News from the Front: China Seen from Inside

[Valin]

Ricochet:

Paul A. Rahe

1/12/12

 

Yesterday, I posted a brief squib, focused on the fact that high-level party officials in China are now instructing their underlings to buy and read Alexis de Tocqueville's minor masterpiece The Ancien Regime and the French Revolution. This morning, I receive an email from someone in China -- who, in effect, said, "You don't know the half of it." With this individual's permission, I will reprint here a selection of the comments that I was sent. I have edited these slightly for coherence and to hide the author's identity. Where you find brackets, I have intervened. These comments convey, I suspect, rather well the reality on the ground.

 

 

(Snip)

 

Thirty years ago, when I was a fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs, I wrote a newsletter that caused one former fellow to write to me to say, "That was wonderful. I could almost smell the place." This was what I thought when I received these comments.

 

China is a dormant volcano. I have no idea when it will blow. But there are tremors aplenty these days, and they are useful reminders that, when things get to be profoundly uncomfortable, a change is on the way. Remember the fall of the Berlin Wall? I always knew that the artificial divide in Europe would someday dissolve. I did not know when. All that it takes is for things to reach a tipping point, and then all it takes is a trigger.

[nickydog]

Really interesting, including the comments.

 

What is it you always say, @Valin?

[Valin]

Really interesting, including the comments.

 

What is it you always say, @Valin?

 

You mean other than, Hey little girl..what to see my pre columbian art collection?

[nickydog]

Yes, other than that. Something about trends.