November 7, 2017

"Why does China love President Donald Trump? He's 'extremely rich,' a 'free spirit' and his daughter Ivanka is a 'goddess.'"

That's from Newsweek, reporting on social media in China.
“Chinese people are impressed that he is extremely rich, he loves things splendid and magnificent, and he loves to show off,” Yin Hao, who has close to one million Sina Weibo followers, told Reuters.

Besides his success in business—an important value for Chinese—Trump is popular for his contempt for political correctness and his tendency to defy traditional liberal western views, which many Chinese consider elitist, according to Shanghai-based political commentator Chen Jibing.

“In China, realists hold a deep-rooted belief that the rule of the jungle means the strong prey on the weak,” Chen told Reuters. “For them, the world is not split into right and wrong, good or evil, it is only success or failure, the powerful and the weak.”

73 comments:

Tommy Duncan said...

“In China, realists hold a deep-rooted belief that the rule of the jungle means the strong prey on the weak,” Chen told Reuters.

I'm guessing the Chinese don't worry much about cultural appropriation. Or diversity.

The Godfather said...

How does being orange fit in with this?

tim in vermont said...

They are known for their high IQs.

BarrySanders20 said...

Heard something funny during the campaign last year. I think it was a black comedian. He said the media told him that he shouldn't vote for Trump because Trump had nothing in common with him. But he noted Trump was rich, had a penthouse in the city with his name on the building, had driver and a sweet ride, surrounded himself with beautiful women, and took shit from nobody.

"Know what black men call that?" he asked.

"A fucking role model!"

tim in vermont said...

I would have voted for Don King too.

Darrell said...

That's why China hates Chuck. Every man, woman, and child.

Darrell said...

How does being orange fit in with this?

Orange Mandarin.

Earnest Prole said...

For them, the world is not split into right and wrong, good or evil, it is only success or failure, the powerful and the weak.

So much winning.

Sebastian said...

"traditional liberal western views, which many Chinese consider elitist" Traditional liberal western views challenged the existing elites when first articulated. As the upstarts became elite, their views became increasingly illiberal. So current liberal western views are elitist.

Of course, after, oh, 1700 or so, "we" always thought we were better than the Chinese, so in that sense all western views are "elitist."

Still, a Trump would do well in today's China, provided he doesn't piss off Xi.

tim in vermont said...

I agree that we should judge the Chinese by our standards and take a Trump hating press's word for what is really going on.

tim in vermont said...

Meanwhile, I am happy that the Chinese seem to like Trump, whatever nefarious motives the press supply to try to square that with their narrative of hate for middle America.

Achilles said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Achilles said...

Obama idolized China.

China respects Trump.

Henry said...

“In China, realists hold a deep-rooted belief that the rule of the jungle means the strong prey on the weak,” Chen told Reuters.

In Shanghai, you won't get mugged, but everyone will try to fleece you.

Bilwick said...

Thomas Friedman could not be reached for comment.

buwaya said...

Its quite difficult, even for a frequent visitor, to get into the head of another culture. It takes a certain skill, if not breeding into a tradition of cultural mediation. Best is to start from childhood.

But once you have "got" one sort of alien, it becomes easier to "get" others.

Western academics have just as much trouble, if not more, than the western hoi polloi at understanding the degree and nature of cultural difference. Even when its in front of their faces they refuse to acknowledge it. Its very hard to suspend judgement and corresponding emotional response and accept things as simply facts, to be considered dispassionately.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AlbertAnonymous said...

And Chinese men love them some blonde Goddesses...

tim in vermont said...

So help me keep this straight, is it bad when foreigners like Trump, or bad when they hate him? Both, I would say.

buwaya said...

Someone who "got" China was Pearl Buck. She got it because she was a close and dispassionate observer, with plenty of time (half her life) and energy for the job.

Her work was much despised, later, in intellectual circles, for all sorts of reasons, that amount to ignorant hubris.

I still think "The Good Earth" is extremely worthwhile.

Its available on Amazon Kindle, in "Oprahs Book Club", of all things.
Well, Oprah got one right, at least.

buwaya said...

"So help me keep this straight, is it bad when foreigners like Trump, or bad when they hate him? Both, I would say."

