text:
Mark Kitto and family; Photo: Eric Leleu
Death and taxes. You know how the saying goes. I'd like to add a third certainty: you'll never become Chinese, no matter how hard you try, or want to, or think you ought to. I wanted to be Chinese, once. I don't mean I wanted to wear a silk jacket and cotton slippers, or a Mao suit and cap and dye my hair black and proclaim that blowing your nose in a handkerchief is disgusting. I wanted China to be the place where I made a career and lived my life. For the past 16 years it has been precisely that. But now I will be leaving.
I won't be rushing back either. I have fallen out of love, woken from my China Dream. "But China is an economic miracle: record number of people lifted out of poverty in record time… year on year ten per cent growth… exports… imports… infrastructure… investment…saved the world during the 2008 financial crisis…" The superlatives roll on. We all know them, roughly.
Don't you think, with all the growth and infrastructure, the material wealth, let alone saving the world like some kind of financial whizz James Bond, that China would be a happier and healthier country? At least better than the country emerging from decades of stultifying state control that I met and fell in love with in 1986 when I first came here as a student? I don't think it is.
When I arrived in Beijing for the second year of my Chinese degree course, from London University's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), China was communist. Compared to the west, it was backward. There were few cars on the streets, thousands of bicycles, scant streetlights, and countless donkey carts that moved at the ideal speed for students to clamber on board for a ride back to our dormitories. My "responsible teacher" (a cross between a housemistress and a parole officer) was a fearsome former Red Guard nicknamed Dragon Hou. The basic necessities of daily life: food, drink, clothes and a bicycle, cost peanuts. We lived like kings—or we would have if there had been anything regal to spend our money on. But there wasn't. One shop, the downtown Friendship Store, sold coffee in tins.
We had the time of our lives, as students do, but it isn't the pranks and adventures I remember most fondly, not from my current viewpoint, the top of a mountain called Moganshan, 100 miles west of Shanghai, where I have lived for the past seven years.
If I had to choose one word to describe China in the mid-1980s it would be optimistic. A free market of sorts was in its early stages. With it came the first inflation China had experienced in 35 years. People were actually excited by that. It was a sign of progress, and a promise of more to come. Underscoring the optimism was a sense of social obligation for which communism was at least in part responsible, generating either the fantasy that one really could be a selfless socialist, or unity in the face of the reality that there was no such thing.
In 1949 Mao had declared from the top of Tiananmen gate in Beijing: "The Chinese people have stood up." In the mid-1980s, at long last, they were learning to walk and talk.
One night in January 1987 I watched them, chanting and singing as they marched along snow-covered streets from the university quarter towards Tiananmen Square. It was the first of many student demonstrations that would lead to the infamous "incident" in June 1989.
One man was largely responsible for the optimism of those heady days: Deng Xiaoping, rightly known as the architect of modern China. Deng made China what it is today. He also ordered the tanks into Beijing in 1989, of course, and there left a legacy that will haunt the Chinese Communist Party to its dying day. That "incident," as the Chinese call it—when they have to, which is seldom since the Party has done such a thorough job of deleting it from public memory—coincided with my final exams. My classmates and I wondered if we had spent four years of our lives learning a language for nothing.
It did not take long for Deng to put his country back on the road he had chosen. He persuaded the world that it would be beneficial to forgive him for the Tiananmen "incident" and engage with China, rather than treating her like a pariah. He also came up with a plan to ensure nothing similar happened again, at least on his watch. The world obliged and the Chinese people took what he offered. Both have benefited financially.
When I returned to China in 1996, to begin the life and career I had long dreamed about, I found the familiar air of optimism, but there was a subtle difference: a distinct whiff of commerce in place of community. The excitement was more like the eager anticipation I felt once I had signed a deal (I began my China career as a metals trader), sure that I was going to bank a profit, rather than the thrill that something truly big was about to happen.
A deal had been struck. Deng had promised the Chinese people material wealth they hadn't known for centuries on the condition that they never again asked for political change. The Party said: "Trust us and everything will be all right."
Twenty years later, everything is not all right.
I must stress that this indictment has nothing to do with the trajectory of my own China career, which went from metal trading to building a multi-million dollar magazine publishing business that was seized by the government in 2004, followed by retreat to this mountain hideaway of Moganshan where my Chinese wife and I have built a small business centred on a coffee shop and three guesthouses, which in turn has given me enough anecdotes and gossip to fill half a page of Prospect every month for several years. That our current business could suffer the same fate as my magazines if the local government decides not to renew our short-term leases (for which we have to beg every three years) does, however, contribute to my decision not to remain in China.
During the course of my magazine business, my state-owned competitor (enemy is more accurate) told me in private that they studied every issue I produced so they could learn from me. They appreciated my contribution to Chinese media. They proceeded to do everything in their power to destroy me. In Moganshan our local government masters send messages of private thanks for my contribution to the resurrection of the village as a tourist destination, but also clearly state that I am an exception to their unwritten rule that foreigners (who originally built the village in the early 1900s) are not welcome back to live in it, and are only allowed to stay for weekends.
But this article is not personal. I want to give you my opinion of the state of China, based on my time living here, in the three biggest cities and one tiny rural community, and explain why I am leaving it.
* * *
Modern day mainland Chinese society is focused on one object: money and the acquisition thereof. The politically correct term in China is "economic benefit." The country and its people, on average, are far wealthier than they were 25 years ago. Traditional family culture, thanks to 60 years of self-serving socialism followed by another 30 of the "one child policy," has become a "me" culture. Except where there is economic benefit to be had, communities do not act together, and when they do it is only to ensure equal financial compensation for the pollution, or the government-sponsored illegal land grab, or the poisoned children. Social status, so important in Chinese culture and more so thanks to those 60 years of communism, is defined by the display of wealth. Cars, apartments, personal jewellery, clothing, pets: all must be new and shiny, and carry a famous foreign brand name. In the small rural village where we live I am not asked about my health or that of my family, I am asked how much money our small business is making, how much our car cost, our dog.
The trouble with money of course, and showing off how much you have, is that you upset the people who have very little. Hence the Party's campaign to promote a "harmonious society," its vast spending on urban and rural beautification projects, and reliance on the sale of "land rights" more than personal taxes.
Once you've purchased the necessary baubles, you'll want to invest the rest somewhere safe, preferably with a decent return—all the more important because one day you will have to pay your own medical bills and pension, besides overseas school and college fees. But there is nowhere to put it except into property or under the mattress. The stock markets are rigged, the banks operate in a way that is non-commercial, and the yuan is still strictly non-convertible. While the privileged, powerful and well-connected transfer their wealth overseas via legally questionable channels, the remainder can only buy yet more apartments or thicker mattresses. The result is the biggest property bubble in history, which when it pops will sound like a thousand firework accidents.
In brief, Chinese property prices have rocketed; owning a home has become unaffordable for the young urban workers; and vast residential developments continue to be built across the country whose units are primarily sold as investments, not homes. If you own a property you are more than likely to own at least three. Many of our friends do. If you don't own a property, you are stuck.
When the bubble pops, or in the remote chance that it deflates gradually, the wealth the Party gave the people will deflate too. The promise will have been broken. And there'll still be the medical bills, pensions and school fees. The people will want their money back, or a say in their future, which amounts to a political voice. If they are denied, they will cease to be harmonious.
Meanwhile, what of the ethnic minorities and the factory workers, the people on whom it is more convenient for the government to dispense overwhelming force rather than largesse? If an outburst of ethnic or labour discontent coincides with the collapse of the property market, and you throw in a scandal like the melamine tainted milk of 2008, or a fatal train crash that shows up massive, high level corruption, as in Wenzhou in 2011, and suddenly the harmonious society is likely to become a chorus of discontent.
How will the Party deal with that? How will it lead?
Unfortunately it has forgotten. The government is so scared of the people it prefers not to lead them.
In rural China, village level decisions that require higher authorisation are passed up the chain of command, sometimes all the way to Beijing, and returned with the note attached: "You decide." The Party only steps to the fore where its power or personal wealth is under direct threat. The country is ruled from behind closed doors, a building without an address or a telephone number. The people in that building do not allow the leaders they appoint to actually lead. Witness Grandpa Wen, the nickname for the current, soon to be outgoing, prime minister. He is either a puppet and a clever bluff, or a man who genuinely wants to do the right thing. His proposals for reform (aired in a 2010 interview on CNN, censored within China) are good, but he will never be able to enact them, and he knows it.
To rise to the top you must be grey, with no strong views or ideas. Leadership contenders might think, and here I hypothesise, that once they are in position they can show their "true colours." Too late they realise that will never be possible. As a publisher I used to deal with officials who listened to the people in one of the wings of that building. They always spoke as if there was a monster in the next room, one that cannot be named. It was "them" or "our leaders." Once or twice they called it the "China Publishing Group." No such thing exists. I searched hard for it. It is a chimera.
In that building are the people who, according to pundits, will be in charge of what they call the Chinese Century. "China is the next superpower," we're told. "Accept it. Deal with it." How do you deal with a faceless leader, who when called upon to adjudicate in an international dispute sends the message: "You decide"?
It is often argued that China led the world once before, so we have nothing to fear. As the Chinese like to say, they only want to "regain their rightful position." While there is no dispute that China was once the major world superpower, there are two fundamental problems with the idea that it should therefore regain that "rightful position."
A key reason China achieved primacy was its size. As it is today, China was, and always will be, big. (China loves "big." "Big" is good. If a Chinese person ever asks you what you think of China, just say "It's big," and they will be delighted.) If you are the biggest, and physical size matters as it did in the days before microchips, you tend to dominate. Once in charge the Chinese sat back and accepted tribute from their suzerain and vassal states, such as Tibet. If trouble was brewing beyond its borders that might threaten the security or interests of China itself, the troublemakers were set against each other or paid off.
The second reason the rightful position idea is misguided is that the world in which China was the superpower did not include the Americas, an enlightened Europe or a modern Africa. The world does not want to live in a Chinese century, just as much of it doesn't like living in an American one. China, politically, culturally and as a society, is inward looking. It does not welcome intruders—unless they happen to be militarily superior and invade from the north, as did two imperial dynasties, the Yuan (1271-1368) and the Qing (1644-1911), who became more Chinese than the Chinese themselves. Moreover, the fates of the Mongols, who became the Yuan, and Manchu, who became the Qing, provide the ultimate deterrent: "Invade us and be consumed from the inside," rather like the movie Alien. All non-Chinese are, to the Chinese, aliens, in a mildly derogatory sense. The polite word is "Outsider." The Chinese are on "The Inside." Like anyone who does not like what is going on outside—the weather, a loud argument, a natural disaster—the Chinese can shut the door on it. Maybe they'll stick up a note: "Knock when you've decided how to deal with it."
Leadership requires empathy, an ability to put yourself in your subordinate's shoes. It also requires decisiveness and a willingness to accept responsibility. Believing themselves to be unique, the Chinese find it almost impossible to empathise. Controlled by people with conflicting interests, China's government struggles to be decisive in domestic issues, let alone foreign ones. Witness the postponement of the leadership handover thanks to the Bo Xilai scandal. And the system is designed to make avoidance of responsibility a prerequisite before any major decision is taken. (I know that sounds crazy. It is meant to. It is true.)
A leader must also offer something more than supremacy. The current "world leader" offers the world the chance to be American and democratic, usually if they want to be, sometimes by force. The British empire offered freedom from slavery and a legal system, amongst other things. The Romans took grain from Egypt and redistributed it across Europe.
A China that leads the world will not offer the chance to be Chinese, because it is impossible to become Chinese. Nor is the Chinese Communist Party entirely averse to condoning slavery. It has encouraged its own people to work like slaves to produce goods for western companies, to earn the foreign currency that has fed its economic boom. (How ironic that the Party manifesto promised to kick the slave-driving foreigners out of China.) And the Party wouldn't know a legal system if you swung the scales of justice under its metaphorical nose. (I was once a plaintiff in the Beijing High Court. I was told, off the record, that I had won my case. While my lawyer was on his way to collect the decision the judge received a telephone call. The decision was reversed.) As for resources extracted from Africa, they go to China.
