这已经由历史学家香Zhenkuai的小片取下来，从“ 南方都市报 “ ，但它已设法逃脱一些其他网站的审查。 我喜欢香港批评中共王朝的统治，微妙的方式和凉爽的“L'国家花莲莫伊”中国渲染为“朕即国家”。

因为我没有语言星期四今天的时间，我已经做了这位翻译工作：

据报道，法国波旁王朝国王路易十四说：“L'政变花莲莫伊”[ 1 ]。 即使世界上所有主权国家爱专制，他们很少有人会如此公开地说。 路易十四统治从1643年到1715年，作为中国的康熙同期。 康熙的思想是不是不像“L'政变花莲莫伊”，但他显然比路易十四的“具有中国特色的智慧” - 他做了很多的“人道行动”，从而赢得人道主的声誉，同时还作为一个独裁者的统治。

在拥有主权的人民的思想，主权属于人民，它是不是“L'国家花莲莫伊”而是“国家是我们 ”。 当然，这种思想的路易十四去世之后才出现。 在他这个年龄，有没有谁可以告诉主权，政府和国家的概念之间的差异在世界很多。 即使在中国，先秦哲学家孟子说：“首先是人，然后国家的君主”，其实在秦汉以来的2000多年中，爱国主义意味着对君主的忠诚度，而这些两个概念是混乱的。 点击继续»

1. 这意味着国家是我[ ↩ ]

通过在劳教所建设的改革。 待以前，该地区居民被迫疏散。

欢迎通过劳工改革劳动改造营。 你一直送到这里接受治疗的思想僵化。 你不知道它，但你受苦正是这里为同一疾病的人。 不要担心，它有一种治疗方法：所有你需要做的就是放松，读一些书，结交一些朋友，并获得境外互联网的正常生活。

当你在营地时，你应该练习自我批评，并热烈探讨于右任的思想：

• 这个博客是关于中国的，我不关心你认为我国。
• 我不是来自外国，我并不代表官方立场的外国。
• 这个博客是不是针对任何谎言和愚昧除外。
• 一个政府不接受人民的批评始终是一个弱势政府。
• 共产主义行不通，如果没有中国共产党，实际使用它。
• 中国遭受的不公正引起国外一些国家的贪婪和残暴的过去， 并通过其自己的自私领导人。 我与中国的历史非常熟悉，我不需要这些不光彩的事件不断提醒，谢谢你。

一旦你学习了上面的思想，去这个网站，并记住完整的毛泽东思想 。 当你完成了你的思想革命化，你能回来到我的博客。

。

它看起来像查尔斯在新中国的鸿沟博客已经找到了新源，以振兴中国博客现场点击：辩论在中国在打击色情活动 。

虽然我通常不支持任何类型的检查，我不得不说我不关心的色情事业在中国。 从我所看到的，性别的小贩是最可耻的，垃圾邮件，病毒缠身，一般无用的互联网网站，分散他们的注意力从更重要的事情做喜欢读我的博客的网民。 你可以确信，你不会找到我在示威者的行列时，这些网站获得禁止。

然而，有一个禁止色情更重要的问题，这是中国当局的定义比我们通常理解为色情去的方式进一步。 它适用于一些精彩的 ​​艺术作品，包括电影，如李安的色戒和注意，或者这个伟大的电视连续剧 ，由柳书。 它是用来像一些优秀的艺术家唐炜边缘化，在一般情况下，有助于进一步扼杀创造力的中国文学和艺术的场景。

是肯定，多次禁止“不健康”的内容，只是一个借口摆脱持不同政见者或保护主义政策辩护。 但一般来说，当中国当局打击色情行动，它是一个真正的道德关注。 这里是在那里我看到一个更有趣的角度来讨论，将这个问题我问去年在有关职位的电视连续剧和共产主义道德的党员：为什么这么假正经呢？

从我的生活在不同的共产主义和前共产主义国家的经验，我认为这是不是严格意义上的中国现象。 事实上，它甚至不是一个共产主义的现象，而是一个处处保守的人的共同特点。 我维持，为什么在中国被禁止色情内容的原因仅仅是，中国共产党是一个极端保守的组织，并为所有的保守派，到处都厌恶性的公共显示，即使在私下，他们可能会觉得没有去妓院的5倍一个星期。

那么，为什么不保守派往往共同对性有特别的态度吗？ ，特别是为什么共产主义政权，废除所有宗教，性别相关清教的前列？

红保守党

首先，我想在这里补充一个保守派的定义，只是为了避免周围有一个词的含义，整个讨论反过来。 像大多数政治方面，这可以在不同地方有不同的含义。 我使用这个职位的意义是，我认为是最直观，最了解国际。 从大英百科全书 ：

表示偏好机构和历史发展的做法和政治态度或思想的连续性和稳定性的表现。 在当今时代，这是第一次表示，通过工程埃德蒙·伯克在法国大革命的反应，其中伯克认为其暴行玷污通过其理想。 保守派认为，实施的变化应该是最小的和渐进的，他们欣赏的历史，是较理想的现实。

在像中国这样的共产主义国家的情况下，它总是复杂，使用正常的政治方面的保守/逐行，或右/左。 原因是，在1949-1978年期间的范式被改变，和老保守派被灭绝。 因此，从零创建一个“新国家”，因此，中国政治生活中，“机构和演变历史的做法”只能算在共产党的历史定义的目的。 在中国的保守派往往是共产主义。

这种现象是很难独特。 它遵循的革命运动无处不在获得主流电源的逻辑：他们的焦点突然转向，从“改变世界”，“维持现状”，通常采取保守心态控制。

这是根本没有必要解释这个已经在中国居住的任何人，但我有一些美国人仍然觉得奇怪，打电话给一个共产主义政权的“保守”的感觉。 如果你觉得这一切仅仅是智力多嘴，你缺少了点。 中共的支持者是真正保守的人，他 ​​们的行为， 完全按照你期望从一个保守的其他地方。

从我与一些在中国共产党的热血青年男子，我在朝鲜的互联网夜长聊天的谈话中，我有一个合理的理解：什么动作那些坚信“共产党人”，他们不喜欢的外国势力，他们重视荒谬的重要性国籍和种族，他们是反对任何听起来像旧观念的思想自由或质疑，他们喜欢传统的女孩，漂亮的老炮，谁不穿迷你短裙，或在公众场合说话太多，结婚;他们不喜欢同性恋的人，他们很快叫“妓女”，当一个女孩酷似许多男人做的行为。

悲剧的是，这些保守的人绝不会是能够连接与他们的同行在美国，因为双方都仍然由他们自己的宗教和冷战rethoric的约束。 应该有人发明党的口号，如：世界的保守党，团结起来！

政治术语汤

我将不得不削减今天在这里，因为我的新博客政策不要让我做平均每个职位超过1000字。 我们将继续在未来的一，但在我结束之前，我想提的非常有趣的问题，在中国的政治术语。

