Shanghai Diaries - July 08

@ fair media: Rather than an ad hominem attack, either address my points or concede that you are just a PRC propagandist that does not debate using valid logical rules. Either your command of the English language is severely limited or you are attempting to reduce my counter argument to your rather loaded earlier comments into a straw man argument, which my argument is far from a straw man argument. However your postings are littered with straw man arguments.

It is rather funny that you claim that "the West was trying to downplay China for a long time". How long a time is a "long time" in your point of view? In the 1970's, Nixon & Kissinger helped bring the PRC back into the international trade community in a major way after its post WWII trade isolation and the failure of the Great Leap Forward. In the 1940's the West enlisted China's help as a limited ally in helping to defeat Imperial Japan and gave them $5 Billion USD in lend-lease aid. In fact a main reason the USA was attacked by Imperial Japan was because of US trade embargoes against Imperal Japan in order to try and stop the Indo-China invasion campaign without resorting to entering the war. Neither of those actions can be rationally characterised as the West down playing China.

Your other attempts to stray off topic by introducing more issues rather than answering my queries are bad rhetorical tools. If you could kindly answer my earlier points and back up your answers with historical facts, I will actually take you seriously and not consider you just another blog troll to ignore.

Now either kindly answer my earlier post's queries or kindly stop spewing your anti-West invective.

The West has been trying to play down China for long time. It is funny someone trying to categorize China as Soviet and even Nazi. I am sure this person does not know too much about history, world politics as well as simple economics.

why China is growing, Soviet crashed and more importantly, why China can survive under all types of attacks and mistreatment by the West. Just within a century, A country was invaded by eight western countries, and being robbed, its land being divided and "No Chinese Cross" Signs in their territories within China, the same countries are now pushing China to be more democratic and pushing human rights!!! Many people in these countries are also believer of God. The Bible asks people to practice forgiveness and promote peace, where is the actions?

@ fairmedia: You speak the PRC rhetoric so well, especially about the carving up of China and freedom of expression. Here are two hints that you are neither fair nor balanced:

1. When China gives the chance for the Tibetans and Uighurs to vote on self determination for being independent nation states, then you have a China who is really at peace with its imperialistic past. It is really amazing when people spout the rhetoric in your post but have a really one sided view of both the Emporer's and Mao's imperialistic occupations.

2. When the PRC ceases to need the great firewall and blatant censorship to keep alternative viewpoints from being aired to the masses, then you can criticise the West on free speech. I was watching "Wings", an aviation documentary series on the Discovery channel, in Shenzhen and they they bleeped the word "revolutions" even though it was used in the context of discussing the technical specifications of a prop engine. For a powerful regime to be so frightened and paranoid of a word that they ban its use in all its meanings not related to Mao, surely does not speak well of the PRC's confidence that its rule is truly the will of the people. The Great Firewall is yet another symptom of the PRC's paranoia of its own people.

The West may be corrupt, broken, and on the decline, however if China wants to be a long term major player on the world stage, it has to abandon its totalitarian ways otherwise such ascendancy will be short lived (see USSR, Nazi Germany, Italy) and another set of pissed off farmers, students, & industrialists will lead another revolution in China.

Aric!! thanks sooo much for the updates and the great reporting on the experiences that you have had in china and you will be missed until you come back! have fun!!
your bro the Q

Aric, I have been viewing your video blog for some time now. With your departure I want to compliment your talent and creativity. I am sure that you will be very successful in life. I am a environmental attorney in Montana, working for the State to preserve our natural beauty. Unlike many in Montana, however, I have a world view and travel extensively. I was in HK in 1960 and there again and in Taiwan in 1977. I found those parts of China fascinating, so I understand your love and competing ambivalance towards China. This year, after the Olympics, I will return to China as I have a Chinese girlfriend there, who lives in Beijing. Again, I just want to congradulate you on your fine work in introducing modern day China to all of us. I hope to meet you someday --Robert

One of the important elements for freedom of expression is to express things honestly and fairly. Freedom of expression does not give you the right to 'bs" anything you do not even know.

Ya, you have been in China, but how much do you really know about China and its culture and people.

You are expressing your ideas without merits, it self is a valiation of human rights. China is not used to be under the spotlight. The West does not used to have a new upraising power.

You know what, after this Olympics, China will be stronger. Chinese people are and will continuing appreciate what we have been accomplishing: we are no longer under the shadow of the West. We will not forget 18 foreign nations stole our national treasures and divide China into their colonies.

When those from the West talking about democracy and freedom of speech, they do not realize they have been the destroyer of true democracy and freedom of speech.

China is up, you are going down. My friend!

