Jiang Zemin, the former president of P.R.China went crazy to some journalists from Hong Kong in a meeting in 2000. The reason is quite simple. The “improper” journalists had asked again and again about the central government’s arrangement for next Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administration Region. It is widely known that that position should be assigned by Beijing, through the central government had long claimed that the Chief Executive had been selected through democratic election procedure. To ask this question publicly equals to split the gee string away and to announce the mass’s distrust towards the government drily.
In his “counter back” statement, there is an episode of words that is very interesting:
“Mr. Wallace (a journalist from Columbia broadcasting system, who has given President Jiang an interview when he was paying U.S. a state visit) is much better than you (the journalists from Hong Kong) all as journalists. I had such a great talk with him”
This statement indirectly answers two questions which have been under request since the crisis in Tibet happened in March:
Why have the western media, represented by CNN, which has a tradition and outstanding reputation as being objective and reasonable been so rude, so arrogant and so prejudiced in reporting the crisis and all the events happened in London and Paris?
Why have the Chinese people reacted so fiercely so quickly and as if they have been so mistreated?
These two questions have been raised firstly by a very famous critic in China—Mr. Qiu Zhenghai. President Jiang’s comment is not coincidental. To some extent, the Chinese history of twentieth-century is a process of becoming Americanized. On one hand, most of the top intelligences in twentieth century China have studied in America. Sun Yat-sen, who is George Washington of contemporary China, has complex and strong relation with America. On the other hand for a country which used to be the top one while has long lost that position, it is so common that they are thirsty to be the front runner and taking the super power—America as its standard. Gradually it becomes a habit and causes inferiority among the Chinese people. This inferiority causes the Chinese government used to behave trucklingly in front of other countries in order to please them. During the R.O.C era, the government can easily fire a chief editor in a private press in order to appease the anger of Japan. After 1949, the officials of the government even conduct this policy to each and every country indiscriminatively. The Filipino navy killed Chinese fishermen. All the media on the mainland China were forced to keep quite on this issue since Beijing wants to keep a “friendly atmosphere” for the coming state visit by the Philippine president. Thousands of Chinese Indonesian women were raped and hundreds of Chinese Indonesians were killed during the 1998 Indonesian crisis. Again it is prohibited to mention. Even today, it is kept sensitive in mainland China. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics propaganda there is a specific clause for the foreign journalists. This clause put the right and freedom of foreign journalists to a prior position. However on the other hand in order to make the illusion rooted into everyone’s mind that Beijing is widely respected and becomes a leader world-widely, all different voices are extremely forbidden around China. Nanfang City News, one of the tiny few newspapers, which dares to be honest, has been punished again and again. It has become very conservative now comparing to the first few years. Words have arrived that Hu Jia has been sentenced to three and a half years in jail. He has done nothing but speaking out his different voices from the central government’s point of view.
When you treat others as your lord how can you request them to treat you as a friend?
For a lot Chinese people, especially those abroad, it is very common that the western media makes fun of China and sometime Chinese people as well. No one really takes their report seriously. From a lot of people’s point of view, their reports are objective and reasonable when compared to the ones offered by Beijing. Compared to Jack Cafferty they are more lovely more like gentlemen and more tolerant. The biased reports by western media did raise some dissatisfaction among some people. During last meeting with Paulson before her retiring, vice Prime Minister Wu Yi complained that American media have been so mean to China and haven’t seen all the processes China has made and all the benefits America has gained during all these years negotiation.
However this time, everything’s changed. The Jack Cafferty’s have found themselves a wrong and tough enemy—China.
I was asked when I was in L.A. why Chinese people had taken Beijing Olympics so seriously. I was smiling and dragged along with it. How can I explain that Chinese people have taken it chance to get back their dignity? How can I explain that Chinese people know it so clearly that they have their root in their mother culture and the discrimination derived from “yellow peril” is still wondering around and they hope a successful Olympics can gain them respect and revise some stereotyped prejudice? In this context, China has no relation with communist party, has no relation with a Chinese’s nationality and only has relation to the culture. The Chinese culture might be one of those softest ones around the world and has been deeply hurt and tortured after 1949 but it has the most powerful strength in the universe. That is why when Beijing was still trying to compromise to the western media and some knavish NGOs the Chinese people stood up and formed a stream of power to protect “China”!
It is Labor Day holiday. I have received a lot emails and online messages appealing people to join the mass movement of boycotting Carrefour. On the other hand, authorities have blocked all the searching results about Carrefour one week ago. The authorities have sent out a lot cell phone text messages calling people to be reasonable when they are express patriotic mood. Beijing set out to make the illusion that everything was fine and nothing had happened before, again, after its meeting with the envoys from Europe, who had been shocked by the power of Chinese people.
I feel the mass has been treated again.
