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Strategies & Market Trends : Asia Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ramsey Su who wrote (8178)	2/28/1999 9:02:00 PM
From: Bosco	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9980

Hello Ramsey, thx for the elucidation. If you are willing - and if it is permissible - it'd be interesting to know the other major issues according to this China expert from USCD. TIA. In the mean time, while I am not competent to be a serious student of history, we should mark the difference between history of coincidence and history of relevance [sorry, I just make up these terms as I go along <sg>.] There are many factors that govern the cult of personalities, such as, as they are applicable in this case, the educational standard of the time and the state-supported deitification as a means of mass control. Divine right is nothing special to China. Japan, England, even France until Antonette told the masses to eat cakes <sg>. Indeed, for 2,000 years, the Confucian ideology of the 5 relationships certainly fortified the social structure to safeguard the conservative/reactionary factions, especially when the peasants were taught to know their place. In terms of personality cult as mass control, China, being a totalitarian regime, is no difference from other totalitarian regimes, fascist on the right and communist on the left. I do agree that there is a void in term of charismatic leadership - but never underestimate the "poker face" <g>! I can agree that change is not overnight. Interestingly, Mao Zi Tung has allegedly said that the modernisation of China requires the sacrifice of three generations! Or, to use the Supertanker as an analogy, to make sharp turns is futile - and sometimes downright dangerous. On the flip side, to carry the analogy further, the Supertanker must steer its course ever so carefully; otherwise, it is another Titanic in the making. So, the Chinese govt cannot simply stay the course without running into the iceberg. In a way, China is in much better shape than USSR. 1st, I don't think Gorbachev was being duped. Maybe he was an enlightened leader or maybe not. One thing for sure, he is a smart - and charismatic - man. Certainly, while corruption and social ill are rampant in the current Russia, its roots go back to the many decades of cold war and mismanagement. Gorbachev merely hastened the realization of the implosion. And to echo your sentiment in one of your prior posts, by comparison, China has a lot to crow about. To say the least, feeding 1.2B people is not easy task, especially when the backdrop of pain and suffering in the early part of the 20th C. Well, success has a price. In "The Anatomy of Revolution," [really a seminal work!] Prof Clarence Brinton has argued that malcontent is at the zenith when the masses have had a taste of freedom. So, again, like it or not, China will have to address the problem. In that sense, it is better if she addresses when she can still call the shot. Regarding the State Dept., I actually think Madam Secretary Albright is doing an ok job for now. There is some rhetoric, but not enough to get anyone excited <g>. If you really want to know bungling. General Chennault of the Flying Tiger fame and Dr. Tsien Hsue-shen [these two cases are not related] are better examples of how the US politicans subverted their own country [US] because of petty idealogy. best, Bosco