The link to the wikileak'd biography of Xi from a childhood friend was one of the most interesting parts of the whole thing to me. Terrific share. Also "America Against America" is available for PDF download on archive.org, for those who were curious. Great job with the essay!
Masterful piece. Incisive and probative to great depth while wholly avoiding presumptive, fill-in-the-blank commentary. A pleasure to read such unbeguiling info and analysis.
Illuminating piece. If "loneliness" is as bad as he thinks it is, then the cost of the one-child policy will be felt for decades to come, regardless of whether they scrap boy bands from the internet
The article claims that Chinese anti liberal decades are a direct reaction to a trip America, an interesting thought to ponder!
The very idea that one man is behind all significant Chinese policies, a reality or a religious vision? Are you painting this portrait precisely because so little is known?
Thanks. Came via Palladium and signed on. I've been fascinated by China for a long time and more recently started wondering how the US-style modern liberalism v. the Chinese managed state style will play out. Downsides for some, but this current Chinese reversion towards its founding socialist ethos is a great thing IMHO. And surely interesting. Can it be maintained?
I'm born and bred enlightenment liberal and love what that has given me but I can no longer see liberalism US-style winning anything long term. I'd like to be proven wrong.
Interesting to see China equals censorship. Could you bring something new? Typical western view of China. Personally, I suggest you learn some Chinese and see some real discussion. Not google translate.
thank you very much for this article so full of substance and so empty of the current anti-china rhetoric that is mirrored by thousand of bots (sorry influencers I meant) on social media.
and to contribute something myself, there was another not so famous guy that was appalled by his visit in the states but his ideas spread to another movement
Mr. Lyons, I am new to your work but find it intriguing, like this piece on Wang Huning. Could you share with us more details about who you are, your biography, education, and professional experience so we may better judge the provenance of your work? Thank you.
Enjoyed the article, thanks. Your read seems to be that the CCP's primary interest is the long term betterment of the Chinese nation and people. An interpretation focused on the CCPs self preservation could also fit the facts, as liberalism is a threat to authoritarianism. It needn't be the virtuous view of liberalism that was the West's hope for undermining China; it can also be the nihilism, social decay and potential chaos that you describe as also being associated with liberalism which threatens authoritarianism. Assuming I'm reading you correctly, why do you think paternalism and patriotism are better explanations for what the CCP is doing than party self preservation?
“While Western modern civilization can bring material prosperity, it doesn’t necessarily lead to improvement in character.”
Agree. It also relies on removing prosperity from others in its zones of extraction.
I have a hunch that culture is diametrically opposed to industrialism, not western modernism (maybe they are the same thing though). The destruction of traditional cultures has gone hand-in-hand with industrial expansion, in both capitalist and socialist areas. To imagine that a centralised organisation can create a culture has not worked so far, and I doubt it ever will. It smacks of industrialism: heirarchical, mechanistic, control-obsessed. Culture springs from the land, your interaction with it and the people around you. It might grow from there to cover a large area.
I am not suprised Wang has reacted the way he has after seeing the West in the flesh instead of in books, but to react is to lose control. It may not end well.
The link to the wikileak'd biography of Xi from a childhood friend was one of the most interesting parts of the whole thing to me. Terrific share. Also "America Against America" is available for PDF download on archive.org, for those who were curious. Great job with the essay!
Masterful piece. Incisive and probative to great depth while wholly avoiding presumptive, fill-in-the-blank commentary. A pleasure to read such unbeguiling info and analysis.
Illuminating piece. If "loneliness" is as bad as he thinks it is, then the cost of the one-child policy will be felt for decades to come, regardless of whether they scrap boy bands from the internet
Tremendous post!
The article claims that Chinese anti liberal decades are a direct reaction to a trip America, an interesting thought to ponder!
The very idea that one man is behind all significant Chinese policies, a reality or a religious vision? Are you painting this portrait precisely because so little is known?
Thanks. Came via Palladium and signed on. I've been fascinated by China for a long time and more recently started wondering how the US-style modern liberalism v. the Chinese managed state style will play out. Downsides for some, but this current Chinese reversion towards its founding socialist ethos is a great thing IMHO. And surely interesting. Can it be maintained?
I'm born and bred enlightenment liberal and love what that has given me but I can no longer see liberalism US-style winning anything long term. I'd like to be proven wrong.
This is one of the most interesting things I've read in a long time. I'd love to know more about Wang (and China generally).
Interesting to see China equals censorship. Could you bring something new? Typical western view of China. Personally, I suggest you learn some Chinese and see some real discussion. Not google translate.
thank you very much for this article so full of substance and so empty of the current anti-china rhetoric that is mirrored by thousand of bots (sorry influencers I meant) on social media.
and to contribute something myself, there was another not so famous guy that was appalled by his visit in the states but his ideas spread to another movement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayyid_Qutb
Mr. Lyons, I am new to your work but find it intriguing, like this piece on Wang Huning. Could you share with us more details about who you are, your biography, education, and professional experience so we may better judge the provenance of your work? Thank you.
"...is simply a fundamental factor of modernity".
That's the word I was just going to point to.
Excellent article - I appreciate all the thought and effort that went into this.
Was struck by how similar the line of argumentation is w/ my own view on common prosperity..a great omission of mine to not tie in Wang's worldview/influence https://jonathonpsine.substack.com/p/groping-the-elephant-of-common-prosperity
Enjoyed the article, thanks. Your read seems to be that the CCP's primary interest is the long term betterment of the Chinese nation and people. An interpretation focused on the CCPs self preservation could also fit the facts, as liberalism is a threat to authoritarianism. It needn't be the virtuous view of liberalism that was the West's hope for undermining China; it can also be the nihilism, social decay and potential chaos that you describe as also being associated with liberalism which threatens authoritarianism. Assuming I'm reading you correctly, why do you think paternalism and patriotism are better explanations for what the CCP is doing than party self preservation?
“While Western modern civilization can bring material prosperity, it doesn’t necessarily lead to improvement in character.”
Agree. It also relies on removing prosperity from others in its zones of extraction.
I have a hunch that culture is diametrically opposed to industrialism, not western modernism (maybe they are the same thing though). The destruction of traditional cultures has gone hand-in-hand with industrial expansion, in both capitalist and socialist areas. To imagine that a centralised organisation can create a culture has not worked so far, and I doubt it ever will. It smacks of industrialism: heirarchical, mechanistic, control-obsessed. Culture springs from the land, your interaction with it and the people around you. It might grow from there to cover a large area.
I am not suprised Wang has reacted the way he has after seeing the West in the flesh instead of in books, but to react is to lose control. It may not end well.