China: La France = le merde!

Do you remember the anti-French sentiment in the U.S. that was the result of some people's anger of France's tepid reaction to the U.S. invasion of Iraq? Remember the right-wingers who wanted to change the name of french fries to freedom fries? Well, those whackadoos don't have anything on the intense and pervasive anti-France vitriol fanning the flames of nationalism here in China.

It all started when protesters in Paris disrupted the torch's relay. Based on the ensuing rallies and anti-France protests, you would have thought that the all French people dropped trou and christened the Chinese flag with the contents of their bowels.

I don't know the extent to which the Chinese anti-French sentiment is being reported overseas, but let me just say that it is pretty bad over here right now. If you want to see how bad, take a look at the Chinese government's media outlet, China Daily (if you're a real masochist, read some of the comments after the articles.). Most notable: There have been protests outside the popular French supermarket chain Carrefour, and there's at least one report of a non-French foreigner (a U.S. citizen, actually) being attacked by a mob outside of one of the stores. Indeed, foreigners are being advised not to go anywhere near Carrefour stores just in case they incite the ire of an angry anti-France brigade.

The problem is this: the Chinese don't view the Olympics as an international event, they view this year's Olympica as their Olympics, as "Beijing's Olympics." This is their big chance to show the world that China is a mighty country to be reckoned with; a country that is slowly gaining on their nemesis, Japan; and A country that is moving beyond "developing" and into "developed." Anyone who dares to suggest otherwise (particularly on the issue of human rights) is going to get the big smackdown.

Sadly, France is being too apologetic about the whole torch incident. Why they are apologizing for their citizens practicing their freedom to protest is beyond me. Carrefour executives are even more despicable. Terrified of losing out on profits, they are kissing the collective heinies apologizing to the nationalistic mobs who do not tolerate any opinion that differs from their own. Shame on the greedy business leaders who are too worried about losing Chinese customers to support the democratic laws of their own nation.

Not only has the state-controlled media been reporting on how France is a horrible, horrible country filled with completely demoralized people, it has been gleefully reporting on every overseas pro-China protest organized by overseas Chinese. What's hilarious about this, of course, is that it's the democratic overseas governments that allow these protests to take place. Many of these overseas protests are populated by non-citizens, and you can see them enjoying a freedom of assembly not granted to them in their own country. You can bet your buttons that pro-French protests here in China would be squashed in two seconds flat here. In other words, the courtesy of free assembly is not reciprocal.

And if you think that Han Chinese are just bristling to get out from under the boot of their Communist government, think again. A recent editorial in the NYT offers a different view, one that jives with what my students have expressed:

MANY sympathetic Westerners view Chinese society along the lines of what they saw in the waning days of the Soviet Union: a repressive government backed by old hard-liners losing its grip to a new generation of well-educated, liberal-leaning sophisticates. As pleasant as this outlook may be, it’s naïve. Educated young Chinese, far from being embarrassed or upset by their government’s human-rights record, rank among the most patriotic, establishment-supporting people you’ll meet. . . .

As is clear to anyone who lives here, most young ethnic Chinese strongly support their government’s suppression of the recent Tibetan uprising. One Chinese friend who has a degree from a European university described the conflict to me as “a clash between the commercial world and an old aboriginal society.” She even praised her government for treating Tibetans better than New World settlers treated Native Americans. . . .

Educated young Chinese are therefore the biggest beneficiaries of policies that have brought China more peace and prosperity than at any time in the past thousand years. They can’t imagine why Tibetans would turn up their noses at rising incomes and the promise of a more prosperous future. The loss of a homeland just doesn’t compute as a valid concern.

China Daily offers its own version of this editorial: Time to tell them what the Chinese think. Granted, it's written by a mouthpeice for the state controlled news, but let me tell you, this opinion is strikingly similar to what my students express to me in class and in their essays (the Olympic Games are a favorite topic around here).