Other Rivers: A Chinese Education

Nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. A good read on China's retrograde under Xi Jinping's dominance.

Several points in the book really resonate with me

1. Fear of Naming Xi Jinping
Chinese students avoid mentioning Xi Jinping by name, even if when they are living in the United States. As Hessler explains through the words of a student, the name carries an overwhelming association with power and punishment. It's true. Within China's Great Firewall, posts with anything that sounds remotely similar to “Xi Jinping” (e.g., 细颈瓶 Xi Jingping aka a flask used in chemistry) get swiftly censored or deleted. Posting such content often comes with temporary or permanent account bans. In some cases, a local police might give you a call, and you might be requested to have a “tea-drinking” session in the local station where your phone and social media accounts are examined and you are required to sign a document agreeing to “behave” yourself online. In the not-so-rare cases that you post becomes slightly virial (shared more than 500 times), you face the real risk criminal charge. Even outside of China, the existence of secret Chinese police stations in various Western countries has made criticizing Xi Jinping an increasingly risky endeavor.

2. Taiwan
Discussing Taiwan is another minefield for overseas Chinese. It's a deeply sensitive topic to most Chinese, but in a different way to the topic of Xi Jinping. While many Chinese tend to avoid sensitive discussions, the mere mention of Taiwan's independent status often sparks impassioned reactions. Those who would otherwise remain silent are quick to assert, “Taiwan is not a country; it's part of China,” reflecting the deeply ingrained narrative.

3. Reluctance to Have Children
Having gone through the system myself, the thought of my child enduring the same logical struggles I faced at a young age haunts me. It's unsettling to imagine them grappling with the same contradictions and confusion that shaped my early years.