There is one final reason why the world does not want to be led by China in the 21st century. The Communist Party of China has, from its very inception, encouraged strong anti-foreign sentiment. Fevered nationalism is one of its cornerstones. The Party's propaganda arm created the term "one hundred years of humiliation" to define the period from the Opium Wars to the Liberation, when foreign powers did indeed abuse and coerce a weak imperial Qing government. The second world war is called the War of Resistance Against Japan. To speak ill of China in public, to award a Nobel prize to a Chinese intellectual, or for a public figure to have tea with the Dalai Lama, is to "interfere in China's internal affairs" and "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people." The Chinese are told on a regular basis to feel aggrieved at what foreigners have done to them, and the Party vows to exact vengeance on their behalf.
The alternative scenario to a world dominated by an aggrieved China is hardly less bleak and illustrates how China already dominates the world and its economy. That is the increasing likelihood that there will be upheaval in China within the next few years, sparked by that property crash. When it happens it will be sudden, like all such events. Sun Yat Sen's 1911 revolution began when someone set off a bomb by accident. Some commentators say it will lead to revolution, or a collapse of the state. There are good grounds. Everything the Party does to fix things in the short term only makes matters worse in the long term by setting off property prices again. Take the recent cut in interest rates, which was done to boost domestic consumption, which won't boost itself until the Party sorts out the healthcare system, which it hasn't the money for because it has been invested in American debt, which it can't sell without hurting the dollar, which would raise the value of the yuan and harm exports, which will shut factories and put people out of work and threaten social stability.
I hope the upheaval, when it comes, is peaceful, that the Party does not try to distract people by launching an attack on Taiwan or the Philippines. Whatever form it takes, it will bring to an end China's record-breaking run of economic growth that has supposedly driven the world's economy and today is seen as our only hope of salvation from recession.
* * *
Fear of violent revolution or domestic upheaval, with a significant proportion of that violence sure to be directed at foreigners, is not the main reason I am leaving China, though I shan't deny it is one of them.
Apart from what I hope is a justifiable human desire to be part of a community and no longer be treated as an outsider, to run my own business in a regulated environment and not live in fear of it being taken away from me, and not to concern myself unduly that the air my family breathes and the food we eat is doing us physical harm, there is one overriding reason I must leave China. I want to give my children a decent education.
The domestic Chinese lower education system does not educate. It is a test centre. The curriculum is designed to teach children how to pass them. In rural China, where we have lived for seven years, it is also an elevation system. Success in exams offers a passport to a better life in the big city. Schools do not produce well-rounded, sociable, self-reliant young people with inquiring minds. They produce winners and losers. Winners go on to college or university to take "business studies." Losers go back to the farm or the local factory their parents were hoping they could escape.
There is little if any sport or extracurricular activity. Sporty children are extracted and sent to special schools to learn how to win Olympic gold medals. Musically gifted children are rammed into the conservatories and have all enthusiasm and joy in their talent drilled out of them. (My wife was one of the latter.)
And then there is the propaganda. Our daughter's very first day at school was spent watching a movie called, roughly, "How the Chinese people, under the firm and correct leadership of the Party and with the help of the heroic People's Liberation Army, successfully defeated the Beichuan Earthquake." Moral guidance is provided by mythical heroes from communist China's recent past, such as Lei Feng, the selfless soldier who achieved more in his short lifetime than humanly possible, and managed to write it all down in a diary that was miraculously "discovered" on his death.
The pressure makes children sick. I speak from personal experience. To score under 95 per cent is considered failure. Bad performance is punished. Homework, which consists mostly of practice test papers, takes up at least one day of every weekend. Many children go to school to do it in the classroom. I have seen them trooping in at 6am on Sundays. In the holidays they attend special schools for extra tuition, and must do their own school's homework for at least a couple of hours every day to complete it before term starts again. Many of my local friends abhor the system as much as I do, but they have no choice. I do. I am lucky.
An option is to move back to a major Chinese city and send our children to an expensive international school—none of which offer boarding—but I would be worried about pollution, and have to get a proper job, most likely something to do with foreign business to China, which my conscience would find hard.
I pity the youth of China that cannot attend the international schools in the cities (which have to set limits on how many Chinese children they accept) and whose parents cannot afford to send them to school overseas, or do not have access to the special schools for the Party privileged. China does not nurture and educate its youth in a way that will allow them to become the leaders, inventors and innovators of tomorrow, but that is the intention. The Party does not want free thinkers who can solve its problems. It still believes it can solve them itself, if it ever admits it has a problem in the first place. The only one it openly acknowledges, ironically, is its corruption. To deny that would be impossible.
The Party does include millions of enlightened officials who understand that something must be done to avert a crisis. I have met some of them. If China is to avoid upheaval then it is up to them to change the Party from within, but they face a long uphill struggle, and time is short.
I have also encountered hundreds of well-rounded, wise Chinese people with a modern world view, people who could, and would willingly, help their motherland face the issues that are growing into state-shaking problems. It is unlikely they will be given the chance. I fear for some of them who might ask for it, just as my classmates and I feared for our Chinese friends while we took our final exams at SOAS in 1989.
I read about Ai Weiwei, Chen Guangchen and Liu Xiaobo on Weibo, the closely monitored Chinese equivalent of Twitter and Facebook, where a post only has to be up for a few minutes to go viral. My wife had never heard of them until she started using the site. The censors will never completely master it. (The day my wife began reading Weibo was also the day she told me she had overcome her concerns about leaving China for the UK.) There are tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of mainland Chinese who "follow" such people too, and there must be countless more like them in person, trying in their small way to make China a better place. One day they will prevail. That'll be a good time to become Chinese. It might even be possible.
Why I'm sticking with China: Marjorie Perry offers a contrary view of China in her response to Kitto's piece
Criticising China: In a follow-up to this article, Mark Kitto discusses the reactions it elicited
Chairman who?: Most Chinese are indifferent to their new leaders, says Gabriel Corsetti
China's new intelligentsia: Despite the global interest in the rise of China, no one is paying much attention to its ideas and who produces them. Yet China has a surprisingly lively intellectual class whose ideas may prove a serious challenge to western liberal hegemony, says Mark Leonard
The Key to China: To grasp the new spirit of this country, Julia Lovell recommends this fresh, contrarian short fiction
China: at war with its history: The Chinese leadership refused to commemorate the centenary of the overthrow of the last imperial dynasty. Obsessed with survival, will it allow challenges to its version of the past? Isabel Hilton reports
June 11, 2013
"Nationalism is the measles of civilization.'" Einstein
June 11, 2013
China must have a very severe case of measles then.
July 31, 2013
Greet Big Ballz
Sounds like you have measles too …. but you don't know it yet.
November 3, 2013
Oh, and what about you, sir? Since you seem to be such an expert on judging other people based solely on a single comment on an Internet forum.
June 15, 2013
laowai is a laowai is a laowai – you'll always be an outsider.
June 15, 2013
It would be great if you could actually read the article without all the Prospect stuff on the left covering a lot of the article.
June 15, 2013
Jimmy Li
Out of so many topics Kitto has mentioned in his long article which would lead to endless arguments, Education in China is something much clearer, I would say. It is not education at all out there in China. It is a production line of winner and loser. The worst is it is a brain-washed factory where most of the common values for human being are twisted or even up-side down. The Party has even destroyed totally the traditional Chinese cultures. The result is that Chinese from China-mainland do not behave like those people from Hongkong Taiwan who have maintained the Chinese tradition. Run away from China, simply because out there the air, the water, the food are polluted. The root reason for all these pollution is the heart of the people who are totally twisted by The Party who ruled the country and has shown to the people how to be bad to gain benefits! This is what a person with normal senses would say and do, regardless his or her nationality !
June 17, 2013
agree. that is why majority of HK ppls are fighting so hard against Chinese PRC influence and why we hate Mainlanders so much.
I am born in HK during colonial days.
June 16, 2013
Good Riddance.
June 16, 2013
He considers himself an 'expert' on China, writing numerous articles… but seems to be bitter that he failed to grasp the reality that is China……
So chalk up another foreigner who failed to negotiate the China 'learning curve' .
who thinks because they have mastered the ability say 'Ni Hao' China somehow owes them a living…..
June 17, 2013
Since you seem to special insight, what contribution can you make to the conversation other than "…the reality that is China..". Impressive phrase, but absolutely no value! Content man – focus on content!
What does this mean? Can you elaborate or illustrate with one or two examples that clarify the "reality that is China" with respect to the topics presented in the original article, or with respect to something else that has been posted here, or have you already blown your "intellectual load"?
Do not waste your time posting weak minded trite garbage, since it only proves the world is filled with morons.
June 16, 2013
Henry Law
Generally Agree. But few points I want to make:
1. The problem in today's world is that nowhere is actually good enough to live in. I fully agree what the author says, it is not much better here in Hong Kong, being totally overrun by mainland Chinese happily buying up and skyrocket prices of things from basic everyday needs to real estate all because of the CCP-generated troubles, while at the same time they see Hong Kong as an ideological rival and an anti-China bridgehead for having institutions that made Hong Kong unique.
2. Sadly however, I don't seem to see expatriates relocating back to Europe or the United States as a good choice either, with enormous debts hanging over them that could descend their economies into another wave potential financial crisis at unseen magnitude when no one trusts the USD/Euro anymore. (unless you're a lucky Canadian/Australian) The deeper problem the West is facing, is the social contract not just between classes, but through generations across the West has been breached seriously – a rightward shift is beginning among people at my age as I observe (1-2 years after being fresh uni graduates), quite many are upset of how their irresponsible seniors are leaving them huge debts for them to pay off, and if those old naïve liberals still don't say goodbye to their radical visions, voices that are still not taken seriously would just make young people ever more of radical rights. God bless if 20th century history repeats.
3. We should not simply think that Western (or should I say universal) values can never be fitted in mainland China, whether people say it for easily restoring Western predominance or whatever reasons. It is the institutions that matter the most, if deep cultural traits did, then West Germany and East Germany should had stayed the same economically and socially during the Cold War. If Communism was an idea newer than universal suffrage could yield more successfully in most parts of the world (at least for a period), why not universal suffrage itself? Taiwan is already a full blown democracy. Elections still look childish to me time to time. People on the mainland can certainly shout Taiwan is 'fake democracy', but it is improving and maturing fast.
4. Nor did the Western world had much more optimism less than one or two centuries ago, take a read of Charles Dickens' 'Bleak House'. Even by 1920′s, publications could still be banned in England, another example includes 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' by DH Lawrence. Democracy, free speech, human rights, private property rights and other freedoms that are fundamental in addressing problems in China today are luxuries people in the West and parts of Asia are entitled to, but those could only be achieved by having a more effective legal establishment, something the West has always had an edge over China at any point in modern time, also something that Hong Kongers must stand for if it is to remain civil and superior in institutional terms.
June 16, 2013
Your children will be Chinese
Its true that you will never be Chinese no matter how hard you tried. But your children will be Chinese forever. Their tiger mom will make sure they will get to OxCam and practice enough calligraphy. Their Chinese heritage will dominate their life for generations to come.
October 13, 2013
Ah, the hubris of the Chinese.
June 16, 2013
There's a Russian saying "People deserve their government".
June 17, 2013
Lee Deforest
Eric, I've heard that insightful saying before. I'm curious on your take on what aspects of Chinese history has transpired the current governance… for example is it reflective of issues pertaining to unification, intellectualism, or ironically a social conscience?
