Look Pit. Most of what you are saying apply to India just as much, if not more. Historical China was to an extent a "Hindu" country with the "export version" of Hinduism carrying the day. I am surely no Buddhist, but a Christian instead. However, the very Chinese identity is tied into "cultural Buddhism", with its positives and negatives.
I assume that you are talking to me. Otherwise please allow me to take the liberty of answering you.
No, China has never been a Hindu caste system. Otherwise how could Liu Bang, once a jobless outcaste, have become the emperor of one of the strongest Chinese Dynasty. If Liu Bang were the untouchable, and if the Chinese had accepted hindu caste system, nobody would have followed this condemned dirty hooligan. Let’s not forget lots other social outcastes, such as Zhu Yunazhang, who was also the emperor establishing Ming Dynasty.
By your first paragraph, I know your knowledge about China is either extremely limited or you are deadly wrong in your study.
In addition, Chinese identity is more complex and richer than just a unique language and Buddhism. The fact is, Taoism, Islam, … all left remarkable print on Chinese identity. Just remind you that before all above mentioned –isms were widely accepted, numerous philosophers like Zhuang Zi, Zhuangzi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mo Zi Mozi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia were competing each other. All there teachings contributed to the culture.
It is even more ridiculous in your next paragraph to hint that using chopsticks is being Chinese. Anybody can use chopsticks or speak a language, but that does not make him/her a Chinese or adopt Chinese culture.
1) Let alone India, you could say what you did about the Anglo-saxons, who "absorbed" the Normans; the Iranians, who "absorbed" the Mongols; the Hebrews, who "absorbed" the Khazars. Spend the whole night typing! Historical China (as a evolving concept of a people who spoke the Chinese language and more or less used chopsticks) "submitted" aplenty to the Mongols, Manchus, Jurchens, Qiangs, even Tibetans (the pre-Buddhist kind), while assimilating only some of them ... Hong Kong still adopts a mostly British system, as does Singapore (which granted is more of a "Chindian" hybrid"). Co-opting the British system by itself isn't a sign of weakness. After all, where did the Germanic barbarians of Middle Ages Britain cobble together their system from?
Unlike the Sepoys, no "Chinese" soldiers in Hong Kong or Shanghai ever took up arm against the British in any recordable scale. Indians had their Marathis, BTW. Back in 1962, it was exactly a "Marathi" peasant-dominated PLA that defeated the "Mughuls" led by the "Singhs" using inferior equipment, but time-tested Marathi guerrilla tactics and a certain fearlessness.
Of course, that was then. Don't count on any "Marathis" from PRC today.
BTW, if Indians "cravenly" idolizes the British system, then what say you about the on-going worship of Marxists in China? BTW, I don't negate the contribution of Marxism to China's social and philosophical development, as much as acknowledging its patently ill effects. Rest assured that the Indians do the same vis-a-vis the British legacy.
Before the communist revolution, who inspired the Chinese Nationalists? Mustafa Kemal - once again a "foreigner".
You quote of Anglo-Saxon’s type of absorption is a wrong example in comparing with the assimilation of Chinese “Barbarians”. Those barbarians conquered China by force. It was not that they wanted to finish off China, but rather, they admired Chinese culture and prosperity, by and large, in the first place.
Your Shanghai, HK example is event more ridiculous. At that time, HK was a poor and rustic fishing village rented to British as British’s war booty. Shanghai was in a similar situation and was shared among the imperialistic powers.
Corrupted Chinese armies were fighting somewhere else. Opium Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
United Kingdom, Qing Dynasty
France
United States (1856 and 1859 only)
~40,000 troops,
American: 287 troops, ~ 110,000 troops
3 warships
over 2,800 KIA or WIA, 47,790 KIA or WIA
Dare you still say there was no fighting?
1962 Sino-India misfortune is all about system and is a typical failure of Indian type of democracy: Nehru knew the consequence but democratic heehaws pushed Nehru for Forwarding into China, and marching on the road of defeat. Whereas PLA had sharp focus and well defined objectives.
Maxism and its communist were/are used as a tool to eradicate morbid status of sick China. Over the period of CPC, there is no less of modification of communism. The open-up and adoption of market economy should be self evident enough.
“Mustafa Kemal” Mustafa Kemal Atatürk? You got to be kidding, friend. True that during that period time of miserable China, intellectuals were looking for Western ways to save them. After all the westerners were stronger.
