Why China Doesn't Identify with the West, Explained
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Here is an analysis of why China today, having opened up and seen an increasing embrace of foreign culture, still doesn't identify with the West at its core. References down below.
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- Chapters -
[0:00] Intro
[1:22] Acknowledge the West
[3:00] China's political tradition
[5:13] Addressing your objection on Taiwan
[7:23] The trajectory of China's politics
[9:56] Addressing your another objection
[10:29] How Chinese people look at nation state
[11:55] chit chat
Bibliography (by topic, chronologically)
/the western canon/
Goodin, R., Pettit, P., and Pogge, T. (2007) eds. A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, 2nd edition, volume 1, Blackwell Publishing, chapter 14, 21, 25
Haidt, J (2012) The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, Pantheon Books, chapter 5
Hobbes, T (1994) Leviathan: Edited, with introduction and notes by Edwin Curle, Hackett Publishing
Locke, J. (2005) Second Treatise of Government, Hackett Publishing
/Confucianism and CCP/
Gardner, D. (2014) Confucianism: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press
Lam, W. (2017) (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of the Chinese Communist Party, Routledge, chapter 3: www.routledgehandbooks.com/do...
The Economist (2021) How did Confucianism win back the Chinese Communist Party? Accessed at: www.economist.com/the-economi...
/the 20th century China/
Bedeski, R. (1975) ‘The Evolution of the Modern State in China: Nationalist and Communist Continuities’, World Politics, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 541-568.
Fenby, J. (2008) Modern China: the Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850 to the Present, HarperCollins Publishers, chapter 7-18
Kaple, D. (2016) ‘Agents of Change: Soviet Advisers and High Stalinist Management in China, 1949-1960’, Journal of Cold War Studies, 18(1), 5-30: direct.mit.edu/jcws/article-a...
Karl, E, R. (2010) Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World: A Concise History, Duke University Press, chapter 5
Mühlhahn, M. (2019) Making China Modern: From the Great Qing to Xi Jingping, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Chapter 4-7
Twitchett, D. and Fairbank, J. (2008) The Cambridge History of China, Volume 14: The People's Republic: Part 1: The Emergence of Revolutionary China 1949-1965, Cambridge University Press, chapter 1-2
Mao, Tse-Tung. (2013) Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung, Volume 4, Foreign Languages Press, pp.411
/nationalism/
Louie, K. (2008) (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Modern Chinese Culture, Cambridge University Press, chapter 3
Tags: Chinese politics, China, orientalism, Chinese society, Chinese culture, CCP, communism, socialism, socialism with Chinese characteristics, confucianism, Confucius, east asian politics, jonny harris, nathan rich, a hundred years of humiliation, nationalism, Chinese nationalism, social commentary, internet analysis, video essay, xi jinping, autocracy, ccp dictatorship, authoritarian, century of humiliation, imperial china, colonialism, modern history, mao zedong, sino-japanese war, the nanking treaty, the qing dynasty, history of china
#chinesepolitics #socialcommentary #modernhistory
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I am from Manipur which located in the Northeast of India. I love the way you present China. I hope one day India and china see each other as human beings who are fighting for a better future, and understanding that both country have problems and we have to create a platform for good communication among the citizens of both country.
Imagine if China and India become good friends. What a good future await us !!!!
@nongpokng, From why I have heard , China has an open door for negotiation with India but Modi has refused to meet.
it's not easy because India claims territory based on old British Raj maps and China claims based on Qing dynasty maps, both are overlapped, so unless one of the countries gives up the claim normal friendship is difficult. Although I wish friendship comes back@@kennedy6618
I hope Manipur will gain independence soon.
North East people doesn't belong to India. The British made a huge mistake.
North East people, linguistically, culturally, and genetically, are totally unique on your own.
Only when Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and all the other parts of NE become independent,
then you would achieve your total independence and prosperity.
Would save so much in defence expenditure, freeing up funds for more public transit in our cities
But I don't see that happening under Modi's watch, as he has failed to deliver the economic prosperity that he promised, he'll likely fall back on jingoism
I am from Nigeria am upto your comment 💯
That's also why China keeps saying that its model cannot be copied by others. Others have to forge their own model for growth. Eric Li famously said that China's system of government is pragmatic. The party does not change but its policies can change and adapt to the situation very quickly. In Western democracy, the party changes, but policies are hard to change. Why? Because in Western democracies, the government is often short term and its policies are intended for popular votes and not geared towards long term planning.
Peace. Not saying that others cannot copy its models. Is the west afraid to follows because of the scare tactics of their media which use by their politicians and big Cooperate. Politicians and big Cooperate wants power and money.
That’s why the western system is inferior
@@qjtvaddict It's difficult to brushed off Western democracy as inferior. There must be conditions to be met for it to work well, to truly reflect the needs of its people and not just corporations and special good. Besides, you don't need a revolution to change a government. China's political and economic system is still evolving as new challenges emerge.
@@Time4Peace
Nah inferior is the accurate term. We lack standards that align with basic human rights and a system that benefit the majority.
That's literally an inferior system.
We technically have an authoritarian system masquerading as a democratic republic.
A bipartisan system with both parties on the right is essentially a one party system.
Actual Western political standards pretty much define this yet we're foolishly led to believe that deviation from the guidelines and standards of Western politics is even an option.
We're literally living proof of why Western politics frowns upon our particular system.
@@LeviathanLee What system are you talking about?
I enjoyed this! I took classes on China with a China expert, you summarized his four books in 13 minutes, so thank you.
lol perhaps you ought to be expanding your reading materials. you seem to be only taught 1 way of looking at an important international issue like china and as such it really begs the question whether that expert qualifies to be an expert if that is all he/she/it/them/they/sht taught.
姑娘，我是海外华人，中国急需在互联网上取得更强的话语权。实现这一点，需要很多你这样爱学习，知识面广，有逻辑条理，有历史视角，有文化的感悟，又外语能力极强的年轻人组成团队。深深祝福你们，前辈未做到的，你们一定能做到！❤🙏
china doesn’t have strong internet presence because of ccp………
别急，实力是国家形象的基础。克胜美国霸权后，我们互联网上的话语权将自然而然随着时间的流逝在新一代人群中变得更强。
中共独裁政权的话语权😂
@@hopepaean805 how? Do you think a whole world just gonna stand and watch while you both fighting? Since US has more relation on EU and ASEAN, is Chinese want to feel like the fall of Berlin in 1945??
@@Ejecu-latte Why do you think they are united?Don't you read any news?
You failed to mention that the individualism in the west and human rights are not something that was "always there", it's something we fought millenia for. And still actively need to protect.
Then you fought for something wrong. Individualism is selfish.
@@binhu8625 OK bugman
Human Rights is an invention of the WEST nothing to do with ancient cultures. Not even in the Bible or other old books are human rights mentioned. Those "moral books" even are quite ok with slavery.
@@binhu8625 You cannot be serious...individualism by the poster means "freedom" here, something Xi is slowly eliminating in current Chinese society
? Thousands of years of struggle? You are only liberated by capitalism. And saved by socialism.
I need to add a few points regarding Confucianism which were sorely misrepresented in the Western media.
1. Confucianism states that order is important for the country to run efficiently. However, when someone is messing with the order, be it the king or commoner, they should be challenged and removed. This is how the Zhou dynasty replaced the Shang dynasty.
2. Confucianism does not advocate social stratification. It rather advocate a system of status mobility, ie as a commoner, you can become a civil servant. The best minds are to contribute to the development of the country. You are not to focus solely on money making or benefitting oneself, as you are part of the society and it is every rights of the society requiring you to give back.
3. Confucianism stressed on learning from the past. However, it was not to go back to a society of stone age, but rather learn the behaviours of sage kings, their ability to innovate etc. It is a treasure trove of crystalised experience that one can use.
Do you think the advocacy of 'pro-social' ethics in the last decade or so is moving the West closer to a Confucian way of thinking?
Thank you for adding to this, me being from the "west", am not familiar with these concepts which is part if the problem, we're elitist whom tend to look down on different societies.
Confucianism is not for entrepreneurs. It relates about how to be a employee. In dynamics of revolutionary, it is for farmers.
@@tegusentertainment8021 Confucianism played the same role as Christianity did in the west. It was arguably less oppressive. As an explanation of the difference between China and the west it makes no sense.
@@wonderwang1585 in a way that might be a good thing. You can't possibly have a nation of entrepreneurs, can you?
Only half way through the video but it is excellent. As an Irish person I often wondered why the current system seems to suit China. When any other country that is so vast and populace ,would have broken up long ago. The explanation of Confucius/Family really made sense.
