NationStates Jolt Archive

I just realised how underrepresented China is on this forum. If the number of members was proportional to national population the Chinese would spam you. :D

Just out of interest (and boredom), what do you know about China (including history, language, culture, geography, politics, international relations, society, economy etc.)?

Could you send me some chinese recipies? I would like to try the real thing instead of the americanized version.

China, or Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo to locals, is a communist state, is world's fourth largest country, and shares the world's largest peak, Mount Everest, with Nepal. Population is 1,306,313,812, growing by 0.58% a year.

Their flag is:

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/flags/ch-lgflag.gif

The currency is the Yuan (CNY).

Their internet ending is ".cn"

Their literacy rate is only 95.1% for males, and a smaller 86.5% for females.

Surpisingly, cell phone use is more common than land-line phone use, with 263 million using land-lines and 269 million using cell-phones. Not surpisingly, they are the country with the largest use of cell phones and land-line phones.

Infanticide of female babies is common do to the government regulation of one child per family.

The most common language is Mandarin Chinese, and is the most popular language in the world (Over a billion speak forms of Chinese, while 867.2 million speak Madarin).

840,000 people have HIV/AIDS.

Their national airline is Air China, and it sucks. Look at a typical landing:

http://img280.echo.cx/img280/4715/0475560qn.th.jpg (http://img280.echo.cx/my.php?image=0475560qn.jpg)

Let's see... I know that Shanghai is the largest city in China (over 12,000,000), Hong Kong is perhaps the wealthiest (not too sure), and Beijing is the largest in area (12,000+ square miles). I don't know much more than that :p.

Not to get off topic, but you needing a pilot for one of those airlines reich? ;)

I just realised how underrepresented China is on this forum. If the number of members was proportional to national population the Chinese would spam you. :D

Just out of interest (and boredom), what do you know about China (including history, language, culture, geography, politics, international relations, society, economy etc.)?

Not enough.

Could you send me some chinese recipies? I would like to try the real thing instead of the americanized version.

Cook anything fresh without a minimal amount of oil and anything can be Chinese. *rolls eyes*

I don't know any....I don't really cook :P

It's full of commies. What else is there to know?

Just kidding. I know enough about it as I need to know at 13 years of age. Of course, I know MANY times more information about the Middle East and South Asia.

My friend Mr.Google seems to know shit loads, smug bastard....

China is a communist state, is world's fourth largest country, and shares the world's largest peak, Mount Everest, with Nepal.

Their internet ending is ".cn"

NO!! CHINA HAS THE PEAK! Nepal has a bit of the foot. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Not to get off topic, but you needing a pilot for one of those airlines reich? ;)

Only if they speak English and German...

NO!! CHINA HAS THE PEAK! Nepal has a bit of the foot. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

*shakes fist*

My friend Mr.Google seems to know shit loads, smug bastard....
he knows alot more than that jeeves ass hole

Only if they speak English and German...

English... fine
German.... Does shizen count? :D

apparently alot of the politicians refer to Confuscian values when justifying communism and totalitarianism. strange this post would come up while im in the middle of studying china in school.

Mandarin is a topic-prominent language.

Could you maybe narrow down your question a little? If I started typing all that I'd be here for a while and the post would go on for quite a bit, and I am seriously NOT a China expert like others here are. ;)

China's empire is supposed to stretch from Outer Mongolia to the Paracel Islands, and from Xinjiang/Sinkiang/Chinese Turkestan all the way to the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.

I will never understand the government structure of the Communists. Hahahahahahaha.

he knows alot more than that jeeves ass hole

Yeah, him and that Wikipedia kid just think they know it all....

apparently alot of the politicians refer to Confuscian values when justifying communism and totalitarianism. strange this post would come up while im in the middle of studying china in school.

Ideologies are manipulated by people in power to suit their needs. Confucianism is one of those ideologies.

English... fine
German.... Does shizen count? :D

In the Americas, you could with those. Telegram me.

Could you maybe narrow down your question a little? If I started typing all that I'd be here for a while and the post would go on for quite a bit, and I am seriously NOT a China expert like others here are. ;)

JUST TYPE! :D

Mandarin is a topic-prominent language.
Mandarin sounds horrible compared to Cantonese. :D

The Chinese people love their kids like crazy. And, generally, the chinese teenagers have a refreshing relational "innocence" that is missing from the US culture....they're polite, courteous, appreciative, etc.

