String of Anniversaries in China in 2009

China, one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world will be celebrating many anniversaries this year.

Some anniversaries are very important in Chinese culture. 

Confucius (551-479 B.C.) taught that 60 years of age signified maturity and the 60th anniversary was very important and auspicious. 

Though so intimately linked with Chinese culture for almost 2500 years any hint of Confucian thought was an anathema during the tumultuous communist era and especially during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). But now it’s slowly creeping back in.

• Confucius’s birthday was celebrated in his birthplace, Kufu, China. This year Confucius's official genealogy will be published in China. Unsurprisingly the family tree is rather colourful with two million members. 

This year 2009, The People’s Republic of China, the most populous country in the world, where more cars are sold than in the USA, will celebrate the 60th birthday. Vice-President Xi Jinping, next in line to the throne of President Hu Jintao has been appointed chief organiser of the celebrations. But, unlike the flamboyant affair the 2008 Beijing Olympic was, the 60th anniversary of communist rule might be celebrated frugally (whatever that means) due to the current financial crisis. 


Significant Anniversaries in China

• It’s 30 years since Deng Xiaoping initiated the era of economic, social and political reforms by proclaiming “Engels never flew on an aeroplane; Stalin never wore Dacron.” 

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• 30 years ago in 1978-79 Chinese citizens pasted the 200-metre long brick wall in front of the bus depot of Tiananmen Square in Beijing with pleas for freedom and democracy. After four months, Deng Xiaoping had enough and had the “Democracy Wall” shut down.

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• 20 years ago the world was treated to the picture of a single man, defying tanks on Tiananmen Square in Beijing as China’s leaders crushed the protests, which may have killed thousands. Their justification was that not crushing the protest movement might have created a civil war like the The Taiping Rebellion, 1851-64 killing 20-30 million people. The Guiness Book of Records calls this the bloodiest civil war in history. 

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• 20 years ago China officially approved of Thailand as a group tourist destination for citizens. Currently there are 134 such approved destinations, including USA, visited by 41 million Chinese citizens last year. 

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• 20 years ago the fully government owned Shanghai TV aired the first 90-second commercial in China for Shenguiyangrong ginseng liquor

• 19 years ago China introduced something hated by many people in capitalist economies, Income Tax. Private persons had to pay income tax if they earned more than 800 yuans per month when the average income was 60 Yuans.

• 10 years ago the People's Bank of China started offering individual mortgage loans. 

Photo credit: China Daily

• 3 years ago China started establishing trade unions (controlled by the communist party) and party cells in large private firms. Even Wall-Mart has understood that resistance is futile.
• 6 years left till China lands a robot probe on the Moon to bring home soil samples.
• 8 years to go before China sends Chinese Taikonauts to the Moon.

Why are Seats Empty at Beijing?

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was a spectacular show. The entire choreography was flawlessly executed, with each minute detail falling in place to showcase China’s might and prowess to the world. 

But people could notice an embarrassing factor even at the most spectacular show on the planet – empty seats.

Officially all the events are sold out. According to a BBC report, Wang Wei, a senior official with the Beijing organising committee (Bocog), said empty seats was not a problem unique to Beijing and other Olympics had experienced similar problems. This spokesman blamed the weather for being too hot and too humid and then too rainy. 

The Chinese authorities have tried to address the problem of empty stands by hiring volunteers, dressing them up in yellow and filling the empty seats to act as cheerleaders. They have been given instructions to cheer for both teams to improve the atmosphere in the stands.

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Some people claim that many of the corporate seats are empty because the corporate tickets were handed out only the day before to prevent blackmarketeering and busy executives can’t make it to the events at such short notice.

Is there some other explanation to why the stands are empty? Do the local Chinese see the sports events as strange and Western? 

Do the Chinese people find the idea of paying hefty prices for attending mass sports events too strange? Are the tickets too expensive?