中国的儒家思想和法家思想，让中国很难分裂
You can see that you are an anarchist and liberal, which is really not a problem in peacetime, but when you encounter a dangerous situation, such as an invasion by a foreign enemy, there will be problems with coordination and organization.
In addition, liberalism may be useful in places with low population density, but it is definitely a disaster in the case of high population density. There is an old saying in China, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there are rivers and lakes, there are interests. Human beings in frequent social activities will inevitably involve conflicts of personal interests. If collective interests are not addressed, then the increase in conflicts is inevitable. Maybe you will tell me that it can be solved according to law, but the law cannot solve all problems and cannot cover all situations! Paying attention to collective interests is conducive to reducing conflicts between people. Most Chinese are atheists and believe in Confucian culture, which has many tenets, such as: gentlemen are harmonious but different, villains are the same but not harmonious. Do unto others as you would have them do to you. These creeds help different people in society to coexist peacefully, and it can be said that Confucian culture provides Chinese most complete moral code of social behavior! And these moral principles form the core of the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization. If you want to understand it in depth, I highly recommend reading Confucius's Analects, perhaps you will have a deeper feeling!
Second, China is the only country among the four ancient civilizations whose civilization has not been interrupted, which actually has a lot to do with the fact that Chinese pays attention to national interests over personal interests. In history, the ancient Chinese dynasty was often violated by nomads from the north, in order to resist the nomads in the north, the agricultural civilization in the Central Plains had enough strength to resist the invasion of the northern nomads only by uniting together, which formed the common interests of the people of the Central Plains. Whenever the farming civilization of the Central Plains was divided for its own interests, the nomads in the north would always take advantage of the situation and plunder the wealth of the farming civilization. In modern times, too, when China's last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, ended, warlords in various parts of China formed their own interest groups and fought each other, which also gave countries like Japan the opportunity to invade China. In short, whenever China was divided, the people suffered great disasters, and the slaughter of the farming civilization in the Central Plains by the northern nomads in history, and the killing of 35 million Chinese people by Japan during World War II are still vividly remembered. Every Chinese wants a strong state to protect itself. For the sake of the country's strength, it is worth sacrificing some personal interests. The strength of the country lies first of all in the reunification of the country, which is why Chinese hopes that Taiwan can be reunified with Chinese mainland. Why ancient Greece and Rome finally fell, I think it has a lot to do with their inability to effectively unite against a common enemy in the face of foreign invasion.
I would like to say that there is no more peace-loving person in this world than Chinese, because we have witnessed too many killings brought about by war, and in order to avoid war, Chinese want national unity and cling together for the common good of peace.
Third, China's great progress in the past four decades is inseparable from a stable environment, in the eyes of Chinese, stability is greater than everything, we prefer social stability rather than daily street demonstrations!
China's multi-ethnic culture is rich and colorful, many different ethnic groups live together in harmony, and although the United States is the largest immigrant country in the world, China is perhaps the most culturally diverse and inclusive country in the world.
Finally, I would like to say that China is far less terrifying than you think, and your fear of China is more due to a deep incomprehension, and perhaps all this can only be answered more fairly and objectively after you personally go to China to experience.
@@user-lx8sw2jv1w 分久必合，合久必分
China's history tells the Chinese people that when the country is divided, there will be endless wars, and the people will live a very miserable life in turbulent times, so the Chinese people have a firm attitude towards national reunification. Before the establishment of the PRC, the land of China had experienced a hundred years of cruel wars, such as the Opium War, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (35 million people died), the Nian Army Rebellion (millions of people died), and the Shaanxi-Gansu Rebellion (21 million people died, the main victims were Han Chinese, Manchus and Mongols), the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 (millions of people died), warlordism (tens of millions of people died), the first civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party (millions of people died), and Japan took the opportunity to invade China in World War II (1931-1945, more than 30 million people died), the second civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party (1945-1950, tens of millions of people died), the Korean battlefield (1950-1953, mainly military casualties, more Koreans died), The Chinese people live during 1840-1953,are really the most miserable.
Thanks. Very informative video.
I knew most of this already. But it helps to put things in perspective when it is so well summarised and put together.
I am genetically chinese. When China was a very poor country, humiliated by the west , civil war etc, I am still proud to be a chinese ,because ,as,I know, China has never ever colonize,humiliates other foreign countriy.
Right, they only kill and place people in concentration camps within thier own borders.
I can understand Chinese anger at wrongs perpetrated by the West in the 19th century, by the imperialist powers. Does this, though, justify the remarkable Chinese quasi-imperialist expansionism along the trade route, principally via the use of essentially unrepayable loans used in construction of major infrastructure throughout Asia, including airports, harbors, bridges, roads and the like? Expansion in the past eradicated Tibet, its culture, now more and more its language among the young there, etc, essentially it's been genocide of Tibet. A genocide worthy of comparison with the worst in history. And now the Uigur people, a non Han people, slow being reduced to slaves, poverty, expropriation, within China itself. Finally among the horrendous problems of current China that need exposure, there is the surveillance state: if the exploitations of China by the West in the 19th century were the prior great humiliation of the Chinese people, then surely the plight of ordinary Chinese in the current surveillance state is the second great humiliation. The video couldn't have been better in dealing with Confucianism, the Opium wars and it outcome today in current Chinese resentment against the West, and the remarkable unity of China brought about by Chinese values of community and family, but the speaker in this video really should do a second video in order to adequately deal with the new problems just mentioned, essentially those of expanionism along the silk route, the internal surveillance state, and the genocidal repression of the Uigurs. Other intractable problems, like the status of Taiwan, fears by China of US encirclement of it through recent treaties, the current U.S. policy limiting visas for Chinese students for study here in the U.S. (a problem that is as damaging to the U.S. tech industry as it is unfair to Chinese students wishing to better learn technology) - these new problems of Chinese internal and external aggression are the outcome of the successes scored by China's century-long struggle to one of the two current major world powers, the U.S. being the other. Another video might helpfully deal with such current problems.
Thank you, Lan Siming :) For context, I'm a US citizen, lived in China 11 years, married to Chinese woman, with Shanghai baby (2013), now back in the USA since 2019. This was so informative. You have a very special skillset to explain this so well to the world. I feel it is fair and balanced, in fact, one of the best I've seen. It will provide to the world a better chance of mutual understanding, and peaceful coexistence. Blessings to you.
I've heard so much about you, but you're finally here! I DIDN'T BELIEVE THIS DAY WOULD COME :D
@@FinUgShiet Sometimes the simplest stories can be the most powerful, and, oddly, the most unbelievable. I meant to be a simple person, but my journey seems unbelievable to many.
@@manfromnantucket6880 "The earliest published version appeared in 1879 in The Pearl, Volume 3 (September 1879 [1]):
There was a young man of Nantucket.
Who went down a well in a bucket;
The last words he spoke.
Before the rope broke,
Were, "Arsehole, you bugger, and suck it.""
:--DD I meant your name, not sure if you got what I meant or maybe you were just too subtle for me to read.
peaceful coexistence is not possible with a dictatorship system of governance because of a human natural inclination toward conflicts of interest and without check-and-balance it will more than likely escalate into war.
Chin Chong, you betrayed your race
That's an amazing content. Keep up the good work!
I have lived in China for 22 years and nearly 20 years in the US and I travel back and forth pretty frequently. I actually disagree with this analysis simply because the dynamic between the Chinese government and its people has been evolved and changed pretty rapidly. The video assumes that most Chinese people would obey the authoritarian government simply because of the history and culture. That is not true anymore. The Chinese people genuinely believe the Chinese pollical system is going to work well, at least much better than the western counterparts. Although there are many things that needs to be adjusted but that is only limited by economics and resources. The dynamic between the Chinese government and its people now is that
When people complains about things, the government MUST get it solved. Because when they do not get it solved, they will lose their legitimacy.
This is the ultimate mechanism that oversees the Chinese government and the one that keeps them motivated to improve things. Given the thousands of years of history of China, no government wants to be written in our history as the failed ones. And they have all the history to learn from. As quite the contrary, western governments are less concerned about this because the system makes them much less accountable for their mistakes and wrong doings --- even Hitler was elected. In fact, Chinese government would be much less radical than most western governments (as we can already see in the past several years) because if they make mistakes or fail, they don't have anyone else to blame and they lose everything.
In my 80 years and long interest in China, I found this presentation to be the clearest and most succinct summary of the more recent history behind today's China.
