Opinion on Tienanmen Square

The interview with Lee Kwan Yew didn't change my views on Deng's method of handling the protests at Tienanmen Square. However, it did make me think of whether or not there was a better solution in the long term. If the students did overtake the government, more lives would have been lost in the long run with more revolution and weak leadership. The harsh crackdown on the Square may have been a necessary evil, one that looks bad in textbooks, but in reality was the only possible option. China is now in a strong position of success, both economically and politically, so the Deng government was very effective. Tienanmen Square was an unfortunate event, but was justified in the long run because some form of peace was found and a stable country was able to rise from the ashes.

East Meets West, Ming and Qing interactions with Europe

Commentary on the Ming and Qing dynasties covering religious and economic themes.
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"To Live" part 2

The latest segment of "To Live" offered a stunning contrast to the relatively optimistic life seen earlier in the movie. The communist values of Mao were still seen in the backyard steel production, but there were events which negate Mao's drive for equality. When Youqiang was killed by the District Chief, the entire village was mourning over his death. However, at the funeral, when the District Chief came to apologize, Fugui told him to leave. The Cadre responds to this by mentioning that the Chief was hurt as well as and was sorry. Because the District Chief had more power than a normal citizen, he was treated with more respect, people worked harder to impress him, which defies an ideal Mao society of equality. Another interesting development was the marriage of Wan Erxi and Fengxia. Fugui seemed very happy to give his daughter to Erxi based on his Red Guard status before he even met the man. This shows the “equality” that existed where the high ranking communists were above the average citizen. Painting all the Mao pictures and propaganda was also interested, and how the marriage photo was taken with the family holding the Little Red Book. Mao may have ended up destroying all the progress made with the first five year plan, but the people still respected him highly, to the point of paying respects to his portrait after any activity.

"To Live"

Life under Mao's communist rule would undoubtedly be tough. The Great Leap Forward revolutionized the idea of family and community, and "To Live" depicted both the successes and the stresses of the system. The communal system in the movie showed how the communist plan was to create a single family out of many families. This was shown with the communal canteen scene, but it also showed the disadvantages that the density brought. Since families had very little independence, and were constantly surrounded, altercations were inevitable. Adults may have been able to work together in harmony, but the children did not fit well into the new system. The critical junction of communism is a perfectly balanced society; since the children often fought, the parents would follow into disagreement. Another accurate representation of life in “To Live” was the close interaction between families. When the backyard campaign was in full swing, raw materials were in high demand. The collection of materials took belongings away from families, but donations had to be made. Families understood the importance and gave everything they could spare. “To Live” also delineated the close relationship between families during the puppet scene. Most of the village was gathered around a small stage where several men were performing a puppet show. This shows both the willingness of the people to share a skill, and also how something so simple could bring together the entire population of a planned village. That interaction between families is the cohesive force that allows communists villages, which is why “To Live” accurately depicted life in Mao’s communist China.