If you have an iota idea of Chinese revolution, it is Sun YatShan or Sun ZhongShan who tried to borrow from US system to establish a republic.
BTW, you statement does not negate my post that the Chinese never stop learning good ideas from foreigners, but they never just copied. Even CPC's communism is NOT a copy of Soviet one. There were pieces and parts that were copied, but once it did not work, they'd abandone it. Otherwise, you can’t explain why China was among the first communist countries that embrace capitalism. Hk system is still under China's leadership. All laws that HK adopts, only Chinese People's Congress has the ultimate power of interpretation. Does British laws need be interpreted by another institute?
This is in stark contrast against Indian system that has a copy and then sticks to the copy regardless of the difference in cultural soil, (with due respect) resulting persistent and vast poor, malnutrition and illiteracy to date.
2) The concept of a land of pragmatic "meritocracy" is hardly unique to China. The Ottomans were a military meritocracy. And that was not enough. And for your information, the Yuan Mongols only became "Chinese" in the most superficial sense of the word, if at all. If they became "Chinese", then Lord Mountbatten became Indian ... well, her ladyship did carry on with Nehru so perhaps that counts as naturalization ...
China was never an egalitarian society and the Yuan divided people into 9 (or more) castes, although not strictly based on birth. Of course, that was part of the reason why they didn't last long. Castism in the subcontinent was not restricted to the Hindus, either. How do you think the War of 1971 started? If some Indians today "praise" the Brits, that could well be due to the fact that the latter's rule helped bring down Castism (to an extent), which you are fond of bashing (don't all internet "patriots" when they run out of straw men). In other words, Indians may "praise" the British for the same reasons CCP idolizes Marx.
You have huge logical problem in your statement. Mountbatten is an individual; Yuan Mongol is a collection of race. All Yuan Mongols are mostly Chinese today, are most British Indians?
Mongolia today was separated from China by Soviet instigation. It has only a few million citizens. Mongol Chinese is more than 10 times of that in Mongolia. Thus, the center of weight is more in China than in Mongolia.
Does India have 10 times more British living in Bharat than living in UK? Nobody would be so foolish as to think the British would love India more than UK!
When those “barbarians” conquered China, they say your people suck but your culture is good and we’ll adopt your system.
When British conquered India, did Mountbatten proclaim that Indian culture is great and we’d adopt your system?
“9 castes”? Give us a break! What hell is that! Is that from brain-washing lectures? This further testifies your recklessness in posting your stuff.
Let me correct you erroneous mind. Yuan Dynasty did separate people into four levels: “In essence, society was divided into four classes in order of privilege: Mongols, "Color-eyed" (Central Asians, mostly Uyghurs and Tibetans), Han (Han Chinese in northern China, Khitans, and Jurchens), and Southerners (Han Chinese within Southern Song and other ethnic groups).” Yuan Dynasty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Right, Han was discriminated, but was not excluded in governance. Precisely because of its discrimination policy, Yuan was one of the shortest major Dynasties in Chinese history. This lesson caused later Qing Dynasty to adopt more Han stuff.
While everywhere else adopts meritocracy, only Indian Caste system denies that. You know how foolish is that.
BTW, did I say China is egalitarian? But I did say the Chinese have chances to move around among different social levels.
Surely that everybody knows the "71" war. That was a master piece of Indian RAW to split Pakistan by utilizing then Pakistan's internal issues. It looks you can’t seal your glee over that.
3) Regarding the ideographic characters of Chinese language, they are indeed unique, but hardly more so than the Nile Hieroglyphics. No doubt knowing them is important. I thank God for having arrived at North America at an age that allowed solid retention of my Chinese language skill. However, you should know that there was also a time when Sanskrit was China's Greek ...
Pls spare us this left/right brain pseudoscience. If that were true, why not do away with letters and just teach kids to draw pictures to "express themselves". They'll all be Einsteins in no time.
Does anybody use Nile Hieroglyphics on daily basis? Further, Does Nile Hieroglyphics is an official language of United Nations? More, does Nile Hieroglyphics used by ¼ of the world population?
I bet you your Gods give you more Indian Sanskrit than Chinese characters. Otherwise, you would use more brain and be more logic in your reasoning and debating.
Finally, there are also lots dark sides in Chinese culture that some Chinese are bravely facing up to. For that you may read Bo Yang(柏楊's book <The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis of Chinese Culture> (醜陋的中國人. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Yang
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