The BBC documentary Secrets of China is making waves in the UK for showing what it’s really like to live in China these days, but it’s also become controversial inside China after translations of the show circulated online.

One of the flashpoint surrounds an interview with 27 year-old Western-educated Wang Sicong, the owner of a large online gaming company in China. Wang was unusually frank in his replies to the BBC over the state of Chinese society. Wang admits that video games made by his company serve as a temporary escape from society, but that Chinese are stuck within this construct because “there is really no way of succeeding outside the system.” When asked about how Chinese adults become individuals, Wang answered:

The state chooses what’s mainstream, and you have to conform to that. If your ideals are not mainstream, then you’re wrong. But of course, everyone has their own ideas, so what they do is they put on a mask and they go forward in life with the mask. Why is online gaming becoming so popular in China? Because once you go online you can take off that mask and say whatever you really think instead of what is mainstream.

Then he was asked if the lack of freedom in China makes people unhappy:

I think at some point you just accept it. That’s why you don’t see many people protesting in China, I suppose… because they realize… some point in time, some point in (their social) class, that even by protesting they can’t change much. They could arrest you for that, so it’s… I mean, in China, where the line is really quite questionable. We don’t really know where the line is. The laws are not very explicit.

Chinese netizens got a taste of Wang’s brutal honesty through translated videos and screengrabs of the interview. But while Wang was discussing the core of what it means to be living in China today, it’s his status as the son of one of China’s most powerful men that has drawn the most attention.

Wang is the son of China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, the head of China’s largest property developer, the Dalian Wanda Group. Many netizens focused on his position as a fuerdai (富二代), meaning a “second-generation rich child” and a term that has a negative connotations in China, rather than the controversial remarks he made in the interview.

Here’s some of what netizens had to say:

断背山下的百合花：
European and US reporters are always criticizing from their high horse, talking about universal values.

离Dream的Dream：
He spoke truthfully without an extreme tone, and wasn’t lead on by the BBC reporter. And yet, people still think that he is this successful just because of his father’s money?

Ys_凹凸蔓：
Don’t just say he is just a basic fuerdai. This guy is an exceptional fuerdai, he has his own company with its own high salary. Some people are saying that he would be nothing without his father. Please! Without his dad, this guy would be the father to a fuerdai of his own. Terrifying…

本命年也要求好运：
Having money is not as good as having rights.

凤乙：
This reporter is not professional. Her questions are so subjective and biased. You can see she has already made her mind up about China, and that she is looking for answers that she wants to hear. And the questions she asks are so long, how can the interviewee remember what she asked in the first place? 

要成为跟卡咩一样好的人：
I really feel that Wang Sicong is a talented and capable fuerdai.

鹏鹏鹏蓬蓬蓬：
All those people saying that Wang Sicong is only successful because of his father being rich is just a case of sour grapes. I’ll give you RMB 500 million, and lets see if you can pass the national examination. Would you set up your own online gaming platform? Would you invest your money? He did, and what’s more he was a poor student that attended Oxford on a scholarship. Have you done it? If the father and mother aren’t able to do it, you won’t be able to do it either. All those people who have come here to voice their grievance at Wang Sicong, what are you going to do, beat the computer screen in front of you?

琼999999999：
I just wanted to say that the foreign reporter (spelled with the characters for “prostitute”) is a stupid cunt! It’s does not make a lick of difference to foreigners if we have freedom, or how we are doing! Always coming to China to interview Chinese, can you handle it?

曳火流明：
My cultivation is not high enough, apparently. I don’t think his answers are all that illuminating.

凯爷的王大源儿：
Even though it’s clear that (Wang) is a thoughtful man, I still have the feeling that his words are the result of a trap set by the BBC.

娱桑：
Quit kneeling and kissing ass. Why is it I get the feeling that this malicious reporter has set a trap for Wang Sicong, and that he’s fallen into it face first?

一枚小宝器：
This is why among entertainment circles, you can only trust Sicong. His stature and position are fixed, and so there’s no need for him to lie whatsoever.

–赵航–：
After watching, I have no idea what he’s talking about… 

懒_人_张：
Actually, Wang’s thinking is quite clever. 

Biubiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu：
This reminds me of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

愿为你L：
How ironic. However, what (Wang) said is a fact. If you don’t want to comply, there’s no way for you to not comply.

monodramabecky：
Just listen to (how good) his English is. 

耶路撒冷的呼召：
He is, in fact, saying the truth.

橙橙橙橙橙橙陈_：
I think that for some of these commenters, the only proper reply Wang Sicong could have answered with is: ‘Screw you! China is great! Ask me again, and I will beat you! Also, Chinese video games are the best, as are their physiques! Long live China!’ Only an answer like that would constitute a proper response.

共济会驻京办：
There was a scene from the movie The Shawshank Redemption in which the librarian of the prison discovered that he wasn’t able to leave the system of the prison when he was to be set free… and so he killed himself by hanging.