由于上述范例的逆转，仍是一个很好的协议在西方的英语单词，哪些应该被用来命名一个共产主义国家的不同意识形态的混乱。 我没有在中国政治的学者，但我在主体（包括学术著作，如看书维克多施明德 ），我得到的印象，不规范的条款。 唯一的书，我已经看到，尝试做一个分类是小手册：“ 什么是中国认为 “由马克·伦纳德。

我希望有人会借给我一只手，并指出我的一些其他资源，在那里我可以看一下这件事。 在此期间，从我记得那本书和我的主动，主教派去如下：

老左： ​​在CPP要恢复毛泽东思想的强硬派。 西方相反，这些左撇子其实都是很保守的人。

老右：崇拜者和台湾的国民党，今天在大陆几乎看不见。 我从来没有见过的人，所以不知道他们是保守的字符或不。 我以为FLG许多成员将响应描述。

新左派：温家宝总理，推动更多的社会政策，公平分配的财富，等在共产党的统治，这样的政治家。 的心态仍是保守的，但小于老左派。

新右派政治家，思想家和一些企业在邓小平的启发鲨鱼“先富起来”，要优先沿海地区，并建立一个无情的资本主义制度。 他们不会有任何的心态，因为他们太忙先富，他们只要不关心政治思想作为自己的猫抓老鼠。

右左：这是我自己不正常的术语包括许志永或刘晓波等人，以及一些人士呼吁政治改革，民主权利和公民权利在中共。 其中许多是不是持不同政见者，但只是勇敢的党员敢于提出自己的声音。 这是唯一的想法，我有“进步”的心态回应。

你觉得这个术语呢？

注：此清单并不意味着可以作为参考，而是邀请参与，请提出你想要的任何条款，或指出我好读一些有关现代中国的政治。 对于那些来到这里找到一些性别，请明天再来时，我将继续与主体后，我会重视中国的色情图片。 有一个愉快的一天。

虎浮出水面。 新的十年已经在西方，在中国，我们是在没有人的土地，太阳能和农历新年之间的牛和老虎之间，再次。 它是时间回过头来看看我们所处的位置。

几十年来在世界政治中的时间测量，许多人会请中国十年的00。 这只是一个简化，这10年不过78开始在一个较长的过程的一部分，并可能仍然持续另一个十年多。 然而，如果我们要选择一个事件，标志着在世界政治中的十年，像冷战的结束标志着20世纪90年代，中国的崛起是最合理的选择。 没有其他的事件很可能被在世界历史上更果断。

在今年年底前版的第一篇文章中，我们证明了，在十年内成长趋势，2008年中国在世界媒体的存在是一个高峰期，而2009年已经恢复到相对正常的水平。 此峰不能隐藏大势所趋，中国的增长不可避免地成为一个世界超级大国，它已经改变了人类的力量平衡。

测量的中国十年

如果我们要选择一个参数来衡量这一上升，这是经济，可以给我们最好的线索。 有没有去十年的发展趋势进行分析时，小数点，这样的计算是简单的：中国已经成长约7％的速度比西方国家在过去十年中，一切似乎表明 ，这将继续到10。

计算*很简单：1.07 ^ 10 = 2

率在7％，差一年，中国的经济相对西方国家的经济规模是每十年增加一倍。 今天，大多数的国内生产总值的地方，中国之间的1/4和1/2的美国经济，取决于如果是在名义国内生产总值或以购买力平价计算的估计。 这意味着，如果不出意外在未来十年的变化，中国经济将是随时随地与2020年和2030年在世界最大的。

这一计算的后果是巨大的，他们今天已经运行。 这是因为在政治上，我们就像在股市的表现决定是考虑到可预见的未来，而不是现在。 在世界政治中，中国已经取代欧盟，即使是欧洲经济的一小部分，即使它并不想成为主角。 媒体和政客对中国的未来价值投注。

“十年”的问题

当然，没有任何担保，00的增长模式将继续在10s。 有一个重要的思想学校坚持对中国的制度不可持续的。 他们提到腐败，不平等现象日益加剧，缺乏公民权利和公民社会的创造力和自由市场的镇压，无法建立世界一流的品牌和金融体系处于混乱状态，在其他问题，以证明他们的预测，迟早中国经济必然崩溃。

我们这些在中国生活和工作的认识，这些问题是严重的，很真实，上下行某处有注定是一个严重的调整。 然而，相同的预测已作出定期几乎每年都在过去的三十年，和崩溃没有兑现。

这个十年真正的问题是什么时候？

中国经济将停止增长之前或之后，它已成为一个超级大国如美国的大？ 将中国认真地要求更多的权利和自由之前或之后，中国已成为一个发达的国家呢？ 会做的经济和政治的调整将逐步与新一代中国领导人，或会有爆炸危险在这十年？

我们不会有今天这个答案，你不应该相信任何人声称他们的中国问题专家。 所有我们能做的是帧上面的问题，并观看回答它在未来几年内的早期迹象。

不过，有一个声明，我们可以今天。 纵观世界，这是显而易见的，许多重要的球员已经对中国的崛起投注，这一观点被每年收集更多的支持。 正如我们上面看到的，在某种程度上，在世界上的大多数认为在超级大国的情况下，中国已经是一个超级大国。 政权是在国内生产总值提前几年，世界新秩序的今天已经是一个事实。

照片： 埃里克Risberg

*这是一个工程师的计算，任何严重的数学家的恶梦。 然而，大多数的桥梁，我们做的是仍然站立，当我们谈到十年的趋势什么比这更准确的是一个笑话。

圣诞快乐大家。 伤心圣诞节对于中国来说，我们都爱这个国家，相信在自由，尊严和真理的人。

整整一年前，在圣诞节那天，我发表这篇文章关于刘宪章。 我是主动的关键原因是多方面的：它包含的矛盾，它是被动的，而不是主动，这不是一个以团结所有中国人的“宪章”。 但最重要的是，该文件的起草方式，确保它没有飞翔的机会。

这一举措实际上出生时死了，“联合国宪章”，甚至从来没有在09年初在中国的大课题，这是我们当时看了危机和刺激。 党已经从一开始就赢得了比赛，所以什么时候欺负刘现在，一年后呢？ 显然，只是为了树立一个榜样，以确保将关闭，其余的签名，并避免在未来几年内的新举措。 “杀了鸡来吓唬猴子”，中国传统的说。 ，这是不正义的，但一个恶心的黑手党技巧。

即使你不相信中国在民主，即使你认为（像我这样做），西方的虚伪政府给这里甚至没有教训，如果“宪章”可能不是最好的方式来实现的崇高原则它宣称。 即便如此，任何正派的人可以看到这样的文件不应该是一个被剥夺了自由人的一个原因。