June 17, 2013
Lee Deforest
You'll never be Chinese ironically elicits a "me culture" perspective… government response to cyclone Katrina shows that African Americans after so many generations are not equal… and they were enslaved by the Caucasian which is a very different history to the British Opium Wars and Japanese invasion. Seriously with the British Government paying in contraband, and Japanese Unit 731 torturing millions of Chinese… I am mortified at the empathy demanded but hypocritical complete lack of empathy demonstrated by this entrepreneur – a very poor ambassador indeed
The criticisms of China are insightful but very unbalanced… as the GFC elicits the Western democratic model is financially unstable, across all democracies, and 1% of the population own 50% of the wealth… democratic triumph is best elicited in the USA has more homeless, more homicides, and less health care than you possibly image
The primary ingredient of any social system is integrity; the Aussies have moaned infrastructure development of a new country hampered economic development (unlike Greece), the Aussies have moaned trade distances and isolation hampered economic development (unlike Greece), the Aussies have moaned modest tourism (unlike Greece) but the quality of life consequent to low corruption made it a paradise… in view of the quasi-slavery wealth distribution in democracies I think the intelligentsia of China provides the world with best hope for a more equitable society
June 17, 2013
Quote: "Globally legal justice is a government weapon for social obedience… elusive justice for civilians was elicited in Australia recently when Jill Meagher was murdered by a guy with 16 counts of violent rape… can you believe it, he was on parole!:
Is what happened in the Jill Meagher case an example of how government wields justice as a weapon for social obedience? If yes, can you elaborate on the cause and effect nature of the weapon and its specific use in this case?
I want to learn from you, since you seem to have an understanding that goes beyond the obvious, which I do not get at this point. I am open minded, so please elaborate with more detail, so we can as a community gain from your insight.
June 17, 2013
Lee Deforest
TO ALL – My apologies for lack of clarity
What happened to Jill Meagher elicits the extreme difference in the law regarding the government as opposed to individuals: apart from the proliferation of laws to generate revenue also be sure that owing the government money will result in $100 sheriff property confiscation in weeks… however $100,000 civil case is uneconomic and will take years and be unenforceable, and crimes against individuals are routinely trivialized with repeat offenders routinely put on good behavior bonds to repeat, and repeat, and repeat… this elicits the truth that in practice the laws serve the government and not the people
June 17, 2013
"government response to cyclone Katrina shows that African Americans after so many generations are not equal"
You have to be one of the most ill-informed or most ignorant people I have heard speak about Hurricane Katrina. You read 1 or 2 sino-centric articles and then you come out with your charade of lambasted blather to defend your own idea that Chinese are somehow not racist.
You have never probably stepped foot in America, nor have you probably ever spoken to someone from the ghettos of Louisiana. You probably consider it beneath your level to speak to people of lower socio-economic background, but hey, you're not a racist.
June 17, 2013
"and 1% of the population own 50% of the wealth"
Where do you get this idea from ? Where do you draw your metrics from my friend?
You must stop using CPC.org to find your data. It is no where near that concentrated in the US. It is not like China where it is common for the upper echelons of the CPC party to have 100s of millions or billions of dollars.
That is why Xi banned Bloomberg in your country, because of the damage it would have done to your party's image. In fact, the wealth in China is far more concentrated in terms of what the top 1% have versus the relative increase in wealth of the rest. Some politicians in America have profited from insider knowledge, but not to the degree your princelings and and tyrannistic dragons at the top. We call it the revolving door, but China has perfected the art of mercantilism and nepotism to the 'T'.
June 17, 2013
Lee Deforest
I disagree about what you say about the integrity of Western democracies,,, the constitution specifies gainful employment but the degree gainful has been seriously undermined as evident with wealth distribution. The plethora of pathologically indebted democracies is further testament to the systemic failure. Presuming the moral high ground is delusional: refer http://www.cnbc.com/id/100820239 (today) and
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100819296 (today) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_9/11#Plot and http://www.cnbc.com/id/100783877
I agree about what you say about wealth distribution in China, however my point being that the scoreboard shows that whilst the USA government has allowed indebtedness to grow to 100% of GDP the government of China has brought prosperity to its people. There are countless retorts at your disposal but they will pale into significance when financial realities are reconciled.
More damning is the push for globalization of trade by capitalist countries by Western countries: each company that offshores jobs may increase profitability for shareholders but collectively over the last 30 years has transferred wealth offshore resulting in the decimation of the middle class, consequent subprime crisis, and quasi-slavery wealth distribution – the wealthy in business and government have both profited greatly.
Most importantly: clearly the current path of democracies is oblivion. Being challenged by China, and bloggers, may incite democracies like the USA to act in the interest of the citizens instead of the rich. Preventing further offshoring of jobs will provide growth in government revenue, tax reform for Apple and the rich, produce government surpluses, or… else
You will note my cited sources of information are Western web sites, not cpc.org as you suggest.
June 18, 2013
Lee Deforest
"Your point regarding the IRS elicit the belated recognition of the problem of government debt rather than negation of bigotry or egoism. Thank you for the crime statistics showing disproportionate incidence by ethnicity as it collaborates my both my assertion of inequality and the Western quality of life for the less affluent. The British once intentionally made life for the commoner untenable financially so that they could create convicts for export to Australia – heartless social engineering, just as your statistics prove that after so many generations opportunities remain very unequal."
Thank you for showing me your assumptions and committing a post hoc ergo propter hoc logical fallacy.
First, on your view about the IRS. The groups the IRS were targeting are already tax-exempt 501c3 organizations. If it is a problem of government debt, why are they scrutinizing organizations that do not have to pay taxes anyways? The groups the DOJ was targeting were also conservative. I wonder why in the same breath we find that not only the IRS is targeting a non-profit 501c political opponents that do not have to pay taxes, but also the DOJ, headed by Eric Holder (who is black), appointed by Obama (who is also black), is targeting conservative reporters and hacking their private email and phone data. On a sidenote I am not saying it is motivated by race, because the largest voting block for Barack Obama of course is white. If we are so unequal and unfair, how is this possible that a majority of whites vote for Obama? I know this may not seem like big news to you, because it is commonplace on the mainland to be hacked, monitored, and watched, but freedom of the press is the first constitutional amendment for a reason. Without it, we could turn into a tyrannistic PRC that is immensely afraid of every Tiananmen Square event that threatens to reform the power structure. I also want to ask you by the way; if blacks are just so exploited, then why can they rise to the top of our nation and hold the most powerful office in the land? Why can they get elected to the Supreme Court? You seem to be holding on to your anachronistic 19th century view of America. I wonder if a Uyghur or a Tibetan Monk could ever attain General Secretary of the CPC?
On crime:
I think we should examine our assumptions a little more than assuming that crime happens as a result of being financially less affluent. Did you try comparing crime statistics of the less affluent whites to the less affluent blacks?
Also, remember what I told you how our less affluent are much wealthier than the poor in other countries (yes, even mainland China)? See Heritage Foundation on what the poor in America live like (poor as defined by the government)
99.6% of poor in America have a refrigerator
97.7% of poor in America have a television
97.7% have a stove and oven
81% have a microwave
78% have air conditioning
62% have clothes washer
63% have cable or satellite television
65% have at least 1 DVD player
55% have a cell phone
40% have a personal computer
30% have internet service
32% have more than 2 televisions
Most of these items are only things the poor in china could dream of. Certainly there are less well off poor in America, but this represents the average poor person who owns significant amenities. My point is that if the average poor in America are living so comfortably, then why is there an overwhelming dichotomy in statistics? It points to some other influences and causes.
Instead, you want to assume that what causes crime such as crime not related to financial matters, like murder, rape, and assault is caused by their financial circumstances. This is probably the most significant post hoc ergo propter hoc committed. You do not examine what causes crime, considering that culture, moral values and beliefs being the largest factor of influence in how and why crime, especially violent crime like rape and murder is committed. It is hard to understand the difference here unless one is to experience what the different cultures are like, what morals they teach, and how the government treats them as a victim, further giving them reasons to commit reverse discrimination, which of course is an untenable position.
I also don't accept your premise on Britain's motives for sending convicts to Australia. Again, that is a complex and dynamic mile deep topic that can not simply be brushed over. You are assuming so much in that one line argument that they purposefully created an environment to exploit the commoner. You are again committing post hoc ergo propter hoc by assuming crime is caused by financial situation and not cultural influence or a million other factors.
"My example was to convey the moral destitution of the system as a whole, not to focus on the bigotries of ethnicity and political persuasion. Once again I return to my primary point where integrity."
But your example is flawed. I gave you evidence showing you that it is a result of government bureaucracy and inefficiency and showed you how Walmart (as well as other private companies not mentioned) was the first company on the scene to help out victims, giving food supplies, water, medical care, all for free. You assumed that the government's motive was that the majority of people in New Orleans who did not flee from the hurricane were black and thus that was their reason for not helping.
My argument is that we don't need government to send supplies or help out. The private sector already does it much more efficiently without wasting time or resources as in the Hurricane Katrina event, which was used for political exploit rather than what really happened. What about the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake and how your local government officials profited handsomely from cheap construction materials which ended up crumbling and killing about 70,000 people because they were not built to specs? Must I bring up the 1989 Tiananmen Square protesters, which 1000s (your government only admits to 100s) of Chinese demonstrators were killed? Show me the morality in the sort of system that allows for this.
"Also thank you for the point about Christians and governments wanting to garner more power as this too collaborates my point."
That is a miscomprehension what I said. I never said Christians are trying to garner more power. I said Christians are persecuted unfairly in both China and the US (moreso in China, because the CPC fears they could lose their power, by China moving to a more equitable, freer society, not by Christians trying to take power of the government). This is the exact reason the 3Self Patriotic Movement church in China is compromised by the communist party. There are asinine and strict rules for the church to adhere to which strip away the true intentions of what Jesus wants us to do here on earth. The 3self church is barred from preaching to people in public, barred from preaching to soldiers or CPC members, barred from feeding the poor and homeless, barred from receiving donations (which is a critical part of any church), barred from teaching certain doctrinal truths, and the list goes on and on.
During the cultural revolution chinese christians were beaten, killed, put to work in slave labor camps and jailed for not denying their belief in Jesus. Even today, christians are still persecuted and imprisoned in China for merely their belief and attempting to spread the world of the Good News. The absolute worse place to be a Christian is actually not the Middle East, but North Korea, which used to be a largely Christian country before Japan annexed it. This is where currently the worse atrocities are committed to Christians, but if you want to know something sadistic about my country, it is that they would never report it in the liberal left mainstream media, because they are out to destroy what America stands for and its Christian heritage.
"And slavery?… with about 50% of the wealth owned by 1% it would be more like 70% if the money wasn't expended on consumption of leer jets etc. These is much to learn about democracy from Greece, the origin of the concept… Greece is awash with money, but the government and its people are destitute…democracy has decayed into quasi-slavery"
I am not sure why you think wealth concentration is exclusive of the West. You fail to realize the immense disparity in China's mainland among the top 1% of China, which there are no reliable figures posted for because much of it is hidden in offshore bank accounts and not released publicly. However, the eastern provinces of China as compared to the western provinces where poor geographical conditions and
the lack of basic infrastructure have kept it mainly agricultural and grossly underdeveloped. China Daily has cited statistics by of the Gini coefficient which measures income disparity at shockingly high levels in China. The latest reading found from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in the Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu was .61. That estimate would put China near South Africa, which has the highest income inequality in the world.
By the way, America is not a democracy, neither was Solon's Greece. The highest ideal is the Republic, formulated by a Constitution which recognizes the universal rights of all humans.
July 31, 2013
I've looked through your posts – you roll-out different ideas and factoids so fast that the meaning is frequently lost. The reader should not have to ask, at the end of half the sentences, "what does this mean?" Stop being wordy and get to the point – it will reduce the pain of reading your posts.
There is power in concisely written ideas. If you are Chinese, you are granted a special exception to this rule – you will not be expected to put your thoughts into tightly worded direct sentences, since this is counter to the Chinese norm.
A tip: write a topic sentence and support that sentence in a well developed (and logical )paragraph that builds clearly to the topic.
I know, I know – you must be pissed! Hold your rage and ask yourself these questions: Can I write with more clarity? Can I get to point more effectively?