Neither. The US press and commentariat doesn't understand Trump or foreigners. All they understand is their own politics, professionally, or their own emotions, personally. Trump, foreigners, or even most Americans don't figure in what they want to know.

viator said...

Is Trump colluding with China?

“To be really blunt, an arm of the Chinese government is paying President Trump rent for his building, and last year as you all know China granted President Trump 40 trademarks, the Connecticut Democrat said on a conference call. These approvals of trademarks closely followed the president’s abrupt decision as president to honor the One-China Policy, a reversal of his earlier position," he said. "Shortly after receiving those trademark registrations, President Trump flip-flopped on labeling China a currency manipulator.” Senator Richard Blumenthal, (D. CT)



“As he travels to China, we’re left wondering, Americans are left wondering if President Trump is representing American interests or his own, and which he’s going to put first," he said.

buwaya said...

"Is Trump colluding with China?"

Yes, of course. Trump is conducting trade and security negotiations with the #2 economic and military power on Earth. Duh.

Chris of Rights said...

“As he travels to China, we’re left wondering, Americans are left wondering if President Trump is representing American interests or his own, and which he’s going to put first," he said.

After the last two Democrat candidates, it's refreshing to only wonder if Trump is representing American interests.

Quaestor said...

In China, realists hold a deep-rooted belief that the rule of the jungle means the strong prey on the weak,” Chen told Reuters. “For them, the world is not split into right and wrong, good or evil, it is only success or failure, the powerful and the weak.

Admittedly it is difficult to imagine a Chinese journalist talking through his ass, but not impossible. Journalists in this country are a remarkably ignorant subset of the highest earners. No other profession, except film acting, demands less intellectual depth. So why should Chinese be different? I don't know Chen Jibing. He may have been grossly misquoted (our journalists are known to do that strategically), nevertheless his summation is very difficult to square with Chinese history over the last two hundred years.

Bad Lieutenant said...

we’re left wondering

Good. Keep wondering.

Darrell said...

I think Senator Blumenthal should take a nice long vacation in Vietnam, where he lied about his service, so he can at least say he was there.

Earnest Prole said...

I was reliably told Donald Trump was going to stand up to them ChiCom bastards.

Lance said...

Seems like a lot of Newsweek links lately. The co-bloggers at Instapundit have been pushing them as well. What gives?

cf said...

China is right, and adoring ivanka affirms their wisdom.

One Of THE TRAGEDIES Of Living In THIS u.s. MAGAZINE Gulag is that the leftie supremacyst publishers are at all costs keeping us from dreaming over the gorgeous forms of our 2 white house Goddesses. stacks of magazines in the checkout rack have been systematically starving us of our birthright, torturing us with Bland.

go to hell Conde nast.

buwaya said...

"Admittedly it is difficult to imagine a Chinese journalist talking through his ass, but not impossible."

On the contrary, they are extremely capable of talking through their asses, as directed. They are very reliable and disciplined sorts, depending on the instructions of their masters. The thing is, their masters are rather less "oppressive" as to the limits of the propaganda line. They are more "free" to cover actual news and events vs the US MSM.

I find Al Jazeera to be the same. Free, open, and curious, in comparison.

Bob Loblaw said...

I'm guessing the Chinese don't worry much about cultural appropriation. Or diversity.

That's a pretty good guess. Chinese people would laugh at you for bringing it up. When it comes to "social justice", Chinese people think westerners are idiots destined to be dispossessed. I think that's a pretty common attitude throughout Asia, at least.

Drago said...

Darrell: "I think Senator Blumenthal should take a nice long vacation in Vietnam, where he lied about his service, so he can at least say he was there."

Uh oh.

If you think LLR Chuck is going to let you get away with calling Blumenthal out for his obvious Stolen Valor lies, multiple times over multiple campaigns, you've got another thing coming.

Drago said...

Earnest Prole: "I was reliably told Donald Trump was going to stand up to them ChiCom bastards."

Try and be a bit more specific.

robother said...

"Traditional liberal views, which many Chinese consider elitist"?

But that would imply that Obama and Hillary Clinton are elitists. Where would the Chinese possibly get such an idea? That's simply deplorable!

