Earthquake photos that make you cry

The tragedies, the sacrifices, the help, the ones in need.

Zhang Guanrong is trying to clean her husband’s body. Tan Qianqiu, a middle school teacher, saved four of his students by sheltering them between a desk and himself. He did not survive.

Mama, it’s dark and cold here.

Zhang Jiwan, 11, lived in the remote mountainous region near the epicenter. Before he was rescued, he walked for 12 hours straight with his 3 year old sister on his back.

The crying mother is trying to take a photo off an exhibiting board. It’s the most recent and the last picture of her son Wang Gongliang, a third-grader from Qushan Primary School who died in the earthquake. The photo was put there for his excellent academic achievement.

May 14, Qushan Primary school, Beichuan. Many children were trapped in the debris. Rescuers could hear them crying and begging for help, or even see them. But the building was collapsed into a structure that couldn’t be cleared up by hands or simple tools. Heavy equipments were required but unavailable because the roads to the city was blocked. The rescuers could do nothing but staying with the children and watching them dying. They felt so helpless and hopeless yet had to restrain themselves to comfort the children. Some couldn’t bear the pressure, and ran far away from the debris to cry.

By May 16, the roads were through and the equipments arrived. It was too late for more than 600 students and teachers in the school. Only a dozen survived.

“My dearest baby, if you could survive, remember that I love you.”

These are the last words from the four-month old baby’s mother. She left the text message on her cellphone. When her cold body was found, she was in a kneel position, with her arms stretched out to shelter the baby, who was sound asleep under her without a scratch.

Internet user help military rescue force for Wenchuan earthquake

A college girl successfully helped the Chinese air force to send relief effort, by posting on the Internet, Chinese news reported on May15th, 3 days after the magnitude 7.9 earthquake in Wenchuan County.
The girl, a student at Culinary Institute of Sichuan, is originally from Wenchuan. After knowing all roads to Wenchuan had been cut off by the earthquake and landslide that followed, and rescuing effort had major trouble to reach the epicenter by air due to the mountainous landscape of this valley county, she realized that a construction field near her village was probably a good location for helicopter landing. Trying to help, she posted this information online and included her contact information on May 15th around 10AM. Her post was quickly transferred to all major Chinese forums. Hours later the girl received a phone call from the emergency headquarter, asking for more detailed description. By 4PM the headquarter had confirmed the location would be used for landing.

After the earthquake hit Sichuan, Chinese Internet users have shown immense concern over the life loss and rescue work. Calling for donations, self-organizing volunteers, spreading information, suggesting rescuing approaches, all web portals and forums have been flooded with earthquake related articles and posts. A lot of - if not most - bloggers turned to focus on the earthquake as well. Most users gave positive remark to the government’s quick response.

Sichuan, the province in mountains, is famous for its difficult roads. After the quake made transportation to some places impossible, helicopter became the only choice for the rescue force. However, China does not have enough of them, especially heavier ones. The central government had issued an emergency plan to temporarily seize some business owned copters. Despite China’s repetitive requests, U.S. government still maintains a ban on exportation of heavy helicopters, a common tool for disaster relief, to China.

Call for generous donation to Earthquake rescue

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/12/world/05132008_CHINA_MAP.html

more update: Wenchuan earthquake

As of May 14th, 2008, In Sichuan province, China, over 14,463 people have died and 25,788 people are still buried in rubbles while 1,405 people are reported missing.

17 cities and townships in Sichuan province have been devastated by the earth quake.

64,746 people are injuried, 4.15 million houses are damaged while 216,000 houses have collapsed. Over 10 million people are affected by the disaster.

The disastrous situation is still unfolding and help is desperately needed to support relief efforts. Please lend a helping hand to the earthquake victims by donating to your choice of non-profit organizations with China Earthquake Relief programs.