I like them.

To an outsider such as myself, People in the United States and China seem to have very similar cultures. A hard working, can do attitude, with a bit of fondness for material gain. I suppose they probably can't see the simularity themselves, similar to the way Australians and New Zealanders always insist they are different.

The Chinese people love their kids like crazy. And, generally, the chinese teenagers have a refreshing relational "innocence" that is missing from the US culture....they're polite, courteous, appreciative, etc.

I like them.

Due to the one-child policy, many 'little emperors' and 'little empresses' are emerging. That can become dangerous, as most Chinese youth begin to view that China is the greatest country in the world (which it obviously is not, and never will be).

The Chinese tend to be polite, but you don't know about the behind-the-scence bickering. They may thank you in the open but inside they're swearing at you! :P

EDIT: At least that's what I do! *blushes*

Due to the one-child policy, many 'little emperors' and 'little empresses' are emerging. That can become dangerous, as most Chinese youth begin to view that China is the greatest country in the world (which it obviously is not, and never will be).

The Chinese tend to be polite, but you don't know about the behind-the-scence bickering. They may thank you in the open but inside they're swearing at you! :P

EDIT: At least that's what I do! *blushes*

*kicks you in a sensitive area*

How DARE you!!! :p

I just realised how underrepresented China is on this forum. If the number of members was proportional to national population the Chinese would spam you. :D

Just out of interest (and boredom), what do you know about China (including history, language, culture, geography, politics, international relations, society, economy etc.)?
Not nearly enough! I should read up a bit.

Considering that China will be owning the globe fairly soon, I should probably start learning more sooner rather than later.

*kicks you in a sensitive area*

How DARE you!!! :p

I don't do that generally! Most of the time I'm genuinely sincere, but sometimes, with some people...you have to be pretentious *weeps*

Um ... I hate to interrupt this love-in, but can someone recommend a good book about modern China, preferrably one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I really would love to read more about China. :)

Um ... I hate to interrupt this love-in, but can someone recommend a good book about modern China, preferrably one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I really would love to read more about China. :)
I am hooked on www.atimes.com. It has lots of anaylsis of what is going on in asia. I don't read books that much though.

I don't do that generally! Most of the time I'm genuinely sincere, but sometimes, with some people...you have to be pretentious *weeps*

Sad, but true...

*bursts with laughter*

Hmm... I wonder why I just did that...?

I am hooked on www.atimes.com. It has lots of anaylsis of what is going on in asia. I don't read books that much though.
I would prefer to go a bit more in depth. I like the Army Times too, but it's not noted for being overly intellectual. :D

EDIT: I hope you realize that I know you didn't mean the "Army Times!" :D

Sad, but true...

*bursts with laughter*

Hmm... I wonder why I just did that...?
Um ... because you're female? :D

I just realised how underrepresented China is on this forum. If the number of members was proportional to national population the Chinese would spam you. :D

Just out of interest (and boredom), what do you know about China (including history, language, culture, geography, politics, international relations, society, economy etc.)?
That if you're one in a million there is a thousand of you in China?

AAaaaahhhaahaahaha, 'cause you see, with the...ahhh yeah....

Sorry. Post and leading up to Cultural Revolution pretty bupkiss. I was pretty into asian history as a kid, though. I still retain a bit of that.

China:

Massive nation, with some quite disturbing demographic trends.
-Male/Female ratio is set to be way off within the next two decades. Dangers result from having too many unattached, young males running around. Either possible massive crime levels, or in response to fears of massive crime levels, foreign military adventurism to occupy these folks.
-Elderly population within the next few decades could theoretically take up over fifty percent of the total population.

Lot's of troops, tanks and airplanes, albeit not the newest or best equipment, but there's lot's of it (J-7 (MiG-21 knockoff) most populous plane in Chinese airforce.) PLAN is a frigate navy, not capable of power projection.

Chinese Nuclear forces are capable of massive regional strikes, but intercontinental ranges are more restictive. Most of Chinese intercontinental arsenal maintained on aging ballistic missile subs. Twelve ground based ICBM's based off of Russian SS-18(unsure?) ICBM, liquid fueled, hell to maintain. Never keep 'em fueld, the fuel will corrode the inside of the rocket if left in rocket for more than several days.

