/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.15601352]

What should I read to understand modern china?

[Anonymous No.15601364]

The Book "Ways that are Dark."

>China is a special case because it was never exposed to the taboo against cannibalism. This is a Western taboo. If your culture dictates that, if you’re an emperor, you’re allowed to eat human body parts, then there’s nothing wrong with that. There are numerous descriptions of emperors and other members of the imperial court enjoying humans as a type of food, prepared in all different ways.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/02/cannibalism-common-natural-history-bill-schutt/

>In his book Shokujin Enseki - Massatsu sareta Chugoku Gendaishi, Cheng I describes in detail how, as a young Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution in south China, he witnessed hundreds of children, women and men classified as Counter-revolutionaries killed and eaten by the perpetrators, with such comments as "human meat tastes better when broiled than boiled."

>In the 9th century, towards the end of the Tang dynasty (618-906) a Persian trader reported that human flesh was being sold openly in markets.

>During the 12th century, it was said that 15 jin (1 jin = 1.323lbs) of dried meat was obtained from one human being.

>Towards the turbulent close of Yuan dynasty (1276-1368), it was said that children's meat was best, then women's, and the least were men's.

>The Chinese also believed medicinal benefits could be obtained from eating human flesh, and the benefits are described in their 16th century medicinal book Bencao Ganmu.
http://www.chinasucks.org/cannibalism.htm

>China’s one child policy, baby trafficking, and sex trafficking of North Korean women aren’t the worst human rights violation happening in the country. Aborting innocent and healthy unborn children and eating them to boost one’s stamina and sexual health is.

>South Korean customs officials recently seized thousands of pills filled with powdered human baby flesh arriving from China. Since August 2011, South Korean officials have intercepted more than 17000 pills smuggled from China.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/31/chinese-cannibalism-infant-flesh-outrages-world/

>In ancient times, cannibalism was often practiced in China as a type of culinary appreciation.
>As late as the 19th century, it was still not unusual for Chinese executioners to eat the hearts and brains of the criminals they dispatched. As well as eating some of the flesh for health reasons, they sold what was left for a profit.
>In 2004, The Sydney Morning Herald reported a Chinese man in Beijing who was arrested on suspicion of stealing 30 corpses from local graveyards, cooking their flesh in soups, and crushing the bones to heal his sick wife.
>In 2003, the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Bureau sought to block reports that some restaurants in the southern province had cooked dead babies in soups and sold the food ... In the nineties, also in Guangdong, it was discovered that foetuses were being trafficked and boiled to make soups marketed as beauty treatments.

[Anonymous No.15601373]

>>15601364
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/yulin-dog-meat-festival-video-china-blow-torch-animal-cruelty-a8969361.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee_and_Dog_Meat_Festival

[Anonymous No.15601379]

>>15601352
unrestricted warfare

[Anonymous No.15601380]

Start with Hegel, then precede to Marx, Mao and finish with Xi

[Anonymous No.15601417]

>>15601364
Didn't realise chinks were so based

[Anonymous No.15601751]

anything from general spalding

[Anonymous No.15601768]

>>15601364
>Lived in Beijing for 2 years doing ESL shit job
>Teaching material brings up the trolley problem so I ask these high school kids what they would do
>Every single one says they wouldn't do anything
>Just walk away
>Even if their parents or family was on the track
>"not my problem"
>Baffled
>Turn on Tom and Jerry for the rest of the hour
>fuck these degenerates

Frank Dikotter has a good trilogy covering the revolution, great famine, and cultural revolution. Roughly 1945-1976. Really shows how the horrors of communism caused them to be so fucked.

[Anonymous No.15601795]

>>15601768
Also, the the spine of all 3 makes a picture of Mao but the third book is like a 1/4th of an inch taller than the other 2 so it doesn't align right. Don't know how they managed to fuck that up. really bugs me

[Anonymous No.15601915]

>>15601768
One has to ask if it was something natural to them that allowed Communism to fuck them harder to the point that they're totally materialist and blind to metaphysical concepts.

