which version of holy bible is suit for me?

I'm aware of a resurgence of religious belief in the PRC, but disappointed your report that Christianity has been so successful around Tsing-Tao and your home village. It would be more heartening to hear that Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism were dominant, since they all have deeper roots in Chinese culture.

Loosening of government controls shouldn't be too surprising since it follows the historical dynastic cycle. During this portion of the dynastic cycle we can expect greater prosperity and a surge in both productivity and artistic expression. What is to come? Well, the third and final stages of the cycle are almost always pretty bad. Corruption increases and government officials neglect their duties while seeking personal wealth and power. Taxation tends to increase, but the services that the money is intended to fund are not maintained properly. Unqualified bureaucrats displace the real professionals. Incidents of flood and famine, and external threats (usually from the North and West) increase. There is a general feeling that starts in isolated parts of the country that the Mandate of Heaven may have been withdrawn from the government. As conditions worsen, the government's authority weakens, and more people become convinced that the Mandate of Heaven has been withdrawn. Peasant unrest also increases and long dormant secret societies come back to life. Open revolt in some villages and provinces are brutally put down by the Army, causing further unrest. The rank and file of the Army is always made up of men from the bottom of society, and eventually they begin to refuse to take action against uprisings. In the final stages the soldiers desert their banners, and powerful generals transform their military units into personal armies. The strong contend with one another for control, chaos follows until one anti-dynastic force subdues the others, and; a new dynasty is born. This is a very old story in China, and it is remarkable how often and close dynasties follow the pattern.

If the PRC follows the historical pattern it has maybe another 150-250 years before things begin to really fall apart. On the other hand, in the modern world the rate of change is greatly accelerated. As transportation and communications technologies shrink the world, problems rooted in international relations become almost immediate. The end of the last Dynasty (C'hing Dynasty) in the late 19th century as European colonization/technology overwhelmed a Dynasty already suspected of not having the Mandate of Heaven. Just think of how the world was, and how it changed between 1800 and 1900. The current government grew out of chaos and consolidated its power in 1948. In less than 100 years the Chinese government has moved into the second phase of the dynastic cycle. Historically, that's a bit early and the problems faced by the PRC are extremely serious and looming. Any number of things could easily occur to shorten the dynastic life of the PRC.

Probably the most dangerous trend is Chinese population growth with increasing demands for a better standard of living that remains off the chart when plotted against available resources. China's dependence on high-sulfur coal, and increasing demand for petrochemicals signals an environmental nightmare even worse than the pollution of the old USSR. Attempts to slow down population growth rates has produced a large imbalance in sex cohorts, and in the next 10-20 years finding a mate is going to put severe stresses on the whole society. Imagine a China where families are no longer the stable foundation for everything.

Can China's agricultural production keep pace with the Chinese stomach? Famine and flood are traditional harbingers of the government's loss of the Mandate of Heaven. We should all hope that the great dam project successfully meet all its goals, and that China's rivers will be tamed for the first time in 10,000 years. Southeastern China is the world's incubator for dangerous viruses, and eventually we should expect a airborne and drug resistant virus with an minor symptoms for a couple of weeks before assuming a mortality rate of over 25%. The PRC could lose up to a third of its population in six months!

Oh well ....

William, please write often here with your views, opinions and observations. We in the West NEED to have a far better understanding about what is actually happening inside the PRC. Describe for us please your home village and the people there who you've known all your life. Tell us what life is like these days in the ancient and famous city of Tsing-Tao.

Asherman, soon after my reading the reply you write one feeling striking me is that China has no hope.some of my friends have the same idea that china is hopeless. china(mainland or PRC i mean and commonsensiblly taiwan is part of china),has many many problems challenging the wisdom of chinese people and each of which is hard to resolved. a large population is really a huge burden falling to chinese and even the world.
china is changing ,which is too rapidly for me,a young adult ,to follow with.as is reported by press home and abroad the idea of chinese towards sex is changing,people are too opened.but i don not think so.people around me are mostly as conventional as our ancestors used to be.PRC is a country which do not have a sound system of law.we should hurry to work out regulations on controlling the things harmful to our culture and moral on websites while protecting the freedom of press of the Chinese people.
however,i am chinese,a young citizen of PRC,i love my country.all days of complaint is meaningless.it is my duty to change it.but i havent found the definite goal .so i need to learn more china ,its history and contemporary politics and economy,to learn form western experiences .
sorry,that all,too much of my own oppinions. and i need a nap,i have class 2 hours later.i am not an English major.if i have any mistakes in grammer and use of words.it is really appreciated to point it out.