Best of luck recharging and finding your next thing.

I hope you enjoy your steambath ^_^
have a nice stay at "the beach" if your there ^_^

greetings from steamy (in all senses of the word) bangkok.

just wanted to point out something that I forgot to mention in the show - what was really great about this show was the forum; and discussions that went on below the show...and you all are the ones to thank for that. advice, insight, opinions, support...everything.

this is what makes new media such an amazing experience, in that the first one to speak is usually the first one to learn.

thank you...all.

Aric,

Remember what Ma said..."Onward ever, backward NEVER!"

Get a move on Bud...!

Hi Aric,
thanks for the great time until now, with all those videos and infos that brightend our days. ^_^
I´m sure you find some time and way to let us know when something comes up you wanna let us know (hint,hint...).
Have fun where ever you go to now ^_^
I´m not ready...to see you go...aiyou...so sad...

BTW here the link to the mc catchy article ( googled it :-) ) http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/43368.html

Hey, buddy. You'll be missed. I'll keep watching from the road.

You've got a big personality and a big heart. But of course, as we know, in China, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

You're making the right decision by leaving for a spell. Give your lungs a rest and wait for the air to clear -- but that might take a while.

All the best.

You're so right about the new technologies. I was at an Ingrid Michaelson concert a couple of weeks ago at the House of Blues, and they were searching purses at the door to keep cameras out. As soon as the show started, everyone pulled out their I-Phones and started snapping away. Pretty soon that bowtie really WILL be a camera, ha ha.

Have fun on your travels. Hope you got all your shots... you'll be in a few funky countries in the next few months. I'm sure we'll find out all kinds of interesting news that never makes the mainline media.

You ought to call the Travel Channel and make this trip into a weekly TV show. Instead of concentrating on food, you delve into the music scene of each country. You'd be famous!! (well, even more famous)

i shall miss your chinese musk.

It's been great, but this is more like another beginning than an end. Good luck on your next journey.

Heya Aric. Been moving house the last couple of weeks so I've missed a lot... including your haircut! wow! what inspired that?? You look so normal now.. haha..

It's interesting that they would educate people on how to "clap", in Australia that "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi! Oi! Oi!" thing just came out of the public doing it so much that it became the normal thing to do. That's national pride at work.. it just happens automatically.

On that Web 2.0 thing.. I read a book a little while ago, it was just a trashy post-modern novel but it did highlight that same thing.. that now, with the internet, people are able to get broadcast news from all over the world within a matter of seconds of it being broadcast. The governments of the world can no longer have complete control over what gets out of their country. That of course is at the macro level, what you are saying highlights what will occur at the micro level with people and their camcorders and even mobile phones these days have video capabilities. It will be interesting to see what the media and non-media does with all the information over the coming weeks.

Bon Voyage.

I am wondering if there will be a few more editions of the show once you are safely off Chinese soil.

I would imagine that you have collected a few videos and personal observations during your time in China that are a bit too hot to report while still inside the bamboo curtain.

Cheers,
Keviin

Loved the ending of this one!

I too will miss the show but I'm sure you'll be back sooner or later with a new story to tell. For now, just get out and go enjoy yourself. :-)

P.S. Don't forget to keep us updated on the book. I'm sure more than five people will be interested in it.

i luv that "harmonious clapping" at the end! for so many yrs, i've been not clapping correctly nor clapping harmoniously... o! wait, i'm those from the "rebelious province of china"!!!

bon voyage! hope to c u back up here, if not, maybe down in s.e.a.!!! ;D

waaah! don't leave! do a new series from wherever you're going.

Hi Aric,

It is has been a pleasure watching your blog for the past couple of months. It is always interesting to see your perspective of things going on in China.

I hope you do continue the blog from wherever you are. Maybe one day you will return to Shanghai, HK, or one of the other "enlightened" cities in China.

All the best and thanks again!

Aric,

Thank you for your insights. They have been very useful and add to my understanding of China.

I wish you the best of luck in your travels and feel free to leave some more commentary here from timie to time: I will be looking for them.

Again Thank you.

Hey Aric what's the McClutchy article link?

Aric,

Thank you for the past month, I really enjoyed watching your shows.

It is a bit sad to see the end of the show, I had the same feeling when the Saturday Show ended in ChinesePod... It really feels like a good friend is going away.

But like I said earlier, good luck with all, have a great trip and please tell us about it! I will be leaving China soon too, but I'll be keeping an eye on it all.

And btw, it really was raining today in Beijing, but it has been for more than three weeks now. We only had about 5 days when it didn't rain. (I hope I'm not lying too much...)

All the best!