Is The West Pursuing A Cultural War Against China?

Hu Jintao, China's president, speaks during a news conference with U.S. President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 19, 2011. Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg

Hu Says West Is Trying to Divide China By Using Ideology, Cultural Weapons -- Bloomberg

The West is using cultural means to divide China (PRCH), which needs to be alert to this threat, President Hu Jintao said in a Communist Party magazine.

“International forces are trying to Westernize and divide us by using ideology and culture,” Hu wrote in an article in Qiushi. “We need to realize this and be alert to this danger.”

Many countries, especially Western powers, are attempting to expand their influence through cultural hegemony, and China must deepen and promote its own values of “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” Hu wrote in the article, which was published on the government’s website on Jan 1. China needs to strengthen its cultural values as it faces possible challenges from the West, he said.

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My Comment: President Hu Jintao is concerned because he knows that on this front .... he cannot win. A personal story to prove my point .... I lived in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province in the summer of 1988. Met some great business contacts, new friends, got to understand the Chinese .... in particular their culture. But one thing that I always struck me when I was there was that each night everyone in the city would go out for a walk/stroll/shop/eat/etc. .... every night that is with the exception of Wednesday evening between 7:00PM to 8:00PM. After a few weeks I then asked my hosts (we were guests of the Central Government) on why was this the case .... including the fact that our own hosts also did not want to be with us during this time period. It was explained to me "sheepishly" that since they were in the range of Taiwan's TV programs, everyone enjoyed watching their programming .... in particular American programming .... in particular one American show. I found out later that the show that everyone in China was addicted to was J.R. Ewing and Dallas. In their minds .... J.R. Ewing and Dallas was what America was .... and what was worse .... the Chinese dream was to be like them.

Sighhh .... we are all doomed I tell you .... doomed. :-)