I think it looks like state propaganda. For example, the Chinese term a century of humiliation begins with the opium wars and it was not about the UK invading China, it was about trade rights, the Manchurian Qing dynasty forbade or restricted foreign trade like forever, and it was resolved by the two opium wars. After that the Taiping rebellion in China killed 20 million people and weakened the state, which is a pattern repeated in Chinese history of 2000 years. Only in 1937, China was invaded by the Japanese, and that lasted for eight years, after that the communist rebellion supported by the Soviet union killed 20 million people, and Mao's collectivization in 1958 killed 36-45 million people with starvation just like Stalin's collectivization in 1932 killed 10 million people with starvation.
Forced to allow foreign trade is nothing compared to millions of people being killed from civil war, peasant uprising, starvation, and invasion in the Japanese case. In fact foreign trade and introduction of new world plants had enabled the Qing dynasty to double its population from 1750 to 1850, and after the opium wars, China began to learn Western technologies and civilization, which continue to this day, which is nothing worth feeling humiliated .
The political system and central bank were created by Sidney Rittenberg.
Communism is not a Chinese idea. Its a Talmudic one. The State religion of the CCP is the Talmud.
1.4 billion people are too lazy to research this ... lol.
The CCP is Kaifeng Chinese ruling over many with the Talmud and a bit of Deng Xiao Peng.
Agreed. And at the end Lan said "China is a very lonely country" which is historically true and why the culture has developed aloof from foreign influences unless it was the Mongols or the Turks. And now Xi wants to fire its best customer, the US, because he's afraid the European enlightenment may actually turn a few minds in China.
Am 75 & ditto.
I could not agree more - !
Having seen none of your other videos or knowing anything about you beyond this video these are my thoughts. The video was very well balanced, particularly given the short time frame for the video, and I felt that you put the general Chinese ideas, opinions, feelings, and thoughts forward in a very precise and to the point manner. Your coverage of listing Western influences and then contrasting them with historical Chinese influences was well done. As this was a general coverage of the topic and not meant to go into heavy detail I would definitely recommend this video to others if they had an interest or knew nothing about the topic prior. You came across as very well educated, intelligent, firm in your own personal ideas, able to view both sides in as neutral a manner as can be expected, and overall it was a very well done video. Nothing further to add.
You can see that you are an anarchist and liberal, which is really not a problem in peacetime, but when you encounter a dangerous situation, such as an invasion by a foreign enemy, there will be problems with coordination and organization.
In addition, liberalism may be useful in places with low population density, but it is definitely a disaster in the case of high population density. There is an old saying in China, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there are rivers and lakes, there are interests. Human beings in frequent social activities will inevitably involve conflicts of personal interests. If collective interests are not addressed, then the increase in conflicts is inevitable. Maybe you will tell me that it can be solved according to law, but the law cannot solve all problems and cannot cover all situations! Paying attention to collective interests is conducive to reducing conflicts between people. Most Chinese are atheists and believe in Confucian culture, which has many tenets, such as: gentlemen are harmonious but different, villains are the same but not harmonious. Do unto others as you would have them do to you. These creeds help different people in society to coexist peacefully, and it can be said that Confucian culture provides Chinese most complete moral code of social behavior! And these moral principles form the core of the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization. If you want to understand it in depth, I highly recommend reading Confucius's Analects, perhaps you will have a deeper feeling!
Second, China is the only country among the four ancient civilizations whose civilization has not been interrupted, which actually has a lot to do with the fact that Chinese pays attention to national interests over personal interests. In history, the ancient Chinese dynasty was often violated by nomads from the north, in order to resist the nomads in the north, the agricultural civilization in the Central Plains had enough strength to resist the invasion of the northern nomads only by uniting together, which formed the common interests of the people of the Central Plains. Whenever the farming civilization of the Central Plains was divided for its own interests, the nomads in the north would always take advantage of the situation and plunder the wealth of the farming civilization. In modern times, too, when China's last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, ended, warlords in various parts of China formed their own interest groups and fought each other, which also gave countries like Japan the opportunity to invade China. In short, whenever China was divided, the people suffered great disasters, and the slaughter of the farming civilization in the Central Plains by the northern nomads in history, and the killing of 35 million Chinese people by Japan during World War II are still vividly remembered. Every Chinese wants a strong state to protect itself. For the sake of the country's strength, it is worth sacrificing some personal interests. The strength of the country lies first of all in the reunification of the country, which is why Chinese hopes that Taiwan can be reunified with Chinese mainland. Why ancient Greece and Rome finally fell, I think it has a lot to do with their inability to effectively unite against a common enemy in the face of foreign invasion.
I would like to say that there is no more peace-loving person in this world than Chinese, because we have witnessed too many killings brought about by war, and in order to avoid war, Chinese want national unity and cling together for the common good of peace.
Third, China's great progress in the past four decades is inseparable from a stable environment, in the eyes of Chinese, stability is greater than everything, we prefer social stability rather than daily street demonstrations!
China's multi-ethnic culture is rich and colorful, many different ethnic groups live together in harmony, and although the United States is the largest immigrant country in the world, China is perhaps the most culturally diverse and inclusive country in the world.
Finally, I would like to say that China is far less terrifying than you think, and your fear of China is more due to a deep incomprehension, and perhaps all this can only be answered more fairly and objectively after you personally go to China to experience.
Thank you very much for making this educational and perspective-putting video.
Second video watched on your channel today, and I just subscribed. Thank you so much for the well made production.
Excellent video once again. You make many of the points that I've been trying to make to friends and acquaintances since i returned to the US after seven years in China: that China (and indeed any country) is much more complex than China=communist=evil. You cannot understand China without understanding its culture, traditions and history, and especially its interactions with the West for the last ~200 years.
But there is something even more fundamental, and universally applicable to all nations that I would like to bring up, and this is that government, any government, be it democratic or communist or monarchy or what have you, must perform the basic functions of governing. It must provide for basic stability, otherwise known as law and order, and mechanisms for feeding, clothing and housing its citizens. Everything else, including ideology, form of government, etc., is secondary to those fundamentals.
This is a difficult thing for Westerners to get their heads around. For the last couple of generations in particular, up to zero COVID anyway, Chinese people have been for the most part happy with the way things are going, and why shouldn't they be? China's rapidly expanding economy has vaulted it from one of the world's poorest nations to the ranks of the world's strongest countries, pulling a billion people out of poverty along with it. China's youth have opportunities their parents could never have dreamed of. When asked how they can stand living without democracy, Chinese students are likely to answer that things are going fine the way they are.
It's when things go badly, like with Xi's Zero COVID policy, or the economic inequalities and hardships leading up to Tiananmen Square that some are saying communism has failed and they start talking about democracy. The opposite is happening to some extent here in the US: there are those who believe that democracy is failing and are ready to embrace authoritarianism. This is essentially what happened in Russia in the 1990s.
The bottom line is that there is nothing sacred about democracy, communism, socialism, monarchy or any other form of government. The test of any government of whatever stripe is that it must perform its basic functions competently or risk being replaced.
Thanks Bob, great comment once again :)
You summarised very well the pragmatism in Chinese thinking. I sometimes think people who have actually lived in China can emotionally understand this. also, happy New Year's!
Bob Hooker You said it at 100 percent, stability and taking care for its citizens always come 1st no matter what form of government it is. Its a shame that communism is marketed as evil which making people harder to see the fact that the people are happy because stability. The intention of any form of govt is to bring good to its people and It is definitely not easy to lift hundreds and hundreds million of people out of poverty. I hope your wo
Xi's Covid policy limited their death toll to several dozen thousands whilt the US have a 1.1 million casualty with daily deaths circling from about 70 to 120 every day to this day. Xi's covid policy had the entire China enjoy normal life for a little less than 2 years after they solved the wuhan outbreak. They only had outbreaks again in late 2022 when they opened up that led them to have draconian measures in selected cities or parts of cities. the western media lied to you and made it out as very very much worse.
Thanks for your comment. Very well put.
@@condellong how is China communistic though? I know they claim that in name but how is that actually real in the country?
An pristine view of the world and China from a young intelligent individual. You are correct of course. But Life is complicated, people are complicated. We are tribalistic and tend to look after our own interest. Confucius had a little to do with it but we are who we are because of our history.
Chinese are no different from any other, we are proud people and independent. We are both good and bad but most of all, we are survivalist. Like any culture, we would want to determine our own future and keep what is ours. There have been many forms of government in the past and present, the communist party is not some alien race that took over China. It is a home grown movement that have Chinese well being at its goal, the reason for China's success. If a country leaders cares about its people, it will do whatever that necessary to ensure it survival and progress. I may not have lived in China but I am confident of the Chinese government sincerity towards its populace.
The world is a complicate place, with many culture with its own interest and survival at heart. We compete for resources and control of our destiny, sometimes peacefully and other times not. No country or culture is perfect or good or bad, just self interested.
