People's Republic of China, Dec. 27 2011

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 04 Dec 2012 10:12

happens in india too...right here in chennai , a family refused to vacate their home near sholinganallur and took a lot of talking my gov before he moved

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 04 Dec 2012 10:20

The house above (China) has been demolished after paying less than half the amount the man was demanding.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 04 Dec 2012 11:41

Man on Fire: More than 80 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest China's policies in their homeland. This is one man’s story.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 04 Dec 2012 15:08

An unbelievably expensive piece of Xinjiang nut cake and what it tells about the ethnic policy in China

The “Xinjiang nut cake gate” started from a Weibo post by the official Weibo account of Yueyan police @岳阳公安警事 (Weibo is a leading microblogging platform in China). The post was already deleted after going viral.

“#Police Alert# Villager Ling went into a fight with Uyghurs due to communication misunderstandings when buying a piece of Xinjiang nut cake. Verbal dispute escalated into a fight and then a mass fight. As a result, two people were injured; and Xinjian nut cakes of a total worth of about RMB 160,000 were destroyed. Total damage was about RMB 200,000, including fees for broken motorcycle and injured people. Currently, local police at Pingjiang already detained Ling. The 16 Uyghur sellers were properly compensated and sent back to Xinjiang.”

Jokes aside, Xinjiang nut cakes have always been a controversial street food. People’s biggest concern is the so-called “Xinjiang nut cake party,” a group of closely-organized Uyghur sellers who know nothing about fair trade. In most of the cases, consumers have no say in how much to buy – he or she pays for whatever s/he is given to. For example, netizen 烧烤象鼻虫 described the situation in his hometown: “I used to saw some Xinjiang nut cake street vendors outside the Tianjin Railway Station. 50 yuan per ounce; and you pay for what is cut off for you. A guy went to buy a piece but refused to pay for the several pounds that were cut for him. Soon there was a fight.” Netizen 紫依若久 had similar experience: “I bought Xinjiang nut cake once, and that was my only and last time. The Uyghur guy cut me a very small piece and asked for over 100 yuan. I cannot say no nor ask for a smaller piece. He forced me to pay with his knife in hand.”

In a sense, this piece of RMB 160,000 Xinjiang nut cake is a perfect example of what China’s ethnic policies have created in society. 南都评论, the commentary channel of Nanfang Daily, pointed to the deeper social reason of the case:

“Xinjian nut cake is suddenly popular. The fear of clashes [between different ethnic groups] leads to such unbelievable numbers. Sarcasm is the result of cruel reality. Ethnic polices that meant to show understanding and tolerance lead to opposite results in real life due to its own absurdity – they divide ethnic groups and create bigger inequality. Forced purchases are a disaster of a group. A law that favors one group over the other is a disaster of a nation.”

When outsiders talk about news in which ethnic minorities in Tibet or Xinjiang are reported to feel repressed and edged by Han Chinese, they oftentimes find it hard to understand why most Han Chinese feel no sympathy for the sufferings of ethnic minorities. Nothing happens for no reason. The ethnic policies in China create a seemingly unfair favor toward the minorities – they can have more than one child, they can get into college with much lower scores, they receive less severe punishments when committing crimes, especially if the victim is Han Chinese, to name the most common few. As a result, it’s no wonder that the Han Chinese (95% of China’s population) feel the unresting minorities in Tibet or Xinjiang are a group of unappreciating free-riders. Such social divide created by China’s ethnic policies makes no one happy. While the minorities feel discriminated, the Han say they are put into disadvantages positions by reverse discrimination. Like netizen 徽剑 pointed out: “China’s ethnic policies is the root of all its ethnic problems.” Netizen Fanson1982 shared the same view: “A distorted ethnic policy will not lead to social stability. All it does is breaking the bonds among different ethnic groups.”

member_20317 · Post by **member_20317** » 04 Dec 2012 15:43

abhishek_sharma wrote:Man on Fire: More than 80 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest China's policies in their homeland. This is one man’s story.

