Coupling national geo-political economic strategies and the Belt and Road Initiative: The China-Belarus Great Stone Industrial Park

The joint development by Belarus and China of the Great Stone Industrial Park (GSIP) is designed to establish a high-tech industrial zone and an eco-friendly satellite city of Minsk as a key node on the Eurasian Land Bridge linking China with the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. The development and organization of the GSIP are explained in the light of a coupling of the strategic goals of the two countries in the context of a new Chinese model of external engagement called an emergent geo-political economic culture. These goals include Belarus' desire to reduce its dependence on Russian gas and oil, upgrade and diversify its economy, strengthen its integration with Eurasia and find new partners, by attracting Chinese and other foreign direct investment in the context of China's Going Out and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). An analysis of the roles of national leaders Aliaksandr Lukashenka and Xi Jinping and of different stakeholders in the predominantly top-down design, development and governance of the park reveals the way in which a BRI cooperation platform permits the coupling of Chinese and Belarusian interests and strategies in ways through which each side expects to benefit.     

Unsettled peace? The territorial politics of roadbuilding in post-war Sri Lanka

This paper analyses the role of roadbuilding as a process of state territorialisation in post-war Sri Lanka. In the aftermath of a brutal civil war (1983–2009), and in lieu of a broader peace and reconciliation process between Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities, road infrastructure has been promoted by the state as essential to the region's recovery and nation's sovereignty. Roads were to bring national unity and political integration. We interrogate such claims, drawing on fieldwork conducted in Jaffna and neighbouring areas to cast doubt on the prospects of new roads to ameliorate ethnic tensions. Rather, as militarised security discourses and policies continue to dominate the Sri Lankan public sphere, such schemes can be understood as part of broader Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist project to consolidate territorial control in restive parts of the country. Our research suggests that, rather than facilitating rehabilitation and recovery, road networks mirror pre-existing fault lines and entrench the privileged position of the military in Sri Lankan society. Such shifts do little to avail persistent minority sentiments of political marginalisation, aggravating social fractures and re-constituting the hegemony of Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism.     

Is a pixel worth 1000 words? Critical remote sensing and China's Belt and Road Initiative

As a novel means of researching China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this article advances a critical remote sensing agenda that connects the view from above provided by satellite imagery with the grounded, qualitative methodologies more typical of political geography such as ethnographic fieldwork. Satellite imagery is widely used to produce empirics relating to the BRI, and the Chinese state is showing increasing interest in applying Earth observation data to governance. A more critical approach attentive to the politics of remote sensing, especially in light of China's emergence as a space and satellite power and its embrace of big data, is needed to more precisely reveal what changing pixels represent on the ground and expose the potential issues with data captured from high above the planet. This paper offers three theoretical and methodological objectives for critical remote sensing. First, I reflect on the geopolitics involved in the production and analysis of satellite imagery. Second, through analysis of night light imagery, which captures illuminated anthropogenic activities, I interrogate metanarratives of development. Third, I engage with qualitative methods by “ground-truthing” remote sensing with ethnographic observations along China's borders. I also seek to avoid the methodological nationalism often present in remote sensing research by situating these mixed-methods case studies at scales above and below the nation-state. As one of the largest development interventions in history materializes, pursuing critical remote sensing can create opportunities for social scientists to leverage quantitative and geospatial methods in support of more equitable and sustainable futures.     

汉帝国交通地理的“直单于庭”方向

秦汉交通地理语汇"直",言方向正对,路径捷便。在特定的语境中又往往指正南正北方向。汉帝国交通地理的"直单于庭"方向,既直接关系军事交通格局,也与经济交通形势有密切关系。这一方向,与起点于九原即五原的秦始皇直道大致对应。秦始皇直道"直"的意义,因此得到准确理解的条件。汉帝国北上"直单于庭"方向的经济交往的作用,在讨论丝绸之路史的学术主题中有值得重视的意义。《史记》说"单于之庭直代、云中",由"代"而"云中",体现西汉初期与西汉中期的历史变化。有学者注意到卫青、霍去病北击匈奴"出定襄""遇单于"的明确的历史记录,以为"定襄""直单于庭"。就"直单于庭"方向而言,空间位置居于五原郡与云中郡之间的现今内蒙古包头土默特右旗地方,可以说具有坐标性的意义。其交通史的作用,在后世依然长期发挥,因而形成有久远影响的历史记忆。     