People lie, cheat and steal to win. People from every culture does it, my experience working with people from all over the world guides my view, we Chinese are no different.
Western media and western leaders spread lies and misinformation about China because they are trying to preserve their culture and they feel threaten by another rising culture that is not their own. They are also trying to preserve their dominance over the present world. Western culture and corporations have had a free rein to exploit other countries using their military might and financial power in the last 800 years. Cultures from the Middle East, Africa and China are beginning to stand up for their own interest, which is the reason for so many wars in the last 70 years involving western power attacking Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Most cultures are going to react if they perceive their survival is threaten.
I am old so forgive my lengthy meandering comment.
According to my reckoning you a wise and well educated sage.Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I wish the a healthy lif in you autumn years.
America screaming every night like crazy
Because they already know the Rise of China mean the ends of their Empire
Meh... The real reason is that the west had, first, the age of reason and then the enlightenment. That's absolutely unique in the entire world and is where "western" thinking comes from. Individual rights, human rights, equality... That stands in stark contrast to much of the world and we oppose authoritarianism in principle. In the end, we brought forth modernity which no other place, China for example that was much more advanced at one point, has been able to do. The rise of Asia was powered by western know how, patents and consumer markets, and much of the issue with China is unfair practices from market access to IP theft, so that all on you... However, chances are that we keep our edge, given that our system made all this possible in the first place. Non-westerners should be very concerned to stay on good terms, else you won't get the benevolent treatment you did last time.
@@mysterioanonymous3206 the western power colonies the world use military force
They do not give a damn about other people well-being
China killed more of its citizens during WW2 and the Cultural Revolution than any outside powers ever did. The two dominant influences in China post WW2 have been Capitalism and Soviet style authoritarianism. Both are Western imports.
Being an Indian
I will say you to be proud of your Chinese culture
Thank you for a very educational and thoughtful video. Appreciate you taking the time to make this, especially for English speakers like myself
It's all very "good feely" isn't it? Never mind that if one criticizes the Chinese government, one is imprisoned at best, or put to hard labor, and executed at worst. Hardly any dissent allowed. And the Chinese government pretends that they are strong? Like Hitler's Nazi Germany, apparently strong on the surface, but inherently weak.
Do your own research. A little learning is a dangerous thing.
I am from South Korea, an East Asian country with "western style" democratic political system. And throughout hundreds of years of history Korea was under even stronger Confucius traditions than China, but we still ended up having a western style democracy. So I think the difference that divided the two countries can only be explained by historical experiences the two countries went through and the collective memory each history has left behind.
In S.Korea we too have experienced atrocities by imperial powers during 19 to 20th century but the memory of Korean War during which we were saved by the US and other western country has effaced anti-western elements of our memory of the colonial past and even went on to engraving pro-western sentiments among general public.
South Korea is a colony of the USA.
Enjoyed reading your comments, Michael! Thanks for sharing a different perspective:)
big difference. communist china does not have US military bases on it's soil. it never went thru unconditional surrender & the chicoms never had to collaborate w/ japanese or american occupational forces. After the war, ofc they never had to sell off shares of their national bank to Chase Manhattan, Bank of America or goldman sachs. ofc as you mentioned in the korean war, if china had lost? then perhaps they would adopt the political structure of the victor. however, those sentiments are absent due to how the battles ended up
Er...wake up. You were saved by the US? Who are you....Korean nobody and US came and save and die for you? Really? You must think very highly of yourself. Or you really believe the US think very highly of you and willing flight and die for you? Ok you win. Carry on....😜
@@cheesypuffs1342 South Korea is a vassal state of US empire. China has the ability to act on its own and possesses strategic autonomy.
I think this is a good entry point to explain China, but I would like to add a few points:
1. From the point of view of political philosophy: Tiandao, with the power of nature as the highest representative, believes that all people are born equal, but their positions in social organizations are different, and the responsibilities they bear are also different.
China's 3,000-year agricultural tradition determines that China takes the family as the basic unit and pursues political elite rule. As a ruler, one should have a sense of caring for the common people. We call it minben, which is deeply rooted in China's traditional consciousness. The foundation of Confucianism: virtue, benevolence, and righteousness. These genes make Chinese civilization far different from other civilizations.
If the ruler destroys this foundation, the rule will also be ended by civilian riots. Before modernization, there will be a major riot in 300 years, and political legitimacy will be violently overthrown. This is very cruel, because beyond the survival line, Many farmers are willing to do this. Therefore, the Chinese hate chaos, prefer unity and collectivism, and like to integrate all cultures that are beneficial to them. This is difficult to change.
Regardless of any ideology, the tradition of meritocracy determines that China's greatest tradition is bureaucratic bureaucracy, which has never existed in any country. Fulfilling government obligations through a large and effective bureaucracy has not changed in Chinese history.
2. The logic of reality: It is the basis of agricultural production that determines the Chinese people's thinking, emphasizing intuitive rationality and introspection, but weaker than formal logic and rationality, leading to backwardness in science and technology. From 1900 to the present, what the Chinese people have been striving for is to unify the country, learn excellent culture, and preserve excellent traditions. The Chinese understand Europe and the United States far more than Europe and the United States understand China. Many people think that China is static and rigid, but as a Chinese, my feeling is that everything is changing in decades, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 00, 10, the thinking of each generation The differences are very large, because different environments give them different perceptions, but the traditional underlying code has not changed.
3. Every marriage has its own troubles, and every thought has its pros and cons. Collectivism brings welfare to China, but it also brings corruption, inefficiency and internal friction. This is a problem facing the entire East Asian society, and China will also solve this problem.
About your point 2. I think that comes from Daoistic tradition. I have been reading books about Daoism lately and it is such a fascinating philosophy unlike anything we have here in the west. In the west we are obsessed with definitions and laws something that is not true for China. It is a shame that eastern philosophy is so ignored in the west. We could learn a lot from it.
@@vault13dweller15 I am glad to see you understand Chinese culture. Taoist philosophy is only a part of Chinese philosophy. Of course it is one of the most famous representatives of Chinese intuitive rationality, but it is not the root. If you understand Confucianism, you will find that its ideas are also completely composed of intuitive rationality based on real life.
Great video. Such clarity and insight.
Glad I clicked on this video... mostly cause the title confused me 😂
subscribed.
I was already open to learning about this stuff more, especially knowing the effect of foreign influence on other places throughout history.
Like Hawaii, like the middle East, The Americans.
A massive complex game of gain... and other things, can lead to good and bad effects...
And goes on still even today just with trade, sanctions, alliances, etc.
I hope the whole world becomes a better place.
Hi! This is the first video of yours that I ever watch and I'm very thankful with CZcams for recommending me your content. I must say that I admire not only how insightful your video was, but also I liked very much the clarity with which you provided those insights. I am subscribing right now and thank you very much for sharing.
Hi girl, I'm from Malaysia, an ethnic Chinese too. With regards to your first question in England on how do you put up with dictatorship living in China, I would like to share with you my answer. Yes, sometimes I say these to my western friends and even online too and most of them couldnt answer me back.
I tell them that don't you think it's ironic or even silly that most of the time you do not trust your own politicians and even mainstream medias but you trust them like it's a total reality when your politicians and mainstream medias talked or reported about China ???
Good point!
Agreed. As a Singaporean Chinese, I found the Malays to be family oriented and easy going folks. That help me see thru the bs I read and hear from Malaysian Chinese media about unfairness toward Malaysian Chinese by the Malaysian Govt. On the other hand, I find it disgusting how the Malaysian Chinese greedily cheat and look down on their Malay countrymen. In my opinion, the Malaysian Govt should learn from Chairman Xi and promote Communal Prosperity and redistribute the wealth of the country equally. Shame that the Malays are so gentle even towards a minority who hoard the wealth of the nation. Take for example the Malaysian Chinese durian farmers who encroach on state lands to plant trees and then demand that the economic fruits of their labor be wholly theirs and not shared with the country. Unsurprisingly, the Malaysian Chinese media totally sided with the thieving farmers. CCP styled governance especially that of the Xinjiang model should be imposed on Malaysian Chinese. Malaysian Chinese need to be re educated so as to not shame ethnic Chinese worldwide.
@@mikethm1974 ，don't you think it's a shame in 21st century that the Malaysian government still systematically discriminate against its own people of Chinese ethics?! It was amazing that an educated person like you would even propose the things as Hitler did. And you were lucky that you lived in Singapore.
@@Peter-js6el Well you can see that the person I replied to agree wholeheartedly with the policies of the CCP. Therefore I am sure he would be perfectly happy if similar policies are implemented in Malaysia too no?
