Cathay, the Central Nation - part 2

Even though I am Chinese, I am not in great 'amour' with China or to be more accurate I'm not in love with the current Chinese government or the current Chinese people. With so much bad press surrounding the current regime it is hard not to see why. I acknowledge the Chinese have a great culture and there are a great many things to be proud of as a Chinese person. My ancestors have invented many things, from the compass to paper money, which has led to the advancement of human civilization. Chinese food is known all over the world as one of the most delicious and can be found in all four corners of the world. There is a rich depth and vibrance to its art and music; sometimes greatly underappreciated by its own people. Yet modern China has many things wrong as there are right, maybe even more so.

I had previously wrote about the situation in Tibet in my last blog entry. Even though the Chinese invaded the region back in 1950, they have done many things to advance the region - building new infrastructure, educating the people, etc. Yet at the end of the day, like most people, the Tibetans yearn for more freedom and rights. A caged bird will always want to fly away, even if it has lived its whole life behind bars. This is what the Chinese government do not understand - that people want to govern themselves, even if it is under Chinese rule. This is ironic considering China's stance on Taiwan, that Chinese people should govern themselves.

Tibet is just one of the problem's China has with its image on the world stage. Whenever one discusses China, you can't help put human rights on top of the agenda. I think none of the government officials in China have read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or even know what humans rights are. Just a few of the human rights absent or oppressed in China include the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech and the freedom of a fair trial. I could go on but I think I will bore most people and offend others, with many people I know being Chinese and patriotic about the country (including my father). My dad has always stated things are no better in UK and USA. He's absolutely right in some ways. There are people being detained without cause in Guantanamo Bay. The class system is still very prevalent in UK and discriminates against a lot of people especially the minority races. I would find it hard to get a job back in the UK. Yet there are people willing to change the system and talk about the problem in UK and USA, unlike in China. If I said anything about my entry in UK and USA, people would have a right to criticise, agree or disagree. If I wrote this blog entry as a citizen of the People's Republic of China, I most likely would be arrested for 'endangering the security of the nation' or some other trumped up charge.

I wouldn't be surprised if all governments of the world want to suppress the freedom of speech. I think they want to get rid of criticism they get subjected to. Criticism is inevitable with the freedom of speech but also comes debate and dialogue. If you don't get criticism, debate or dialogue, you will not get diversity or improvement. If the freedom of speech gets abolished we would have just one view and nothing would progress.

I think it would take me too long to write about China and its problem in one blog entry, so I will break it up into smaller entries. Expect similar rants whilst I talk about my life.