what culture? you mean money (as in capitalism NOT as in religion like in taiwan)? modern china is an atheist capitalist communist country 
add a touch a nationalism that is closer to 3rd reich germany’s xenophobia than anything else… where is the culture in all this? the chinese language? it has mutated into some sort of unreadable denatured simplified characters…
THE PEASANTS ARE REVOLTING.
Of course any excuse for a good riot, so pardon me for raising minor details, but how do all the townsfolk know that the girl was actually raped and murdered as they allege and didn’t just drown as the goverment alleges? Did they all witness the crimes or perform a forensic examination?
[quote=“Jack Burton”]The showstopper:
[quote]Provincial Communist Party Secretary Shi Zongyuan visited the area to stress “the importance of social stability,” Xinhua said.
“We must put maintaining social harmony and stability on the top of our agenda,” Shi was quoted as saying.[/quote]
read: I don’t give a damn about some dead girl, just don’t make me look bad in front of my boss.[/quote]
Yeah, he’s appealing to Hu’s constructing a “harmoniius society” line.
[quote]The construction of a Harmonious Society (simplified Chinese: 和谐社会; pinyin: héxié shèhuì) is the dominant socio-economic vision that is said to be the ultimate end result of Chinese leader Hu Jintao’s signature ideology of the Scientific Development Concept. It serves as the ultimate goal for the ruling Communist Party of China along with Xiaokang society, which aims for a “basically well-off” middle-class oriented society. First proposed by the Chinese government under the Hu-Wen Administration during the 2005 National People’s Congress, the idea deviates China’s focus from economic growth to overall societal balance and harmony. The idea is clearly visible in banners all over China.
In a country where political class struggle and socialist slogans were the normative political guidelines for a few decades, the idea of bringing about societal harmony brings about the fusion of socialism, democracy and societal harmony with little competing interest[/quote]
Which is not in itself a bad aim.
HG
not here in china. people can’t even take to the streets and demonstrate. when there is a “riot”, it simply means something really bad hit the fan and people are just getting tired of their lousy totalitarian gov. i’d rather called those riots “mini revolutions” simply because that’s what they are basically. it’s the paranoid communists worst fear: losing the control they have on people!
it seems to be a small town (at least on the chinese scale). people “talk”, you know…
[quote]Quote:
The construction of a Harmonious Society (simplified Chinese: 和谐社会; Pinyin: héxié shèhuì) is the dominant socio-economic vision that is said to be the ultimate end result of Chinese leader Hu Jintao’s signature ideology of the Scientific Development Concept. It serves as the ultimate goal for the ruling Communist Party of China along with Xiaokang society, which aims for a “basically well-off” middle-class oriented society. First proposed by the Chinese government under the Hu-Wen Administration during the 2005 National People’s Congress, the idea deviates China’s focus from economic growth to overall societal balance and harmony. The idea is clearly visible in banners all over China.
In a country where political class struggle and socialist slogans were the normative political guidelines for a few decades, the idea of bringing about societal harmony brings about the fusion of socialism, democracy and societal harmony with little competing interest
Which is not in itself a bad aim. [/quote]
unrealistic, idealistic aim! it is weird to read about “harmony” in a totalitarian state where the gap between rich and poor is wider and wider with some people still living with about 10 euros per month while others can afford a BMW.
china’s new religion (unvoluntarily imposed by the communist party) is money. that is why there is no large scale rebellion or revolution (unlike in 1989), people are too busy striving to make more $$$
Hey! You have to measure these things in increments. That’s a very big step for the CCP to even accept that there may be sources of disharmony, and not least of this is economic disparity. The frank coverage of Sichuan is another example. Credit where it’s due, they are heading in the right direction.
Now as to all these people pillaging on heresay, well we’ve seen clearly how the bile rises in our own little blogosphere when the China nats get a hint of newsflowe between their teeth. Logic and reason depart swiftly, replaced by madness and venom. It’s typical behaviour of borderline retards. They have just enough awareness to know they’re not right and they hate the world for it.
HG
gotta disagree. you have to read between the lines.
for one of those “things” publicly acknowledged by gov, there are several others that are censored. only as a last ressort will the gov make those “things” public. they will always try to cover up first. it is getting hard with the internet though. step in the right direction? yes, maybe but it is relative… several others riots have happened recently. have you heard of them?
as for the sichuan earthquake… with all the respect i have for the victims of this terrible event, i must say it couldnt be a better timing for the chinese gov. and it took the chance to come up as a winner, with HU making his best to look like the good old father of the nation caring and protecting his people (very communist ideal). same happened in february. they even made a MTV, a hymn i should say, with “flashbacks” and pictures of party members “helping” people… who wins? the people or the party?
pressure was mounting about tibet and other democratic issues before the games. is anyone remembering? talking about it? or do we have to pity the communist party now?
