China in true perspective

Over the past few millennia, China provided the world with a culturally rich civilisation. Its people always tended to be laborious and creative. On the whole, the Chinese minded their own business and they showed themselves to be heavily family-oriented. In spite of this, China has been perhaps the most invaded and exploited nation on earth. As a result, people there have suffered immensely.

By nature, the Chinese are trustworthy, generous, kind and altruistic. Unfortunately, quite a few nations took advantage of these good people's qualities to invade the country and, quite often, to exploit its natural resources and people brutally.

Initially, we find China ruled by a series of dynasties, which became the nation's characteristic for a long time. Over the last couple of centuries or so, the Japanese invaded China a number of times to the great detriment of the Chinese people themselves.

While the British exploited China with opium, which proved to be a real tragedy, the Japanese later massacred tens of thousands of Chinese who included mostly women, children, the elderly and the sick, as revealed in Nanjing and other cities, especially during the Thirties.

There is no need to have graphic pictures of such brutalities. I will give just one example: Japanese soldiers, apart from raping and maiming tens of thousands of Chinese women, also selected a number of healthy women to perform on them notorious acts of savagery and cannibalism.

While these women were still alive, Japanese soldiers ripped off their chest, cut off their heart and, while still bubbling with blood, sliced it and ate it raw, like sushi! The atrocities and humiliation the Chinese suffered goes beyond belief.

In view of all this for such a long period, we may understand why in 1911 Sun Yat-sen overthrew the last Chinese dynasty and established the Republic of China, which lasted until 1949 when the communists overthrew the government of Chiang Kai-shek and established power under Mao Tse-tung.

The communist take-over seems to have been motivated not for power, but more as a reaction to Chiang Kai-shek's failure to defend the Chinese against the Japanese invaders. In fact, the brutal Nanling massacre of tens of thousands of Chinese took place primarily because Chiang Kai-shek withdrew his resistance to the Japanese. And we know the rest of the story.

Chiang Kai-shek's government flew to Taiwan, while the communists consolidated their power in 1949 and brought the brutal and inhuman Japanese occupation to an end.

The Cultural Revolution

Of course, the communists were not immune to the temptation to exploit the people in some way. As a result, the Cultural Revolution came into focus where a substantial number of communists took the law in their hands, supposedly to avenge previous foreign invasions and influence.

To this end, they began to destroy any culture that had western influence in some way or another. They also viewed religions as an enemy of the people in the sense that such spiritual entities did not seem to do anything substantial to prevent the untold suffering of the Chinese people during so many periodical invasions.

As a result, the communists destroyed many churches and temples during the Cultural Revolution. Besides, they proceeded to massacre millions of innocent Chinese people, including women, children, the elderly and the sick. Because of this, many Chinese resented Mao's regime and the red guards immensely.

Later, Chinese soldiers entered Tibet, which they viewed as a part of China, destroying temples and buildings while killing several Buddhists monks, an event that caused the Dalai Lama to flee Tibet and take refuge in India. This sad episode of the Cultural Revolution might not have been a part of the original communist plan when Mao Tse-tung took over China.

In fact, under the leadership of Chou En-lai, the Cultural Revolution was finally brought to an end. Finally, a new era of peace and harmony among all of the Chinese people came on the horizon. Most of the churches and temples that were destroyed have now been rebuilt.

The 56 nationalities that exist within China were brought closer together on the basis of equality, peace and harmony. It took some two to three decades for the Chinese people to recuperate from the Cultural Revolution.

The new Chinese leaders in the post Cultural Revolution made it clear that the government's top priority was the welfare of the Chinese people, who were to be furnished with the basic needs of life. Such needs included free healthcare for all, free education for every citizen, and adequate home facilities for all the Chinese people.

Besides, China moved forward without wasting any time to improve the transportation system by modernising its flights, improving drastically its railway facilities and subways, and providing the people with better buses and cars.

Needless to say, the present government took drastic steps to see to it that never again would any foreign country invade China. To this end they have improved the military with the best equipment possible merely for defence purposes. If we were to analyse China's military capability, one would see clearly that China has not equipped itself with the ability to invade other nations.

Hence, at this stage of history, the idea that China would invade Japan or any other country one day as a matter of fact would be thoroughly absurd.

