Three Hundred Years – Part 5 of 5

April 7, 2010

When I read the Chinese Constitution, Article 35 does say, “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.”

However, there are resitrictions to Article 35 when other articles in the Constitution are considered.

Article 1. The People’s Republic of China is a socialist state under the people’s democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants. The socialist system is the basic system of the People’s Republic of China. Sabotage of the socialist system by any organization or individual is prohibited.

Liy Xiaobo and his wife

Regardless of how many in the West sympathize with Liu Xiaobo’s prison sentence, he was sent to prison according to Article 28 of China’s Constitution. Liu had to know what the potential consequences were. After all, the Chinese Constitution is taught in the public schools.

There will always be individuals in China like Hong Xiuquan, Liu Xiaobo and other Chinese activists who would fit better in a Western culture than in China.

The only way to change China is if the West fought an apocalyptic war killing more than a hundred million Chinese then spent three hundred (or more) years brainwashing future generations to adopt Western ways.

This should please American neo-conservatives, since it would create a world they advocate.

See American Genocide http://wp.me/pN4pY-6S

 

1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Christianity, Confucianism, politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Three Hundred Years – Part 4 of 5

April 6, 2010

I’m sure that Liu Xiaobo spoke he did not remember the Boxer Rebellion when many Chinese became angry due to the foreign influence and Christian missionaries converting an increasing number of Chinese to an alien religion that did not fit the culture.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese took part in the Boxer Rebellion at the end of the 19th century. Their goal was to drive the foreign influence from China even if they had to kill them all. Tens of thousands died while only a few hundred foreign Christians were killed. Western troops, once again, poured into China to suppress this uprising by Chinese peasants who wanted to reclaim their culture and rid the country of foreign influences.

Liu Xiaobo's Grieving Wife

This leads me back to Liu Xiaobo’s wife, who (after her husband was sentenced to eleven years in prison) said, “The constitution says citizens have the right to free speech. But in 20 years in China, Xiaobo has never enjoyed that freedom. The words he wrote were only published outside.”

Wait a minute!  If Liu Xiaobo does not live in the United States, does the Constitution of the United States have an influence on legal decisions in China?

Since Liu may have violated the rule of law in China, the Chinese courts interpret what their constitution means—not the United States or any Western nation/citizen.

To understand the Chinese Constitution, one should read it carefully. If one article mentions a freedom, another article may partially restrict it. The American Constitution is no different. There are restrictions on freedom of speech even in America—they just aren’t the same as those in China.

See Foreign Devils and Barbarians http://wp.me/pN4pY-6h

 

Leave a Comment » | China, Chinese Culture, Christianity, Confucianism, politics | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Three Hundred Years – Part 3 of 5

April 6, 2010

After the Opium Wars, Christian missionaries flooded China. Hong Xiuquan, a failed student of Confucian doctrine, found success after converting to Christianity. Hong claimed that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ and started the Taiping Rebellion that lasted more than a decade and cost more than twenty million people their lives.

Hong Xiuquan - God's Chinese Son

Hong’s goals were to replace the Ch’ing Dynasty and rid China of Opium. After achieving that goal, he was going to convert China to a Christian nation and he would be the first Christian emperor.

Since the English and French did not want the opium trade stopped, these Christian nations helped the Ch’ing Dynasty defeat the Taipings even though the rebellion was a Christian uprising. I wonder if Liu Xiaobo had this in mind when he said what it would take to change China to be as Hong Kong is today.

See When in Rome, Do as the Romans http://wp.me/sN4pY-354

 

Leave a Comment » | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Three Hundred Years – Part 2 of 5

April 6, 2010

From Part 1, Liu Xiaobo’s last sentence, “I have my doubts as to whether 300 years would be enough.”, shows that he understands what it would take to change China’s people so they would accept a Western style government. To make this happen, China would have to be occupied by Western armies while hordes of Christian missionaries arrived to convert the population.  It would take generations to rid the culture of its Confucius Taoist influence—China’s cultural foundation.

Since the West attemped doing this during the 19th century, we already know what will happen. Tens of millions will die since there would be resistance.

Opium Poppy

During the 19th century, more than one of China’s emperors told Western representative that China had everything the empire needed and there was no need for trade with the West. This resulted in two Opium Wars started by England and France to force China to open its doors to Opium and other Western products and to allow Christian missionaries free access to convert the peasant population.

The result was catastrophic.  If it hadn’t been for World War II and Japan’s invasion of China, which cost almost forty million lives, the West might have eventually succeeded in another century or two to convert China into a Western culture as Liu Xiaobo said in Part 1 of this series.

See The Reasons Why China is Studying Singapore http://wp.me/pN4pY-2z

 

1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, politics | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

“Three Hundred Years” – Part 1 of 5

April 5, 2010

Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese human rights activist. He has been detained, arrested, and sentenced repeatedly for political activities, including participation in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

In a 1988 interview with Hong Kong’s Liberation Monthly (now known as Open Magazine), Liu replied to a question on what it would take for China to realize a true historical transformation: “(It would take) 300 years of colonialism. In 100 years of colonialism, Hong Kong has changed to what we see today. With China being so big, of course it would take 300 years of colonialism for it to be able to change to how Hong Kong is today. I have my doubts as to whether 300 years would be enough.”

Liu Xiaobo - Chinese activist

Later, after being arrested and sentenced to eleven years in prison, Liu said this quote was taken out of context. To understand why the Chinese government would react so harshly to such a statement, knowing China’s history helps.

What Liu said could be taken to mean that to change China into a Western style culture would require a return to the 19th century when Western powers dominated China with their military—similar to what American neo-conservatives advocate for any country that does not have a Western style democracy or republic.

See Wearing China’s Shoes http://wp.me/pN4pY-1p

 

2 Comments | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, politics | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

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