Your meaning is clear, though your use of English is seriously flawed. Having better English skills is, of course, a definite advantage for ambitious young Chinese today. The more you use English, the easier it will be to improve. Read as much as you can in English, and pay attention to how the words go together to make sentences. Keep your sentences short. Subject/noun, verb, object is the usual order. Longer, more complex sentences are more likely to have grammatical errors. Use your computer spell/grammar checker to find mistakes, and try to remember the correct forms suggested by your computer. After reading, writing English is probably the best teacher. Listening to English and watching English films will help get a feeling for the rhythms of our speech. In English we use tones differently than you are familiar with in Chinese. In English the tones are less structured to specific meaning, and used more for emphasis on a part of speech rather than on specific words.
Don't be disheartened about China's prospects, but do keep in mind Chinese history and its cyclic nature. In fact, you are living during a period that corresponds to the best and most creative periods in the dynastic cycle. People are increasingly prosperous, there is enough food and the social order is stable. The number of educated people is increasing, and most will eventually become responsible and dedicated government administrators. The civil service examinations are more applicable and practical than they were during the Confucian past, though the Party's ideological hurtles must grate on many. Chinese productivity has been phenomenal, but that is characteristic of the Chinese character when focused upon any goal. The speed and destabilization that comes from rapid change is a concern, because it could easily lead to loss of control and chaos. Transformation from over centralization and tight political control to a disciplined capitalist industrial state is not going to be easy, and we shouldn't expect perfection. There is rising concern in the West over the extent of Chinese espionage, and increased military capability. The size of China's military and territorial claims makes many here nervous.

Still, young Chinese like yourself, should remain hopeful. The political situation isn't hopeless, it is just changing slowly and that is better than explosive rapid change. The Taiwan question will work itself out in time, as long as both sides restrain their rhetoric. The larger problems, especially the population growth rate should be the first priority. China doesn't have to "prove" its place as in the World, but it does have to deal with effectively with its internal problems. How can the population growth be brought under control, and what secondary effects will result from the effort? The public health and sanitation systems in China aren't sufficient yet to manage epidemics, and lower mortality rates. How can China transition as quickly as possible from coal and petro-chemicals to alternative energy sources abundant enough to fuel its industrial growth? Can China find meaningful and productive work for its huge population that increasingly will demand the sort of luxury common in less crowded nations?

Population growth rates tend to slow and decline in societies of abundance, like industrialized Europe and the North America. Transition from small subsistence rural agriculture to urban industrialization may be part of the answer for China. The problem is whether that transition can occur fast enough to stave off disaster. Government control of pregnancy/birth is unpopular and not very effective outside the large cities, but can it buy enough time for Chinese society to value smaller families more than larger ones? China needs many more medical resources, and a national health system geared to China's unique population problems. Medical research into epidemiology needs to be greatly increased. Rural sanitation systems need to be greatly improved. I think China should probably be moving toward constructing reliable nuclear power plants. The demand for personal automobiles has to be funneled away from polluting gasoline internal combustion, and toward electrically powered vehicles. The Chinese People are practical and resilient, and have a long history that values social responsiblity. The Chinese can endure unbelievable hardships when necessary. Education and a steady improvement in the general standard of living can greatly improve the likelihood that China will overcome the problems before it. Education and agricultural reform coupled with controlled urbanization and industrialization may be essential to solving many of the problems ahead.

I believe it is also important the PRC remain in control for the foreseeable future, that the military be made more subservient to the Party, and that China takes positive steps to allay Western fears of a policy of Chinese aggression. China needs all the cooperation and help it can get from the West during the coming decades, so make the West, especially the U.S., a major ally and partner in resolving the problems. Chinese culture and the power of the PRC can make change happen by maintaining clearly defined public policies.

In the West government can't just make restrictive policies about what vehicles are permitted. We are already too reliant on the internal combustion engine. Our government is constrained from issuing dictates by our cultural resistance to centralized government.

Asherman,thank you for your advice oo learning English.i will read and write more.Would you like to tell me how to use my computer to check my writing?a software?
i don not agree with you about the cyclic nature of china.Dynastic cycle ended in 1911.Kuomintang started a new era of China,Party polity? i don't know how to say,do you understand what i mean? PRC is a dynasty?NO.PRC now is a state governing by one Party,not by a single person or a family 100 years ago. is it not a progress in china's history? i believe China certainly will be more democratic in future. do you pay attention what is happening in Pakistan?i think,and many scholars in china believe that, Musharraf and our President Hu Jintao themselves is willing to make their country more democratic.In my oppinion,the point is that they also do not know how .we have learned much lesson on the collapse of USSR and the decline of Russia.Mikhail Gorbachev is too ideal and the west abandon Russia later.Hu Jintao would never learn from Gorbachev.a long so i think china should weigh stability against democracyat least in the next 30 years.China will adopt democracy of chinese characteristic.
i understand the concern and nervous on chinese espionage and territorial claims.but i think the words you used is not appropriate, is dissension on territory ok?China is not a threat to the world.we need more comnunication.Misapprehension lead to mistake.chinese people is modest and introversive reserved.perhaps the behaviors of some empty-headed officials and the press mislead you.
i quite appreciate your ideas about China,especilly on internal issues.you know China quite well.

