C H I N A

The eni gma and the myst er y; t he t r ut h

and t he l i es

The Chinese Dragon

This is really just my impression of China based on my summer Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad on the

History and Culture of China.

Written on Wall of West Forest Temple

---Su Shi 

Sideways a mountain range, vertically a peak.  

Far-near, soaring-crouching, never the same.  

No way to know Lushan's true face  When you're in the middle of this mountai

n!

What do you think of China?

• A land of 1.3 billion people who all look alike?• A land of inscrutable people who stare at you

because you look different?• A land where you will be lost because you can

neither read the signs nor speak the language?• A people who are broken and beaten by a

Communist government?• A place where asking the wrong question can

get you into a lot of trouble? • A government trying to take over the world?

These questions of course reflect my bias, but from where did this bias arise?

I posit that Western media coverage of China has created an image of China in my mind that could only be changed by actually learning about, seeing and being in China. And I would suggest that you may have a bias as well.

WESTERN MEDIA HEADLINES

• Salute All Cars, Kids. It’s a Rule in China. (New York Times, 10/25/09, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/world/asia/26salute.html?ref=world )

• Group Says China Has Executed 4 for Roles in Tibet Riots (New York Times, 10/23/09, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/world/asia/24china.html )

• China’s Growth Picks Up Speed but Raises Concerns (New York Times, 10/22/09,http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/business/global/23yuan.html )

• China, India Stoke Rivalry (Wall Street Journal, 10/26/09, http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-china.html )

•The Chinese DisconnectBy PAUL KRUGMAN

Something should be done about China’s weak-currency policy, which poses a growing threat to the rest of the world economy. (New York Times, 10/22/09, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/opinion/23krugman.html )

•Beijing Goes After U.S.-Made NylonBy ANDREW JACOBS

China's Ministry of Commerce issued a preliminary ruling Monday that slapped a 36 percent tariff on Nylon 6, a synthetic filament that ends up in a wide array of products. (New York Times, 10/19/09, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/business/global/20yuan.html )

•Chinese Export Boom in Evidence at Trade ShowBy KEITH BRADSHER

Buyers swarming through the world’s largest trade show in Guangzhou underscore how China’s low wages and cheap currency are producing a resurgence of exports. (New York Times, 10/19/09, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/business/global/16yuan.html )

•China: Ex-Professor Given 10-Year TermBy EDWARD WONG

Guo Quan, who established an independent political party, was sentenced for “subversion of state power,” according to Human Rights in China, an advocacy group. (New York Times, 10/19/09, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/world/asia/20briefs-China.html

The ten propositions

1. Expect contradictions and complexities2. China is MORE than China3. China is LESS than China4. China has a centralized, authoritarian

government but it is a weak central government

5. Looking at China is like looking through a kaleidoscope; it depends on where you are and how you are looking at it

6. In spite of immense change, certain cultural patterns and social characteristics prevail

The ten propositions (cont’d)

7. Hong Kong and Taiwan are exerting influence on the mainland and vice versa

8. The natural environment is under enormous pressure and strain.

9. The notion of Socialism with Chinese characteristics

10. BEWARE of all propositions about China.

What changed my bias? Learning!

• The Century of Humiliation:(taken primarily from a lecture given by Dr. Pi-ching Hsu from San

Francisco State University’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences given to the Fulbright group at pre-departure orientation)Began with the opium wars of 1839 and ended with the birth of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

– The Opium Wars• Commissioner Lin Zexu• Treaty of Nanking (1842):

– Opening of five ports (Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai) to British trade.

– Ceding the island of Hong Kong to Great Britain,– Payment of war indemnity ($21,000,000), and– Enabling all British traders to do business directly with the

people.– Extra-territoriality, which allowed foreigners accused of crimes

to be tried by their home country

Century of Humiliation (cont’d)• Treaties of Tianjin  (1858) and the Peking Convention (1860)

– Cession of the Kowloon peninsula to Great Britain,– Foreign diplomats were allowed to reside in Peking,– Ten more ports in China were opened to international trade,– Foreigners were allowed to wander to any part of China,– Christian missionaries were given protection, and– The Opium trade was legalized.

• Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)– Hakka– Hóng Xiùquán

• Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901)– Boxer Protocol

• Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)– Treaty of Shimonoseki – April, 1895

• Ceded Taiwan, Pescadore Islands and Liaodong to Japan• Recognize independence of Korea• Pay indemnities• Open the ports of Shashi, Chongqing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou to

Japanese trade

Century of Humiliation (cont’d)

• “Reform, Revolution and the increasing radicalization of the Chinese mind” (Yu)– Reform of 1898

• Concept of Ti/Yong– Revolution of 1911

• Must rid country of imperialism• Ineffective, corrupt Manchu rulers• Strong desire for nationalization

– Formation of Republic of China - 1912– May 4th Movement - 1919

• Birth of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)– Northern Expedition (1926-28)

• End of warlordism– Manchurian Incident (1931)– KMT vs CCP (1937-46)

• Second United Front

Century of Humiliation ends

• War of Resistance (1937-1945)– Seven weeks of massacre in Chongqing– Rape of Nanjing

• The Civil War (1946-1950)– Full scale war, skirmishes before this time

• The People’s Republic of China (October, 1949)– Mao Zedong reunites China into one country, one

people and for this he will always be revered.

Why was the military so weak?There are a couple of points Dr. Gao made when she spoke to us.• Zheng He• Closed borders• Dynastic cycles

– Degeneration of ruling class (ill effects of palace life) (Usher)– Population large compared to food sources causing banditry and

difficulty raising needed taxes (Usher)– Chaos ensues during which population decreases (Usher)– Extreme duress for the people (Marsh)– Loss of Mandate of Heaven and time for legitimate overthrow by a new

dynasty (Marsh)– Mandate of Heaven passes from old, worn-out dynasty to new, vigorous

dynasty– Population growth and economic prosperity and the cycle continues

What I brought home with me

• The Chinese want peace and harmony• The Chinese will not be told what to do • The Chinese will only engage in agreements that

are mutually beneficial• The Chinese will continually turn to their history

for ways to live today; history is their teacher• The Chinese live with far more freedom than I

had envisioned• The desire to go back! Again and again.

From Dr. Gao Yanli

• A 5000 year-old civilization, 100 years of humiliation… why are the Chinese so proud?

• Has led to a victim mentality, but also great pride in who/what China has been and will become.

• This has only touched the surface of what I learned. It was the century of humiliation that helped me to understand modern China, but to really understand the enigma, the mystery, the truth and the lies would require the rest of my life…

• And I just might do it!

• OK, not this year, but you never know what the future holds…