You obviously have a lots of ideas, which is outstanding, but they are getting lost in the verbosity of your posts. Let's work on writing well, so that we may be understood, otherwise it is simply masturbation via keyboard.
I doubt anyone reading these posts cares whether you went to Oxford or Harvard, so stop adding superfluous filler. Extreme care needs to be used with language to make it work; if one doesn't have the language gift it's obvious… and yes, it is obvious.
What does not work is stringing together large numbers of adjectives using a self-important tone. This is schoolboy "self-relief". I will venture a guess; you are a fresh grad student who has an academic command of English and enjoys posting contrarian fluff. You do not reason thoughts convincingly and there is absolutely no conveyed sense of conviction in what you write – get with the program – that's an order!
Also, never ever ever ever cite wikipedia – it screams "I don't know what I'm talking about". If you use it as a source, keep it to yourself, otherwise, you undermine your credibility with every new citation.
June 17, 2013
Steven Ng
China is not suitable for ordinary citizens to live in. Posionous air, food, serious moral crisys. Lay an embargo on free speech, no people right. what's the chinese dream?
As a chinese, I give you answer: NIGHTMARE
June 17, 2013
I am a native Chinese,and my english is not good,but i hope you can understand.
first, i understand how hard for Mr.Kitto to have been through these years in China, because the same with all the Chinese did. We dont live as good as you can imagine we are so that we would claim more for political demand. Life is so hard in China,that is what the Party exactly wanted so that you have to earn your living instead of asking for political demands.
2nd, i have to admit Chinese elites have a non-saying pride that is we dont need to believe in God or anything about God's, of cause the universalism with God. God is conflict to our culture.
3rd, Chinese are good at obey. i am not saying that we are servilism,not exactly. China has so many people, fiercely individual competition,we must protect ourselves under the circumstance without any law can protect us. Because we always believe that law would not punish people or crowd. So we follow but never be unique.You may say we are slaves, if you say so,we are and always will be without law protecting.
June 17, 2013
Lee Deforest
Globally legal justice is a government weapon for social obedience… elusive justice for civilians was elicited in Australia recently when Jill Meagher was murdered by a guy with 16 counts of violent rape… can you believe it, he was on parole!
June 17, 2013
Thanks for your comments – you actually give rational reasons that you believe underlie behavior, which is refreshing.
June 17, 2013
Jackson; instead of saying non saying say tacit. Yours English is very good.
Chinese police will punish the crowd. Like in Tiannamen Square.
June 17, 2013
Sorry to be a Chinese, I am born to be a Chinese, but not a slave of Marxism. Mark, you must be crazy to try to be a Chinese while almost every rich Chinese wants to get green card from US.
June 17, 2013
Lee Deforest
The point being that racial divides are problematic that can persist for thousands of years so the expectation of not being treated like an outsider is unrealistic. Regarding cyclone Katrina refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_government_response_to_Hurricane_Katrina#Race_as_a_factor_in_the_slow_response
June 17, 2013
Okay, I take your point on the wealth but the fact of the matter is that the whole pie has grown over the last 50 years while in China the top 1% of the pie has grown by stratospheric metrics due to their privileged position in the government or their cozy relationship with the government.
The people who are considered poor in America are vastly wealthier than the poor in other countries. For example there was a precocious article written by the CATO institute about the bottom 10% in terms of wealth and their corresponding ownership of computers, cars, refrigerators, computers, ovens, microwaves, and other various items associated with wealth in the rest of the world.
Versus the princelings and CPC members who have entered the revolving door of politics and business for the last 50 years, capitalism, has benefited them disproportionately than their poor when compared to the rich and poor in OECD countries.
June 18, 2013
Lee Deforest
I have already acknowledged wealth distribution in China, and I also acknowledge the alignment of this wealth with political position, however Rome wasn't built in a day and I responsible governance would not mandate advancement in all aspects of society concurrently… the point being that the scoreboard should show a net gain and this is where all emerging economies consistently outperform Western countries where moral destitution has manifested by economic destitution.
My point focusses not on the last 50 years which include post war prosperity where democracies retained united nationalistic ambitions for growth but rather the last 30 years of egoism where telecommunications and computers have yielded dramatic offshoring of jobs, subsequent exporting of national wealth, and destruction of middle class as evidenced by the subprime crisis.
The GFC elicited the systemic failure of Western democracies – integrity needs to be restored; political reform to ensure representation of the electorate rather than wealthy interest groups by eliminating political donations, transparency of public officials financial dealings, legislative amendment for government debt, tax reform for Apple and the rich. Also the financial model of cost minimization for maximizing corporate profit for social affluence has been broken… offshoring jobs results in social destitution of the government and the people. Labor reforms are urgently required with severe penalties for non-compliance. The accountability model is upside down where the least affluent are held accountable for their actions but the Wall St, the architects and executors of this mess financial gain from it rather than be indicted…what would happen to you if you took just one home from somebody… a very real measure of the moral destitution of the system and the urgency for remediation.
CATO misrepresents wealth by using possessions as a metric: it is incredibly easy to convince people of what they want to believe and near impossible to convince them of what they don't want to believe. The truth is that these possessions are funded by foreign debt and create a delusion of wealth. Moreover focus not on the current wealth but wealth trends from a national perspective…. and that was my original point.
July 31, 2013
Another another lame, self-absorbed and poorly reasoned rant!
Stop beating "your little red book knob" as you pound away at the keyboard thinking you are brilliant – the presentation is awful and manifests a soft head.
June 17, 2013
I agree about the racist tendencies born out of anachronistic worldviews, but my point is that basing one instance of inefficiency by government and assuming that government is an entirely and unquestionably white interface designed to target minorities in America is a false view. In fact, it is the minorities who get the largest benefit from government largess. If you have been reading the news lately you will find how the IRS was used to target and discriminate against conservative political groups and conservative news anchors (which conservatives tend to be predominately white) on their tax returns and their tax audits. Where are the calls for racism here?
If you really want me to delve into the statistics I can show you the disproportionate black on white crime in America that is totally shuttered from the media. Black males are about 6% of the population but they commit the majority of violent crimes and murders on a per capita basis and over 85% of the interracial crimes are committed by blacks.
The reason I caution your link that you cite, is that it references the race baiter, Jesse Jackson, notorious for blowing situations out of proportion while profiting off the misery of his own kind. Katrina is just not that great of an example to use, because it assumes that government is this largely unquestionably white organization, when Christians regardless of race are the biggest targets of government discrimination programs. Government wants people to depend on them so they can garner more power. Katrina was one situation in which they could have garnered more power, but failed to capitalize on. It is more a problem of bureaucracy than racism in government. By the way, private enterprise was doing far more than what government was doing on day 1 after the katrina disaster.
The other issue I want to bring up on the topic of slavery is the thin veneer everyone seems to blindly follow about the last 300 years of slavery (especially in the west). Not only do they forget that the stronger tribes of Africa rounding up weaker tribes for export, but they tend to forget the period in which over 1 million white christians were taken from the Mediterranean by the Barbary Coast pirates and used as slavery.
My point is that although slavery has been ubiquitous, it is not a Western Christian invention, and it took the Western Christians to abolish it, emanating out of those like William Wilberforce's ideals.
The word slave comes from the slavic nation of peoples who were enslaved well before the African nations were largely exploited by Europeans and the US. The slavs are a white indo-European peoples.
But since the last few hundred years is vastly dominated by white on black slavery in the mind's eye of history, the further out atrocities tend to be forgotten and dulled with time.
June 17, 2013
Lee Deforest
I don't remember where I read the OECD, Western, or whatever statistics… however in 2010 for the USA 1% of the citizens owned 37% of the wealth, and this figure rose dramatically with Quantitative Easing where much of the tripling of currency ended up in the hands of the wealthy. Refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_of_wealth#In_the_United_States
Regardless, the point being that in Western economies the erosion of the middle class by the upper class has resulted in quasi-slavery wealth distribution in democracies
June 18, 2013
Lee Deforest
Your point regarding the IRS elicit the belated recognition of the problem of government debt rather than negation of bigotry or egoism. Thank you for the crime statistics showing disproportionate incidence by ethnicity as it collaborates my both my assertion of inequality and the Western quality of life for the less affluent. The British once intentionally made life for the commoner untenable financially so that they could create convicts for export to Australia – heartless social engineering, just as your statistics prove that after so many generations opportunities remain very unequal.
My example was to convey the moral destitution of the system as a whole, not to focus on the bigotries of ethnicity and political persuasion. Once again I return to my primary point where integrity.
Also thank you for the point about Christians and governments wanting to garner more power as this too collaborates my point.
And slavery?… with about 50% of the wealth owned by 1% it would be more like 70% if the money wasn't expended on consumption of leer jets etc. These is much to learn about democracy from Greece, the origin of the concept… Greece is awash with money, but the government and its people are destitute…democracy has decayed into quasi-slavery
Look to activism in Europe as an indication of the urgency of the need for reform – the status quo of democracy is understandably creating grass roots disbelief. And I take my hat off to Bernanke who by tripling currency has maximized economic activity, however it is not creating prosperity as the long-term effect of tripling currency is to cut wages as a share of the economy to one third of the share which is why you see corporate health at the moment. Quantitative Easing however has a diminishing return on investment and the benefits are tapering off regardless of Federal Reserve policy. The American Dream has been extended with the help of the psychotic drugs of debt and QE, but the dream is about to end
June 18, 2013
Lee Deforest
Wealth distribution more pertinently: for wealth of the top 1% net wealth to rapidly accumulate to about 50% means that annually the net income is probably 70% to 80%… their unabated greed is killing the golden goose
June 18, 2013
"And I take my hat off to Bernanke who by tripling currency has maximized economic activity, however it is not creating prosperity as the long-term effect of tripling currency is to cut wages as a share of the economy to one third of the share which is why you see corporate health at the moment. Quantitative Easing however has a diminishing return on investment and the benefits are tapering off regardless of Federal Reserve policy. The American Dream has been extended with the help of the psychotic drugs of debt and QE, but the dream is about to end."
I will respond to your other comments when I have time, but I want to respond to this one first, while incorporating some of the same ideals of what I will be referring to in the other comments that you posted, since they are so similar.
Let's talk quantitative easing. Uncle Ben's intent in tripling the money supply is not to increase prosperity, but to bring stability, which for the most part is has. I don't agree with QE policies, but these are just the current facts. Inflation is nil, the stock market has stabilized with lower than average volatility as measured by the VIX.
The long-term effect of QE is not wage reduction, but dollar weakening, high inflation, and a monetary paradigm shift into real money like Gold and Silver. With high inflation, wages will also increase as well, see Weimar Germany. When the dollar weakens, the yuan will strengthen against the dollar and our currency will be much cheaper in relative terms. Exports will increase dramatically in price and Americans will stop demanding most goods that need to be exported because of the sharp rise in price. The effect of inflation is beneficial to the government because it allows us to pay off fixed rate debt with cheaper dollars in the future.
Don't get me wrong, America will suffer, but it will not suffer nearly as badly as China will. $300 Billion in export to America from China will suddenly vanish, the yuan will rise in value, hurting local manufacturing and the ability for the chinese economy to overcome such vast movements of capital.
The American economy is the most advanced, developed, stable, and flexible economy in the world. There is no such economy that can compare. The low end manufacturing economies like China will suffer the worst in a coming dollar bubble and US government debt bubble pop. High end manufacturing countries like Germany and Japan will suffer because China will no longer demand the high end manufacturing products these countries produce. There will be a large population of China that will migrate from the Eastern cities back into the rural areas of Western areas where they came from. There will also be destructive famines because there is no social safety net in China.
