[FPSPACE] the Celestial Empire

[Chen Lan]

I noticed the thread last year, without comments as I think it's non-relevant to space. However, as a Chinese citizen living in China for many years (I grow up here, and it has been more than four years since I returned to China from Singapore), and a student in the 1989 movement, I have to say something this time.

I'm very sad to see that "facts" on western media is largely different from the facts I see. Yes, China is still a non-democratic country in western standards. But it's not a Nazi-like country at all as you imagined. It is still difficult to criticize the communist party and its top leaders on publications and in official occasions. But except for these, you can say ANYTHING you like at anywhere and any time(if you are in China, you can try to talk with the taxi driver and guess what he would say), which is even better than in Singapore. Also, there are media articles criticizing the government policies. For example, media is an important factor (unfortunately unseen by the West) in the SARS crisis last year to force the government to adopt an open policy.

Death penalty for political reasons has been an old story more than 20 years ago. So "get a bullet in the brain" and "mobile execution squads" will definitely be laughable if you talk to people here(whatever he/she is a Chinese or a foreigner). If the fact is really like what you say, how to explain hundreds thousands of "democratic" Taiwanese immigrated to the "non-democratic" Shanghai?

I think the best way to understand China is to come to China, stay here for a period of time, say one year, and communicate with ordinary people here. I believe you will see many different and interesting things.

One point I think you are right is the enlarging gap between the coastal area at east and the inner area at west. Recently scholars and government officials seems having reached an consensus that the only solution may be immigration (from west to east). It will be a quick way to help people in west get rich and a good way to save unpolluted environment in west at a price of higher population density in the east.

Back to space, it is very obvious that China has increased space budget in recent years. There will be record breaking 10 space laucnhes this year and similar numbers for next year and 2006. Unfortunately the manned space program seems slowed down after the SZ-5 flight.

Chen Lan
 
> At its core, China still remains an authoritarian, repressive country that treats its own people pretty badly.  Speak out against the government and you go to jail.  Mention something like the SARS outbreak and go to jail (look it up).  Make too much trouble and you get a bullet in the brain.  (The Chinese government has mobile execution squads to increase efficiency in this area.)
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> I'm not all that negative on Chinese economic growth.  The intense poverty of the undeveloped world is certainly as hard on its citizens as repressive governments are.  But let's keep in mind that a growing, economically expanding--non-democratic--China is going to be a greater threat to its neighbors and to world piece (just like a growing, economically expanding--non-democratic--Nazi Germany was in the 1930s).  It's going to start throwing its weight around more with Taiwan (currently the target of several hundred Chinese missiles).  It's going to start shoving around Japan.  These are not desirable things.
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> DDAY
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