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Changing China: the Muddle Kingdom?
"There's a wall in China. It's a thousand miles long. To keep
out the foreigner they built it strong!" But now, writes IT manager
Paul Webster-Hughes, the wall, or rather the attitude behind it, is being
dismantled.
New culture meets old!
China now tolerates artists like Lang Xin, who goes around touching culturally
distinct objects with his tongue. Elsewhere modern monuments arise.....
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When you consider the culture and courtesy of a people who
have lived unconquered and undisturbed for 4 millennia, China is unique
for the foreign traveller or worker.
The beauty and history of this country
can be overwhelming: the Great Wall itself stretches majestic and unbroken
across China's northern border; the scale and splendour of the 'Terracotta
Warriors' of Xian Province, who for over 2,000 years have guarded their
Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in their isolated, hidden mausoleum.
 There's
the wonder and forbidding nature of the mountains of Tibet in the west,
and the great wastes of the Gobi desert to the north. Add to this the diversity
of a population speaking over 50 dialects, living in a climate which ranges
from the frozen steppes bordering Russia to the sub-tropical south next
door to Vietnam. It all makes for a fascinating introduction for a "foreign
friend", or "mad and slavering dog" if you slightly mispronounce
in one of those dialects!
"The Middle Kingdom", as the Chinese named themselves when
they believed that they were at the centre of the world, is still one of
the least known sub-continents on the planet. However, "The Muddle
Kingdom" is arguably more appropriate now that significant upheaval
is apparent - and I mean enormous changes in the thinking and lifestyle
of this 4,500 year old culture.
Even my short time in China in the latter months of 2000 dramatically
illustrated the way that old and new nervously co-exist - transport by
Mercedes and rickshaw, suits by Armani and Mao, new opportunities in high-technology
careers for the few, ingrained poverty for the rest. The well-trampled
holiday destinations of Beijing and Shanghai are a world apart from the
innumerable provincial cities which have never seen a foreign visitor -
and whose people know little or nothing of the changes taking place in
their own "new" China.
This is the nation which was closed to foreigners as recently as the
1970's and, because of the mutual lack of knowledge between east and west,
the recent controlled opening of the country to outsiders has been a mixed
blessing.
The ingrained beliefs of the older population that "the best change
is…no change" make for inevitable conflict with a leadership which
implicitly promotes rapid and fundamental changes as China begins to participate
and prosper in a new world order based on a 'global economy'.
High jump?
China is currently in the process of finalising it's bid for the Olympic
Games in 2008. As a consequence, the leadership is improving public services
and accommodation in Beijing at an astonishing rate. There are daily media
announcements in the capital of new plans for the city and environment
that the administration hopes will sway the vote in China's favour.
So there was mixed reaction to the latest edict that from now on "all
new city buildings will be painted grey!". This was claimed to be
a good way to make Beijing attractive and "uniform" to the hoped-for
mass influx of Olympic visitors.
- " This will only increase the harmony of Beijing and its people…grey
is a wonderful colour!" enthused Lu Xiao, a 62 year old taxi driver.
- "Grey!" spat his passenger, a smart young businessman in
his 30's. "How can anyone take China seriously until these old men
and their discredited policies finally go?"
Doubtless he would approve of the recent great strides in commercial
joint ventures, in which western companies embark on substantial projects
with their Chinese partners. During the 'International Symposium for 2001's
Foreign Expert's Projects' 3 months ago, no fewer than 3,690 commercial
projects and agreements were reached with international organisations (source:
'China Daily', Nov 30th).
The Chinese leadership has graciously acknowledged the contribution
made by 'foreign experts', and believe that these co-operative ventures
will train the highly skilled Chinese required by such rapid development.
Significant salaries and incentives are on offer to attract the right foreigners
to these initiatives.
Multinationals like Rolls Royce and Nokia are expanding in the main
cities and forming companies in "Free Trades" areas like Guangzhou
on the southeastern coast and the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park
in northwest Beijing.
These areas are given extensive autonomy, tax incentives and freed of
some of the traditional red-tape that normally bedevils all small incoming
businessmen. There is also an enormous amount of pride and effort shown
by workers and management in the rising knowledge and productivity increasingly
evident in these new enterprises.
