The Rise of China. Great article.

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MaomingMaster
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Joined: Feb 03, 2004
Posts: 11059

Posted: May 05, 2005 - 01:18 PM
Post subject: The Rise of China. Great article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7693580/site/newsweek/

This is a really great article, but the writers seem to regard China with a whitewashed view of the whole country. It mentions the 'developed' cities of Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai and completely ignores the fact that these cities are massively different from some central China shithole where urban development is just not happening.

It also gives the impression that the whole of China is benefitting from the country's development.

It doesn't mention anything about the migrant workers who are being used (due to their extremely cheap labour) to build property they will never have the chance to own. It ignores the 900 million farmers who survive on a dollar a day.

I actually wonder who is gaining the most. The writer gives the impression that America should feel threatened, but Walmart is providing cheaper goods for American consumers. These goods are not for sale to Chinese consumers (I've spoken to a few Chinese people who have told me that the quality domestic-made products are shipped out while all the crap is left for the locals).

I've seen many articles like this that do not see Shanghai as a veneer of development. For the average joe who arrives at Pudong International he might get bowled over and think 'Wow! China is so advanced, so developed' but he doesn't see the pay slip that the porter gets every month (800 rmb a month? 1000?), he gets in a taxi and glides through the Pudong Emerald City and doesn't see the housing that some Chinese live in.

Of course, China is developing - It's obvious. But articles like this one miss massive chuncks of detail here.

I would be very interested to hear others comments here.
Edgewood?
HC?

fukuman

Wonder Wit

Joined: Sep 18, 2003
Posts: 3699

Status: Offline

Posted: May 05, 2005 - 10:33 PM

MMM, i havent been here long, but i can see the development spreading progressively wetward from sh. It maybe good in their terms.
personally i find it boring and monotonous. and the people just become money-grabbing scum aspiring to be as shallow, nasty, immoral and shameless as shanghai ren. what a future.

MrsBougie

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Joined: Dec 13, 2004
Posts: 109

Status: Offline

Posted: May 06, 2005 - 12:12 AM

Quote:

completely ignores the fact that these cities are massively different from some central China shithole where urban development is just not happening.

MMM, I will tell you what I know before I left China and after I came back.
I have had 3 nannies in 1990's. Two of them were from Anhui province and another one from North of China. At that time, they only could enjoy unlimit steam bun made by wheat at Chinese New Year. They didn't know how to use the washing machine, how to use the telephone, how to iron clothes....in general, their life back home were totally different from the urban life. Since I came back China, I have had 4 nannies. Two of them are from Anhui, the other two from SiChuan. I talked to them a lot while the baby is sleeping. To my surprise, all of them are quite contend with their life back home. The reasons they get out for work are for the kids' education and 'retirement'. They told me the work on the farms were almostly done by machines now, so the labor were not as hard as before. Something back home even better than those in Shanghai. For example, they have bigger homes than most of Shanghaiese; fresher vege to eat and living cost were much cheaper. They all have telephone at home, two of them even have cell phones. They have washing machines and irons(but not use them often) The things they are not familiar with are how to use Chemicals to clean clothes and house and how to use oven, vaccum and dryer. Another difficult thing for them is how to distinguish different material of the clothes and iron them at proper tempreture. Of course, their life still stays on the modest level, but I can see big progresses have happened in their life.