Chinese economic growth is stunning, but on par for what one might expect for a developing economy. It does not portray the patterns of a mature economy, and thus is highly unstable. Risk of economic collapse is very big, and unlike the collapse of USSR, collapse of China would seriously endanger global economy.

Owns massive amount of US debt, it is advisable for the US to decrease the deficit to get the Chinese government's hands off of our government.

Continuing Taiwanese stalemate, various situations could theoretically result in state-of-war.

That if you're one in a million there is a thousand of you in China?

AAaaaahhhaahaahaha, 'cause you see, with the...ahhh yeah....

Sorry. Post and leading up to Cultural Revolution pretty bupkiss. I was pretty into asian history as a kid, though. I still retain a bit of that.

.....

that's a quick and dirty summary of some of the strategic relations, challenges and opportunites involving China. I hope it made sense, I'm awfully tired right now, and things aren't making perfect sense to me right now.

*snip*


*applauds the effort Andaluciae has placed into the summary*

Taiwan is part of China.

.....
Sorry. Again.

I should, just in case, clarify that when I say 'pretty bupkiss' I mean I really don't know what led up to and happened after the revolution. I know the highlights, but those are never the whole story.

840,000 people have HIV/AIDS.


Well, they have this number since they announced that
* they have AIDS cases (about 3 years ago);
* they want to reduce the infection rate from then 70% a year to less than 10% a year until 2010;

If youread their own publications you'll find that the infection rate currently is over 30% and they still have only 840,000 infected.

It's sort of a SARS statistics, where they claimed that they had it under control in February 2003 and the number of infected people was officially the same for a couple of weeks, until someone blew the whistle.

My personal guess?

Nobody will care about AIDS, once China attacked Taiwan during the Olympics. Until then the number of 840,000 is not going to change, and after that China will follow the way of their African friends, like Sudan, Uganda, Somalia.

Taiwan is part of China.

The guys in Chinese Beijing shall not forget that they are just a part of China.

Due to the one-child policy, many 'little emperors' and 'little empresses' are emerging. That can become dangerous, as most Chinese youth begin to view that China is the greatest country in the world (which it obviously is not, and never will be).

The Chinese tend to be polite, but you don't know about the behind-the-scence bickering. They may thank you in the open but inside they're swearing at you! :P

EDIT: At least that's what I do! *blushes*


Hong Kong culture and Chinese culture are completely different. No offense, Dragon, but the fact that you live in Hong Kong and prefer Cantonese for me makes me doubt how much you really know about the mainland. Most people I know in Hong Kong (including my 2 dozen in-laws), have a very Hong Kong-centric view of China. After all, pro-China feelings in Hong Kong only began about eight years ago....

(me has lived Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China for a total of 13 years; am married to a Hong Konger and speak only Cantonese at home. Mandarin in daily life and English for work.
I'm not even going to try to answer the question....it's such a big topic it'd be easy to write a book or two)

China is in the heart.
Isn't that all you need to know?

Chinese people are excellent swordsmen and can fly short distances. They are unfailingly polite even while being ruthless. They are extremely clean and have secret ancient laundry technology. They invented take-out food over 6,000 years ago. They are the third most beautiful people in the world after the Brazilians and the Welsh. Although they have intentions for world domination, the plans are so complex that they will take 1200 years to accomplish.

Seriously though, I had a teacher in Jr high by the name of Eddie Tsang. As in a member of the Tsang Dynasty. He was forced to flee his country after the communists took over for fear of death.
I'm saddened by a nation who does not welcome one of it's own in their country because he happened to be part of a certain family line.

I lucky though because I got the chance to have such a great teacher.

See what you missed China?

Just start typing huh?

Ok... here’s what I remember:

Formal Chinese history, as opposed to prehistorical, kicks off with the Xia dynasty in around or about 2000 B.C. The three dynasties of this period before the first emperor of China were the Xia, Shang, and Zhou with Shang and Zhou having left evidence in the forms of bone fragments and huge bronzes. The Xia however have left little if any evidence of their existence beyond legend (However, until recently it was assumed that the Shang and Zhou were also legendary so most historians believe that the Xia did in fact exist. The three dynasties were not really an empire or close to what the empire of China would one day be, instead these were small kingdoms located around the fertile plains of China’s rivers (Currently the location of Shanghai).