These chinese make no provision for the black swan event.

These guys think 1.2 billion chinese have been converted into Han so everybody will just roll over.

All these self imolations will build up an emotional pressure and nobody really knows how it will blast open the lid.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 04 Dec 2012 19:50

Top Ten Myths about China in 2012

kish · Post by **kish** » 05 Dec 2012 16:46

Chinese Garment Factory Fire Kills 14 in Guangdong

A fire at a lingerie factory killed 14 people in Shantou, a city in the southeastern Chinese province of Guangdong, on Tuesday, official news media said. The Chinese authorities said the police had made an arrest. The Southern Metropolis Daily, a newspaper in Guangzhou, reported that a worker had started the fire as part of a pay dispute, but there was no government confirmation of that.

Interesting. If it is just 1 worker, he will get the treatment from communist party. If it is more than 1 worker, party may have its hands full for the next few weeks.

kish · Post by **kish** » 05 Dec 2012 17:42

The above incident is from South-East. This is from South-West.

[url=xhtttp://dawn.com/2012/12/05/china-mine-blast-kills-17-state-media/]China mine blast kills 17: state media[/url]

A gas blast in a southwest China coal mine left 17 people dead Wednesday, state press said of the latest accident in the dangerous industry.

China is the world’s biggest consumer of coal, relying on the fossil fuel for about 70 per cent of its growing energy needs.

But its mines are among the deadliest in the world due to lax regulation, corruption and inefficiency. Accidents are common because safety is often neglected by bosses seeking quick profits.

According to the latest official figures, 1,973 people died in coal mining accidents in China in 2011, a 19 per cent fall on the previous year.

But labour rights groups say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their financial losses and avoid punishment.

Late last month, 23 people were killed in a gas explosion in a coal mine in Guizhou provinces, which borders Yunnan.

This news will irk the chinese communist party biladels here in BRF.

Chinmayanand · Post by **Chinmayanand** » 06 Dec 2012 22:36

China ready to ‘communicate’ over new passports

China learning downhill skii from taller than mountain and sweeter than honey friend.

Chinmayanand · Post by **Chinmayanand** » 06 Dec 2012 22:40

Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party congress opens

The Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party (CPWDP), a non-Communist political party, opened its 15th National Congress on Thursday in Beijing with a pledge to fully play its unique role in healthcare, population resources and ecological protection.

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Is it a CPC offshoot to make believe the poor chinese that they have a say ?

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 06 Dec 2012 23:05

Chinmayanand wrote:China ready to ‘communicate’ over new passports
China learning downhill skii from taller than mountain and sweeter than honey friend.

A hallmark of Chinese policy is to initiate constant exploratory moves that question a previously assumed artifact of another's sovereignity. They seek to understand to what extent the other side holds it dear. If there is little response, they proceed to take over and apply their rules. Unless it is immediately countered with disproportionate anger to get them to back off, they will retain their new level of control or occupancy over a period of time and assert their own authority as a fait accompli.

If the other side responds with disproportionate anger, they quickly back off, and then restart the same someplace else. Backing off here doesn't appear to be a source of shame to them - it is part of the process of cartographic aggression. By being the initiator, they remain in control of the tone of the dialog; they depend on wearing out the other side by constantly making thrusts against them, and causing them to respond emotionally, even in a Pavlovian manner, to the Chinese actions. There is little emotion behind their actions, even their apologetic withdrawals - they see it as 'oops, not this one. let's find something else to push at them'.

Therefore the solution to their approach is not merely to respond with disproportionate aggression, but also to turn the process back at them, doing the same to them. This is something both the US and USSR knew and did - making them defensive and paranoid is the surest way to assert peer or dominating authority over their establishment. By merely responding to their aggressive initiatives, they will continue to see the other side as a vassal whom they frequently test for intestinal fortitude. It is when they are tested in the same manner that they offer respect.

