Merely Neutral, Objective and Undergoing Discussions

1. Chinese people are inscrutable. Why?

I think you may have a level of understanding of some real but hidden issues facing your country that I have such difficulty broaching with others for fear of either embarrassing them, exposing their "information gap" (you called it censorship, but it's more than that), or appearing to be anti-Chinese, when everyone who knows me knows I have a great admiration and affection for Chinese people! (OK. I admit. I like people!) ...My intoxication with China is the challenge of unravelling the many enigmas. Nothing is what it seems, because 'appearance' (or face) is so much more important than reality. Traditionally , we talked of the Chinese being "inscrutable" - a word I have never ever heard in any other context. It means (I think) "cannot be understood", by outsiders, of course. And that's the challenge.

So where is this going? The friend in Shanghai told me in despair, that I couldn't hope to understand China until I was a fluent mandarin speaker.

2. Appearing in the gap of language, I notice it is actually a gap in recognition (though deeper in it is much more than recognition...let's just start from here). But is this true and is this all?

The Chinese don't live the way the 'Westerners' (so-called) live. I don't find a lot of cases they really get along -- by saying get along I mean discussions building upon both-way recognition; by contrast, I come along plenty of occasions where they superficially interact, such as parties, lectures, trade negotiations etc. Cultural gap is inevitable, but the wired thing is that we rarely see the Chinese has in-depth conversation with non-Chinese speaking cultures, while the EU with 27 different cultures has shown a huge step of integration.

There are a lot to look into in this issue, historical, cultural, linguistic, political, and others. Regarding the information gap, it is on one hand a political aspect in this 'communication' issue, and on the other hand another issue -- the long-overdue feudalism inside the Chinese society.

3. Is the EU a good example of language/culture difference merge?

Not to over-estimate the degree of 'integration' in the EU. Ordinary people don't engage much with their political /geographical neighbours, and the British have more in common with other parts of the English speaking world than with many EU members, especially the Balkan countries!

4. I think somehow we shall at the first stage decide whether the conflicts in Europe are of the same kind and level as those between oriental and western culture...

But my perception would be this. The Chinese 'speaking' cultures share common characteristics in almost all aspects. We can borrow the path dependence theory (i.e. looking into the past) to explain the similarities. These common characteristics are the base of conversation between us, as we understand (not necessarily agree with/appreciate) the way each other behave. For example, I can always find Confucious' thought in Taiwanese, even though we are very much apart in view of democracy.

Well, to Europe, the base of conversation does not date back to so long ago, which makes their conversations easier -- or, I would say, it is the dominant western defination of modern civilization that been accepted widely today, yet the Chinese-origioned culture is among the ones that are reluctant to accept (while the modern states have no way but to accept it).


...to be continued over time p.s. Don't be sensitive or naive in attitute.

No conclusions has reached thus far. Above is a fraction of the long process of thinking one of the many issues. There must be wrong, misleading, distracting, circulate, insignificant, improper or stupid statements. But that is what 'raws' are look like, and is the way a better later statement is to made.

Do you notice? NONE of the bullet questions are answered thus far. I did this on purpose...