Why did I have a Chinese language student living with me in Oxford who had no idea Tibet wasn't always Chinese? ....I mean he was studying before going to university so was obviously much more affluent than most Chinese, don't they even know the truth?

Comments

Comments

• I thought that at least the wealthy Chinese would have escaped some level of censorship. The conversation sparked because he said he wanted to visit Tibet, the only Chinese state he had not visited.

  • Report
  

  by e-shroom on February 5th, 2007

• I didn't mean it was censorship, although I suppose it might be, more in the way of indifferent ignorance. Like how many US school kids know that 300+ Native American tribes populated the US before various European nations decided to conquer it? How many people know that the Battle of the Alamo was because the US was trying to conquer then-mexican territory (now Texas)? Its not hard to find out, in fact, lots of Americans know it, but a lot don't, because it has never occured to them to wonder about it. Also, China used to refer to itself as the Middle Kingdom (meaning the earth revolved around them and every one else were barbarians). If that mindset unconsciously lingers, ...well, self-importance is unlikely to question the world it lives in. (Did he say something in particular that led you to think it WAS deliberate censorship?)

  • Report
  

  by Aelfward on February 5th, 2007

• Teachers are very influential. Students only know what they're taught - unless they're very resourceful and try to look it up themselves. However, I China's internet doesn't allow certain information (such as independence of Tibet, independence of Mongolia, independence of Taiwan)to be accessed there.

  • Report
  

  by Monique on April 23rd, 2008

Comments