A few non-profit organizations with China Earthquake Relief programs (donations to links marked with “*” will be tax exempt):

1. Chinese Consulate at Chicago: http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/xw/t434219.htm
2. Chinese red cross (*): http://www.redcross.org.cn/ or http://202.108.59.10/english/donate.htm
3. Hong Kong Red Cross (*): https://www.redcross.org.hk/donation/user_donation.asp?langId=1
4. Mercy Corps (*): http://www.mercycorps.org/chinaearthquake/?source=1062
5. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)  (*): http://donate.ifrc.org/?navid=02_02
6. American Red Cross (*): http://www.redcross.org/news/in/profiles/Intl_profile_ChinaEarthquake.html

Related stories:

1. NPR: Dujiangyan Parents’ Search for Child (’Mom is coming for you’)http://www.npr.org/blogs/chengdu/2008/05/we_found_fu_guanyu_and.html
2. CNN: China’s Earthquake Victims ‘Eat Bitterness http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/14/china.vause/index.html
3. ABC: ‘Today, We Are All Sichuan People’ (China Rushes to Help Its Own http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=4851881&page=1
4. ABC: Remarkable Rescues as Quake Death Toll Rises http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4850786

Update: over 12,000 dead in Wenchuan earthquake

By May 13th, in Sichuan province alone, over 12,000 people had died after Wenchuan earthquake. There are also more than 26,206 injured and 9,404 still buried in rubbles. Over 3.46 million houses and buildings had been destroyed or severely damaged.

Majority of the reported death is located at Mianyang (7,395) and Deyang (2648), while there is no official account of the death figure at the epicenter Wenchuan and Beichuan. it is almost certain that the death figure will continue to climb. This is a sad and sad week. Please donate to the Chinese redcross or other disaster relief charities.

Some donation sites/links are below:

http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/xw/t434219.htm

http://www.redcross.org.cn/ or http://202.108.59.10/english/donate.htm
https://www.redcross.org.hk/donation/user_donation.asp
http://www.one-foundation.com/html/cn/beneficence_01.htm
http://www.mercycorps.org

Wenchuan Earthquake Update

As of 7 AM local time, May 13th, 9219 deaths have been reported from the earthquake that took place in Wenchuan County of central Sichuan Province. An official from the county reported via satellite phone that 30,000 people in the county downtown had survived and gathered on streets, fearing more aftershocks to come. Army paratroops and paramedics have been sent to the place.

Due to strong storm and landslide caused by the earthquake, all roads to the deep-in-valley county are destructed, therefore there is very limited information available from the epicenter. Premier Wen Jiabao, who arrived earlier to direct the emergency rescue, said a helicopter sent to Wenchuan reported that thousands of people are under the debris from the quake. He commanded that rescuing people and reestablishing transportation to Wenchuan be the first priority, no matter how many troops are needed. Detailed casualty information from Wenchuan is still unknown. A captain from the troops was interviewed over phoned by China’s CCTV around 2AM local time. He said the troops had marched on foot in the mountains for 4 hours, thrown away everything except excavation tools and medical supplies, and had progressed 30 kilometers. They are still to reach the epicenter.

Another county, Beichuan, suffered the most death toll so far. More than 7,000 people are killed. The older part of the downtown area was reported “nearly completely destroyed”. Mianyang, a city nearby, issued an emergency call for adults under 50 to volunteer for the rescuing work in Beichuan.

Beichuan County, before the earthquake

More than 40,000 soldiers and police have been transported to Sichuan for the rescue work. Most damages and life loss occurred in Sichuan, although nearby provinces also saw tens of deaths. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan and a city with 12 million people, sits within 70 miles of the epicenter.