After the three dynasties past on, the area became destabilized and started the warring states period until all states were concord, usually bloodily, by Qin, the first emperor of China. His dynasty however didn’t last long. He died, probably due to mercury poisoning in an attempt to live forever, and his body was secretly brought back to the capital in an attempt by his generals to grab power. However, shortly after Qin’s death, his empire disintegrated due to the tyranny of Qin. At this point the empire was re-established by the Han (of which modern ethnic Chinese take their name, Han Chinese). You have the first Han then a brief period of a usurper who pissed off everyone and was deposed, then the second Han (This lasting from 220 B.C. to 220 AD). After the Han finally fell, the empire was divided into three kingdoms (the three kingdoms period).

This period (which remains popular in modern Chinese dramas, movies, and novels) also saw the birth and teaching of Confucius as well as Sun Tzu and his seminal work, the Art of War.

The empire finally was put back together by the Jin in 265 AD. The next 1,800 years or so saw a successive rise and fall of various dynasties and two break downs of the empire into warning factions (Northern and Southern Dynasties and the 10 Kingdoms period). During this time China ruled the largest empire ever and developed highly sophisticated culture and art. Science, math, and other skills were developed, sometimes light years ahead of its Western counterpart, which normally gets the credit.
China also sent trading ships everywhere and its culture influenced the surrounding area to a degree that also has never been really seen elsewhere (Rome had nothing on this.). It was during this time that contact was made with the West and the Silk Road opened, with medieval Europe sending huge amounts of money for Chinese silks and spices.

China became the Middle Kingdom upon which the world (well, its world) turned. China also established an elaborate civil service based upon the Confucian model and the army and military service fell into disfavor; which is why it was so easily defeated by the Mongols of Genghis Khan. However, while the Mongols defeated China, Chinese civilization absorbed the Mongols who wanted to be seen as legitimate emperors.

These patterns (Yes, I’m skipping a lot, you want to know more, go get a history book) repeated themselves till the last dynasty, the Qing, who were not Chinese. By the end of the Qing dynasty, the empire had been cut up by western powers who had long since taken military prominence in the world. With an inability to prevent the nation from being beaten by these powers, the loss of wars and parts of China (such as Hong Kong) to the West, the Qing were overthrown and the Republic of China established after a bloody civil war that holds the record for the highest death count in human history. The 20th century saw China develop from a republic to a communist state, taking a small detour to be invaded by Japan. The civil war between the forces of Mao and Chang Kai Sheik started in the late 20s and went on for a very long time. They joined forces against the Japanese and then quickly resumed fighting after the end of WWII. The Chinese Communist Party CCP finally drove the nationalist to the colony of Taiwan (which I don’t care WHAT the CCP or the Nationalist saw, the Taiwanese are NOT Han Chinese). This lead to the silliness of Taiwan calling itself the Republic of China and claiming that it ruled China, and China calling itself the People’s Republic of China and claiming Taiwan is a breakaway province.

Mao’s rule of China was a disaster; it included such great events as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which caused a great loss of life. As of late, China has been developing rapidly, but with a huge divide between the still poor and agricultural rural countryside and the high-tech and rich cities. The CCP has more or less abandoned communism in everything but name and is concentrating on holding onto power. They will probably fall in a few years, as China once again reinvents itself.

Linguistically, there is no such thing as Chinese, though the languages share a common writing system. Mandarin Chinese is the official language of China, but Cantonese is more popular and the two are not compatible. Every region of China has its own version of Chinese though.

For religion, it’s a mixture of ancestor worship, Buddhism, traditional gods, and Christianity/cults. Pretty much from what I have gathered, when you want something to happen, or stop happening, you go to the nearest holy spot and ask.

There’s a whole lot more I could type but this is long enough. So... how’d I do?

Seriously though, I had a teacher in Jr high by the name of Eddie Tsang. As in a member of the Tsang Dynasty.

Um.....
There never was a Tsang dynasty. There was a Tang dynasty, but that ended 1100 years ago, and is a completely different character. I think he was putting you on.

Linguistically, there is no such thing as Chinese, though the languages share a common writing system. Mandarin Chinese is the official language of China, but Cantonese is more popular and the two are not compatible. Every region of China has its own version of Chinese though

Not entirely accurate. Mandarin is the national language. Cantonese is the local language of just two provinces, plus Hong Kong and Macau, and even including the second province is stretching it a bit. People outside of these provinces do not understand any Cantonese. There are eight main "dialects", really local languages in most cases, including Cantonese (about 50 million), Shanghainese (about 70 million), Hunanese, Chaozhou, Hakka, Minnan, Minbei, Southwestern (which I consider to be a heavy accent instead of a different language), and several other smaller local languages. This does not include minority people's languages, of which there are hundreds, if not thousands.

