Chinese History

There was nothing wrong with the ship, which got from Taiwan to the US and back. It just got run over by a freighter, a hazard which would not have existed in Zheng He’s day.

Of course, nobody’s ever really doubted that the Chinese ships of the time could make the voyage. Only that there’s no reason for them to have tried, no record of them doing so, and no time for them to do it in the few gaps that exist in the record. (note how long it took them to get to SF and back)

My blogging colleague Alan Baumler has a few notes on the Civil Service exams in Ming-Qing China, including a quote from a grader

Not when they offer such wonderful symbolism for current events, they’re not.

Also: It’s the 30th anniversary of the Democracy Wall movement

Finally, China’s response to the economic situation emphasizes social order and Obama’s election might be good for the China-US relationship.

An interview with Wang Jisi, Dean of International Studies at Beijing University shows some of the fundamentals of the Chinese view of the US: hypocritical, powerful but not overwhelming. Also frank discussion of China’s place in the world, and the China-US relationship:

China and the United States can cooperate, but cannot be allies, because the gap between the two countries is too great with regard to ideology, social systems, and national interests, so there is no basis for becoming allies. The bottom line is that China and the United States should not be enemies — neither enemies nor friends. China cannot accept being led by the United States, but the two countries can communicate with regard to ideas. China is also pursuing such universal values as human rights and rule of law, it is just that China demands the right to determine the approach and speed of the pursuit.

Added Later: Lest you think Maoism is entirely dead and gone, an interview with French Maoist Alain Badiou on the state of leftist politics in France.

Added much later: the Chinese government is successfully adapting to new media? Only if it survives the global economic crisis….

Finally: An American serves as an extra in a Chinese Pepsi commercial

An interesting meditation on 25 years of studying and visiting China, by Sam Crane at the Useless Tree, which usually features commentary on current events from the perspective of China’s classical philosophers.