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‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 57
“The Chinese definition of literacy is the ability to read and write at least 1500 Chinese characters. In 1949, when ‘New China’ was founded, the illiteracy rate was more than 80%. By 1992, 22.3% of adults in China were illiterate. Ten years later, that proportion had dropped to 8.72%.

While 8.72% seems relatively small, that translates into a total of 85 million illiterate people in China at the beginning of this century. Twenty million of them were between the age of 15 and 50, with 70% of the total number of illiterate people being women.

Despite China’s huge recent economic expansion and the country’s trillion-dollar plus foreign reserves, the total amount of money allocated per year since 2000 to fight and eliminate illiteracy among 85 million people was just eight million yuan (US$1.03 million). Education was worth a paltry 0.07 yuan per person, an amount that would certainly not buy a book of lessons, nor even a pencil or one single sheet of paper to write on.

Small wonder then that by 2007 the number of illiterate people had not dropped -- it had risen. Since official figures were released after China’s last census in 2000, giving a base of 85 million illiterate people, China has experienced an increase in illiteracy equal to the entire population of Canada -- 30 million people – becoming unable to read or write. Today, 116 million people are unable to meet China’s definition of literacy.”

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 55
"Shanghai is remarkably safe. The Shanghainese are still the ‘special ones’ of China. They still get the added respect from criminal elements from other parts of China that affords them an additional layer of protection, something the folks in booming cities like Shenzhen across from Hong Kong no longer have. In Shenzhen if they want your purse but you hang onto it too tightly, they might just cut your arm off.

But even as residents here in Shanghai for over 20 years, the authors have not been touched by it, or even really seen it. Sure, a pick pocketed wallet and a pinched mobile, both lost more from carelessness than to an exercise of someone’s criminal ability. But real crime? Best to watch the late night local TV news to see that.

But the bad guys are coming sure enough. And the young ones are in training.

Blue (collar) China Crime forms the most fearful element of the 4th Army of Instability. In the end, the White and Red elements of the 4th Army may cause more financial long term harm, but it is the physical nature of the Blue Army that paralyzes most people with fear."

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 53
“Cruelty to animals has a long history in China. ‘Rich people in ancient times used to put live ducks onto hot iron plates and the ducks end up dancing themselves to death. The diners then eat the meat on the ducks’ feet because it was said to be much more delicious than the meat of ducks cooked in the ordinary way’ said media.

China has many cruelly-prepared dishes. One is called ‘the three squeaks.’ This dish consists of live baby mice, and its name comes from the fact they squeak first when picked up by the diner’s chopsticks, second when dipped in sauce, and third when placed in the mouth and bitten.

Media also noted that while some people were kinder to animals, this could ‘stem from a fear of being punished if animals are treated badly’ because ‘Buddhism encourages people not to eat animals since … after death, people may become animals themselves.’ It is fear of religious retribution that may dictate positive treatment of animals rather than the natural expression of kindness itself."

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 51
“Coming from countries like Canada and Britain, the authors have the ability to appreciate coming second or third, even the necessity of it. There is true glory in silver and bronze.

Not if you are a citizen of China. Unless you achieve gold medal ranking, your accomplishments will disappear along with hundreds of thousands of other second and third place finishers. On Chinese television, if you win on a live broadcast, you are certain to be replayed over and over. If you or your team loses, a terse three sentences on the evening’s sports program will be all the glory you will receive.

An example of the obsession with coming first was seen after the 2004 Athens Olympics, when only gold-medal winners from mainland China were allowed the grace of celebrating their achievements in front of politicians and the public in Hong Kong. Silver and bronze medal winners had to be content with the warmth of family congratulations at home, out of the limelight. Only mere fractions of distance and milliseconds of time separate winners from losers. But in China the gulf between winners and loser is physical, spiritual, and huge.”

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 52
“For China, coming first in major international competitions is almost a matter of life and death, and is comparable to a major military campaign. Liu Peng, President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said in early 2007 that “Battle preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games are in a grave state. To the outside, we must display humble troops and keep a low profile, but inwardly we must plant grand ambition to scale great heights, and there can be absolutely no slackening.” Would words of actual war be any less bombastic? Would the call to arms be any less spiritually demanding?

The pursuit of titles is so dominant that it restricts the personal freedom of athletes. In late 2006 Liu Peng announced ‘In order to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, our country’s athletes, including celebrity athletes, are banned from participating in all kinds of social activities.’ In typical Chinese fashion, what was meant by “social activities” was not specified. And while media suggested the ruling was primarily aimed at sports stars who gave commercial endorsements to products, the vaguely worded nature of the statement meant it could be used to control athletes in the widest possible range of ways.

In China, trying counts for very little. All that matters is success, and the concept of the ‘noble failure’ is virtually non-existent. The ‘success at all costs’ attitude is at the root of many other social phenomena observable in China today. It is the reason behind the stock market frenzy, and the reason behind the fact that manufacturers are willing to sell low quality or dangerous goods just so that they can close the deal. It underlies China’s conspicuous consumption, and it explains why students are expected to seek financial success over personal satisfaction – and why the student who wants to be an artist or musician faces social derision.”