That is why they we have a stronger position than the ASEAN, or even what we are willing to let ourselves believe. The Tibetan government in exile is a card we have held for decades, and continue to hold. The only trick GoI is missing out is in reqularly initiating minor destabilizing actions to make PRC respond, as opposed to just letting them regularly warn us not to use the Tibetan card, and our just telling them to fu(k off. Such actions are not destablizing vs PRC - it's playing their game with them as the target.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 07 Dec 2012 14:01

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/de ... u-new-area

A long, long time ago, an old Chinese peasant named Yu Gong decided to move two inconveniently located mountains away from blocking the entrance to his home. Legend has it he struggled terribly, but ultimately succeeded. Hence the Chinese idiom "Yu Gong moves the mountains." Where there's a will, there's a way. Now Chinese developers are putting old Yu to shame.

In what is being billed as the largest "mountain-moving project" in Chinese history, oneof China's biggest construction firms will spend £2.2bn to flatten 700 mountains levelling the area Lanzhou, allowing developers to build a new metropolis on the outskirts of the north-western city.

The Lanzhou New Area, 500 square miles (130,000 hectares) of land 50 miles from the city, which is the provincial capital of arid Gansu province, could increase the region's gross domestic product to £27bn by 2030, according to the state-run China Daily. It has already attracted almost £7bn of corporate investment.

The project will be China's fifth "state-level development zone" and the first in the country's rapidly developing interior, according to state media reports. Others include Shanghai's Pudong and Tianjin's Binhai, home to a half-built, 120-building replica of Manhattan. China's state council, its highest administrative authority, approved the Lanzhou project in August.

The first stage of the mountain-flattening initiative, which was reported on Tuesday by the China Economic Weekly magazine, began in late October and will eventually enable a new urban district almost 10 square miles in size northeast of downtown Lanzhou – a small, but important part of the Lanzhou Nnew area project to be built.

One of the country's largest private companies: the Nanjing-based China Pacific Construction Group, headed by Yan Jiehe, is behind the initiative. The 52-year-old former teacher is portrayed in China as a sort of home-grown Donald Trump – ultra-ambitious and preternaturally gifted at navigating the country's vast network of "guanxi", or personal connections.

Yan was born in the 1960s as the youngest of nine children. After a decade of working as a high-school teacher and cement plant employee, he founded his construction firm in 1995 and amassed a fortune by buying and revamping struggling state-owned enterprises. In 2006 the respected Hu Run report named Yan – then worth about £775m – as China's second-richest man.

His latest plan has evoked a healthy dose of scepticism. Lanzhou, home to 3.6 million people alongside the silty Yellow River, already has major environmental concerns. Last year the World Health Organisation named it the city with the worst air pollution in China. The city's main industries include textiles, fertiliser production and metallurgy.

Liu Fuyuan, a former high-level official at the country's National Development and Reform Commission, told China Economic Weekly that the project was unsuitable because Lanzhou is frequently listed as among China's most chronically water-scarce municipalities. "The most important thing is to gather people in places where there is water," he said.

Others also pointed to the financial risk of building a new city in the middle of the desert. "All this investment needs to be paid back with residential land revenue, and I don't see much on returns in these kinds of cities," said Tao Ran, an economics professor at Renmin University in Beijing. "If you have a booming real estate market it might work, but it seems to me that real estate in China is very, very risky."

In an email interview, a China Pacific Construction Group spokeswoman dismissed criticisms of the project as unjustified. "Lanzhou's environment is already really poor, it's all desolate mountains which are extremely short of water," said Angie Wong. "Our protective style of development will divert water to the area, achieve reforestation and make things better than before."

Yan's plans could be considered "a protective style of development, and a developmental style of protection", she said, adding: "I think whether it's England or America, or any other country, no one will cease development because of resource scarcity caused by geography."

