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yuan_zcen
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Unhappy China is novel heroes

China’s ‘angry youths’ are novel heroes
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ce421 ... html?nclick_check=1
By Kathrin Hille in Beijing
Published: March 27 2009 17:47 | Last updated: March 27 2009 17:47

China is unhappy. So much is clear as a book stating just this and recommending a confrontation with the west as a remedy has conquered the country’s bestseller lists and triggered a fierce online debate over China’s place in the world and its identity.

Unhappy China argues that the country should stand up to the west to claim its rightful place as a global power, and it looks to a patriotic young generation as a source of national strength and unity.

This comes just as China’s harassment of a US surveillance ship, which was branded by Washington as “aggressive, troublesome” behaviour, and Beijing’s proposal that the US dollar could be replaced as the main international reserve currency, gave powerful reminders of the country’s potential to become a global power both militarily and economically.

Song Qiang, one of the book’s five authors, says that for a rising power like China, there are only two choices open to it: to become a hegemon or to get cast aside.

“I’d rather choose the first,” he said in an interview.

Wang Xiaodong, another of the authors, argues that the financial crisis has proved that the US has failed in world leadership and that “we can do it better”. Even without the crisis, he believes China must become a superpower.

“For a country as big as China, the need will arise to secure sufficient resources,” he said.

The nationalism of China’s “angry youths” shocked many in the west when they protested against the rejection of their Olympic torch run in Paris, attacked the western media for alleged bias and lies in its coverage of unrest in Tibet and called for a boycott of the French retailer Carrefour’s outlets in their country.

For the book’s authors, they are China’s only heroes and these views sell. Unhappy China jumped to the top of the bestseller list of online bookstore dangdang.com soon after publication on March 12.

As the initial 100,000 copies were selling out quickly, the publisher rushed to print another 50,000 early this week.

In the country’s lively internet blogosphere, the book has created something of a stir.

On Qihoo, a search site, a search for the book title returned more than a million listings.

All major web portals and social networking sites have their own Unhappy China forums where supporters and critics face off.

“The book appeals to the section of this increasingly diverse society which is frustrated that the leadership is not taking a firmer hand in foreign policy,” said Russell Leigh Moses, a Beijing-based political analyst. He added that the treatise represents a challenge for the Chinese government.

“The fact that this book is out means that such ideas have some traction,” said Mr Moses.

“However, it’s a sign of just how divided this society is and how uncertain the future is that it doesn’t sweep the system in a storm but causes so much friction.”

Some bloggers reject the book as the bitter rant of ultra left-wing intellectuals who feel sidelined under Beijing’s policies of reform and opening.

Others agree with the goal but differ on the authors’ view that Beijing should go for it and assert itself right now.

“China is still too weak to seek confrontation with the west,” said an anonymous blogger.

But another blogger said: “These five authors can directly replace the current politbureau members.

“Then they can [make] China a first-rate major power in just a few years!”

Image Attachment: 上传图片.jpg (2009-4-3 10:15 AM, 53.62 K)

2009-4-3 10:15 AM

seneca (seneca)
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Zhongguo bu gaoxing - I have seen rave reviews of this book. Thanks, yuan-zcen, for your post.

2009-4-3 10:44 AM

satsu_jin
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by yuan_zcen at 2009-4-3 11:15

I'm a bit wary of these kind of books. Back in the end 1980th , early 1990th a book was published by the title: 'NO' to ieru Nihon or in English: The Japan that can say no. Guess who the main author was, no other than infamous Tokyo governor Ishihara Shintaro and the co author was late Sony co-founder and former chairman Morita Akio. Both are well known for their xenophobia and I'm afraid that the authors of 'Unhappy China' belong into the same category.

2009-4-3 01:17 PM

tongluren (tongluren)
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Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom

In the marketplace of ideas, let the intellectuals "sell" their ideas by force of persuasion. From what I heard, there are opposing voices from within and withouit the government. Yet it is "China is not Happy" (Happy as in "Hap-pee") that is selling hundreds of thousands. It is clear that the authors speak what many Chinese feel in their hearts.

What do you expect? Just this week, the faithless jerks in Washington DC again passed a resolution to continue selling military weapons to the renegade province of China, in spite of American promise not to increase either the quality or quantity of arms sales as of over 20 years ago. Why shouldn't China be peeved?

2009-4-3 01:33 PM

tekvicious (Hybrid Theory)
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Just a what if...

I highly recommend a direct confrontation with 'The West'.
Thank you for stating your feelings so clearly.

We 'The West' shall react in the following manner.
1) Unshackle Japan - the Nipponese will be free to do as they please militarily, after all, they also are a 'sovereign state'.
2) Total militarization of Taiwan. If you thought they were armed before, you will be flabbergasted.
3) Increased training of Indian troops and sales of increasingly devastating technology.
4) increase surveillance
5) offload any and all non-citizens of Chinese heritage
6) massive internet attack program, not hacking, but just propoganda. Open and blatant political propoganda (sort of like you do to us). In turn the Chinese government will shut many more portals and servers out... the natives are getting restless.

So consider carefully how belligerent you wish to be.

2009-4-3 01:58 PM

tongluren (tongluren)
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Showing the Ugly Gangster Face

the "West" is truly a bunch of thieves and thugs. They rob your and cheat you, but fully expect that you'd have to bow and "show respect" when they walk by.

