Sunday, July 31, 2005

Loving China, blogging China

Some of you folks might wonder why I have a "China Blogs" section on the left-hand column. It's partly because of my interest in China that I read those sites, and partly because I spent more than a year actively participating in the online forum for the China Daily, which is the official English newspaper of China. I think these "China blogs" are great for a number of reasons, and I like to read them because I often share the sentiments expressed. Basically, I feel these guys, who either have lived in or are living in China, really give good insights into a place I feel affinity for. (My paternal grandparents emmigrated from China to Thailand, and my wife is a Malaysian of Chinese descent.)

Anyway, some folks are offended by foreigners' comments on Chinese politics. They play on a feeling of shame and deep resentment many Chinese harbor concerning the way colonial powers preyed upon a weak and fractured China in the late 19th and early 20th century. (Of course, the same people stress the forgiveness and willingness to let go of the past when it comes to things like Mao's Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution.)

For a view into the debate concerning China blogging, check this opinion out.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It rarely occurs to people hwo difficult it must be for those Americans originating from places the United States is at odds with. There's a lot of discussion going on right now about American policies regrading China and people forget to ask your opinion. SO, shouold we trade with China?

Tyson said...

well, i don't really originate from china cause i've never even been there, but i think that americans are pretty good about separating people and a government in our minds. unfortunately, the mindset of many mainland chinese is that the government IS the country. strange, i know ...

about trading with china, i really do think free markets lead to free societies. of course, that doesn't mean we need to suck up to china like we were doing with uzbekistan.