A promotional video posted on the Lanzhou new area website shows a digitally-rendered cityscape of gleaming skyscrapers and leafy parks. Against a driving operatic score, the camera zooms out from a large government building to reveal features of the area's imagined urban topography: a clock tower, a new airport, an oil refinery, a light-rail system, and a stadium packed with cheering fans.

The new area "will lead to an environmentally sustainable economy based on energy-saving industries" including advanced equipment manufacturing, petrochemical industries and modern agriculture, wrote Chinese Central Television on its website.

kish · Post by **kish** » 07 Dec 2012 23:05

China defiant over Liu Xiaobo after wife's emotional plea

China has refused to back down over Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize winner jailed by Beijing, a day after his wife spoke out from under house arrest for the first time in two years in an emotional interview.

People's Republic of China is soo kind to its people.

kish · Post by **kish** » 07 Dec 2012 23:08

China Rejects US View on Rights in Tibet

China has lashed out at the United States for remarks by a U.S. official blaming China's restrictive policies in Tibet for a rise in self-immolation protests.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Friday called the remarks “disgusting” and said the Tibet issue has nothing to do with human rights, ethnicity or religion.

Hong repeated China's position that Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his supporters are inciting the immolations allegedly to press for lifting China's control over Tibet.

Chinmayanand · Post by **Chinmayanand** » 08 Dec 2012 18:15

Why China's Super-Rich Are Packing Up And Moving Abroad

Zhang Lan, founder of restaurant chain South Beauty, is one of China’s richest women and a symbol of the country's booming economic success. Thus it is not surprising that the recent news that the billionaire has renounced her Chinese citizenship to take on a foreign nationality has been met with some significant national soul-searching.

Though it is still not clear what nationality Zhang will take on (China doesn't allow for dual citizenship), her choice is part of broader trend of wealthy Chinese emigrating overseas.

According to the 2011 Private Wealth Report, 27% of Chinese entrepreneurs worth more than 100 million RMB ($15.9 million) have already emigrated, while another 47% say they are considering doing so. The number of these so-called “naked businessmen” is massive. The main reasons for businessmen emigrating are: their children’s education, protecting assets, and preparing for retirement.

Increasingly, the general Chinese public has grown aware of this dramatic trend. Last year, out of 5,000 investment immigration visas issued by the U.S., Chinese people accounted for two-thirds of them.

Undoubtedly, the most dazzling fact in all of this is that over 70% of China’s privileged have either emigrated or are on the way to emigrate. It is definitely not normal for 70% of a country’s wealthy class to want to leave the place where they were born and made their fortune. When we connect this piece of news to another study conducted a few years back in which it was said 80% of China’s wealth is in 20% of people’s hands, then it is easy to imagine the scale of the loss of China’s national wealth.

Apart from the immediate loss of national wealth, massive emigration will no doubt also shake the public’s confidence in the future prospects for China’s domestic development. In general, unless their riches were amassed by unlawful means, the rich are the economic elite of a country.

The choices of a country’s elite influence the emotions, judgment and decisions of ordinary people. When the rich pin the hope of their children’s education and retirement on other countries, it means that they have a pessimistic view regarding the improvement of their country’s education and social security. When people flee a country just to protect their assets, it’s further proof that they do not hold too much hope for the country’s rule of law.

Many people like to take a moral high ground and criticize the rich Chinese emigrants. A renowned scholar recently commented on China’s emigration trend in an interview. At the turn of the 20th century the Chinese students who went to study abroad all tried to come home as fast as they could to serve their country, whereas the Chinese children who go abroad today scramble to find ways to stay in their host countries, even if they've barely graduated from high school.

I personally prefer to look at the issue from another angle.

First, in my view, the fact that the rich are fleeing is sad and even worthy of compassion. Out of the three main reasons for the rich emigrating, their offspring’s education is the most important. This says that, like every parent, wealthy people want their children to get the best education they can. As for protecting their assets, it’s related to the status of the rule of law in China, while hoping for a sound retirement is just human nature. None of these reasons are about personal happiness. In other words, the wealthy do not leave just for the sake of better material conditions.

