A Welcome Development

On earlier trips, I saw no signs of the disabled in China; but now there are changes. With its inlaid stone sidewalks and high thresholds, China is notoriously inaccessible, but now ramps and alternative courses abound many places. Perhaps it's the influence of the Olympics. One sees wheelchairs many places, though not the motorized type which afford people more independence. It's a start.

For the first time, I encountered the Chinese deaf (below). They use sign, but I have no information as to their system.

Markers of Status

Cultures have practical markers of status, which seem silly to an outsider. The Chinese know the importance of where guests sit at a banquet. In universities here, we establish status with titles, parking spots, and access to space.

I am now an associate professor-- a new title. and yesterday, I learned I was being accorded an important marker of status. Two weeks from now, I move to a different office-- one with an outside window. My present office has no window, though it has panels of frosted glass; the office I had at first had once been a closet and was next to the men's room.

Matters of Faith

I was once asked by Chinese colleague in Weihai how I could possibly go to a country where I knew no one at first and without a grasp of the language. I told her I prayed. She said "I do not understand this word-- prayer."

I said it was conversation with God. She responded, "God is not real. Do you mean you get strength when you speak to yourself? How can this be?"

China is secular. Many Chinese cannot relate to religion at all and regard the faith of a Christian as charming superstition at best. This attitude arises partly from Marxism, where religion is viewed as a method of pacifying the masses.

But anthropologist Mayfair Yang suggests that part of the fault is the church's. She argues that missionary Christians taught the Chinese to despise their own robust spirituality. Here is the link to an interview she gave on Speaking of Faith. Credit to Michael Cody for finding this excellent broadcast: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/chinese_religiosities/

Above: Image of the ancient sage Confucius

Below: Buddhist Temple in Nanjing

Let Us Praise Famous Women and Men

In school Chinese children learn a song, "How I Love Tiananmen Square." The name means "Gate of heavenly peace." The plaza is China's National Mall, flanked by The Great Hall of the People and China's National Museum. Snacks and trinkets are sold here. Children run and fly kites.

Between April and June of 1989, Tiananmen Square was the epicenter of protest against the authoritarian regime, a nonviolent movement of China's youth. On June 4, 1989, the government moved in with tanks, killing thousands of people. Footage of this massacre is readily available here in the West, but the Chinese government maintains that no mass carnage occurred. This YouTube video is a short and powerful documentary. I hope you'll watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6inWKFKv9UA

Someday there may be a monument on the square to those who lost their lives seeking freedom. For now, memory of this bloodbath warns against dissent. There will be change, however, though one cannot predict how soon. Oceans, earthquakes, and the desire of people for freedom cannot be indefinitely held back.

During the Olympics, the world will be watching China. The government is taking measures to deal with potential dissent before the games start while laying down a smokescreen of openness.

What I haven't been telling you

China is not simply a land of exotic tradition and burgeoning economic development. The country is still a military dictatorship. There is only one party, and the media are an arm of the state. The ghost of Chairman Mao and the legacy of the Tiananmen Square massacre cast a pall across this great nation. Dissent is stifled; many leave if they can. Though the Chinese keep saying "things are much better," China is still a place of repression, corruption and fear.

There was much I could not say while I was over there. But now that I'm back in the States I shall be saying it. China is opening to the world. But we must not be confused about what we see. Nor should we copy the bad points of this brave and varied nation.

What ever your political bent, celebrate liberty.Here is a link to our Bill of Rights. Take a moment to read it. Read it often. Determine to defend it. And be thankful.

Above: Images from what is now Fragrant Hill Park, home of the Chairman's villa.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html

The Chairman

Chairman Mao