D.E. Cloutier said...

As an international businessman, I've spent a lot of time in Asia.

I recommend three novels by Kevin Kwan: "Crazy Rich Asians," "China Rich Girlfriend," and "Rich People Problems."

P.S.

Use the Althouse Amazon Portal.

buwaya said...

"When it comes to "social justice", Chinese people think westerners are idiots destined to be dispossessed."

The traditional view in Asia was complex.

On the one hand, that westerners were remarkably naive and easy to cheat. And stupidly sentimental about absurd things.

On the other that they were near-supernaturally omniscient and all things that passed were the result of their deliberate policy. And that they were, vis-a-vis whatever group it was, fundamentally inimical.

H.G.Wells described that second view quite well, that westerners were "intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic".

Howard said...

The Chi Coms are flattering His Dronald, fattening his ego up so they can burst it open with one prick.

Darrell said...

OK, Drago. I'll cry like a baby and beg for forgiveness like a child, from my LLR betters--just like Richard Blumenthal did for voters after he got caught lying about his Vietnam service.

Henry said...

The PRC officially recognizes 56 ethnic minorities.

* * *

Before I traveled to Shanghai (for business), I read a lot of guides. It was interesting, in Shanghai, to be scammed by a scam you've already read about in Lonely Planet. What no one can tell you ahead of time, is that you want to be scammed because you are curious to see how it turns out.

tim in vermont said...

Let me know when Chinese intelligence agencies get involved in a huge fund-raising scandal and Trump gives China technology so that their missiles stopped blowing up on launch, because you guys all looked the other way when WJC did that.

rcocean said...

Senator Richard Blumenthal is fucking liar. Of course, as shown by Teddy "lets take a swim" Kennedy & Pocahontas - they love their liars in New England.

Politically, New England is just New Jersey with a different accent.

traditionalguy said...

The Orient has its inscrutable ways. Now would be a good time to replay Spielberg's masterpiece, Empire of the Sun. The film follows the book closely, and its writer J. G. Ballard, actually lived through the chaos of three within Empires in 4 years, as a boy. The British had had a large enclave of prosperity in their British Concession area of Shanghai since the Boxer Wars.

The Chinese see their history as thousands of years, not a few hundred.

rcocean said...

BTW, with 1.2 Billion Chinese, the idea that AP could go to five of them and have them "explain Trump & China" is silly.

Imagine a Chinese outlet coming here and having 5 US professors/Journalists explain why Trump is president? Imagine the Left-wing goofiness.

tim in vermont said...

Oh yeah, and when Trump's largest donor needs China to have that technology so that he can get his satellites launched in China for his Iridium network.

Oh wait, that was Clinton too and you didn't care.

Henry said...

rcocean said...
Imagine ... having 5 US professors/Journalists explain why Trump is president?

That sounds like every Monday.

buwaya said...

"Now would be a good time to replay Spielberg's masterpiece, Empire of the Sun. The film follows the book closely, and its writer J. G. Ballard, actually lived through the chaos of three within Empires in 4 years, as a boy. "

This is a truly great film. Almost as good as the book.
Ballard was a curious fellow. He never wrote a better novel than his semi-autobiographical one. As an SF writer he was more of a curiosity, big on oddity.
He did some quite good short stories, if most are something of an acquired taste.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Trump's China policy is "raise your prices!" Of course they love him.

tim in vermont said...

Of course, if they raise their prices, that helps Americans compete, but I guess they don't understand long established laws of economics in Cambridge.

Drago said...

Left Bank of the Charles: "Trump's China policy is "raise your prices!" Of course they love him"

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assert you don't have the first clue about Trumps China policy.

Michael K said...

Other books that seem to me to be good sources about China are Clavell's novels, "Taipan" and "Noble House."

Darrell said...

Of course, as shown by Teddy "lets take a swim" Kennedy

Teddy "let's take a drive" Kennedy might be more appropriate.

John Nowak said...

>Someone who "got" China was Pearl Buck. She got it because she was a close and dispassionate observer, with plenty of time (half her life) and energy for the job.

Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938, so I suspect she had significant cachet at some point. And Good Earth is a heck of a good book.

