Understanding Chinese Culture
What the Tea Party Could Learn from Confucius
Proving that the need for a conservative, family-focused party is universal
“Confucius said: ‘If a father really fathers, the son acts as a son, the administrator administrates, and the king rules as he should, all things will be as they aught to be!”
For most Americans, Confucius (551-479 BC) seems a strange anomaly of history, a political failure who transformed a nation after his death, and was later revered with an almost god-like intensity. However, Confucius’ message was not what it has come to represent in the West – a combination of wishful thinking by liberal academics and poetic exoticism that desires Confucius to be an alternative to the hated philosophy of “Imperialist Europe”. The truth is that Confucius called for a return to fundamental principles and a restoration of a conservative mandate. Confucius’ similarities to the Tea Party movement are particularly striking. Read the rest of this entry »
Toyota’s Lessons for China
Toyota’s rapid journey to prominence has been brought to a sudden halt. Now, Akio Toyoda’s solutions will be very pertinent to China as the nation faces its own meteoric rise. 
Toyota’s recent difficulties have been prominent in Chinese news during the last two weeks, with considerable coverage of Toyota Corporation President Akio Toyoda’s visit to the US and to China. Local press has largely been cynical of his efforts to deal with the problems, and many Chinese buyers will be reluctant to purchase a Toyota vehicle in the near future. However, the company’s situation has some striking parallels to China’s, and Toyoda’s testimony to Congress last week contains some valuable lessons.
In the past few months, our customers have started to feel uncertain about the safety of Toyota’s vehicles, and I take full responsibility for that. I myself, as well as Toyota, am not perfect. At times, we do find defects. But in such situations, we always stop, strive to understand the problem, and make changes to improve further. In the name of the company, its long-standing tradition and pride, we never run away from our problems or pretend we don’t notice them.
Acknowledging mistakes is a difficult thing for anyone to do, Read the rest of this entry »
Speaking of the Devil
How redefining ancient stereotypes is becoming a national trend
Shanghainese children have been tuning in to the new cartoon “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” in droves. With well-crafted storylines, gratuitous fight scenes, and a “battle-axe-wielding Barbarians v. Samurai-sword warriors” plot, this series has been a hit with pre-teen boys in particular.
Anyone familiar with Chinese literature will immediately recognize the title as one of the “Four Famous Novels” of China, recently brought to international attention by the blockbuster “Red Cliff” series. Chinese opera buffs may be tempted to roll their eyes at yet another manifestation of this classic tale (which told on stage from start to finish would literally take months), and industry professionals may just discount it as one of the “quick cash-in on a movie market” ploys so often seen in local media. However, I venture to suggest that there is more to this retelling than initially meets the eye. Something is profoundly different in the “White Face” department.
Cao Cao – The Chinese Devil
Chinese proverbs describe Cao Cao as a devil, the great usurper of the throne of Wei and Read the rest of this entry »
The “Ethical” West in Amoral China
Forcing the Chinese to live up to Western expectations, when the West can’t decide what it wants
Thanks to China Esquire and Silicon Hutong for showing we’re not the only ones who’ve been thinking this. While many have no hesitation in criticizing Chinese business ethics, few are willing to admit that the West is not much better. Whatever pretensions to moral superiority Westerners may have had in the past are becoming more and more ridiculous in light of today’s corporate and social cultures.
Quoting Fareed Zakaria, our bloggers highlight the trend in recent corporate history:
“Most of what happened over the past decade across the world was legal. Bankers did what they were allowed to do under the law. Politicians did what they thought the system asked of them. Bureaucrats were not exchanging cash for favors. But very few people acted responsibly, honorably or nobly (the very word sounds odd today).”
I agree. The fact that America and Europe have long-ceased to operate out of morality and personal conscience is Read the rest of this entry »
China’s Answer to Copenhagen
While world leaders debate a twenty-year solution for global warming, China comes up with its own
This week as world leaders thrash out emissions reduction plans in Copenhagen, the Chinese government released “Go Calf,” a new cartoon series emphasizing environmentalism with a nationalist twist. CCTV 1 has spared no trouble on this project, producing 52 beautiful episodes and featuring top PLA singer and Olympic opening ceremony performer Tan Ping. It is one of the highest-quality productions to come out of CCTV for a long time, and in its first week is already rating higher than Jolly Sheep.
This cartoon chronicles the adventures of “Calf,” a young water buffalo desperately defending his Chinese paradise valley against the incursions of evil, polluting invaders. These foreigners cut down the trees, dirty the water, and steal valuable resources, forcing our heroes Read the rest of this entry »
Recent Articles