Please pray for them

May, 12, 2:28 pm(3:28am Central Time), one of the deadliest earthquakes in decades struck China. The earthquake affects more than one or two cities, counties or areas. Half of China felt it, it caused damages across several provinces. As of now, the death toll reaches 8533, and is still increasing. For the city of Beichuan, which is 130KM away from the quake’s epicenter, over 7,000 are dead. For the city of Dujiangyan, which is 100KM from the epicenter, about 900 students are still buried under the collapsed school building, with at least 50 dead. For the city of Wenchuan, which has the population of over 110, 000 and locates at the epicenter, little is known because communication in most areas are off. The roads to Wenchuan are now blocked because of the earthquake caused landslide and heavy storm, the rescue team can’t enter the most critical region. Few troops are trying to reach there on foot, but are still 100KM away after 4 hours of marching。

It is such a tragedy. As you are reading the post now, hundreds of thousands of people are staying in the raining darkness, for fear of the aftershock, many become homeless, many are still foodless and waterless, many are still buried in the debris, unconscious, or conscious and fearing whether they can survive and many has passed away. Please pray for them. Thank you!

My list

As I mentioned in the post: Welcome to Beijing, the music video features quite a few interesting traditions and customs . I am trying to make a list of them with comments and links for further reading. The list is pretty long, I am updating it everyday.

1. 03′-mianren (Dough Figurine)

Dough Figurine (Miansu or Mianren) making is a traditional Chinese art form with a history longer than one （note: should be two to three）hundred years. It is a fairly simple art, somewhat similar to the gingerbread men making in the west. First the dough is molded into all kinds of shapes, with images of figures, animals, fruits and more; the shapes are then steamed in a bamboo steamer and then painted with pigments. These are not to be eaten! (retrieved from http://www.huangshantour.com/english/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=1306)

My two cents: very complicated works may require pre-mold. And I guess they last much longer.

But the ones in my childhood memory are all kneaded on the spot with different colors of doughs. After one day or two, the water in the dough is gone, and it starts to crack…

2. 04′-the kite.

My two cents: Nowadays you see fancy kites made of fancy materials. My kites were all made by my father traditionally, with bamboo sticks and xuanzhi (a particular type of paper). It was crude, but equally fun. It seems all fathers have such a skill:-）

Flying kite is a spring activity. In the past, it’s not just for fun. People sent the kite into the sky and then cut the thread to let it fly away, for the purpose of praying that their pains and bad luck can go away.

3. 08′-Taichi.

My two cents: It’s a soft martial art–for ordinary people, don’t expect you can beat a 200lb man after practicing it. Similar to yoga, most people learn it as a morning exercise. My knowledge about the exercise–it’s an embodiment of several schools of Chinese philosophy, especially the Taoism.

Here is someone practicing one of the forms of the Taichi Chuan. Notice how the master’s practice expreses the integration of ’softness’ and ‘hardness’, which is an important element of the philosophy.

Understanding another world: How to Communicate with China

Here is a hitchhiker’s guide to communicating with China http://www.peaceintibet.com/

The article is posted on the front page of the website while there is no permanent link to it so that if you are reading this a few weeks from today, you may have to dig into the archive of that website.

The article mainly explains why the recent criticism levied against China is not well received by the ordinary Chinese people. Also, it provides some helpful suggestions to western friends who would like to offer constructive criticism, which I am sure would be appreciated.

Usually, the westerners would think that any criticism they throw at China would be highly appreciated by the Chinese because the Chinese don’t have the ability to speak for themselves. You probably are surprised to learn that such is not the case. I think many Americans still hold on to their belief that secret Chinese policemen are constantly listening to the private conversions of ordinary people in order to stop dissent opinions. Such fantasy is not reality even in the hay days of culture revolution as spying on over 1 billion people is a task too daunting for any government.

True, suppression of opinions exists in China and widespread. And it is sponsored and ordered by the Chinese government. Now, this is not something you should be surprised about. It is not right, of course. But it is widespread. Even in the United States, the government is spying on you, listening to your phone conversations, reading your emails, opening your letters, and perhaps searching your homes while you are away. Most people in United States are just comfortable enough to ignore these secret government activities since they mostly support and follow the direction of the US government. This is not true for a few people who had dared to challenge the US government. FBI has a big archive of things it is not proud of.