Experiencing fewer worries

Those who visit any part of China, from Beijing to Shanghai, to Xian and Guangzhou, all the way to Lhasa, may notice the absence of the military everywhere. The Chinese today tend to view their military not as an element that is in search of terrorists but rather as an instrument to help them in their dire needs, should they arise. When travelling anywhere in China, one is bound to observe peace and harmony among all the people they encounter. People gather together in several public parks to talk, listen to music, dance and sing.

The Chinese have considerably fewer worries than people in the west. Since they are viewed by their government as the eventual top priority of the nation, they do not have to worry about the exorbitant cost of treatment if they fall ill and are hospitalised and for their eventual retirement in a home for the elderly when they become old.

Everything is provided to them for free. This gives the Chinese freedom from typical western worries and enables them to give more attention to their children and their families, to study, read and learn, and to share experiences with relatives and friends, as well as to find time for relaxation.

Contrary to what the western news reporters claim, foreigners visiting China tend to get several constructive surprises. They find the Chinese people on the whole are treated very well. For example, those who travel by train are amazed to hear a unique announcement before some major stops. It reminds people that those who may feel somewhat sick may leave the train, where they would find a small trailer equipped with off-the-counter drugs like those found in any pharmacy, a couple of nurses and at times a doctor to assist them.

Also, if needed, you may be taken to a nearby hospital. All these services are provided free of charge. Fortunately, the Chinese government is cracking down severely on all kinds of corruption, particularly as it stems from government officials through bribes or kickbacks or as it stems from big corporations or mafia organisations. The penalties against such abuses are decisive, stiff and smooth.

Unlike many other countries, the Chinese enjoy freedom of movement, and freedom to secure a passport to visit any country they want with no restrictions whatsoever. This is quite a contrast with the United States, for example, where people are forbidden by their government to travel in a number of countries, including Cuba, which is viewed by the world at large as a peaceful nation only 145 km away from the shores of Florida. There was a time when Americans could go anywhere, but such a time has ceased to exist.

Surprises to visitors

What amazes western visitors to China is that, as they approach passport control, they are greeted with the sign: "Your comments are appreciated to help us improve our passport control system." Who has ever seen such a sign in any other country? Seeking input from foreigners for such a purpose, in most nations, would be incomprehensible, to say the least.

For frequent travellers, China's passport control is perhaps the fastest and smoothest in the world. The official gives the passport a quick glance, stamps it and no questions are asked. By way of contrast, in the US, for example, you are asked to explain the purpose of your trip, how long you intended to stay and which countries you have visited before entering the US. Unlike Russia, for example, once you enter China you are completely on your own in the sense that you can visit any part of the country that you want. Also, like in India, in China you may find Chinese who are quite rich, with modern cars and large houses. They have large supermarkets with anything conceivable.

However, those who are financially very limited do not live in abject poverty. There are restaurants and shopping areas with anything one may possibly need for just a few cents. Although capitalism has infiltrated China conspicuously, the Chinese people, on the whole, do not make money and wealth their goal, as their dream in life. Their real goal seems to be to have good health and adequate housing facilities. No wonder so many millions in China in their fifties and above look at least 20 years younger, apart from the fact that they demonstrate vibrant energy and joviality.

In this period of rapid transportation, China is increasingly emerging as one of the best countries where people could live and settle peacefully and harmoniously. Tens of thousands of Chinese who fled the country when the communists took over in 1949 and went to settle in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, the US, Canada and several others countries, are now returning to China in large numbers.

Besides, a substantial number of foreigners are settling in China following their retirement. The rapid constructive changes that are taking place there cannot be taken lightly.

China is emerging to become a very strong economic nation where the concept of peace and harmony is infiltrating every realm of society quite conspicuously. It would be appropriate for scholars and all those interested in this culturally rich Chinese nation to pay a visit to China for some time and to make their own assessment and judgment free from the usual manipulation and negative propaganda of the west. This way we are given the opportunity to view China in its true perspective from which we could learn considerably.

Dr Mercieca is president of the International Association of Educators for World Peace, dedicated to United Nations goals of peace education, environmental protection, human rights and disarmament, and Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University.