Voices from Chinese Netizens

作者: 熊蕾 (Lei Xiong)

It’s a presentation of voices not from human rights experts but from Chinese netizens, who have expressed a lot of viewpoints online since the Lhasa riots in March. As it is impossible to exhaust all of them, given the huge Internet population of over 200 million in China today, I just picked up three of them.

The first is from a Tibetan netizen identified as Wudi Ge or Intrepid Brother who put up an open letter to his childhood friends involved in the riots on the BBS of a website called tiexue on April 8, condemning them. In two days it incurred over 5,000 comments, many from fellow Tibetans and other ethnic minority groups, overwhelmingly in support of Intrepid Brother. Now the letter (linx to the Chinese original http://bbs.tiexue.net/post_2697617_1.html) has drawn over 220,000 clicks, in less than two weeks. The English translation is offered by a netizen identified as "Clear Head" voluntarily (linx to the full English text http://bbs.tiexue.net/post_2702397_1.html). Here are some excerpts:

I am a Tibetan Chinese, but I feel shamed by some of my compatriots!

My hometown is in Aba, where there are Tibetan, Qiangzhu, Han mainly. I am a Tibetan. If you have doubt about my identity, please check my ID card No. ：51322219*****0473.

When I was in Seda Buddhism Institute, I’ve read the full story of King Geshar, who is the proud of our Tibetan, even whole China. King Geshar is a hero. He made us live a good life, but can Dalai Lama do it? …I don’t want to talk about Dalai, he makes me feel ashamed, and he can not compare with Communist Party.

Remember the story Grandpa Geden used to tell us?

Grandpa said our Tibetans have been really liberated just after liberation. We no longer suffered from our lords, we were no longer slaves, no longer their long-term workers. Government gave us yak and sheep, the grassland, even the lord’s house was  distributed to us. Afterwards, PLA’s road-building team arrived. They built the road to Lhasa, the government really managed to succeed to do it. Grandpa said, it was so difficult to build the road. The soldiers were using dynamite to explode the mountain, but on that day, 17 soldiers died, because the stones fallen buried them under the road. The soldiers delivered us the salt, the tea, but they never wanted repay. They only said, these were offered by the government. So folks carried the Qinke (high land barley) leaves to feed the truck, because they thought the truck were tired after carrying so much goods. Afterwards, the soldiers left even two trucks for us, and they didn’t want anything. Then we heard the road to Lhasa had been finished, and we really could take bus to go to Lhasa.

Then, there was drought, the yak and sheep were so slim, the snow was heavy in winter, so many yak and sheep died. We were desperate, but at this time, Government said the trucks from Chengdu were coming to deliver goods to us. We didn’t believe at first, but lots of trucks delivered foods, quilts, and everything we needed within several days. Our parent generation kneeled down on the grassland, to thank government, Communist Party, Chairman MAO, but not to the god, not to Dalai.

We Tibetans thank our motherland, thank the support from our people.

To the Dalai Lama:

Don’t think too highly yourself. You think all Tibetans are under your leadership? You are wrong! We Tibetans are people as well, means we know who are treating us well, and who are exploiting us. You think we will stand together with you? These riots can show you a fact: In Lhasa, there are less than 1,000; in whole Tibetan area, there are less than 10,000. I make you a full account, 10,000, means 1/300 is under your leadership. If you cancel the several hundred RMB you paid to those people per day, I guess there will be only 1,000 people, means 1/3000 with you. No need army, our Tibetans can use spit to drown all of your lackeys.

Now, your power begins to be weaker and weaker, did you notice that? How many young people are still believing you? How many people are still trusting you? Your behaviors have been regarded as a joke. You are acting as monkey of Tibetans? My living Buddha, you are performing in the world, how much they pay you for that? You shamed us. Since you are ashamed, how can we still trust you? Do you know we can not trust a monkey?

The second is the voice on the proposed dialogue with the Dalai Lama. I wrote this viewpoint piece from an ordinary Chinese perspective, which was carried by the China Daily on April 14. The viewpoint is shared by at least 5,000 netizens.