Freedom of speech is relative. In China, you can speak and talk all you want about how evil the government is as long as no one can hear you. After all, no one can stop how you think. In the United States, this is better. I can write on this blog on how stupid the US government is and not facing retaliation even when this blog is widely accessible though only read by a handful of people. This is the difference and pretty much it. US government is very clever in silencing dissent opinions. Its skills are far superior than the Chinese government’s because the latter can afford to use brute force approach to shut down TV programs or newspapers but the US government can’t do so directly. Instead, the US government can rely on indirect punishment to those who dare to speak against its core interests and causing material harm.

As we all know, the US media is mostly controlled by big corporations with broad business interests that need support from the government. So it is a given that rarely you see US media outlets go against the core interests of the US government. Small potatoes such as socialist or liberal websites can get away with most of the things because their voices are low and nobody can hear them. Still, every now and then, there will be someone foolish enough to do something and eventual cause its own demise. See this story for an example (short summary of the story is that the owner of a website was jailed for the trumped up charges while the real reason is for posting death images of  the Iraq war sent back by the soldiers).

Welcome to Beijing

Well, something to cheer up. This is the song released for 100 day countdown to Beijing Olympics, sung by 100 Chinese singers/entertainers. Though the MV is busy giving every participant a front shot, it also contains rich elements of Chinese traditional culture, such as calligraphy, architecture, costume, custom, food, entertainment, art etc., many of which are just subtle indications or a quick 1-second glance. Those who are interested in Chinese traditional culture can try to make a list of them, or even write something about them in the feedback

Below is the translated lyrics of the song, courtesy of hermitcarp from youtube.

Title: Beijing welcomes you

Bring in a fresh day with brand new start
Changes abound but love is constant
Aroma of friendship we offer with tea

The doors to my house are always open
My arms stretched out awaiting you
With an embrace we will better understand each other
You will fall in love with this place.
It matters not you are from near or afar
Be our guest and make yourself home
We have a rendez-vous. We welcome you!

The evergreens in my garden broom legend after legend
Seeds planted on traditional soil
Let your memories grow.
The strangers and the well-acquainted, drop your guard
Whether this is your first visit or one of many,
We will have so much to share.

Beijing welcomes you!
Expand your horizons
Bedazzled by the energies of athletic feat
Beijing welcomes you!
Let us breathe together under the sunny sky
And shatter old records on this yellow earth

The doors to my house are always open
As my heart and mind
The ancient years now bloom in youthful smiles
Ready for this day.
Between the vast heaven and earth we are all friends,
Please do not be shy
Come meet our poetry, our art, and our genuine hearts.

Beijing welcomes you!
Its music will move you!
Cheer us on journeys to transcend ourselves
Beijing welcomes you!
With a dream anyone could be a giant
With courage we will find miracles!

Opportunists in action

According to Wikipedia:

Opportunism is a trend of thought, or a political tendency, seeking to make political capital out of situations with the main aim being that of gaining more influence or support, instead of truly winning people over to a principled position or improving their political understanding.

Recent devastation at cyclone-ravaged Myanmar calls for help from international communities. The death tolls would be higher without aids from the neighboring countries of Myanmar and help from far away nations. Just like any emergency situations, people lend helping hands without asking questions or raising conditions in order to assist those in danger of dying. In fact, this is how many countries have done in recent days.

What sickens me however is the reaction of some politicians. They remind me of the worst forms of opportunism. US government offered an astonishing grand total of 250K dollars, or approximately 3 households’ annual income in the US, as the “Aid for Humanity” to Myanmar. That’s a 1/1,000,000th of what US government had spent fighting the war in Iraq. And there’s more, Laura Bush, the wife of the sitting president of the United States used this opportunity to make political points of asking the Myanmar government to allow US personnels entering the country as conditions for aid.

