What do Catholics/Christians from all around the world think about China?

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XiWang717

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I am simply wondering…what do most of you think when you think about China? Is your opinion generally positive, negative, or neither?
 
I do not like what the government does nor how it runs the country, especially censorship and it’s one child policiy, and the tragedies it leads to. However, I am a fan of Chinese culture, textiles and art.
 
I think China is an increasingly powerful country with many great strengths. I think that greater democracy is a good thing, and that China is making steps towards this. I think at the same time it is right to avoid risking any internal conflict, such as what happened with the former Yugoslavia. The environment in China has suffered as economic growth has surged ahead. And I think the one-child policy is in general a good thing to promote, but I do not agree with coercion to achieve it. China’s culture is ancient; its history deserves to be better known. And the genius of having a single written language that covers the many Chinese spoken language is just fantastic. I really like Chinese people, be they from China itself, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore or elsewhere. There are of course good and bad Chinese, but I like the traditional emphasis on hard work, family, art, culture, and honesty. And Chinese food is most definitely the best cuisine in the world. But I am afraid I have yet to understand or appreciate Chinese music, except that I like it better than western opera. But then I like anything better than opera! 🙂
 
Well, I always differentiate between a government and its people, especially in countries where elections aren’t democratic.

To keep it short, the Chinese government is similar to the government in other countries that are still to embrace democracy.

On the other hand, I know a lot of Chinese guys. In fact, I have a very good Chinese friend. Very smart and hardworking students. 👍
 
Here in india the opinion is quite negative…Anyway that is not my feeling personally.
 
I love the Chinese culture yet hate the Chinese government (I could say that about every culture and their government, including the U.S.)

I love Chinese history and much of it has been suppressed there as well as here (U.S).

I find it tragic the the greatest mass murderers of all time are: 1.) Stalin; 2.) Mao Tse Tung; and 3.) Hitler…If you include the starvation that occurred under Mao, then he is the number 1 mass murderer of all time. How do the people of China regard him and his legacy?

I wonder about the differences between true Catholics in China vs. Chinese government-approved Catholicism.

I wonder about what a male majority will do in a country that aborts their female babies.

I find amazing differences in thought, belief, and behavior amongst first, second, third, and fourth generation Chinese in the U.S.
 
XiWang717 said:
I am simply wondering…what do most of you think when you think about China? Is your opinion generally positive, negative, or neither?
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I have a very positive opinion of China. China is an ancient land and culture and so has a real substance to it which many countries formed only recently can never have. I think Chinese culture is beautiful, but in some ways is inaccessible to the typical westerner (given the stark differences between languages etc).

I think at this point in time, China is finally ascending to her rightful place in the world - as a significant global power, a major manufacturer, a center of technology - after a long history of outside intervention (eg the Anglo-Chinese Opium wars) which has often unfairly kept China down and prevented her from reaching her potential.

The western media sometimes casts China as a military threat, but this is obviously done mainly just to demonise China, because Chinese power represents a possible balance to western (i.e. American) hegemony. But balance in the world can only be a good thing, because if one nation alone has incomparable power then it inevitably starts to see the rest of the world as its own backyard and so behaves accordingly. We see this today and throughout history.

My criticisms of China would be that I would like to see wealth and opportunities more evenly distributed among all of the Chinese people. And I would like a more open and accountable Government. But these things happen gradually, not overnight, and I think China is currently in a process of transformation towards them. Certainly, even compared to just 50 years ago, China today is very different in many ways.

I would also like to see a better relationship between the Chinese Government and the Vatican. It’s easy to see, historically, why the Government may be suspicious of any outside influence, but Christianity is not a threat to Chinese self-determination. I think there is a great longing for Christianity among many Chinese; certainly in my own parish (in the UK) many members are Scots people with Chinese ancestry.

Rather than be wary of the Chinese, we in the west should appreciate the contribution China makes towards our quality of life. I live in the UK, and when I was born, (late 70s), all British people knew of China was probably the Chinese takeaways in every British town. Nowadays British people drive Chinese cars and “made in China” is stamped on many of the household goods upon which they depend.
 
I have a negative opinion of China. I believe the government there disrespects the Pope by not allowing him to choose the Bishops in China. They consider the Pope to be tyrannical, which is absurd. Also, the people of China should have the courage to stand together against that government which is oppressive to the people. It’s a shame in my opinion.
 