My friend, the US will suffer but China will suffer a severe depression when the dollar devalues, but it will rebound and again take center stage of economic dominance once the current dollar and US government debt bubbles pop. The 4 major bubbles in the last 20 years in the US is real estate, discretionary spending, stocks, and the private debt bubble, which all popped in 2006-2008. These bubbles were really the global multi-bubble economy that helped surge China's and other emerging market economic success stories of today. China also helped to boost resource economies like Brazil, Australia, and Venezuela. These economies will also suffer worse than America in the coming collapse, because commodity demand will taper severely with a shift in consumer demand.
But don't forget, that China itself has been printing in massive quantities too. In the first quarter of 2009, China printed $690 Billion USD equivalent to help inflate its bubble economy. The world central banks have been inflating the money supply to keep these bubbles inflated, not just the US Fed.
Corporate Debt to GDP in China will reach 240% by the end of 2013. The bubble in China is happening all around you. Some of the bubbles have popped in China such as the Chinese Stock market. The largest bubble currently though is definitely the Chinese Real Estate bubble.
There are dozens and dozens of ghost cities in China.
There are over 65 Million homes that are unoccupied in China because of the surge in massive real estate development that the government is dearly trying to prop up. However, the flaw in building so many homes for migrant workers relies on migrant workers earning enough to buy these homes. China's poor can not afford the homes as the average home price in places like beijing is 60-65 times the average annual salary, whereas in place like America's biggest city, average home prices are 3-5 times the average annual salary.
There is more to worry about than China's lackluster stock market that does not reflect sub 8% GDP growth. Rather, all the money printing in China is being shoveled into real estate, and eventually that bubble will pop along with the US dollar bubble, which will have extraordinary consequence for China's economy.
China will experience a severe depression just like the US economy experienced through its economic growth pains.
My suggestion to anyone trying to protect themselves from the coming collapse is to start buying gold and silver at these prices and exit long term bond, stock, and real estate positions that will perform poorly under high inflation.
My point in all of this is that it is not a cause of democracy or capitalism. It is rather a cause of central bank policy. The irrationality of multi-bubble economies after the convertibility of the dollar into Gold was permanently severed in 1971 has created the greatest bubble in the world, the dollar bubble. It will pop, but the consequence will be far worse in resource economies like Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, and economies that focus heavily on either low-end manufacture or high-end manufacturing. The Chinese dream that never was thanks to world government central bank policies. The surge in the chinese economy over the past 20 years was impressive, but going from 10% GDP growth down to a more likely 7% and further down to 3-5% in the coming years will be a major economic roadbumb.
July 23, 2013
All is not well on the Western front, nor on the Eastern front, and an argument as to whether the West is better off than the East seems moot. The pendulum has swung to the East from the West, so we must adjust the view to gain an unbiased perspective. No?
As Deng Xiao-ping has often being quoted as saying, it does not matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. And analogously, it does not matter if the Western system or Eastern system is better, as long as the people become better off.
October 13, 2013
Western Front is better
If the Western front isn't better off why does 4% of the world population (America) have 42% of the world's millionaires?
Seems to me the Western front is better off by miles. In the Eastern front women are beaten in Tibet by Chinese police because they speak out against the system.
Women are forced sterilized and forced to have abortions in rural areas of China. Christians and Falong Gong are imprisoned, raped, beaten, and tortured to death.
There have been over 365 million abortions in China since they started the 1 child policy (this is from your own government figures).
2 PLA Generals have threatened to send nuclear missiles into hundreds of cities in the US.
I believe the mind of your Communist Party overlords is stuck in the 1500s, just where your arab neighbors are.
August 23, 2013
America has her fair share of problems, but we still try our best to keep them out in the open with transparency. Take Snowden for example, we American laobaixing are more than happy to debate the NSA and our issues, there isn't "??????" over here. Just because the common Chinese problem doesn't have the means to know about the problems in their country doesn't mean they don't exist. I can't tell you how many times in Beijing I've smiled off a snide remark about that this summer, while in the same sentence that friend may ask for a copy of my web proxy to get a Facebook account
June 19, 2013
Lee Deforest
Hi Daniel
I seek collaborative sharing of knowledge for mutual benefit, and subsequently prefer to read than to write as it is when I read that I learn.
You have written so much but I gained so little… like I said "it is incredibly easy to convince people of what they want to believe and near impossible to convince them of what they don't want to believe".
The status quo of democracy is unworkable you'd have to be blind not to see that
Also, for your information my lineage is British and Texan… which is why I am so concerned
June 20, 2013
By the way China just printed a 48.3 PMI (prior month 49.1) after a whole quarter of printing massive money into the economy……The bubble is starting to pop. Real Estate is next.
I've told you that China's economy is based on low-end manufacturing and that when the dollar bubble and US gov debt bubble pops it is going to be 10x worse in China than in the US. China is no where near the advanced levels Europe or the US economy are. The US has over $200 Trillion in assets alone, provided by the Fed Z1 report. When the Yuan doubles and triples in value relative to the dollar, it will be absolutely staggering to the Chinese Economy.
What you have been blind to is the fact that it is not democracy that is wrong but the profligacy of governments (especially in Europe) and easy money policies of central banks (which by the way are not a part of a truly free market). To fail to see that China's 1 party system that denies any notion of freedom will crash is asinine.
To ignore the history of all communistic, collectivist, or centrally planned economies is pretty telling. You have jumped on the China bandwagon not realizing that all countries go through depressions and recessions and China hasn't had 1 the last 40 years.
The crash will be severe, it will be far-reaching, and if you don't heed my warnings now, you will be sorry later.
June 19, 2013
Lee Deforest
June 20, 2013
Let me ask you this Lee, and we will see how free you are. Can you open this link?
June 21, 2013
Lee Deforest
Yeah there are problem in China, just as there are everywhere else….
Risk Trend however elicits the final scoreboard
June 21, 2013
Being Chinese and living in China are two different things. Chinese is a culture, there exists a large variety of Chinese. Wanting to leave China means Mark has already become one (major) variant of Chinese.
June 22, 2013
Paul Tsui
"special schools for the Party privileged"? That sounds to me like a thing of the past. The kids of the party privileged may still have a better chance ending up in good schools than the kids of the laborers but those schools are not "for the Party privileged", it seems to me. Rather they are for the real smart kids(through entrance exams), the rich and those in power or with connections who can somehow squeeze their kids in.
June 23, 2013
Robert in Shanghai
I have warned every Chinese I know who owns their properties to sell now, and rent for a few years. That a crash is impending. None will lose face to put themselves or their parents in a rented apartment after already owning. The fear of losing face is more then the fear of losing wealth.
October 9, 2013
Hi Robert, been here since 2001 and funnily when I first arrived, everyone was saying property was a bubble and about to burst. And if you recall in those years, annual increase was like 20-25 %. The one constant has been the cry that property is a bubble, about to burst. I long ago grew weary and personally believe it is sustainable (in recent years increase are much more sustainable 3 – 10 %), along with macro-management (bringing in prop taxes, increasing transaction taxes, capital gains, etc). Remember there are a few hundred million rural residents that will be making their way to the cities over the next 10-20 years….
June 24, 2013
Lee Deforest
The phenomenal success of state capitalism in China has enabled outstanding GDP growth – trauma consequent to structural upheaval and growth pains however are likely to be very severe, taint the "Miracle of China", and cause enormous political stress…
Can democracies overcome the systemic spending-taxing flaw to remain competitive in the face of Chinese reform to eliminate corruption and inefficiencies?
June 24, 2013
Lee Deforest
"One dollar one vote" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/kristof-occupy-the-agenda.html) is a primary contributor to the spending-taxing failing symptom of the failing model of democracy as a viable enduring model of governance
July 2, 2013
He shuqi
Hello, I am a Chinese ordinary university student, I'm sorry we Chinese is not good enough, let you down. But I hope you can give me a chance to speak, thank you.
First of all, as you describe that many phenomena in our country and some of your point of view I agree, from the bottom of my heart is also very admire your keen awareness and critical ability.
But I am not feel shame as I grew up in such a country . On the contrary, I think you narrow-minded, thinking negative, short-sighted.Of course,I think I have my according to, otherwise there is accused of defamation.
Sleeping for hundreds of years the Chinese nation, nowadays, our country each domain development speed. There is no doubt, we explore the development speed and direction control is difficult to manage .Therefore, social problems also is inevitable. People are selfish, of course including you. For my largely populated nation to xplorate our country system, there are some people because of the selfish and corruption is not a surprise. And you said you love China, but in addition to its high demand, require it to give you easy and comfortable material life, spiritual essence of drawing and enjoy, but that life be compelled helpless, if you had already left a sore back to China? Did you give her a little understanding, let alone together with our Chinese side by side, common to search better. In exhaust at judging our at the same time reflect on whether do you also have? Love or not, no one try so hard, but please don't in your love tired, or found themselves expect too much, just turned around and stormed out, also hurt the innocent.
China's rapid development, people's life rhythm speeding up, the same as you, or so, especially the people who live in cities in order to comfortable life, their work, no time to flirt with feelings, inadvertently becomes "shallow", but who don't want to live in skin without the enemy? But, also don't think we will have members of affinity China, there is no where, don't think that our Chinese nation five thousand years of history culture and the spirit of the essence to brag yarn, if necessary, on the back of your backpack trip, go into China.
Moreover, parsing, our Chinese intellectuals love gentle since ancient times, maybe become your sham hypocrisy, but at least we have don't want to hurt others' nature, yes, we to be perfect, however, since can't accommodate also can't wait, let it be. But you know how much you now don't hypocrisy patriotic heart hurt me? And, I believe that there will be thousands you hurt the heart, if they see you so not responsible for anger.
Finally, we Chinese will be better and better, our compatriots feelings will be more unity mutually close, we will be more bright, the spirit of the Chinese nation civilization we will make the world a better place. You also need not guilty, to continue your journey of other countries, your Lord can disappoint you less, less hopelessness, of course, more welcome miss our great China.
July 16, 2013
This reply is the reason why people do not want to stay in China. Stop pointing fingers to "foreigners", this entire google-translated message is finger pointing. To accuse the foreigners as being wrong, narrow-minded and short-sighted. Maybe because He is educated from the Chinese education system, that he doesn't have the capability to accept a different opinion.
July 31, 2013
Your point is excellent and adds value – well done!
July 3, 2013
maybe, but i can still learn a few Chinese lessons https://lovevonbeautyvonlove.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/my-chinese-lessons-by-gao-xingjian/
July 23, 2013
Some observations are valid, but some are not. China has gone through much hardship in the past 150 years, much of own doing, and much due to Western and Japanese exploitation.
It has been hard to be a Chinese, and Chinese have lost their identity, and many Chinese don't know what being a Chinese is anymore–so many become the Chinese equivalent of Uncle Tom. as often applied to blacks in America, and worshipping anything that is foreign, and denying their own culture and heritage, which the Cultural Revolution sought to do.
For the past few decades, China has been stable and this has been something that Chinese society has not had for a long time, and China's economic ascendancy is reflective of such. But it is still enslaved to foreigners, and yet to find a good and noble Chinese Way. The Western yoke is internalized, and enslavement is of the mindset.
The problem with many foreigners is that they are foreigners and do not have an underlying love for Chinese people, China and the Chinese Culture and Heritage–and thus they remain foreigners. They only exploit Chinese, and hold to a Western perspective, and view themselves as superior to Chinese. They take what they can and don't give back–they exploit Chinese, and the sad thing is many Chinese willingly agree to such exploitation, because they are used to it.
In a family, a parent loves a child unequivocally, for good or bad, even when critical, but it is with basic underlying love and good will and interest in the well-being of the child. This is the type of love of a patriot of a country. Such is what foreigners lack; they basically do not love Chinese, only exploit and take what they can, and do not truly care about the Chinese, and that is why they "will never be Chinese." You are truly Chinese if you love Chinese and have their welfare in mind. By such, many Chinese are not Chinese either.
Think Lawrence of Arabia. Foreigners like to denigrate Chinese rather than to help solve the issues. The foreign missionaries in China of the past were more noble, although had a motive, but what we have now in China are not foreign missionaries but foreign mercenaries, working along with corrupt parties for own profit.
