# what do you think about china / chinese at present ?



## Lebensraum (Apr 1, 2012)

i'd like to know the image we have in the world


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## aaabbbccc (Mar 8, 2009)

A good friend of mine who is Chinese said the country is getting worst and worst and getting better and better . I would love to visit it one day


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## socrates#1fan (Jul 1, 2008)

I cannot speak for everyone, but the general feel amongst Americans towards China is not usually positive.

China is not regarded as an enemy, but isn't really regarded as a friend either. 

This, IMO, has a lot to do with the fact that a lot of US companies picked up and shipped their industries to China, which has left a bitter taste in the mouth of working class America (who now struggle to make ends meet). It is difficult to tell how much of this resentment is towards China itself, or the companies that outsource (I imagine it is much more the latter). 

Because of this outsourcing, a lot of Americans use "Chinese products" as a synonym for shoddy or even dangerous goods.

There is another side to the issue. A good chunk of the American population enjoys _traditional_ Chinese things, especially art, motifs, statuary, and clothing. Old Chinese civilization is generally regarded positively and with interest. Though you will be hard pressed to find real Chinese food in a lot of US towns, you will almost always find businesses (generally owned by Chinese Americans) that sell Americanized Chinese food. 

So ultimately? Complex.


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## Speechless.♥ (Nov 8, 2012)

China is very polluted on one side, but China made great progress in the last 2 decades on the other side. I like the modern chines architecture more then the historical. But... I hope they will realize the Venus project from Zeitgeist movie. I think it´s the best way to live for man kind - some kind of socialism, but most of all - no oil, no coal, just tidal, wave, solar and wind energy and of course GEOTHERMAL ENERGY.

Another problem of China, according to my opinion, is Americanization. People in China wants to live as US people, they give up the greatest wealth the have - traditional values. US civilization teach us, that life is all about sex and money, in US movies are cool and charismatic only those people, who are changing partners, lovers and who are as rich as possible. I believe that love is more than sex and when 2 people begins sex with each other, then they spent life with each other, they are happier than people who have just a little time to feel love, just for their "modern" values. India hasn´t gave up their values and refused the US ones, and I think it´s great. And money are killing machine for millions of people in developing world but it´s needles because without corporations we all should use ecological energy for free. I also think ti´s a pity that most of chines people are atheists, I think nations should have God (nature) in hearts, but not religions, because religions and churches needs people without brain, just obedient. Anyway, Buddhism is my favorite religion, It looks very peaceful. China is very reasonable nation and although it was very successful until now, I believe we´ll see much more from china in future - the changes can begin by using better energy sources.


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

China today is a lot like Britain and America were in 1900, but without the ability to be imperialist only because today there are multiple world powers.

Look back at America 100 years ago. Take off the patriotic rose-tinted glasses and remove the democratic window-dressing. We had:

The best education system in the world.
Government-backed development projects
Pollution
A fairly conservative, conformist society
Lack of real democracy
Dirty cities
Poverty
Censorship. Officials read the mail. If the internet existed it would be filtered.

-also-

Excessive optimism
Foreign criticism
Writers comparing "American" values to "Old World" ones.

A lot can change in 100 years...


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## drunkenmunkey888 (Aug 13, 2005)

Speechless.♥;102735876 said:


> Another problem of China, according to my opinion, is Americanization. People in China wants to live as US people, they give up the greatest wealth the have - traditional values. US civilization teach us, that life is all about sex and money, in US movies are cool and charismatic only those people, who are changing partners, lovers and who are as rich as possible.


I feel like many people believe that China is "Americanizing". But that is simply false. American culture has a much smaller impact on Chinese society than commonly believed. Try talking to anyone from mainland China and their understanding and exposure to American culture is very very limited. Most of them think they like American food, but they can barely eat real American food. Most of all, most Chinese cities look NOTHING like anything you see in the U.S.

If you ask me, I'd say China is much more similar to Hong Kong/Taiwan than the U.S. You can go as far and remote as Ningxia or high in the mountains like Kangding and parts of it look similar to Mongkok or Taichung. People have much more in common with those in Hong Kong/Taiwan than people in the U.S. You see a lot of common products (Lee Kum Kee pretty much is ubiquitous in the mainland) and common stores, common shopping malls (malls in the mainland are far more similar to what you see in Hong Kong than in the U.S.). So China is experiencing Taiwanization rather than Americanization. Ironic because although the KMT was unable to conquer the mainland through force, it has pretty much occupied China culturally and in some ways, economically.


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## Wunderknabe (Jun 29, 2010)

Well many germans don't know a lot about China and consider it still as a almost non-developed country that
is lightyears behind of western countries like Germany.

China is generally seen as the greatest country for copying all the great inventions western countries
(and especially Germany ) made and many germans think China doesn't invent anything on its own.

I think that is a great great mistake. Sure a big part of Chinas economy is still based on producing
copys of western technology, but that attitude is shrinking by the day.


And finally the pure quantity of economic and architectural growth is so much underestimated, its
quite silly. Just look in the supertall-section in this forum. Its is incredible what is going on in China.
In whole Germany 1 or 2 _highrises_ are being build every year.
In China a dozen or so _supertalls_ are elected every year. And _countless_ highrises.
Sure, a lot of cheap crap. But also high-quality "blockbusters" 


That alone wouldn't be to bad if the western countries would work harder to sustain
their advantage in quality and technology. And although effort is being made in that regard, its far less than
Chinas efforts in not only reaching the quality of the west, but some day even overtaking it.