@@mikethm1974 What has Xi Jinping done to "redistribute" wealth "eaqually" in China?
loved it thank you so much Siming for making this video! looking forward to seeing more of your great insights.
I loved the way you explained every point with politeness and respect to each perspective.
Greetings from Singapore. In my opinion, every country has their own right to self determination. If it works and the results are positive, no one has the right to condemn it just because it goes against their ideals. No political system is perfect , it is a question of balancing the pros and cons and managing the outcomes. Your study and analysis about this subject is very thoughtful and well done. My compliments. Cheers!
Singapore succeeded with one party rule them all as well 😄
so if you were in europe in 1938, would you say the same thing about the nazis?
@@tonydevos no, because Nazi failed to make German a better country.
@@TheBurntan how would you know that in 1938?
@@tonydevos Because it ended very soon before they success
Wow. Impressive delivery. Dense, informative and substantial yet charming and spirited. Hats off. Subscribed without blinking twice.
Great video Siming. Well done!
Wow, youve just taught me so much in less than 15 min! You're a great teacher and so easy to listen to. Subbed, sis! ✌
Thank you for putting yourself out there to explain this kind of stuff. It’s not easy. I look forward towards exploring more content.
This is just another Propaganda Channel with a different approach. Its so obvious that all of this is highjacked by chinese Botfarmes!
Rofl, this ritchyone tech account call other people bots, yet he copy paste the same message everywhere.
Very honest description of the origins of current Chinese political thought. Well done!
Thank you Frank, that's very kind of you to say. I'm grateful you watched this video!:)
@@SimingLan Agree with Frank. I have subbed. Proud member of the Wumao army. Just wish the payment were real LOL...
😊
@@SimingLan Thank you for trying to address different topics. What is is the history of China back around 1912 and 1916. If you cannot get into just let me know but if you can and are able to share more details then please do. I know creating new governments is often not a smooth process and I wonder if things got out of hand or were sabotaged but I'd like to know-if you can relay it. Thank you.
There is no chinese political thought. Only the ruling party.
this was exceptional. thank you for such a thoughtful explanation.
What a wonderfully educational video post. Many thanks.
If only people in the west and places influenced by the west could get it into their heads that modernisation does not mean westernisation or Christianity.
Christianity is losing its influence even in the West. In Australia, the % of people who are Christians have decreased to only around 10% of the population.
It does however mean acceptance of the other, the way the CCP treats minorities and those who don't embrace their narrow ideology leaves a LOT do be desired...
@@BobyourUncle China has 55 ethnic minorities. Yes there are issues in the govt's dealing with a couple of minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, but you hardly hear any of such issues with the other 50+ minorities. Why? The fact is both Xinjiang and Tibet have been targeted by the US government (CIA) to try to separate them from China for geopolitical reasons. Eg. CIA trained Tibetans in 1950s against China, which lead to the exile of the Dalai Lama. The US has never stopped trying to create chaos in these regions. I do admit there are mishandling and even mistreatment of the minorities in these regions, but that's mostly a result of fighting against foreign interferences.
@@chuanmeixu1246 I think you may need to read a history book that wasn't written by the CCP - its common knowledge that Tibet was invaded by China in 1949. The US had nothing to do with that travesty of justice. Self determination is a fundamental human right, the people of Tibet and Xinjiang should be left to run their lives as they see fit without being subjected to "re-education" and dispossession of their lands.
@@BobyourUncle You may need to read a history book that is not written by a biased Western propagandist. Tibet was already part of China, so the CCP took over Tibet was part of it's process of gaining actual control of the whole Chinese Mainland after it won the civil war with KMT. Your "common" knowledge is wrong. During the Qing Dynasty (China) the Qing Emperors sent ambans to Tibet, which was a (highly) automomous region of China.
Will it change? Video cuts HAHA! Loving the video very much! Finally I thk found an objectively driven video on China rather than a propaganda piece. China is a weird case for us in ASEAN - personally I don't know what to think of it but Mahathir did said this China's great civilization has always been a centre of trade of SEA but they never once colonised us. The European came once and they brought their whole kind to subjugate us. I am paraphrasing what he is saying but it was an interesting thought.
Yup as a Malaysian Chinese sometimes low key are blessed that we are that we got it lucky compared to Mainland Chinese
Good video and well explained!
Excellent video!!! Thank you!
Excellent portrayal of the thinking of the Chinese in China expressed articulately in English. One point I am not so sure is that those in the West thinks more independently. I find that the populations in democratic countries are as much subjected to the mainstream media in their thinking as in any other countries. And when you have divided mainstream media, you have a divided nation.
People in the West are brainwashed by its mainstream media and propaganda without critical thinking. As Chinese are more educated today, they will be more supportive to their country in a rational and patriotic way.
Yes, particularly in the US, the democratic process as been totally usurped by corporate interests, resulting in a public that keeps falling further behind, getting poorer and poorer. This downward spiral ultimately will lead to social collapse.
Very much so. I think people in the West are greatly manipulated by the media and by corporations and advertising. And the governments (UK and US) are subservient to corporate interests. They are not doing a good job of fulfilling their social contract to improve the lives of their citizens.
However, in some countries such as Canada, Japan and in Scandinavia (and China),for instance, they are doing quite a bit better job.
@@trekpac2 You think so? What do you think of China today? I have been hearing US is going to collapse but now it seems like China is the one going to collapse.
Yes, very true.
Thank you for the essay Siming. What do you mean by the statement at the end, "China is indeed a very lonely country"? From my perspective China is still at the centre of everything, and more or less everyone is looking to China for something: Money, technology, labour, a model of how to resist imperialism.
Hi Shannon, I'm really happy you watched the video!
And to your question: it's more of a personal feeling. Opportunities are flooding to China yes, but as a nation, there is a culture of people feeling there are too many misunderstanding from the outside world. I hope it makes sense :)
@@SimingLan it does. Thanks.
I do think her expression is that communism with Chinese characteristics is hard for other countries to follow and tbh China also do not want to export it. So in that sense it can be a little lonely
@@chengwoonlew7227 I think this is a very interesting topic and I am keen to research more about it .
@@chengwoonlew7227 Very interesting. Good insight there!
Nice work!
That was great. I am aware of most of the facts but finally you were able to put all together and make sense of why today’s situation has become what it is. Thank you.
there is only one reason CCP is still in power . the WEST let them.
do you remember 1989 Tiananmen Square protests???
she totally ignored it , didnt she? LOL
even chinese people were not happy with CCP, but the party brutally oppressed the protesters.
then 2001 "the WEST" let china join WTO, because chinese people were starving and CCP is not going anywhere.
the WEST foolishly thought letting china join WTO makes china slowly democratic.
thats the only reason CCP survived and soviet russia did not.
I appreciate getting an articulated viewpoint of why China appears to always pursue the status quo ante while seeking to extend its influence.
Duh, West is actively abusing its influence. There's needs to be check and balance.
The rhetoric that China's goal is to extend its influence is utter hypocrisy.
Look at the actions of the US compared with China.
The US has a prime goal of extending its influence, spreading a quite sick hegemony primarily by a form of bullying and escalating to force.
That is born out by history - what was the goal of Vietnam? Stop Vietnam having a communist government. Why? Because it is undemocratic. What does that even mean? Democracy has recently delivered Trump and Biden, school shootings continue, education standards fall comparatively behind, the US medical support system is failing for most of the population. The US has influence many regimes because it wants to spread its influence to benefit itself at the expense of the people internally and in the countries it has destroyed. Taiwan supporting the Corrupt Chen Kai Shek, Vietnam supporting the corrupt Ngo Dinh Diem, Iran supporting the Shah, Iraq after supporting Hussein to counter Iran,
the Taliban to oppose the Russians.
The US has 600 odd military bases around the world exerting its influence.
China on the other hand is focussed on growth and lifting the standards of the population and the Chinese communist system has (again by evidence) achieved amazing results.
Are they seeking to extend influence or are they gaining influence by pursuing their goals of economic growth for all their people?
Compare the results.
Great summary of the Chinese history and thanks for helping me to learn from a very balanced Chinese perspective
Thank you for this wonderful video. It is rare to see such thoughtful and evenhanded content on the internet. I know China has problems but the western model also has problems, and not incidentally but because of the early modern heritage of individualism that you describe here.
Thank you for this excellent video.
I love the composition and depth of field.
Your channel was recommended to me and I’m shocked you only have 161 subscribers
same here, I was recommended this video too. Suprising low subscribers considering such a great content
Thank you, RJ - I'm glad you noticed it!:)
@@SimingLan Up to 473 now, 4 days later :D Keep going exponentially, and you will reach 100,000 soon.