Yes, it remains true that dialogue is more constructive than antagonism. But the question is, is the Dalai Lama qualified for such a dialogue?

To have a dialogue with China’s central government, the Dalai Lama should at least have sufficient political capital. For instance, he should have enough authority among the domestic and overseas Tibetans communities so that they follow his doctrines and preaching.

The reality, however, does not point that way.

The Dalai Lama claims he is an advocate for non-violence.

But the riots staged by some of his believers in Lhasa and a few other Tibetan areas in China last month were very violent.

The Dalai Lama claims he is not a separatist and he wants Tibet to remain within China.

But the demonstrations put up by his followers abroad always chant "free Tibet", although Tibet was freed from the cruelest rule in human history 50 years ago.

The Dalai Lama claims he has the best wishes for the Beijing Olympics.

But his supporters in Western countries have been trying to hijack the Olympic torch and spoil the first Olympic Games to be hosted by China. And they even attacked a disabled girl torchbearer in Paris.

In this case, even if I still believe in what the Dalai Lama has said and buy the idea that he is a pacifist, I cannot but conclude that he has no control over all those who follow and support him. They just do not listen to him.

If those who know the Dalai Lama better tell me that he still has the influence over his followers and they do listen to him, they may actually mar his supposedly immaculate image. Because that means the Dalai Lama is not true to his words and is indeed behind all those ugly acts.

What could you expect from a dialogue with a person who either has no impact on his people or is not honest with his words?

The current Dalai Lama used to rank among the Chinese leaders – for people not only in Tibetan regions but of the whole country of China – when he was elected vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, in the 1950s. He was supposed to represent the people’s interest at that time.

Yet he did not seem to treasure this honor and power, and left the country without saying good-bye. I do not know if he was taken away by those old Tibetan officials who were around him, or defected on his own. But I know one thing – with his departure, he lost the trust of the Chinese people.

For nearly 50 years the Dalai Lama has stayed abroad, without doing anything constructive for his native land. But his shadow loomed over almost every bloody and violent act against law and order in Tibet.

If he was really behind those violent acts, the monk would be a criminal, who has no status to request for a dialogue with the government. If he was clean, then his incapacity again deprives him of the qualification for a political dialogue.

The third voice is from overseas Chinese. They have protested against western media’s distorted coverage of the Lhasa riots and against the attempts to carve Tibet from China in the past few weeks. Here is their voice expressing Chinese perplexity over the western norms. This piece is quoted from cbc forums, in response to the protests against China Olympic Games.

What do you want from us?

When we were called "sick man of Asia", we were called peril.

When we billed to be the next superpower, we’re called the threat

 

When we closed our doors, you smuggled drugs to open markets.

when we embrace free trade, you blame us for taking away your jobs.

 

when we’re falling apart, you marched in your troops and wanted your fair share.

when we’re putting the broken pieces together, "Free Tibet" you screamed! "it was invasion."

 

So we tried communism, you hated us for being communist.

So we embraced capitalism, you hate us for being capitalist,

 

Then we have a billion people, you said we’re destroying the planet.

Then we limit our numbers, you said it was human rights abuses.

 

When we were poor, you think we’re dogs,

When we loan you cash, you blamed us for your debts.

 

When we build our industries, you called us polluters.

When we sell you goods, you blamed us for global warming,

When we buy oil, you called that exploitation and genocide.

 

When we were lost in chaos and rampage, you wanted rule s of laws for us.

When we uphold law and order against violence, you called that violation of human rights.

 

When we were silent, you said you want us to have free speech.

When we were silent no more, you say we were brainwashed.

 

Why do you hate us so much? We asked. "No". You answered, "we don’t hate you".

We don’t hate you either. But, do you understand us?? "Of course we do", you said, "We have CNN, BBC, and CBC".

 

But why, we still feel, you western people are not happy with us.

What do you really want from us??

My friend, What do you really want from us??