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Q: Do you know what special day it is today?
TO FORGET HISTORY MEANS BETRAYAL.
Today is the May 4th Youth day, also the 94th anniversary of the May 4th Movement, 1919.
On the 4th of May, 1919, there broke out the anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement of student demonstrations in Beijing, protesting the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially the Shandong Problem, and the imperialism conducted by Britain, France and Japan.
During the First World War, China supported the Allies on condition that Germany's concessions on the Shandong peninsula would be returned to China.However at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919, Japan was allowed possession of the Shandong province because of secret agreements signed with European powers
This shameless betrayal aggravated Chinese young people. They protested and demonstrated in Beijing and Shanghai streets, boycotted Japanese products. These demonstrations sparked national protests and marked the upsurge of Chinese nationalism.
The consequence of the Paris Peace Conference makes it very clear that how childish it is for China and Chinese people to expect the Western Imperialist countries to care for Chinese nation's interests and Chinese people's voice for justice. China is merely the meat on the block when it's not strong enough, waiting to be chopped by the butchers from the West and Japan.
During the World War I, Britain and France were very short or labors. So they recruited more than 140,000 Chinese labors (20~35 years old)and shipped them to Europe front zone. 96,000 of them were distributed to British army and 37,000 were under the command of French army. American army got the rest 10,000. The Chinese labors undertook tasks with great difficulty, including digging trenches , transporting aimos and buring the dead bodies. They had to work extremely hard but were paid very low. After the world war 1 was over, most of them were deported back to China. Before the WWI Shandong Qingdao Citi and The Kiautschou Bay concession was under German control. Japan had been greedy of Shandong Pennisula for long. During WWI Japan took this oppourtunity and declared war against Germany, taking over the German colony in Shandong Pennisula. Shandong Pennisula is very important for China. It's compared to Jerusalem in the Middle East because Confucius was born in Shandong and Shandong is heavily influenced by Confucianism. There also buries huge amount of oil in Shandong. Shengli(victory) Oil Field, Zhongyuan (central plains ) Oil Field. They used to contribute 1/3 of the total oil production in China every year. Shandong sovereignty was finally returned to China in 1922 at the Washington Conference. However the Japanese remained their priviledges in Shandong. The US wasn't fine with Japan's greed of solo pessessing China. Hence the US brought up with restrictions and constraints to Japan. A few years later there came the great financial crisis around the capitalist-imperialist countries. Japan failed to solve the problem within itself. It turned its eyes to China and the entire Asia-Pacific again.
It is 'Star Wars Day'
May the force be with you.
May the fourth be with you.
I don't think that forgetting history means betrayal. What it does mean is people will make the same mistakes again. Seems like there was another protest decades later that was just as fruitless. Unfortunately when it comes to war, the winners get the spoils. War is not about being fair. People should remember the past so they can learn from it, not so they can hold it against others forever. I realize that this day fixates on Japan, but there were already other powers with control over certain parts of China before then, like Germany. Why did they not protest Germany's control? Why didn't China concentrate on becoming stronger rather than fighting each other?
crimochina:
it's what they use to brainwash chinese. they tell them forgetting history is a betrayal but then they teach them a doctored partial history.
ohChina:
Jnusb thank you for your answer. Crimo you are right that's how propganda history textbook works. Yet I have reservations about some points in your posts below.
Not to remember history is not a betrayal, but perhaps to some individuals as yourself. Also, if people do remember, why is nothing done about such history?
All in all a very good observation, and it is all true. However, and as always, China herself always has had too much in-fighting, even to this day, to ever become a one great nation. Of course, all the government's corruption is just another 'thing' that does not allow China to really become the great nation she could be. Perhaps soon the lessons learned will be applied and as such allow China to reach her true potential.
We shall see!
I really want to respond, but it was so well written, I hate to ruin it for him.
I wrote a long essay and then I thought: "What's the point?"
amiazing how the german infrastructure held up in qingdao better than the chinese. perhaps they should have learned something from them while they were here.
perhaps instead of making money as a priority , china should have kept men at home and sent them to fight in shandong.
