Weekly Thoughts #4: Communist China and Capitalist...China

If there's a way to generalize society, consider this: Collectivism and Individualism. A collectivist, in most cases, is a firm believer of sacrifices for the greater good, for society. An individualist, on the other hand, follows his passion, decides his own future, and hopes for a happy life by finding what is best for him - society, you come after me. Polar opposites, huh.

China is a country that has experienced both of them in the past century. In Mao's China, workers and students were very devoted to the welfare and sufficiency of the state (I mean, Mao). The collectivist mindset that was encouraged during this time period created a generation of Chinese that was readily sacrificing crop yields to the state. It also created a generation that was almost blindly patriotic to the Communist Party, believing that it was an obligation to dutifully meet expectations set by the Party in order to please Beijing and Mao Zedong.

When Deng came into power, trickles of Capitalist reform were introduced, making China a developing nation following the American model, resulting in an Individualization of China. With an influx of Capitalist ideas, Chinese cities began seeing foreign investment as well as small groups of people becoming richer than the rest. Deng was famous for saying that "being rich is not a sin". Under this new leadership, large scale migrations from villages to cities began to increase noticeably. Money became the primary desire of many, and the people who earned their wealth were respected by the people around him.

Had Mao been alive, he would have not considered China the moving-toward-socialism country that he envisioned. China today is as Capitalist, if not more capitalist, than the United States. It is where the cheap goods it manufactures are exported worldwide. Its cities are commercial hubs. China is indeed, the centers of the commercial world today that is run by a Communist government.

In Capitalist China...

This new status has created a generation of consumers, entertainment-seekers, and fervent individualists, completely unrecognizable from their forbears. Streets previously decorated with pro-communist banners have turned into fancy shopping districts. Soldiers in the Chinese army today are not addicted to Mao's Little Red Book, but soap operas. And while the Communist government continues to emphasize unity by suppressing freedom of speech, Chinese bloggers find ways to challenge it.

Two, very different Chinas - their similarity is that they are both the "People's Republic of China". The previous China strived for unity in times of hardship, equality and the elimination of class struggles. The latter has created a "Generation ME", full of Chinese youths aspiring to be actors, CEOs, simply trying to find what's best for themselves.

In my opinion, Chinese collectivism, which had created miracles during the Five Year Plan, yielded great results in the Korean war - that China that Mao believed would continue to prosper, is now history, if not dead.

Weekly Thoughts #3: People's Love for Mao

The rise of Communism in China was a life-changing moment in China for the poor. For the workers and the uneducated lower class, it was a beacon of light that they had been yearning for for at least half a century. To the working people of the world, Communism promised equality, redistribution of wealth and land, as well as the elimination of landlord exploitation.

To the working people of the new People's Republic of China, the Communist Party vowed not only to eliminate class divisions but also to restore national pride. Only a year after the Communist victory in China, the Chinese people rejoiced over what they believed was the first military victory against the Imperialist West. Millions of Chinese soldiers volunteered to fight in the "Fight U.S., Save Korea" campaign, and they were successful in securing not only the Chinese border but the Kim Il Sung regime. Back in China, workers saw great success in the redistribution of land and the persecution of "oppressive" landlords. This was, many believed, a Communist paradise. 

To the workers, this was all thanks to Chairman Mao. Years of fighting alongside peasants and workers, and placing country and the Chinese people above anything else, Mao was a respected soldier and a policy maker, the symbol of radical change in China, for better. The workers truly loved Mao. 

Mao, too, loved his workers. The ambitious Five Year Plan, which aimed to boost China's productions, saw the workers exceeding expectations, even doubling the goals set by the party. Mao was in awe, but at the same time convinced that nothing was impossible for the peasants. He decided to go a step further. The words "Great Leap Forward" says it all. 

Soon, village after village, house after house began setting ridiculously high goals for resource production. With debts to pay to the Soviets for their assistance in China's nation building, and needs to be met for resources to be distributed to the cities, villagers were expected to work more for the state than for themselves. They did so willingly, because they loved Mao. 

The ambitious project that Mao proposed however, ended in utter failure. Corruption, something that the Communist party stood up against, became rampant as officials tried to please Mao and party members. Corruption came in the form of reporting an absurd number of resources produced compared to the actual number. The workers, having worked diligently, were now left with nothing. A famine followed soon after, resulting in the deaths of some 30 million farmers and villagers. 

Official reports claim that the nation is sufficient. Are they?

And that was where corrupt officials were wrong. That was where the peasants and workers were wrong. What pleases Mao Zedong does not equal to what pleases the state. 

