Internet in China : a fustrating experience

The chinese government would have put you in prison if you were a teacher. Or you would have risked the bullet for writing a simple poem (these are facts, not a random joke). Today, this repression still exists. Today, beneath the skin of the chinese people, it’s still there : the fear for the chinese government. The chinese population wouldn’t dare to stand up against its government because of its repressing and fear-awakening way of treating its own people. Still, being a foreigner in China, it doesn’t seem normal to me at all, what is going on in this bloody country.

China has 1 trillion US dollars in its reserves, being nr 4 on the list of richest countries in the world. But on the other hand 130 million chinese people are poor (as in not having food to eat). If I tell this to a chinese, they reply : Really, we are so rich ? Because to chinese, they see their own environment as being poor. But the chinese government never talks about how they are ripping of the poor people.

Let’s talk a little about media in China. I don’t watch television in China for 2 reasons : one is the fact they only have one english channel, two, there is not a single piece of pure television in China. It’s all manipulated by the chinese government. Every piece of information has to be verified and approved by the chinese government. Even if I would be able to understand fluent chinese, I would not be willing to watch their freakshows. It’s not just the television, it’s the newspapers, radio, cinema, books, magazines, even the dvd’s you buy in China, etc. Switch on the television and it’s all about ‘China is the best’ and ‘China is so nice’. In fact it’s just crap. They could even broadcast ‘looney tunes’ and the chinese would still be happy.

Take for example the Olympics : China did not want to broadcast the Olympic Games live on television. They were affraid that some retarded buddhists would force himself on the football-field, and give China a bad image. The Olympic Committee has denied the request of the chinese government. Instead China can broadcast with a maximum delay of 10 minutes.

It’s just hypocrite, the way China wants to look good to the rest of the world, while in fact everybody knows that China is far from perfect. Those journalists that did interviews in Tibet, they litteraly risk their lives and they probably don’t have a clue they do.

One thing that is most irritating in China is the internet, mainly because my job requires that I use internet. The number of times I popup into this freaking page that says “This page can not be displayed”… The chinese government tries to control internet-traffic. But it’s just at random : except websites about Dalai Lama, even a website about pharmaceuticals can not be accessed from China. Half of my mails do never reach its recipient. FTP-traffic is even worse.

Why is the chinese government doing its best to defend the image of China and control all media ? Well, its simple : suppose 1,3 billion all of a sudden get the idea to stand up against its own government. Or just suppose, any chinese would all of a sudden have an individual opinion. The chinese government would never be able to control its own population if every chinese would have opened his or her eyes. So, the government says : Let’s keep the chinese dumb. Creativity is not accepted in China, because it stimulates thinking and thinking stimulates having an opinion. And opinions could lead to a revolution.

People who work for the chinese government (and there are a lot), are considered more important than doctors in this country, and they’re wealthy. One guy I know, he has his degree to be a doctor. He really wants to be a doctor, but it only pays like 300 euros a month. So instead he’s selling medicines. Those people who work for the chinese government receive pribes from locals. I am not only talking about people with a high position, I am talking about the regular administrative employees in China. Guanxi (litteraly : relation) is still the most effective way to do business in China. The more people you know, the more easy it will be to get your stuff arranged, problems solved, etc. But nothing is for free in China.

When Mao was ruling this country, he forced women to give birth to as many children as possible. Mao was convinced he could conquer Japan if the chinese were numerous. Today, there are too many chinese, now couples get a ticket when they give birth to a second or third child. Chinese people can’t see they are being manipulated by the chinese government ?!

China calls itself a ‘great nation’. I’d say yes, but then only because they are so numerous. And certainly not because of their 5.000 years of history or their achievements.