党知道这一点，这是再次审查，趴在互联网上，从中国人民隐瞒其卑鄙。

现在这个故事已经拿起了CNN，它使一些噪音。 如果我们很幸运，这远远不够，甚至奥巴马可能会给我们一个难忘的线。 但它不会改变任何东西，因为这一切都是与中国打交道的一部分。 和句子是没有更多或更少比什么可以预计中国政府今天。

刘知道这口井，他决定去，尽管它。 那是因为他是一个理想主义者和英雄。 他将记住。

在这种情况下， 在这里 。 此外，从我自己的博客： 在这里 ， 在 这里和这里 。

这些原则，在中国于2008年出版的303勇士们：

自由 ，自由是普世价值的核心。 言论自由，新闻自由，集会自由，结社自由，在那里生活的自由，罢工，示威，抗议，其中包括自由，自由需要的形式。 没有自由，中国将始终保持远离文明的理想。

不是由一个国家赋予的人权。人权。 每个人与生俱来的尊严和自由的固有权利。 政府为保护其公民的人权存在。 由人民行使国家权力必须被授权。 在中国近代历史的政治灾害的继承是一个政权无视人权的直接后果。

平等。正直，尊严和自由，每个人，不论社会地位，职业，性别，经济状况，种族，肤色，宗教或政治信仰是任何其他的相同。 面前人人平等的法律和社会，经济，文化，公民和政治权利平等的原则必须坚持。

共和，共和，认为权力应政府和利益争夺的不同分支之间的平衡，应送达类似于中国传统的政治理想“在所有的公平性下天堂。”，它允许不同的利益群体和社会的集会，并与人各种各样的文化和信仰，行使民主自治和审议，以达到政府和自由和公平竞争的平等机会的基础上和平解决公共问题。

民主，民主，最根本的原则是人民主权和人民选择自己的政府。 民主具有以下特点：（1）政治权力开始与人民政权的合法性来源于人民。 （2）政治权力的行使通过人作出的选择。 （3）各级政府主要官员职位的持有人有决心通过定期的竞争性选举。 （4）尊重多数人的意志的同时，基本尊严，自由，人权和少数民族的保护。 总之，民主使政府成为一个现代化的手段“的人，由人民，为人民。”

宪政。宪政是通过法律制度和法律法规的实施，是宪法规定的原则规则。 这意味着自由和公民权利的保护，限制和界定合法政府的权力范围，并提供必要为这些目的的行政机构。

在本系列的前两个 员额 ，我们看到，中国是世界的语言保持了一套完整独立的词汇根和非代表他们的语音脚本，我们可以称之为一个单独的词系统。 出于这个原因，我认为，中国可能是最困难的语言得到充分的流畅性，无论对学生的语言背景。

但也有比单纯的语言的困难，特别是文化和政治的，更有趣的问题。 因为拒绝使用贷款和语音脚本是有意识的决策结果。 的确，有没有在语言本身，禁止进口的外来词或一个字母使用，有目前使用中的直接贷款，写拉丁字母，如DVD或KTV已经有一些例外。

中国有来自世界各地不同的并行的Word系统，以及政府在维护本系统有积极的作用。 然而，这项政策是不会单方面强加以上。 它肯定是鼓励教育系统，但中国的扬声器似乎遵循自然，往往喜欢的中国根，即使没有监督。 这是在与系统的尝试，以保护当地的条件，才发现，人们还是喜欢“电子邮件”，“快递ELECTRONIQUE”在许多国家的情况相反。

人居住在中国有着悠久的足够认识到作为一个不同的文明，如何知道中国是其悠久的历史和自己的状态。 这种话语是对西方人的刺激性，因为它提醒太多极端民族主义的信条回家。 但它有一个与那些信仰的本质区别：在中国的情况，这是事实。 正如我们之前所说的 ，中国是有道理的，看到自己作为一个文明的摇篮，它是从世界的主流，直到近代几乎独立生存，只有这样的文化。 这种文化意识的主要原因是为保存语言，因为我们知道，幸存的不同的制度，甚至混乱的时期。

当我们研究中国，我们不只是学习另一种语言，我们是一个平行世界的话，词汇的最后一个独立的系统学习和写作，人类仍然有。 这是最类似地球上的另一个星球的语言学习经验。 如果中国确实是这样努力地学习，这应提供足够的动力，任何人尝试它。

政治上的考虑

普通话本身并不是一个非常困难的语言，是什么使得它很难是其复杂的Word系统，这是没有必要的大部分（即语言可能仍然存在贷款和一个字母）。 该系统使得它很难外国人和中国沟通，这是中国教育的一个严重障碍。 在上个世纪的发展，一直是中国的主要优先事项，以恢复她昔日的辉煌，已拆除低效的文物，无闪烁，就像北京的城墙，。 中国的词和字符，最后以保持这些阻塞的纪念碑，是迄今为止最古老的所有。 这是一个奇迹，他们已经存活直到今天。

字符的未来似乎更安全方便的方法，在键盘上输入字符的发明，但他们的持久性是没有保证的手段。 许多著名的语言学家认为拼音作为主要书面语言和消除人物的日常生活，而不是鲁迅，或已故的约翰·弗朗西斯至少使用。 虽然我很佩服这些人，他们的工作，我完全反对他们的位置作为一个原则问题。 我不认为任何人都不会相信我在这个年龄的经济学家，甚至在新中国哲学 ，但我必须这样说的：效率是不是最高值。 事实上，它甚至不是在本身的价值，但只是一种手段。 和悲伤的手段将是恢复中国的伟大，如果有留下什么恢复。

我认为这是明确的大多数中国人的今天，他们的话语系统是太珍贵了，为了提高效率，放弃它。 然而，一些合理的让步，可这可能确保系统的长期生存。 特别是，接受外国贷款为新技术的话，可能会促进国外研究和认真开始真正的中国人才外流的外国人才纳入中国的访问。 完全接受了拉丁字母代表语音外国专有名词（已经被用于非正式）也将是对效率的一个步骤，在不牺牲系统的心脏，将所有想学英语的中国有很大的帮助。

除了考虑的实际问题，同样重要的是心态背后的中国词语系统。 所有的语言在世界不断增长的常用词汇有很大一部分，是人类共同的文化和大多数文化的认同，因为这部分只会成为更大的技术进步，合理的解决方法是采取一种共同的语言沟通。 通过决定远离除了这个系统，对中国的语言选择代表世界各地反对的立场，并以某种方式延续了传统的古村，甚至在全球联网的年龄隔离。 中国互联网社区和偏狭的误解 ，从它出现的文化之间，在一定程度上，这种选择的后果。

在中国的关系中发挥的语言与世界的一部分可能不是第一重要的。 但即使在今天，这部分是不是可以忽略不计，在通信技术的进步，没有人知道多么重要，它在未来将成为。 最终，它最多只能到中国来决定他们自己想要的是什么语言。 我们只能等待，看看，希望他们找到一种方式留在我们的连接，同时保留其独特的遗产词。

