Politics in China

I have been asked by friends and family what China is like? Honestly, I don't know if I am the best person to ask this but I'll attempt to answer nonetheless. China is big, not just in size as its the 3rd largest country in the world, not just in its population as it has the largest population in the world, not just in exports as it has one of the strongest export market in the world...I think you are getting the idea...China is BIG. Locals in our city say that they love to live in Xiamen because it is a small city...small??? According to one local english newsletter, the population is about 3.5 million people in an area about 20 kms squared. An area much smaller, than my hometown Toronto which subsequently has a smaller population. The locals say Xiamen is a small city meanwhile the population is bigger than the biggest city of Canada. I heard from a couple of sources that there are over 100 cities that break the 1 million population mark, Beijing has a total population of 17 million people, China's width breaches 4 different time zones but yet the whole of China stays on Beijing time. This last comment may give you an idea of how interesting the politics and governance of China is. Back in 1980's, Xiamen became one of the 5 original special ecomic zones. This means that the economic laws within this zone are different to the economic laws that the rest of the country follows. Basically these areas are exempted from following the communist laws and instead are allowed embrace foriegn investment and in a nutshell - capitalism. This worked so well that they opened up more and more special zones. Most of the Zones started developing on the eastern coast, then they started to move inland along the major river systems as well amounting to almost 100 different zones. I find this to be a hilarious justification on the communist governments part. I have often asked myself, "What is communism?" and then I stumble, "If that is communism, how then, is China Communist?" As far as I can tell, the only way China represents a communist country is that there is only one political party and that they have a shockingly strict hold over the entire country and all its people. I have so far aquired a couple examples of this control. 1. 'The Great Fire Wall of China' monitors all internet usage and limits search results on certain controversial topics like Tibet, Democracy and Tiananmen Square. 2. The propaganda from the media outlets, there is only one television company that presents all of the news and the English newspaper is more liable to make you laugh rather than informed. 3. People don't know the horrible details of China's history, and if they do know, they wisper just in case anyone is listening.


China is on the leading edge on architecture as we saw examples of during preparation for the Olympics, they have man power to build and construct multiple countries let alone just one and technologically, they battled the permafrost as they built a train to the highest point of our planet - Tibet. This obviously a spectacular feat and is now celebrated not only for its technological achievements but also for connecting Tibet to Beijing thus bringing Tibetans out of their Middle Age existence and into the modern world. As stated by biased individuals, Tibet is happy for all the recent infrascructure laid down in their capital, Lhasa. If that is so, why then is the government so concerned with increasing the Han Chinese population in Tibet and increasing the Chinese presence in that region. I've been told by some people here that most of the businesses, hotels and restaurants in Tibet are all owned by Chinese. What then do you think will happen if there is ever an internal vote for Tibets freedom??? China says it is the Dalai Lamas fault for delays in negotiations. All I can say is, of course they do... The amount of questionable borders in China's political map really blows my mind. Hong Kong is a part of China but has a different flag, different currency, different government and I have to go through two borders to get there. Taiwan is similar. Taiwan is the stomping grounds of one the the Communist Parties greatest adversaries - Chang Kai Shek - he who liberated China first from the Warlord Era and second from the Japanese and then opposed Mao and his rising communist regime but eventually failed and fled to Taiwan to escape. Now the Taiwanese flag is not allowed to be flown in China however the relationship is recently improving now that people can make direct flights to Taiwan from mainland China. Also, native tribes in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet of course have all been dilluted thanks to intentional Chinese migration.

Perhaps, this has painted a negative picture of China but that is not my intention: to speak down on another country or people, especially one of the oldest living civilizations in the world but I do find the politics to be great writing material...This will not be the last I write about China so tune in again...

Check link for more info on population http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/11/1112_china_megacities/index.htm



A Chairman Mao propaganda poster in The Revoltionary Restaurant here in Xiamen.