Ditto. (later we can all boast we were there when it all started!)
Proud to be Chinese!
From Manila, the Philippines!
中国万岁！
"Govenment exists out of consent from people who voluntarily give up their rights". This is disgusting. People are never asked to give up the rights. Rights are just taken away. By force. No one asks you if you'd like to pay your taxes. The proper government, that maybe will exist in the future, won't be violating rights, but will serve only to protect them.
A really excellent summary. Thanks very much. I hope the relevant people in the US government get to see this.
I live in the UK and despite having the vote, we have very little democracy. We basically have a 2 party system and ruled by a minority government that feathers its own nests and does the bidding of big business and lobbyists. Our governments are obsessed with colonialism, anti family agenda, anti religion, anti nationalism and wanting to rule the world under the headship of the US. So much money wasted in criticising other nations when our leaders fail to lead. Our economy is going into recession.Basically the 2 party system blames each other and nothing much gets done for the people. Also the people we vote for don't necessarily have the skills to run the country and if they were employed by big business they would loose their jobs. Our "so called democracy" is really an authoritarian state and this will probably get worse. Of course this is my view and others will have different opinions.
It's not even the point about voting, even with voting you had a fraction of democracy. Only the legislators are elected. Not the executives, the judiciary, the military, the press and civil service. So even with fair parties you get one fifth of democracy.
@@satyakisil9711 Usually its a decision to choose the least objectionable party to vote for and when they get into govt they change everything they said to get into govt. The Govt/parties /politicians just lie and lie to their citizens these days you only had to read the western media covering the Hong Kong riots or the war in Ukraine to realize how much the western media lies to all and sundry. and the western govts are in denial and will do anything to retain world power. Not much has changed since the 100 years of humiliation in China, the west will humiliate and exploit China, Russia, Asia , Middle east ect ect if they get the chance.Plus they think they are superior and are very racist.
You're correct Robert Meehan ,it happened in the 80s, then president Ronald Reagan & then UK PM Thatcher collaborated and pushed forward the "NEO LIBERALISM" agenda which totally weakened Labor unions for the benefits of the billionaire elites, famous statement by Reagan "government is not the solution, government is the problem", fast forward 40 years, looking back on how wrong Reagan got it,so much despair & homelessness, no social safety net, fabric of our society destroyed by neo liberalism, people have no dignity ,what a travesty, currently there's protests all over US trying to organize labor unions ,I hope they succeed,, cheers
I do sympathise with your pessimistic outlook on UK democracy. And feel like it does needs to pickup the pace for change. Well, the UK governmental structure has always been evolving (perhaps at a painfully slow pace). From an autocratic monarchy to a oligarchic parliament - ahem, constitutional monarchy (despite not having a codified constitution). Would going to a multiparty state (more than 2) resolve these issues though, even when we still have an unenthusiastic electorate? Look at Belgium still having no Gov due to coalition chaos. Or perhaps a Swiss style governance, give the electorate some direct say on certain issues (oh wait, we already had the Brexit fiasco). Overall, there seems no easy answer sadly.
It sounds like the US.
Excellent video, it’s nice to see the perspective of someone who understands both Western and Chinese political systems in depth, their history, and why they evolved to their current forms.
I am happy to see this communicated in the manner you have constructed. Thank you!
East and West can learn much from each other. This fact is nothing new, btw, and has been known among the educated classes of both cultures for millennia.
Awesome content. Way to go!
As a Malaysian Chinese I do hear it alot from my grandparents about the humiliation. So yeah all the best China. 👍 Proud Chinese.
proud being colonizer? as far as we know, han chinese genocide ancient people in South China as known as people in Southeast Asia today.. han chinese were longest being colonialism entire world history.
The Word , "China"is an anagram of the name Caihn.. variants, Kane, Kain, Cane, Qin, Cain..and who was Cain?..He received the First Mandate from God.. God gave the following judgment(mandate) to Cain: “And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer(spread Civilization?) on the earth” (Genesis 4:11-12). Cains answer:“My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground(Sacred Ground/Paradise of God?), and from your face I shall be hidden(Godless?). I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer(spread Civilization?) on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me” (Genesis 4:13-14).
@@yolandosoquite3507 pretty sure "China" wasn't a thing in the minds of men roaming the middle East... and they definitely don't speak English in the bronze age.
I hope Siming Lan knows all the foreign powers, imperial powers, and colonial powers that humiliated China you mentioned are all Western democracies and democratic powers.
The only question is why didn't the Western democratic powers teach the Chinese democracy or practice democracy when they were ruling China, ok, part of China, for example, Hong Kong. So, it is too late for the West to pretend they care for the Chinese, for it is like a wolf teaches the sheep democracy while eating a lamb, whose name is Siming Lan.
@@yolandosoquite3507 and yet Zhongguo has nothing to do with Cain - nice story but no cigar
This was fascinating! Thank you. I learned out China's history in college, but always wanted to hear about it from a Chinese person's perspective. BTW, My sister visited China before the pandemic, and loved it. She said the people were absolutely amazing! Thanks for this!
That's so lovely to hear, Dani! say hi for me to your sister :)
@@SimingLanI don't shame myself with a victimhood mentality that's the century of humiliation, this emotional reasoning isn't benign or egalitarian, instead it's intergenerational turama personified. And from that point onwards, obedience and piety from the people are merely unregulated and dysfunctional submissive stress response, under incompetent tyrannical cowards.
@@DomFortress Isn’t victimhood mentality the spark of revolutions in the west albeit it is against the monarchy and ruling class? In China, the revolution against the Qing dynasty is not so much because they felt oppressed by the monarchy but because they felt the emperor cannot protect them. Therein, lies the big difference. The legitimacy of its government does not lie in the simple one man one vote but tangible result of what the government can do for its people. Other than the famine and cultural revolutions which are huge mistakes during the early transition years, the growth of China to what it is today is proof that the current system works for China and the young generations have the opportunities to go abroad for studies, travel, business etc and choose the life they want.
@@SimingLan Tbh your accent tells me a lot about your experience and outlook. Clearly you are trying, perhaps unconsciously, to simulate the accent of the country you are currently visiting. Your views, as such, are similarly Westernized- you either view their society as superior or you were forced to use the accent to "fit in"- why? In the same vein, while you mentioned some good points, you immediately dismiss anything positive about China's government in favor of it being called authoritarian and ending the discussion there. You may believe that you are being neutral, but were you aware of the facts, you would know that neutrality does not lie exactly between two opposing views.
Point 1: Chinese people favor authoritarianism because of Confucious sheep- I would dispute that. Chinese people favor systems of governance THAT WORK. The CPC has drastically improved the lives of the people, something most Western govts cannot seem to do- see gun violence, homeless tent cities, incarceration rates, homicide rates, etc all accelerating in the biggest democracy of all, the US.
Point 2: The 100 years of humiliation being propaganda- the Opium war caused the widespread addiction of millions of Chinese, all to profit Britain. Indeed, so-called free and democratic countries have for decades sought to enslave and impose their will on hundreds of millions of people. To this day in fact- see Iraq, where 1 million civilians no longer exist because someone decided that double tap drone strikes on weddings cause "freedom and democracy" because oil is nice to have and alternatives to the US Dollar system cannot be allowed to exist. Ironically the very first democracy in Greece relied upon a core group of male elite voters who were supported by millions of slaves. A system not dissimilar to how Imperialism in the West has flourished- via the suffering of others for their own benefit
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Let us call a spade a spade, and acknowledge the fact that Western democracies have neither benefited foreign countries nor even their own people. Why would pragmatic people choose a system that clearly fails at every instance apart from enriching a core group of the elite? One that seeks to deter any Asian country from rivaling their own on a fundamentally racist basis- China was not the first, when Japan was an economic threat even their staunch allies forced them to sign the Plaza Accord which collapsed their economy causing a lost decade or generation. How can they trust a system that flourishes by promising the impossible to citizens and delivers nothing unless it is taken by force from foreigners, one that would certainly only be corrupted by existing foreign powers?
Do try to learn some facts, apart from those they tell you to speak eh
@@goldsilvervscrisiscollapse4320 You are welcome to make your own video. The audience is English speaking and Western and she is not rallying the party faithful but explaining differences to the audience in a rather short video. If you want to do your presentation and not sound like a butt-hurt propagandist it shouldn't last for more than a day or two. Right?