清至民国西宁至拉萨道路(青海段)分布格局的变迁——基于古旧地图及数字化的分析

西宁至拉萨道路是青海地区交通网中的主线,近代西宁至拉萨道路(青海段)分布格局的变迁代表了青海地区历史时期道路分布格局变迁的一般规律。基于中国国家图书馆所藏1935年《青海省三十万分一图》的数字化成果,结合其他时期的资料可复原出清初至1954年近三百年青海地区西宁至拉萨道路分布格局的变迁过程。驿站制度裁撤导致的清代官道系统崩溃,新式交通工具带来的新交通体系和民国时期青海地区的开发活动是近代青海地区道路分布格局变迁的三大驱动力。清至民国西宁至拉萨道路(青海段)分布格局的变迁,表现出历史时期复杂地形条件下道路分布格局易受多变的人文要素影响的特点。基于丰富实测地图资料的近代道路复原是准确复原古代道路的基础。     

Gender,Perceptions of Safety and Strategic Responses among Ohio University Students

Research on perceptions of safety in public spaces must seek a balance between paying careful attention to the effects of gender, while challenging simplistic notions of a dichotomy of fearful women and fearless men. In a study of perceptions of safety among undergraduate students at the Ohio State University, this principle was addressed by decentering fear as the object of study and focusing instead on the various strategies that women and men use to manage their perceptions of safety—including avoidance of certain situations (for example, being in specific places, or going outside after dark), precautionary measures, and assertions of confidence. Questionnaire responses and follow-up interviews indicated that most students usually felt safe on campus; however, women were more likely than men to have felt unsafe. Students used a wide range of strategies to make themselves feel safer, from staying home after dark to formulating plans for self-defense to telling themselves they had nothing to fear. While a focus on strategic responses illuminated areas of overlap in men's and women's experiences, gender differences were also striking. Men are unlikely to rely on avoidance strategies, while some women view self-imposed restrictions on activity as normal and necessary. Furthermore, many men are unwilling or unable to relate to questions about fear and safety, explicitly or implicitly reinscribing fear as a ‘women's issue’.     

萨珊波斯帝国在拜占廷金币传入过程中的影响

地处东西两大文明交汇点的萨珊波斯帝国,不仅本身创造出灿烂辉煌的文明,也为东西商贸文化交流做出了巨大的贡献。本文以中国出现之拜占廷金币及其仿制品为线索,考察萨珊波斯帝国在罗马帝国（及拜占廷帝国）与东方之间的联系作用,证明它在拜占廷金币向东传播、流向中国的过程中有着非常重要的影响,是古代东西经济文化交流的重要媒介之一。     

丝绸之路与麦积山石窟

麦积山石窟是中国六大石窟中修建较早的具中国化特色的一座石窟。本文将这一石窟放在中国佛教文化传播的大背景上 ,探讨了它的建窟时间、艺术特色及历史作用     

秦代谪戍岭南商人对中原商业经济意识的传播

秦始皇在南征岭南的过程中,化大量的战国高人和战国商人子孙作为“七科谪“的对象,谪戍至商品经济极度落后的岭南地区;这些商人的到来,不仅使得岭南出现了商人这一新的社会阶层,出现了商业经济的突飞猛进局面;而且也通过他们的商业活动,把中原地区自春秋、战国以来积淀下来的先进的商业经济意识借助岭南“陆事寡而水事众”和“以舟辑为食”的优势,得以在海内外发扬光大,并直接促进了汉初“海上丝绸之路”的萌芽和发展。     

葱岭奇道行

我国古书把从新疆喀什到巴基斯坦拉瓦尔品第这段长一千余公里的“丝绸古道”称为“葱岭奇道”。昔日的葱岭奇道地势高陡 ,道路险峻 ,令人望而生畏。如今的奇道处处名胜 ,车来人往 ,变成了我国高原人民致富的康庄大道和中外人民友好往来的桥梁