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 50
“A major survey undertaken by China’s Ministry of Labor and Social Security, which covered 2.84 million migrant workers across 19,000 enterprises in 40 cities, found that 79.2% of workers listed their greatest concern as income and nearly 40% talked about lack of social insurance. Just over 25% said unpaid wages were a major concern. Of those who had not been paid on time, said the survey (without giving the precise number of unpaid workers) the average amount owed was 2,100 yuan (US$270).

Regardless of the lack of a precise number of unpaid workers, fully one in four migrant workers has not been paid, fears they will not be paid, or has reservations about the truth behind the company that they work for and the ability of the government to enforce the retrieval of the funds should they be withheld.

Article 36 of China’s 1995 Labor Law says “The State shall practice a working hour system wherein laborers shall work for no more than eight hours a day and no more than 44 hours a week on the average.” Such words indicate a labor utopia which is not to this day enjoyed by any migrant. A survey by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in June 2007 found that most migrant workers received no payment for overtime, and that two thirds of them had no opportunity to negotiate wages. It also found that more than 30% of migrant workers injured in industrial accidents received absolutely no compensation.”

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 47
"The River Yangtze is the third longest on the planet. It is approximately 6,300 km long and accounts for more than a third of China’s total freshwater supplies. It discharges more than a million million cubic meters of water into the sea annually. A river so huge, it might be thought, would be almost impossible to pollute heavily.

Yet according to the 2007 health report on this river (which, despite being billed as ‘annual’ by the Chinese government is the first of its kind) it is under major pressure. Around 10% of the Yangtze is in ‘critical condition,’ and 30% of its major tributaries are seriously polluted. According to Yang Guishan, a researcher at a department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the nation’s leading intellectual body, this impact is ‘largely irreversible.’ In 2006, the Yangtze fell to its lowest level since records began in 1877.

Every species that lives in the river is in decline, most dramatically the white-flag dolphin, or ‘Baiji,’ one of only five species of freshwater dolphin in the world.

A six week search for the white-flag along the river did not find a single dolphin, leading some researchers to conclude it is in fact extinct. If so, it will be the first time mankind has driven a cetacean to extinction."

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 45
"Between the years 1978 and 2006 China allowed 1,067,000 of its young citizens to study abroad. More than 792,000 of those citizens never came home.

They never returned to ‘the motherland,’ and have never returned to be Chinese. Three out of four of those more than one million minds, full of new information, education and ideas, nation-building qualities, are still keeping the company of Western economies and living a Western lifestyle.

In the earlier years of this exodus, the most popular study designations were the US, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. But more recently many other countries have joined the list. New Zealand. Ireland. France. Germany. Italy. Spain. Austria. Even Russia and the Ukraine. It seems that almost any country is preferable to departing Chinese youth than China."

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 43
“China’s constant talk of a ‘peaceful rise’ and of ‘peaceful development’ is an attempt to create an image of a young and dynamic new economy. The astonishing growth of the country’s economy in recent years can make it appear like a strong economic youngster growing into powerful and confident world of developed countries.

Yet real Chinese society is gray, both in age and numbers. According to the World Health Organization, an ‘aging society’ is either one in which 10% of the population is over 60 years old or (in another measure) 7% of the population is over 65.

Nationwide, by the end of 2005, China had almost 144 million people over the age of 60, accounting for 11% of the entire population. The number of elderly people is rising fast, at 3% a year overall, with the number of those over 80 rising by 5% a year. By 2010, other estimates say China will have 174 million people over 60, more than 20 million of whom will be over 80.

By 2025, there will be 280 million people in China over the age of 60. By 2045, that number will have risen to 400 million. The average age in China, which was around 30 in 2000, will rise to 39 by 2025. By 2040 the average age will be 44, meaning the country will age faster in a generation than Europe has in a century. To put it another way, by 2050 average age will be three years higher than average lifespan was in 1950.”

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 41
"Any great nation needs to rely on creativity and innovation in order to leave its mark on history as well as to drive its economy. For China’s economic miracle to continue, it is imperative to re-discover its native sense of inventiveness, the same inventiveness that created China itself.

However, the country’s leaders know that a truly creative and free-thinking population will also be much more likely to demand innovation in politics as well as industry, meaning the Party remains wary of too much reform. Democracy is a great energizer of invention, but is a step too far for the present government.

Instead, the Party has sought to channel national innovation into paths that will bolster its own hold on power. Rather than allow any form of ‘blue skies’ thinking (that is, free and undirected scientific enquiry), the Party directs innovation and a huge amount of finance into politically impressive projects such as its space program. Whereas in the United States, cash and ingenuity results in creativity (as in the case of Microsoft, for example), in China the government’s money directs all things, which usually dampens the sparks of innovation."

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 42
China’s space program put the nation’s first man in space in 2003 (more than forty years after the Russians did it) and in 2005, Hu Shixiang, deputy chief commander of the space program, said China would put a man on the moon and build a space station within ten to 15 years.

