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Q: Does other countries greatness/fame/culture drive Chinese crazy?
Since all Chinese are constantly reminded that their country is amazing/the best/Chinese are the best, does the fact they actually have such little to be proud of annoy them?
Another way to put it:
I have an Egyptian friend who was hanging out with me and some Chinese friends, the Chinese started talking about 4000 years of history etc, and that it must be the greatest and oldest in the world. The Egyptian then mentioned that there has been at least 6000 years of history in his hometown. You could hear a pin drop. The jealous look on their face and disbelief[until googled] was astonishing.
Another time I ran through Romeo and Juliet with some A level students. They couldn't believe 500 years later the whole world still reads and produces Shakespeare, and that there are almost no writers famous [certainly not as famous as Shakespeare].
Another Chinese friend admitted he is jealous that English took over the world in terms of business and culture. Same with TV shows. He even said 'why can't we produce something as good as 'xxx'?'
So does it drive the Chinese mad that they generally never have the best or most famous of things?
Food, perhaps give them.
But government, lack of corruption, famous people, culture, sports[great at table tennis but most Chinese love soccer and basketball, even team GB beat China at the Olympics.], some even complained that they could never accept the London Olympics was greater than Beijing because the government told them over and over Beijing would never be beaten.
1. They did pretty well at the London Olympics from what I saw.
2. A Chinese writer just won the Nobel Prize for literature!
Just examples. I think the fact that the country was locked away behind the great Red Curtain of communism is a major reason that Chinese did not get to compete or make themselves known on the world stage.
Also the continued filtering of news, lack of freedom of speech and censorship don't really allow the Chinese to know what's going on elsewhere. I think the more exposure to the rest of the world China gets then the better it will become at things we might consider important. Give them time. They're doing ok.
By the way, the Greeks, with a longer history, aren't beating down the doors to being the best at a lot of the things you mention either....oh...except overspending! I bet they wish they had the Chinese economic strength rather than their level of debt.
ambivalentmace:
when i have english corners at university level , i try to get them to critically think,
the question i ask is today i was on chinese public transport bus listening to michael jackson, will i ever hear a chinese pop star singing on a city bus traveling in los angeles in 30 years. why or why not?
the advanced speakers really think about it , the others look like i just cut their heart out
Considering China has a fifth of the worlds population, it should harvest a fifth of all Nobel Prizes, Olympic Medals, it should poses a fifth of all international companies, it should be able to produce movies and tv watched worldwide. But the fact is that when you read about China in international media, it is just a big polluting factory with poor working conditions.
I can easily see how you would become disillusioned when you see that the rest of the world actually has history too, different countries are leaders in different fields.
boomsticks:
Yeah, based on population numbers and their fabled 5,000 years, China way underachieves on the world stage
Their education system has indoctrinated in them a strange mixture of "superiority complex" and "chip on shoulder".
I reckon the vast majority are fairly ignorant of the achievements of other countries and so have little reason to be crazy. Ignorance = bliss
MrTibbles:
Haha. No, it's all the west's fault for keeping them back. I suppose that taking all of the smart people and either killing them or making them become dirt farmers had nothing to do with it.
Scandinavian / boomsticks - Yeah if you take those per capita rates you get some interesting figures e.g.
Murder rate - China = #172 (USA-#99 UK#164)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
CO2 Emissions rate - China = #61 (USA#10 UK#41)
Bank Capital to Assets ration (%) - China = #7 (USA#52 UK#N/A)
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC
You see it's interesting what you can do with statistics, per capita stats can be used in many different ways depending on what your aims are.
Scandinavian:
As my old boss used to say. "There are lies, damn lies and then statistics"
The numbers do speak a lot for China actually. The problem is that some og these numbers are made up by some people who are desperate to make China look good.
I like statistics, but not in a country that does not have an accurate population count, where crimes never get reported. I don't think that when old Mrs Wang dies in her village that the course of death will be even considered and her dying of some horrible cancer will not make it to the statistics.