I just wanted to say that I've been reading along here, enjoying the discussion very much...and I'd also like to welcome William (Welcome, William!) to these boards.

William,

I've made some corrections to your last post. These corrections make your thoughts easier to read in English, but are still not completely correct English. One step at a time. The main point I wish to stress is the importance of capitalization and format in English. This must be difficult for people whose native language is based on ideograms. In English, always capitalize the first word in each sentence. Nouns are also capitalized.

In English, we separate one sentence from another by a period and at least one space. The English format most common on the Internet separates one paragraph from another by a line, as demonstrated below.

I've also corrected some words within your writing. We use the word "Is" when we mean noun/pronoun is "single", and the word "are" when we are speaking of more than one. You've done quite well in keeping your sentences short, and it really does help make your thoughts clear to the reader.

*** ENGLISH HINTS TO INCREASE READABILITY ***

Asherman,

Thank you for the advice on learning English. I will read and write more. Would you like to tell me how to use my computer to check my writing? Software?

I agree with you about the cyclic nature of China. The dynastic cycle ended in 1911. Kuomintang started a new era of China, Party polity? I don't know how to say, do you understand what I mean? PRC is a dynasty? NO! PRC is now a state governing by one Party, not by a single person or a family like 100 years ago. Is it not progress in China's history?

I believe China certainly will be more democratic in future. Do you pay attention what is happening in Pakistan? I think, and many scholars in china believe that, Musharraf and our President Hu Jintao themselves are willing to make their countries more democratic. In my opinion, the point is that they also do not know how. We have learned many lessons from the collapse of USSR and the decline of Russia. Mikhail Gorbachev is too idealistic and the West abandoned Russia later. Hu Jintao would never learn from Gorbachev. So I think China should weigh stability against democracy at least for the next 30 years. China will adopt democracy with Chinese characteristics.

I understand the concern and nervous about Chinese espionage and territorial claims. But I think the words you used are not appropriate. Is not dissension on territory ok? China is not a threat to the world. We need more communication. Misapprehension can lead to mistakes. Chinese people are modest and reserved. Perhaps the behavior of some empty-headed officials and the press mislead you. I quite appreciate your ideas about China, especially on internal issues. You know China quite well.

William,

Now, I'll reply to your post.

Thank you for the advice on learning English. I will read and write more. Would you like to tell me how to use my computer to check my writing? Software?

I'm glad to be of some help in your effort to learn English. The more you read and write in this crazy language of ours, the better you will become. Pay attention to how English looks/sounds, and then imitate it as carefully as you can. I don't know what word processing program you are using, but most have a spelling and grammar correction function built in. Perhaps someone there can help you to use spelling/grammar checking.

I agree with you about the cyclic nature of China. The dynastic cycle ended in 1911. Kuomintang started a new era of China, Party polity? I don't know how to say, do you understand what I mean? PRC is a dynasty? NO! PRC is now a state governing by one Party, not by a single person or a family like 100 years ago. Is it not progress in China's history?

The PRC isn't the same sort of dynasty as those prior to the 20th century. However, I believe the dynastic phases of history are still relevant in analyzing the current system. Historical dynasties were in reality massive bureaucracies directed by a small power elite within the Forbidden City. That the Emperor was of the dynastic founder's family insured some stability, but made very little difference to the actual governance of the country. Mao wasn't the Party, but the Party became an extension of Mao's Thought and Will. Since Mao's death the PRC has been led by a succession of Chairmen with great influence over the Party apparatus and policy. The Party and its bureaucracy isn't really all that different from the Mandarate of more traditional structured dynasties. Does the PRC really signal progress (whatever that means) in how China is governed? I'm not so sure of that.

I believe China certainly will be more democratic in future. Do you pay attention what is happening in Pakistan? I think, and many scholars in china believe that, Musharraf and our President Hu Jintao themselves are willing to make their countries more democratic. In my opinion, the point is that they also do not know how. We have learned many lessons from the collapse of USSR and the decline of Russia. Mikhail Gorbachev is too idealistic and the West abandoned Russia later. Hu Jintao would never learn from Gorbachev. So I think China should weigh stability against democracy at least for the next 30 years. China will adopt democracy with Chinese characteristics.

