admin's note: As Nimrod commented in an early thread, "the tankman photo was a snapshot ..., the whole incident is a lot more powerful than the snapshot; in the same way that the whole 1989 movement makes a more powerful statement than the snapshot of 6/4." Previously, we posted personal accounts of students from Tianjin or Shanghai to give readers a taste of the spread, both … [Read more...] about On my way to school, I saw beautiful flowers
politics
(Letter from kui) A recollection of the 1989 student movement in Tianjin
admin's note: This year is the 20th anniversary of the 1989 student movement. No matter what your view on this subject is, what happened 20 years ago is no doubt an important piece of Chinese history. As Zhu Rongji, former Chinese premier minister, then mayor of Shanghai, famously said, on June 8, 1989, “No one can cover up historical facts forever, and the truth will … [Read more...] about (Letter from kui) A recollection of the 1989 student movement in Tianjin
Sorting fact from fiction – Tiananmen revisited (Part 1)
Foreword The following piece is the first installment of a two-part essay that explores the tumultuous events that occurred in Beijing during the spring of 1989. The essay is divided into seven sections, the first three of which appear here in Part I. The first half of the essay provides a brief outline of the economic and social setting from which the movement sprung, … [Read more...] about Sorting fact from fiction – Tiananmen revisited (Part 1)
Taiwan and the WHO
The last time Taiwan tried to apply for observer status in the WHO, China slammed it down. When the SARS crisis arose and China offered Taiwan help, Taiwan denied and declined. That was 2003, when President Chen of the DPP still governed Taiwan. Fast forward now six years - how things have changed! … [Read more...] about Taiwan and the WHO
Is Chinese Meritocracy a Viable Alternative to Western Democracy?
David Brooks at the New York Times wrote a column more than a year ago, “The Dictatorship of Talent”. He characterized the Chinese political system as a form of “meritocratic paternalism”. … [Read more...] about Is Chinese Meritocracy a Viable Alternative to Western Democracy?