I can't believe how depressed all the Asian news sites and China blogs that deal in politics are making me feel.
You know, I go around the web a lot because I've always enjoyed it. Now it's frightening me.

Going to China this summer has been my plan for over a year now.
It's finally coming together, and all I see is that Chinese citizens are having a field day labeling their own traitors because they have the least radical positions.
Look at Jin Jing; from hero to traitor because she dared say that boycotting Carrefour would hurt the chinese who worked there.
This kind of thing makes me despair of China. Now, I know not everyone thinks that, thank God; but it seems all too common.
Chinese people are complaining that the West has distorted all the news this last month. Part of it is true.
What i'm complaining about is that the country I live in is being attacked. I just saw a photo of a taxi who had a sticker saying "no french people or dogs". Man, that's just like the anti-jew posters in the thirties. "no jews or dogs allowed". Charming.

All this because...? Because a bunch of nutters tried to grab a stupid torch. Does anyone stop to think that this might not be the opinion of the french people in their entirety?
Does anyone stop to think, hey wait, these protests have been happening all over the world, why are we having a go at France in priority?
Apparently no-one has remembered that France was the first Western country to recognize communist China in 1964.
Or is the population so convinced that a country must hold the same opinion, that they consider it to be the same here, and blame everyone for the protests?

I'm angry. I'm sad. And I'm disappointed. All those who are going on about how China's image has been tarnished should take a good, long look at themselves and see how they've tarnished China's image, to me in any case, in a way that no-one else could have done.

Yet I've been dreaming of going there for a while; one of my best friends at university is chinese; i study the language with a teacher, Ms L, who went there years and years ago and tells us stories of how she wore the mao suit, how she was chosen by the french government to go there at the time to reinforce ties and all that; someone who really loves China. The other teachers i have are Li Na, who is chinese; Mr C, who is half; and Mr D, who is also passionate about a country he's studied, written books about, translated books written by chinese authors.
With them as teachers, I don't think any of us could not long to go there; their enthusiasm is infectious.

I think chinese citizens should be reminded that in the west there are many people like this. That recognize the faults of China but love it anyway, and communicate this passion to others.