因此，奥巴马是在中国，即使他是不是我的总统，他仍然是我最喜欢的总统。 这里是我的第一手访问的分析。

最重要的新闻，令人惊讶了注意，所有观察员的是，奥巴马想成为欧洲在中国广西巴马。 这是我读新的拼写他的名字在字符，通过该网站提出白宫 ：

欧巴马（oubama）将取代奥巴马，其中欧汉字欧洲，​​使中国的名字听起来像欧巴马。

也许有人会说，新的拼写选择更大的拼音相似，或者是因为它是在台湾的标准，但是当政治家听取语言学家？ 欧元奥巴马命名有明确的政治动机，并在该项目中我看到了光明的未来。

我觉得我说话的时候我说，我们非常高兴地看到，在执行这个计划终于大量的欧洲人。 奥巴马先生，请扫除一堆不称职的总统和总理，并成为欧洲联盟的国王。 然后，也许在下次会议上与中国可以代表我们团结的利益，而不是让每个欧洲部落中共发送其小的可怜的行政巧妙地划分和操纵A LA “孙子兵法 。

我喜欢的是欧洲的事情之一是，你可以对UE进行彻底爱国，无人问津。 亲爱的华盛顿邮报的评论员，请不用担心了。 美国是不是尚未下降，也不会是很长一段时间。 除其他原因，因为它需要的是太无能团结在国际政治中的欧洲国家。 而事实上，当中国人看到奥巴马，他们看到尽可能多的西方领导人，因为他们看到的美国领导人。 因为从这里看到，西，欧洲，美洲，或欧美研究（欧美）的概念从未所有不同。

这个重要的地缘政治考虑后，可以继续读什么是阅读访问。 基本上没有，因为没有真正的新闻已经出现的是，大多数记者和博客都在其列，他们的最好，以填补与中国泛泛。 除了上面的链接，有趣的问题是：

• 奥巴马将“ 人权观察“的黑监狱和其他人权问题的报告发表评论？ 当然，这不会发生，没有更多的比胡锦涛将阐述新的理论，解放西藏。 但有趣的是辩论的缘故。

• 也许更可能的是，他提到了环境，这个博客建议 。 我敢肯定，两国领导人会提到它，其实，不同的是有多少承诺将来自会议。 从无声世界的其余部分，我们将拭目以待，看2个巨人，如果最终决定，使一招，并退出其油烟发送到我们​​的后院。

• 最后，还有很多文章说奥巴马狂热，并作出了大不了的，因为在选举之前已在中国流传Obamao图标。 我的看法是，年轻的现代中国人往往喜欢奥巴马，他是轻微比布什更受欢迎。 但有没有这样的事情，我们在欧洲看到的Obamania和这里大多数人采取“观望”的冷立场。 分钟欧也提到了一些微妙的问题，或遇到一些老喇嘛，它会采取不超过一分钟以及措辞的中央电视台新闻抹成稀薄的空气Obamania。

所以已经退出Obamaos，并给我一些Eurobamas，我们越来越厌倦了政治，在这个大陆的另一边。

现在，我是在一个自由的互联网国家，我的机会来看看CDT的网站，我发现这个有趣的问题，从人贾兹拉：如果失去了毛，会发生什么？

我不是在对反事实历史的原则，它可以在很多情况下是有用的，从不同的角度看到的事件。 这也使得热闹的酒吧交谈和博客评论。 但这种运动意义的基本条件是，在我看来，连锁分析事件有任何实际发生的机会。

例如：它可能是有趣的想象世界本来如果希特勒在1944年企图暗杀丧生，或会出现什么情况，如果毛泽东之前死于大跃进。 在物理实验，通过隔离稍后因素，以类似的方式，我们尝试分析政策的影响到这一点。 但有分析的结果不可能甚至荒唐的事件，幽默的目的以外的兴趣不大。 如果希特勒在1941年突然成为和平主义者？

回到了这一点：“如果毛泽东失去了什么？”这个问题视为只是一个历史的意外，运气问题，结果，像希特勒的炸弹，可能已决定由Fluke蒋介石战败。

但江泽民的失败（或撤退）是不是一个单一的战斗的结果。 问这个问题的人忘记，江泽民有多年的力量，与所有国家的工具，在他的控制之下最大的人口和领土的一部分，和来自其他国家的军事和经济援助。 多年来，所有的赔率是在他的身边。 “如果毛泽东失去了吗？”在这个问题隐含的机会已经给江。 和最好的答案是：

如果失去了毛泽东，江泽民失去反正

有深刻的原因，江泽民的系统是不可能的。 其中他的思想或缺乏，没有呼吁在一个时刻，中国需要1催化剂，其释放出的能量。 东西是需要对外国人打土豪的压迫和团结人民，江泽民不提供任何在两条战线。 中国相信，如果毛泽东没有去过那里，另一位领导人将已售出的想法，或其他更糟糕的想法 ，谁知道可怕的政权，有可能导致需要的东西。

这江泽民失败的启发，他的政权固有的腐败，谴责他施加原力的力量。 计划运作良好，当他搬到台湾，与当地人口相对大量的支持者和士兵，但它根本无法在中国内地工作。 这将需要一个有组织的暴行，只有狂热可以接受的水平。

所以，毛泽东赢得了，然后什么？

因此，回到现实中来：毛泽东赢了。 他演奏了他的卡好多了，他赢得了一英里。 若干年后，他被证明是作为一个政治家，不是天才作为一种革命性的。 更糟的是，这实在是他的最严重的罪过，他爱上了与自己和权力，他不具有良好的听感能力顾问，也没有退休时，他仍然是在时间的尊严。 “70％good/30％坏”的判断邓小平通过可能过于宽松，但不可避免的谴责毛泽东谴责他一生的工作。 邓小平不能够做的比他，来到他的那些，没有一个人有什么需要，甚至不敢触及这个问题。

这里是在我看来，问题的核心：为什么是毛泽东还是那么目前在中国人的心理？ 当我们要继续前进？ 主席是不是仅仅在墙壁上卡住，他烙印非常深刻的中国人的集体头脑中，并通过强制性的教育，宣传和像上周的游行，他认为自己的位置并没有任何经济进步的可以扫他离开。

Here is an example of what I mean : Recently I lent the book “Mao: The Unknown Story” , by Chang Jung –a book that is very critical of Mao– to a Chinese friend. This friend is young, and liberal to the point that he believes Dalai Lama is a good man. And yet, when two weeks later I asked him about the book, I got a reaction that shocked me. “This woman is not really Chinese” , “You cannot understand”, were among the broken phrases that he grumbled. I know this book is surely not the most balanced biography of Mao, and I was open to accept many of his arguments. But I saw there was no point in discussing further, because somehow we had landed in the territory of hurt feelings.