But sometimes all it takes is a false rumour …
“To get rich is glorious.” -Deng Xiaoping
They do things on a big scale there. What’s one girl? (not to mention the female infanticide pre- and post- partum) Mao “7-out-of-10 ain’t bad” Zedong killed tens of millions. (Though western capitalism has killed more, and CKS is probably in that league…)
Now, capitalism is the opiate of the masses. It worked for the West…
[quote=“5566”]gotta disagree. you have to read between the lines.
for one of those “things” publicly acknowledged by gov, there are several others that are censored. only as a last ressort will the gov make those “things” public. they will always try to cover up first. it is getting hard with the internet though. step in the right direction? yes, maybe but it is relative… several others riots have happened recently. have you heard of them?[/quote]
Indeed I have.
[quote=“5566”]as for the sichuan earthquake… with all the respect I have for the victims of this terrible event, I must say it couldnt be a better timing for the Chinese gov. and it took the chance to come up as a winner, with HU making his best to look like the good old father of the nation caring and protecting his people (very communist ideal). same happened in february. they even made a MTV, a hymn i should say, with “flashbacks” and pictures of party members “helping” people… who wins? the people or the party?
pressure was mounting about tibet and other democratic issues before the games. is anyone remembering? talking about it? or do we have to pity the communist party now?[/quote]
When I said you should measure progress in increments, try comparing Tangshan to Sichuan, and on that point, the scale isa rather immense improvement. There are also prospects for some good for the old hundred names out of all this - safer schools, for example. I’m no blind PRC flag waver, by the way, far from itm, in fact, but I do think improvement warrants mention.
HG
when improvement has for result glorification of the gov and the communist party, why calling that improvement?
Mate, don’t get me wrong, I’ve certainly ranted about what pricks they are quite enough on here, but exhibit a) Tangshan vs exhibit b) Sichuan, it really is chalk and cheese. And I’m not quite cynical enough to think the whole thing was merely a PR stunt by Hu and Wen.
Like I said, credit where it’s due, but by all means slam them where it’s due too.
HG
yep, there was no internet back then :raspberry: just kidding but 
seen from here in china, it seems to me it has become maybe not a PR but certainly damage control stunt…
Actually, and sort of tragically, I thought it had become an awfully protracted soap opera, but the tears were real. I was working out of Shanghai that weekend it happened and for the following 10 days. Non-stop TV with inane questions like, “so did you cry when you found your little girl with her head smashed in by a big lump of concrete?”, and fired at deeply shocked people.
HG
[quote=“BigJohn”][quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]More here. This is probably the best site in English monitoring the Chinese net and net news.
HG[/quote]
Yes, that’s a great site. Very informative, thanks for the tip. BTW, did you notice that there’s an irritating poster on it, who always seems to like to find fault with the Western point of view, and never acknowledges it when someone scores a point against him? I think his name was “AC” or something like that. 
[/quote]
Wow, talk about suffering from an inferiority complex. Time for another ID change for you. 
I usually don’t use English language site for local events such as these.
With killings, one never knows what sparks them. Accident, girl blackmailing boy, boy wanting girl, etc.
Then to use the mob reaction as supporting evidence to whatever views you might have seems somewhat far fetched.
You know there’s a riot in the PRC, thus it is evident the PRC needs democracy, and ac_dropout is incorrect.
Yes I see, internet cheaper than therapy…
[quote=“Rascal”]
But sometimes all it takes is a false rumour …[/quote]
A post that really resonates, even quote worthy. Thanks Rascal.
a bit off topic but very interesting though…
taipeitimes.com/News/editori … 2003416438
[quote]The power of a dictatorship to brainwash its populace is much stronger than the power of facts to open minds. This has been seen time and again, under such dictators as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao and Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
Long-term brainwashing and propaganda divests the public of its ability to judge facts.
In his classic novel 1984, George Orwell painted a dark picture of this phenomenon. Winston Smith, the main character, is shown four fingers but told he sees five. Eventually he is convinced that he sees five fingers. When he answers “five,” he does not do so out of fear, but because he is so numbed by all the lies that he actually believes what he says.
In a recent example of a massive propaganda effort, Chinese media eulogized the rescue work in the wake of the massive earthquake in Sichuan Province, praising the leadership of Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶).[/quote]
I’d say the evidence is pretty strong.
-officials say she drowned but there was no water in her lungs
-her uncle was killed for persuing the case
-eye witnesses heard her screaming
[quote]I’d say the evidence is pretty strong.
-officials say she drowned but there was no water in her lungs
-her uncle was killed for persuing the case
-eye witnesses heard her screaming[/quote]
reminds me the movie “red corner” with richard gere and bai ling. anyone?