Almost a hundred years ago, the
last emperor in China was thrown by a revolution started by several
intellectuals in Guangdong Province. Historians called it the Revolution of
1911. Thirty years later, the first non-feudal government was taken over by the
armies of millions of peasants and workers. They were led by Mr. Mao Zedong who
founded the current ruling party in China, the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Understanding the
tremendous power of revolution, CPC has been cautious about any sign of another
rebel for the past sixty years. They don’t want to be thrown out by the same
means as they won the authority. By controlling the flow of information and
making severe punishment for malicious attacks, the government successfully
managed to get through the most unstable period from the 50s to 70s.
As the country
became more open up since the 70s, however, the parental governing style was
increasingly challenged by both the Chinese people who can access unfiltered
information and outside critics who didn’t want to see a growing socialism
country. There used to be quite a tension between the three, but the party was
always able to stick to its own stance and policy without compromising too
much. Unexpectedly, the development of internet and other communication
technologies immensely escalated the tension in the past one decade. With a
No.1 population of internet users in the world, Chinese government faces an
unprecedented difficulty of controlling information.
There is no better
example to show the stress of the government than Google’s retreat from
mainland China this June. Google was not only backed up by its government and
patriots in American, but also thousands of internet users in China. It is an
inborn nature of human beings to seek for information and probe for the truth.
Internet perfectly satisfied and exemplified people’s curiosity and power of
collaboration. On the one hand, the connectivity and immediacy of the internet
provided people enormous possibilities of reaching out for different resources
and presenting personal experience and know-hows. On the other hand, the
mobility of modern communication technologies allowed greater flexibility for
information accessing; hence, increasing transparency in all walks of life.
In the case of the
Crisis of Cantonese, internet inevitably stands out because of the above
advantages. It becomes a very essential medium for grassroots to demonstrate
concerns, express interests and speak out their own opinions. Furthermore, the
advance of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Renren (Chinese Facebook),
Weibo (Chinese Twitter) and online forums contributed to the establishment of a
more democratic environment, at least in the virtue world. They connect people
with the same demand together to make a powerful presence and more importantly,
a coalition which can exert influence on the government.
The possibility of
getting involved in the decision-making process and making changes has never
been so real for the Chinese people, especially the grassroots who don’t have any
contacts in the political circle. Cantonese people are not making any attempt
to bring up another revolution. Actually, they embody the true meaning of
citizenship: voicing their love for the city, advocating protection for local
culture, and criticizing their government when it doesn’t represent the will of
ordinary citizens.
Together with the
advance of technologies, we see the growth of young people. The generation of
the Only Child does not only care for themselves, but value their community.
They mature with much more access to information than their parents. Therefore,
they are more willing and prepared to shoulder the responsibility of
transforming the existing dark sides into transparency.
Internet, social
media and the young generation indeed are the revolutionary power. However, it
doesn’t necessarily lead to a violent revolution. There are many ways to
progress and make changes. When the kids know how to utilize the neutral
instruments and turn them to be beneficial, parents should just simply learn to
let go, even when they sense a threat of danger. I believe the same rule could
be applied to our country as well.
Comments
Post a Comment