Zhang LijiaAuthor Zhang Lijia remembers her youth and tells the world it is about time to stop criticising China, in Comments are for free of The Guardian. She documents the massive changes the world has been going through but who are not seen by many in the outside world.
Yet Beijing's Olympics will be a success because the majority of the population want them to be, not just because the government wants to use Olympic success to gain legitimacy. Xia Fengzhi, a 67-year-old retired worker and a volunteer, told me how happy and excited he is about the Games: 'I want foreigners to see what China has achieved. We were called the "sick man of Asia". Now we are strong and rich enough to hold such a major international event.'Zhang Lijia is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do let us know if you are interested in having her as a speaker.
If you are interested in other speakers on contemporary issues in China, do have a look here.
2 comments:
And yet we should continue to criticize US, UK, Australia, Korea, Japan, France, Germany, etc. even though they had improved and had hosted the Olympic Games.
Whether a country can continue to improve depends on how they handle criticism. If they review and find whats wrong with themselves and improve, there is hope. If they review and find whats wrong with others who criticize them, they will not learn anything from others. It is what separates the mature and the childish.
This is a component of China and the Chinese culture -- criticism is almost always unacceptable and particularly when it comes from the "outside".
Chinese do not criticize their parents, citizens do not criticize their government and -- for God's sake -- outsiders never, ever criticize our failings.
Unless this changes it is hard to see a way for China to continue to grow and prosper.
It isn't time to stop criticizing China -- it is time for China to grow up and become a real player.
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