Tibet (9)

Many of you Chinese think Americans are innocent and simple minded. I must say that those of you who think so are in fact ignorant or misinformed. Reading this article titled «China represses rights of Tibetans while exploiting Olympics», you have to admire how easily an American simplifies a matter like Tibet that has confounded all you Chinese for that many hundreds of years. Especially the current Chinese government. How naive! They think they could change lives in Tibet by pouring money in there.

All you Chinese should step down from your high horse of pride, unload the burden of your thousands years of history, and embrace the wisdom of Americans. Learn from the way the natives who used to roam this continent have been dealt with: Kill them off! Or at least keep them in their own corners so that no one hears a peep from them. Keep them impoverished. Trying to improve their living? You dumb Chinese are only creating trouble for yourselves!

Learn to build a democratic society! Learn the sophistication of manipulation. Look at the Chinese government and compare them with the sophisticated American politicians. You Chinese are so primitive that you are the ones should be treated as barbarians. Why use guns when you could manage with some paper printed black on one side and green on the other? Why keep the world out? Trying to hide something? Why? Fear that you can not manage a few journalists? Then shell them to death! Why jail someone when you could simply make a scene and then put him to sleep permanently? Afraid that the world would be outraged? Rest assured! The world does not have the attention span to stay outraged. Besides, how hard could it be to say "sorry, mistake"?

See, all you Chinese? See how simple everything could have been?

Tibet (8)

I read both Nicholas Kristof's Thursday column and Sunday column on Tibet. He is probably as close as one can get for an American journalist that actually goes out to Tibet and try to understand the situation. However, his reporting leaves a lot to be desired, even not to tell the complete truth but for the sake of his readers' sanity.

Anyway, I find this comment highly offensive:

#2. May 15th, 2008 12:46 am

I could not help but think, maybe the recent earthquake in China is nothing else but karma for the brutal way China has and continues to treat Tibet.

Maybe, for once godless China ought to at least stop and listen to the laws of karma. The days of Mao and the gang of four is way are long over, China should open its eyes and free Tibet. It’s also doubtful if it’s going to be a superpower, what with all the substandard Walmart products it produces; besides, maybe what happened is nature’s way of saying 1 billion plus Chinese in this world are more than enough.

— Posted by M del Rosario

That is some cold-blooded karma!

My response to that piece of crap probably is not going to show up any time soon. So I repeat myself here:

I am a Chinese and I am an atheist. I have always respected and always will respect other people and their religions. But that commenter and his/her cold-blooded karma can go to hell as much as I care.

Listening to the Dalai Lama

I went to the Peter Wege lecture today at the University of Michigan Crisler Arena today. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was the guest speaker. At first, I was underwhelmed. In the end, he came across to me as a decent human being judging from what he said in the two hours.

It got me thinking, how has this old Tibetan monk, with his incoherent English with no "grammar rules" as he admitted, become such a spiritual figure to so many people? The mystery of Tibetan Buddhism is part of it. His simplified messages about Buddhism and human nature are the other and larger part. His talks present him as a human that a lay person can easily accept, more so than any propaganda from the Chinese leaders or the lies and media spins from the American leaders. At the very least, he obviously has learned the happenings in the modern world. Today, He talked about global warming, overpopulation, over consumption, Christianity, even the poor in Washington D.C.

There were a large number of Chinese protesting outside the arena. I admit being on that side, agreeing the Beijing Olympics should not be taken hostage by any political group, and Tibet should remain an integral part of China. So my thoughts may be considered biased.

Thought one: Media in the west just don't get it. Not to mention the right wing extremists, even NPR does not quite get it. It may be hard to understand how a nation can get so emotional when others threaten to take the moment away from its people. But it is not impossible. One just need to go to the country and observe with an open mind how much effort ordinary people have put into the preparation for the games. Many may disagree with the government about hosting the Olympics. Many would rant and express their strong disagreement because the hardship of hosting the games bring to the people. But all that changes when others try to take the Olympics away from them. That is different. Call it nationalism or whatever, taking something away from a people that they believe (rightfully) is theirs can only meet with resentment. The gentleman in blue shirt was telling someone, "Most of these people (the protesters) don't even know why there are here." He didn't know how wrong he was. Most of the passers-by probably don't care much about right or wrong either in this matter.

Thought two: China needs to open up more. Be tolerant of political dissent. There is really no benefit for the government to shut people up. There is no shame in letting the world know about the problems in the country. When the outside world learn about China, they don't just see the dark side, they will learn the bright side, too. I think that is also part of why China is hosting the Olympics this year.

Thought three: The western media really need to clean up their act. I guess it may be difficult for them to get to Tibet. But has any media outlet made a serious effort to get there? Why would they rather rely on what the Tibetans outside the country told them what happened there? It is obvious to me that Tibet is not important enough for most of them to get the facts right. The person in this picture repeatedly screamed, "Open the door!" There were foreigners in Lhasa at the time of the riots, including jornalists, just not enough of those who can stand on their own to tell what truly happened.