Not entirely accurate. Mandarin is the national language. Cantonese is the local language of just two provinces, plus Hong Kong and Macau, and even including the second province is stretching it a bit. People outside of these provinces do not understand any Cantonese. There are eight main "dialects", really local languages in most cases, including Cantonese (about 50 million), Shanghainese (about 70 million), Hunanese, Chaozhou, Hakka, Minnan, Minbei, Southwestern (which I consider to be a heavy accent instead of a different language), and several other smaller local languages. This does not include minority people's languages, of which there are hundreds, if not thousands.
*Looks back at notes* Ah, thank you. I DID screw that one up.

But the idea that there is one Chinese language is a fiction. I remember my professor at the time mentioning that Mandarin is nowhere near universally spoken, or even in a majority (though this was 6 years ago so the situation might have changed). The thing that saves China is the common writting system.

I agree with the professor, with an exception: Official (government) business and higher education is universally in mandarin.

I agree with the professor, with an exception: Official (government) business and higher education is universally in mandarin.
*Nodds* Oh yes, it us the offical language. The point my professor was making, besides the rich diversity of the languages of China, is that it would almost sound like everyone in China should speak Mandarin. However, with a population of over one billion and such a large country... The idea that everyone speaks one Chinese language is a fiction created by the CCP. Elsewhere people speak their local language and follow the same tendant that their family has always followed, that the emperor (Bejing in this case) and heaven is far away.

A good deal, I should think. Oh, and they won't let you eat sushi off a nude/near nude woman,any more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4570901.stm

Hmm, China is the world's largest country populationwise, which is why they have adopted the one child policy. Alas the traditional preferance for girls over boys means that many baby girls are dumped at orphonages.

China was at one stage the most devoloped country in the world, however one of the emperors decided many centuries ago that the nation would become isolationist and even in this modern world with instant world wide communication China is still a very closed society.

Mao Tse Tung's (Zedong) communist revolution, ala the long march was more of a nationalist movement than a communist ideology driven revolution. On the long march they basically travelled the whole nation on foot, despite constant attack from Chaing Kai Shek's forces. Often they would leave the wounded behind to recover and spread the word about communism. Unlike most armies they were unquestionably scrupulous when dealing with small towns during the long march in gathering supplies, a large part of why they became so accepted.

At the end of the long march they reached Manchuria where many Chinese had suffered terribly at the hands of the Japanese army so the communists started attacking the Japanese. The Chinese people saw this and condemned the government of Chaing Kai Shek for attacking the communist Chinese while ignoring the Japanese invasion. This forced the two parties to work together, which meant the government armed the communists.

Eventually Chaing Kai Shek and his government was forced to flee to Taiwan where they continued pretending they still controlled China leading to the current hostilities between China and Taiwan. The Chinese Emperor was re-educated and became the gardener at one of the royal palaces.

They also invaded Tibet, aided the communists in Korea and Vietnam and masacared students in Tieannamen(Sp?) square. They have a successful space program and many other things I don't have time to mention here.

[edit]China also has a bureaucracy that is legendary throughout the world.

Let's see. My dad lives there and I've been there a few times, so I can say I know something.
- I can tell where someone comes from based on the accent of their Putonghua.
- I can carry on small talk in Mandarin.
- I know the good places to get a cheap, decent meal in Beijing.

I know a lot of the academic details, but everyone else elaborated on those already.

Quietly recognises the Republic of China a.k.a. Taiwan, to the annoyance of Beijing, no doubt.

A good deal, I should think. Oh, and they won't let you eat sushi off a nude/near nude woman,any more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4570901.stm

I can't open the link....but sounds like the wrong country to me. Sushi, near nude women.....sounds much more like Japan. We don't have much sushi in China (and people are still pretty straight-laced in public). ;)

Hong Kong culture and Chinese culture are completely different. No offense, Dragon, but the fact that you live in Hong Kong and prefer Cantonese for me makes me doubt how much you really know about the mainland. Most people I know in Hong Kong (including my 2 dozen in-laws), have a very Hong Kong-centric view of China. After all, pro-China feelings in Hong Kong only began about eight years ago....

