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Its only about 45 years since the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Before that it was the Communist Revolution (1946-1949). Before that there were other cultur
by pnw_hazor 6y ago
Its only about 45 years since the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Before that it was the Communist Revolution (1946-1949).
Before that there were other cultural and political upheavals where the victors re-wrote history and changed the culture of China.
So at least to me it is not clear what Chinese culture will look like in 50 years let alone a 100.
- chance_state 6y agoThat's an interesting point. I don't know enough about Chinese history to know how to evaluate the present. Is it realistic thought that a similar revolution could even happen in 21st century China? It seems like they have all the apparatus in place to prevent that (mass surveillance, information controls, no freedom to protest/demand, a strong and stable military, etc).
- tsimionescu 6y agoI think predicting any kind of social behavior 50 years in advance is well beyond any scientific method at the moment. Before those two revolutions that you mention, and even in spite of them in some areas, China has also had remarkable stability for hundreds if not thousands of years. Are these revolutions just blips? Are they a new pattern? And for that matter, are the Maoist and current regime that different for the common people of China from the Imperial regime before them? Or are these revolutions more just changes in window-dressing and in the upper echelons, like the Mongol conquest before them?
- pnw_hazor 6y agoCertainly some common threads seem to remain from ancient China, perhaps the same could be said for many places. I don't how many threads it takes to suggest that a culture has been sustained over time. Though I think I was thinking more in terms of political culture in terms of the long term durability of the authoritarian CCP vs. the liberal West.