Projects such as this contribute very little to the sum total of human wellbeing, and they certainly do not make the life of the average Chinese citizen any better – indeed, the life of the average Chinese citizen becomes worse given that billions of dollars poured into space projects becomes unavailable to provide the schools, hospitals and social welfare that rural China so desperately needs. This money also siphons off research funding for scientists who are working on projects of real benefit.

The space program unites the Chinese people with a feeling of pride, and it is this pride the Party uses to leverage its grip on power. Yet national self-esteem is only one aspect of China’s rush into space. China’s wish to put a man on the moon has perhaps more to do with Chinese desires for military expansion into space.

Sadly, the vast majority of Chinese people quickly smile and register self-satisfaction when the space race and the new arms-in-space race is brought up in general conversation. For them, the allocation of billions of dollars of research funds to vanity projects, when domestic matters require creative solutions to real problems, is totally acceptable.

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 39
Around 250,000 people kill themselves every year in China, according to statistics from China’s Ministry of Health. To put this another way – every two minutes of each hour, 24/7, eight Chinese people kill themselves. The figure of 250,000 is those whose deaths are reported as suicide. It does not include the suicide deaths that are hushed up or attributed to other causes.

A further two million people attempt suicide annually, according to statistics from 2003, the latest year for which information is available to us at the time of writing. Furthermore these two million attempts were just the ones that ended up in hospital, indicating a far higher true total.

Even more shocking, of these two million, “less than one percent receive psychiatric assessment and guidance during the emergency treatment” said Chinese media.

The suicide death toll among today’s Chinese citizens is beyond the ability of government officials to calculate accurately. According to the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center, which was set up in 2003 by the Society of Neurology and Psychiatry of the Chinese Medical Association and Beijing’s Huilongguan Hospital, the figure is 23 suicides per 100,000 people. Based on an official population of 1.3 billion, that’s almost 300,000 suicides a year.

Suicide is the number one killer of Chinese people between the ages of 15 and 34. Surprising, when you consider the burgeoning economy and new-found ‘freedoms’ offered by the state that pronounces stability and harmony as its watchwords. In a country where young people have everything to live for, they are ending their lives at a rate that surely must make government leaders question the speed of change that is overtaking the Chinese people in the name of progress.

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 35
“Despite the signing of the 1972 ‘Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People’s Republic of China’ which normalized relations between the two countries, for China, the ‘Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,’ as the China-Japan war of 1937 to 1945 is called in China, has never truly come to an emotional closure. When China looks in the mirror of Japan, it sees an enemy, a country with which it is still fighting a war of apology.

And the one constant refrain of this emotional war is that Japan must ‘truthfully face up to history.’ The youth of Japan are declared ignorant about the need for reflection, and the youth of China therefore reflect only hatred.

How deep Chinese hatred of Japan goes was made clear in an editorial in People’s Daily in June 2007. Li Xuejiang, the newspaper’s chief resident reporter in the US, wrote that “The massacre of the Jews by the German Nazis during WWII was a trampling upon the human justice, and the issue about ‘sex slaves’ is an identical one and has no reason whatsoever to make it fade or weaken” [sic].

To equate one of the greatest tragedies in all human history – the Holocaust – with sex slavery, which, though a grave crime, is one that has been committed in almost every war ever fought – is simply obscene, and a deep insult to all Jewish people as well as many other nationals who suffered the horrors of the gas.

In making a link between the Japanese nation of today with Nazi Germany of the past, China simply distorts history and keeps hatred alive.”

‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 33
“Mando-pop (Mandarin pop music) is characterized by softness. No hard edges are exposed where young people might cut themselves some independent thinking. No difficult subject matter interferes with the music from mesmerizing young minds.

The typical male mando-pop star is a designed metrosexual. Reasonably good looking, his hair, never long, is designed to gently fracture his face, the eyes possibly kohl shadowed. It is permissible to unbutton the shirt exposing an oiled, or sparkled hairless chest. Wiry thin, dressed in dark tones or blinding bright colors, the male mando-pop star whispers his song, never yelling, at least until the penultimate moment when all the girls will have their hearts stolen as the music in its crescendo closing requires our star to give it all he has.

In the audience hearts and glow sticks are all a flutter. One, possibly two well-mannered girls jump up on stage with bouquets of flowers. Our male star offers his cheek which the two girls shyly kiss, to the orgasmic cheer of the audience. Glow sticks flutter double time.

For the typical mando-pop female star, perfect in her makeup, dress and hair must be wistful, wishful and virginal. No sex allowed. That is reserved for Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese pop stars. If she can produce a tear, not during the song but when her adoring fans shriek her name through their glow sticks, a tear that she wipes away ever so gently with a single finger, then her concert will be considered a smash.

The songs are soft, breathy love ballads, almost spoken, and with the one essential quality that guarantees their success – they can be sung by anyone.

It is in the KTV parlors that a mando-pop’s star quality is manufactured. Hundreds of thousands of locations throughout China require the latest superstar efforts to be available for local singing fans, 15 to 25 years old, to duplicate the sounds of their favorites. If you can sell your songs to the KTV palaces, you are ensured stardom.

The kids can’t sing rock ‘n roll, so don’t bother making it. It’s just too Western for sensitive Chinese ears. And rock n’ roll just might tell the kids something they do not even want to hear.”