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herifle
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what's the image of china in the foreigners' eyes?

i don't know what is the image of china in the foreigner' eyes.i really want to know how the foriegners think of china.there are many rummors said that the chinese image is very bad in the international community.i don't know why.especially in the foreign forum http://www.mylot.com/?ref=liangrifle, i find that chinese image is not good in the foreigners' eyes.i feel sad about it.i don't know what's wrong with my country.

[ Last edited by herifle at 2007-3-14 11:24 PM ]

2007-3-14 11:21 PM

zglobal
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There is nothing wrong with your country.

I think China and Chinese people are generally wonderful.

I'm Australian and lived here for 3 years and I'm staying....for good.

Some people when they travel or move overseas do nothing but complain, those people should just go home if it makes them happy.

So stop worrying. The ones that complain are not worth your effort.

2007-3-14 11:41 PM

changabula
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by herifle at 2007-3-14 23:21
i don't know what is the image of china in the foreigner' eyes.i really want to know how the foriegners think of china.there are many rummors said that the chinese image is very bad in the interna ...

Get over it and get a life!

Its a silly question and therefore deserves a silly answer!

2007-3-15 05:06 AM

sockmonkey (sockmonkey)
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I think the opinion differs from place to place, but as a student of Chinese language/history/culture and as someone who lived in China (mostly Beijing) for 9 months, I say it's a very interesting place. I'm not a fan of the government or the pollution, but other than that, China is a pretty amazing place. Food is great, the scenery can be gorgeous, the people are generally friendly, the history is fascinating... and so on and so forth. I'd love to return!

2007-3-15 05:48 AM

modeststeam
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I think if your really serious about getting a real opionon of your country your going to have to go to a non chinese government run board. This one censors too much. Its gotten better at not censoring but if there is anything too negative then you will never know the variety of opionons about China. There is plenty of things wrong with China as with any other country but I think for the most part people we are all the same. I think China is trying its best lately to clean up its image to the world and it is putting its best foot forward. People are starting to take notice. China is too new to the world right now to form an over all opionon. China has just recently opened its doors. I think if you ask this same questions ten years from now you will get a defininte answer.
Right now I think most forgineers are scared of a communist country; so in general they fear China. Having lived in China my self I always reassure them that there is nothing to worry about; and that China has its own internal problems to solve before its a major players on an international level.

2007-3-15 11:02 AM

thetruthbut
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East is east, west is west. We have a lot culture difference to consider. And for many of the expatriate communities, they look China though their glass windows of ivory towers. It's like rich looking down at poor. Don’t be sad. There is something wonderful about our people and our culture. It will take a while to bridge the communication gap.

That bridge will be built by every one of us, Chinese who love our country and the friends of China! And there will be enemies of us who will block our way! I wish you’d understand that we do have enemies; even we wish everyone is friend of China.

2007-3-15 12:30 PM

irishinuk
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To be honest, I don't think most people in Europe and N America really think about China that often. I'd say that when China comes to mind, most people think of Mao, today's economic growth, rice, martial arts, pandas and fireworks, in no particular order.

2007-3-15 01:14 PM

pandamonium
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Worse

QUOTE:

Originally posted by irishinuk at 2007-3-15 13:14
To be honest, I don't think most people in Europe and N America really think about China that often. I'd say that when China comes to mind, most people think of Mao, today's economic growth, rice, ...

No, many only think of Mao and

Image Attachment: worker10.jpeg (2007-3-15 01:29 PM, 10.11 K)

Image Attachment: beijing-bicycle1.jpeg (2007-3-15 01:29 PM, 175.02 K)

2007-3-15 01:29 PM

freakyqi
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I agree with irishinuk

My opinion is fairly neutral, but I don't like to get into politics, reading it or talking about it, so my opinions don't go into that field. It seems to me that some people think that's ALL there is to talk about. Always comparing countries, trying to guess what the gov't will do, predicting the future..... I'm so sick of it.

There are other aspects, like the people's preferences in food, fashion, career issues, education issues... so many other things we could talk about that give a country an image, not just its political image.

I know a couple foreigners back home who don't like CHina very much, but they are not well-informed and don't even know WHY they say that. They have old ideas about communism. If they're older, they remember "communism" being an evil word in their youth, mostly because of Russia though... but still, anything that claims to even be sympathetic toward communism (let alone practice it or claim to be it) is scary to them. They have an old image that it means there is one cruel leader who oppresses everyone and wants to take over the world. (they don't think that about china necessarily, but that's the old childhood image they have)

Geez.... to some older people who have been through a war or got scared of Russia as a child will even think the Chinese flag looks mean! Oh my goodness, it's ALL RED, and RED means COMMUNISM so it must be bad because it's ALL RED.

THE 1980's STYLE.....

This is a little bit true,.... some people in the US have the idea that in some small ways (not big ways!) China is still always 20yrs behind. I'm not sure why that is... I think it's largely fashion.... It's just a light hearted thing, really, nothing to be offended at.... Now, being here and it's 2007, I think most people's clothes out there on the streets are pretty normal. But once in a while I see someone wearing a shirt or jacket that looks very 80's by western standards. I think this was more common 5-10 yrs ago. People wondered if the chinese people really liked that style or if they just all got the fashion magazines a little late, being so far away, like maybe the magazines took 10yrs to get there.