But the interesting discussion today is not whether Mao was 70% right or 17.5%. The past is past, and there is no use in digging up the skeletons again, except for specialists in history. The key is the present, and the reason why Mao still holds his place should be searched in the leaders of today.

The answer is simple: Mao is there because he is still needed. No matter how terrible his failures and how cruel the consequences–and most Chinese know them well–Mao is still the only one that gives some ideological content to the system. He provides the meaning to the colourful parade of last week, and to the other parade of black suited mummies that is “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”. And that is the reason why most Chinese are so quick to excuse him: “He was good man used by his wife”, they say, or “it was not his fault, he was senile”.

是重要的，相信自己的社会理想。 在西方，我们有民主，人权，宗教，他们的整个范围，以适应所有的情面。 经常没有，他们正在利用政客为自己的自私的目标，任何真正意义devoided。 但至少他们的理想，他们给我们的错觉，我们的斗争是值得为之奋斗。 我看到讨论奥巴马还是布什的人，无论其政策的实际效果可能很明显，他们给一个意思，在美国politcs。

相反，在中国，一直以来毛泽东唯一的理想死亡邓小平的“致富”。 以来已发表的许多理论与党的说辞，灌装厚书，但不是他们的单载有任何人民可以相信，或者甚至理解。 一次又一次，党的行动已经表明，任何其他考虑之上，唯一重要的目标是国内生产总值，现状的维护保养。

有一个领导在中国共产党党本身的内部机制，部分原因是由于严重缺乏。 严格唯物主义的目标是迅速dissapointing，为实现他们尽可能为留守者，人民自然为灵感可用的唯一理想：民族主义和毛泽东。 ，所以它发生，旧的肖像不能取下来，因为它涵盖了一个洞。 中国政治的黑洞。

Yesterday I went for a walk on Nanjing Lu and I witnessed a strange phenomenon I had not seen before: the mooncake brokers. It was last Saturday of mooncake picking season, so they were all busily walking up and down the street, scanning the crowds for potential buyers and sellers.

A bit of background: Every few moons, the Chinese celebrate some important festival dating back to the dawn of history, which they spend visiting their extended family and enjoying traditional activities together. The core of these activities involves, of course, eating things, which is why every festival is associated to some particular edible present, generally small, sweet, and roundish in shape.

Of all the very commercialized Chinese festivals, the Autumn Moon is probably the most profitable for the companies involved. The mooncake, particular snack of this festival, has the advantage of being relatively durable, and so well adapted to spectacular red and gilded packaging in the Chinese style. Under these circumstances, there is virtually no excuse for a Chinese not to give and receive the traditional present. Company to employees, neighbour to neighbour, cadre to “ ernais” , for a fortnight the beautiful boxes circulate freely in the country, always given in pairs.

A lonely box of mooncakes separated from its partner

Now, the funny thing is that, as far as I have ascertained, mooncakes are not to the taste of many Chinese, who rarely eat more than half in one sitting. But this is of little importance, because few by now see mooncakes as foodstuffs. Rather, they treat them as legal tender of the Face Reserve. Failing to give and receive the appropriate amount and value of mooncakes before the Autumn moon is akin to social bankruptcy. Everybody knows the price of the major brands, so this “face currency” is as reliable as 24 carat gold.

The final result of all this is that most families end up with a surplus of mooncakes. Of course, knowing the keen commercial character of the Chinese and their aversion to “langfei”, you don't expect them to sit on their piles of boxes. They don't, and the whole season turns into a curious race to get rid of mooncakes before the Autumn Moon is gone and they loose all their social value (the edible value lasts a bit longer, but that is secondary). And so, the boxes received from the company are given to a neighbour, the ones from the neighbour quickly handed to old auntie Li, who gives them to her park dancing instructor and so on, each pair of boxes passing through many pairs of hands.

Fortunately for the families in Shanghai, mooncakes have an extraordinary liquidity during their 2 week trading time, partly fueled by the habit of the large public corporations to hand out mooncake vouchers instead of giving the boxes directly. All the major mooncake companies have outlets in the commercial streets to redeem vouchers. It is in the vicinity of these points, particularly on Nanjing Lu, that the street brokers set up shop. They buy the vouchers at a discount from passing employees, and then sell the redeemed mooncakes to the less fortunate self-employed and to other bargain hunters.

Saturday, the asking price for the main brands was at 50% of face value, and selling price was at 70%. The difference between these numbers is the spread, which is also the net profit of the broker.

The Nanjing Lu mooncake stock exchange

As I walked in Nanjing Street I was analyzing this phenomenon with my friend Little Yi, who was also there to redeem some vouchers.

“Wouldn't it be better,” I said, “if the companies just gave money directly?That 20% spread is a net loss for both employees and company”

“No, no,” she assured me, “the mooncake voucher is essential, companies wouldn't give money”

“But they do give envelopes of money in the Spring Festival!”

“But this is the Autumn Festival,” she sighed, giving me the silly laowai look. “No family wants to be left without mooncakes in the Autumn Moon!”

One of the things I learned this Summer is that, while I may leave on holidays to Europe, China doesn't really leave me anymore. More than just a country, it is a force of nature, the other face of mankind that is now part of my life. China is always there, and she is everywhere, showing up in unexpected circumstances.

Take Spain, for example. The Chinese community there is largely new, not fluent in languages, and originated from one single point in China: the tiny county of Qingtian, upriver from Wenzhou. When it comes to languages, the Spanish are not much better than them, and the whole situation is full of opportunities for the literate laowai. While a simple “nihao” is usually enough to be the hero of the day, some preparation yields better results. Just wander into a Chinese shop casually dropping a Qingtianese greeting, and comment on the remarkable history of the old stone-carving county, home of the Chinese-Spanish. This makes you popular. And you can drink tea and practice your Chinese conversation for hours on end.

What follows is a true story that happened in my last day of holidays. It includes a Chinese family with extraordinary sleeping abilities, and a team of adventurous Spanish ducks. I hope you enjoy it:

It was the first morning flight from Bilbao to Paris, where I was scheduled to connect with the Air France to Shanghai. As I entered the cabin of the A319, I marked immediately a Chinese family sitting in one of the front rows: a middle-aged mother with her son.

She was wearing a shapeless purple jacket in the style of the hundred names, and her teenage son covered his head in a Korean hip-hop hoody. They stood out in the business atmosphere of the early flight. But what made me notice them—and I couldn't help a smile—is that they were already fast asleep before I even got to my seat. As far as I could see, they didn't switch their positions for the duration of a rather eventful flight.

From the start, the journey proved trying for my nerves. As we were taking off, there was a loud bang coming from the back of the plane, followed by a vibration that grew stronger as we flew. For a while nothing else happened, but then, as we were approaching France, the plane suddenly leant to one side, and the Pyrenees mountains turned 180 degrees around us, until we were headed back West from where we came.

