It’s such a huge part of American graduate history programs: the rewriting of the narrative in ways ever more critical of past events. And this angers many people in the US as much as in China. (Witness the recent Florida bill to mandate the teaching of history “without interpretation.”)

People want to believe that they come from a noble past and the historical record doesn’t always shake out that way. Self-censorship and selective memory become the key means to preserve that noble past.

One of the other China bloggers (can’t remember who) recently dusted off this essay by Jaron Lanier from Edge called “Digital Maoism” that was pretty interesting.

I also have problems with the tone of the article. Why is the failure to mention the Malay connection from 4,000 years ago so significant to the writer?

I’m with you on the hate the Japanese thing, though. Most of my students openly express their hatred. I’ve seen some who refuse to trashtalk Japan get ridiculed by the other students.

I remember when Sikh cabbies had to organize to protect themselves post 9-11-2001 because people saw the turbans. You’d think it would require quite an information machine to keep that kind of hatred alive for 60 years, like it has been stoked in China. But after a while, it probably just gets absorbed into the general consciousness, like the fact that whites in the southern U.S. are stupid racists.

But I do object when I hear people say stuff like:

All japanese people are bad, or
all foreigners are rich, or
all black people play basketball well.

Stereotyping happens all over the world. But for some reason or another, I see it a lot here. I’m sure after some more years of development it will be much better. Maybe if CCTV starts including some educational programs like Sesame Street or something, that teach kids and parents civilized ideas, instead of teaching them 爱国主义教育 like this: http://www.maskofchina.com/hk/2006/07/in-china-its-never-too-early-to-hate.html

For me, that is why I am open to harsh comments, since I know I might be wrong with my previous ideas. And that is where the communications kick in. Ask them why they think Japaneses people are bad. Tell them why you do not think so. Humble communications benefit us all: we all can learn from each other,we can see the things we can’t see by ourselves.

I had a taxi driver the other day, who asked me where my girlfriend was from. When I replied “Japan,” he didn’t hesitate to say “Japanese people are bad.”

I calmly say, “You can say the japanese government are bad, but you can’t say all Japanese people are bad.” To which he replies “Ha ha… Japanese people are bad.”

The older ones are likley not going to change their thinking. But it’s depressing when the young people repeat the same ignorance.

If they do their research, and back it up with fact, fine. But I find that many just toss without thinking, just because it’s what everyone else says. The BBSs are full of it.

Ask them about ‘89 or the Chinese invasion of Vietnam, and then talk about forgetting history.

Most foreigners who come to China have a better idea of Chinese history than the average Chinese person does, I think. And that’s sad, considering how much some Chinese bash Japan for doing the same.