Weekly Thoughts #2: GMDs, Commies and the Betrayal

Like any fairytale, history shows a force, and a polar opposite of it, during the same time period. As their differences suggest - polar opposites - they usually aren't very nice to one another. During the Russian Revolution, there were the Loyalists and the Bolsheviks, and from this piece of history we can learn that one side is eager to see themselves prevail at the expense of the other.

China was no exception. Following the fall of the Qing dynasty, patriotic sentiments stirred as people rallied against China's shameful treaties with the West and what appeared to be the inferiority of the Chinese people in the areas of military prowess, and expressed concerns over the question of preservation of culture and modernization. Amidst calls for unity, however, China was far from being together. Warlords and generals have already carved up land for themselves, and competitions between enemy landlords caused turmoil and widespread poverty in China.

In harsh times, society needs heroes to look up to. Just as the giant of a nation felt leaderless, two parties made their entrance into Chinese history - one, the Nationalist (KMT) Party, and the other the CCCP (Communist party). Two distinct parties, they believed that China should be unified in the face of the common enemy, Imperial Japan and the Western powers. Thus began the alliance - or 1st United Front - between two parties putting forth very different ideologies. The Communists believed in radical reform and the doing away of old systems and traditions that restricted certain groups; The Nationalists under Chiang Kai-Shek were Confucians who believed in self-cultivation and many morals straight of the Analects. The alliance, nevertheless was successful, and China was once again (somewhat) united.

As if the United Front was nothing but a dream, Chiang Kai-Shek turns his back on the Communists. Rounding up any Communist Party members and soldiers they could find, he ordered his troops to summarily execute them. In the bloody year of 1927, the Chinese Communists lost at least 300 people ranging from officials to people who received support from the party. The event, which would send Communism in China under siege, is known as the Shanghai Massacre.

Chiang Kai-Shek's War on Communism, 1927. Public executions and Purges were widespread, and brutal.

However, would this GMD victory provide the basis for a Communist take over of China two decades later? Continued persecution of the Communists forced Mao Zedong to lead a Long March, which helped him gain the respect of many. Soon after the massacre, Chiang Kai-Shek's corrupt government made many turn to Mao and the Communist party, and following a reluctant 2nd United Front against the Japanese, Chiang Kai-Shek was forced to flee to Taiwan. Perhaps, the Betrayal didn't provide the foundation for Chiang's China, it helped Mao's instead.

Weekly Thoughts #1: Empire's Recipe for Destruction

For an empire with a rich cultural heritage, gigantic land mass, and a plethora of resources, Opium proved itself a small but instrumental recipe for the empire's downfall. For this weekly review, I'd like to analyze how this drug, deemed "harmless" to the West, would change China's path to the future forever.

Before the arrival of Opium in Canton, the Qing empire and its citizens viewed their civilization as the "center of the world" in every aspect - be it the military, resources or even divinity of its rulers. With a 2000+ year-history of Confucianism, Confucius's words and call to practice, such as ancestral worship, the Chinese were proud to be preserving Confucianism and its rich culture in their everyday lives. Internal stability was achieved through the military campaigns to expand Qing's territory during Kangxi's reign, and valuable resources were valuable to the point that China felt it did not have to trade with the West.

It is not surprising, given the development of China with restricted knowledge of the world's continents, that Sino-Centrism was ingrained in the imperial court. When Macarthy introduced the West's eagerness to trade and be politically involved in the Qing empire, Qianlong dismissed him as a barbarian and claimed he accepted the offerings of the British as a sign of politeness. In Qianlong's letter to King George, he also reminded the British of being loyal to the Qing Emperor for its safety to be ensured. The cold exchange of thoughts and intentions shows just how militarily advanced, surprisingly civilized group the Europeans were.

The Chinese heavily restricted European trade in Chinese soil by only allowing trade at the port in Canton. Moreover, the goods coming from Europe were not in faring well in the Middle Kingdom, which subsequently led to an outflowing of silver in Europe in favor of the Chinese. Desperate, the Europeans resorted to smuggling in Opium.

Opium was illegal in China - it was not taken as seriously in Europe. Hence, the Opium trade was illegal in China. The Qing government, however, were too late in realizing its detriments to society and banning it. In a short period of time, villages and cities were addicted, and Chinese regardless of gender and age started smoking it. The Western influence that the Qing government found too trivial to care began destroying the pillars of Chinese society. Outrageous anti-Confucian acts such as selling off wives as slaves for some "Opium money" began to increase, and the ideals of family unity and communal harmony, began to corrode. For the first time, in a civilization that was able to preserve Confucianism under the influences of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and even Christianity, Confucian ideals were under serious threat. Increasingly wary of this, Qing ordered the dumping of Opium in the Canton port.