Mainstream media of course won’t waste this opportunity to remind us how Myanmar government is a “dictatorship” and the prizes that had been awarded to the political opposition to the Myanmar government. Hints or suggestions have been made that the devastation of the Cyclone is the result of the poor government instead of the consequence of a natural disaster.

Funniest thing is that some media outlets can manage to link this to China as well — saying that China is not active enough in helping Myanmar while spending too much resources on the Olympics. It suffices to say that China is always generous in helping her friends and neighbors. This has been so since always. China even donated 5 million dollars to the United States — richest country in the world — for the Katrina disaster. What has United States done to help China during her recent devastating snow storms? A grand total of 100 thousand dollars.

I might like George W. Bush if not for the Iraq war. I might like his wife Laura Bush if not for her recent comments on Myanmar. It shows just how little one person can do to look stupid.

Yet Another Trophy – Congratulations to Dalai Lama

 

Upon receiving the news that Dalai Lama was named the 2008 World’s Most Influential People by Time Magazine, I wrote Yet Another Recognition – Congratulations to Dalai Lama to offer my congratulations.  Some of my friends felt that the tone might be too strong to be considered congratulatory, so here I am, writing another article and hoping it can better convey my sincere congratulations to his holiness.

 

I, unlike a lucky few, never had the honor to know Dalai Lama personally, and naturally I have never had the chance to admire his holiness’s bookshelves filled with the trophies after trophies he received over the years.  I can only sit in the corner of my cozy bedroom staring at the only memorable thing I have ever received, my degree.  In its humble $10 frame, the photocopy looks pretty impressive while the original being safely stored in a well-protected bank vault.

 

I know, believe me, had I have more things to treasure, I would have not been so protective.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for his holiness to look at his extraordinary collection of trophies, more than anybody in the world could ever match.

 

He has to be proud of what he has achieved over the years.  Not only does he remain the beloved and only spiritual and political leader of the exiled Tibetans for over 50 years, he also spreads the messages of love and peace to millions of people with his not so fluent English, which is a true testament to the power of his messages.  Not only did he meet so many important world leaders, he also befriended scores of well-known celebrities from many countries.  Not only did he give speeches in so many prominent venues, he also received keys to so many famous cities, although all are without gates and the keys probably won’t open the doors of any city halls.

 

The army of trophies on his holiness’s bookshelves has to be his most treasured accomplishment as words and memories fade away slowly but surely and these trophies are the only ones loyally accompany him even alone at night.

 

Which one would his holiness treasure the most?  Could it be the Lincoln Award from Research Institute of America for His Holiness’ distinguished leadership in the service of freedom on January 23, 1960?  That was only few months after his holiness fled Tibet and it had to be a real moral bolster to encourage him and his followers to carry on with the mission of the armed rebellion and to fight to get their power back.

 

Could it be the Nobel Peace Price on December 10, 1989?  Just the title of “Nobel Price” should make anyone cringe with admiration, and not to mention the whole world was boycotting China after the Tiananmen Square student movement.  You can almost see the sparkles in his holiness’s eyes.  The dream of his and his followers’ was so close to become a reality.

 

Could it be the Congressional Gold Medal on October 17, 2007?  It is the highest award a civilian can receive from the U.S. Congress, and every single important American leader, from President Bush to the House speaker Nancy Pelosi, was present to honor his holiness.  The whole US government with its almighty military although bugged down in Iraq seemed to be behind his holiness and his followers, with full force.

 

Or, could it be the latest one, the 2008 World’s Most Influential People from Time Magazine?  The whole world seemed to unite once more to support his holiness.  With the help from virtually all free media outlet, so many world leaders came out to condemn the brutal crackdown by the Chinese government.  Although the brainwashed Chinese people are trying to spoil the party, his holiness must have been feeling the momentum finally on his side.

 

I wouldn’t know given so many choices, but his holiness must have his picks.  Any of them, frankly, would make me happy for the rest of my life, and that’s the true tribute to his holiness’s achievement.