Since the record says you posted this question 3 hours ago, and now is 10:14 M of May 5, I will answer the question as if you were talking about May 5 instead of May 4, just to show that we do live in a big world, and many things do happen or are commemorated each day of each year at many other places besides China.
Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday full of rich history and Mexican pride. This day commemorates the Mexican Army’s astonishing triumph over the French that took place on May 5, 1862. The Mexican Army was greatly outnumbered by the French, who had also not lost a battle in over fifty years!
In hopes of slowing the French’s advancement toward Mexico City, General Ignacio Zaragoza and his troops attacked the French Army in the small village of Puebla. This attack resulted in the unlikely victory for the Mexican Army. On September 16, 1862, President Juarez declared that the date of the Battle of Puebla would be made an annual holiday. Hence, Cinco de Mayo became a popular holiday in Mexico and in areas where there is a large Mexican population.
There are various Cinco de Mayo traditions that are celebrated around the world. In Mexico, most of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations that take place occur in the town of Puebla (where the battle took place). There are large parades that feature people dressed up as Mexican and French soldiers. Vendors sell traditional Mexican foods as well as patriotic clothing and accessories for people to wear during the celebration. There is also sometimes a reenactment of the Mexican’s victory over the French troops that takes place in Puebla for visitors and residents to attend.
In the United States and some parts of Canada, people often host Cinco de Mayo parties with their friends and family. The colors of the Mexican flag (red, white, and green) often appear in costumes and party decorations. People decorate for Cinco de Mayo with balloons, streamers, and flowers. Mariachi bands or other Mexican folk music is also played at these celebrations and there is often traditional Mexican dancing. Another common Cinco de Mayo tradition that takes place is a feast of traditional Mexican dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, and salsa and tortilla chips.
Other parts of the world also have their own Cinco de Mayo traditions, though they are not as notable as the traditions in Mexico and the United States. In Vancouver, Canada there is an annual skydiving event and in the Cayman Islands there is an air guitar competition that takes each year on May 5. Furthermore, residents of the island of Malta in the Mediterrranean Sea are encouraged to drink Mexican beer on Cinco de Mayo.
Oh, dear. It's so earnest that I can hardly bring myself to comment.
Actually, you're right about one very important thing. A full, open and clear-eyed view of history is an absolutely vital thing for a healthy society. But all you're doing here is repeating propaganda.
No doubt your government is extremely keen to remind you of shit things Japan did nearly 100 years ago. It distracts you from the government's more recent slaughter of Chinese students by, ummmm, themselves.
No doubt your government is extremely keen to remind you of wrongs done by other countries more than 100 years ago. It distracts you from having to think about the fact that you have one of the most ridiculously unequal societies imaginable, and that the wealth of your nation is being appropriated by the corrupt minority.
No doubt your government wants you angry at other countries. It means you will engage in no critical thinking about your own.
Traveler:
Exactly. How many millions of Chinese people have the Chinese government killed during the Cultural Revolution, Great Leap Forward, Great Famine, Purges, etc. I'll wager more than the Japanese and Germans did in total worldwide during WWII.
MissA:
This guy is usually one of the more helpful and perceptive Chinese posters we have here. A word-vomit of propaganda is a little strange.
ambivalentmace:
the paranoia of china is ridiculous,
what country would want to take over china and have to feed all these damn people, what country would get any benefit, china is buying farm land in south america , commodities all over the world, there is nothing the west needs from china, robots are taking over cheap labor, the soil is poison, the air is unbreathable, the water is filthy.
what great threat does china have, the russians cant screw enought to grow their own population , the japanese could not afford to clean up china if you gave the country to them. when i hear china saying china is threatened because we have a ship somewhere in the pacific , hell the chinese are stealing and breaking fishing laws with thousand of ships all over the dam world.
the honest question is if china had no government, who is the crazy country that would want them. from the standpoint of the west , this is ridiculous humor , like the other nobel prize given to the inmate in beijing and china threatening sweden for giving the award. what are going to do , bomb a country with a population smaller than new york city because somebody got a medal and 3 million dollars. oh my god , this could overthrow a county of 1.4 billion harmonious people, wtf.
