Did you know I lived in China for 5 years? Yep, I lived in the city of Shenzhen, which has about 13 million people or so. No one really knows because there are so many migrant workers that come from other areas of the country.
Shenzhen, China. That large mountain in the background is called Nanshan and I used to run up it several times a week.
China’s a large country, and you can’t do all the same kinds of things that you can do back here in the US. First, you probably couldn’t visit this site.
Well, I’m not 100% sure on that, but I do know if your website has the word “blog” in the URL then you can’t access that site. What does that mean exactly? You couldn’t visit this site:
http://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/79/The-27-Naughtiest-Cats-In-The-World-And-I-Can-t-Stop-Laughing%7C
Now, why did I choose that site? Because it seemed stupid and it has that word “blog” right there in the link. That alone would ensure I’d get a screen that looked like this:
It really depends on what browser you’re using, but you’ll pretty much get something like that or like this:
The same holds true for Facebook, YouTube, Google, Twitter and countless other websites that are banned in China. That Wikipedia list there says 2,600 sites are banned, but I think it’s a lot more than that. And let’s not even factor in all the small one-person blogs and social media accounts that are started and then deleted or have their access restricted.
And is it really hard to understand why? I don’t think so. It’s clear to me the government’s scared of its people.
This is a rare occurrence, and something we don’t know in the US. See, here people are afraid of the government. In China, however, the small coterie of rich industrialists, engineers, and businessmen that make up the inner-workings of the Communist Party know that for over 5,000 years of history it was always the people that overthrew governments.
In America we have no conception of this, and that’s why the government is scary. In China they know that governments are but reeds ready to blow away at the slightest turning of the wind. And that’s why this current government, or dynasty if you will, that’s been ruling in China since 1976 is a bit worried. That’s the year Mao Zedong died and Hua Guofeng took over. He lasted two years and created an environment conducive to the reformist policies implemented by Deng Xiaoping starting in 1978.
And is it really hard to understand why? I don’t think so. It’s clear to me the government’s scared of its people.
This is a rare occurrence, and something we don’t know in the US. See, here people are afraid of the government. In China, however, the small coterie of rich industrialists, engineers, and businessmen that make up the inner-workings of the Communist Party know that for over 5,000 years of history it was always the people that overthrew governments.
In America we have no conception of this, and that’s why the government is scary. In China they know that governments are but reeds ready to blow away at the slightest turning of the wind. And that’s why this current government, or dynasty if you will, that’s been ruling in China since 1976 is a bit worried. That’s the year Mao Zedong died and Hua Guofeng took over. He lasted two years and created an environment conducive to the reformist policies implemented by Deng Xiaoping starting in 1978.
Deng Xiaoping studied in France in the 1920s, fought against the Japanese in the 1940s, was banished to the countryside numerous times in the 1960s and 1970s, then consolidated his power after Mao’s death in 1976. He ended communism in China.
Communism hasn’t existed in China since 1978, which is the same year Coca-Cola opened a plant in Shanghai and the US recognized the country for the first time since WWII. The country is more capitalist than many in the West, yet it’s run as an oligarchy and plutocracy, with only rich folks pulling the strings. Crony capitalism would be the best name to describe the system in place, with rampant corruption and a never-ending stream of bribes.
Talking about this is taboo, at least in China. When the New York Times ran a story on how now-former prime minister Wen Jiaobao’s family had $2.7 billion in assets the site was blocked, something that happened in October, 2012. It's probably still blocked today.
Prime Minister Wen Jiaobao racked up millions and possibly billions from graft and corruption. He’s now pulling the strings behind the scenes as one of China’s old guard.
It’s that limit on communication and the free flow ideas that makes it so hard for businessmen in China to really maximize their profits, which is the whole intent of capitalism. I can’t tell you how many times businessmen complained to me about this as we sat in bars drinking cheap Chinese beer.
We know how much money there’s to be made with things like content marketing and social media marketing, yet the Chinese won’t allow this because they think it will erode their hold on power. I think they’re right, and I think the people in China should do what they’ve always done before, and overthrow a dynasty that’s lost the Mandate of Heaven.
The environment is a mess over there, and while it’s true the latest Five Year Plan addresses this in more concrete ways than the US, that crony capitalism full of corruption only ensures that any legislative teeth the plan has will be pulled immediately. That’s frustrating, but thankfully China has a long precedence for change and will continue to do the right thing.
Protesters fill the streets of Hong Kong Island in July, 2014, as Beijing cracks down on democracy in the former British colony.
For the people in Hong Kong, this is a necessity. Their autonomous rights exist for only fifty years after 1997, the date the treaty handing over the former British colony was signed. That means they should have until 2047 until Beijing pushes for democracy to come to an end there, but they're doing so now.
We’ve seen these democrat rights the colony enjoys eroded however, primarily with freedom of speech. Citizens are protesting in Hong Kong for democratic rights right now over this, and protests are common there. The citizens in Hong Kong held a vigil for the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre this past June, but one has to wonder how long they’ll have the right to peaceably assemble as well.
