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I've lived in Shanghai for 10 years. Very little that Beijing tells Shanghai to do has an impact on daily life there. For the most part, Shanghai controls Sha
by jhancock 17y ago
I've lived in Shanghai for 10 years. Very little that Beijing tells Shanghai to do has an impact on daily life there. For the most part, Shanghai controls Shanghai. Governance in China is fragmented, hierarchical, and networked.
I built a large workflow system for the Shanghai gov in 2001. To build such a system, I had to understand decision processes, chains of command, etc. If there was an "org chart" I never saw it, but had to piece it together through inputs from many government departments. The structures that exist follow patterns well understood by those in power (and to varying degree by many in society). These processes are more complex then Western business or government structure and rarely dictatorial.
Decision takes a long time to incubate while various interests align. Once consensus is reached, they move forward in lock-step. An outsider may view these actions as the result of a dictatorial process. I can assure you they are not.
- gaius 17y agoI'm curious - could you for instance walk the streets of Shanghai in a t-shirt openly critical of the government? 'Cos people in London do it all the time...
- gloob 17y agoFalse dichotomy. There is a difference between "totalitarian dictatorship" and "society with relatively low levels of political freedom". The former requires the latter, but not every instance of the latter is an instance of the former.
- halo 17y agoWell, anywhere in London except Parliament Square without prior permission as you'd be arrested for doing an unauthorised protest.
- jhancock 17y agoThe U.S. Constitution's first amendment provides for "the right of the people peaceably to assemble". Try doing this in front of the White House without a permit. In Atlanta, Georgia, for example, the mayor has veto powers over permit requests. Try waving the constitution in front of an Atlanta police office as he's dragging you to jail.
- jhancock 17y agoActually yes, you can walk around Shanghai with ugly words about the government. As far as I know there are no laws against it. There are laws against plotting to overthrow the gov or causing civil unrest similar to the ones that exist in the U.S. or UK. I just fact checked this with my Chinese wife. She has a degree in Chinese Law. Could someone use your t-shirt to concoct a case against you relative to these laws? Maybe. But the Chinese police have bigger things to worry about. I have heard about people in the U.S. being tossed off airplanes and detained due to the content of their t-shirts. The Chinese Internet has massive amounts of chatter expressing anger at the government. Some of it gets removed by the gov and site management. But not all of it. There is plenty of juicy stuff to read online.