November 3, 2013
Oh, sure, blame the foreigners again. And here I was thinking that the Chinese modus operandi was to invite foreigners in, copy as much of their technology and expertise as possible, and then once they were no longer useful, make sure that they were no longer welcome in China.
July 30, 2013
Eugenia Lieu
Other English website have been so rude to an American like me. They think a coarse-face like me is Plain, and not sophisticated. Number one, a coarse-face is only sophisticated because it is a fusion of things. Secondly, it's not something intricate, and hard to understand- It's a cut-and-paste type of a thing.
July 30, 2013
Lee Deforest
You're 100% Yankee doodle… with emphasis on the "Yank"
July 31, 2013
Here, the low-life reveals the ugly truth of itself in its natural habitat hiding behind a glowing screen in the dark with its most trusted friend in-hand.
December 22, 2013
Yank K. Doodle
Oopsy-daisy. That's a humdinger. It's all hunky-dory though. Cheers on bringing back the classics to the English language.
August 19, 2013
Pleasae transfer to Mr. & Mrs. Kitto, with many thanks!
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Kitto,
Read your story, may I propose you try go to the visit the other part of China – Taiwan (Republic of China),there keeps the most traditional Chinese curtual and mentality, I am Chinese Overseas who live in Switzerland and Europe nearly 40 years, and I was born in Nanjing and educated in Taiwan, my main family relationship is in mainland China,
I visited China 5-7 times yearly, believe me, I understand your feeling well, I know you love China, but ???,???. Wish you and your children and family have a good health and happiness forever!
Sincerely yours
September 8, 2013
Jeesh what a crybaby
September 26, 2013
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October 6, 2013
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October 9, 2013
(of a remark, opinion, or idea) overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness.
October 11, 2013
thanks for your sincere sharing.
I agree your points.From a perspective of a Chinese who have a modern world view,I think your experiences in China for years is fruitful and that makes this article so understandable&insightful.
I would like to pay my sincere salute to you Sir!
Best regards,
October 13, 2013
Chinese driv·el
1. silly nonsense.
"don't talk such drivel!"
synonyms: nonsense, twaddle, claptrap, balderdash, gibberish, rubbish, mumbo jumbo, garbage; More
verb: drivel;?3rd person present: drivels;?past tense: drivelled;?past participle: drivelled;?gerund or present participle: drivelling;?past tense: driveled;?past participle: driveled;?gerund or present participle: driveling
1. talk nonsense.
"he was driveling on about the glory days"
synonyms: talk nonsense, talk rubbish, babble, ramble, gibber, blather, prattle, gabble, waffle More
let saliva or mucus flow from the mouth or nose; dribble.
October 13, 2013
Wonderful creative effort for a simple mind!
Your long life is assured and your luck in money matter is assured (in bed).
October 31, 2013
Eugenia Lieu
Dear Prospect,
As a Chinese with a coarse-jaw, a full-looking face, and a good looking smile: It was denied my jaw came from my Caucasian heritage. This was denied through the media, and its images. I know I am very different from Caucasian now. And I cannot be depicted, nor portrayed like them.
November 7, 2013
Chen Long (Ryan)
I am a fellow British guy living here in Changchun (Jilin province) and have done for the past 9 years, will be 10 in February 2014. I love this country as if it was mine own and I don't think different of it since day one when I arrived. Yes its changed, and yes its changed very quickly but so what, that is life and life as well as all around us will always change and we have to live to accept that. I only wish that China could let me be a Chinese national! not because of benefits or perks etc, but because I would be proud to be known as a Chinese instead of a British guy. I will live here until the day I die and love this country also until my final days. ????
November 7, 2013
And you proudly display a Guy Fawkes avatar; the traitorous man who tried to blow up and murder innocent British nationals in parliament. Explains your motives entirely.
Not really sure what lead to the disdain of your mother country, but it is sad indeed to see someone turn and embrace a country whose government murders, rapes, illegally imprisons, kills, and harvests organs of Falun Gong, has 2.9 million sex slaves, oppresses Tibet and Xinjiang (East Turkestan), and commits grave atrocities daily.
Did I mention public execution is still a tactic used by the CCP to instill fear in its citizenry? You are such a dolt, that I can only imagine you are a leftist progressive postmodern relativist.
It must be embarrassing to even know you as you blatantly and arrogantly support murderers, tyranny, and all that is evil in this world with your crass and haughty statement.
Just know that when you arrogantly display your nescient attitude that you will never attain to become a Chinese national and you will be look at as the foolish man who hates his own country.
What an embarrassment.
November 7, 2013
Don't forget the Opium Wars and subjugation of India.
November 8, 2013
My comments aren't directed at your people, but your government. I actually love chinese people. I dislike your government and the sycophants that are in the CCP. They don't base anything on fundamental rights, not so different in Russia either. The collapse of the Soviet Union was a charade, only fooling most Westerners to the intentions of the dark motives behind the iron curtain. Let's be serious, a 2nd rate KGB agent is running Russia, there are stronger people behind the scenes than some mid-level KGB agent that put this "reform is coming" and a notion of "freedom" while profiting off the elements of the free market that give them prosperity. It angers me, because the Western Media is complicit with this system. The naive "FREE TRADE" Westerners got their manufacturing jobs decimated with the advent of the extremely low wages paid in Chinese factories. The globalist element is strong in the West, and they seek to create a 1 world government, and they depend upon the ignorance in the world to do it. (This includes China and Russia being apart of it; they have to create a war to do it, and "we the people" lose because of it)
The Opium wars to be honest is so far in the past, but still not something we should just forget; however, it is no reason to justify what the government in China gets away with on a grand scale. BTW, the arabs are the ones that first traded Opium with the Chinese in the 1300s, they were addicted to the stuff well before the British arrived. There is a common analogy likened to a balloon; no matter where you pinch the balloon on the supply side, the demand will still be there. I'm sure the illicit drug trade is still big in China, you just don't hear about it. I remember talking to Chinese High School students and they were pretty open about smoking marijuana and they told me how many chinese high schoolers do it nowadays.
The vileness of the CCP really comes down to NWO elitist jingoist bigots in your country who want to keep control over every aspect of Chinese society. War is their easy and predictable tool. It doesn't take that great of cognitive dissonance as displayed by posters above to fool a majority of your citizens to go along with their xenophobic, corrupt, and evil plans.
November 8, 2013
Impressive undoubtedly it was,but IS it still?
I have a few questions I would like to look forward to your comments,if you dont mind.
–Do you know how is the up-dated situation here in China?How is your source from?From a newspaper?The CCTVs? A magazine?Or a Chinese student/scholor?
–Do you know how much is trustworthy as for your 'learning' on the real China?(Of course,you have every reason for your personal perspectives)
–Do you know what ordinary Chinese pursuit other than a better government as people in the West or people in other parts of the world?And is it the same as nearly every government would face in the matter of corrupt,xenophobic, corrupt, and evil plans?
–Do you really know aprat from material life,what is Chinese spiritual life as most people need spiritually?Do you really know how is going on with the demand for higher education as well as international education in China?(let alone some who 'have earned' their wealth by 'their unspken means')
You commented
'The globalist element is strong in the West, and they seek to create a 1 world government, and they depend upon the ignorance in the world to do it. '
–I cant agree you more.You are right!But who should be blamed for and can it see it through who's performing this STRATIGY upon now?Did you really tell?
November 8, 2013
"The naive "FREE TRADE" Westerners got their manufacturing jobs decimated with the advent of the extremely low wages paid in Chinese factories." Who is the culprit here–these "naive free trade Westerners' went to China based upon greed, to exploit the lower labor costs to boost their own profits.
The Westerners partitioned China for their own interests, all except for the US. And which country is creating wars and threats of war all over the world and using gunboat diplomacy now but the US, and selling arms all over the world. What of the NSA disclosures? And the drone strikes?
You have such a holier than thou Westerner attitude, it seems; casting Westerners in positive light and the Chinese government in an evil light; excusing everything of an evil nature that the Westerners did against the other peoples in the world in the past.
I am not of the PRC, but ROC; and I deem what Mao did in the cultural revolution as horrendous. But China has gone in a positive direction, and the welfare of many have advanced. True that the benefits have gone to the elite in the country, those who toe the party line, but is this not so in the West as well? The standard of living has been raised for many. There are injustices, but people are not being oppressed.
The illicit drug trade is not as prevalent in China as in the West. Drug dealers if caught are executed. In the US, there are 2 million in jail due to drug charges, 6 million in jail in total.
Your view of China and the rest of the world seems out-dated and xenophobic. If you keep up on the weapons that the US is developing, you will come to understand that world peace is not being undermined by China, but by the US and its allies and Japan.
January 27, 2014
Phil Richardson
You make a number of good points. I think that very few Westerners or Chinese truly understand one another, or even their own governments for that matter. Hav.ing lived in China for several years, I as a Canadian have a least a passing understanding of its people and its government. My general view is that the governments of China and the US are driven by a dark mixture of greed and fear when dealing with one another so any effort to illuminate their true underlying goals for the general public of each would be very helpful, I believe. However that is more likely to happen in the West than in China given the information restrictions of the latter. How would you suggest we promote the mutual education of each society given this?
November 8, 2013
@Joseph: You quoted me for your quote, but the wrong quote.
I know a lot of Chinese, and am Chinese. Most of the Chinese in mainland China only pursue money now, not spiritual enlightenment, but there is a revival of Confucius.
Awailability of education is not much the issue but mode and quality of education, but some really good schools and hundreds of thousands go to US for study, as well as to other countries.
You should take a trip to China and see for yourself. Things are not perfect, and there is a lot of pollution due to industrial growth, but things are not as bad as you perceive.
December 2, 2013
A rather all-encompassing anti-China rant. Here's a counterpoint, Africa is what China would look like if it hadn't kicked out the imperial West. Consider the anti-West, or pro-nationalist, if you will, as merely a natural reaction to invasion, occupation, exploitation. China hasn't sent troops to Africa. China has forced the importation of opium against the will of the locals. Chinese 'imperialism' is rather benign [compared to the USG]. It builds roads in Africa rather than bombing them in Baghdad. . The West took Iraq from a second world country to a fourth world country and did the same to Afghanistan. "Yankee go home." is both a prayer and a demand. Every country has its problems and the Communist Party of China solves far more problems than the Capitalist Party [DemoRepub] in the US.
January 31, 2014
I can't tell if you are being serious or just playing contrarian, but if it's the former then your post has got to one of the stupidest things that's been posted on the Internet.
"Africa is what China would look like if it hadn't kicked out the imperial West." Consider the anti-West, or pro-nationalist, if you will, as merely a natural reaction to invasion, occupation, exploitation.China hasn't sent troops to Africa. China has forced the importation of opium against the will of the locals. "
Who is paying you to post this crap? "Hasn't sent troops to Africa" Is that why they have military stations in Eastern Africa as part of their String of Pearls? China hasn't forced the importation of opium against the will of the locals, but that doesn't mean they haven't exploited the African continent (and people) in exactly the same way the British did during its colonial rule over India.
"Chinese 'imperialism' is rather benign [compared to the USG]. It builds roads in Africa rather than bombing them in Baghdad. . The West took Iraq from a second world country to a fourth world country and did the same to Afghanistan. "Yankee go home." is both a prayer and a demand."
I'm sure in your paranoid fantasies Chinese imperialism is benign to US imperialism (what about British imperialism?), as if it ever made sense to rank imperialism by countries along a gradient of morality. But even by your own standards of how to rank the morality of imperialism, then surely British imperialism was the best thing to happen to India in developing its infrastructure, and US imperialism in Afghanistan was the 3rd best form of imperialism in the world in 2012 based on the fact that Afghanistan was the 3rd fastest growing country in the world in 2012.
" Every country has its problems and the Communist Party of China solves far more problems than the Capitalist Party [DemoRepub] in the US."