We’ve seen these democrat rights the colony enjoys eroded however, primarily with freedom of speech. Citizens are protesting in Hong Kong for democratic rights right now over this, and protests are common there. The citizens in Hong Kong held a vigil for the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre this past June, but one has to wonder how long they’ll have the right to peaceably assemble as well.
Hong Kong commemoration of 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre. Tens of thousands peaceably assembled in Kowloon, the southernmost tip of the Peninsula before Hong Kong Island (Click for US News Article)
Of course countries like the US do more than any others to ensure that right will go away. We do business over there and are the chief reason that country is what it is today. Without that initial investment from companies like Coca-Cola and the myriad others that followed suit and signed trade and business deals with China the country would look a lot different.
Most people wouldn’t know that. The minimum wage in the country is 1,320 RMB a month, which is about $210. But that’s only in the really good cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen. If you live out in the countryside you might make that every few months, perhaps even in a year.
That doesn’t give you a lot of time to visit sites on the internet that might be blocked, or even to watch TV. People over there love to read the newspaper, however, and you’ll see newspaper stands and kiosks on most corners. And don’t think there’s a limit on what people can read – each stand typically has more than fifty newspapers and magazines to choose from. Whether it’s actually news or propaganda, however, is up to interpretation – lots of papers are blowing around.
Most people wouldn’t know that. The minimum wage in the country is 1,320 RMB a month, which is about $210. But that’s only in the really good cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen. If you live out in the countryside you might make that every few months, perhaps even in a year.
That doesn’t give you a lot of time to visit sites on the internet that might be blocked, or even to watch TV. People over there love to read the newspaper, however, and you’ll see newspaper stands and kiosks on most corners. And don’t think there’s a limit on what people can read – each stand typically has more than fifty newspapers and magazines to choose from. Whether it’s actually news or propaganda, however, is up to interpretation – lots of papers are blowing around.
Woman selling newspapers outside a train station in Beijing
Not all people are poor. Doctors will typically make 5,000 RMB a month ($804), which is really good. English teachers can make around 4,000 or even 14,000 ($2,250) or more if they’re actually from an English country. And wealthy businessmen are pulling in millions, the politicians that pave the way for them earning not much less.
Those folks have a lot of money to buy eBooks because they’re part of the largest and fastest rising middle class people that we’ve ever seen in history. We’re talking a good 500 million people here at least that went from living in homes with a room or two and questionable plumbing and electricity to all the modern conveniences we know of today, and in a generation or less.
Those folks have a lot of money to buy eBooks because they’re part of the largest and fastest rising middle class people that we’ve ever seen in history. We’re talking a good 500 million people here at least that went from living in homes with a room or two and questionable plumbing and electricity to all the modern conveniences we know of today, and in a generation or less.
Chinese Grandmother watching her grandson while his parents are at work
Grandparents that once were sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution – and who probably didn’t have much to begin with in the first place – are now caring for grandkids going to school in modern cities while their children work full-time jobs they often hate but which give them the tools they need to realize the dreams a materialistic and modern culture and society demand.
They can buy eBooks, and they are, but just unfortunately not from Amazon. So that means that those 500 million potential customers will remain just that – potential.
It’s a bummer, and that’s why I hope those protesting for Democracy in Hong Kong will convince some of their fellow Han Chinese on the mainland to join in the fight. Better yet, have the current crop of corrupt leaders institute the remaining democratic reforms needed to ramp up capitalism further, thus allowing them to take advantage of their people to the fullest potential in their quest to maximize profits.
They can buy eBooks, and they are, but just unfortunately not from Amazon. So that means that those 500 million potential customers will remain just that – potential.
It’s a bummer, and that’s why I hope those protesting for Democracy in Hong Kong will convince some of their fellow Han Chinese on the mainland to join in the fight. Better yet, have the current crop of corrupt leaders institute the remaining democratic reforms needed to ramp up capitalism further, thus allowing them to take advantage of their people to the fullest potential in their quest to maximize profits.
Protesters in Hong Kong clash with police in July, 2014
We do that in the US, and that’s why I can buy eBooks from Amazon. It’s why I get a check from several Amazon retailers around the world each month – there are 12 now – and I’d like to get one from China as well.
Limits on freedom hurt business and if your business is hurt you can’t make money. The Chinese care about money almost as much as they care about their kids, and some more so. It’s their overriding daily concern and I’ve never seen a more industrious people. And by golly do they like to sit outside and read those newspapers. Newspapers blow away in the wind, eBooks don’t. China, make the right choice.
Limits on freedom hurt business and if your business is hurt you can’t make money. The Chinese care about money almost as much as they care about their kids, and some more so. It’s their overriding daily concern and I’ve never seen a more industrious people. And by golly do they like to sit outside and read those newspapers. Newspapers blow away in the wind, eBooks don’t. China, make the right choice.
RSS Feed