That was really concise and interesting, subscribed straight away as want to learn more about China and it’s people. Thanks from the UK!
interesting summary, thanks
You, Chinese people paid for hundred + Mao years a very high price for what you are now. Didn't desappear or succumb but overcome all hardships, misery, humiliation and extreme suffering. I can see nowadays proud and confident people. There are some very dark clouds on the horizont, for you and for the rest of the world. Only together we may stand. Greetings señorita, good job.
I had an aneurism trying to read that shit.
I am from the Philippines, one of the oldest democracies in Asia. So, I grew up with values - often - in opposition to that of the CCP. But, these days, being much more open to understanding how the world works.
I started to challenge my pre deposition towards the west. Opening up in how other types of democracies and even non-democratic countries also generate economic growth and prosperity.
Thank you for bridging to us what is China's point of view of the world. It means a lot!
P.S. Of course, there's a lot more to it, not just about the economic side of things, but that's beside the point.
If you get a bad president in a democracy you vote for another one. In a dictatorship if you get a bad president... Well your life and country is screwed.
One misunderstanding is that chinese do not value democracy. Democracy itself is even a slogan of the CCP propaganda. Democracy in chinese means the people are the master, it doesn't nesscary translate to as people need to vote, just the government is the servant of the people. I do not suppport nor against CCP. Often things china have done have very little to do with communist ideaology.
Deng Xiaoping, former leader of China, once said, "What is democracy? It is to talk, talk and talk without implementation."
No it does not provide economical prosperity. Neither human rights. Because people are corrupt and more power to less hands eventually will back fire. China is not a model.
No matter how big the economy is is still 12k dollars/capital. Like worst democracies…
As a Chinese living in the UK, I always thought this question to be very strange - Even in ancient Greece, philosophers disagreed with each other about different political systems and the very definition of 'democracy' itself. Why is it that we intuitively expect everyone to agree with each other now when there had never been consensus to such as complex topic? and to people asking the question "what do you think about the political system in China", the answer is normally people don't think about politics all the time....we are normal, average people that thinks about family, ourselves, and how are we spending the day....and if I were to 'think about the political system in China', there is going to be a list of pros and cons and that list is going to be equally long if I were to talk about the political system in the UK and any other country
@chenxuanzhang5236 greetings,
Every Government/State may be seen as a functional structure of human society, the real difference between the West and the "rest of the world", which are mostly authoritarian regimes, is not so much the idea of representation, as the author of the video points the virtue of "filial piety"(Same concept the romans had), but the divine dignity of the individual and his divine right to partake in Goodness. Now because of materialism, the West is losing these values and demanding social utility to value human life, that's why aborption and euthanasia are being politically rallied for by some. The point is, the Christian Religion, and the Catholic Church(which gave birth to Europe and indirectly grandmothered the American Continent) teaches that God became Man not to punish and dominate but to serve and die for their sins, as an appeal to their conscience(conversion). That puts every ruler in the wall as someone who is expected to rule by example in sacrifice for the Good of all, not only by a society he may eventually disregard and oppress but by God Himself(Truth) which shall judge him eternally(His consciousness, if more palatable). But historically this absolute independence from Political Accountability started with the Protestant Kings, then the Bourgeoisie will use it for the independence from the political responsibility, that is, the public destination of Goodness. Finally Communism will be born as an attempt to guarantee the public destination of Goodness through the public sourcing of it, of course it will not work and just lead to more oppression, because the problem is not any system, but human nature, which is assumed in the West from the jewish-christian testimony as "Fallen"(Original Sin). I believe Real Communism is the Communion of Saints, that is, people need to choose to be charitable in order for Communion to really happen, now I see no problem that society and the public structure, the state, encourage people to do so, it is actually its nature to seek the public good, for people can be less or more charitable, but being minimally charitable is an universal moral health issue. All this being said, the western christian democracy differs from the greek pagan democracy, in the first, people ideally serve eachother(A bit like ideal Communism), while in the second, people only serve themselves through the republic. Once Communism sees divine dignity in a single individual, like Christians, it will be the only acceptable political system in my opinion. Monarchy supposedly has Harmony and Personality(which is human like), but on earth, as a christian, the Divine Personality of Christ came to harmonize through service. My vows are that Our Lady under the title Empress of China(which is venerated even in other countries of your region) bless your country and guide it to Glory. Peace
Because they care not about human rights and democracy in China, but about.What they care about is whether they can colonize China economically all the time, so democracy and human rights are just shells to cover up their goals! Because of China's socialist system, they can't exploit the loopholes in China!
Yes, but that is the point - nearly all Westerners personally disagree with the Chinese style of government but institutionally, they're not actually forcefully reshaping China. That being said, the West allows itself room criticize that which it doesn't agree with. The West has a right/wrong worldview which allows it to use speech to identify good and bad practice verbally without actually taking action. China, on the other hand, is much more careful with spoken words. In Chinese, to actively criticize something is to say that it should not exist.
@@kaixiang5390 The freedom of speech in the West is indeed relatively free, but it has also brought about quite a few problems. For example, in the French riots today, the Macron government called on the media not to spread false information. China people's understanding of freedom of speech is that you can say what you want, except those that affect social stability, national security and violate morality and laws! In fact, a stable society is the foundation for China to make great progress in the past forty years! In the process of growing from a developing country to a developed country, some people's interests will inevitably be sacrificed, which no country can avoid. Just as in the last century, with the economic development and the reduction of external threats, China's freedom of speech will become more and more relaxed!
What about the definition of self-determination?
The West only cares about the right of self-determination of every human on this earth, including the Chinese. Let's hold a referendum closely monitored by neutral international observers in which your beloved Chinese communist party asks Chinese people if they prefer to live under a communist one-party system or a multi-party system? If the majority of Chinese people decide that they prefer to live under a communist one-party system, then the West will respect their decision and will not be critical of the Chinese Communist Party anymore. That sounds very fair. So, when are we going to have such a referendum?
For under 15 minutes this was lovely. Succinct, informative, reasonable and fun. 🙏
For decades I've tried to understand the relationship between China as now and as it was. Your narrative has drawn many of the threads closer together. I'll re-read the Analects of Confucius. Thank you.
It would be nice if the west try to understand china. US and the west always think that they are at the center of the world. Whatever they think or whatever they done are right. That is self-centric. I like the word 国家 you explain. Well done.
Actually there is another explanation about 国家 coming from the first president of Taiwan (Lee Deng-Hui) . He simply puts out the idea that without families there won't be any state. Given that the Chinese people I know are more concerneded about their families than they are about the country his explanation is as valid, even for Chinese people.
A brilliant analysis, SimingLan! New subber.
Great video, thanks so much for sharing this. It's so rare to get an Eastern perspective on China.
Congrats. You have produced a very summarised but succinct historical version of China's evolution todate. Not being cynical, & Just like you, I very much hope that your video will reach a much wider audience, particularly in the West.
Your engaging narrative about China's philosophy, Confucianism influence, and history was fascinating. Thank you for your narrative video.
Thank you for this video. I want you to know how much I appreciate your balanced view. When there is a one sided view then it is very difficult for the average person to really hear your point without a visceral response of no that can't be. You have done a really good job. Thank you
That was really interesting & gave me insight I that I half knew but hadn’t considered before, thanks
Thanks for this! I never understood how traumatizing imperialism from the west was for China. Our history textbooks completely glaze over that!
The west was never able to fully surpress the Chinese people as a whole like the West (=Europe) did with Native Americans and Americans and Australians. In fact Chinese suffered mostly from inner Chinese conflicts or sometimes an invasion from mongol invaders
The Eight-Nation Allied Forces set fire to the Old Summer Palace
I suspect you’re confusing older Chinese history with more recent ones. Warring states and mongol invasions was a completely different time period from when the Brits and their buddies came to systematically drug kill and loot all the wealth in China, leaving it nothing left and forcing it down the path of communism
That was truly a hundred years of humiliation for China. As a military weak country with vast territory and abundant resources, anyone would want to come over and cut a piece of meat, forcibly demand it through opium, artillery, and other means, and even the Eight Nation Alliance came together to kill, loot, and burn it. Now, the British Museum still displays a large amount of things that were stolen from China in the past, which displays not cultural relics, but the shame of the Chinese people.
not quiet enjoyable
Great work. Thanks for trying to enlighten us.
Crystal clear explanation!!
Great historical perspective and well-balanced presentation. Subscribed, Liked, and Commented.
Great video Siming, cheers from Brazil
Obrigada, Nicolas!
Thank you for your video.
It was a very clear and simple explanation.
I think China deserves a lot of respect because above all, it has taken care of their people despite the hostility and abuse from the West.
That is the first duty of any state, in which, by the way, the West is not doing such a good job recently with all the homeless people living in tent cities, without clean drinking water, and proper healthcare.