Hugh.G.Rection:
Scandinavian: Do you see what you just did in those last two posts?
In one you said per capita they should be doing better, then in the next when I gave some cases where per capita they ARE doing better you said you don't trust Chinese stats. Which way do you want it, you can't have it both.
boomsticks:
Hugh, I'll concede you make a good argument!
At the risk of making a tired excuse, a BCD may have engendered some bias in me today
boqievents:
Why did I KNOW you wouldn't answer the question but instead deflect to others.
How many of the top 50 most polluted cities in UK/USA are Chinese? How many are Chinese?
Why do you bring out statistics when the Chinese cannot be believed? Why are their pollution levels reported half that of the US government's official consulates?
Hugh.G.Rection:
boqievents
If you look at the posts I was replying to it will be obvious why I provided statistics. boomsticks and Scandinavian basically said if you use per capita statistics then China should be doing better. I then listed some per capita statistics where China IS doing better and pointed out per capita statistics (indeed any statistics) can be twisted to mean whatever you want.
Now, you have a problem with someone pointing out other posters errors? Or is it you just only have a problem when people point out errors used to attack China / Chinese?
Also, how 'did you know' after all you are a new poster, aren't you?
boqievents:
So new I've been registered here since 2010, over 2 years longer than you?
It's just every time someone DARES criticise China you jump in to deflect it back on the USA/UK etc. Just wish you could let it go.
But let's twist your numbers.
Total number of crimes per capital - Can't do it because no one reports crimes/we can't trust the Chinese government
co2 levels - which is more polluted by looking, USA UK or China?
Bank levels - how about wealth per person compared to UK USA? Oh, but we can't trust bank statements because Chinese businesses cook the books and fake, hence they changed the rules for accounting firms such as PcW to only include Chinese bosses.
There you go, any more facts THAT CAN BE PROVEN TO NOT BE FALSE?
Hugh.G.Rection:
Yes boqi, you've been here a while but only 22 posts, and you leap to the defence of the USA, just as soon as myself and another USA defender were warned abour our public arguments. You are as see through as water.
Oh and btw, by 'twisting' the figures, you are displaying PRECISELY the fact I was trying to show, i.e. per capita figures (or any others for that matter) can be twisted to suit whatever point you wish and that to use those figures for one argument but when those same figures are used against you in another argument, to then say you cannot trust those figures is hypocritical.
No go away and switch to your more common user name, I know who you are. Good bye.
The London Games kicked Beijing's ass. It pains me to admit it, but London was better than Sydney - ouch, that hurt.
Actually, there're plenty of intelligent people here but they're buried in dusty offices. They're NOT allowed to think. Their brains have not just been washed, they've been bleached. But when you wake up their natural curiosity, when you encourage critical thinking in the class, when you praise them for being creative, they will amaze you with the answers & ideas that never occurred to you.
The hardest part for them is to look at their own country critically. I tried to ask them the question, "How, in your opinion, do foreigners view China? What are the common stereotypes?" They come with a bunch of stereotypes, we discuss each of them & try to figure out out how much truth in it. Then they come to realize that Chinese people are as human as the next man.
I don't want to undermine China's achievements, China is a great country, I have come here to learn the language & enjoy their unique culture. But critical thinking is something they have to work on, if you refuse to see your own problems, how are you going to solve them?
I'm sure that in 10 years we'll feel the difference. Way to go, China! 加油!
Scandinavian:
of course there are. generally all people from any part of the world are born with the same basic skillet, sure some are smarter, some are not completely tone deaf like me, some can run fast etc. But as a general rule we are all the same. But the Chinese are brought up to thinking they are not. I've heard doctors talk about why things that would work for me would not work for a Chinese as the bodies are not the same. It boils down to their own racial misconception of the world locking them up in a slurry of low self confidence and underachievement. Of all the things that are wrong with China, the people, the individuals, are not at fault.
crimochina:
it's like having 20/20 vision but living in a dark room.