The flight of the rich also helps to reverse the deep-rooted “eating philosophy” pursued by China’s rulers, where development is the supreme ideal, and as long as the people have enough to eat, all dissatisfaction will disappear. Compared to this, universal values such as rule of law, freedom, and human rights are just quaint ideas.

Nevertheless China’s wealthiest, the people who eat the most, are voting with their feet. This may indeed mark the end of the “eating philosophy.” The fleeing wealthy show us that, as human beings, we have spiritual needs and need to be respected beyond just having enough to eat. When the citizens of a country turn to other states for these things, we should not blame them. What we should rather think about is the quantity and quality of public service that this country provides.

From what Xi Jinping said in November’s Communist Party Congress, we can undoubtedly see that China’s new generation of leaders has started to take stock of the problem. Since Xi became China’s leader, “livelihood” and “anti-corruption” have become the most repeated expressions in his speeches.

It’s easier to shout slogans than to act. If our country can improve public services, accelerate the process of the rule of the law and put an end to corruption as fast as possible, China will become a pleasant country to live in. And then, I’m convinced that the rush to exile by the rich will come to a halt.

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china and pakistan have one more thing in common. Their super rich are ditching them.

kish · Post by **kish** » 08 Dec 2012 21:39

China policeman Li Yali suspended over drink-drive 'cover-up'

A top policeman in China has been suspended amid allegations of a cover-up after his son was filmed in a confrontation with police when stopped for drunk driving, state media report.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 09 Dec 2012 21:08

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 10 Dec 2012 00:51

Hahahaha seems phoren-craze is not restricted to India-only I don't think Indians are quite as crazy as this.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 10 Dec 2012 02:19

sanjaykumar wrote:Hahahaha seems phoren-craze is not restricted to India-only I don't think Indians are quite as crazy as this.

I don't think it is the phoren-craze in this case, but simply that the Chinese violate trademarks and copyrights at will, producing stuff with fake labels, and selling them at home AND abroad as the real thing. It is not phoren-craze but stealing that is the issue here! China doesn't have many brands, so it doesn't really matter if they do it, they don't lose anything.

Of course, phoren-craze is also there. Chinese can indulge in it on the cheap.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 10 Dec 2012 11:08

You'll find knock off 'Tommy Hilfiger' and 'Calvin Klein' in the streets that low income folks buy (many don't even think of these a knock offs, they just buy because it looks good or whatever). This is unlike China where even middle class folks, who presumably know that a fake iphone is a fake and still buy it. I saw one in FL and it looked like one, even had some software loaded that looked like iOS. Did not have more time to look further.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 10 Dec 2012 13:16

Not only locals....SG's people also do that....lots of them goto China to do shopping and buy fakes knowning every well they are fakes

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 12 Dec 2012 07:23

Does This Writer Deserve the Prize?

In the People’s Liberation Army

kish · Post by **kish** » 13 Dec 2012 15:24

What is supposed to be India's national daily, is doing what China's national daily should do.

Give legitimacy to Chinese point of view. Who needs enemies when some media brainwash its own people that they are always at fault. Making victory easy for India's enemies.

‘1962 war detrimental to both India and China’

The 1962 war was “detrimental” not only to India but also to China, a commentary in a Chinese Communist Party-run newspaper said on Thursday in a rare article examining the legacy of the war, a much-forgotten event in China

Which paper chindu?

“Even though China did make India negotiate (to give up its land)[through its October 20, 1962 offensive], India since then has taken China as its biggest threat and taken a militaristic stance. China not only failed to get back its lost territory but created a new rival. This was unexpected,” wrote Liu Zongyi, a scholar at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. The commentary was published by the Communist Party-run Global Times, a widely-read tabloid known for its nationalistic views.

Which lost territory they are talking about? After Tibet invasion they gained territory and wanted even more.

