China-watching

[poliphilo]

Joe has been showing me the Kung fu comedies of Stephen Chow. They're a bit Buster Keaton, a bit Police Academy, a bit Popeye the Sailorman (with chi in place of spinach.)

I reckon we need to be educating ourselves about the Chinese- seeing as how they'll be taking over the role of top nation sometime in the course of the next century.

Learning about China is a project I've been proposing to myself ever since I fell in love with Michelle Yeoh in 1999. Thus far I haven't made a whole lot of progress.

Comments

[airstrip.livejournal.com]

Unlike jackiejj I'm not really impressed by many of China's projects. The time I spent in architecture taught me that much of what China is intent on building isn't functionally efficient but rather meant to be symbols of greatness. I'm reminded somewhat of Brasilia when I hear about "great new things in China" because so much of it seems to be anti-humanist hubris meant to bust budgets and blow minds with its sheer scale.

As to China becoming the "top nation," it will be a relatively worthless position by that time. The US had the benefit of world wars and colonialism to devastate major powers and infantilize the minor players. The world China will be the major power in will be quite different and I think the Chinese government will find many of their hopes to have been unfounded.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

Yes, I expect the Chinese century to feel very different from the American century. I don't see China strutting its stuff as a military superpower.

And what does it mean to be a military superpower anyway? It doesn't, for one thing, seem to guarantee that you're going to win any wars.