China has done an excellent job in protecting its people during the pandemic.
I have heard people who live in China say they have never met anybody with COVID.
My own children have had COVID and my neighbour died from COVID.
So, well done, China, you have nothing to be ashamed of.
On the issue of "democracy", we have seen that the last 3 British prime ministers were appointed, NOT elected, thereby bypassing any democratic process. The current one was appointed by default, not even having been elected even by the members of his own party! Is that democracy?
Someone said that they considered "democracy" a "mirage" word - as you get closer, it disappears!
When we examine how the West practices "democracy", we begin to see elections with spurious counts, demands for re-counts, machinations in the presentation of candidates in their primaries, pressure being put on candidates to withdraw their candidacy, etc. etc. Never mind the idea of international observers! That is never even mentioned among the "democracies" of the West.
The HUGE amount of money poured into the US elections practically guarantees the results are rigged but this is never seriously examined at all.
Western "democracy" is just thinly veiled fascism for my money.
The West democracy system is a rich man game
Thanks for the brilliant write up.
@@ngheanchoong and poor men are not in the club - george catlin
If a corrupt democratic system is „thinly veiled fascism“ a one party dictatorship is blatant fascism. Just because there are democratic countries that are corrupt doesn’t mean the concept is inherently bad.
The first duty of a state isn’t to „take care“ of their citizens by enforcing their own will, but to protect the rights and freedom of its people, without interfering more than necessary.
Sincerely thank you for sharing your perspective. It definitely gave me some insight and broadened my own perspective.
This was great. You had a great way to give my Western eyes the Chinese perspective. I’ll check your other videos; I’m particularly interested in Sun Ya Tsen (sorry if misspelled) since it seems he is revered in both Taiwan and Mainland China.
I really liked your explanation. Thank you for the effort you put into this, and especially for your willingness to understand the Western mind.
Such a frank, honest and factual presentation that sheds much light on chinese culture in a helpful comparative way. Of course you would have to get state permission and be vetted by the censors to produce this for chinese consumption. But its very impressive, I don't think even the BBC could make an item this good. I look forward to Siming's future work in media, or even diplomacy.
This is just another Propaganda Channel with a different approach. Its so obvious that all of this is highjacked by chinese Botfarmes!
@@RitchyoneTech Frankly after watching a lot of her stuff (and reading a bit of blog), I really doubt that she is anyhow affiliated with government or CCP propaganda (I could give you detailed reasoning why, but no need to do that in public comments). I think you really exaggerate CCP propaganda abilities - they wish they had people like Siming, but they don't... Their propagandists are a lot more obvious and lame (you can read a good number in Global Times, for example). So please don't try to discourage a young, courageous, open-minded and dynamic person with false accusations... Rather try to give constructive suggestions of a better path forward if you don't like something in it.
Thinking that everybody is a CCP stooge is like thinking politicians are all lizards lol.
Really enjoyed your video. Thanks.
Thank you for this video! It certainly helped educate me on China.❤
Thank you for this great presentation, I learned many things that I did not know before. I spent 6 months in China one month at a time when China was under the leadership of President Hu Jintao. He was great, but President Xi Jinping has done even more to make China the greatest country in the World. I am 79 years old and I wish to return to China for the rest of my life.
你真幸福，能落葉歸根！
I was there under Hu Jintao too and that was China's golden years. Xi is destroying China.
@@Nobleman999 this year and next year are the peak time for china than it's going to take a u turn slowly . The whole geopolitics of world is going to change drastically at the end of this decade and also the world order. We are heading to multipolar world which will happen due to half world War which will be limited in scale.
Except Xi's three years of COVID lockdown
Why only “wish”??
Why don’t you just do it?
Thanks for reviewing this topic. As a non-chinese asian, born in Myanmar, but growing up mostly in the West, I have often found my dispositions at odds with those around me. This video helps to explain this by contrasting the western thought-conditioning with that of the eastern mind. I frequently dismissed these differences as simply personal, but having lived so many years now, it is clear there is much history behind 'my' values. Understanding what gives rise to eastern minds, and western minds, is a refreshing nourishment. Especially lovely is the sense that there is somehting to learn from each other, while the global powers and the algorithms keep gorging on their own cool-aid.
This video is communalism propaganda. The "a hundred years of humiliation" is what the schools in China want kids to believe. But in that "a hundred years of humiliation", population of china growth 4 times, people were very happy about the government getting many defeats. In fact, people of china help the western army to invade Beijing, the royal palace was burned and looted many times, mostly by the people of china. In 1949, at the end of a hundred years of humiliation, China had established heavy industry in the 东北. Chinese GDP was one of the best in Asian and #8 in the world. Just 10 year after the communalism new China, GDP was #50+. Economic and the quality of life was way worst that before. Of course, the CCP does not want to take the blame, so they made up the "a hundred years of humiliation". Like, who the f care about the queen and king getting humiliation when people have better life? And who the f were happy if the leaders were winning the war when people's life were going to hell??? Nice psyop.
Have the opportunity to come to China to experience life.
Well said.
Cheers! 😊😊😊
This is the first time I've heard a Chinese person's perspective/analysis on this. Thanks.
Your effort to help us Westerners is vital!! And you do an excellent job! Thank you!
What a great video! Helps explains Chinese culture, it break's my heart to hear the trama.
Entrenched history of trama does sound like hard feelings, like those towards the Japanese, felt by the world.
I thank you so much for letting us understand better, for better relations.
Thank you for making this video. Very informative, interesting and enjoyable. Looking forward to learn more from your videos.
great explanation. thanks
CCP is not the correct name. It should be CPC.
I really appreciate your approach to presenting information on a very sensitive political subject to a biased audience in a neutral way. It definitely helped me understand the politics better, thank you!
We're all biased. I think I have a say in this as someone who fled from russia a decade ago.
The whole world itself is pro-dictatorship biased to be specific.
Because in dictatorships most things are hidden and journalists who's even trying to uncover anything there are fled or disappeared or in jail.
So when you're comparing a democracy vs dictatorship you're inevitably comparing 80% of visible bad things in a democracy that you know very well since they have been examined by thousands of independent reporters vs only 1% of known bad things in a dictatorship which by some miracle was known because of some brave reporter.
As a result 80% of bad things in a democracy look about equal or even worse than 1% of known bad things in a dictatorship. And so we're all hopelessly pro-dictatorship biased.
Hopefully AI will help us get out of this hole, but then again - dictators will spend billions to keep this illusion go on..
This is a fake account
Contrary to what is said here, famine and cultural revolution also happened in many "democratic" countries (if there is such a thing), mostly instigated by the Capital. And China suffered because of Western interference, invasion, bullying and crimes - so most of the negative points about China in this video was mostly caused by Western war mongering for the sake of the billionaires. Bear in mind that was Wall Street that financed the Bolchevique revolution through the mega financier the jewish Jacob Schiff .
No, it’s my account and I’m real. My user ID is wonky tho, I can see why you’d think its fake.
This is just another Propaganda Channel with a different approach. Its so obvious that all of this is highjacked by chinese Botfarmes!
Great video.
Great video! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Siming I think you are a treasure of transnational cultural interpretation and you have such a rare and valuable background in both the east and the West The you are able to explain topics of great interest to those of us who wonder about this very issue of submission under hardship. I deeply command your thoughtful analysis and would ask that you address the warp speed evolution of China from agrarian rapid population growth to posturban demographic decline within just two generations in future postings
Your channel is adding to the increasing diversity of voices striving to act as a bridge of cultural understanding between China and the West, such as Cyrus Janssen (American), Pascal Coppens (Belgian), Andy Boredman (Kiwi), and Jerry Grey (Australian).
I taught in Wuhan between 2011 to 2014. My Chinese students were looking forward to further their study in US, Australia or UK (in that order of priority). I believe that has changed, sadly. I hope China will continue to allow foreigners to work in China for others to see China as it is, not what they are told by their highly distorted mainstream media for geopolitical gains.
Wow I was just about to comment and saw yours ... I've followed those named commentators for a considerable period. This young lady adds a further dimension with a tremendous insight
No, biden have told all the americans working in china to quit working for the chinese or lose US citizenship and all americans flew back to US.
Ironically, what she proposes is old-fashioned orientalism
@@lacdirk I disagree with her when she says that in the West, you have freedom of views. The mainstream media is so overwhelmingly biased that your views are moulded not based on objectivity but on prescribed narratives. However, she is spot on about how China evolves the way it has.
In other words, your students could not WAIT to ESCAPE from China! That just answered every possible question anyone could have about China.
Your video was very insightful, look forward to seeing future videos.😋
Very well made video! Thank you!