The noise grew worse, and the passengers with notions of geography were increasingly anxious. The town of San Sebastian appeared below us for the second time, only this time the ground seemed much closer. All the service call beeps went off one after the other. I looked around to the other passengers and they were all looking around. Nobody spoke.

Finally, the cabin crew appeared on the aisle, delivering row by row the official version of the facts: during take off a flying object had collided with the blades of engine 2, producing the bang and subsequent vibrations that we were experiencing. It was a common occurrence, and there was no danger. As part of the normal safety procedure, the captain had decided to return to the home airport for maintenance.

“It was probably a bird,” said the stewardess when she got to our row.

“A bird?” laughed the steward, “that was a team of big fat ducks!”

I figured he must have been instructed to keep a light mood. I tried hard to laugh, picturing circles of ducklings turning in the turbofan as we struggled to get past the sharp Basque valleys.

***

After an endless flight we were safety landed back onto Bilbao airport. As we were waiting to disembark, the pilot confirmed that the airplane was done for the day. We had to pick up our luggage first and then go to the Air France office on the second floor to request a new ticket. As usual, my suitcase was one of the last to appear on the rolling band, and by the time I got to the office there was already a long queue, about the length of a duck-stricken A319, and every bit as noisy.

The crowd was growing unruly. Some French passengers harangued the masses with true revolutionary spirit, launching slogans against all winged creatures, including ducks, airbuses, and Air France pilots. Since I was last, there was not much point in queuing, so I just stood on one side in a way to signify my disapproval. Then I noticed the focus was gradually shifting, as the keen Robespierres directed their anger to some unidentified target at the front of the queue. I walked over to have a closer look.

It was the Chinese family.

Clearly, they hadn't understood the instructions to pick up the luggage, and they had come straight to the airline office before anyone else. They were first, and they showed no intention of giving up their position. On the contrary, they were holding it admirably. The mother covered the rearguard with her fierce eye, while the son held fast to the desk. They were obviously well trained in conflictive queues, and they seemed unimpressed by the mob.

Linguistically, the situation was not ideal. The mother was screaming in Qingtianese, the son translated into Chinglese and an Air France employee replied in elaborate Spanglish, while the French head of office stared in disbelief. I was alone, and my faithful friend the Electronic Dictionary & Thesaurus was out of reach in the bottom of my bag. But the time was to act, and I did not falter in the hour of peril.

I cut right to the front and put in a “Qué pasa?什么事?”. All four faces turned to me at once. The queue became suddenly quiet.

“They want to go to China!” cried the employee in Spanish.

“We want to go to China!” cried the son in Chinese.

The positions of the parties seemed to me very much unanimous, and ripe for an easy consensus. But further enquiry proved that it was not exactly so. I managed to reconstruct the following facts:

The family had slept through the flight, right until we landed back in Bilbao. Then they had not understood the strongly accented message of the pilot and they had dashed out of the plane straight to the connections desk, where they had been redirected to the airline office. And they acted so urgently because they only had one hour to catch the connecting flight. All they asked is to board their plane immediately, and they were pretty suspicious of this whole attitude of the staff in Paris.

Because they actually thought they were in Paris.

The problem was not an easy one to explain. Not only the mother's mandarin was as bad as mine, but also she was determined, and she had a deep rooted common sense. They had just flown into Paris and therefore this was Paris, she would take no nonsense from a laowai. I used all my persuasion. I noted how the souvenir shops were selling bullfighters, and not tour eiffels. Finally the young son understood, and he helped me convince her. The fact was settled: We were in Spain, and there were no direct flights to Shanghai from this airport.

The rest was fairly easy to manage, and after a few minutes the three of us left the office with a new ticket. Once their infinite gratitude had been sufficiently expressed, I couldn't help asking the son:

“But, how could you not realize that this is the same airport as before?”

“Well,” he smiled shyly, “Mum was just telling me that she finds all airports in Europe look strikingly similar!”

And his mother, who was tough but good-humoured, found it rather funny, and we all joined in a face-saving laughter. Then I knew I was engaged as official interpreter of the sleeping family.

***

In the end, my work as a translator served my interests well. We got our new tickets before anyone else, the last three places left to connect with the evening Paris-Shanghai. The revolutionaries were so stunned by the performance that they forgot to guillotine us, and the Air France employee gave us some free lunch vouchers for the VIP lounge. To make our wait more pleasant, she said, the company was offering one of their specialty dishes in the “Restaurant des Mondes”.

It was still far from the Spanish lunch time, so we had to wait while they opened the kitchen for us. The prospect of a free lunch worked well to improve the mood of my Chinese friends, and we had a lively chat in the VIP sofas. I took the chance to impress them with my baidupedic knowledge of their hometown. After that they opened up to me, and the last lines of suspicion finally vanished from the woman's brow.

I listened distractedly as the son informed me of the state of the rap scene in Zhejiang. A terrible state that was, apparently, and I waited for a chance to switch topics. It was his mother that I found most intriguing. All the while she was sitting very still, as if lost in her own thoughts. She had an outside appearance that in China would be classified as “peasant”, but her proud, resolute eyes didn't quite fit in the picture. What was she doing flying around with her single son? I finally asked him.

As it turned out, she was a renowned chef back home. Qingtian is the origin of thousands of Chinese restaurants across Europe, and their extended family had made a fortune with a popular chain of Chinese food. She had come as an expert to establish new recipes in the family restaurants in Spain, all the while teaching her son the secrets of the Chinese cuisine. They had toured the country for three months, making the company's food “more delicious, more authentically Chinese”.

“Her most famous recipe is Beijing Duck,” said the kid, licking his lips, “You have never tried anything like that!”

“I would love to have a chance to try it,” I answered, suddenly hungry for duck.

Then the mother, who hadn't said a word all this time, looked at me with a strange smile. I felt there was an invitation coming. Instead, she opened her eyes wide and nervously shook her son's shoulder.

“Heavens!” she cried, “we still haven't picked up our luggage!”

***

When I took them down to luggage collection, their belongings were still lonely turning around on the band, a number of shapeless pieces covered in woven tarpaulin. As we loaded them one by one onto a trolley, the son suddenly found something was wrong. It was the last packet, a cardboard box with some strange little holes pierced on the top. He held the box on his knees and showed me one of the corners where it had been torn open. The box was empty.

The woman was very upset. She started moving her arms up and down and speaking in her sing-song dialect at an alarming speed. I couldn't understand a word of what she was saying, but the replies of her son were more composed, and I could more or less make out the gist of it:

“I told you we couldn't take them on a plane, mum!”, he was saying.

“But how can we pass the long winter without them?”, she replied.

