April 29, 2008

Chinese Students on American Campuses Tackle Western Critics

The New York Times reports today on efforts by Chinese nationals studying in the United States to rebut what they consider “biased” Western portrayals of their homeland.

The article recalls a number of recent Tibet-related incidents in which Chinese students angrily disputed characterizations of the conflict via e-mail and in demonstrations, sometimes turning to violent language and threats.

“I believe in democracy,” one student told the Times, “but I can’t stand for someone to criticize my country using biased ways. You are wearing Chinese clothes and you are using Chinese goods.”

The article also notes that Chinese students’ occasionally threatening outbursts put American universities in an awkward position, particularly if those institutions have or are working to build partnerships with the Chinese government. —Catherine Rampell

Comments

1. Ms Rampnell needs to tone down the libelous racist slander on “Chinese students’ occasionally threatening outbursts…” If you have studied on a campus with Chinese students, I highly doubt they were the most violent of the cultural groups.

   — Anon    Apr 29, 03:29 PM    #

2. I suggest you click on the hyperlink for “violent language and threats” and read that story before labeling Ms. Rampnell’s story as libelous and racist. Being threatened with death or telling others they need to be burned alive with oil sounds pretty violent and threatening in my opinion.

   — Reply to Anon    Apr 29, 04:14 PM    #

3. What the students in the PRC learn about their own history is what the CCP wants them to know. The fact that Tibet was an independant country for many years and that the CCP actually endorsed automomy for Tibet at its 2nd Congress in 1922 is not something that is known by many of the students who are protesting against those who support a “Free Tibet”

   — Gerald W. Berkley-Coats    Apr 29, 04:33 PM    #

4. Well, what goes ‘round comes ‘round. All the Chinese students I know complain endlessly about not being able to get good pizza in America. How much of this can a good American take?

   — first marci    Apr 29, 05:06 PM    #

5. This article is interesting in that it points out that university administrators are only too ready to compromise their universitys’ policies on academic freedom (bending, in effect, to the will of Chinese censors) so as not to possibly repel prospective Chinese students.

   — Paul    Apr 30, 02:28 AM    #

6. I met a large number of Chlinese students in the United States and Canada. They want everything from the West, i.e., United States. However, they want to criticize the United States and blindly agree with undemocratic acts of China. They want to live and prosper in the United States but criticize the democratics ways of the West. The United States and other Western countries should stop buying materials and goods from China and see what happens. It is an irony.

   — kvc    Apr 30, 07:56 AM    #

7. To be sure, most people in the West do not have an accurate picture of either the PRC or Tibet. For too many years the West has presented an inaccurate picture of both countries. Both Tibet and the PRC are better off because of communist rule – at least in terms of the economy. This is also true, to a lesser extent, of basic freedoms. Where the PRC draws the line is an criticism of the government. The nationalism that the Chinese leaders have promoted for several reasons is alive and well in the Chinese students who study in the West. It is fueled by both earlier attempts by the West to subjugate China, and the continuing Western ignorance of the great changes/improvements that have taken place in both the PRC and Tibet in the last ten years.

   — Gerald W. Berkley-Coats    Apr 30, 08:07 AM    #

8. Funny thing how Chinese students defend their homeland.
   Many may want to get back home someday and not get thrown in prison.
   You can bet your chopsticks that somebody back in the Paradise they defend is keeping a dossier on every Chinese student here.
   And I wonder how many come from families doing very nicely under the clever blend of Communism and Capitalism devised by the thugs that run China so who cares about the guys in the rice paddies.

   — AW    Apr 30, 10:00 AM    #

9. What the students in the USA learn about Chinese/Tibet history is what the liberal media wants them to know. The fact that Tibet was at one time a warrior nation that invaded and controlled much of China isn’t covered in the media, is it?

   — formerly known as . . . .    Apr 30, 10:34 AM    #

10. I followed S. Britchkey’s suggestion to Google “google AND repression” and the only thing it yielded was a link to this News Blog. Did such a search once yield something else that it now does not?

    — Tim McGee    Apr 30, 10:57 AM    #

11. I did the same and the first item retrieve was a link to a political cartoon about China, repression and google (along with Yahoo & MSN

    China Repression Cartoon: Google, Yahoo & MSN
    January 27, 2006

    The first link on the list I retrieved is:
    http://www.justilien.com/google/china-repression-cartoon-google-yahoo-msn.htm

    This blog was not cited on the first page and I had no desire to look further.

    — Reply to Tim McGee    Apr 30, 11:06 AM    #

12. When the US people show their love of their country, it’s called patriotism. When the Chinese people show their love of their country, you say it’s supported by the Chinese government and those young people are brainwashed by propaganda. Talking about brainwash!

    While one or a few did some radical/ irrational things (like disclosing the perosnal information of the Duke student), used words out of extreme anger, they are not representative of most rational Chinese students. The overseas Chinese community as a whole (not just the Chinese students) are very update at the biased US and wester media. Many of them have been here very long and are staying. They’ve seen media coverage from both worlds and are so surprised to find out recently that the so-called objective media coverage from the west are so biased and full of hatred and misunderstanding of motherland.

    I’m surprised to see that so many american people believe that there’s only one way, and that is the american way, and everyone else every other country should follow suite, regardless of their situation, histroy culture and tradition. Beside, how violent is the Chinese people anyways? For those well-educated people who studied world history and even current world news, did the Chinese invade the other countries, kill their people and claim we bring democracy to them and the world?

    — J. Yang    Apr 30, 01:36 PM    #

13. If J. Yang is truly looking for answers to his or her last two questions, running an internet search on “Korean War,” “Taiwan Straits Crises,” “Sino-Indian War” and “Sino-Vietnamese War” will readily provide them. By a remarkable coincidence, in all those instances, the Chinese “invaded other countries, killed their people and claimed they brought [people’s] democracy to them and the world.”

    — Gustave    Apr 30, 04:06 PM    #

14. Interesting response. For me, invasion means throwing bombs and sending army to the other coutry (even if it’s thousands of miles away) on unjustified reasons. The wars between China and its neighboring countries were mostly due to border disputes, or out of self-defense. That’s not called “invasion”. There’s a clear distinction between “invasion”, “war”, or “ invasion war”.

    Can’t believe you even brought out the topics about Korean War and Vietnam War. When talking about “invasions”, the US truly has a not-so remarkable record to brag about.

    Anyways that’s not even relevant. My point is the Chinese people is not violent people, in history and in reality. Confusious has taught us when pointing fingers to the others, one has to reflect on his own misconduct. That’s the part that’s missing here in the US.

    As to not buying Chinese goods, the world is now so intertwined that it’s hard to tell who’s relying on who. Any silly action like that will hurt all of us, unfortunately.

    — J. Yang    Apr 30, 04:33 PM    #

15. Ah. I hadn’t understood that when one country attacks another, it doesn’t count as an “invasion” unless the victim (a) is not geographically contiguous to the attacker; and (b) is not attacked for what J. Yang considers “unjustified reasons.”

    Well, that clears it up, then.

    — Gustave    Apr 30, 05:00 PM    #

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