I personally think China is an amazing country with an amazing culture. I’ve been there several times, and adopted several children there. There are many things to be learned from that culture that we don’t have in the west. For example, we want everything now. OTOH, China will wait decades to do the same thing.
TEPO said:
I have a negative opinion of China. I believe the government there disrespects the Pope by not allowing him to choose the Bishops in China. They consider the Pope to be tyrannical, which is absurd. Also, the people of China should have the courage to stand together against that government which is oppressive to the people. It’s a shame in my opinion.
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Most westerners don’t understand China and the was it functions. China is not a democratic country, and never has been one. It’s simply part of the culture.

The problem with Catholicism in China is it’s basic tenants are against the way the government currently functions. Basically, you have to listen to what the government tells you to do. If you are a Catholic, that immediately puts in conflict with the government. You can’t be loyal to Rome and the Chinese government at the same time. Further compounding the issue is that Catholicism is not native to China. You can’t expect a foreign government to simply accept your beliefs.
 
What I think about (as a person who does not follow the news or politics) is that it’s a country with a whole lot of people and a country with whom you can trade and get goods at cheap prices. I have purchased things from China before and been quite pleased with the price and quality. I’ve only done this on a small personal scale, nothing like as a business or anything.

Oh yeah, I forgot. Don’t they own like most of our debt too? LIke a huge ammt of our debt? We are the most indebted country in the world, I think China might fall on the other end of the spectrum. Not sure what that means for our future, political or otherwise. When I’ve mentioned it in conversation, more than once I’ve gotten the reply “Yeah, but we have the strongest military with all the guns, etc”… not sure what to make of that…
 
Bill_7154 said:
Oh yeah, I forgot. Don’t they own like most of our debt too? LIke a huge ammt of our debt? We are the most indebted country in the world, I think China might fall on the other end of the spectrum. Not sure what that means for our future, political or otherwise. When I’ve mentioned it in conversation, more than once I’ve gotten the reply “Yeah, but we have the strongest military with all the guns, etc”… not sure what to make of that…
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It means we are indebted to them, so they have the right to demand things from us. But we have a strong military so we will not give them what they demand… In other words, we are crooks.
 
When you say “China” I’m thinking about the regime in Beijing. Sneaky, evil, and out to get the United States.

Their totally unfair trade practices, lack of concern for human rights/life, and disregard of any environmental damage they might do; doesn’t paint a rosy picture in my mind.

ALSO… I have heard many stories of atrocities committed by Chinese troops against American soldiers in the Korean War - murder, starvation, and unspeakable torture. These stories have been confirmed by ex-POWs.

There are also rumors of Americans POWs from Korea and Vietnam being shipped to China for hideous experimentations - such as medical experimentation, and chemical & bio weapons testing. These rumors (of course) are denied by the US government, but I think there could be something to them.

My opinion of China is not good.
 
TEPO said:
I have a negative opinion of China. I believe the government there disrespects the Pope by not allowing him to choose the Bishops in China. They consider the Pope to be tyrannical, which is absurd. Also, the people of China should have the courage to stand together against that government which is oppressive to the people. It’s a shame in my opinion.
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That is a difficult issue. Here is what I will say - the main reason why most Chinese tolerate the Chinese government is simply because they do not feel the great need not to. They do not really see in everyday life the “evils” as some of you say, of the Chinese government, and they simply become content with working to earn a living, day by day, year by year. Understand that conditions in China are still poor compared to the West, and that only around 38% of all Chinese even have access to the Internet.

My father grew up in a small rural village still reeling from the effects of the Japanese invasion, and his parents earned their living largely due to farming; my father’s younger brother died at the age of eleven because the medical treatment was too poor at the time. And yet, my father rose through his own efforts, reading and studying intensely, to attend one of the top universities in China at the time and become a diplomat for the Foreign Ministry, visiting various nations and meeting with many heads of state, including several American Presidents, to further rise until he earned himself a position within international organizations.

The Chinese, including my own parents, especially my father, idolize Mao because he is seen as a cultural “savior”, almost worthy of worship, due to his contribution to what can be seen as the modernization of China. Arguably, the Vatican itself a semi-political body, and as such, some see the Pope as foreign interference in Chinese political affairs.
 
XiWang717 said:
That is a difficult issue. Here is what I will say - the main reason why most Chinese tolerate the Chinese government is simply because they do not feel the great need not to. They do not really see in everyday life the “evils” as some of you say, of the Chinese government, and they simply become content with working to earn a living, day by day, year by year. Understand that conditions in China are still poor compared to the West, and that only around 38% of all Chinese even have access to the Internet.

My father grew up in a small rural village still reeling from the effects of the Japanese invasion, and his parents earned their living largely due to farming; my father’s younger brother died at the age of eleven because the medical treatment was too poor at the time. And yet, my father rose through his own efforts, reading and studying intensely, to attend one of the top universities in China at the time and become a diplomat for the Foreign Ministry, visiting various nations and meeting with many heads of state, including several American Presidents, to further rise until he earned himself a position within international organizations.

