Biased media reports ‘unite all Chinese’

I have been contemplating these few days about why and when I started writing posts that sound more pro-China than if I wrote them a decade ago.

I have hated China since small. Many members of my extended family went through the Cultural Revolution. Being someone who were considered rich at the time, they suffered extreme hardship and it took them great difficulty to move to Hong Kong.

But I'm proud to be a Chinese....a Chinese who bears 5000 years of colourful history and cultural achievements. I remember I said this often as small as I was only 8 or 9 years old: "I like the China in history but I hate the China at present."

I was at my college years when the Tiananmen Massacre happened. I remember walking with a million Hong-Kongers on the streets of HK to demonstrate against the brutality of the communists. I cried, I was startled, and I was scared. The Massacre forever left a scar in my memory and it deepened my hatred against communist China.

But in recent years, I found my attitude towards China has improved. One of the reasons must be that a stronger China does translate into a stronger status for Chinese living overseas. We are no longer ignored by our adopted countries and we are treated with more respect. In other words, we have finally become "somebody". However, the most important reason is that the attitude of the West that "China is evil no matter what" has pissed me off. Yes, China needs to do a lot to improve its human rights records. Yes, China needs to learn to be a more open country as she grows. But that doesn't mean that China is as much an evil country as she was 20 years ago.

But the western media keep telling us China IS still a synonym of evil. I saw biases and irrational one-sided reportage by the mainstream media. They'd support ANY "enemies" of China, without challenging the credibility of what these people said and tried to portray. And I hate the mainstream media when they lump all Chinese into one category as human rights abuser. Weren't the reporters trained to be not jumping to conclusion and generalization before they have fully investigated into an issue? Weren't the reporters trained not to selectively pick on one issue over another?

When I saw that my own government was doing the same thing, I felt an urge that I should tried my effort to bring more balanced views to the English world. I knew I was like "a mantis trying to stop a big truck" (a Chinese saying). But after all, it's all about fairness.

And recently, I found I'm not alone with this mentality.

On Time's China Blog, there have been numerous reactions and debate on the Tibet issue these days. While I believe some of those posters could have been Chinese agents trying to dilute westerners' bias, some others sound genuinely talking from their hearts. For instance, one poster (I read a few days ago but couldn't the link now) who claimed to be an activist during the Tiananmen Massacre and later fled to Canada, said the western media "push me to lean towards China" and "force me to become a communist."

Here are some more interesting examples:

Now I see all Chinese are unprecedentedly united, ironically not by CCP, but US and Western Biases. (by ablogger, March 21, 2008)

Having lived in one the ethnic minority of region in China for more than a decade, I know exactly what this scenario is like. There were four buses bombed simultaneously in the city in 1997 and that incident didn't even get a mention on newspaper untill 2001. China apparently lacks transparency. But that's ABSOLUTELY NOT AN EXCUSE FOR DISTORTED NEWS REPORT based on bias and the "against China no matter what" mentality....... Yes there are serious human rights problems. But that's not an excuse for violence like this which is caused by Tibetans!!! The victims are innocent Han Chinese civilians. They are the ones who were burnt!!! Why are the western media so biased when it comes to China. Why the hell those monsters become heroes of freedom and the innocent Han Chinese victims and soldiers who are trying to protect them become devils?????? What's wrong with the western mindset??? (by Danny, March 20, 2008)

On the other hand, the riot in Tibet also prompted me to think what had happened that drove these Tibetans to engage in such violent acts? With a scale as large as this one, there must be more reasons beside plainly the wish to become independent.

A very good analysis by Washington Post today... it's all about the economy.

Another excellent analysis (subscription needed, in Chinese) was written by Li Yee (李怡), a well respected commentator in Hong Kong on China issues, in the Apple Daily a few days back. Here is a synopsis:

The riot in Tibet is surely not about independence. If it's a planned revolution by the Tibetan separatists, why would the riot spread to Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu, where traditionally didn't have any independent movement? I believe the Tibetans are venting their anger against the ethnic and religious policies of communist China.