Mr. Liu, however, cautioned that the “border problem will never be solved” if India’s military leaders and strategists “continue deliberately ignoring the fundamental reason that caused the war”. He said “divergences on the McMahon Line between China and India were the fundamental reason for the border war.”

“Now, the U.K. Ministry of Foreign Affairs has admitted the illegality of the McMahon Line, but India remains determined to uphold the views of British colonists,” he claimed. According to him, the uprising in Tibet in 1959 and the Dalai Lama moving to India in exile were other factors. Following the events, China “had to handle the boundary issue with India from a strategic perspective,” he said

All India's fault.

“But [Nehru refused negotiations. The attitude of Nehru was surely influenced by India's domestic politics: Nehru and his ruling party were attacked on the border issue by opposition parties.” “Since China's policy to stop India’s further encroachment failed,” he added, “a lightning strike to force India to the negotiating table was the last resort.”

He said both countries needed to “view the issue objectively” even if “one side does bear the main responsibility". “However, from India’s high-profile memorial for the 50th anniversary of the border war, it seems its military leaders and strategists are not doing so,” he concluded. “Their reflection is allegedly confined to their country’s military weaknesses, such as outdated equipment, misconduct, and poor logistics.”

Again all India's fault. How peacefull chinese are willing to negotiate Indian territory.

kish · Post by **kish** » 13 Dec 2012 15:36

The same new from another source.

State-run Chinese daily blames India for 1962 war

China was "forced into a counterattack" in the 1962 war with India, said a state-run Chinese daily, blaming New Delhi for initiating "a forward policy of sending troops and border patrols into disputed areas".

An opinion piece Thursday in the Global Times titled "India still conserves frontier mentality over 1962 border war with China" said that in recent months, India has taken a high-octane stance in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the China-India Border War.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 14 Dec 2012 19:14

Some more positive news for Law enforcement agencies of China.
Please google for the link.

Legal action underway against self-immolations
(China Tibet Online)
08:33, December 14, 2012

In order to combat the growing number of self-immolations in Tibetan communities across China, the country’s top court and public security authorities have now issued a directive that allows for criminal charges, including intentional homicide, to be filed against people who organize, plot or incite others to commit such suicidal acts. CCTV reporter Li Qiuyuan spoke with one legal expert based in Beijing to find out more about the legal actions against self-immolations.

Tibetan Buddhism has long been known for its love and respect for life, but the recent series of self-immolations in Tibetan communities tells a different story.

Lorang Konchok, a 40-year-old monk and his nephew from an ethnic Tibetan area in southwest China’s Sichuan province, were arrested for encouraging eight people to set themselves on fire, three of whom died.

What is positive news for China is really a bad news for others.

kish · Post by **kish** » 14 Dec 2012 21:18

China school knife attack in Henan injures 22 children

A man with a knife has wounded 22 children - at least two of them seriously - and an adult at a primary school in central China.

The attack happened at the gate of a school in Chenpeng village in Henan province.

Police arrested a 36-year-old local man at the scene.

This is a third or fourth time such a incident is happening in China. Whenever somebody is enraged by the communist government, they kill school children.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 14 Dec 2012 23:35

That the man is having to use a school knife, is really a blot on us Indians.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 14 Dec 2012 23:53

As much as I dislike Chinese government and it's policies, that the attack on innocent school children is still tragic and worth condemnation.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 15 Dec 2012 00:16

jamwal wrote:As much as I dislike Chinese government and it's policies, that the attack on innocent school children is still tragic and worth condemnation.

Of course it is tragic and worth condemnation. But the capacity of people to acquire weapons when they wish to express their anger against the state is also an issue hidden within this outrageous act.

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 15 Dec 2012 02:44

kish wrote:The same new from another source.

State-run Chinese daily blames India for 1962 war

The original Global times article has an interesting tidbit of the chinese version of the war and its result

The war was detrimental to both India and China. Even though China did make India negotiate, India since then has taken China as its biggest threat and taken a militaristic stance. China not only failed to get back its lost territory but created a new rival. This was unexpected.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 15 Dec 2012 18:54

That the man is having to use a school knife, is really a blot on us Indians.