The West had the weaponry. It had the technology. And, most importantly, it was prepared.

So, was the great civilization destroyed by superior weaponry and staunch supporters of Imperialism? Yes, and the consequences of being militarily inferior was harsh to the Chinese. Civil wars, the corruption of treasured ideals, and the creation of different Chinas would characterize China's early modern history. This all started with the opium - and it is interesting how opium took down an empire.

The wife cries:"Why? Why are you letting them take me?" There was a long silence. The wife was gone, and his husband knew that. Gone, as in forever. Slowly, he took out the silver coin he got from the slave owners. By now, his memory of her wife he once loved more than anything else, had all but vanished. His head was as a empty as a penniless piggy bank.

East vs. West in Exploration

Question: What do you think about the civilizational differences between East and West at play here? What were the main differences in the two civilizations that created such differences in their behavior as they explored foreign lands? Can you equally defend each culture's behavior?


What sets apart the West and the East during their explorations to discover new land, and to strike up a relationship with the natives? It is clear that Zheng He, throughout his voyage, had a great interest in distinct cultures, and sought diplomacy before anything, leaving violence as the final, if not unconsidered, resort. The Europeans, however, were quite the contrary. When trade stalled, they used force; when civilizations seemed detached from Christianity, they used force. These violent actions would taint the early impressions of South Asian civilizations of the European Christians. 


The main shortcoming of the European explorers was, simply put, acceptance. The Chinese, with a long history of trade with distant lands, and an almost hereditary Confucian upbringing that taught the importance of learning, saw the new lands as an opportunity - not just for commerce, but for forming cordial relationships for centuries to come. The military actions they took were only out of self-defense. Having undergone the dark ages and purely religious upbringing, many Europeans saw any religion outside of the Christian faith as evil, and that it was necessary for them as Christians to take them down. While trading was a priority, spreading of Christianity was, too, and the European explorers were determined to see their religious expansion happen, even if that meant bloodshed. Besides - what were these natives, with bizarre religious practices and not-as-advanced technology. These early observation would create a supremacist attitude that would reflect early European explorers in a bad light. 


Like all cases, violence is, no matter what the background info may be, something that cannot be justified. One could defend by saying that Europeans were influenced by society to conduct the violent acts, but would that mean Europeans are inherently more violent? No matter what the upbringing, it is wrong to hurt another group to achieve a goal. And in contrast, Ming China, with its eagerness to form relationships through diplomacy and not brute force, can be defended very easily. 

The Trilingual Inscription of Zheng He

1. How did Ceylon (Sri Lanka) treat Zheng He on earlier voyages? How did Zheng He react? How would Da Gama have reacted?
2. How many different religions were there in Sri Lanka during this time? Who were the main gods?
3. What was the Chinese reaction toward this religious diversity, based on the evidence of the trilingual inscription left by Zheng He?
4. How would the Christian explorers probably have reacted to this diversity?


1. Ceylon certainly didn't present itself as a friend of the Chinese, and Zheng He reacted to this by hastily leaving the area. Da Gama's response would've been quite the opposite. Zheng He was a navigator who strived to build a relationship with the locals in the trading spots he set foot in. He was, in a sense, a peace envoy. Da Gama was not. When trade stalled in the areas he docked his ships, he rarely hesitated to use violence. Destroying cities with a superior military, he would've stricken fear into the hearts of Ceylon locals, and would have gotten what they set out for. 


2.  Three religions, three gods: The Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims believed in Buddha, Shiva and Adam, respectively. 


3. It is apparent from the reading that Zheng He took great interest in the diverse religions and that China aimed to hold all the religions in high regard (we can know this from "manifest the high honor of the lord Buddha") through grand gifts and offerings.


4. A Christian attitude would have stood as stark contrast to Zheng He's. With the aims of obtaining Asian resources and goods, as well as spreading Christianity (which is, monotheistic), the Christian explorers would have frowned upon so many religions in coexistence. Explorers would tolerate only one religion in the land, and may most likely have used force to impose the religion on natives.