The communist policy towards Tibetans has followed the "materialism" (唯物主義) line of thinking. They thought by giving Tibetans economic benefits, they would be tamed. But the reality is otherwise. Deeply religious, "spiritualism" (唯心主義) is far, far more important than "materialism" to the Tibetan buddhists. Economic prosperity and social stability aren't what the Tibetans are after. They want to go back to their simple religious life practiced for thousands of years. This is the root of the problem.

However, the communists stop short from dealing with the root but insisting to give things that they believe are good to the Tibetans. Economic prosperity and social stability are what most people are after, but that doesn't mean they're preferred by EVERYONE.

Another poster on Time's blog also shares some good points:

In the '6.4.1989' incident, many activists/intellectuals were severely punished or injured too, they did not hide behind innocent people and let the latter sacrifice themselves. These activists/intellectuals also did not gain any 'prizes' in this incident.

I just wonder why, after having ruled Tibet for so many decades, that the government is still not able to win the hearts of the Tibetans, especially when it is often reported that the standard of living for Tibetans has improved in the past decades? Don't tell me it's because they are misled by evil forces as I don't buy this kind of simplified explanation. And also don't tell me that Tibetans are "born to be wild", so they are "rude, wild, stupid and frightening" and therefore not peace-loving. In fact, "rude, wild, stupid and frightening" people can be found in every ethnic group and every society, just as kind, friendly and peace-loving people can be found everywhere too. I myself have come across kind, honest and friendly Tibetans. Generalizations don't lead anywhere.

As to why the CCP has difficulty in winning the hearts of all the people in China, I would like to share something I experienced few years ago in Nanjing. I met a few Uigyhur students studying there in a university. Being Muslims, they have the practice of praying few times a day and had found a quiet and remote corner in the university campus to do so. Though they were told that they are allowed to practise their religion (this right is also enshrined in Chinese laws), they were later told by the school to stop doing it and no clear reason was given, or else they would face grave consequences. You can imagine how they felt at that time. They also shared with me that job prospects back home in Xinjiang is grim even though they have university degrees. Many jobs are given to Han Chinese.

I feel we really need to understand the reasons behind the Tibetan's protests. People don't easily become radicals or don't demonstrate on the streets if they are already leading a life filled with happiness and dignity.

Though we may think that Chinese land is sacred and indivisible, it is also important for us to listen to dissenting voices and understand their culture and current situation and at the same time, create mutual understanding. Crushing protests with violence will only radicalise people and lead to more violence in the end. (by Safod, March 15, 2008)

Being an atheist myself (and proudly so), I always have difficulty understanding why people would do radical things based on their religious belief. To me, religion = superstition = against civilization. And I don't like the way (many) religions interpret science. I also hate politicians skewing policies based on their own religious values, such as the neo-Cons. Many of these policies are hard to swallow for me.

It's a time that all of us should review what the root of the problem is and what we should do in the future. China needs to learn what's best to gain respect from others. The western media need to learn more about Chinese culture and the real time situation of China. Pointing fingers at each other (China vs western media) do nobody any good.

See also:

Global TV fabrication
CTV, TorStar blasted for biased reporting on Tibet issue
We demand honesty from our 'free' press: activist
He may be a God, but he’s no politician
The voices of Han Chinese in LhasaWestern Tibetophilla = escaping disgust with modernity
Mainstream media bias against China is live and thriving: US tourist
'There're no innocent Chinese bystanders': pro-Tibet blogger
On Sinophobia
Biased media reports 'unite all Chinese'
Evidence of Western media bias
Tourist video of Lhasa riot shows mob violence
'Chinese authorities exercise great restraint': CTV
Accounts from Lhasa and beyond
'Howling' mob attack anything, anyone looks Chinese: Western tourists
Hong Kong reporters, foreigners expelled from Lhasa (footage)
Tibet riot - BBC
Tibet riot photos taken by eyewitnesses
'They don't even let go women and children'
Tibet riot - great INDEPENDENT accounts
Rioter to Dalai Lama: 'Please don't ask us to stop'
Han Chinese not humans?
Latest AP photos of the Lhasa riot
Beijing, Dharamasala both use heavy propaganda machines
Tibet riot - more eyewitness accounts
'They stopped throwing stones at the boy when I rushed forward'
Tibet riot - the other side of the story