Are you serious? I would advise self deletion or admin intervention to delete that.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 15 Dec 2012 19:37

harbans wrote:
That the man is having to use a school knife, is really a blot on us Indians.
Are you serious? I would advise self deletion or admin intervention to delete that.

I have already explained my remarks in the next post!

Christopher Sidor · Post by **Christopher Sidor** » 17 Dec 2012 23:35

The Soviet Union's Revolution happened in 1917. The second biggest event as momentous as the revolution was the first half of 1940s war with the Nazis. The people which had a hand in both these events were hard and were sure of their legitimacy. They were not afraid to use the Iron glove if the need arose. Recall the brutal suppression carried out in Warsaw pact countries long after Stalin died. But when that old-generation died, the leaders who took over did not have the stomach or the inclination to use brutal force to suppress the masses and keep the system going. The result was loss of the Berlin wall and consequently the fading into history books the group called Soviet Union and WARSAW Pact.

The PRC's revolution happened in 1949. After that, unlike the Soviet Union, it did not face any momentous event comparable to the Nazi invasion of Soviet Union. A few weeks back the last old-generation in China died. When Tienanmen incident occurred in 1989, the people from revolution of 1949, i.e. old-guard, were very much alive and kicking. The result was a predictable massacre carried out in the name of preserving stability. Now the old-guard is no more. The new generation has no linkage with the revolution or do not derive their legitimacy from the revolution of 1949. If there were to be a major incident like a repeat of 1989, will the new generation have the wisdom to fade into history like the Soviet Communist and other WARSAW pact communist had? Or will we see a rise of a despotic ruler? Or worse the rise of a despotic army on the lines of the imperial Japanese army who like the Pakistani Army claim all the power but no responsibility for the actions undertaken?

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 18 Dec 2012 06:17

Must admit that ingenuity is alive and well in PRC:

Christopher Sidor · Post by **Christopher Sidor** » 22 Dec 2012 14:02

Miracle in the Middle Kingdom --- Wall Street Journal Dated 20-Dec-2012

This opinion piece is about the growth of a branch of Christianity called Pentecostalism in China. This branch of Christianity unlike the Protestant or Catholics, "that emphasizes prophesy, healings, direct revelations and speaking in tongues." (sic). So unlike the hard form of Christianity this is a belief system which is more flexible and is more attuned to what the normal Chinese, with a history stretching back ages, finds acceptable. The problem is that early Christianity in the early Roman empire, before it became the "Holy Roman Empire", was similar to this. After a majority of the population had converted, it was then the hard-core christian beliefs were imposed on the tip of the sword. When Jesus became divine and not just a holy man. Along with this the entire pagan culture of Europe was annihilated, on the lines of extermination of the Inca culture.

Today, a little under half of China's Christian population is Pentecostal or charismatic, reports the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts.
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Another Homecoming preacher held a mass healing, praying specifically for people with "serious blows to the head affecting memory function… migraines… [deteriorating] cartilage in the knees… abdominal tumors… eye disease." Many attendees wept and claimed to have been cured.
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These attendees suffer from a spotty health-care system back home, a big reason Chinese have historically been open to alternative treatments, including faith healings. In fact, that's how Pentecostalism took root in this country.
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The poor, who lacked health care, were drawn by its promises of health, often fulfilled through miraculous healings. Pentecostals also acknowledge an active spiritual world, syncing nicely with Chinese folk beliefs while alleviating some of their fearsome elements.
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Upwardly mobile Chinese now look especially toward Wenzhou in the coastal Zhejiang province, a central city for both entrepreneurship and Christianity. To many, "that just kind of proves that the Pentecostal gospel makes people prosperous, and that's why it's very attractive," Mr. Balcombe said.

