tension rising

Things are heating up here in China. This weekend I got an email from student who approached me a few weeks ago while we were walking across campus. He asked if we could meet once a week so he could practice his English. We met once and had an interesting discussion that eventually made it's way around to how our two countries view each other. Canada is pretty much a non factor in China's eyes. At best we are this sparsely populated iceberg that isn't thought of beyond basic geography class, but more often we are just folded in with the US and Britain as "westerners". He asked what I thought of China. I told him I like the people but I didn't like the pollution and am not used to the crowds. He responded, "China is a developing country. The world needs to be patient with us."

Fair enough. They do have a lot of problems that come with an exploding population and economic boom. So we had a friendly discussion and made plans to meet again this week. Then I get this email from him:

"The terrists are terrible, they killed the people and destroy the shops ,banks , schools and so on . Another point I want to say ,some foreign media report

wrong fact ,for example:CNN BBC ....
I know you are in our China , maybe you learn the truth

Pls forgive me . I hate some foreign media ,terrists ,CNN BBC.... very much especial the American. I canot believe their action."

The "terrist" in this case are the Tibetan rioters. The media he is referring to is an article that came out in the China Daily about CNN and BBC doctoring photos and bending the truth about what is happening. I'm not going to link the article because that would link the media back to my blog but go check it out and read their comments. The article was published on Friday. Globe and Mail has a rebuttal article that you should also read. There is also a blog link in the China Daily article written by a couple of people who were in Tibet when the problems started.


I will refrain from too many comments except that I came to China with one view and I am learning how complex the issues really are. It's interesting to see things from China's point of view. It seems to me that having "westerners" voice their opinion about Tibet is a bit like China putting political and social pressure on Canada to embrace First Nation self-government. Maybe the two issues aren't alike at all but it is the best example I can think of.

The email has me a bit rattled. For the first time, I actually feel exposed to a general hatred that I only imagine is a form of racism. I can't tell if my Chinese friend was lashing out at me or just trying to give his side of the story. It makes me sad because last week we seemed to have a good chat. I don't want to be just another foreigner.


I also feel a bit uneasy after reading some of the comments in the China Daily article. I'm not in danger but I don't like the feeling of being lumped into a general "Westerner" category.  I wish I could have an open discussion with people here to get their side of the story but everyone is very guarded. So I will keep my mouth shut and take my seat in the nose bleed section to observe a piece of history unfold before me.