brought to Columbia University a dynamic and engaging full-day China conference comprised of three panels, two keynote addresses and four case studies.

The conference was organized and co-hosted by the Columbia University and New York University chapters of Global China Connection (GCC). Founded in 2008, GCC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, student-run global organization for university students of all nationalities looking to engage with China’s emergence as a global power. GCC connects future leaders from all nations and assists them in developing the skills and friendships necessary to succeed both in China and internationally.

Columbia University's Weatherhead East Asian Institute co-sponsored the event with Zoomdojo.

The conference opened with an address from GCC Trustee Daniel Tedesco. The first panel - Law, Politics and Society: China's Social and Economic Landscape from a Legal and Political Perspective - was moderated by Prof. Merit Janow of Columbia University. Panel speakers were Alex Yong Hao, Prof. Xiaobo Li, and Prof. Xu Xin.

The second panel of the day was Global Aspirations, Local Traditions: The Role of Art and Culture in shaping China's Image as a Global Leader, moderated by Carol Rattray, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Zoomdojo. Panel speakers were Angela Zito, Christophe Mao, Jennifer Wen Ma, and Prof. Myron Cohen, Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University.

The event continued with a keynote speech by Dr. Vishakha N. Desai, and was followed by the concluding panel: Investing in China. Panel speakers were Ivy Lindstrom Fredericks, Janet Stites, Jonathan Krane, and Kevin Chen. The moderator was Ritu Banga, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Zoomdojo.

The closing keynote address - Practical Utopias - was by Jill Lerner, Principal, Kohn Pederson Fox; President, American Institute of Architects, New York chapter.

Each panelist and keynote speaker spoke about their wide-ranging and deep experiences with China in their field of expertise and also engaged with the next generation of leaders through an informative Q & A. The day wrapped up with closing remarks from Ritu Banga.

A unique aspect of the conference was four simultaneously held 45 minute long case-studies covering "Social Openness in China" by Sam Zhao, co-founder & editor-in-chief, les+ magazine; "C.C. Wang, collector, connoisseur and painter" by Kathleen Young, author; "Fashion in China" by Suki Sun, co-founder & editor-in-chief of Bomoda ; "The Environmental-related Health Issues in China" by Dr. Deliang Tang, Associate Professor of Clinical Public Health, Columbia University.

Some of the organizations represented by attendees were: Anji Capital Management, Asian Cultural Council, Asia Society, Bomoda, Chamber Fine Arts, China Business Knowledge, China Institute, City Year, India-America Chamber of Commerce, Harvest Krane, NYSCI, les+ magazine, LittleMeat, Jun He Law Office, Kohn Pederson Fox, Transnational Capital Corp., and Zoomdojo.

Some of the colleges represented by attendees were: Barnard, Chinese University in Hong Kong, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dickinson College, New York University, Parsons - the New School for Design,  Smith College, State University of New York - Stony Brook, and University of South Carolina.

Zoomdojo is a start-up job search and career advisory resource primarily for college students, recent graduates, young professionals and veterans. Our mission is to help job seekers find relevant job openings. Access for all to success is the underlying principle that drives us. Zoomdojo comprises a website with a robust and relevant online job search and advisory content; and an in-person advisory service available to partnership groups and subscriber organizations. Zoomdojo was co-founded by Ritu Banga and Carol Rattray.
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