Suddenly I had a very dark premonition. While they were busy arguing, I walked over to the broken box and examined it carefully. As I held it up in front of me, a small, delicate object floated down from the broken corner. It was a feather.

I dropped the box as if it burned my hands, and I kicked it behind the rolling band were it wouldn't be seen. I was in panic now, and I joined the arguing party with my own version of alarmed mandarin:

“We have to het out of here, NOW!”, I said.

“什么？ But the box?,” said the mother.

“Forget it!” I pushed the trolley towards the door, “we will see to that later!”

“什么？ But we have to file a complaint. They might have found …”

“No!”

I tried to control my nerves, as I envisioned charges for terrorism, and the dire diplomatic consequences of China's national dish being presented as evidence of the crime. I tried to relax telling myself that at least there hadn't been any human casualties.

“Please help us,” she said.

“We can't do this now! Spain is a bureaucratic country, these things take a long time…” I muttered. “And anyway I'm sure your little friends are going to be fine!”

She gave me another inquisitive glance, like the first time I suggested she was not in Paris. She was clearly reconsidering about my sanity.

“Well, excuse me ,” she said, “but they are important to me, and if you don't want to help me I will have to file the complaint myself”

Just at that moment the airport PA system cracked with a life-saving announcement. All the passengers of the cancelled flight were asked to go back immediately to the second floor, were new information was awaiting us from the captain.

“Quick, this must be our lunch, let's go before we miss it!” I translated, and this argument finally seemed convincing enough for the stubborn lady.

***

On the second floor, the slick French captain was putting in practice the company's open information policy. The maintenance staff had just confirmed—he said—that it was indeed the impact of external objects on the engine that had caused the vibration. The strange bodies had been already extracted and brought in from the hangar for analysis. The decision to return to the airport had proven a good choice, as it was the chief engineer's opinion that we would have never made it to Paris.

A drop of cold sweat fell down my right temple as I considered the chances of those little animals finding their way into the turbine. Even if they managed to tear open the box and then break free from under the piles of luggage, even if they could unlatch the hold door with their little beaks, still, how could they fly over to the engine? It seemed impossible. I remembered the laws of fluid dynamics, and how turbulent airflows exhibit nonlinear, chaotic behaviours. For the first time in my life I felt I understood the real meaning of the Chaos Theory.

In the meantime, the mother had sent her boy to inquire about lost objects, and he was explaining their problem to the captain in such a perfectly unintelligible English that the brave man could only smile politely. They looked around at a loss, only to see that their laowai friend was nowhere to be found. I had just in time slipped into the gentlemen's restroom.

At this point, the airport loudspeakers buzzed again:

Passengers of the AF2435 to Paris, please proceed into our VIP lounge. As a special attention, we are offering you the chef's specialty in our exclusive “Restaurant des Mondes”

***

I joined the family again as they walked down the corridor to the VIP Lounge. It seemed that the luxury meal kindly offered by Air France had conquered the heart of the frightful woman. Her expression showed no more pain for the loss of her beasts, and I hoped she had decided to give up the search. Presently, she was impressed by the quality of the service, and her mood was chatty.

“They know how to treat a client, in France,” she said conversationally, “back in China it's not even comparable.”

“Oh, sure, great service here,”

“Even if they don't have any proper backup plans,” she noted, “they are just great at doing nice surprises.”

“Oh, yeah, you can count on the French for surprises”

“It is all in the attitude, isn't it?”, she said, and her only child nodded in agreement.

As we approached the “Restaurant des Mondes”, the atmosphere was so relaxed that I thought we had passed the worst. I just had to get them on our plane right after lunch, and there would be no more nonsense of lost object complaints. Then I saw the stewardess at the restaurant door, smiling. She held a large sign written in all the major languages of the World, including mandarin. It read:

TODAYS SPECIAL DISH:

“Thin-sliced duck Beijing style”

In case there were any doubts, underneath the text there was a colourful picture of a team of ducks thinly sliced as if by fast rotating blades, swimming in the dark sauce of the traditional Beijing recipe.

I tried with my body to hide the sign from their view, but I was too late. There was not much point anyway, the pictures were all over the place, and the food was coming out any minute. As we sat down, I peeped at her out of the corner of my eye. Her expression was enigmatic, the initial apprehension had turned into something more lofty. Was it triumph? I trembled.

The dishes were served and, unexpectedly, nothing happened. I glanced at my two friends. The were obviously enjoying their meal, emitting now and then favorable grunts and other judgements with the assurance of the true connoisseur. Then, halfway through their ducks, they looked at each other with an understanding smile and, following some mysterious signal, the lady suddenly stood up, knocking her chair behind her, and crying out loudly:

“I want to speak to the person who cooked this!”

There was a spark in her eye as she glared at the kitchen door on the other side of the dining room. I could not think of anything to say this time, so I just sat still, helpless as the slings and arrows flew swiftly towards their target.

Seeing that no help was forthcoming from my side, the mother ignored me and took direct action. She strode across the room and, without further preambles, she thrust open the kitchen door, roaring in Qingtianese. In a minute, the cook came out sporting a high chef hat and howling even louder than her. To my surprise, he was also employing some variety of Zhejiang dialect.

Then something strange happened. The moment he saw the chef, the son stood up and ran across the dining room charging like a fighting bull, and when the three of them were at a close distance, they came together in a long, warm hug.

I stood rather awkwardly next to them, wondering what was next. The chatter of the adults had risen to undecipherable speeds under the flow of emotions. I looked at the teenager for an explanation, but he was too absorbed speaking to the cook. Finally, I managed to catch some fraction of the conversation:

“Uncle Li, we knew it had to be you, nobody else in the World can cook Beijing Duck like mother! What are you doing here?”

“You know, I got a catering contract with Air France, didn't I tell you?”

“Uncle, you really need to help us, mother is really worried! This laowai is with us, but his Chinese is so-so, and he just doesn't get it!”

“Say, my boy, what is the problem?”

“It is the new down-filled coats that mum bought to take home for the winter. She was so upset when we found out that they've been stolen from our luggage…”

The discussion about racism in China keeps coming back every once in a while, and each time it arouses the strongest passions. This is a post I've been wanting to do for some time, following the interesting comments we had in March, and as a conclusion to the Xinjiang series.

The story that sparked the debate this time is that of Lou Jing , a Chinese half black participant in a TV talent show who has been the object of racist remarks on the internet. I don't think this is in itself significant, netizens of all countries are well known to post outrageous comments that they would never utter in real life. But quite apart from that, it is clear that there is a particular attitude to race in China that shocks many in the West, and this bears some reflection.

Because it is not just immature netizens, but also respected people with names and surnames who support jokes like this , or write comments like this. Of course, in many cases what we see is just a visceral reaction to accusations coming from the West. It is ironic and surely annoying for many Chinese to think that, even in a field where China has always fared better than them, the arrogant, patronizing Westerners still feel justified to give them public lessons.