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## Gatech12 (Feb 6, 2013)

An economic power


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

Pollution, Skyscarpers, new developments, huge potential, smart people, diverse culture, corrupt officials, it's a world of its own.


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## poshbakerloo (Jan 16, 2007)

I've always said that Chinese people are my favourite people haha I work with a lot and they are great


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## binhai (Dec 22, 2006)

zaphod said:


> China today is a lot like Britain and America were in 1900, but without the ability to be imperialist only because today there are multiple world powers.
> 
> Look back at America 100 years ago. Take off the patriotic rose-tinted glasses and remove the democratic window-dressing. We had:
> 
> ...


Bravo. Hit the nail on the head. Eventually China is gonna end up a normal developed country like all the rest.


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## Speechless.♥ (Nov 8, 2012)

Hi, I have one question, would anyone explain me why is China called communist? They look like quite capitalist country with hard capitalism, why do people say they are communist country? Just because of the red flag and absence of any elections?


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## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)

Speechless.♥;103189643 said:


> Hi, I have one question, would anyone explain me why is China called communist? They look like quite capitalist country with hard capitalism, why do people say they are communist country? Just because of the red flag and absence of any elections?


for instance, rare metal trading etc are depened on their politics.


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## poshbakerloo (Jan 16, 2007)

I would love to visit one day, although I'm sure in the next 100 years there will be a big revolution.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

China is generally viewed in a positive light in Canada. I do find China too inward looking, but that's to be expected in a nation of 1.3 billion and 'Communist'.


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## Kiboko (Nov 30, 2011)

Today's China is:
- thriving economy
- skyscrapers
- great diversity of people
- look forward
- optimism
- good food
- smog
- censorship

China could be the new leader of the world in this century.


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## Sky Binh Nguyen (Aug 14, 2012)

Wunderknabe said:


> Well many germans don't know a lot about China and consider it still as a almost non-developed country that
> is lightyears behind of western countries like Germany.
> 
> China is generally seen as the greatest country for copying all the great inventions western countries
> ...


I think the Chinese do not rush to make the world understand more about them. They are doing it, but do not rush. The best strategy is that "knowing oneself and knowing the enemy", while keep the enemy not knowing about them.

While the Chinese seems to understand very clearly about the West and about their own disadvantages, the West seems to be resting on the past laurel and finding solace on very vague information, like "the Chinese are only copying us" etc. but conveniently ignoring the fact about Chinese very good education, extremely good enterpreneurship spirit of Chinese people that make the Chinese success anywhere in the world. (Indian people like to claim the same thing, but aside from some success Indian diaspora in the West, which are crème of the crop of India, many other Indian are struggling at the bottom of societies in Malaysia, Fiji, etc.). 

With that regards, the Chinese are much like the Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese at a lower level of development and GDP per capita and far different from any developing country in South America or South Asia.


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## George W. Bush (Mar 18, 2005)

drunkenmunkey888 said:


> If you ask me, I'd say China is much more similar to Hong Kong/Taiwan than the U.S. You can go as far and remote as Ningxia or high in the mountains like Kangding and parts of it look similar to Mongkok or Taichung. People have much more in common with those in Hong Kong/Taiwan than people in the U.S. You see a lot of common products (Lee Kum Kee pretty much is ubiquitous in the mainland) and common stores, common shopping malls (malls in the mainland are far more similar to what you see in Hong Kong than in the U.S.). So China is experiencing Taiwanization rather than Americanization. Ironic because although the KMT was unable to conquer the mainland through force, it has pretty much occupied China culturally and in some ways, economically.


That seems very natural to me. HK and Taiwan are almost completely inhabited by ethnic Chinese and as their economic development wasn't blocked for decades by communism, both can be considered a window to watch the future of mainland China (or at least large parts of it).


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## drunkenmunkey888 (Aug 13, 2005)

George W. Bush said:


> That seems very natural to me. HK and Taiwan are almost completely inhabited by ethnic Chinese and as their economic development wasn't blocked for decades by communism, both can be considered a window to watch the future of mainland China (or at least large parts of it).


Yeah exactly. And I think it was HK that gave China such a meteoric edge over the Tiger Cub (except Malaysia) and BRIC countries. When West Germany reunited with East Germany, it took a decade for East Germany to become a developed country. Given the relative sizes of HK and China, returning HK to China wouldn't turn China into a developed country in 10 years, but it will (and did) make it an upper middle income country in 15 years and continues to contribute significantly to economic development. Having worked at a big 4 firm in Shanghai, i can attest that literally everyone above the rank of senior manager was from HK. You have malls and developments spearheaded by HK firms. Mass transit jointly operated by MTR. Though colonization by the British after the Opium Wars might have seemed like a tragedy at the time, it was this that allowed China to return to the world stage as it is. The highly sophisticated and developed economy of HK has made a significant impact on the mainland and that is the reason why I am at the end of the day, optimistic about China. Without HK, I believe China would probably be no better than India or Vietnam in 2013.


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

Without Mao and his BS, China at least should be where Poland stands for now. (Probably with a population of 600 - 700 million)


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