 

Back in the corner of my cozy bedroom staring at the photocopy of my degree, I sincerely congratulate Dalai Lama on this well-deserved recognition.

 

May the new trophy find its rightful place on his holiness’s bookshelves.

Yet Another Recognition – Congratulations to Dalai Lama

Time magazine named Dalai Lama as the World’s Most Influential People of 2008.  When his holiness and his followers are celebrating yet another recognition, I really hate to be the party spoiler but in the aftermath of the Lhasa riot that more than 19 innocent civilians have been killed by his followers and the global movement against the exiled Tibetans by hundreds of thousands of oversea Chinese people, the question is, what good will it do?

 

In his lifetime, Dalai Lama has received numerous recognizable awards, especially the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.  We all know what he and his followers have achieved other than receiving useless awards after useless awards after that, while the 6 million Tibetans inside China have made great improvement in their everyday lives.

 

It must have been very frustrating not only to Dalai Lama himself, but also to his followers and supporters in the west.  The recent riot in Lhasa clearly demonstrated their hopelessness and desperation.  With the new railroad, Tibet has since opened itself up to the China proper and the whole world.  Goods, including food, fuel, and luxury items can now be transported to Tibet cheaper and faster than ever.  Millions of tourists from all over the world can now visit Tibet every year and bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Tibetan economy.  Tibetans are enjoying much better living, much better than that of under the rule of his holiness, and a lot better than just a short few years ago.

 

What really bothers Dalai Lama and his followers the most is the fact that more and more people from every corners of the earth can now see Tibet with their own eyes.  They can visit Tibet, enjoy the heavenly sceneries, and talk to ordinary Tibetans.  As a result, Dalai Lama and his government in exile lost the monopoly on speaking for all Tibetans.

 

In fact, the most powerful evidence against his holiness’ accusation of brutal crackdown by the Chinese government on the peaceful protesters came from the almost instant blogs, pictures and videos of western tourists trapped in Lhasa.  They showed us the protesters lead by monks set hundreds of shops on fire, and beaten and killed innocent non-Tibetan looking civilians.  Moreover, the killing and the disruption of the torch rally united the Chinese people, especially those living overseas.  They come out in force to condemn the killing, distortion by western media, and support the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

That’s something that his holiness and his followers had never accounted for.

 

Now comes another recognition.  It indeed deserves some celebration, especially in this difficult time with all of their lies debunked and their plan to disrupt the Olympic Torch Rally defeated.  I don’t think the celebration will last long tough.  The reality of Tibetans in China are moving on to a more prosperous future while they themselves are still left with nothing should set in just about now.

 

The question to his holiness and his followers remains, what good will another recognition do?

 

On Being Grateful Guests

Watching the unfolding of the recent counter-protests by the oversea Chinese against the Lhasa massacre that more than 19 people were killed by the Tibetan terrorists and their plan to disrupt the Olympic torch rally, and to support the Beijing Olympics, I am excited, with caution however.  I, being accustomed to the western culture and way of thinking, know what is coming.

 

Sure enough, barely recovered from the shock of seeing so many Chinese outside of China all at once, some started to smear the oversea Chinese from every angle possible.  One particular type of attack caught my attention, not because it’s nasty or original, but because we all have seen it in action before.

 

You might be among the 1% of westerners who still remember the demonstration by the illegal Hispanic immigrants in the US against the increasing hostilities and prosecution against them last year.  Do you happen to remember what kinds of criticism were mounted against them?  One of them, interestingly enough, is exactly what we are seeing today, accusing them being ungrateful guests.

 

TV pundits pounded on the fact that they didn’t see enough American flags being waved by the protesters.  Another evidence they cited is an old soccer match between US and Mexico held in Los Angeles that majority of the Hispanic fans supported the Mexico national team.  The Hispanic activists started urging their communities to use both American and Latin American flags in their future protests in order to avoid being called “ungrateful” again, and they did.

