Ask Lemmy

A country and its flag. They sort of come up simultaneously in my head.

Wing Chun Kung Fu.

My stance is kind of 50/50 with China.

For one, they're going to flame out even faster than America did. As time moves forward great powers last less and less time. America only held the crown for 80 years. Chinas got its own issues, especially with the population issues.

Yes, China has a laundry list of human rights abuses. We know all of them, I shouldn't have to list them here. China also is an aggressor country, harassing their neighbors and intimidating them for often no reason at all, and when there is a reason, it's territorial expansion. They steal IP, they steal identities and secrets (yes I know, stealing secrets is an everybody issue, and I'll get to that, but it's usually done with more class) and they gave our kids toys with lead in them. You could seriously go on for days on the bad stuff about China. The belt and road? Fuck, that's so, so bad... However

They're also leading in science and especially the environment. They've spent big money on their science, and it's paid off in spades for them and it's commendable from an international standpoint. No country on earth is fighting climate change harder than China. From advances in solar panels bringing the cost of clean energy down, and giving the ability to electrify places of the world that have never experienced it? That's pretty dope. Plus their electric car tech is blowing up so hard that it's actually kind of reasonable to tariff it, because they're so far ahead.

Now the gre(a)y, I'm an American. Half the shit that china does that's bad, was shit that we have been doing for generations. So yeah, china sucks shit. But does it suck more shit than America right now? I say no, but not by much, and mostly because a lot of the problems people try to put on China (i.e. pollution mostly) is because we facilitated that. If not them, it'd be our polluted air and water. And now, he wants to bring that manufacturing back here while deregulating pollutants AND enforcement. He saw 1990s Beijing and said "I want that for us". But basically, other than China's climate and science goals, were the same country. So the nod (barely) goes to China for being a more honorable or good country.

Absolutely fascinated by Chinese culture and mythology. I’m a cdrama fan especially costume and cultivation themes. I am currently taking a Mandarin course so I can read, write, and better understand the language. I hope to travel to China soon if the orange clown in the White House doesn’t ruin my plans. I even homebrewed a cultivation ttrpg based on Investiture of The Gods that my friends are playing through right now. They love it! For context I’m not an Asian person - just a neurodivergent person with a deep interest.

Edit: sorry didn’t recognize your lol username, you’ve probably seen me bloviate on my xianxia addiction before.

Proper tea.

I always think about visiting due to the amazing natural and historical areas but simultaneously, how much I don't want to visit due to other issues.

Such an enormous country. Old people doing tai chi in a park. Little kids earning red stars at school. Government trying to control the population too tightly, yet somehow also lacking basic safety regulations. Good food.

The first thing I think of is "propaganda" but you might not expect why. I grew up in the western world, hearing constantly that China was basically the epitome of evil. Their government is evil, their people are evil, the very land they walk on is evil, everything they've ever done has been evil. In history we only learned about their crises and the times they caused problems for the western world.

Unlike my peers, however, this made me curious. Why are you telling me so constantly that they must be evil? Can't there be good people there doing their best just like we are? And then things started getting weird in the western world. Then they got worrying. Then they started really taking their masks off and I realized "ohhhh you were projecting the whole time weren't you?"

I still don't know much about China. I don't know what your culture is really like, how the people actually treat each other. I don't know basically anything about you. I'd love to learn though, if you're willing to teach.

the food, cuisine. szechuan numbing peppercorn. shenzhen tech. hongkong dresses. wing chun. samo hung.

"do not pursue lu bu"

The sets of fancy expensive-looking porcelain plates and cups my older relatives all had on display in a glass-fronted cabinet for use on some theoretical special occasion, but no occasion was ever actually special enough to allow anyone to use it.

Very rich culture, and the government.

I'm into Taoism, so I think of Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu and Chinese philosophy. I love their sense of humor, and humility. I often daydream of a different life, being raised a monk in the Himalayas. A place I like to imagine when mediating

Tofu Dreg.

People I don't know enough about.

Eh, it's a country. I do dig American Chinese food, I know it's not the same.

Chinese slave-workers helped build the American West, their contribution and sacrifice is rarely recognized.

Useless plastic shit

That piano riff. You know the one.

Well, this post reminded to check the shipping on the electronic components and random shit I imported.

Dragon Kilns. I am addicted to their live porcelain opening channels lol.

Rice field to magalopolis in a generation. Absolutely wild speed of seismic change.

Edit: megalopolis