Jeanne Boden's Blog

hall of the people

90 years chinese communist party

China celebrates the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. It is interesting to see how the Party succeeds in 'speaking with once voice', while internally there have always been different voices and focuses.

Also interesting to see is how the Party continues to call itself 'Communist', while in reality the focus has shifted to Confucianism. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao promote a 'harmonious society' in combination with 'scientific development'. Western people tend to interpret the concept of 'harmony' from a Human Rights framework. 'Harmonious' in the Chinese context however refers to a Confucian society with hierarchy, moral power and harmony.

longtan park - 龙潭公园

On October 1, 1949 Mao Zedong established the People's Republic of China.

The Cultural Revolution between 1966-1976 China was a period of deification of Mao Zedong. All the Chinese knew the quotes from the little Red Book by heart and passionately sang Red Songs in praise of Mao 毛泽东. Each and every families had to be Red. Newly born children were given revolutionary names such as 'Red' (Hong 红), 'Protect the East' (Weidong 卫东). This extremely 'Red' period came to an end when Mao died.

Two years later, in 1978 China opened up and started a rocket speed modernization. 

Recently someone in Beijing told me that during the weekend hundreds of Chinese gather at the Longtan Park to sing Red Songs. She told me this is real nostalgia and people love it. So I went there on a Saturday morning to take a look. 

Everyone held the same red book and sang passionately. Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution left a deep imprint on this generation.

vietnam - china border

 

beijing service hotline - 城管服务热线

shanghai expo 2010 # 19

Environmental awareness is one of the issues the Chinese government strongly focuses on at the moment. All kinds of measures are taken to improve environmental conditions. In Beijing for in stance, cars with even numbers alternate days with cars with uneven numbers in the streets. In the Shanghai Expo we also find lots of examples, like these benches of recycled material. 
 

work unit

When the communists took over in 1949 Chinese society was reorganized into work units. People lived where they worked and all of life was spent within the walls of the communist work unit. The system is often referred to as the 'iron rice bowl', which means that everything that was needed from birth till death was provided for by the state. No one had much but everyone had the basics. Unemployment did not exist. 

China has changed a lot after opening up in 1978, but in many cases the work unit somehow still exists, be it in a totally different version. The Communist Party is still in reign and China is still a communist country. Sometimes we tend to forget that with the economic booming, but when you look underneath the surface you will discover the communist institutions are still there. The 'socialist economy with Chinese characteristics' means that the government and the Communist Party stay in control of the economy in a way westerners are not used to and often even tend to ignore. 
 

a strong army for a strong country

Propaganda poster to promote China's National Defense. The poster speaks for itself: the Chinese flag, space shuttle, airplanes, battle ships and 'all of China's population' with all '56 Minorities' represented.  
 

role models

Confucian dynamics are often thought responsible for the incredibly fast economic growth of the Asian Tigers and more recently of China. In the Confucian society there is always someone to be followed: the role model. Virtuous role models are an integral part of a good functioning Confucian society. In today's China ethical rules are implemented in society by way of slogan campaigns or by pictures of role models. This is nothing new. Since ancient times pictures were used to teach people how to conduct and how to be virtuous. 

work unit

When the Communists took over in 1949 China's society was reorganized into work units: walled complexes where people lived and worked. This system is often referred to as the iron rice bowl because everything one needed in life from the moment he was born until he died was provided for free by the state. There was no unemployment. Housing, education, health care were free. 

Everything changed after 1978 when the Reform was introduced, but even in today's China the work unit continuous to exists to a certain extent. Work units have gates and gate keepers to keep control over who is going in and out. Although the factories and organizations inside the infrastructure of the former work unit now have to take care of their own management, the gate keeper system is still used.