China has 1.3 billion people. The U.S., by contrast, has only about 300 million. The Chinese regard the American continent as relatively empty. They speak of the vast resources thatare available to our few people.The great flutist, James Galway, once pointed out that when large numbers of people engage in an activity, they have less freedom than when few people are involved. Soloists have more freedom than ensemble players. Chamber music allows more freedom of expression than vast orchestral pieces.
So it's no surprise that China, with its vast population, circumscribes individual liberty. Maybe part of the regimentation is necessary. Nevertheless, I feel sorry for my students who are at the age where western youth are encouraged to carve out personal identity.
Sorry I can't post pictures right now. I think it's because a lot of us are online. Probably when the library closes and fewer students are using the int
ernet, I'll be allowed able post pictures again.
4 comments:
It is funny to think how much space there is in America and then look at the major cities! I guess people need to be with other people and where there is a way to make a living. I imagine there are large areas of China with few people just like here.
Dennis
There are only poor excuses for totalitarianism.
Do you see any hints of your students toying with elements of individual identity, or is it, at some point, not even a consideration?
I had a friend from Germany who was studying in the US (Boston). When his parents came to visit him, they decided to "see America." At some point out west (in the Rockies or on the plains) his mother could no longer get out of the car at "scenic" pull-offs. The place seemed too big and empty! A strain of agoraphobia?
Mike (or Mac);
Kids this age, by nature, attempt to cultivate individuality. They like wild T-shirts and Western music, which are tolerated but frowned on by their elders. A few experiment with extreme hairdos-- some even curlt heir tresses or dye them. But the choices are extremely circumscribed. Students here live on campus, study very hard and follow a strict regimen of rules.
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