2009-4-3 02:23 PM

emucentral (JB)
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by tongluren at 2009-4-3 16:23
Showing the Ugly Gangster Face
the "West" is truly a bunch of thieves and thugs

No, Tek was simply stating the possible reactions if the sino-nazis took it too far.

We are used to the little tantys which happen over the DL, HR reports and so on.

A bit like North Korea, except toned down (a lot), but patience goes so far, and the fascist rabble like you and buddy and so on will get an awful shock if their attitudes are reflected in official policy from Beijing.

Fortunately the Chinese leadership is far more intelligent than the foreign rabble to claim to speak on their behalf.

Methinks that democratic progress will be the preferred option.

2009-4-3 02:30 PM

oioioi (oioioi)
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"Best Seller"...

150,000 copies... what's that, 0.01% of the population?

2009-4-5 12:41 AM

oioioi (oioioi)
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same category... you bet!

QUOTE:

Originally posted by satsu_jin at 2009-4-3 13:17

I'm a bit wary of these kind of books. Back in the end 1980th , early 1990th a book was published by the title: 'NO' to ieru Nihon or in English: The Japan that can say no. Guess who the main author was, no other than infamous Tokyo governor ...

Actually, the authors of "Unhappy China" wrote "Zhongguo keyi shuo bu" in 1996 modelled after that Japanese book...

2009-4-5 01:12 AM

sarre03w
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from what i see from above posts, none of you have knows what this book is about.

2009-4-6 01:59 PM

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oioioi (oioioi)
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by sarre03w at 2009-4-6 13:59
from what i see from above posts, none of you have knows what this book is about.

That's not that surprising since only 1 in every 10,000 Chinese have bought a copy of the book... You could easily spend the rest of your life in China and never actually meet another person who has even seen this book...

Anyway, many people here are familiar with "China Can Say No", and these people should be able to imagine at least what "Unhappy China" is all about.

If you ask me, I'd tell you it's about money. The book "China Can Say No" was a very naive, poorly written and ultimately pathetic book, but it came out at the perfect time in China, and it turned out to became rather influential. I guess the authors now feel that they need more money. That's usually the reason for sequels...

2009-4-6 02:48 PM

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satsu_jin
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by oioioi at 2009-4-5 02:12

Actually, the authors of "Unhappy China" wrote "Zhongguo keyi shuo bu" in 1996 modelled after that Japanese book...

Thanks for this info. It is good to read that only 150,000 copies were sold. If this book is anything like 'no' to ieru Nihon it better stays on shelves, not worth the money one has to pay for it.

2009-4-6 04:46 PM

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seneca (seneca)
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150'000 is quite a respectable number for a book of any kind in China. It's erroneous to corelate readership figures with the overall population number.

Apart from the legally-published copies you can imagine at least as many knock-off copies.

2009-4-6 07:55 PM

#13

satsu_jin
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by seneca at 2009-4-6 20:55

150'000 is quite a respectable number for a book of any kind in China.

Really? I find this number rather low when I compare it with books sold over here.

2009-4-6 08:24 PM

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oioioi (oioioi)
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by seneca at 2009-4-6 19:55
150'000 is quite a respectable number for a book of any kind in China.

Well, it's not an embarrasing number or anything, but the book is clearly not nearly as influential as the author of the article (who is a financial writer located in Taipei) wants us to believe. The bottom line is, only a tiny little minority of the Chinese population will end up reading this book.

QUOTE:

Originally posted by seneca at 2009-4-6 19:55
It's erroneous to corelate readership figures with the overall population number.

No it's not. Only a complete moron would NOT correlate readership figures with population numbers. Or are you suggesting that the Icelandic edition of the next Harry Potter book will be of the same volume as the English one? Of course, one can not ONLY view overall population numbers as a factor of readership figures, but it is certainly remains a very relevant factor (probably the most relevant one).

As far as illegal copies are concerned, I doubt that "Unhappy China" will be a very popular choice among the people involved in such activities. They can choose to "publish" anything they want, and it seems obvious that a more expensieve foreign book with a wider audience (think "Harry Potter") would be a much smarter choice for them.

2009-4-7 02:59 PM

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seneca (seneca)
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I am suggesting, my oioioi Babe, that 150'000 copies sold in China is a respectable number consiidering the lamentably low value of books in China in general.

I am not saying I want a copy, though...

2009-4-7 09:16 PM

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xiaoma007
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unhappy!=belligerent

i don't think China unhappy means China belligerent.
when the US decide to continue selling military weapons toTaiwan,one province of China.Why shouldn't we just be unhappy.
when we say we are unhappy,we just show the determination of fighting against the wrong things some countrys do to us.

2009-5-6 07:48 PM

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yuan_zcen
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I've just found an old book 'A History of Western Philosophy' (of course chinese version) in Earth temple book market.

I've been looking for this book for three years. It's really scarce in market. I mean the very version published by The Commercial Press, written by Russel and translated by John Lee. And the book i bought was published in 1982. It's still perfectly new except for its old yellow color.

2009-5-8 04:38 PM

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soapdodger
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It's a xenophobic rant from a bunch of immature 'intellectuals' who have never learned the value of balanced dissection of political history.

It reads like it is written by a teenager - with a teenager's somewhat simplistic view on how matters should be resolved.

Serious academics would never consider this to be a work of any true value - but, this is China, and to publicly make that statement means that they will be cast in the light of being 'race-traitors' by the authors & their supporters.

Yes, I have read it - no I did not buy it (wouldn't waste the money).

2009-5-8 05:06 PM

#19

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