Comments on: Send Obama to the Countryside

By: Matt Schiavenza - China Mythbusting

Matt Schiavenza - China Mythbusting — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:21:17 +0000

[...] discussed previously that rural China is as valid- if not more so- a representation of the country as the major urban [...]

By: matt_schiavenza

matt_schiavenza — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:33:16 +0000

Oiasunset,

No one said anything about “poor”. Would you not agree that rural Anhui is more broadly representative of China than either Shanghai or Beijing? That was the point of the post.

By: chriswaugh_bj

chriswaugh_bj — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:34:53 +0000

oiasunset: You should read more carefully: That should be “wife” and “Yanqing”. And I was agreeing with Matt and all the other commenters that a visit to the bright, shiny metropolises is nowhere near enough to understand anything about any country.

By: oiasunset

oiasunset — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:36:28 +0000

This one is a bit rich. I know the country side of Anhui pretty well – used to be dirt poor 20 years ago but not too bad at all these days.

Either we went to different Anhui or we have different perspective with regard to “poor”.

chriswaugh_bj,

From what I see in your writing, your life in your girlfriend’s Miyun (or is it Huairou?) village is actually quite nice. So what do you want Mr. O to see – a Kiwi writing sissy poems in a “poverty-stricken” Chinese village?

By: matt_schiavenza

matt_schiavenza — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:40:11 +0000

CLB,

Definitely. I think in general leaders (not just Obama) should see more of the countryside on their state visits everywhere (not just China). But as John points out perhaps I’m being too idealistic.

By: John Thorne

John Thorne — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:00:41 +0000

I sympathize with the sentiment, Matt, but the idea that US presidents, or rulers from elsewhere, can, do, or want to go around the world and learn what motivates the average etc., & then empathize, is a bit much. PEOPLE might do this, but politicians have other fish to fry.

By: China Law

China Law — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:58:02 +0000

I thought the same thing. Then again, I always am troubled by how foreigners think they know the United States by having visited New York and Los Angeles. There is no substitute for actually being there.

By: Matt M

Matt M — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:51:27 +0000

Although it would be far too inconvenient, I nominate my home city of Chenzhou, Hunan. It is a real Chinese city. Mos Eisley has nothing on this veritable hive of scum and villainy. And it is the perfect place to listen to the National Sound.

By: Sheri

Sheri — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:28:19 +0000

Well said, Matt. I hope to hear this sentiment by at least one of the talking heads on TV.

By: lonnie

lonnie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:42:55 +0000

The problem is that when Clinton went to Guangxi they cleaned up the towns in advance….They even locked disabled people in their homes…

Chen Li, who runs the Yanshuo Mtn retreat and has brittle bone disease, was one of those locked in….

When Clinton found out about Chen Li later he sent an autographed photo…

But, I doubt Obama would get much of an authentic view…