you should actually go to china - then you would never fear them again.
when i drove throughout the mainland in the southern part of the country - around gong yi, taishan etc near canton - all i noticed were thousands(literally) of factories of american, german, british and french companies.
notice how everything in your house was made in china?
you see, right now there are a bunch of guys in china who would love for you to go on thinking it is a big nemesis in the east - they are the lowest of the lows: western business men - yeck.
someday maybe they will make a video game where the chinese are the bad guys, or maybe a chuck norris movie where he saves the world from the chinese to better form our perceptions the way they would like them
the chinese highway system is littered with places all catering to western businessmen.
Q:did i expect to find a pool hall serving imported beer and lattes by the name of 'billiards' 200 miles inland?
A: no.
Q: did i?
A:yes.
"why are all these highway signs in english?" i kept asking myself. wouldnt want those diddlys in their 3 piece thieving suits to get lost would ya?
they dont want you to go there because they dont want you to see that china is a giant westerner's industrial park filled with incredibly poor people just fighting to get by.your opinion might chnange drastically and they can't afford to risk any profit...
and i mean they are - poor - they wouldn't hold up in a war for ten seconds because WE ARE their infrastructure. they have based their country's economy on being the cheapest source of labor
all we have to do is pull our factories out of china and they would fold. and so would we probably because our economies are addicted to each other.
as for the oppressive government? they are oppressive but the realize with the success of hong kong that they have to change - notice nothing's changed in hong kong or the new territories area since the take-over???hmmmmmmmm
the police are pretty loose actually throughout the country and do very little about flagrant capitalism right in front of them. capitalism is fine in china as long as your booth is red, and has picture of mau somewhere. the government is old-school and they just use that capitalism line to get rid of people they dont like -
i watched the news on tv over there and watching the new and improved government was like trying to watch your grandpa talk in rapper slang or something. seemed forced but at least they were trying.
they would parade the airwaves with stories about how some farmer went against the system and the government listened to him and changed things. the guy would be standing there in his farmer outfit shaking his hand and taking propaganda pictures.on the day i arrived there was a big deal because they release a prisoner that had tried to stir the democracy movement over the internet - he served 2 years in jail and they were very open about it and even acknowledged that people disapproved.
i dont want to defend them, but they are way out of step and run by old stiff guys and they dont quite get it yet but the culture will force a change.
i just hate to see a country like china - where everyone was extremely cool including the soldiers(who often speed americans through customs because we are their favorite) downed by people who are being good little tools and buying the u.s. propaganda hook line and sinker.
it's a lot more complicated than you think. if you tire of swallowing the filth the nightly news throws at you, or the smell of the sheeps bellybutton in front of you in the herd, then get a ticket and go there - they won't bite you, it's a beautiful country and you might learn something.
or better yet - pick up your made in china phone and call any corporation in this country and ask them about their holdings in china:
- how many factories and subsidiaries are there?
- how many people do you employ?
- what is their average wage?
- how much does your corporation save annually in taxes and wage differential by building your widgets in china?
- did china's civil rights practices sway your decision do business there?
you won't get anywhere btw - you will get some smiley PR guy if you are lucky but more likely you will get kathy the secretary (if anyone)who can't wait to get home and watch lifetime, have a red baron pizza and continue ignoring you and worrying about her weight.
you should wonder why.
sorry for the long post, but the reality is way off from what you are led to believe in the states.