Recent urbanization has further fueled conversion, Mr. Balcombe explained. Last year marked the first time that more Chinese lived in cities than the countryside. Many migrant workers are taking their Pentecostal and charismatic beliefs with them to the big city.

These transient workers share their faith with their neighbors, who are often willing to listen. China's big shift to cities has left many lonely and isolated. Newfound wealth hasn't been as satisfying as many hoped. Pentecostal and charismatic churches address these needs, offering not only purpose but a sense of belonging.

Christopher Sidor · Post by **Christopher Sidor** » 22 Dec 2012 14:10

Victor wrote:Must admit that ingenuity is alive and well in PRC:

Is this image photo-shopped or altered? Observe the Left hand of the kid in the bucket, specifically look at his fingers. Also look at the Iron Rod which is used to pick up the bucket. Nobody seems to be holding on to it and nor it is not hooked onto a clip.
Further why is the kid in the bucket naked? All the other people in the photography, including the kid hanging behind the woman's back have clothes. This kid looks like it is having a bath when his photo was taken.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 22 Dec 2012 16:22

What's wrong with the kid in the bucket? His fingers are a little big for the woman's leg, propotionally speaking, but hey there are fat chinese tots too...

The metal hook which is used to pick up the bucket, is being held by the hand of the woman, it is not disappearing behind the kid's back...

Why is the baby in bucket buck naked? Well, maybe he likes the cold - or Tiger mother is training him for military service; observe carefully his hairdo.

OF COURSE, the image is photoshopped boss...but which image coming out of China isn't? Their current ideology should be called Photoshop Communism.

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 23 Dec 2012 11:26

Expat Chinese cannot blame Africa for the woes that befall them

A recent Weibo post by a Chinese businessman in Africa has been reposted many times. It says that many Chinese in Africa are looked down upon or bullied. They even dare not say they are Chinese but claim to be Japanese, South Korean or Vietnamese.

But this seems exaggerated to me. I have been in Africa for a short time, but I find this region has been demonized by our compatriots. They focus on some bad things about Africa, like security problems and crime.

However, I feel the situation in Africa is much better than in China. The Africans I know rarely run into crime, but our Chinese are all too familiar with the liars and cheaters in China.

My car once broke down, and a local came to help. My friend told me that they'd be happy if I offered money, but it certainly wasn't necessary, and they'd still help. In comparison, we often hear of cases in China where people turn a blind eye to a fallen senior or a drowning child.

It's true that some Africans don't have a favorable impression of Chinese. Many Chinese businessmen don't treat the region as a long-time market. They import substandard goods from China, which only last a short while. How can African people trust and respect Chinese who do this?

Some of the Chinese bring disaster upon themselves in Africa. They flaunt their wealth with wads of cash, or live in places with poor security to save money. And they don't have any sense of obeying the local laws themselves.

Some Chinese businessmen crow about their own misfortunes because they want to appear as hardworking victims in the eyes of the Chinese public.

However, they failed to mention their own responsibilities. As individuals, these Chinese businessmen should deal with their own problems rather than blaming others.

There may be cultural reasons behind the poor impression some Chinese leave on Africans, and vice versa. Chinese abroad tend to cluster together and not communicate with local people.

Many Indians in Africa have successfully assimilated themselves to local society and some even marry locals, but this is very rare for Chinese.

Li Zhen, a Chinese citizen working in South Sudan

ritesh · Post by **ritesh** » 23 Dec 2012 11:53

Rony wrote:Expat Chinese cannot blame Africa for the woes that befall them

A recent Weibo post by a Chinese businessman in Africa has been reposted many times. It says that many Chinese in Africa are looked down upon or bullied. They even dare not say they are Chinese but claim to be Japanese, South Korean or Vietnamese.

^

some thing quite similar to pakis do all over the world. OMG, so much for inspirations

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 23 Dec 2012 12:15

The kid -in-bucket photo is almost as old as the interwebs as I know it.

The bucket thingy is a bad photo manipulation.