cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/35822445
my family are Taiwanese-Americans. I was born in the US, but I grew up in a Taiwanese/Chinese household. I write both Taiwanese and Chinese because my grandparents were Chinese nationalists (KMT) who fought and lost to the communists and left China with Chiang Kaishek when he retreated to Taiwan. We’re from Guangdong.
Even though my grandparents spent most of their adult life in Taiwan and America, they still identify as Chinese. They still vote for the KMT and consider Taiwan a part of a democratic China, not the PRC but the ROC.
I don’t identify with an authoritarian China that suppresses freedom of speech, press and religion, commits cultural genocide against the Uyghurs, dilutes Tibetan culture and wants to annex democratic Taiwan. I wouldn’t like living in a country like that.
But that’s exactly what an uncle proposed me: some months ago he bought a house in Guangdong, a house he offers to our whole family. If I want, he says, I can live with him for free, he’s even offering me to let me live at his condo when he’s not in China (travels to America and Taiwan a lot).
I don’t see it: I’m politically active, actually support Taiwanese independence and I don’t believe I could keep my mouth shut if a Chinese starts telling me that Taiwan is a part of China every time I tell them I an actually Taiwanese. The conversation could go south really fast if they start to repeat communist propaganda about helping Uyghurs escape poverty (just an example out of several). I could land in jail.
My uncle says I should forget about politics and enjoy the scenery and local food. I still don’t see it.
Am I a moron? I’d only have to pay for the flight and food for as long as I live in China, a country cheaper than both Taiwan and the US
All states are authoritarian, what matters is which class is exerting its authority. The state is an instrument of class oppression, no more than that, and no less. In the US, the ruling class is the bourgeoisie. In the PRC, the ruling class is the proletariat. Since we can only move beyond concepts like authoritarianism once we abolish the state, and we can only abolish the state by eliminating class, which gives rise to it, we must support the working class being in charge.
Visit China, it will do you good to broaden your horizons. Talk to Chinese citizens, see what they think. China is a democratic country. Even the people of Taiwan want, above all, to maintain the status quo, not seeking full independence. All in all, you’re deeply ill-informed on what China is actually like, and are framing everything through an explicitly US-focused narrative. I recommend you focus on listening more than anything else if you do decide to visit.
lol
Already living in one…
I have a Taiwanese friend who is very much anti-CCP, but he does go to china for vacation every now and then.
Yes, you need to be in the right headspace, you cannot expect to vocally or publicly criticize the government and go unpunished. But politics are not everything. China is beautiful in many ways and has many great people. I think it would be a good idea to take the opportunity and make this experience. And afterwards, your opinions on china and the CCP will have a stronger foundation than they do now.
edit: you say you are politically active: is this evident from your social media accounts? That might be problematic.
Capitalist states are authoritarian no matter how many parties they have. They are dictatorships of the capitalist class against the working class.
I write both Taiwanese and Chinese because my grandparents were Chinese nationalists (KMT) who fought and lost to the communists and left China with Chiang Kaishek when he retreated to Taiwan.
You understand that Chiang Kai-shek and his KMT party were fascist, right?
cultural genocide against the Uyghurs
dilutes Tibetan culture and wants to
Show me the Tibetans who miss living as illiterate serfs under autocratic feudalism and I’ll show you the CIA-backed, “suck my tongue” royal family and its deputies.
democratic Taiwan
Bourgeois democracy is a head fake.
Every country is ‘authoritarian’. That’s pretty much the practical definition of a country - that they, and they alone, can use force within their borders.
If you travel to another country, you should of course consider your own safety, as well as whether that country crosses something you see as a red line. To give an example, I oppose state restrictions on religion (unless they are dangerous to the public), am a republican, and support Palestinian independence. But I would visit France, the UAE or Germany if I got the chance, and I would try to understand why they have those policies (restrictions on Muslims’ clothes, monarchy, and ban on criticising Israel). But I would not go to the US, since getting shot by a random madman is not good for health.
You can’t properly hate somewhere until you’ve lived there…
If you think you’ll be safe, then go. Travel broadens the mind, even if you go with preconceived ideas.
I would consider this post itself a liability if I were living in china. Yeah, even if I thought it were safe initially, there’s no guarantees that living there is safe long term. Like right now, people still generally consider it safe to continue living in the US, but I don’t blame anyone for choosing to leave, because there’s really no group that’s entirely safe from Trump’s hate mongering (besides sycophants).
I’ve been to China a number of times and it is a very interesting place with many amazing people. A government doesn’t necessarily represent the people that live there.
That said, it is up to you and your moral system whether to visit a country with a government you disagree with.
Sure, as long as the probability of the government there taking action against you in the time you’re there is low, why not?
As long as it’s not an insane NK-level dictatorship, yes I personally would. I’ve been to China before and talked to a few people there who were more critical about their regime than you might think and didn’t hesitate to talk about it. Of course you need to read the room and maybe not go shouting “Free Tibet” on Tiananmen square. And I wouldn’t pick any fights with nationalists either. In many countries, democratic or otherwise, there are certain topics that you probably shouldn’t bring up with strangers. But I think that it’s ultimately a beneficial thing for people from democratic countries to visit countries like China and vice versa. It contributes to mutual understanding. I personally wouldn’t hesitate to visit China again.
I totally get why the situation would be more difficult for you as a Taiwanese though. If you can’t smile and walk away if someone tries to provoke you, maybe it’s not a good idea to go.
Harsh no, give me liberty.
Safety must necessitate a non-authoritarian society.
