The Tank Man — REQUIRED!!
April 14th, 2006
Here is link to the PBS “Tank Man” show (one hour) I mentioned in one of our earlier meetings. No question it highlights some of China’s warts. In fact, it’s so well done and so nicely ties together so many of the threads that have been raised in our predeparture sessions and blogs thus far that I will require you to watch it and enter a blog comment on it. The last 25 minutes of the show in particular raise some interesting business issues that we will be exposed to on the trip. As you watch it, look for the political-economic “deal with the devil” the Chinese government has struck with its people in order to move forward and try to put the past behind them, and consider whether, at this point in China’s history, the pros of that deal outweigh the cons. In other words, is democracy, with its reputation for gridlock and maintaining the status quo, the medicine today’s China needs at this point in its history; and in considering that question give pause to evaluate whether Winston Churchill’s famous words of, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time,” apply to today’s China.
Also, did you know that during that dark episode in China’s history in 1989, there were at least two camps/interest groups in the square those nights protesting — those advocating democratic reform and those concerned that China was moving too fast with economic change/market reforms thereby creating haves and have nots? So was the CCP crushing of these protests an attack on democracy/democratic reform and/or an attempt to keep and allow market reforms to keep moving along so China could modernize? How do you know? Discuss and defend your answer.
Finally, here is the million dollar question: Would China be where it is today if Ti**anm** Sq*#r^ had not happened? (I will address this question in greater detail at one of our prep sessions, and I will re-ask this question of you when we are in China and you see with your own eyes what is happening in that emerging market.)
Prof. Carr June 4, 2008 addendum: See also this related, Wall Street Journal article that just came out, Generation Gap Over Ti**anm** Sq*#r^. Why do you think the youth of today’s China are as pro government and nationalistic, and not more skeptical of government? Discuss and defend your answer.
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, China
4 Comments Add your own
1. Morgan O'Hara | December 18th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Aside from the sobering images and the haunting narration of the Tiananmen Square tragedy, the documentary really brought to light the plight of China’s floating population – the hundreds of millions of migrant workers who have sustained China’s economic boom. This is the biggest migration in human history – I had heard that statement many times over, and it ways always intangible, whereas now it’s palpable. Those images of train stations packed with rural people carrying all their possessions. I now feel that I have a better understanding of their predicament.
These workers do not receive health or welfare benefits – no social services to speak of. They’re not allowed to live in the cities unless they’re employed in the factories or the construction sites. No job and they’re not allowed to stick around, as they don’t have residency cards, and the authorities do not want slums popping up. What a marginal existence. It’s also why the regime is worried – what happens if the economy slows and these people have no work? According to a 2006 national survey on migrant workers, 64 percent were males, and half of migrants were aged between 16 and 30. Where do these young men go?
The Chinese regime is stern, and at times brutal, but it doesn’t lack foresight. They are thinking 20, 30, 40 years down the road. What is their grand plan? What plans do they have for their migrant workforce? I found a list of the top 50 Chinese cities, population wise. They’re all well over two million inhabitants, and, needless to say, most of them we have never heard of. Will the more underdeveloped cities be filling up with more migrant workers, and will they be allowed to establish permanent residency there? How long will it be before these people start standing up for their rights? It seems their lives as migrant workers might be better than it is back on the farm, but not by a whole lot.
2. Jason Larocco | December 29th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
The ability of the Chinese government to erase knowledge is scary. I was surprised by the stories Fareed Zakaria told to this effect in the The Post American World, and I was shocked when the three students did not recognize the photo of Tank Man. Prior to watching the video when I read Dr. Carr’s million dollar question “Would China be where it is today if Ti**anm** Sq*#r^ had not happened”, I felt the answer was clearly NO. The protest was such an important step in China’s cultural revolution how could China be where it is today without it. I would also assume that these protests provided crucial support that leaders like Deng Xiaoping would need to promote economic reform. But if thirty years later three educated students don’t even recognize a photo a Tank Man, I have to believe that the significance of these protests within China is diminished. I would be saddened to think that any American at the college level would not be able to recognize Martin Luther King’s have a dream speech and at a minimum be able to associate it with our civil rights movement. China’s ability to erase the memory of complete events definitely impedes the ability for change to happen from the bottom up.
However, whether these students recognize the symbols of the protests or not China has made huge economic changes. The symbol of Tank Man to the rest of the world caused changed in the global environment which affected China. The video mentioned that the symbol of Tank Man helped strengthen revolutionary movements within Russia. The fall of communism in Russia changed the political and economic landscape of the whole world, and China has definitely been affected by that. Even if you completely discount the affect of Ti**anm** Sq*#r^ within China, the protests had an effect on the rest of the world which would eventually affect China. So my answer to the million dollar question is still no, China would not be where it is today if Ti**anm** Sq*#r^ had not happened. However, as the world shrinks, the ability of the Chinese government to erase knowledge amongst its people will diminish and they will have to find new ways to maintain “stability” within their society.
3. Chris Carr | December 29th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Re: Jason’s comment, I realize my question was poorly framed and worded.
Let me state it differently ….
Economically, would China be even close to where it is today (much to the benefit of the USA, by the way — e.g., low interest rates), had the CCP not crushed the protests in T-square?
And why do you think the T-square protests and demonstrations where such a threat to stability in China? And perhaps even more importantly — why do you think ’stability’ is such a big deal and sensitive issue in China to so many people, not just the CCP folks?
4. Jason Larocco | December 30th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Unfortunately, I don’t think China would be in the same economic state if they did not crush the protest at T-square. From what I have studied so far their stunning economic growth rate has depended heavily on the CCP’s ability to provide stability, and stability still resides in an authoritarian style of government. If you open the doors of civil rights to over a billion people all at once there would be chaos. Through their authoritarian approach the CCP has been able to pour significant resources into economic growth projects while sidelining many social issues which may impede economic progress. Look at India. The inefficiencies of democracy and legislation have in many ways hampered their economic growth especially in comparison to China.
Through these readings I am learning more about the patience and tolerance of the Chinese culture. While these virtues are admirable I think many are wondering how much longer the people of China will be tolerant to what we see as a lack of civil rights. Thirty years of growth has bought the CCP a lot of civil patience, but let’s see what happens when the world economy can no longer support this type of growth. Hopefully the CCP is right and reforms to the judicial system like what we saw in “the people’s court” will start to nurture civil rights in a harmonious way.
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