China will become more democratic in the future, but that will more likely result from the impact of industrialization and participation in an increasingly integrated world where time and space are altered by modern communications technology and transportation. Leading Chinese thinkers have long recognized the importance of controlled transition from centralization along the Stalinist Model, to a decentralized socialism where individuals are motivated by personal material rewards. Mao's conception of continual revolution with its emphasis on rapid changed guided by the Party greatly handicapped China and led to widespread suffering. The PRC seems to have learned its lesson, and has opened the doors to gradual change.

I understand the concern and nervous about Chinese espionage and territorial claims. But I think the words you used are not appropriate. Is not dissension on territory ok? China is not a threat to the world. We need more communication. Misapprehension can lead to mistakes. Chinese people are modest and reserved. Perhaps the behavior of some empty-headed officials and the press mislead you. I quite appreciate your ideas about China, especially on internal issues. You know China quite well.

I'm not sure which of my ideas you think are incorrect. Is the dissension over Tibet and Taiwan justified? Sure, China's claims to sovereignty to these outlying provinces have some historical validity, though there is also validity to the arguments for independence of those territories. The thing is that neither Taiwan nor Tibet are essential to China's well-being. There are larger and more pressing problems facing China than resolution of these disputes.

China has not historically been expansionist. However, that doesn't mean that China might not in the future utilize its increasingly sophisticated military machine in dangerous ways. The power and influence of military leaders backed by the PLA is properly a concern. The scope and aggressive espionage being carried out in the West by China is not unexpected, but it is unsettling... especially when the information being stolen has sensitive military applications. Any of the many problems that China is facing could result in serious destabilization. If the Party and its apparatus were threatened by internal pressures, might the PLA seize power, or advocate seizure of Southeast Asian territories? What would the PRC do if North Korea's foreign policy boiled over into renewed fighting on the Peninsula? The PLA came to their rescue once, why not again? Perhaps not, but it would be foolish indeed if the West didn't have contingency plans.

At the moment, China desperately needs to increase its supply of petrochemicals, and Iran is the default source for short-term supply. Iran needs the currency, and China needs the oil. The Islamic State of Iran has no love for the PRC, but will use your country as merely as a dirty tool to achieve its own ends. Yet, the PRC supports Iran's aggressive pursuit of nuclear arms and its exportation of terrorism in return for the promise of access to oil... someday. It seems to me, that it would be wiser to affiliate China with the West which has more to share than an irrational hatred of your People as infidels. China needs to become more integrated into the world economy, to develop markets for its goods and to acquire consumer products that the Chinese would dearly love to possess. To that end, the Party leadership needs to: (1) allay Western anxieties of military aggression, (2) support greater economic integration, and (3) put all available resources to work immediately to effectively handle its internal problems that are so evident and threatening.

I try to remain at least minimally current on Chinese and East Asian affairs. One of my college degrees was in Asian Studies. I studied Mandarin at USC, and did graduate work in Oriental Philosophy and Religion. Even so, my knowledge is far from complete and my understanding is almost certainly sketchy. Open communications and patience is required to overcome the many misunderstandings that have always existed between the West and East Asia. The Internet is a very promising means of bridging those gaps that have existed in the past.

I believe Asherman meant to say "Proper nouns are capitalized".

Yes. Thank you Neologist. I also intended to advise William to use the English Forum to get more comprehensive help with his English studies. This thread in the Religion Forum has gotten pretty far astray. I suppose our conversation with William would be better located in the Asia Forum. The problem is that William may have trouble navigating around the A2K site in search of what seems to be becoming an on-going conversation.

At the risk of taking this thread farther astray, I just wanted to pop in and say "Hi" to Asherman.

Where'd your avatar go?

I was going to upgrade it to a more recent digital image. Dumped the old avatar, and then was unable to get a digital of an acceptable size for the replacement. I'm still trying to figure out how to fix the problem. Our last house guest of the year will be gone by December the first, but then Natalie and I will be spending a couple of days over at Zuni for the Shalako Ceremonies. Lately we've been focusing on completing Corazon projects before Winter sets in and we are totally broke. We'll be in San Francisco for Christmas, and I have the January issue of The Palette to get ready as well. I'll probably be avatarless for a couple more months, unless someone can ride to the rescue.

I'm presuming that you've gotten well settled in over in Mesa. If you find yourself back in our neck o'the woods, stop on by.

Ash

If you need help resizing it, send it to me via email and I will do my best. I'll PM my email in case you have misplaced it.

