Monday, June 29, 2009

"i find English is really useful"

A few days ago, someone in China wrote me:

I am a chinese university student.when i seached some information about tiananmen suqare event,I found your webside,as you know that our government block all the information about this event,we know nothing about it and i just want to know what happen 20 years ago.

The message was anonymous. At first I wondered whether it was really from a student wanting to know the truth, or someone in an official position was trying to probe for my personal information. In any case I replied, telling him/her to ask his/her parents about the event, while referring him/her to Philip Cunningham's book Tiananmen Moon. I also asked why he/she was interested in learning about "6.4". And here is the reply (posted with permission):

You ask me why I interested in learning about this, it might be a long long reason, and i don't know how to express myself well because of my poor English, but i will try.

Tienanmen Square Massacre happened 20 years ago, our history book and our teachers never never talk about it, when we asked what is 64 event, they never answered, I aways want to know what happened and why it happened, our TV, newspaper, even our websites never mention it. Our government block all the information about this event, this event become a political taboo in China, people seem have forgot it, especially our 80s. I am major in international relationships, democracy, human rights, freedom, equity, we talk about it everyday, however, they are dreams nowadays in China.

It's undisputed that so many problems exist in China's society. Chinese's government attempt to control our minds. I hate ideological education, I hate malfeasance, I hate our education system. I aways comfort myself that China is a developing county, we should give time to Communist Party and believe that tomorrow is another day. but our Community Party seems against the current .they doing something very disgusted, such as blocking all the opponent voices and swearwords about government.

I have collected a lot of helpful information about Tienanmen square event with Google.COM but not Google.cn. I know what happened now. it's not until now that i find English is really useful.

The website you gave me is unable to visit in China, how pathetic! thank you very much for your reply, forgive my poor English and i will try my best to learn it well.

I've heard that the young generation of Chinese, the so-called "post-80" and "post-90," were very ignorant about the recent history, which is quite worrisome. Even after some of those who have come to study abroad and learned about "6.4," their blind nationalism make them view the massacre as necessary. It is a comfort that there are still young people in China who care about the truth, and study hard a foreign language for this purpose.

4 comments:

alfaeco said...

In Susan's L.Shirk book "China fragile superpower" there is a nice chapter about the effect of TAN square on the chinese leadership, the measures taken to avoid such an incident in the future and its current effects.
------------------
Some quotes.
"After TA the CCP launched a nationwide "patriotic education campaign" in schools and mass media"
"Chinese nationalist experience themselves not as victims manipulated by political interests at the state center but as pure patriots who know the truth and will not be fooled"
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There is nothing wrong in loving your own country of feel proud of its achievements. But one should not be fooled by those that manipulate that feelings for their own selfish advantage... and who damage the image , progress and live of the very country you love and their people.

Anonymous said...

sadly, in China people like this are always a minority...

George

Anonymous said...

however i also can understand those blind nationlism, and why it's a lot more irrational here in overseas Chinese students than those stayed in China. If you ever experienced to be shouted at by the teenages on the street "Chink go home", you will understand where the nationlism comes from.

george

Xujun said...

Agreed, Alfaeco.

George, I too understand it. I myself have not experienced such shouts but those teenagers you quote are certainly racists. On the other hand, one would expect some of the overseas Chinese students to keep a clear mind and not be overcome by such racism.