New initiatives are unveiled on a regular basis to show China's commitment
to fulfil its obligations to allow swift ratification of entry to the World
Trade Organisation.
It is believed that confirmation is imminent and that WTO membership
will bring immediate, substantial benefits to the economy by the removal
- or at least reduction - of many of the global trade restrictions currently
levied on many Chinese exports and industries.
Long jump
China can then begin to reduce its reliance on an economy dependent
on third world industries (clothes and footwear, textiles and agriculture)
and develop infinitely more beneficial high-tech industries such as computing,
manufacturing, scientific research and engineering.
Paradoxically, stalwarts of the political establishment (architects
and proponents of China's 'liberation' policies from the 50's) rail daily
against the younger leadership who are trying to introduce political and
economic reform. Newspapers give equal prominence to announcements that,
on the one hand, advocate and applaud change, but on the next page proclaim
that all these changes and initiatives were pre-ordained by Lenin - and
The Party will continue to "guide" the people as before!
* A major academic icon at a Beijing conference recently stated that
Karl Marx "invented globalisation" and that the attempt at a
global economy "is another inevitable pointer to the downfall and
failure of Capitalism".
* A huge bureaucracy permeates China, with committees meeting at national,
through provincial, to municipal and local levels, to decide many facets
of the daily lives of average Chinese men and women. Edicts include where
you are allowed to work; where you can live; the number of children you
may have (2 in the countryside, 1 only in the cities)…and many others.
It is a daunting task for this country to introduce a 'mixed socialist
economy' encouraging individual thought and enterprise - with a system
which oversees and determines nearly every activity in every life from
cradle to grave. The rationale of the leadership appears to be simple and
urgent: China's huge population needs food and work - and a gradual open
door policy with the rest of the world will reap many technological and
commercial benefits. These benefits will quickly translate into better
communications, healthcare, housing and infrastructure for a population
which still endures significant poverty and major social disadvantages.
But if China is to successful integrate itself into the global economy
and become part of the 'International Community' through it's imminent
WTO acceptance, then the country will have to go through a painful awakening.
Chinese are educated to believe and not to question authority, in part
like Thais because of the great respect accorded to teachers and academics.
That unquestioned acceptance appears to be changing for the better. Slowly
but surely, dissent is starting to be voiced by the next generation of
leaders and workers. A foreign teacher told me that her students are now
openly - but quietly - discussing their concerns about the official dictat.
Financial penalties, forced relocation (the Three Gorges Dam project for
example), to more severe methods of repression which are still common.
Surfing
Because the younger adult population is beginning to discover information
on the Internet and other media that conflict with the official line, taboos
officially dismissed or 'spun' (birth policy, the assimilation of Hong
Kong, the Taiwan conflict, Tienanmen Square......) must eventually be confronted.
As a result of this new transparency, many millions of Chinese youth
are inevitably exposed to different views of history and contemporary issues.
Students, intellectuals and even some common people are at least 'confused'
by this new information. Inevitably, my teacher friend believes that this
access to new information will lead to a phenomenal growth in the fractured
underground movements that have always been present. To date, these forums
have mainly been ignored by, or were historically too weak to be a challenge
to, the authorities.
Intellectuals in a southern provincial city are actively creating forums
to meet and discuss the ways of coping with change. This is not seen as
a challenge to the leadership - but as a complementary way to understand
and deal with the ingrained resistance to change at all levels of the current
leadership.
Encouragingly, there is an atmosphere that change is inevitable. The
sheer population size and diversity of the Chinese people, coupled with
their natural hardworking nature, makes for a fascinating period in this
country's near future.
It is widely documented that nearly 60%, or approximately 500 million,
of the Chinese population are under 30 years old. Untainted by the dogma
of the past, many of the young are increasingly confident that their leadership's
changing foreign and domestic policies will harness their potential in
a new and significant way.
China has much to offer the rest of the world in culture, the arts and
scientific endeavour. Many believe that this momentum for change will continue
and gather pace over the coming years. If it continues, it will be a significant
start to the 21st century!
 Paul
Webster-Hughes
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