Getting settled in Scottsdale, and if I am ever back through your part of the country I will definitely stop by Corazon.

Thank you very much ,Asherman.

Let me introduce myself. My college degree is bachelor of arts in Ting-tao University. I studied Chinese language and literature for 2 years,and then studied journalism for another 2 years.At prsent i am studing for a master's degree on International Relations in Beijing.I am interest in the relationship between cultures and IR.

I have found the Asia Furom:
http://www.able2know.org/forums/ask-about47.html.

China is attempting to do some trials on approaches to democratization.At present in every village of China,villagers are intitled to the right of voting their leader by law .And i hear of that some towns in eastchina have do some trials on voting their mayor.Chinese regionalism is Beijing,then province(state in US?),then county,and then town,and then villages.Does this make sence and do you understand?I use my Chinese English to explain.

I haven't been to Taiwan,Tibet and Sinkiang, so i don't kown what the people there think and the fact of issues there.Our newspapers report is incredible and your newspapers reports express your oppinion.I don't want to talk more about issues on these regions.If i express some of my present oppinoins on these issues,perhaps you could regard me as a nationalist.

I don't like Iran and Islamism,they are wild about war.

Chinese People are not infidels.Confucianism,Taoism,and Buddhism have deep roots in our culture and thought.

Everybady in China can criticize Mao and even Hu Jintao on street(better not on Tian'anmen Square) today,and police wouldn't arrest him or her.


At present almost all of scholors in China regard China's involvement in war in Korea-penisula a totally wrong decision.

This spring my mother had an operation costing 5000 yuan and the government gave us 600 yuan in return because she,as every peasant in my province ,have insurance on it.She spent 30 yuan on insurance.600 yuan is little but i think its a good start.

William,

Your last post was much easier for us to read and easily understand. The English forum here on A2K is an excellent place to get help with improving your English language skills. Take advantage of it, as many other Chinese students have done in the past.

I believe that A2K is a wonderful place for you to explore non-Chinese cultures, and comparative politics. In the future we will look for your questions and discussion topics in the Asian Forum.

National organizational structures (village/town, County, Province/State, and national government) are similar in both the US and the PRC. In both cases, national government tends to preempt State and local governments. The PRC holds and exercises much more power over public policy than any of the American political parties. Americans are much more individualistic than most Chinese. For instance, Americans almost automatically resist and strongly object to virtually any government policy. Obtaining anything close to national agreement on any policy is a real rarity in this country. Everyone here believes that they personally know better what is best for the country than anyone else. Americans seem to be naturally contentious.

I am pretty much aware of the social and political changes that are happening inside the PRC. Many of those changes should make life better for individual Chinese. Allowing ordinary citizens to choose their own representatives regardless of Party is a step in the right direction. Freedom to express oneself must be a welcome change, after the Party's heavy hand in the past. Open and frank discussion and exchange of viewpoints is essential in finding the best solution to problems. Given the magnitude and seriousness of the problems facing the PRC, the input of as many informed and educated minds is long overdue.

Overcoming the language barriers isn't easy, especially when trying to discuss complex national strategic policies. I am, without apology a dedicated American nationalist, and would be disappointed if you weren't equally devoted to China. Internationalism may be a great ideal and goal, but I believe only fools disregard their own national interests the way the world is now. I didn't say that Chinese are "infidels". What I said was, Iran and its Radical Islamic leadership regard both the U.S. and China as infidels that their god wants converted, or destroyed. To those folks, followers of any religion other than Islam are infidels. Neither did I intend criticism of China's military assistance to the DPRK back in the 1950's. There were clear signals that if UN forces approached the Yalu River, the PRC would respond militarily. Our military leaders didn't choose to believe the warnings, and we were badly mauled at the Chosin Reservoir. Every nation makes mistakes, but usually we don't realize it until afterwards. What I wanted to communicate, was that we both should learn from the past and realistically prepare for a wide range of future challenges.

Neither was it my intention to compare the effectiveness and cost of individual medical coverage. The larger and more important issue facing China is the prevention of an viral epidemic capable of killing millions of people in short order. To do that I believe great improvements in public sanitation, and preparing a medical response capable of detecting and dealing with a major threat to world health are needed. Rural areas, especially in Southern China, are both a breeding ground for dangerous new strains of drug resistant viruses and vulnerable to them. A very positive step is to increase the number of well educated and skillful medical professionals, and that is being done. I think that the PRC recognizes the potential problems, and has developed reasonable strategies to deal with them. Whether those strategies will be effective and sufficient only time will tell.

Now ... lets move future discussions of this type to the Asian Forum. I look forward to many future discussions and exchanges of opinion.