The Chinese, including my own parents, especially my father, idolize Mao because he is seen as a cultural “savior”, almost worthy of worship, due to his contribution to what can be seen as the modernization of China. Arguably, the Vatican itself a semi-political body, and as such, some see the Pope as foreign interference in Chinese political affairs.
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With all due respect Mr. Wang, I do believe your father is a good man, and has done very good things and I respect you for coming here and creating this dialogue. But when you speak of “idolizing” Mao, that strikes be as being counter-productive in terms of progress. Progress in a Catholic sense means uniting all of mankind under the One and only true God of us all, which extends beyond politics and nations. Progress means standing up for what our creator expects from us, and not settling for anything less. So when the Chinese people accept what’s given to them because it comes from them, that is the point when I become confused because as a human race, we should be united in universal truths that extend beyond this world, and remaining in a paradigm of nationality first -religion second, we lose this universal covenant with each other.

Of course, I’m an American so I have no concept of what it means to be embraced by people who are all of similar culture and race. Here, we’re all mixed and multi-cultural. I hope I haven’t overstepped my boundaries here and I certainly mean no disrespect towards the Chinese people in general, I just don’t quite understand.
 
TEPO said:
With all due respect Mr. Wang, I do believe your father is a good man, and has done very good things and I respect you for coming here and creating this dialogue. But when you speak of “idolizing” Mao, that strikes be as being counter-productive in terms of progress. Progress in a Catholic sense means uniting all of mankind under the One and only true God of us all, which extends beyond politics and nations. Progress means standing up for what our creator expects from us, and not settling for anything less. So when the Chinese people accept what’s given to them because it comes from them, that is the point when I become confused because as a human race, we should be united in universal truths that extend beyond this world, and remaining in a paradigm of nationality first -religion second, we lose this universal covenant with each other.

Of course, I’m an American so I have no concept of what it means to be embraced by people who are all of similar culture and race. Here, we’re all mixed and multi-cultural. I hope I haven’t overstepped my boundaries here and I certainly mean no disrespect towards the Chinese people in general, I just don’t quite understand.
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You know, I am not necessarily saying that I support all aspects of communism, but it is to my belief that the doctrine originated in the West, not China. As I have said, the situation is difficult, and I am not trying to defend any ideology. But without communism, where would China be today?
 
I think China is a wonderful country with an amazingly resilient people. They just unfortunately happen to be under the oppressive reigme of a Communist govt.

I think if China ever embraced some form of demoracy and started to really respect human rights, the balance of power, economically et cetera, would shift. They’d be the next world power. I’m not overly worried about that, but Mandarin is a hard language to learn!

In fact, I think its perfectly reasonable to expect in my life time the collaspe of that communist debacle and a demand for greater freedoms and more representation. China’s govt. can’t keep ahead of modern technology and the ideas coming in from the West regarding basic human rights and freedoms.

Of course, I find the one child policy and how they operate that is the most detestable and morally repugnant thing I’ve ever come across. Its a shameful blot on their society.
 
I like China, and, maybe because I never lived there, I feel it might be better than India. However, I hate the government of China. Atheist governments usually tend to be without compassion and it shows.
 
TEPO said:
With all due respect Mr. Wang, I do believe your father is a good man, and has done very good things and I respect you for coming here and creating this dialogue. But when you speak of “idolizing” Mao, that strikes be as being counter-productive in terms of progress.
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It actually is counterproductive to demonize the “idols” of others. Even the Church doesn’t do that with respect to other religions it considers false. Doing so simply cuts off dialogue at the outset.

Mao came to power during a very turbulent time in Chinese history, uniting China and expelling foreigners, notably the Japanese, whose occupation was horrific in nature. Mao was the strong leader that was needed at that was at time.

Most westerners only focus on the bad of Mao, and simply have no knowledge of Mao’s uniting of the people and expelling foreigners that were slaughtering and raping them.
Of course, I’m an American so I have no concept of what it means to be embraced by people who are all of similar culture and race. Here, we’re all mixed and multi-cultural. I hope I haven’t overstepped my boundaries here and I certainly mean no disrespect towards the Chinese people in general, I just don’t quite understand.
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It is imperative that having dialogue at the ambassador level the party making the contact understand the culture and the people. Countries like China are very different and very much older than our own, and we can’t expect them to accept things the way we do. Long term and friendly dialogue is the only way to attempt understanding of our religious beliefs.
 
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