 

Did it work?  Well, sort of.  Nobody mentioned the lack of American flags and that soccer match anymore, but the game of blaming everything on the illegal immigrants had since become the most favorite national past time.  Jobs being lost, health care going downhill, crime rate shooting up, and even some environmental problems became the faults of the illegal Hispanic immigrants.  I kid you not, go back and look at the taps, and you will realize just how creative some can be.

 

This time, however, things are a little different.  (Please take some time to understand the sarcasms in the following)  We don’t stand on street corners waiting for a day job, we stay in the classrooms and offices.  We don’t deplete the public funding for emergency services, we pay our own share in tax and health insurance.  We don’t do crimes, we work hard to raise our families.  We don’t have noisy parties that cops have to come three times, we remain quite even in our own homes.  We don’t ask for bilingual education, our kids are doing just great as is.

 

Can you say model guests or citizens?  Well, at least before March of 2008?

 

Let’s parse what happened since March, shall we?  Those “peaceful” protestors went on a rampage on the streets of Lhasa, the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China, once filled with shoppers and tourists from all over the world, resulting in hundreds of shops, hospitals, schools burned, and 19 innocent civilians killed or burnt to death.

 

We didn’t ask you to feel the same way as we do, but we did hope you can understand our anger, just as we understood yours after 911.  We didn’t ask you to be on our side, but we did hope you can stop demonizing China by manipulating the pictures and footages.  We didn’t ask you to accept the stories of our side, but we did hope you stop repeating the lies of Dalai Lama and his followers.  We didn’t ask you to stop believing what you believe, but we did hope you give us the same respect without labeling anyone as being brainwashed.  We didn’t ask you not to support the exiled Tibetans and even their actions to disrupt the torch rally, but we did hope you could accept the fact that we care enough and we want to show our support for 2008 Beijing Olympics.  And finally, we didn’t ask your politicians not to do what they do best, pandering to their constituency, but we did hope you could therefore understand our outrage toward their actions.

 

So, after all the pleas went unanswered, hundreds of thousands of oversea Chinese went on to the streets and for the very first time, we shown the world what we can do united.  Let me, and in no way I am the first one or the only one, admit that a minority of the Chinese did cross the line and had physical confrontation with the other side, and a few even went so far to attack the personal characters of a Duke freshman from China who has different ideas on how to resolve the Tibetan issue.

 

There you have it, most Chinese agree that we should have done better, but does the action of the few make us all ungrateful guests?  What kind of guests are you when you are on our land then?

 

Your leaders came to our university campuses and gave speeches about freedom, democracy and human rights.  That’s fine, that’s what they do.  But, did they have to be so arrogant to lecture the citizens of a country with 5000 years of unbroken history?  Did they have to be so arrogant to accuse China of everything and be so greedy to force the Chinese to buy their products?  Did they have to be so arrogant to push your own beliefs and values on us?  Do I have to refresh your minds on the days of your military rampaging on our home land?  Are the civilized civilians from the west doing any better than those politicians?  Do they have any respect toward the Chinese people?  Do they have any respect toward Chinese culture?  Now look in to the mirror and you know what I am talking about.

 

So, when your point your finger at us and calling us the ungrateful guests, didn’t you realize that you have four fingers pointing back at yourself?  Have you been grateful guests on our land?

 

But, you are right.  We really should have done better.  Let me apologize on behalf of the few.

 

Furthermore, let me apologize to you that we did wake you up from your sweet dreams of the continued dominance of western culture, we did scare you with our numbers and strength, and we did interrupt your plan of another self-righteous China bashing.  I do apologize on behalf of all Chinese people.

 

I also want to apologize that things are not going to be the same anymore.  We are not going to return to be the silent ones, we are not going to return to be your punching bags, and we sure are not going to return to tolerate your ignorance, arrogance and constant insults.  Again, I do apologize on behalf of all Chinese people.

