{"id":19782,"date":"2018-10-25T23:54:20","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T06:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=19782"},"modified":"2018-10-25T23:54:20","modified_gmt":"2018-10-26T06:54:20","slug":"china-has-a-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/china-has-a-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"China Has a Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When you push that button on your phone to call an Uber (Didi in China) you are never sure what adventure you will have. Last Tuesday, I was on my way to a meeting in the downtown area at 6:00 in the evening. When calling this car, I knew the ride would be about 40 minutes. Climbing in, I nodded a greeting at the driver and<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19785 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/XJP-on-dragon-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"362\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/XJP-on-dragon-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/XJP-on-dragon-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/XJP-on-dragon-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/XJP-on-dragon-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/XJP-on-dragon.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 362px) 100vw, 362px\" \/>\u00a0began to read a book. I have found that most Chinese don\u2019t believe you can speak the language, and so they don\u2019t speak to you. A few minutes into the ride I noticed the driver\u2019s phone was attached to the dash. I leaned over to see if it showed the approximate arrival time. He glanced at me wondering what I was doing and I asked, \u201cWe have about 30 minutes?\u201d He nodded, smiled and said, \u201cYou speak Chinese!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the typical questions of work, family, Chinese food, he asked about my country of origin. I told him I was from the USA. For 30 long minutes, we talked about the trade issues, safety and gun control, discrimination and then went into world policing and peace. Of course, this was fueled by the ever increasing tension between China and the US. This driver obviously loves his country and sees it as the answer to safety, gun control, trade, community and ultimately world peace. With that conversation in mind, take a minute to watch this video<\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What&#039;s wrong with the world? What can we do?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RkkGb14zIVY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Propaganda has been around for as long as their have been ambitious leaders. This video could be promoting unity for the Roman, British empire or even our own country\u2019s political agendas in the last century. It was Aristotle that said, \u201cWhile everything changes, everything remains the same.&#8221; We see this in China\u2019s drive to be the greatest power in the world. There is already a strong belief in China, not just within government but also among people, that the Chinese are very special, Chinese culture is very rich and Chinese history is strong. In 2013 Chinese President XiJinPing stated,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px\"><em>\u201cFor more than 2,000 years the peoples who live in the heart of Asia had been able to coexist, cooperate and flourish despite differences in race, belief and cultural background. It was a foreign policy priority for China to develop friendly cooperative relations with the Central Asian countries. The time had come to make economic ties closer, improve communication, encourage trade and enhance monetary circulation. The time had come for a \u2018Silk Road Economic Belt\u2019 to be built. The time had come to breathe new life back into the old Silk Roads, a series of trade routes that once connected Asia, Africa and Europe.\u201d1<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/xinjiang-graphic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19786 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/xinjiang-graphic-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"376\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/xinjiang-graphic-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/xinjiang-graphic-768x571.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/xinjiang-graphic-1024x761.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/xinjiang-graphic-150x111.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/xinjiang-graphic.jpg 1063w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Since then, nearly $1 trillion has been earmarked for projects that form part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This push by Chinese to create a community of trade and cooperation is a form of globalization and dominance that is reproduced in various countries in their rise to power. Frankopan states, \u201cWe think of globalization as a uniquely modern phenomenon; yet 2,000 years ago too, it was a fact of life, one that presented opportunities, created problems and prompted technological advance.\u201d 2<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The world seems to spin on the needle that is honor and shame. How we are seen by the world produces pride or shame by the citizens of the country in question. For China this is closely tied to its history, its accomplishments and global embarrassments. For the Chinese the path is not as important as the outcome. The abuses of power, discrimination of minorities, threatening of neighboring countries by use of military or financial means are all accepted because the State is greater than the individual. Honoring the country while sacrificing a few pawns along the way is not only acceptable but seen as strategic. Chinese have a long memory and I believe still are overcoming their shame and defeat of the past.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/china-map.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-19784\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/china-map-300x135.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"327\" height=\"147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/china-map-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/china-map-768x345.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/china-map-1024x460.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/china-map-150x67.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 327px) 100vw, 327px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 3\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px\"><em>\u201cBut China has not forgotten the Opium Wars. The conflicts were a humiliation, exposing the hollowness of its claims to be the world\u2019s most powerful empire. They set it on a quest, which continues to this day, to rediscover its strength. Every Chinese schoolchild knows that the modern drive for wealth and power is, at root, a means of avenging the Opium Wars and what followed.\u201d3<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As a result of China\u2019s past and drive to overcome the global shame, it has remade itself, building a foundation of wealth and power so it can once again be \u201cZhongguo\u201d(meaning the middle\/center kingdom ); implying it is the center of the cultural universe. China\u2019s aggressive policies have not always been met with open arms, yet Chinese influence and money seem to persuade countries into corporation. China\u2019s Belt Road Initiative (originally called One Belt and One Road) is a campaign to spread its trade and policies over land (belt) and water (road) have produced a powerful impact in many countries of Africa, middle east and Central Asia. Their goals have them moving into Europe and South America in the next 5 years. One can easily see why Frankopan says, \u201dWe&#8217;re living in an age of Asia&#8230;\u201d4<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/images.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19790 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/images.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"238\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/images.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/images-150x150.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This has not been an easy transition as we see the US and China relations battle over seemingly petty issues that mark lines in the sand for control. We observe the cost within Chinese borders for discrimination, political reeducation camps, social class systems implemented related to one\u2019s patriotism, students asked to inform on teachers that are teaching \u201cradical\u201d ideologies and other what mind be viewed as abuses of power. Frankopan is known for saying, \u201cThere is no space in any civilized society for discrimination of any kind, and that is the greatest lesson of the 20th century.\u201d5 Though we hope the the rise of any country would be with knowledge of history and are not prone to repeating the mistakes or atrocities of the past, I believe we are all short sighted when, like this Uber driving man, put our faith and hope solely in the political system of our own country. Not only does China have to learn to overcome some historical insecurities, but the west needs to learn how to honor (and not scorn) the growing nations of Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 4\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p>1Peter Frankopan https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/china-silk-road_us_5978d667e4b0a8a40e84cec7<\/p>\n<p>accessed October 25, 2018.<\/p>\n<p>2 Frankopan, Peter. The Silk Roads : A New History of the World. First US ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016.<\/p>\n<p>3 https:\/\/www.economist.com\/christmas-specials\/2017\/12\/19\/the-opium-wars-still-shape-chinas-view-of-<\/p>\n<p>the-west accessed October 25, 2018<\/p>\n<p>4 Frankopan, Peter. The Silk Roads : A New History of the World. First US ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016.<\/p>\n<p>5 https:\/\/www.thecuriousreader.in\/tata-lit-live\/favourite-quotes\/ accessed October 25, 2018<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When you push that button on your phone to call an Uber (Didi in China) you are never sure what adventure you will have. Last Tuesday, I was on my way to a meeting in the downtown area at 6:00 in the evening. When calling this car, I knew the ride would be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[762],"class_list":["post-19782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-frankopan","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19782"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19800,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19782\/revisions\/19800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}