Why are some people so ignorant about China?

Question

I am a Chinese that live in Beijing and by comeing to websites like Yahoo! Answers I am shock as for how some people know NOTHING about China yet act like an expert when it comes to questions about us.The China in their imagination is a mixture of early James Bond movies, CIA world fact book is the 60s' and Tibet separatist propaganda.

Some of them don't even know that China is now under a free market econmy and still think we are useing a planned econmy. But the most ridiculous ones I have seen so far is this one: 'In China everyone are forced to wear the same color of clothes'. Where on earth did they get that from? It is not ture and the fact is in China you can wear anything you want!

I understand that China did lots of bad things in the past like the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident and the Great Leap Forward. BUT... if you look closely, China is not the only nation that did atrocities. The US for one had the Kent State shootings in the 1970s' and students was killed.

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Some people are saying that China is using slaves the make thing, which is also not true. People working in the manufacturing industry in China do so willingly. No one is forced to work in factories, if you don't like your job you can quit any time you want. In fact these jobs are very competitive. People are lining up for hours just to get the job! Also, when they are saying that we treat our workers poorly. It is no true. In fact the ministry of Labor is REQUIRED to provide health insurance to all the employees and many factory locations have health facilities on site. Factory workers can go to their local health center, sit in a chair and receive anti-biotics intreveniously. So what kind of ‘slavery’ is this?

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One user (I am not naming anyone here) claimed that the trade between China and the US only helped a small amount of people. But if that person look at some real data, he will know that the amount of people living under the poverty line dropped from 70% in the year 1980 to less then 10% in the year 2003. Don’t tell me this has nothing to do with trading.

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As for Tibet, well…lets put it this way: America exist because of imperialism & colonialism. Europeans took control of North America only 300 years ago and killed of most of the native people. Also, the US didn’t control Hawaii for a long time, but in just a few decades they have the sovereign right of Hawaii and no one talks about it anymore. So what is the big different between China and America? In case they didn’t notices: The winners, not the losers, write history. That speaks it all. If Tibet were not part of China, then California, New Mexico, etc, would be part of Mexico instead of U.S.A. 
If Tibet were not part of China, then Quebec would be an independent country instead of part of Canada.

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I know China's done a lot of bad things in Tibet, but the government has recognized that and they're trying to change now. China's been pouring loads of money into trying to improve living conditions in Tibet. The facts are there. The literacy rate is up, more kids are going to school, etc. And plus, before China took over Tibet, it was a fundamentalist police state. And 90% of the population was feudal serfs--nothing more than slaves.

This is an open question to everyone with diffent point of views. But please respect yourself when answering. 


P.S. To prove that I really live in Beijing, the headline of China Daily(the national English newspaper) on march 27, 2007 was ‘Presidents promote partnership’.

This is to aerocentral01, I don't want to be rude but lets put it this way: It is amuseing to read your answer. Funny, as you have said you have never even been to China. So, someone that never been to China is now saying someone that is liveing there to be lieing... Strange.

The fact is, there are very few state owned companies right now. Almost everthing here are own by private enterprises from all over the world. There are KFCs, video game centers, banks and Dominos Pizzas. There is even a stock exchange in Shanghai! So what kind of planned econmy is this?

Also, when you said we should stops building the world's largest air force, let me ask you this: The US has mess up Iraq, gave Taiwan weponds and did nothing about Japan lieing about history but nothing is wrong about that. Yet when China is protecting her own people and you think it is wrong. What kind of speech is this?

Answer 1

Thanks for all the input about China. The news of the development of your country over the last several years is very encouraging. There are many people in America who hope China succeeds in building a strong economy, which would go a long way in eliminating poverty on a global scale.
There also are many Americans who are very concerned with the trade imbalance between out two countries and the fact that a lot of American jobs are being lost to Chinese labor. Given time these imbalances should lessen as the per capita income in China improves.
The fact that your government provides health insurance to all workers is viewed as a negative factor in America, not a positive one as you present it. Americans must provide their own healthcare, which drives labor cost up in the USA.
I must take issue with you in calling America an imperialistic country. It is not. America shares it wealth with the world. It doesn't drain wealth from the world. The fact that so much American money is going into your country is proof of that fact.
Thanks again for the posting. I hope we see you often.

Answer 2

As someone else pointed out, America is not an imperialistic nation. Most Americans are excited about China's rising economy. China is the only nation on earth capable of having an economy as vast as the USA. All people of the world would benefit if China develops into a major global economy.
As China develops, however, the world will only see the negative side of China, just as they only notice the negative side of the USA. The people of China will have to prepare themselves for ridicule. That is just something that comes with success.

Answer 3

Some day soon China`s "free market" will be self efficient and have no need for America business and will leave us out to dry. My point is that while outsourcing jobs there will cause China`s economy to grow and China`s demand for oil will rise and our gas prices will go up so we did not save any money at stores.

Answer 4

When China's government (which does own all the "free-market" companies, right?) stops building the world's largest air force (for what? as protection against Tibet's?), stops intimidating Taiwan, stops capturing our aircraft, and stops building ballistic missiles for North Korea, maybe we'll talk.
The Chinese people -- that's a different story. I have met many Chinese here (I have never been to China), and those Chinese people are like people everywhere -- they want to get ahead, raise families, have a future. The people are not the problem; the government is. (See? It's the same all over!)

Answer 5

Because most people here, i believe, has never been to China, and doesn't really know what's going on inside China.

Answer 6

Heck, some people don't even understand their OWN country, never mind China. I understand your frustration - even while I *do* have issues with labor practices in China.

Answer 7

It is because YOUR country hides behind a wall of secrecy. They allow very little news to flow out. They suppress your citizens from exposing things on the Internet. What are people suppose to know without information to go by?