Comments on: Incoming!!

By: Simeon Trieu

Simeon Trieu — Sun, 11 May 2008 05:34:50 +0000

Even more so than Americans are of America, the Chinese are passionate about China. In America, we have varying backgrounds (ie. ethnic, religious, or what have you), and the simple truth is that not everyone who comes here has a national culture they can identify with. It is the melting pot. Just about the only common point is that we share the same language, government, and air.

China has suffered a lot from the Western powers, and has made great progress. It is something to be commended, but they still have a lot of ground to cover in human rights, healthcare, and censorship, for example.

As for the Western news conflicting with Chinese news reports, don’t believe everything you read/hear/see. If we learn anything from the Tbtan uprising and the media, the truth is always somewhere in the middle. You have to discern it for yourself based on the biased reports from both sides.

Also on a related topic, if you want to see some Beijing supporters who are largely overseas Chinese, there is an event this Wednesday (5/14) and Thursday (5/15) from 11AM to 2PM both days at the Cal Poly UU for overseas Chinese supporting the 2008 Olympics. See http://www.boo-vo.org/ for more info.

By: David Zarcone

David Zarcone — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:50:58 +0000

I think that Shasta made a very good point, although there is still much more behind the protests than simple national pride. However, this natural defense mechanism that we all have to defend our home, whether it be our nation or city. This can be seen in most professional sports, most people love and follow their home team simply because they want their city to look the best. These Chinese students, coming from a country that believes in the group before the individual, would certainly stand up for their nation which is easily understandable. I have to say that River Town sounds like an interesting book, one that I will keep in mind for future reading.

By: Catriona Banks-Orosco

Catriona Banks-Orosco — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:49:59 +0000

I think the protests are a combination of frustration and opportunity.

Frustration at the media from the realization that not all sides of the Tibet story are being told. Frustration at being confronted with images that are upsetting and the knowledge that the CCP will still exercise a heavy hand. It would also be difficult to believe that the uprising is the result of only a few unhappy people, so it brings up the question of why are these people so unhappy? This must conflict with the students feelings here in the US and the opportunities they have had because of China’s amazing growth.

There is also the opportunity in this country to speak out. If they plan to return home, the students know they could be rewarded for supporting their country. Just as the students from Tibet are afraid for their families if they show public support for the protests. This new freedom may make dialogue a challenge at first because there are so many feelings that will be exposed. The cohesiveness of Chinese society deters speaking out against the CCP, so there will be an inherent need to defend the party’s actions, if their actions are unsettling.

By: Shasta Palmer

Shasta Palmer — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:12:32 +0000

I think the root cause of riots stem from general human reaction. I mean as an American when people bash the U.S. and some of the things it’s done my first reaction is to stand up and say, “Hey thats not true.” Even if it is I want to see it different so that my country does not look bad.

This is the same thing the Chinese who are visiting here are doing. I’ve been reading the book “An Americans Guide to Chinese” and they are even a more cohesive group than we are. So when we bash their country or say it’s doing something bad it’s like saying they are bad. If you tell someone they are bad the first reaction is, “No, I’m not.”

By: Brandi Eng-Rohrbach

Brandi Eng-Rohrbach — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:40:04 +0000

I heartily agree with you Chris. There is no way in which I could make any account of my being abroad come anywhere close to his.

By: Chris Carr

Chris Carr — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:36:02 +0000

Hessler’s book, River Town, is an awesome, awesome, amazing book. The guy can flat out write.

By: Brandi Eng-Rohrbach

Brandi Eng-Rohrbach — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:15:31 +0000

I think the root cause is that the collectivism in Asian cultures probably lends itself to nationalism. I am reading River Town by Peter Hessler. It is a story of an American visiting China but is really an exploration of Chinese culture. Through his discussions with Chinese throughout the book there is a theme of nationalism. Many are very fond of him because he is American and we helped China defeat Japan in 1945. The most common hatred is of the British, however, for the Opium Wars and wrongly occupying Hong Kong. The day Hong Kong is returned to China in the book is full of national fever. The Chinese people view it as a return to its rightful owner. Interesting though this pride goes beyond nationalism to also a pride in culture. This is what allowed the communist party to gain power and the party today is still full of these undertones.
I think all this springs from the fact that China has such a long history. China for the majority of time was one of the most powerful nations/cultures in the world. Only in the past century as Dr. Morris said has it left the limelight. The Chinese are used to this position however and eagerly awaiting its return. This is where the nationalism springs from and the need to defend criticism of the nation. I think this is a good thing because people should be proud as it is a powerful tool of transformation.