Man is a Political Animal

While interacting with Chinese people, I've always tried to stay away from sensitive political/cultural topics as much as possible (except where research demands it)....that being said, in the last 24 hours, I've gotten quite an (unsolicited) earful on a couple of taboo issues: Taiwan and Tibet. I was out for Sichuan-style hot pot (huo guo) yesterday with a few of the girls who I went horse-trekking with, when the topic of Taiwan came up.

Now, for any of you who are unfamiliar with the Taiwan/China situation, here's a brief (and incomplete) rundown: Taiwan is an island province off the East coast of mainland China; in the early 20th century, there was a civil war between the Communists and the Kuomingtang for control of China; clearly, the CCP won, and the Kuomingtang fled to Taiwan (also known as Formosa), where the government declared independence from the PRC, and has since set up a "democratic" regime. China has never recognized Taiwan's right to self-determination, and considers it a rogue province. Every now and again, Taiwan tries to flex its muscles and demands recognition, but for the most part the international community hasn't given it; most countries (Canada and the US included, prefer the "one China" policy stance; after all, who can really afford to piss off the Red Giant?). Recently, Taiwan made a bid for membership to the United Nations General Assemby (which it lost in the 1970s, I *think*), which would be the ultimate form of recognition. Okay....long story short, China still thinks of Taiwan as part of the Motherland, Taiwanese generally do not. Anyhow, over dinner, Taiwan came up, and I was really shocked by how passionate these girls felt about Taiwan being a part of China...my own feelings on the issue aside (I'm somewhat undecided, but I lean more towards supporting Taiwanese independence), it was really surprising how strongly they felt about Taiwan. I always think of Chinese youth as being incredibly politically ambivalent, but I guess Taiwan is one of those topics that really strikes a chord and brings out the Aristotleon political animal in all of us.

On the topic of Tibet, I was reading the news this morning (thank God China hasn't blocked the New York Times or Globe and Mail websites), and found out that two Canadians had been arrested in Beijing for taking part/organizing a "Free Tibet" protest. Once again, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Tibet situation, here's a very incomplete rundown: China and Tibet have historically had a rough relationship, with periodic chunks of time where China would invade Tibet; in the mid-twentieth century, China annexed Tibet, and has since been conducting what many consider to be an ethnic and cultural genocide in Tibet. The Dalai Lama is the official head of state-in-exile, and has been in India, pushing for Tibet's indepedence for decades. Anyhow, the Tibet is a pet cause for a lot of social activists, and every now and again, they hold protests in strategic places; in April, there was a protest at the Everest Base Camp (which led to the Chinese government completely clamping down on who can now go to Tibet, making it almost impossible to get permits to even get to Lhasa), and yesterday, a group of protesters unfurled a huge banner on the Great Wall saying "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008", which is almost identical to the official slogan for the 2008 Olympics. In any case, earlier, I was sitting in a tea house, drinking tea (trying to fight fever and cold), when the owner of the joint asked me where I was from; when I told her Canada, her face lit up, and she began to talk about how brave/stupid the protesters in Beijing were...I should mention that she was ethnic Tibetan. She didn't really voice an opinion on the status of Tibet (probably because of my limited understanding of Mandarin, and perhaps out of fear/caution), but I'm assuming that she was pro-Tibet.

I'd be super interested in hearing what other Chinese people (both Han, and the minority groups) have to say about Taiwan and Tibet, but it's not something that I'd ever bring up...I feel like it's just asking for trouble. Coming from a political science background (with a particular interest in China's role in the international system), it's really hard not to ask taboo questions, and poke around where I shouldn't. Anyhow, that's your history/political lesson of the day....you can take it and flush it down the toilet if you so desire....