Beijing Olympic Tickets Terribly Expensive

For example, tickets for softball started at $100 for pool play and go up to $400+ for the gold medal game. In Athens, the same tickets were going for about $10 and $40 respectively. The tickets for the Men’s single tennis finals in 2008, are priced at 545€ plus 29€ for delivery charges. According the People's Daily in China, the average monthly income in Beijing is 227 US dollars. Domestic sports fans would definitely find the ticket prices rather expensive.

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The Sydney 2000 Olympic record for ticket sales was 91% of available tickets breaking the previous record for ticket sales of more than 82% set in Atlanta.

Rumours of terrorism drove crowds away from the preliminary competitions of the games in Athens, but attendance picked up soon.

What about the foreign sport fans in Beijing? 

Is it too difficult and expensive getting visas, finding accommodation, getting tickets or are spectators choosing to watch events on TV from the comfort of their homes?

Lesson in Statesmanship from the Dalai Lama!

Recently HH the Dalai Lama in an interview gave a masterly demonstration of statesmanship. 

He gave the Beijing government very positive feedback on their excellent handling of the relief efforts of the earthquake in China. 

As an example, he reproached the Burmese junta for wilfully mishandling the equally severe natural catastrophe in Burma. 

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By praising the Beijing leaders and linking their praiseworthy efforts as being a signal of change within China, he also slips in criticism of their handling of the Tibet issue. 

Then he also shows the amount of dissent among the Tibetans about responding to Beijing with peaceful means. This is a cloaked message that when the Dalai Lama is no more, no one may be able to keep these angry young people in check.

By raising the Beijing leaders on a pedestal, he requires them to behave in a more elevated manner. Spiritual Noblesse oblige through mutual recognition and compassion – this is a very different vision from the ‘destroy through violence, those who are different’ policy used by those engaged in armed conflicts in different parts of the world. 

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China's Leaders Praise the Dalai Lama

This has never happened. 

The only time praise is connected to the Dalai Lama in a Chinese government statement is e.g. a foreign government leader who gives in to Chinese government pressure and refuses to meet the Dalai Lama. Some examples are: the Australian PM Julia Gillard and the Finnish government in 1996 and 1998.

There have been some allegations that certain interests within the Chinese government have even trained Tibetan women to assassinate the Dalai Lama - praise indeed! HH the Dalai Lama revealed this plot in an interview with the Telegraph UK.

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Dalai Lama, Mao Zedong and Communism

I still think of myself as half-Marxist, half-Buddhist!

The Dalai Lama says this in his book Beyond Dogma: The Challenge of the Modern World, Souvenir Press, 1996.

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"It was only when I went to China in 1954-55 that I actually studied Marxist ideology and learned the history of the Chinese revolution. Once I understood Marxism, my attitude changed completely. I was so attracted to Marxism, I even expressed my wish to become a Communist Party member." 

This is what the Dalai Lama says in a Time magazine interview on October 4th, 1999.

So, there is hope that people can change their opinions and attitudes after reading and understanding. One fine day, we might hear of such change in Chinese leaders.

Everyday Statesmanship Lesson From Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, in a speech, referred to the Southerners as fellow human beings who were in error. 

An elderly lady chastised him for not calling them irreconcilable enemies that should be destroyed. 

“Why madam,” Lincoln replied, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

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The 'One country Two Systems' seems to be working fine in Hong Kong. Among other books, they even sell the Dalai Lama's books at bookshops there. 

So there is hope that a solution can be found for Tibet as well. China is trying so hard to stage a glorious and successful Olympic Games 2008 and success in Tibet would add to China's international prestige.

"We must all live harmoniously with our neighbours. Your happiness depends on it." 

This saying of the Dalai Lama is more true than ever in a globalising world. More and more Chinese people are opening up to the world and accepting diversity and allowing the rest of the world to enjoy the fascinating richness of Chinese culture. 

Many of our Chinese brothers and sisters have truly expanded their horizons to become valuable members of the global community.

Let us hope that a change in the attitude of China's leaders is apparent soon.