How would you answer this, and how would you expect Chinese netizens on Xiaohongshu to answer?

I will link to the thread in the comments because I want you to take a moment and think about it first.

  • Erika3sis [she/her, xe/xem]@hexbear.netEnglish
    181·
    1 day ago

    For whatever it’s worth, despite never formally studying Chinese, I managed to read both the Chinese sentences, albeit with the wrong tones. Like to be fair I have studied Japanese, and I am generally a bit of a weirdo with a knack for this sort of thing — but I do still have to wonder if more people are just going to start casually picking up hanzi just from exposure like I have, as China becomes more prominent. I could certainly see it happening.

    “China is the future” is a bit of a vague question, though. Just from my interpretation of it…

    I absolutely think that the USA is currently crumbling as the world’s hegemon — interestingly enough, the USA’s flag actually has stars on it to represent a “new constellation”, using the constellations in the sky as an allegory for the rise and fall of nations; so it indeed seems like the fifty-star constellation is beginning to fall beyond the horizon, as a new five-star constellation rises.

    This being said, I don’t think China’s behavior as future hegemon will be the same as the USA’s current behavior as present hegemon. I don’t necessarily know what to expect from the future, though, so it’s probably best to prepare for all possibilities until we gain a clearer understanding of the situation.

    • themurphy@lemmy.ml
      61·
      1 day ago

      Also, we can’t really know and judge China as the world leader, as they’re not yet.

      As soon as you are on top, your behaviour might change. Both for the better, but most likely for the worse. (see US)

      Also, we have to remember that China still needs all western partners to keep up their production. They are still a manufacturing country.

      • baaaaaaaaaaah [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        181·
        1 day ago

        As soon as you are on top, your behaviour might change.

        It might, it might not. America’s behavior didn’t change; from the start they’ve been aggressive and expansionist, the scope just grew as they became more powerful.

        China’s been growing rapidly for decades while very seldomly acting militarily outside their borders. They don’t seem to have expansionist goals outside those declared over 70 years ago (ie Taiwan) and have even negotiated down on border conflicts. It’s not impossible but it’d be strange for China to make a complete about-turn on their stated policy of non-intervention.

          • BeamBrain [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
            5·
            2 hours ago

            Then there’s the whole silencing of Hong Kong, and I don’t now enough to say what happened there, so I won’t. Just know something did.

            I. NO INVESTIGATION, NO RIGHT TO SPEAK

            Unless you have investigated a problem, you will be deprived of the right to speak on it. Isn’t that too harsh? Not in the least. When you have not probed into a problem, into the present facts and its past history, and know nothing of its essentials, whatever you say about it will undoubtedly be nonsense. Talking nonsense solves no problems, as everyone knows, so why is it unjust to deprive you of the right to speak? Quite a few comrades always keep their eyes shut and talk nonsense, and for a Communist that is disgraceful. How can a Communist keep his eyes shut and talk nonsense?

            It won’t do!

            It won’t do!

            You must investigate!

            You must not talk nonsense!

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
            192·
            22 hours ago

            The re-education program in Xinjiang seems to have ended already and fulfilled its stated purpose. Tibet had slavery and was semi-feudalist, while the Dalai Lama owned slaves and was working with the CIA. Life expectancy dramatically improved along with many other metrics like literacy rates once the PLA ended slavery and feudalism. For the DPRK, they maintain trade relations with them, the most sanctioned country on the planet and one of the most heavily bombed. HK was a British Colony to be returned to the PRC, and now most Hong Kong residents would rather be integrated with the Chinese economy.

            I think you need to investigate more of these topics if you’re going to list them off as points.

            • themurphy@lemmy.ml
              13·
              18 hours ago

              What do you call Tibet then. I know they couldn’t fight back that much, but it’s a literal invasion.

              • ShimmeringKoi [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
                15·
                18 hours ago

                In 1959, Anna Louise Strong visited an exhibition of torture equipment that had been used by the Tibetan overlords. There were handcuffs of all sizes, including small ones for children, and instruments for cutting off noses and ears, gouging out eyes, breaking off hands, and hamstringing legs. There were hot brands, whips, and special implements for disemboweling. The exhibition presented photographs and testimonies of victims who had been blinded or crippled or suffered amputations for thievery. There was the shepherd whose master owed him a reimbursement in yuan and wheat but refused to pay. So he took one of the master’s cows; for this he had his hands severed. Another herdsman, who opposed having his wife taken from him by his lord, had his hands broken off. There were pictures of Communist activists with noses and upper lips cut off, and a woman who wasremovedd and then had her nose sliced away.23

                Earlier visitors to Tibet commented on the theocratic despotism. In 1895, an Englishman, Dr. A. L. Waddell, wrote that the populace was under the “intolerable tyranny of monks” and the devil superstitions they had fashioned to terrorize the people. In 1904 Perceval Landon described the Dalai Lama’s rule as “an engine of oppression.” At about that time, another English traveler, Captain W.F.T. O’Connor, observed that “the great landowners and the priests… exercise each in their own dominion a despotic power from which there is no appeal,”

                Liberating people from inhumanly cruel and merciless theocratic overlords is good actually, and I hope we can cultivate more of that energy here in the US.

                Exerpts are from “Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth” by Micheal Parenti. The whole essay is quite good and not very long. https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?t=88773

              • baaaaaaaaaaah [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
                15·
                18 hours ago

                Tibet was recognised by every country on the planet as sovereign Chinese territory, both then and today.

                (That was also like 70 years ago, China’s last war was against Vietnam in the late 1970s)

                • themurphy@lemmy.ml
                  1·
                  9 hours ago

                  I was confusing the actual war with a later protest against China because of Tibet, happening maybe 10 years ago.

                  My mistake.

                  EDIT: Okay I know what happened now. Just found out that Google is displaying different boarders around the world to different regions. I’m pretty sure Tibet was on the map not many years ago, and now it’s not. But apparently, it’s only been like that in the western world.