(me has lived Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China for a total of 13 years; am married to a Hong Konger and speak only Cantonese at home. Mandarin in daily life and English for work.
I'm not even going to try to answer the question....it's such a big topic it'd be easy to write a book or two)


Oohhh....hold on. I never said I understand mainland China! :D Mainland China is WAY too complex to "understand". There are about 60 minority groups, a lot of local dialects, and all sorts of cuisines. I'd be lucky if I ever know my own Cantonese culture completely!

I'm going to save up so I can fly to Beijing for the Olympics in 2008. :D

Oohhh....hold on. I never said I understand mainland China! :D Mainland China is WAY too complex to "understand". There are about 60 minority groups, a lot of local dialects, and all sorts of cuisines. I'd be lucky if I ever know my own Cantonese culture completely!

I'm going to save up so I can fly to Beijing for the Olympics in 2008. :D

Maybe I'll see you there! We want to go too. :)

Taiwan is part of China.

Lies!!!! Tiawan, while sort of, officially, a self-governing province of China, is in reality a separate state which is no longer recognised as an independent state because everyone is afraid that China might get mad...:)

In fact, until some time in the 70s, I'm not entirely sure when, a lot of the world didn't recognise the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party as the official government of China, they recognised the Nationalists in Tiawan as the official government for all of China. For example, see the People's Republic of China's declaration on its signature to the ICCPR (International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights 1966) -

China
Statement:

The signature that the Taiwain authorities affixed, by usurping the name of "China", to the [Convention] on 5 October 1967, is illegal and null and void.

see..."usurping the name of China"

The US was one of the nations most reluctant to recognise the Communists as the official government, althought the Uk recognised them much earlier. I'm not entirely sure which China had the permanent seat on the Security Council at first, but I think that it would have been Nationalist China for some time. Actually, the revolution wasn't till later, so in 1945, it must have been the Nationalists, but they can't possibly have kept the permanent seat for very long, since Communist China would have had Nukes at least by the early 60's! Can anyone enlighten me on this point?

it's far away and people talk funny.



Oh and a very large part of the adults smoke

Maybe I'll see you there! We want to go too. :)

IF I save up enough :( Sort of my graudation trip! :D

hmmm...from the history of the UN at www.un.org


25 October 1971
General Assembly votes to seat representatives of the People's Republic of China.

IF I save up enough :( Sort of my graudation trip! :D
:D Yeah, I hear that hotels are going to at least triple their prices, and many will be booked a year in advance. Of course, since it's the mainland, just because you have a room booked doesn't mean you're actually going to get it. :rolleyes: Staying at a friend's house seems like the best bet to me. Either that or get a part-time job as a translator :D (I keep telling my students to try to go that way -- almost all of them want to go, but, well, most of them come from poor farming families.......

quite a lot, at least up until about 2000. cos I did a degree in Modern Chinese Studies.

My good friend http://running-dog.co.uk/ is well worth a read if you want to know interesting stuff about contemporary China.

Woo hoo! It's great that there's a thread about China on this forum. I just joined and was already beginning to get bored with all the America-centric claptrap.
I'm in Beijing and it rocks.

running-dog.co.uk is a great site, by the way.

For people who want to learn a bit about what life is actually like in China - albeit from an expatriate perspective - take a look at the listings site www.thatsbj.com, particularly the 'links' section.

And the spoof www.gou-rou.com is hilarious (guo rou means 'dog meat' in mandarin)

Maybe see some of you at the olympics then!!

Dragonboating's fun.

:D Yeah, I hear that hotels are going to at least triple their prices, and many will be booked a year in advance. Of course, since it's the mainland, just because you have a room booked doesn't mean you're actually going to get it. :rolleyes: Staying at a friend's house seems like the best bet to me. Either that or get a part-time job as a translator :D (I keep telling my students to try to go that way -- almost all of them want to go, but, well, most of them come from poor farming families.......

RIGHT! BOOKINGS!

sigh...I don't bother dealing with the bureaucracy. Maybe I'll stay home and watch the broadcast....*cries*

BUT FOR ONCE (or twice) ASIANS DO NOT HAVE STAY UP LATE TO WATCH THE OLYMPICS! IT'S YOUR TURN TO SUFFER, EUROPEANS AND AMERICANS. HA. HA. HA. HA. HA.