Your statement doesn't make sense. If every country has its problems, then could the conclusion that the Communist Party of China solve more problems than the Capitalist Party [DemoRepub] (side note: there's no such party as the Capitalist Party of America or the DemoRepub party in America either) in the U.S. be drawn?
December 2, 2013
Don't forget what the Japanese did in Asia up to their defeat in WW2. They raped and killed innocent villagers, massacred en masse, forced prisoners into slave labor, forced women to serve their troops, pillaged the natural resources of the lands they occupied, and conducted biological and chemical warfare experiments on Chinese.
Now they are trying to re-militarize and rewrite history to whitewash their evil deeds, and casting China as the evil empire to raise fear and advance their own agenda to once again become facist and imperialistic. And US just plays along, motivated by its own fear of China eclipsing US as the dominant power, and redeploying 60% of its military to Asia when it is not even an Asian country. Plays right into Japanese agenda.
January 24, 2014
Your Death Awaits You
First, the country that is focused massively on a military buildup is China. You have to be blind to not see it. The country that is making double-digit percentage growth gains in their military budget year after year is China (and that is only what the ccp publicly releases). The country that has threatened to nuke the US on 3 different occasions? I'll give you a hint, starts with a C.
If Japan wanted to, they could have nuked your country decades ago. They could and probably will start making nukes like they make Hondas and Toyotas.
If I were you and I were Chinese, I would have thrown off the CCP ol' guard years ago.
You will learn firsthand the hard way for being ignorant and a peasant to your slave masters.
It is what you get afterall for being a servile dog. Just like the poster above who thinks because his little mind is somehow smarter than others, that he is better than others. People like him will be the first murdered in any sort of massive renationalization effort like Pal Pot in Cambodia who murdered all intellectuals. The Bolshevik Revolution, the Great leap Forward, the Nazi takeover of Germany when 42% of the Jews left, but 58% stayed because they didn't see any impending signs of danger.
You have what's coming to you because you chose to stay ignorant. When Japan who is still 50 years ahead of you in technology sends trillions of Asimo robots to every town and village, don't hate them, hate your jingoist and xenophobic slave masters. They caused your death.
January 28, 2014
Hey, no name, your death awaits you. Your hatred and venom is clouding your brain. LOL!
Every country is upping their military spending these days, and as a % of GDP, Japan more so than others. And Japan seems intent on returning to military imperialism.
The country that is threatening to nuke the US is Russia, stating that it will seek a nuclear response if attacked, not China. And it is upgrading all aspects of its military, including additional missile installations.
China has said it would never be the first to launch nuclear weapons, but would do so in retaliation.
It is certain that Japan will build nuclear weapons and capable of doing so, and has the capacity to build more nuclear weapons than any other, and no doubt will use such as a first strike, because Japanese are a vicious people that are revengeful and think nothing of killing others, with total disregard of the sanctity of life. Remember Pearl Habor and the 35 million Chinese, and all the others they have killed. And Japan will nuke the US too in revenge for the two A-Bombs.
The fact that Japan launched their new carrier on August 6th, the anniversary of the US A-bomb drop, and christianed the ship for their WW2 carrier is symbolic, and this symbolism should not be lost or ignored by Americans and the rest of the world.
If Japan nukes China, China will nuke Japan also, and since China has larger land mass, parts of China could/should survive an initial attack, but Japan would likely be wiped out. That may be good for mankind, if any of us survive, that is–the scourge of humanity would be eliminated. Nazism in Germany has been revoked. Fascism in Japan has not; is that not the case?
There can be no world peace until Japan changes its ways or is eliminated, it seems. What Japanese need to do is to remove Shinzo Abe and his cronies if they want to avert an eventual disaster to their country and people, not necessary only from China, but the rest of the world, including Korea, Russia and US.
A nuclear war is a scenario of mutual destruction—that is the deterrent aspect and the reality. No rational and humane country wants to be the first to initiate such and got down in history being blamed as the one who started it. Of course US was the first one and only one to do so. We should learn.
January 28, 2014
Your Death Awaits You
Hey Chien,
Your conscious is calling you, because you seem to left it in your mother's womb. The propaganda and indoctrination is clearly set in your brain as cancer that metastasizes in a stage 3 terminally ill patient.
Not sure if there is any possible reconcilation possible with completely witless fools as yourself who describe Japan in terms of fascism and needing to be "eliminated">>> Let's be clear, all the venom and spewing of "elimination" is constantly thrown from your side of the ilk aisle.
The constant castigation and analogizing of Japan as returning to imperialistic posture is about as pomp as your current leader, Xi Jinping, telling the free world that he is really going to give your citizens freedom in an age of continued repression in China.
It seems that like most observers of Nagasaki and Hiroshima that have diminutive intellects fail to breach the same wall of reasoning and commit the same fallacy being that conviction is a luxury of those on the sidelines.
In fact, we hit military installations in Naga and Hiro, not city centers. It was also a crude and less technologically advanced war where laser guided missiles did not exist and carpet bombings were a common theme. Had your country possessed any of these technologies it is quite apparent you would have returned like kind retaliation to the main island of Japan and to deny so is incontrovertibly reckless.
It is interesting that you don't even know of the fact that China has with 3 separate Generals declared that it will engage in a first nuclear strike against the US through unofficial channels.
I know you don't have freedom of press in your intellectually oppressed nation, but to not know of this fact is glaringly obvious of the difference that exists between a free and unfree nation.
Your country destroys Japanese cars and businesses over an island that you lost through war and claim to own without having any obvious or logical reason of claiming such an island other than for the reason of blockading other nations from the South China Sea and imposing the CCP's evil will on the rest of the world.
It is the CCP that has knocked out satellites in direct confrontation with the US.
We could have made China a molten island 50 years ago, but decided against it. We could still do so today without any major harm to the United States because we still enjoy technologically superior defensive capabilities when it comes to supersonic and infrasonic weapons.
You know why we don't make your nation an island of molten gloop? Because we honor the fact that as a TRUE Republic founded on the mores of good morals, good actions, and goodwill towards mankind, that we can't consciously do that.
In fact Russia, is a closer ally both ethnically and historically speaking than the CCP.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate China, I hate the CCP that continues to keep you in perpetual ignorance.
Beware of what Japan does in response to your increasingly imperialistic and jingoistic rhetoric.
December 14, 2013
??? ??? ???
These are genuinely great ideas in on the topic of blogging.
You have touched some fastidious points here.
Any way keep up wrinting.
January 7, 2014
Nicely written article – save the title. It's seems obvious to me that a non-chinese person will never become chinese. How many laowai in China honestly believe they'll become Chinese someday?
That's the fun of being in China in the first place. Not being Chinese!
January 24, 2014
Nice answer back in return of this issue with solid arguments and describing everything concerning that.
January 28, 2014
"your death awaits you" is certainly a hateful ignoramous. No more comments are warranted. Can't respond to a ranting zero.
January 29, 2014
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January 29, 2014
Your death awaits you
It is a parody playing on the destructive theme of your government. I wouldn't expect you to understand it, typical of chinese people who can't fathom understanding irony because your brain has been inbred to only accept conformist notions of acceptance.
Since Mao killed off all the intellectuals your society had bred for years, I didn't particularly expect people with brain cells to be able to comprehend logical lines of reasoning since your whole society is built around the notion of passing standardized tests that do nothing for the good of your society other than look good on paper.
Is it no wonder your country can't produce any meaningful scientific literature or advances in technology despite having about 1/5 of the worlds' population?
You have produced 1 Nobel Prize winner yet you are about 20% of the worlds' population.
Looks as if your system results in individuals with accolades acquiescing to the desires and wishes of your slave masters who command you to do whatever their will expects of you.
The only hateful [sic] ignoramus is you. The synapses inside your weak pathetic excuse of a human being are excruciatingly below what would be considered normal thoughts. You are no different than Mao's red guards who paraded around and pretended all was well. Continue to convince yourself in your weak and feeble mind that you are right because one thing is for sure, you have absolutely zero ability to comprehend and reason beyond your own self-ensuring destructive notions of pride.
You are as ugly as the thoughts masquerading inside the empty spaces of your dome you call your mind.
Your whole society is sick and you are just a micro-reflection of the macro. You won't understand that your government is leading you to the precipice of annihilation until it is too late and you are decrepit and old like the apologetic Song BinBing who was personally responsible for murdering countless teachers as a part of being in Mao's Red Guard.
You are no different than Pre WWII Japan. The faster you can understand this, the faster your society can change for the better.
January 30, 2014
Happy Chinese New Year, from all the dimwits in China that you denigrate!
February 1, 2014
Hey Chien, your relentless anti-Japanese ranting seems highly unusual. I thought that Taiwanese were friendly to Japan? Are you sure you're really Taiwanese? Seems that you've been drinking the mainland's Kool-Aid.
Here's some friendly advice: Maybe you shouldn't go out of your way to defend a country that has hundreds of missiles aimed at you and considers you to be nothing more than a renegade province to be annexed, by force if necessary.
February 1, 2014
Nothing unusual. Chinese are not friendly to Japan, either on Mainland or Taiwan; we remember the horrible atrocities and insults by the Japanese.
I would not be anti-Japanese ranting, as you call it, if the Japanese were like the Germans, regretful and repentant about what they did in WW2 and embrace peace, not war, as the solution.
Contrast the posture of the Germans and the Japanese governments to the countries they had violated, the apologies expressed by the German government and peoples on rememberance days, versus the Japanese government under Shinzo Abe, paying homage to the shrine and glorifying their past.
Look at Shinzo Abe's actions. Deliberately posing for picture of himself in the cockpit of a plane with the number 731 painting on it (#731 was the Japanese chemical/biological warfare unit in China responsible for conducting live experiments on Chinese–and others–to prepare such weapons for mass destruction). Picture in uniform on their new army tank. Launching and christianing of their carrier on August 6th. Revising textbook to whitewash their history. And all that rhetoric. Contrast that to Germany and attitude of Germans.
Japan under Shinzo Abe is reverting to military imperialism, which all but the blind, or those deliberately keeping blinders on can see. Abe and his cohorts are using Chinese military threat as an excuse to re-arm. Abe is leading Japan down a dangerous path, he will destroy Japan.
As one political commentator has observed, which I think is quite insightful: Abe has personal issues concerning Japan's past military imperialism, since his grandfather and father were involved, and his is hijacking the entire country for his own personal agenda. He is not concerned about the ultimate welfare of the Japanese people, and certainly not peace.
Ric, I guess you are not up on current events with China and Taiwan, the approachment and reconciliation, the one China and global Chinese concept. The only faction that in anti-reconciliation in Taiwan are the DDP members, the anti-everything opposition group/party–which itself it gaining less support and struggling to remain relevant.
February 2, 2014
Bai Yiming
Chien, for your information:
You are not up-to-date concerning Taiwan: Taiwanese love all Japanese, and the majority of 22 mil people here are very sceptical concerning the PRC. Most of the free world watch Chinese expansionism with great displeasure!
February 2, 2014
Oh my, oh my. Looks like you've drunk even more of the CCP Kool-Aid than I thought.
No, it really is unusual. Every source I've ever read suggests that Taiwanese don't hate Japan as much as the mainlanders do. If what you're saying is true, then it means the Taiwanese are not to be trusted. In the coalition of nations forming against Chinese expansionism, you are the weak link.
If you and other Taiwanese like China so much, why don't you go live there? It just seems a little dishonest that the most avid pro-China cheerleaders don't even live in the country they claim to support, you know? Many pro-China trolls on the Internet are overseas Chinese. It's just a pattern I've noticed. Do you think it's because if they actually lived in China, they wouldn't have such a rosy opinion of it?
Anyway, I somewhat suspect that talking to you any further will be a waste of time, since you may already be fully indoctrinated by CCP propaganda. Suffice it to say that all your rants about Japan's supposed lack of remorse have already been rebutted and refuted countless times. It is a myth that Japan has not apologized. Japan has apologized many times.