Screencast - Incredible Chang'an

Incredible Chang'an

For Video: Incredible Chang'an

Visual: Picture#1	Script: Chang’an – Sparkling. City that never sleeps. Commercial hub. City for Cultural and Religious studies, both local and foreign. A city in which the carnivals and festivities capture your wildest imaginations…Chang’an will satisfy. As a denizen here since I was born, there is no better home than this – My type of town! The time is 660 A.D., and Gaozong is in his eleventh year as emperor. Growing up in the revered household of the Zhang family in Central Chang’an, it is a privilege to have a mansion here, to have the trust of the Emperor.
Visual: Picture #2	Script: Chang’an is a city, to boast a little, that has great planning. To make sure that its million residents are at ease, up to 108 wards make up the city, with two markets in the West and East side of the city. In the outskirts of the city are fortified gates, and walls enclose each ward. This structure is pure genius, the wisdom can be credited to generations of Chinese before our time. I heard Nihon’s modeling their capital after our city.
Visual: Picture #3	Script: The groundbreaking architecture and city planning is not just limited to a map. Palaces, to name a few notable ones, Daming and Xingqing were built, famous for their eye-catching pavilions and parks. Not only that, the extensive canals that run through the heart of Chang’an provide vital water supplies, also coal during the winter to almost everyone in the city.
Visual: Picture #4	Script: The marketplace is an essential part of anybody in Chang’an that I know. It is a place where the grown men, women, and businessmen flock to early in the morning. Goods are bought and exchanged, and products range from food to live stock, pottery to silk. It is a crowded place, not to mention, noisy. I guess that’s what living with millions of people is like! Leaving my servants to do the work, I like to go to the marketplace. Thanks to the silk road, goods from all over the world can be seen, from wine to ivory to pepper. Usually, foreign faces – Arabs, Persians, Indians, and many others, accompany these products. I take great interest in exotic products, but also take pleasure in conversing with friends in the marketplace, playing a game of chess. The marketplace, to me, is instrumental to social life in Chang’an.
Visual: Picture #5	Script: There are plenty of recreational activities, in which men and women, young and old participate. Not far away from my house is a Cuju field. It’s a popular citywide activity, born and became popular in China. Not to mention men and little boys, but even women could be seen playing “foot-ball”. Hell, I heard a group of 17 year old girls beat the army in a game of Cuju a couple years ago. There are many venues for Cuju fields, and on a breezy day, I like to meet up with my intellectual and scholar friends for a nice game of Cuju.
Visual: Picture #6	Script: Cockfighting is also a common sight, both among the rich and the poor. It can be seen both in the marketplace and private homes, and it is one interesting sight. “Douji”, or fighting chicken, is what it’s called. Roosters ready for battle would fight for either food or their lovers, and until one of the roosters die, the crowd watches and cheers in response to the every moves they make, every damage inflicted. Commoners play it, intellectuals and aristocrats play, and I have a hen myself. Being an avid Buddhist, however, I do not particularly seek such cockfighting arenas, and certainly do not bet for such occasions.
Visuals: Picture #7		Script: This bustling city isn’t just for us Chinese. It is for the Tibetans, the Indians and the Persians. And they are naturally not just confined to the marketplace. The distant civilizations to the South and West of our border have sent foreign envoys to meet our emperor, and traders with new things to offer for our people. Envoys from Shilla and Nihon come to Chang’an with tributes. The city is a cosmopolitan melting pot, where connections made through the silk road has made diplomatic missions in Chang’an a frequent occurrence. But foreigners are not underrepresented in other parts of the Chang’an life – it affects our social lives as well. Already, Persians have established sizable communities. Introducing Art and music of the Middle East, they have contributed to a cultural diffusion found in very few cities at this time.
Visuals: Picture #8 &9		Script: Cultural diffusion – speaking of this topic, we should not leave religions out. Chang’an is not just a home for Buddhist temples and Daoist Abbeys, the Confucian ancestral worshipping. It is also home to the synagogues, the Zoroastrian and Nestorian-Christian Churches. As a Buddhist, a Buddhist monastery out of the 17 in Central Chang’an is within walking distance. The newly built Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is also a must-see for Buddhists everywhere. Coming back from Xi Tian, or India, Xuan Zhang brought with him figurines of the Buddha, and they are all housed in that Pagoda. Buddhist monks from distant lands, like the Japanese Kukai and Indian Prajna, could be seen in the Xi Ming temple, teaching his disciples or translating Indian scriptures. Back to the matter of religious diffusion, due to the open nature of us Chinese, the Christians, the Zoroastrians and Buddhists coexist with native religions, despite often drastically different practices.
Visuals: Picture #10		Script: But, perhaps, nothing tops this when it comes to describing Chang’an’s beauty – Carnivals. Apart from the New year and other festivals on the calendar, the emperors and the imperial court often throw parties for the people of our city. With more than enough food for all, people are welcomed to watch graceful dances, acrobatic performances, newly composed songs from the Music Bureau… the list goes on. These carnivals last for three days to over a week, given the generosity of the providers. Here is where everything comes together – the rich art and music of the Tang, both foreign and local, the different animals and goods that are on display and the wealth of different people and cultures dancing and eating amongst each other. This, my friends – is Chang’an, and without a doubt, it is the heart of 8th century cultural diffusion, diplomacy, trade and entertainment.

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