Ask me about China - a Chinese-born Foreigner's Impression

[By-Tor]

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bytor,
you lived very close to gubei?

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no, my wife is from Shanghai

[suzy89222]

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wtf is sick about eating dogs? when compared to smarter animals like pigs.

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i think eating pigs is bad too.

[suzy89222]

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/ar..._of_50000_dogs/

is this ok too? can you imagine walking your dog and someone comes and beats your dog with a baseball bat? i also read in another article how they buried most of them alive.

[daveT]

China seems to have a smeared image. I imagine a lot of it is exaggerated. But the problems stem from the shear size and number of people.

Is it possible to fix the country's problems without exerting extremity?

How do you think the government is doing right now? Do you believe that the people will eventually find their own freedoms without intervention?

I am led to understand that economically, the problem stems from a mix of communism and capitalism. Do you believe that Communism is going away?

What do you mean, exactly, when you say that Mao had good intentions?

That's all for now, but I have plenty more questions.

Olympics 2008: Are you going?

[imitation]

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can you own land?

can you own a condo?

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yes

yes

Bytor, Shanghai sux.

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wow, really? i am surprised about being able to own land.

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I don't believe this is correct you will need a chinese co-signer. Ofcourse there are invariably loop holes, but it is not so simple, that is my understanding.

[imitation]

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China seems to have a smeared image. I imagine a lot of it is exaggerated. But the problems stem from the shear size and number of people.

Is it possible to fix the country's problems without exerting extremity?

How do you think the government is doing right now? Do you believe that the people will eventually find their own freedoms without intervention?

I am led to understand that economically, the problem stems from a mix of communism and capitalism. Do you believe that Communism is going away?

What do you mean, exactly, when you say that Mao had good intentions?

That's all for now, but I have plenty more questions.

Olympics 2008: Are you going?

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With regards to China's current leadership it's interesting to note that despite the fact Hu is in President many of the key positions are still held by Jiang Zemin's appointees. The National Congress which is coming up soon is seen as somewhat of a turning point in Hu's Presidential career as the key positions will now be "his" people. And the following five years will reflect most strongly on how his term is judged.

Hu himself was was a party secretary out in the Tibet, so on the one hand has a very real concern and understanding of the inequalities between the richer coastal provinces and central and western China. However part of his rise to power was also as a result of his hardline approach to uprisings, most notably in 89' when monks in Tibet were beaten to death much like in Burma.

I think, though maybe just hope, that Hu and the current Chinese political culture is one of openness and honesty at the highest levels, however I believe corruption at the provincial, city and town levels of government is seriously underestimated and a national approach to small scale corruption is what the Chinese desperately need.

The CPC will not let communism die, Hu especially has seen that throwing open the doors like Jiang did actually has some very devestating consequences, I expect China's social welfare to be an important goal in the next 5-10yrs.

Mao was good because he unified a country that was historically not particularly stable. There's more to write on him, but my brain isn't good at remembering facts and I'd have to go and dig around old books to make a case. I don't think anyone can say that the great leap forward wasn't a horrible misguided failure, but the man and the vision was at the beginning inspiring.

I hope this answers some questions and honestly I don't know much I just have a superficial understanding of some very complicated ideas.

[imitation]

I might be going to the olympics but the tickets are well and truely on sale and I have no girlfriend there any more and have lost a little bit of my passion for returning there very quickly but I hope to spend another two years or so there in my later twenties after staying in some other parts of the world. But I still think about the country almost everyday and miss it alot at times.

[daveT]

I will probably read on Mao in my own time. I guess this doesn't compare really, but I know someone from Russia who will tell you why Stalin and Lenon are to be appreciated. As an American, it is hard to wrap my brain around this.

Are you familiar with Qiu Xiaolong? I have read his books, and he has an interesting style that balances appreciation and brutal honesty about his own country. I find Chinese books to be fascinating for a glimpse into a different outlook and psychology. Perhaps you could expand on some of these?

[fatgirl_lover]

Okay a few questions. How popular is soccer there? Aren't they really bad, how would I go about playing professional soccer in China?

I want to live in China at some point in the future (so far I went there for 2 weeks on a kung fu trip with my school from MA, and also studied intensive Chinese at college for 1 year). What advice do you have on this? I guess my plan right now is to go to Beijing, find a langauge school and hang out there for a few weeks, then do the same in Shanghai, and then take it from there.

Why is it that Chinese people are so cool? I hate making sweeping statemnets about a people or place that are illogical, but I really have to say I like Chinese people the most. They seem straight forward and down to earth to me. I think it might have something to do with the fact that a lot of Chinese have lived in poverty and went through hard times with Mao and stuff. It's my not well thought out theory that people that have suffered come out as people I like. As opposed to spoiled brats.

[fatgirl_lover]

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