 

But I will make you one promise.  I promise that the Chinese are going to be more professional when playing your games.  We will organize better when we feel strong enough to go back to the streets again, we will prepare better next time when we want to fight any unfair accusation, and we will make sure that we respect your right to free speech but we will let our voices heard loud and clear.

 

And, unless you are a good host and guest yourself, don’t expect us to do better.  After all we are all human beings and we should be treated equal, right?

 

I am glad that we had this talk.  Free exchange of ideas is fun, isn’t it?

 

On “Angry China” from Economist

Reading the May 1st article “Angry China” from Economist, I finally realized what it means when people talk about the world is moving on, but the west is being left behind at their own choosing.  One does not need to dig hard to find what the west always thinks and does when dealing with developing countries.

 

First off, people outside of America should know the significance of the day of May 1.  It’s the International Labor Day originated from the US ironically.  It was on this day every year workers around the world march for unity and better lives.  That scene scared many, and today, many in the west are scared of the “thousands of Chinese people waving xenophobic fists”.

 

I say, go ahead, be afraid.  You really should be if you are on the other side of what the Chinese people are demanding, just like many were scared of the marching workers.

 

What do the Chinese people really want then?  How about a little bit of understanding when we are angry at the killing of 19 innocent civilians on the streets of Lhasa?  How about a little bit of understand when we are angry at the blatant lies and demonization from the western media?  How about a little bit of understanding when we are angry at the relentless China bashing from the western politicians?  How about a little bit of understand when we are proud to support the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

 

Is it too much to ask for just a little bit of understanding from the west?

 

Navigating through all the never-gets-old babbling and we shall find the answer at the end of this article:

For China, that means learning to respect foreigners’ rights to engage it even on its “internal affairs”. A more measured response to such criticism is necessary not only to China’s great-power ambitions, but also to its internal stability; for while the government may distract Chinese people from their domestic discontents by breathing fire at foreigners, such anger, once roused, can run out of control.

 

Very good suggestions indeed, and very genuine as well, but from whose standpoint?  I am afraid that the west hasn’t woken up to the fact that 12% of the world population cannot speak for the whole world forever, and that day is coming faster than they realize.

 

I share the author’s concern for the stability of China, the region and the whole world.  To solve the problem proposed in this article and others around the world, we first have to identify the sources of the problems and who can be part of the solution.

 

What the author suggests is nothing but to insist that the Chinese should get used to the fact that the west is going to continue to stick their noses in China’s internal affairs.  I have a feeling that this suggestion is to the whole world as well.  The author further suggests that for our own good, the Chinese should gladly accept this fact, throw out of our sovereignty and dignity, and tolerate what we have been tolerating for the past 200 years, more than 500 years for the African and the aboriginal population in Americas and Australia.

 

It is exactly this type of ignorance and arrogance scares not just me, but the majority of the 88% of the world population.  The west likes to portray themselves as the solution of the world problems, but the fact of the matter is, they have created most of the problems around the world and the more they try to “help” the worse it gets.

 

And more profoundly, the rest of the world is catching up to this fact, and the rest of the world is developing faster than what the west wants to acknowledge.  In other words, the Asia is rising and returning to its rightful place in history, and the shift of economic and political power from the west to the east is also happening faster than the west admits, as Kishore Mahbubani eloquently pointed out in his new book “The Asian Hemisphere”.

 

Until the west accepts this fact, it will remain the biggest obstacle to a more prosperous and safer world.  So the $10 million question is, will they?

 

The answer, unfortunately, is no, at least not in the near future.  So, the west will continue to create tensions around the world, it will continue to be scared by the reactions, it will continue to offer advices, and it will continue down the road of increasingly being the laughing stock of the rest of the world, it will continue to become inevitably irrelevant, it will continue to try desperately to hold on to their power, and therefore the west will continue to be the part of the problems and not the part of solutions and increasingly so, until one day, hopefully it becomes more realistic and programmatic, or we will see it fads away as quickly as it reached the mountain top.