欧阳澄璧：
You can choose freedom, but the government is able to define what “freedom” means.

ACCCF：
This guy has enjoyed the prosperity of the system. And going by his words, I’d reckon that the Wang family is going to go the way of the Qing Dynasty and have their lineage terminated just two generations in. Hey, Wang Junior: I hope you had a blast when you were young so that you’ll have something to remember when you’re old and have no money.

lson_lson：
This is something that all rational and mature adults know. However, there aren’t many willing to say it in a public forum.

田中-谦介：
I have to applaud a fuerdai product made by the system that is speaking the truth to a foreign audience.

The post BBC Documentary Saying Chinese Accept Their “Lack of Freedom” Incites Lively Online Debate appeared first on The Nanfang.

As captured in the documentary Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School by the BBC, the experiment tried to determine if doing things the Chinese way can turn around a British education system with lagging students. However, what mostly happened was a clash of cultures in which teachers and students complained about each other.

Many of the Chinese teachers complained about the undisciplined and unfocused nature of the British students. Science teacher Yang Jun was completely flummoxed when a teenage girl left the classroom in tears upon reading tabloid news about a boy band. “In China we don’t need classroom management skills because everyone is disciplined by nature, by families, by society. I found it difficult to understand such emotional behavior over a pop band,” said Yang.

Meanwhile, 15 year-old Rosie Lunskey also expressed frustration with her new Chinese teachers. “I’m used to speaking my mind in class, being bold, giving ideas, often working in groups to advance my skills and improve my knowledge. But a lot of the time in the experiment, the only thing I felt I was learning was how to copy notes really fast and listen to the teacher lecture us.”

But the controversy didn’t end there. The Chinese teachers also pointed their criticism at the UK social welfare system for causing apathy among its students.

Mandarin teacher Wei Zhao said cuts to the welfare system will motivate students to learn. “Even if they don’t work, they can get money, they don’t worry about it,” said Wei. “But in China, they can’t get these things so they know ‘I need to study hard, I need to work hard to get money to support my family’. If they (the British government) really cut benefits down to force people to go to work, students might see things in a different way.”

Widely available on the internet in China, the BBC documentary caused a lot of discussion among Chinese netizens who looked upon their own experiences with the Chinese education system. Here is some of what they said:

舞者的武者：
Looking at it from another aspect, Chinese students are better able to suffer in silence than students in the UK. 

HHHHHH学院:
It’s like as though by using English-style teaching, the results are supposed to be more innovative. This is just a bunch of crappy students trying to find excuses, and it’s hilarious.

好大一只_蚊：
Actually, I really like the Chinese education system. If it were to become as open and free as the UK system then I think it would turn to rubbish, exploiting the nation’s welfare system.

瓜田澄思：
After the documentary aired, a person from the UK made a post on Twitter saying the vast majority of the students in the film have self-discipline problems, have trouble with comprehension, don’t respect the authority of teachers, and are a disgrace to the UK by losing face. This comment said the UK education system has spoiled these children rotten. If the future of their country is within the hands of these people, then a catastrophe is awaiting. The Chinese and UK systems of education are completely different from each other, and yet they both give rise to a similar concern that they both don’t work.

See Also: 8,000 Chinese Students Expelled from US Schools as They Struggle to Adjust

斯坦福桥的BlueSky：
Chinese and Western education systems each have their own pros and cons, and it’s hard to distinguish who is better or worse at whatever. But there is one thing that is for sure, and that is no matter which system they’re in, lazy people will always be losers!

徐欣V：
It really is just as the teacher said, we don’t have any way to learn the same way as UK students due to the way the things are right now in China. The pressure upon Chinese students to compete with each other is fierce. The population is high. If you don’t work hard, you will get eliminated.

十多年熬一锅粥：
Comparing the two to each other, it’s not a bad idea to use the strengths of others in order to make up for your own shortcomings. So if I were to have incorporated farming techniques as part of my education, I would have become the worst of all students.

古三界：
One way is to perform rote memorization, the other is individualized teaching. One way is to cultivate students to become obedient slaves, the other is cultivate their hobbies and interests.

斑马先生随行笔记：
Many people say that there’s no use to learning mathematics. They say, ‘Do you need to use algebra when buying vegetables?’ I just want to tell these people that upon learning mathematics, you won’t even need to look at the price of vegetables anymore.

大西北的吕先生：
To all the people who say that the Chinese education system has failed, I have to tell you that all the people that have passed through this system will go on to become the cornerstones of society. It may even be that they will become the leaders of China will come from these so-called failed education system. At that time, what are you going to do? Are we all going to die, then?

小小鹿汤圆：
I don’t understand why there are so many Chinese criticizing their own education system as being completely worthless. Other countries find merit and redeeming quality in our education system. Why can’t we be more tolerant and friendly towards our own country?