Thought four: The 14th Dalai Lama is a capable and smart politician, maybe even more so than he is a spiritual person. I admire him for that. I think I can understand his frustrations: He is getting old, old enough for him to see death coming. He has been in exile for almost half a century. As a human being, he wants to go home. I believe he also sees reality. I am guessing it's probably those surrounding him that can not let go of the past and dream to go back to Tibet one day to rule over the people like they did in the past. The Dalai Lama talked much about "sustainability" -- although he admitted he could not pronounce that word, -- I don't believe the Tibetan society can sustain the monastery ruling structure. Tibetans may have changed enough that the monks will no longer be able to put much of the population under serfdom/slavery. On one hand, if the Dalai Lama dies in exile, the whole Tibetan exile community will face a huge dilemma. On the other hand, it is in the interest of China to find a political solution to the Tibet Question given the fact that many Tibetans do take the Dalai Lama as their spiritual leader.

Last thought: Tibetans are humans. They should be treated as humans with all their good, bad and ugly qualities. I don't buy the claim that any particular ethnicity is born peaceful, cruel, honest or untrustworthy. This person in Tibetan clothing in the center of this picture told me, in fluent English, that he was born in Tibet to a very poor peasant family, that he had been in exile for five years and he learned English in India and here in the US. I don't want to judge him in anyway. But I must say he is a lot smarter than I am. He must be super lucky to have such radiant skin tone after at least 15 years of harsh life in Tibet.

Tibet (7)

Just read «The Snow Lion and the Dragon -- China, Tibet, and the Dalai Lama» by Melvyn C. Goldstein. A great narrative of a brief history of Tibet and its relationship with China.

When Dalai Lama comes to Ann Arbor, I would really like to ask him two questions:

1. He has announced to the world his aim for Tibet, which is not to seek independence but more (a lot more) autonomy. What is his strategy to reach that end goal?


2. The United States prides itself for its diversity as a national strength. Does he think that is also true for Tibet?

Tibet (6)

Got to Calling China by Nicholas D. Kristof somehow. I was going to read all the comments. But there were so many of them, I only got as far as number 40 after a whole day. :-)

It's a hot discussion.

Then there is Tom Doctoroff's Tibet, Beijing and Olympic Sponsors: To Boycott or Not. Haven't read the whole thing yet but it seems to be an interesting piece.

Looks like my Tibet study is going to continue.

西藏（之五）

Chinese Netizens versus Western Media is not bad. It is not an every day affair that you see a western media on the defensive. On the other hand, the author is still trying to imply, however subtly, somehow all these bloggers are linked to the Chinese government -- maybe that is just my impression after reading the article.

西藏（之四）

Now these are some believable accounts.

"Western Media Bias or outright fabrication on Tibet Riots"

Lies don't help anybody: Western Media Bias or outright fabrication on Tibet Riots

Pictures linked in the original posting, just in case that posting disappears:

"China's True Face"

这篇文章真的是魏京生写的吗？他的英文现在挺棒的。

西藏（之三）

今天在 Google Reader 上读到《Root causes in Tibet》跟着读到华盛顿邮报上 Abrahm Lustgarten 的《What They're Really Fighting for in Tibet》，写得还有点意思。

不过，这篇文章的作者跟多数西方文人的毛病一样，动不动就是“China”、“Chinese”。例如：

“The Chinese had taken sledgehammers to large swaths of Lhasa's historic streets -- narrow cobblestone alleys pinned in by 400-year-old whitewashed buildings. They replaced entire neighborhoods with hastily built office buildings and dreary shops with all the hospitality of self-storage units. A $10 million shopping complex, its five stories bedecked in glass and billboards of scantily clad underwear models, opened blocks from the Jokhang. (The complex was torched in the protests.) Chinese dominated all sectors of the economy; they sold all the fruit, drove most of the taxis and mined all the minerals. And finally, in July 2006, the acclaimed Qinghai-Tibet railway opened for service, a transformation that released the floodgates.”

不知道别人的感觉如何，我读完这段的印象是全中国的人民（The Chinese）都扛着大锤到拉萨去砸那儿的街道去了。先不说在中国藏人也是 Chinese，他们还享有一些一般的汉人没有的权益，现在在中国并非只有汉人去拉萨，在北京的街上也同样有新疆人卖烤羊肉串、开店，即使汉人在拉萨垄断了水果和计程车生意，这也都是“Chinese”的错吗？不尽然吧？中国不应该修青藏铁路，而应该让西藏在高原上呆着，让藏人永远生活在与世隔绝的“香格里拉”幻境？

也许有很多在西藏发生了的事情不应该发生，拉萨的街道应该保有西藏的人文风格，但是这恐怕是当地政府的失责更多些。许多事按照美国这个民主社会的准则应该靠法律法规来解决，而不是靠杀人、放火。否则的话，北京人也可以到前门大街上放火烧了 KFC 的店了。中国有无穷多的事可以做得更好，包括政府对于人权的态度，急待改进。但是，杀人放火就是杀人放火，怎么修饰也还是杀人放火。

“China has consistently pursued a policy of "taming" its far-flung western regions through economic and ethnic assimilation. It has crafted tax incentives to encourage Han business owners to move west from eastern cities and has loosened migration rules. "Go West, Young Han" is the clarion call of the times. Chinese state-run firms have staffed large construction projects such as the railway and even local road building with Han Chinese contractors and crews, who send their earnings home.”