In your delusions, you seem to think that Japan is using China's military threat as an excuse to rearm. In fact it's the other way around. The CCP is using Japan as a convenient scapegoat, in order to focus the anger of the Chinese people on an external source (and therefore away from the CCP itself), and to keep the populace easy to control through nationalism. Judging by you, it seems to be working.
And the Chinese military threat is very real, by the way. As the previous poster said, it is China whose military spending is increasing by double-digit percentages every year. Why is that, Chien? China is already the second-largest military spender in the world, and will probably overtake the US in a couple of decades. "Peaceful nation", my ass. Japan is merely doing what any sane nation would do, defending itself from Chinese aggression.
You keep on going on about Shinzo Abe. He's just one man. Japan is a nation of 130 million people. And, despite the lies of the Chinese, the fact is that most Japanese no longer have any appetite for war. True, the far-right exists in Japan, but it is a small minority. The Japanese have learned their lesson from their defeat in WW2, that militarism does not pay off. But have the Chinese learned that lesson? It doesn't look like it.
Lastly, about textbooks. What, you don't think Chinese textbooks try to portray China's invasion of Tibet as justified? Maybe those same textbooks even portray China's occupation of Vietnam as a good thing. And while you're at it, google "Northeast Project". My, it seems you Chinese really angered some Koreans with your revisionist bullcrap. Whitewashing history? You Chinese are doing the exact same thing you accuse Japan of doing. Enough with the hypocrisy.
February 2, 2014
@Ric, I don't know what you are reading.
There are about a million citizens of ROC Taiwan living in China most of the year, my cousin included, and going back and forth. Two way trade, and direct investment are booming, and two-way tourism is booming and travel is now direct. You are decades behind in your understanding of what is going on.
You just don't understand what is going on, and don't seem to follow the news. Just seems to be an uneducated China hater.
February 2, 2014
Chien, is that all you have to say to my lengthy comment? You have no rebuttal to my arguments, that's why.
That's fine. I do not want to waste time with a brainwashed shill of the CCP such as you. You say I "just don't understand what's going on, and don't seem to follow the news." Actually, I read the news a lot, and I understand far more than you do.
You say, "I don't know what you are reading", because you are uneducated and you don't read anything. I read the news about China's continued oppression of the Tibetan and Uighur minorities, about China's bullying in the South China Sea, about China's border incursions into Indian territory, about China's aggressive new ADIZ in the East China Sea, about Russia's concern over growing Chinese migration into Siberia.
Did you even google the Northeast Project? Of course you didn't. Typical wumao troll, just looking for the "facts" that suit your warped view of the world.
Anyway, the Japanese people I know, there is no militarism left in them. They are gentle and peaceful people. Whereas the Chinese…no offense, Chien, but the Chinese are some of the most arrogant, ultranationalistic people I have ever had the misfortune to meet, full of hostility and an incredible superiority complex.
The Internet is full of nationalistic Chinese trolls like yourself, trumpeting your belief in China's superiority over everyone else. You know what's ironic? China today is very similar to Japan in WW2. Think about that for a moment.
Anyway, like I said, Japan learned their lesson in WW2. They attempted militarism and war, and they were beaten. But China has not learned that lesson yet. But if your people continue bullying weaker countries, if you continue to act like the entire world belongs to you, you will learn it. Rest assured, Chien, you will learn it.
February 2, 2014
>Anyway, like I said, Japan learned their lesson in WW2. They attempted militarism and war, and they were beaten. But China has not learned that lesson yet.
Absolutely.Japanese Self defense force never killed foreigners for 70 years.
How about Chinese military?
February 10, 2014
" Whereas the Chinese…no offense, Chien, but the Chinese are some of the most arrogant, ultranationalistic people I have ever had the misfortune to meet, full of hostility and an incredible superiority complex."
Havent you ever thought that you are arrogant, brainwashed and uneducated human?
That can explaine why you have such opinion about Chinese
February 11, 2014
Shh, no insults, Kastus. Your insults are only the sign of your tiny pygmy brain.
The reason I have "such opinion" about the Chinese is that it is true. I'm sorry that the truth offends you, Chinaman.
Also, haha…are you aware that the very term "brainwash" originated in China? How's that for irony?
March 8, 2014
Eugenia Lieu
What do you mean "You'll Never Be Chinese?" As a coarse-face with Chinese parentage I certainly know I am a Chinese. You White People never the same hope.
March 9, 2014
Thanks for proving the author's point, Eugenia.
March 8, 2014
Phil Richardson
Every now and again I return to read the new comments on this article, the purpose od which was to share the on the ground experiences of foreigners living in China. From what I read in the article, its a balanced and accurate portrayal of life in China and the attitudes held by the great majority of its citizens. As to the comments, I'm saddened that an opportunity for greater understanding by all concerned, of the positives and negatives of China's culture and its people's attitudes has been brushed aside by many who simply want to assert their own xenophobic points of view.
I love the Chinese people, I do not love its government nor the negative effects it has had on them. Through gross mismanagement in the past, recent as well as old, it has visited terrible suffering on its people. They have become survivalists, striving to achieve prosperity for themselves and their families. While the opening of China to the world in 1988 onward was a dramatically good step to take, the impact on many of the greed which has arisen has altered many people there for the worse. Who would have imagined only thirty years ago that regulations would be needed to ensure that children visit and support their parents, for example? while affluence has risen dramatically, it has been concentrated in the hands of the few, leaving the great majority to struggle. And struggle they do in order to accumulate savings to help insulate themselves from the new impositions on their rights that they sense are coming from their government. And often the frustrations that arise from these stresses are displaced on foreigners who are conveniently blamed for them. This works for a while, but it will never help the Chinese society to improve and move forward if necessary change is resisted.
These internal pressures, many exacerbated by the government through such policies as promoting China's victimhood at the hands of the local competition such as Korea and Japan, as well as the West, result in the nationalism that we see so evident today. It will not just harm Japan, it will harm China too. Does anyone still naively believe that Japan doesn't already have nuclear weapons? Why else is there an old and dangerous plutonium producing reactor in each power facility in Japan, as revealed through the Fukashima disaster?
To have such beliicose nations as China, Japan and Korea within minutes of one another as the missile flies is frightening, especially as they have such an inordinate investment in preserving face? What could be worse than having conflict points such as the Islands (I've given up on learing all the names each country calls them), where trigger happy pilots are flying within hundreds of metres of one another?
Everyone seems to assume China would win such a conflict, but with the triggering of the security agreements held by Japan, Taiwan and Korea with the US that would immediately follow, it would be facing a world of pain and subjugation. I say, show some sensible self control, lower the xenophobic tirades that each pitches out from time to time, and remember that governments are supposed to have the well being of their citizens as their prime reason for existence. I pray that true leaders will emerge in these countries to enable this. The present crop don't look like they're up to it.
March 9, 2014
There are so many China and Chinese bashers here with prejudical viewpoints and steeped in bigotry, with whom there is no sense in discussing anything rationally–such folks have hearts filled with hatred and little minds that cannot bode alternate perspectives, nor can they understand anything beyond their straight-jacketed biases. The Chinese expression, "make a puddle and look at your own reflection" is all I can say.
March 9, 2014
Phil Richardson
Hi Chien and all
Yes it is initially discouraging but i realize that they don't represent a majority. I lived in Kunming and then Shenzhen for over two years recently and I have many wonderful friendships I made there which I treasure. I truly mean that I love the people of China…of course there are those who are a bit less lovable…just as there are among us here in Canada. I place the blame for that on isolation, poor education and downright racism. But that doesn't mean they can't be helped to see the best in people, which I am glad to help with.
Governments are all problematic to one degree or another and, especially when they are not elected, the chances that they will be disconnected from the people increase. I pray for China as I do for the other good people in the region, that they will be led forward by good leaders who love their people more than themselves.
March 9, 2014
Phil Richardson
Yes, it appears to be so from what we can see. Its difficult not to be skeptical however, our government is sometimes opaque too and difficult to understand and trust at times. So we need to trust and hope and encourage them in their efforts…but we must also watch them carefully too! LOL
Let's all hope for the best…
March 9, 2014
@Phil Richardson
You are one of the few rational people commenting here. Kudos.
Things are changing in China, and the government has stated its intent and is making transformation a priority, with crack down on corruption, bureaucracy, addressing issues of polution, education and bunch of other stuff. Whether succeed or not is to be seen, but at least action is being undertaken.
March 10, 2014
Phil Richardson
I'm very sure that the majority of people are sensible, its just that the anonymity of the Web promotes those who are not to rail away on whatever irritates them. Stats on Twitter for example show a large percentage of its users are misanthropes who displace their frustrations on people and groups who don't provoke the majority.
What's the cure? Extinction! But not the more dramatic kind…I mean the psychological technique that is based on simply ignoring them…don't debate, don't interact…let them stew in their own juices and soon we'll see a lot of them simply ooze away.
March 10, 2014
Phil Richardson
Glad to hear your optimism and I share it in a guarded fashion. Not because its China but rather because like all governments, they often lie to their people and certainly don't always act in their favour. I hope that the people's voices are heard more in China by the government and the well deserved sharing of the economic dream espoused by Mr. Deng in the 1980′s and beyond finally arises for them.
Canada has always had a special relationship with China, beginning in the century of our formation and continuing to this day. Many of our citizens are of Chinese origin and have contributed very positively to the growth of our country. As well, we are eager to participate in China's healthy development in many ways so let's all promote that to happen, for everyone's benefit.
March 10, 2014
Ho, Ho, Ho! Peace on Earth and Good Will to All Men.
March 10, 2014
Phil Richardson
March 10, 2014
Phil Richardson
Hi Chien
I tried to reply with Simplified Chinese, but the system appears to have misunderstood it! Some irony there, but suffice it to say that I share your sentiments exactly!
March 23, 2014
It's funny to see Chien pretending to be one of the balanced and reasonable posters, when in fact a look at his history of comments on this article shows that he is nothing but another rabid Japan-bashing Chinese.
Phil Richardson, I advise you not to take Chien seriously. Read his previous comments on this article. He himself is a Chinese ultranationalist and he himself is part of the problem that you pointed out in your highly insightful March 8 comment. He hypocritically whines about "China bashers", while he bashes Japan at the same time. No, I wouldn't take him seriously.
March 22, 2014
You can go back anytime you want, im sure they'll welcome you
April 16, 2014
Even you get the ID national, normal people also treat you as a foreigner.Because of your looking your spoken accent. One solution,you must speak mandarin without accent, or tell others you are the ethnic white Russia or other ethnic, or you should know about the 5000 years history of China which is the source of all Chinese view, like why Chinese people do not keep their king as a symbol of power,what is the table manner in detail which is just taught by parents,why Chinese do not like another country to control them even though it may be better than now,and why Chinese people treat friends better than their family members . China is never a nation of immigrants like US or Canada. So it is hard and rare to get the ID national.Even the one whose nation was China and who changed his nation will seldom have the ability to get the nation ID China back.They are regarded as Chinese because of their parentage by normal people , while they are not protected by the nation China.Reasons are complicated and numerous.Those who treat themselves as Chinese even though their nation is not China, Chinese people treat them as Chinese. Those who treat themselves not as Chinese even though their parents are Chinese.Chinese people blame them that they forget the root of ethnic.Those who are half blood are regarded as what they feel what they are.It is a pity that western people just know a little bit of other cultures, and can not understand as fairly as Chinese people do. Chinese understand western culture because they know about western language and can get the first hand documents, but they do not agree with all opinions. While seldom western can know Chinese language and can get the correct information by first hand. Some foreigners treat traditional Chinese and simplify Chinese as two different language to speak. It it very very ridiculous.Do not you think it strange that 1/5 of the population of the world are all Han Chinese?
April 20, 2014
alan lewis
By the way all of what I just wrote is true I see it everyday and to be honest I believe that these people are either blind and can't see it or don't want to. Which makes them arrogant to think it is their culture and its good. At least westerners have the courage to question and then change things