D.E. Cloutier said...

Re: "Raise your prices!"

The Chinese don't need advice from Trump or any other Caucasian "barbarian" in the U.S. In the 1980s the Overseas Chinese (the Chinese outside Mainland China, including those in British Hong Kong) -- the so-called "Lords of the (Pacific) Rim"-- were the best businesspeople in the world. The folks who had lived in Mainland China under Mao learned from them.

---

To: Michael K

In my opinion Clavell's "Tai-Pan" and "Noble House" are the best novels ever written about business in Asia.

In business, I basically copied Struan's. (Struan's is loosely based on some of Jardine Matheson's history.)

Link:
http://www.jardines.com/

Regards,

DEC (a Caucasian "barbarian")

Rabel said...

"And Chinese men love them some blonde Goddesses..."

Then why aren't there any Chinamen here?

But seriously, where are the men who don't love them some blonde Goddesses. I haven't run into any.

Nyamujal said...

@Rabel
"But seriously, where are the men who don't love them some blonde Goddesses. I haven't run into any."

I prefer brunettes and don't think Ivanka is some super hot goddess.
This is what a goddess looks like: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000899/

Nyamujal said...

“In China, realists hold a deep-rooted belief that the rule of the jungle means the strong prey on the weak,” Chen told Reuters. “For them, the world is not split into right and wrong, good or evil, it is only success or failure, the powerful and the weak.”

I don't see their super corrupt, winner-take-all leaders being overthrown by restless and dissatisfied proles at all...:-)

buwaya said...

China's proles will revolt only if the emperor stops delivering the goods - that is, loses the Mandate of Heaven.
Not for quite a while I think, there is still plenty of technology leverage still to be applied before bureausclerosis overcomes it.

Chuck said...

LOL. All the same reasons they love Trump in West Virginia.

FIDO said...

Shrug. Making things overcomplicated again

Chinese people like money, they like power, they like throwing gold leaf on anything that stands still and they like sex (they didn't get to 1.5 billion knitting tea doilies like in Sweden).

Trump is a natural fit.

Darrell said...

In the end, the world will not remember the words of loudmouthed, unhinged Democrats, but the utter impotence of Life-Long Republican know-betters.

Earnest Prole said...

In the end, the world will not remember the words of loudmouthed, unhinged Democrats, but the utter impotence of Life-Long Republican know-betters.

Tell us more about how you came to be an "in the end" expert.

Michael K said...

Jardine Matheson is now based in Bermuda since the 1997 turnover of Hong Kong but the history is well described by Clavell.

He was an RAF pilot trapped in Singapore when Percival surrendered to the Japanese. He spent the war in Changi prison camp and, after the war, wrote "King Rat'" about that experience.

He tried to understand the Japanese and from that came "Shogun" his huge novel. It was actually based on a real event in which a British sailor was marooned in Japan.

"Tai Pan" and "Noble House" were later and told the story of Hong Kong,

I have read them all. Multiple times.

Michael K said...

"Tell us more about how you came to be an "in the end" expert."

Probably by reading books. You might try it. Start with "Spoiled Rotten," by Jay Cost,

walter said...

Chelsea Clinton very pissed t'night...

walter said...

"Mom..what happened?!!"

Darrell said...

Tell us more about how you came to be an "in the end" expert.

I saw a man named Earnest Prole fudgepacking a 12-year-old boy. It was going well until a 12-ga took his fucking head off.

Guildofcannonballs said...

I remember Trump praising China, saying their negotiators were kicking the hell out of John F'ing Kerry and Hillary Clinton's best efforts.

Snark said...

Too bad Russia didn’t think of letting China vote in VA and NJ. Maybe next year!

Earnest Prole said...

It was going well until a 12-ga took his fucking head off.

Easy or you'll get booted again and have to sneak back in here using yet another name.

Bandit said...

All of this is true

TBlakely said...

People decry the crass consumerism of Americans but we are aesthetic monks compared to the Chinese.

tim in vermont said...

Go to Saks in Copley square in Boston and check out the expensive bling aimed at the Chinese, TBlakely is right, makes Trump look like a Shaker.