静夜之轩：
Many of the scientists in laboratories across the USA are from China. Does this not dispel the awful notion that Chinese people are not innovative? The Chinese education system is one where short-term gains can not be met. Even if you were to put US teachers into Chinese high school classes, one week would not be enough time to make an impact upon these students. As well, through the examination you can establish a sturdy base of knowledge as well as providing a way to achieve good results.

forever辰洋：
I don’t know if Chinese-style education in the UK would be at all effective, but I do know that UK-style education practiced in China would be completely useless.

哈哈公主o：
All of a sudden, I feel as though the Chinese-style education isn’t all that bad anymore.

o阿硫克o：
I feel relieved upon reading through the comments. A lot of people seem to understand, while those that don’t aren’t ever likely to understand, no matter which education system they come from. Lots of other countries are starting to study our education system. There will be those people who will invariably belittle and reject our way of learning. I completely believe that the future will belong to China.

allisonlian：
This kind of comparative test is significant. These two education models can increase their strengths through mutual advancement, and is worth exploring.

在自己的故事里成为强者：
Whatever suits the situation of their own country is best. The Chinese education system is not suitable for the UK, while the UK education system is not suitable for China.

L翘翘：
When I was younger I preferred the foreign education system, but now I find myself increasingly in favor of the Chinese system. Some people say that the Chinese education system doesn’t encourage innovation. A person who recently took the gaokao said the questions have all been reformed and don’t ask for the rote answers that were common a few years before. Now, the teacher tells us we should ask if we don’t understand something, and is more prone to discussing things with us. Students who are cultivated to be modest, understanding, and respectful of the authority of teachers will most likely become people who respect the older generation and follow order.

Related:

• Teacher in Foshan sends group text message to parents calling students “trash”
• 70 Students In Shanghai Caught Using Stand-ins To Take Their CET English Exams
• Chinese Spending Big Bucks On Housing In The Name Of Their Children’s Education

The post Chinese React to a Disastrous Experiment of Putting Chinese Teachers in a UK School appeared first on The Nanfang.

The problem started at 8:15am and continued until 9:30 am.  All subway trains travelling from Chiwan stopped for one to two minutes, inconveniencing thousands of passengers. According to the operator, the signal was interfered with by unidentified mobile networks, and all trains are programmed to slow down or halt in such circumstances.

That evening, anonymous insiders told media that the unidentified networks were being used by passengers on their mobile phones. An engineer said the network had the same frequency range as the one used by the metro company.

In September 2011, hundreds were injured in a subway accident in Shanghai. Two months earlier, a high speed rail crash in Wenzhou City in Zhejiang Province caused much public anger, and in recent days was brought up in an impassioned debate about the quality of infrastructure in China between Martin Jacques of the BBC and Charles Custer of Chinageeks.

Fortunately, this incident turns out to have been a minor one.

The post Shenzhen metro trains halted by passengers using their mobile phones appeared first on The Nanfang.

China Southern at Hong Kong International Airport

A diplomatic spat between China and the Philippines has spilled over into aviation with the mainland’s biggest carrier, China Southern Airlines (CSA), temporarily slashing flights in response to large numbers of cancellations in recent weeks, Xinhua reports.

From May 26 to June 30, CSA is cutting its twice-daily Guangzhou-Manila service in half.

The move comes after a series of rows between Beijing and Manila after an incident on April 10 saw a Philippines warship involved in an altercation with Chinese fishermen in the disputed waters around Scarborough Shoal, which is known as Huangyan Island in China.

Relations between the two nations appear to be souring quickly. Both sides have been ramping up the rhetoric, with protests erupting in front of both Chinese and Philippino embassies. China’s National Tourism Administration has warned citizens that travelling to the Philippines may be dangerous due to “strong anti-China sentiment”, the BBC reported.

The post China Southern Cuts Flights to Philippines After Diplomatic Spat appeared first on The Nanfang.

Chef Ken Hom filming in Shamian Island

World famous chef and television personality Ken Hom appeared in Guangzhou for the filming of a BBC documentary.

The 63-year-old was spotted last month by The Nanfang shooting the last leg of the Eat, Drink, Cook China in Guangzhou’s well-known historical hotspot Shamian Island in Liwan district.

Billed as an “epic culinary adventure,” the American-born Chinese chef is returning to his ancestral roots with co-host Ching-He Huang, 33, on a journey sampling a range of original dishes and flavours across the country.

From Beijing in the north, to Sichuan province in the west, to Guangzhou, Hom described his travels as a “great discovery” in which he has come across “fantastic food” on his trip.

He added: “I’ve travelled to China many times but this time I’ve discovered food from the four corners of China.”

The chef also said he felt “of all the places in China,” at home in Guangdong province – where he can trace back his ancestry to the coastal city of Taishan.

His new television show – four one-hour programmes – on BBC Two, coincides with the release of his new book, co-authored by Huang, will be released in June.

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