Question of the Day | 04/21/2008 12:00 am

It's been 19 years since the protests in Tiananmen Square. What do you think about China today?

Read more about: China, Tiananmen Square

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Lin Si and Jai Carney, What could be more important than to hear from you? What do Lin Si and Jai Carney think of America today? If the imprint of the history of our countries has created barriers, can we tear down the barriers between us? If the bottom line of all religions is to love one another, are we so far apart in our religious beliefs? If our cultural values are different, can we overcome the differences? Any extremism in our hearts can be combated with the simple truth that the highest rank of cultural identity is World Citizen. Let the dialogue begin. As long as there is dialogue there is hope.

By A B on 04/21/2008 11:52 am

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The dialogue is important, not just for diplomacy, but also in the commuication between their people. I wonder, why when our young generation is learning the culture of U.S, influnced by your music, films and NBA games and fast food, learining your language while you are still staying the past world of autarchy? Of course, we have a lot of differeces in POLITICS, RELIGIUS BELIEFS, especially in HUMANE RIGHTS! however, it is not the barrier to exchange our culture and enjoy the greatest sport event, OLYMPIC GAMES! I hope more and more US people could learn a little culture and history of CHINA, learn the true life in CHINA.

By lin si on 04/21/2008 12:38 pm

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Lin Si - Hopefully your young generation is less interested in American fast food than in your Chinese cuisine, one of the great cuisines of the world. I wrote a cookbook on the regional cuisine of China for Doubleday with Karen Lee who is a protégé of the late Madame Grace Zia Chu, one of the first teachers of Chinese cooking in America. The quickest way to the human heart is through the stomach. Chinese cuisine is very loved and honored in America. Maybe we should sit down together at the dining table.

By A B on 04/21/2008 1:11 pm

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I hope I could contribute my little effort on something that could give something different to change something misunderstanding. “Thank you~” in CHINESE SPELLING is “Xie Xie”, maybe a little difficult for you pronouncing it. :) THANK YOU !

By lin si on 04/21/2008 12:11 pm

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Xie Xie. Shu Shu. Always I have found people to people and heart to heart is the only way forward. Government to government? Not so much.

By Mugsy Peabody on 04/21/2008 12:40 pm

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Mugsy—- In 1956, before I came to the States to join my father in New York. My Chinese classmate wrote to me from Australia, saying the same thing: The Australian people were very nice to the Chinese, but the Australian government policy was not!—————————— Last night I met a fellow dancer who said he is American native. then I shook his hand and said, nice to know you, cousin. The reality is a lot of people in the world are immigrants. I am a chinese immigrant, and your ancestors were probably immigrants from Europe or Africa. Nobody is a native (except that man I met last night whose ancestors were also immigrants from mogolia through Alaska long time ago, Long before the Europeans!) So be kind to each other. Huh?! Because we all are world citizens!—- dancewu(dot)net

By GEORGE WU, A.I.A. on 04/21/2008 2:55 pm

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World Citizen is a beautiful description of what we are all reading here today! My heart is as full as my smile is wide!

By Linda Clark on 04/21/2008 12:00 pm

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Yes, heart to heart, we are becoming world citizens. hooray

By Esther Bradley-DeTally on 04/21/2008 9:57 pm

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China is an incredible mix of contradictions, in some ways beautiful, in others ugly with so many different sides to it. I liked Joan’s comment on China the best. We see one facet and make a judgement. I was lucky enough to visit China for a month in 1997. I didn’t know what to expect, people told me that the Chinese on the street probably wouldn’t talk to me or look me in the eye, as they might get in trouble. And I found the opposite to be true, everyone wanted to talk to me (practice their English) were gracious and open. I saw grandfathers teasing their granddaughters, families strolling the riverfront, people eating in Pizza Huts. I also saw people living in huts with no electricity, the smog so thick in Shanghai that you couldn’t see the sun, and that the people had to get permission to do things we take for granted, like travel around the country. So I think China is many things, just like us. That is not to minimize their occupation of Tibet, or the lack individual rights. Just that any effort to characterize China in a simplistic way will fail, and not reflect the actual China.

By Willow K on 04/21/2008 2:06 pm

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Thanks Willow, great comment. Obviously, it is a mixed bag. Your description of the Chinese, is how I know the Chinese.

By Frannie Em on 04/21/2008 3:45 pm

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Our thoughts about the People’s Republic and the people who live there reminds me of the blind men of India visiting the elephant: here’s the link for the poem — http://www.kheper.net/topics/blind_men_and_elephant/Saxe.html

By Mugsy Peabody on 04/21/2008 7:00 pm

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You are so fabulous sometimes, Mugsy. One of my faves, this poem.

By Ms. Dee on 04/22/2008 9:54 am

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Dear Willow K, As you have said China is an incredible mix of contradictions, in some ways beautiful, in others ugly with so many different sides to it. For such a large and with more than 1 billion popultion coutry, there are too many things to deal with. I am glad that you can tell your seeing in China to others, using your experience to tell the true CHINA TODAY! It no deny that we have too many problems to deal with, however, Chinese people enjoy their life and are keening to learn the outside world and they have done this. Many years ago, so many foreigners said the Chinese government hides the outside world, and the Chinese people have been treated by their government. And now, we have the approach to finding the “TRUTH” through Internet, and use English to learn more about the world, but why we see the “true world” that so many foreigners still hold the misunderstanding views of CHINA, and the foreign medias tell the distorted facts to the world? I’m really puzzled about that!!! Any county has its merits and demerits, no one could except. When someone amplify the shortages and define that China is the country without democracy, I am sorry about that maybe I have been the A.I. of CHINA? To describe the actual China is never an easy work, I will try my best.

By lin si on 04/22/2008 3:30 am

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Mary Wells said it all… Because Mary was there, just as my daughter and her Irish husband, with the three beautiful kids, they went up to the Great wall …. seeing is believing. I just want to add one question if I may: How do people like to see the governor of California wanted to be separated from the U.S.A.? as a parellel of the situation in Tibet.( Tibet is part of China, as well as Hong kong and Taiwan!) If that happens, I would like to ask a question to France or Poland whether it is all right for the U.S.A. to be divided into small pieces like there were North and South Korea, North and South vietnam. and so on? Remember that when the outsiders started getting jealous of and attacking you from their point of view, you must have got something that they envy and don’t want you to have it! On the other hand, if you have nothing threatening, they will probably look away and leave you alone. That is the time you should realize that you have got nothing to be jealous about yet! I am a Chinese-American, on one hand I am proud that China finally woke up! on the other hand, When China gets to be so strong that would threaten my grand children’s future!—-dancewu(dot)net

By GEORGE WU, A.I.A. on 04/21/2008 2:20 pm