* In regards to the U.N.

Republic of China ( Now Taiwan ) was an original part-founder ( I think ) and holder of a Permanent Seat on the ( Security ? ) Council of the U.N. since its formation. I think it only used its own Veto power the once ... in regards to something about Mongolia and the U.N. ? Could have been the PRC ( Modern day Main-land China ) who did that later, though, I can't be sure.

As the way with the U.N. and the Cold War and even now, even after the post Soviet-Collapse Thaw, lots of personal agendas between members finally had fate conspire to remove the ROC from its Permanent Seat in 1971 and replace it with the PRC. I'm sure ROC still has its U.N membership of course. Since then I think the PRC exercised its veto 4 times, but whose counting ? :p

I find it interesting for all the One China talk that the ROC still has a regular U.N. seat, though, :D

( I could be wrong, but if you want to know for sure, pull out a book or look it up on * the * ( Not the N.S. one ) Wikipedia ... )

*snip*

This United State....strikes a bell. Very loudly. What is it?

Putting who own's who concerning land issue of Taiwan aside.

Do you think it would hurt or better Taiwan if they joined with China? Or will China be better off with Taiwan joining up?

Do you think it's a win-win situation for both sides?

Putting who own's who concerning land issue of Taiwan aside.

Do you think it would hurt or better Taiwan if they joined with China? Or will China be better off with Taiwan joining up?

Do you think it's a win-win situation for both sides?

It doesn't matter who wins. As long as the US and Japan lose.

It doesn't matter who wins. As long as the US and Japan lose.

Why do you say that? Why must US and Japan lose?

Why do you say that? Why must US and Japan lose?

ahhh......a mixture of the anti-japan sentiment of the mainland and the anti-foreigner sentiment of Hong Kong. You're quite a chef, Dragon ;)

Why do you say that? Why must US and Japan lose?

It makes sense. Even if the absorbtion of Taiwan into the mainland was going to cause problems, the simultaneous defeat of the US and Japan would allow China to grow stronger in the long term.

ahhh......a mixture of the anti-japan sentiment of the mainland and the anti-foreigner sentiment of Hong Kong. You're quite a chef, Dragon ;)

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT ANTI-JAPAN / ANTI-AMERICA. I AM ANTI-IMPERIALISM.

I love and admire the Japanese and American cultures - to large extents. I'm not anti "Japan" nor "America".

And I marched peacefully against Japanese imperialism, while my 'comrades' across the border rioted against JAPAN. Wholly different.

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT ANTI-JAPAN / ANTI-AMERICA. I AM ANTI-IMPERIALISM.

I love and admire the Japanese and American cultures - to large extents. I'm not anti "Japan" nor "America".

And I marched peacefully against Japanese imperialism, while my 'comrades' across the border rioted against JAPAN. Wholly different.

Fair enough. I'm glad you think things through. It seems fewer and fewer people do these days.

Fair enough. I'm glad you think things through. It seems fewer and fewer people do these days.

Read the thread about somebody trying to poison his/her neighbours with laxative-ridden brownies and you'll find out just how people don't think things through! *hilarious* :D

Hmm. Concerning Taiwan. Wouldn't China be the imperial threat?

I think Taiwan would eventually join China as soon as China changes to a more democratic system. Their just suspicious of China. I mean, it's the same with Hong Kong now, with your ex-minister. You want a capable leader, not a communist crony.

Hmm. Concerning Taiwan. Wouldn't China be the imperial threat?

I think Taiwan would eventually join China as soon as China changes to a more democratic system. Their just suspicious of China. I mean, it's the same with Hong Kong now, with your ex-minister. You want a capable leader, not a communist crony.

The problem is far more serious. We now have Taiwanese natives who want an independent Taiwan - even if they have to ally with Japan to get it. That's the most dangerous element in the Taiwan Strait. So now the Communists and the Nationalists have begun talking to one another again so stem the pro-independence movement.

China has a great wall, and supposedly a great firewall also.