But after the first wave of heated comments has passed from both sides, it is worthwhile to look at things calmly, and see what is the reality behind these misunderstandings. And the reality is that it is all too common in China to hear such statements as “Uyghurs are dangerous” or “Africans are less intelligent”, or even, surprisingly enough, “whites are more capable than Asian”. All of them rather startling comments to a Western ear, but which Chinese never ascribe to racism.

In fact, most seem to follow the simple logic: “there is no problem in China because, unlike Westerners, Chinese are not racist”. This idea clearly comes from the fact that the large majority of Chinese have no experience with different races other than the studio material produced by the propaganda department, where nations are smiling children in colourful costumes. And behind it all is the “Union of the Peoples” inherited from the communist doctrine, which still stands on what might be described as the center of the country:

Mao: “For the union of the peoples of the World, hurrah”

I am not implying that this communist ideal was not sincere. It was, and it probably still is for many people. The problem is that, while some decades ago this surely was in the vanguard of tolerance and respect, in the globalizing World of today it just doesn't cut it anymore.

Because sure enough, the Chinese are right to say that it is not for Westerners to dictate acceptable racial attitudes. But neither is this a prerogative of the Han. Ultimately it is the peoples that feel discriminated, be it Africans or Uyghurs, who should have a major say. For in any dispute, it is not the offending, but the offended party who decides (within some reasonable limits) what words or attitudes are insulting.

Ultimately, the development of new racial attitudes in China will have important consequences for the whole World, and in particular for its own national interests. The process is still in its initial steps, but already some key challenges are apparent: internally, as more minorities are questioning their treatment by the Han; and externally, as China tries to expand its influence in strategic regions like Africa and South America. All the soft power obtained in these areas will be worthless if the Chinese fail to show convincing respect to the peoples living there.

And again, is China racist?

So is there really a problem, and if so, what can be done to solve it? As some Chinese would have it: Is it wrong just because we say that Asians are better at math and black Americans better at basketball? In other words, is China racist?

From my own observation, China is in essence no more racist than most other countries. Which is to say, very much indeed. Because that is how most of the World is today, and how it has always been. If there is a notable difference between China and the West, it is just one of appearance: we are better at hiding our prejudice.

Indeed, in the West we censor ourselves to a point that it is hardly even acceptable to ask questions like the one in italics, which boils down to: “Do different races have on average different sets of skills?” The non-prudish answer to this is obviously yes, as can be learned from simple observation. Different races, just like different genders, tend to have slightly different characteristics, and this diversity has never been a problem for honest, open minded people, but rather the opposite.

The problem comes when obtuse individuals choose to focus partially on these differences, and then theorize them in a way as to satisfiy some low psychological needs. And at times such individuals have even convinced enough people to be able to rule their country, invariably leading it to ruin and to shame. From old Sparta to imperial Japan, history shows that short-sighted ideas of ethnic purity do not yield best results, groups based on those premises consistently falling behind the creative power of diverse societies.

So, knowing that in every country the obtuse are legion, what has the West done to prevent those outbreaks which oppose diversity and “brought untold sorrow to mankind”? Recognizing that human stupidity knows no bounds and cannot be eliminated, Western societies have instead learnt to sweep it under the carpet. And in an amazingly short period of time, in the second half of the XX century, they have developed a series of norms to regulate speech, enforcing them through the power of the socially acceptable. This non-written code, derisively known as PC, ensures that individuals can remain as prejudiced as ever, but will refrain from making it public, or else face social exclusion.

In the meantime, China's insular society has never really felt up to now the need to develop these restraints, and so its racial prejudice is able to run free in conversation, shocking the sensitive ears of the occasional foreigner, and earning little goodwill from the peoples they are supposed to befriend.

Should China follow the West?

There is a natural resistance from the Chinese to adopt any kind of PC solution, mostly because they don't feel the problems described apply to them: in the history of racist madness, they were mostly on the receiving end. And it is fair to say that, as a people, Chinese have always been one of the most tolerant, accepting different religions and cultures at a time when their counterparts in the West were already going berserk to eliminate the infidel. Why would such a civilized society need to apply the same rigid standards of restraint as the wild West?

It should not, in my opinion, and China is right to ignore upfront many of the Western over-reactions. In a healthy community there is nothing essentially wrong with calling a black “black” or a yellow “yellow”, like Chinese and other peoples do. The complex, guilt-ridden American style PC is best suited for the conditions of that particular country, and should not be forced onto the Chinese.

But this is not to say that the system should not be improved. From my observation of some of the affected communities in China, it looks like the present state of affairs is far from ideal. Chinese should work to modernize their rusty, communist era conceptions and little by little come up with a more realistic, more equal and less condescending racial attitude that will be key for the success of the coming challenges, internal and external. And the State alone cannot undertake this modernization. Like in the West, it is society at large, with its authors, and celebrities, and other public role models that should join in the effort.

Chinese have a golden opportunity now to build their racial attitudes starting almost from scratch, from intelligence and generosity rather than from guilt, and to regain the image of tolerance and good sense in international relations that their country has deserved.

So OK, I am censored, but why NOW?

I mean, I haven't been writing anything for ages, is the Propaganda Department punishing me for being lazy? Has some big Chinese BBS linked to me recently, is Uln hot now? As I was looking around for an answer, I found out that the Peking Duck blog was blocked more or less at the same time as mine, and it was asking the same kind of questions.

That is when I got this idea of the LIST, which I wrote on their comments. Everyone knows that GFW is unpredictable, it starts and stops and nobody ever knows why, if you don't believe me look at this funny chronology . But this random behaviour usually affects only some websites, and never touches others. So necessarily, the guys at the GFW Control Deck are working with a number of websites that have been shortlisted beforehand.

I am quite sure of the existence of this LIST, because I noticed very precisely the moment my blog was shortlisted. It happened earlier this year with that political post that was picked by the New York Times. Since then I had strange things happening, with miniblocks now and then, a perceived slower speed loading in China, and, of course that particular Chаrter 08 post has been blocked ever since (even as the rest of the blog remained open). Also, look at that weird comment in Chinese in that post , where the guy says I am interfering in China's internal affairs… could be a troll. Or could be not.

Anyway, my guess is that this blog and the PKD's block have probably nothing to do with our recent activity, but rather with the tense atmosphere in the censors office these last weeks, after the Green Dam fiasco and the Google affair . At some point someone must have said: “hey, let's block some more sites”, and we were unfortunately the next names on the LIST. And, unlike Google, I am afraid sites speaking specifically of politics are blocked permanently, such as this one , or this one . I hardly imagine the censors taking the trouble to monitor our blogs every day to see if we are behaving better. So my guess is, both for me and for PKD, that the block is here to stay and there is no solution.

… or perhaps there is?

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