Today all wumaos get an extra 2 mao to make them qimaos. Rejoice!
Wait wait wait, so you're telling me that there was something wrong with the the Treaty of Versailles? No way dude. Every westerner knows that that was a perfect document right down to the last detail.
ohChina:
You're being sarcastic right? From what I know, despite this unfair solution to China's Shandong problem, it also punished Germany too much. German people's nationalism was stimulated and it became a reason of the WW 2 after 20 years.
As for westerners know it or no, I really have no idea. I only know a handful of westerners in person. I do read Westerners' comments and posts in many websites though. While there are posts that make me admire their knowledge and way of thinking, I have also read many posts that just show how ignorant or biased the westerns are. Just like on this eChinacities site.
mattsm84:
Oh no. It's not that we are unaware of what happened in the colonial era, or during the world wars, or even during the cold war. We just don't care very much. It happened before we were born and no one living was involved with any of it. For us, its only relevant in so much as it might appear on a history test, but thats all.
That's not a bad thing, either. In fact, I'd argue we have a clearer perspective on it. After all, the existence of the US or British government isn't predicated on their being a specific, state approved narrative. The PRC however needs you to believe that you need them or else foreign enemies will tear you apart. Stick with us, your government tells you, or the west will come back and start exploiting you. Well guess in which way we want to do that? By ensuring that you make us iPads and other consumer goods at slave labor prices. The only difference now is that the same people telling you never to forget the past are taking part in this round of exploitation. You're being played for a fool.
ohChina:
It's not hard to understand that the westerners don't care very much. It's painful and shameful for China because China is the old victim, right?
The PRC however needs you to believe that you need them or else foreign enemies will tear you apart. Stick with us, your government tells you, or the west will come back and start exploiting you. Well guess in which way we want to do that? By ensuring that you make us iPads and other consumer goods at slave labor prices. The only difference now is that the same people telling you never to forget the past are taking part in this round of exploitation.
China needs me to believe that we need a strong country or else foreign enemies will tear us apart. PRC is just a name of China. In history China's name has changed many times, and PRC is just one period of China's history. China might be democratic tomorrow, China's govt may be shifted to another party. PRC may change its name and regime someday. However China needs to be rich and advanced and have a strong military. That's what we should learn from our expensive history lesson. Because if China's weak, the foreign butchers will come here and chop us like a piece meat, no matter what regime China has, who is ruling China, no matter how much China obeys the international law. It can't protect China that much. Remember the policy of "burn all,kill all, loot all"? Being exploited like slave labors is very bad, but this policy is way worse than that, don't you think so?
The point of me bringing up this issue is not to tell Chinese to hate the old enemies. The point is to remind Chinese the significance of building a strong country , remind Chinese to keep questioning ourselves why we did so bad, where we got wrong, how we could make it better. We can blame the enemies for their savagery, but we can't blame them for being strong and advanced. They must have got something right. And we must learn from them, despite they are enemies.
China, don't forget your history. You are alerted!
mattsm84:
Look man, I'm not Chinese. I don't find dog whistles about "the century of humiliation" and Japanese genocide all that persuasive. None of the foreigners on this site do. That's why this post has attracted so many down votes and dismissive comments.
The fact of the matter is that even if China had an army the size of Switzerland's nobody would try and rip China apart. The cost to the global economy would be too high. The People's Army really only exists to buttress the existing government, and leverage China's neighbors into making territorial concessions.
This isn't the 19th century, or the first half of the 20th century, and I wish that China would wake up to that fact. How will China ever move forward if it keeps itself so firmly planted in the past?
Jnusb416:
Matt is right, nobody wants a piece of China anymore. We want China to be successful, because their success is our success. We are disappointed because China has not yet stepped up its game. Holding so tightly onto history like this is one of the things holding China back. Peace in Asia is much more desirable than the current situation. Trade between countries flows better during peaceful times. It is easier for a country to be strong when it is not squabbling with all the other countries around it; it's distracting. Blame never fixes anything. It takes strength to forgive and move on. I hope that China can be strong in the future.
