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It is not true. It's just that politicians need official reasons to do what they do. And it's a great thing to use historical reasons because nobody can really
by erikb 9y ago
It is not true. It's just that politicians need official reasons to do what they do. And it's a great thing to use historical reasons because nobody can really counter them. Not a single Chinese person I know thinks about Westerners as sources of the Opium Wars and therefore as enemies. The opinions move between "West is so rich, let's be more like them" and "We are nearly back to our old glory, now also learn some of our culture!"
- thereare5lights 9y agoOh yea, there are over a billion Chinese people in China alone and because not a single Chinese person you know has told you they think that, it must not be true!
- erikb 9y agoTrue, it doesn't reach a stastistical significance of >=95%. How does knowing roughly 100 Chinese people from different social levels, tiers, geographic locations, backgrounds compare to reading an article of foreign origin, though?
- tanilama 9y ago>> Westerners as sources of the Opium Wars and therefore as enemies The article is not wrong. Opium war, in the official narrative of recent Chinese history, is phrased as "the start of a hundred years of humiliation of China". It is heavily focused event in middle school history class. It definitely still shapes China in a lot of way, like the strictest drug prohibition may be in the whole world. In every day communication, it might not be significant, but it does have a greater effect on a subconscious level, serving as foundation for regular Chinese folk to perceive the relationship with West in general, which is centered with invasion, humiliation, lose of sovereignty and the shame of inferiority.
- cousin_it 9y agoNot sure you're disagreeing with the grandparent. A belief can be deeply held and a result of manipulation at the same time. Russia has similar grievances against the West that are promoted on TV, and people care strongly about them as a result. In the early 90s, when the injuries were fresh, the TV deemphasized them and fewer people cared. I've come to believe that when a government makes its citizens care about foreign policy, that's usually a distraction from domestic problems. In Russia's case it's corruption. Not sure about China.
- heavenlyblue 9y agoWell, but then you're forgetting the Texan rednecks and elderly in the UK; both of which can be quite racist, especially if taken at a scale.
- dogma1138 9y agoThis is the official narrative that is being sold to the people and being thought at school. The opium wars are a very big part of Chinese history and current culture I don’t know who do you know In China but a few elites educated in the West are not a good sample. Look at the average inner city population in tier 1-3 cities, look at the recent changes in the attitude towards foreigners in China this is definitely an existing issue.
- yorwba 9y ago> recent changes in the attitude towards foreigners in China Could you elaborate? As a foreigner in China, this seems pretty relevant.
- peoplewindow 9y agoHardly a big anecdote but I went to China once and asked the tour guide if Chinese people hated the British because of the opium wars. She just laughed, the idea seemed ridiculous to her. She said a lot of Chinese still resent or hate the Japanese because of the invasion during WW2.
- acct1771 9y agoAre you British?