Posts by Seamus Harris
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I'd hardly say the streets in China are 'paved with gold'.
It was naivety along those lines that got Fonterra into its current mess.
While it sounds nasty, I would also be cautious about relying too much on 'new New Zealanders'. It seems that the loyalties of those from the PRC are overwhelming to the PRC.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-election-2008/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501799&objectid=10536584
If they want to see New Zealand elections decided on how loyal candidates are to the CCP then. . .well really. . . please don't vote guys.
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Translating English political articles into Chinese? That is way beyond my level. It is a job for a native speaker of Chinese.
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With reference to Inner Mongolia, I know very little about the history there. However, I think a few factors may be at work.
- Chinese like to claim Mongol achievements as their own. The Mongol Yuan were a powerful dynasty that controlled a large territory, and despite not really being Chinese they are seen by many Chinese as one of the high-points of 'Chinese history'. Under the Yuan China subjugated Korea and made an attempt on Japan. The Mongols also briefly controlled an empire stretching all the way to Europe. In contrast, the Manchurian Qing Dynasty gets pilloried as the 'weak Dynasty' that made concessions to foreigners. The Yuan having occurred some time ago also makes it easier to forget they were foreign invaders. I think this means Chinese and Mongol interests are easily aligned when it comes to commemorating history. Tons of opportunity for mutual back scratching.
- China has to consider the existence of the huge 'outer Mongolia' on its doorstep. It probably makes more sense to let the Mongol minority within China be 'happy Mongolians' then risk pissing them off and getting ideas of separatism.
- Mongolia is the one part of the Qing Empire that the PRC gave away (letting Outer Mongolia become a soviet satellite state). Given that the majority of Mongolian territory has already been signed away by them, they might as well play nicely with the little bit that remains.
Mongolians within the PRC seem reasonably well assimilated. Outer Mongolians are a different story and appear to hate the Chinese.
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Victor, the issue is not being a 'whitey', but rather having a different educational background. No doubt you could do it too.
You ask if perspective X is any more nuanced/balanced/objective than perspective Y. If perspective X gives appropriate consideration to information that perspective Y ignores, then surely the answer is yes.
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Oh yes. . . And my photo is online on Sky Kiwi with comments saying that I was 'mistaken for a Tibet independence supporter and kicked'. So so far as as least some of those attacking me were concerned, the issue was Tibet, not Taiwan.
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Keith, a few points in reply. . .
First, the t-shirt was invisible since my jacket was buttoned up the whole time I was in Aotea Square. In the photo on my blog you can see me standing in the background, with only the white collar of the t-shirt visible. The cameraman was suspicious of what was under my jacket but could not see what it was and so asked me to unbutton the jacket and show him. There may be pictures of me circulating on the Internet with the jacket unbuttoned. Those were taken after the attack when I was showing demonstrators I was not wearing a Snow Lion design. The t-shirt was never visible prior to the point I was attacked. In the grappling it is possible that the upper part of the design briefly became visible as people pulled on my clothes, but the assault was already in progress at that stage.
Second, I was there more to observe than to converse with people. I was not interested in discussing political issues with anyone. The attempt at conversation was my response to being physically assaulted.
Third, the event was not billed as a nationalist rally. It was billed as a Chinese community Olympic celebration. I dressed accordingly.
Fourth, while I might not wear that t-shirt in China (despite being purchased there it would invite too much comment) or Taiwan (the KMT associations are a bit strong), this is New Zealand. I often wear that t-shirt here. I must have worn it about once a week over summer. Possibly the attackers recognized me from elsewhere as the guy who sometimes wears a Taiwan t-shirt. I doubt this though.
Fifth, it is hardly a political t-shirt. If I had wanted to make a point I would have gone for something more dramatic.
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I am not at all sure that 'whiteys' are genetically or culturally predisposed towards an inability to understand "nuanced historical contexts" in Asian affairs. In fact a western historical education can often be beneficial.
I have never taken a huge interest in Tibet personally. However, I must have met more 'whiteys' than 'Chinese' who have actively done their own research using relatively non-biased sources (i.e. have read specialist scholarly works on Tibet, not general history textbooks designed for school kids in the PRC).
When a 'whitey' voices an unpopular opinion on China the accusation from the Chinese side will always be 'you don't understand China'. A 'whitey' can know far more about specific China-related issue than the Chinese person they are debating with, and they will almost invariably still face this accusation.
I would encourage people to consider each situation on its merits rather than starting from the assumption that 'whiteys' are handicapped in the matter of 'nuanced historical context' in Asia.
Being a 'whitey' (or at least having come through a non-Chinese education system) can often be an advantage in understanding 'nuanced historical context'. Chinese in both the ROC and PRC tend to interpret their history in purely Chinese terms. The colonization of the indigenous population is ignored, as is the role of the Dutch in opening Taiwan to Chinese settlement. The Japanese colonization is included in the narrative because their presence was more recent, and because it fits the wider narrative of Chinese victimization by foreigners. In fact Taiwanese history is really about a wave of successive colonizations (Dutch, Qing, Japanese, and KMT), each very different. Because of our own educational system, and its emphasis on colonization and race relations issues, New Zealand 'whiteys' are naturally inclined to see many things that Chinese tend to miss.
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Some of you may be interested in checking out my blog post on Sunday's rally. My view is that of a non-Chinese non-protesting attendee who has lived in China and speaks Chinese. It is also the view of someone who was assaulted by Chinese demonstrators for no apparent reason.
http://bunnyhugs.org/2008/05/01/ugly-nationalistic-chinese-demonstration-in-auckland/