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A Chinese Student's Wish List For China
Li Yu: I think the Party will try their great effort to take the Olympics as a good opportunity to show their achievement during the past half century, but for me, I hope this could be a good chance for the world to know more about Chinese culture, Chinese people, and our real life.
After reading Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier ‘s insightful article Our Wish List For China, as a native Chinese, I'd like to say something about changes of our life and our "wish list" for China, which may be a bit more detailed.
First let's start with the dramatic changes these years happended in China. I still remember the failure in our bidding for 2000 Olympics in 1992. I was only a primary student at that time. Those teachers asked us --every primary student, to donate money to support our country's bidding. Most of us were willing and happy to participate in these collections, because of our intense desire to have a successful Olympics in our motherland. But as we all know, we were beaten by Sydney at last. We did feel regrettable about the failure in our first Olympics bidding at that time , but 16 years later, when a primary student become a graduate student, I realize it may be a doomed failure, for insufficient preparation. I mean lacking of a solid economic fundation, more stable and tolerant political and social policy, and a more practical diplomatic strategy. Can you imagine such a large country needs thousands of primary students to donate money in its bidding for Olympics ? But 16 years later things are totally different . China now has enough economic and financial power to hold a successful Olympics without any students' donation. Instead , old people now can have higher pension. We enjoy more diverse individual choices, and a stable life.
But it's ture that we still have many problems. Besides what have been mentioned in Mr.Frank-Walter Steinmeier's article, I'd like to say something about inefficient governce and other social problems.
One of the major problems is social inequality. For example, inequal job opportunity, inequal promotion opportunity, inequal education opportunity. I don't know wether it is also one of the major headaches in foreign countries, but these days I felt this inequality intensely. For instance, when someone, especially those government department or undertakings, are employing the employees, the most imprtant thing they keep in mind, is not wether a candidate's education background, knowledge. working experience, etc., are qualified for that position, but wether he has "GUAN XI". In English, this word means relations, here it means you just need to ask some powerful relatives or friends who know those employers to say something good for you, you will get that job, no matter how your performance is terrible in your interviews. That's insufficient governance, because those unqualified persons drive out the real excellent candidates, staying at that positions but do nothing. That means no matter how you perform well in your job interview, you will be doom to failure, because every place we tried has the certain person they want before the interview. Even when you ask them why you are eliminated because your score in the interview is much higher than that "certain person", you will get an absurd answer that after the publication of every candidate's interview sore,they called that "certain" candidate back and changed his sore, without inform anyone. That's a real case my classmate experienced yesterday. That's what they did in governmental or undertaking's employment, which has became an unwritten rule. Someone may say why not go to some agencies making a complaint , the fact is, you can try, but no quick result, or even no result at all. I think most of Chinese have been customed to this kind of things, and if things are not terrible enough they won't choose to make a complaint or go to the court, because those guys can always use "GUAN XI" to do something behind and make your effort to be futile.
Another major problem is how to improve the farmer's life standard substantially. It may also relate to the problem of social inequality. The party has focused on facilitating the development in rural areas and improving farmer's life for decades, but one of the rooted problems is the inequal social insurance systerm. I know more about Western social insurance systerm, but in China , the farmers cannot enjoy the same social insurance like people who live in the cities. That means, if you was born in a farmer's family, the only choice is to study hard to enter the universities and leave your hometown, then find a good job in cities, or you will work in your farmland all your life without any medical insurancepension and pension, the only financial support is from your childern when you are so old that cannot do farm work. As human we all will have diseases, but the price for medicines and therapy is very high compared to the income of Chinese farmers. If those farmers don't have medical insurance and any pension or other income source, one family member has terrible disease will result in the whole family 's misery poverty, no matter how much you have saved during the past years. Then how their living standard can be improved obviously if they don't have such basic insurance? That's a big problem for the Party and government , because China has so large a rural population.
What I mentioned above may focus more on the domestic probelms, because that's from our real life. I may write too long, but that're only a part of my wish list . Many people always say that China should change this , China should change that, actually I think Chinese people know what they need indeed.
Today China'll hold the Olympics opening ceremony at the Beijing National Stadium . All my family will stay at home watching this historical moment. Yes we feel proud. It's true that China's rise attracts the whole world's attention. I think the Party will try their great effort to take this opportunity to show their achievements during the past half century, but for me, I hope this could be a good chance for the world to know more about Chinese culture, and Chinese people.
Atlantic Community:Open Think Tank Article "A Chinese Student's Wish List For China"
Yes, I watched for 15 minutes about China's culture almost everyday in world journal news. It's sad to know that they don't have much freedom... also human rights as well.