I know a fair bit.
I'd guess about as much as an amature generalist in Asian affairs who's more in tune with Japan, and has friends from different parts of China, might reasonably be expected to know.
I know some history, geography, customs, politics, folklore, etc.. I have read several translations of the Tao Te Ching, the Anelects, Sun Tzu, and a few others. (I have a particular liking for the Hsun Tzu school of Confucianism.)
I've also read a bit of Mao (On Guerrilla Warfare and an excerpted version of the infamous little red book.)
There's a long history of great inventions (some of which didn't amount to much for cultural reasons).
I know a bit about the ladies, thanks to a lady friend from Shanghai of several years ago. (Shanghai men are rumored to be very kind and make good husbands.)

China has the fastest growth rate of people converting to christianity.

China has a great wall, and supposedly a great firewall also.

I can attest to the firewall. I'm behind it now. It slows everything from outside China way down, and blocks a bunch of sites. Nothing Geocities gets through, for example.

Japan was formed when a superstitious emperor from one of the dynasties in China sent a large group of people to the island in search for some immortality essence. But guess the people decided to say and build their own future instead. It is ironic that centuries later, they where attacked by these same people. Korea was also formed by migrants from ancient China I've read. That is why their languages and cultures are quite similar.

The war of the three ancient Chinese kingdom's also an interesting read.

Cook anything fresh without a minimal amount of oil and anything can be Chinese. *rolls eyes*

I don't know any....I don't really cook :P

...fry some Garlic in Oil....throw meat/veg. in...add soy sauce, starch and vinegar...stir-fry...and you'll get chinese dish...

not much

except that they usurped Tibet, snatched parts from Mongolia, Vietnam , India and some other country during border wars.

Hans now outnumber native tibetans in tibet !

Chinese dissenters undergo "re-education camps" a la gulag camps.

they even get their organs harvested after execution.

Uighur muslims do not have any religious freedom and so are the falun gongs.

Number one in piracy and fake products.

villagers living in rural china need papers and permission to go to urban cities.

Chinese have proliferated nukes to pak and NoKo and have also proliferated missiles to pakistan.

Other than that china is a "peaceful country" and i love their food.

Oh and one more thing, they take great care on their image.

can't afford to "lose face".

hence every information is controlled and anything that disparages what they see as their image is NEVER given out.

recall the SARS case, the chinese vehemently denied in the beginning.

That'll be really hard in the modern world (covering up something like that).

But think their outdated traditional mentalities would slowly change as the country progress....

China was the guy in West Side Story who killed Tony.

Do you know nothing?

China was the guy in West Side Story who killed Tony.

Do you know nothing?

Its a guy? I thought she's a wrestler in WWE?

I have it all stored subconciously in the back of my head. You know, that 5000 year legacy that has been passed down from generation to generation? It's getting to be quite heavy.

That'll be really hard in the modern world (covering up something like that).

But think their outdated traditional mentalities would slowly change as the country progress....

not really.

economically the communists have become capitalists in the eastern seaboard.

nothing much have changed in the political front since Mao. the indoctrination is still there. the chinese i have met overseas have little or no idea of the cultural revolution or the great leap forward. FYI these were pivotal movements which caused untold misery to the victims.

Information is tightly controlled both ways in china. nothing that is not approved enters or leaves.

(edited a typo)

China's Thatcher-prime minister, Wu Yi, very symbolically cut short her Japan tour abruptly because Koizumi once again asserted strongly his right to visit the Yasukuni Shrine. Koizumi is an idiot! *rolls eyes*

Its a guy? I thought she's a wrestler in WWE?

You seem to be thinking of Chyna (http://www.owow.com/RingsideWith/Chyna/). ;)

Japan was formed when a superstitious emperor from one of the dynasties in China sent a large group of people to the island in search for some immortality essence. But guess the people decided to say and build their own future instead. It is ironic that centuries later, they where attacked by these same people. Korea was also formed by migrants from ancient China I've read. That is why their languages and cultures are quite similar.

The war of the three ancient Chinese kingdom's also an interesting read.

Just out of curiosity, where did you hear that?
It's completely out of whack with the mythical accounts of the Kojiki and Nihongi, and even more so with archaological and historical findings.
And the languages are quite different. Note that Chinese is classified as a Sino-Tibetan language, while Japanese is definately not. There is some question about the exact family that Japanese belongs to, but most linguist classify it in the Japonic languages family.
The cultures are also significantly different, as well. Those similarities that do exist are almost exclusively due to the inflance of China in the Yamato, Asuka, and Nara periods.
And China never attacked Japan. You have that completely backwards.