The Dark Side of Chinese Civilization
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Most Americans live in a virtual world with regard to their perception about China and Chinese culture. The reality is that Chinese culture is no different than any other culture: It has both its bright side and its dark shade. While it is gracious and benevolent to hold back one's opinions and not jump to some generalization about certain aspects of China, it could be costly or even deadly, as it has been shown again and again, if one lets wishful naivete dominate one's decision as related to China or Chinese. An equal and healthy relationship, whether between individuals or nations, could only be built and sustained when both parties have a true understanding of each other and, consequently, each sets a realistic expectations for the other. Along this line of thinking, out of the genuine respect for diversity, and for the sake of a long-lasting relationship, the other side of Chinese culture is examined.
May 14, 2019 |
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A Few Quotes from Credible Sources
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Lu Xun 鲁迅 (1881 – 1936)
An icon of modern Chinese literature for his sharp insight, cited as “The great Chinese storyteller” by Vice President Pence in his Remarks on the Administration’s Policy toward China on 10/04/2018. In his essay In Remembrance of Miss Liu Hezhen (04/12/1926), he wrote: “I am never afraid of referring to the most malicious intention in speculating on a Chinese (我向来是不惮以最坏的恶意，来推测中国人的).” |
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Marco Rubio
Senator, Florida and Chairman of Congressional-Executive Commission on China In the Senate intelligence committee hearing on 02/13/2018, Senator Marco Rubio commented: "But the biggest issue of our time in my view, and I think in the view of most of the Members of this Committee and I would venture to guess most of the members of this panel, is China and the risks they pose.I'm not sure, in the 240-some odd year history of this Nation, we have ever faced a competitor and potential adversary of this scale, scope, and capacity. It is my personal view, and it's shared by many people, that they are carrying out a well-orchestrated, well-executed, very patient, long-term strategy to replace the United States as the most powerful and influential nation on Earth." |
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Chris Wray
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation In the Senate intelligence committee hearing on 02/13/2018, Director Chris Wray said: “So one of the things we're trying to do is view the China threat as not just a whole of government threat, but a whole of society threat on their end. I think it's going to take a whole of society response by us.” |
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James N. Mattis
Former Secretary Of Defense Referring to China and other nations, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was reported by Reuters to say in a letter dated 05/04/2018: “DOD (the Department of Defense) also believes we must be clear-eyed that our adversaries have studied the weaknesses of our current laws and regulations and are exploiting them today.” |
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Mike Pompeo
Secretary of State In his visit to Panama City, Mr. Pompeo told the local leaders that “when China comes calling, it’s not always to the good of your citizens,” and that countries had to watch out for Chinese companies that “show up with deals that seem too good to be true.” |