Li Yu: I think the Party will try their great effort to take the Olympics as a good opportunity to show their achievement during the past half century, but for me, I hope this could be a good chance for the world to know more about Chinese culture, Chinese people, and our real life.
After reading Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier ‘s insightful article Our Wish List For China, as a native Chinese, I'd like to say something about changes of our life and our "wish list" for China, which may be a bit more detailed.
First let's start with the dramatic changes these years happended in China. I still remember the failure in our bidding for 2000 Olympics in 1992. I was only a primary student at that time. Those teachers asked us --every primary student, to donate money to support our country's bidding. Most of us were willing and happy to participate in these collections, because of our intense desire to have a successful Olympics in our motherland. But as we all know, we were beaten by Sydney at last. We did feel regrettable about the failure in our first Olympics bidding at that time , but 16 years later, when a primary student become a graduate student, I realize it may be a doomed failure, for insufficient preparation. I mean lacking of a solid economic fundation, more stable and tolerant political and social policy, and a more practical diplomatic strategy. Can you imagine such a large country needs thousands of primary students to donate money in its bidding for Olympics ? But 16 years later things are totally different . China now has enough economic and financial power to hold a successful Olympics without any students' donation. Instead , old people now can have higher pension. We enjoy more diverse individual choices, and a stable life.
But it's ture that we still have many problems. Besides what have been mentioned in Mr.Frank-Walter Steinmeier's article, I'd like to say something about inefficient governce and other social problems.
One of the major problems is social inequality. For example, inequal job opportunity, inequal promotion opportunity, inequal education opportunity. I don't know wether it is also one of the major headaches in foreign countries, but these days I felt this inequality intensely. For instance, when someone, especially those government department or undertakings, are employing the employees, the most imprtant thing they keep in mind, is not wether a candidate's education background, knowledge. working experience, etc., are qualified for that position, but wether he has "GUAN XI". In English, this word means relations, here it means you just need to ask some powerful relatives or friends who know those employers to say something good for you, you will get that job, no matter how your performance is terrible in your interviews. That's insufficient governance, because those unqualified persons drive out the real excellent candidates, staying at that positions but do nothing. That means no matter how you perform well in your job interview, you will be doom to failure, because every place we tried has the certain person they want before the interview. Even when you ask them why you are eliminated because your score in the interview is much higher than that "certain person", you will get an absurd answer that after the publication of every candidate's interview sore,they called that "certain" candidate back and changed his sore, without inform anyone. That's a real case my classmate experienced yesterday. That's what they did in governmental or undertaking's employment, which has became an unwritten rule. Someone may say why not go to some agencies making a complaint , the fact is, you can try, but no quick result, or even no result at all. I think most of Chinese have been customed to this kind of things, and if things are not terrible enough they won't choose to make a complaint or go to the court, because those guys can always use "GUAN XI" to do something behind and make your effort to be futile.
Another major problem is how to improve the farmer's life standard substantially. It may also relate to the problem of social inequality. The party has focused on facilitating the development in rural areas and improving farmer's life for decades, but one of the rooted problems is the inequal social insurance systerm. I know more about Western social insurance systerm, but in China , the farmers cannot enjoy the same social insurance like people who live in the cities. That means, if you was born in a farmer's family, the only choice is to study hard to enter the universities and leave your hometown, then find a good job in cities, or you will work in your farmland all your life without any medical insurancepension and pension, the only financial support is from your childern when you are so old that cannot do farm work. As human we all will have diseases, but the price for medicines and therapy is very high compared to the income of Chinese farmers. If those farmers don't have medical insurance and any pension or other income source, one family member has terrible disease will result in the whole family 's misery poverty, no matter how much you have saved during the past years. Then how their living standard can be improved obviously if they don't have such basic insurance? That's a big problem for the Party and government , because China has so large a rural population.
What I mentioned above may focus more on the domestic probelms, because that's from our real life. I may write too long, but that're only a part of my wish list . Many people always say that China should change this , China should change that, actually I think Chinese people know what they need indeed.
Today China'll hold the Olympics opening ceremony at the Beijing National Stadium . All my family will stay at home watching this historical moment. Yes we feel proud. It's true that China's rise attracts the whole world's attention. I think the Party will try their great effort to take this opportunity to show their achievements during the past half century, but for me, I hope this could be a good chance for the world to know more about Chinese culture, and Chinese people.
Atlantic Community:Open Think Tank Article "A Chinese Student's Wish List For China"
Yes, I watched for 15 minutes about China's culture almost everyday in world journal news. It's sad to know that they don't have much freedom... also human rights as well.
for share your post here...
.
