May 12, 2008
Today's Links: The rise of pro-China youth, China's religious character and China's first jumbo jet manufacturer
- The worrisome rise of pro-China youth [LA Times]
" As human rights protesters dogged the Beijing Olympics torch relay, as supporters of Tibet condemned the violent crackdown in Lhasa, and as Darfur activists demanded change in China's Sudan policy, Chinese young people worked themselves into a different form of righteous anger." - China’s Religious Character May Be Deeper Than Thought [Reuters]
"Now a window has been opened on faith and religion in a country where six decades of Communist philosophy and rule might seem to have pushed those subjects into obscurity." - The angel and the demon [Sydney Morning Herald]
"As the Olympic flame continues its tumultuous journey, the lives of two young Chinese women, immortalised by their brief gestures during the relay, have taken centre stage in the black and white world of Chinese public opinion." - China's jumbo passenger aircraft company established in Shanghai [Xinhua]
"China's first ever jumbo passenger aircraft company, which was a major part of the nation's large jet program, was officially inaugurated in Shanghai on Sunday." - Chinese gov't offers another 30 million yuan emergency aids to Myanmar [People's Daily]
"In view of the severe disaster in Myanmar, and as a sign of friendship from the Chinese government and people, Chinese government decided to offer another 30 million yuan worth of emergency aids for cyclone disaster relief and reconstruction work in Myanmar, announced Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular press conference on May 8." - Economist: No post-Olympic recession for China [Xinhua]
"China, with a large economic size, would not face recession after the Olympic Games, the World Bank's new chief economist Justin Yifu Lin said on Sunday."
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2 short comments here:
'China’s Religious Character May Be Deeper Than Thought'-- obviously, the author doesnot know lots of China. he even cannot understand 8 is nothing to do with religious, and Chinese has never think Confucius is kind of religious. it is life philosophy.
'The worrisome rise of pro-China youth' -- if you people want to / like to get worried, then it is not only youth pro-China, it is including mid-age Chinese up to all generations.Different generations have different mindset due to education and environment,but there is always sth in common. I am no longer a youth. many of my friends around my age studied aboard, worked aboard and now in China. we will not go to street to boycott sth, we will not send out patriotic msg or emails, we may even not 'heart' China on MSN, however, we are so delighted to watch these pro-China activities, and for sure, if it is really necessary for us to participate, yes, we will.
Without these recent events, this fact will not be noticed. Or, to be more accurately, this fact has been lightened up by recent events.
Worried? really no need. 杞人忧天. All the excitement will fade out after Olympic, unless some one lights it up again. who is capable to be the lighter? ...hmm,not Beijing. I am waiting to see who volunteers to be this role. very interesting.
bamboos, a couple of questions. I seem to recall that Confucianism has a few things to say about ancestor worship, performing the rituals, Heaven and the like. Perhaps you can explain how Confucianism has nothing to do with religious belief? And would you be able to enlighten me on the matter of numerology and the number eight? Have Chinese scientists determined the number's intrinsic relation to good fortune in the lab? I must have missed that report (though yeah, I know a lot of it is derived from homonyms, but still, it ain't exactly rational belief).
To be fair to the Reuters story, he mentions "folk religions" in the same context as Confucianism, and again, to be fair, Confucianism has a religious dimension. If you'd rather be "scientific" about it all, you could use an anthropological term like "belief systems," but that's really splitting semantic hairs. And it's a fine line between superstition, folk beliefs and religion.
I also would like to ask you what you think of phrases like "the cult of Mao" or "Mao worship," speaking of gray areas. In your experience, do Chinese ever analyze popular reverence for the departed chairman in such terms? I mean, is it ever discussed as such in China, or are these simply outsider takes on the apparently quasi-religious role of the man whose gigantic portrait hangs on the wall outside the Forbidden City/Palace Museum in Beijing and whose image sits enshrined in so many places around China.