PLEASE don't be offended, I am talking about the PAST, and only about a *tiny* little lighthearted thing.... and I want to say again that I think everyone's clothes are perfectly normal out there! (then again I'm getting old and don't follow fashion, so maybe my style is behind the times too)

2007-3-15 01:29 PM

pandamonium
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Not out of fashion

FRQYI

I don't think Chinese people are out of fashion

they have their own fashion

I think Chinese girls dress very nicely, I like their fashion - I hope they don't copy the West too much

they look perfect already

(But the old guy in the photo above, now he needs to look through the latest issue of Vogue

)

2007-3-15 01:33 PM

#10

colorfulwolf
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suzie wong and the white man in asia?

dead on

2007-3-17 01:37 AM

#11

jeffconno
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Western Medias often tend to give their folks a negative image of China. But still,we don't have to worry about it. China is a rising power now, we don't need care much about other's comment.

2007-3-18 01:57 PM

#12

seneca (seneca)
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QUOTE:

The rumours you heard originated in the Chinese media, and as anyone knows, these are totally unreliable. Your school education makes you believe China is pitted against the rest of the world and you can never really trust any outsider; even Chinese waidiren cannot be trusted, or so one hears...

Get over it (for once I go along with Master Demagogue Changabula), and accept your country as what it is; it certainly has warts but it is not a warthog.
The many warts are in fact known to Chinese far better than to outsiders, yet you seldom talk about them because you know why.

As for the international perception - why would outsiders trust the CHinese authorities better than the CHinese do? If you know what's good and what's less glamorous about CHina, then we know the same because we mainly know it from people like you. Yet we keep coming because what you are telling us is not frightening enough for most Westerners.

2007-3-20 12:40 PM

#13

dpfboots
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i don't think any foreigner coming onto this forum will have a good impression of china. too much racism and ignorance. most foreigners don't look down on china - they don't see china's poverty as the fault of the chinese per se and are friendly towards chinese (westerners acknowledge the mistakes of the past, and have laws and campaigns in place against racism. there is sadly still racism, but it is being fought against strongly and is only a small minority). if they werent' how could the chinese be so successful all over the world? i think the narrow mindedness of many here is saddening and makes china look stupid.

2007-3-20 07:35 PM

#14

zglobal
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More Rational Posts Like That.

Yes, you're right dpboots. Many of the Chinese on this forum are not at all typical of the real face of China.
Sadly, many of the foreigners on this forum are more typical of some elements of the real western society.

What you don't hear much on this forum is Chinese people telling foreigners how they should live.
You will hear plenty of foreigners, many who have never been to China, preaching to the Chinese.

I don't like the attitudes of many Chinese in this forum, but I also understand how they would get sick and tired of foreigners sitting in their armchairs and preaching about China when they have no idea. That shows an arrogance that is typically western.

They don’t bother to try to learn what’s really happening and have already made up their minds. I’d be pretty p&ssed off if was a Chinese person too.

2007-3-20 10:13 PM

#15

liebesspiel
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China is changing quickly, in fact too quickly for outsiders to understand. I have stayed at Europe for two years for studying, the most often question come to me is:" do you chinese really eat dogs and cats?"  OMG! Again and again, I have been tired of this kind of talking and do not want to explain anymore.

A  man from Costa Rica asked me and doubted if China is more developed than Nepal!!  And he always reminds me that my country is a communist country, just like we are all so red that want to export revolution. This conversation is so 60's like we got through the time tunel back to the cold war era.

I agree with irishinuk "To be honest, I don't think most people in Europe and N America really think about China that often. "  But if you just get information from mass medias in Europe, this country is in a very negative image. In the past, it was poor. Now if it is not poor then it still has a bad political reputation among nations.Many works of improving image for peopel and government needs to be done, really.

Of course, there are some people really like China especially someones travelled to China or lived there for a while.

[ Last edited by liebesspiel at 2007-3-21 05:19 AM ]

2007-3-21 05:07 AM

#16

seneca (seneca)
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Liebesspiel,

for a Chinese you've got a most alluring name; your German moniker translates as "love play'" - is that what you are doing in Europe? Oh, just a rhetorical question...

[ Last edited by seneca at 2007-3-21 03:40 PM ]

2007-3-21 03:37 PM

#17

liebesspiel
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by seneca at 2007-3-21 15:37
Liebesspiel,

for a Chinese you've got a most alluring name; your German moniker translates as "love play'" - is that what you are doing in Europe? Oh, just a rhetorical question...

Even this is a rhetorical question
Liebesspiel is a song from Atrocity
Maybe Ensiferum, Beseech, Theatres Des Vampires or even Nuclear blast as a nickname would be better.
Yeah, I do love German girls, they are blonde. That is why I am here.

2007-3-21 08:05 PM

#18

888dawei
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American talks to chinese

When american talks to chinese they say "You guys make everything now".  They don't complain about labor rules except unions on TV compplain about jobs.  Labor rules they complain Vietnam and Nike.

Americans amazed by food we eat.  Beijing guys amazed about what Guangdong people eat.  Ha ha.  Try to explan about civet is not a cat.

They worry more about disease coming like sars or bird disease.  Not worried about communists come.  Americans do not think there are any communists left except in american university.  Haha.

Americans like chinese.  They like me anyway.  Haha.

2007-3-22 12:19 AM

#19

matt605
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The opinion of China is good and growing.

Some negative things that people think about China are its currency policy. People think that China prices its currency too low and this makes Chinese goods a great discount in the world marketplace. So Chinese imports in America are very inexpensive. Of course, if China raised its currency price, then the inexpensive imports would come from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand instead of China. So China's raising its currency will have no effect on making American companies more competitive.

I like China. China seeks to be a responsible nation and to listen to all sides.

2007-3-22 06:03 AM

#20

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