不知道文章的作者有没有跟汉人聊过这个问题，不知道有多少汉人愿意离乡背井到西藏高原去生活。至少我这个 Chinese 如果要下决心到西藏去安家的话，绝对不会是一个轻易的决定。中国是有鼓励去西藏投资的政策，不过即便如此，我想这种政策鼓励的不是“汉人”而是“资本”。如果西方真的关心藏人的福祉，在高喊人权和宗教自由口号的同时，不如也鼓励一下外面世界的资本到西藏去。我想那才是真正对于生活在西藏的藏人的关爱。

西藏（之二）

早上从 BBC World 的广播里面听到一点西藏的消息，有目击报道中国的武警紧急反应部队大量往西藏和边缘省区增兵。BBC 的报道说甘肃也有藏人抗议活动，但是 BBC 报道本身似乎平淡一些了。

对于达赖喇嘛在藏人中的“精神领袖”地位有多高，我感觉这似乎是一个某些人在利用这一点在有意识地误导视听。如果他的地位真的象神一样，为什么在他呼吁平息暴力之后，藏民的暴力活动仍然不止？为什么达赖喇嘛一边阐述他的不独立但自治的主张，其他人口中高喊的口号还是独立？我不是怀疑他在普通藏民人群心目中的地位，而是怀疑在那些挑起暴力的人中间，“拉大旗作虎皮”的大有人在。那些为政治而政治的人，为独立而独立的人都是我怀疑的对象。

昨天和今天，断续读完了 Michael Parenti 的 Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth。确实是很值得一读的文章，不过他整篇的叙述、评论，与他最后的结束语却有极大的矛盾：“If China is the great success story of speedy free market development, and is to be the model and inspiration for Tibet’s future, then old feudal Tibet indeed may start looking a lot better than it actually was.” 也许是他对中国不顾一切的急速发展带来对自然与人文环境的破坏有切齿痛恨，“But still, a gouged eye is a gouged eye; a flogging is a flogging; and the grinding exploitation of serfs and slaves is a brutal class injustice whatever its cultural wrapping.” 这些都是他的原话。

今天也读了 Joshua Michael Schrei 写的《A Lie Repeated - The Far Left’s Flawed History of Tibet》，觉得水平很低。首先，他卷首引用的那句“谎言重复一千遍就变成真理”不是“毛主席语录”，一上来就这么生搬硬套，后面能有什么高见也就可想而知了。

西藏

西藏的情形今天不知道怎么样了。前几天在 BBC 网站上看到一点视频，感觉悲哀。这件事挑头的不知道是什么人，但是从 BBC 看到的藏人满街追打汉人，抢东西，烧商店，觉得这种“抗议”无疑是挑动共产党出动军队，而挑起这种“抗议”活动的人别有用心。当时在 BBC 的 Have Your Say 页面上发了一番评论。不知是我没有登录还是怎么，我的评论没有登出来。当时写了老长，今天没兴趣再去写了。

BBC 的《Q&A: China and Tibet》里面有这么一段：“Many Tibetans are angry at the increasing numbers of Han Chinese migrants arriving in the region, accusing them of taking the best jobs.” 估计在拉萨街头被追打的汉人就是藏人这种“angry”的发泄对象。如果这样，这些藏人更不知是受了什么人的蛊惑。我想，在街头开店的汉人不是到西藏去抢藏人工作的，他们大概也是为生计所迫，或者是为机会所吸引的普通生意人。

那天就在心里对达赖喇嘛对拉萨“抗议”活动的一面之词有些疑惑，今天在 BBC 果然看到达赖喇嘛出来表示如果拉萨的暴力活动不停止，他就辞职。达赖喇嘛的政治手腕果然圆滑，而中国政府相对之下显得愚笨而蛮横。中国嚷嚷“与国际接轨”许多年了，却对国际舞台上的游戏规则如此生疏，让人只有为他们遗憾。

在评论中看到有人推荐两篇东西，一是《Tibet Through Chinese Eyes》，一是《Friendly Fuedalism - The Tibet Myth》。看了看，还真的是有点意思。

Peter Hessler 在《Tibet Through Chinese Eyes》里写道：“ Talking with these young men was in many ways similar to talking with an idealistic volunteer in any part of the world. Apart from the financial incentive to work in Tibet, many of the motivations were the same -- the sense of adventure, the desire to see something new, the commitment to service.” 我自己也曾有过这样的经历。曾经遇到过一位女孩，当年她的美丽让二十岁的我几乎不敢直视，至今记忆尤深。第二次见到她的时候，她送他的新婚丈夫去西藏支教。他们两人让我感受到的是一种自知自觉的献身与涉险的精神。

...... To be continued ......