[Anonymous No.15601951]

>>15601768
>>Even if their parents or family was on the track
Really, East Asians really love their parents. That's hard to believe

[Anonymous No.15602021]

Henry Kissinger's book on China is a good start desu

[Anonymous No.15602044]

>>15601768
They were like this before communism.

[Anonymous No.15602196]

>>15601915
Haven’t always been blind, it was ripped out of them by force and destroyed completely

[Anonymous No.15602207]

>>15601951
Most East Asians sure, not these kids. Rich kids. And what’s the only way to get rich in China? CCP

[Anonymous No.15602212]

>>15602044
Not to this extreme, always a little shady fur sure

[Anonymous No.15602243]

Jiang Shigong. Schmittian. Leading theorist of Xi Jinping thought.
>Western civilization is built on a philosophical-theological tradition of binary antagonisms, between phenomenon and existence, life on earth and in heaven. In the Christian tradition, the ultimate goal and meaning of human existence comes from God in heaven, which is why the final goal of Western striving is to arrive at the realization of various versions of the "end of history". But in the tradition of Chinese civilization, the worldly and otherworldly realms are not strictly separated, and are both absorbed in a complete world where heaven and mankind are one. The goal and meaning of life for Chinese people was not how to get into heaven, but rather how to locate a universal, lasting meaning within the historically existing "family-state universe". For this reason, Chinese people, and especially politicians, all sought to establish their name in history through professional achievements.

>The political principles and the political will of the State are above all else.

>This absurd way of looking at the development of democracy on this island is widespread among Hong Kong elites, and is undoubtedly the saddest page in the tragic modern history of China. Long colonial education has made some of Hong Kong's elite totally identify with the western world. Their mentality made them lose their ability to have objective judgment, reflection and critical thinking on the historical course of Hong Kong.

>Time and history constitute the real God.

>Between friends and enemies, there is no question of freedom, only violence and subjugation. This is the reality of politics, a reality that liberals often do not dare to face.

[Anonymous No.15602257]

>>15601768
I hope you know that if you help someone in China you're responsible for their medical bills and become responsible for them, it's fucked up but it puts this into perspective.

[Anonymous No.15602284]

>>15601352
disunited nations.

[Anonymous No.15602339]

>>15602243
Gonna check this nigga out

[Anonymous No.15602413]

Age of Ambition

[Anonymous No.15602449]

>>15601768

that is so based. they are obsessed with following authority and live in perpetual fear of punishment. thats the kind of society i want to live in

[Anonymous No.15602453]

>>15601352
Rare chance to be that guy: I just finished taking the ChinaX bookclub course from Harvard on edX for free and used it as a chance to learn about contemporary chinese literature, and modern china as a whole.

The curriculum was my first look at chinese authors desu but I definitely know a lot more know than I did before reading the 5 books. They were:

China in 10 Words by Yu Hua
Red Sorghum by Mo Yan
Lenin's Kisses by Yan Lianke (my favorite)
Waiting by Ha Jin (the only novel to be published in English originally)
Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Wang Anyi

Knowing what I know now, I would probably read at least a little Marx, Mao, and then some Lu Xun before jumping in - but those 5 books were a really solid intro, and I'd recommend the class if you've got $40 or so to order the books online and watch the course videos. The professor David Wang is super knowledgable and he interviews all of the authors in person.

[Anonymous No.15602473]

>>15602453
interesting. I'll take a look at the course

[Anonymous No.15602524]

>>15601373
Not to defend the chinese but cows, pigs, horses and many others are dismembered before being killed in many, many countries

[Anonymous No.15602530]

My country, my people from Lin Yutang

[Anonymous No.15602801]

>>15601352
This.

[Anonymous No.15602894]

>>15602801
the virgin white vs the chad chinks

[Anonymous No.15602896]

Reminder to watch ADVchina, their very existence trolls Chinese shills even if one of them is a fruit.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNPa8fSXzzAZuT9859GVhg

[Anonymous No.15602926]

>>15602524
>many, many countries
For example? Name 10 countries where horses are dismembered alive... and don't include China.
You fuckin ching chong ding dong

[Anonymous No.15602938]

>>15601364
wow, they are not only subhuman, they are sub-animal.

[Anonymous No.15602949]

>>15602896
The combination of ADVchina and China Uncensored made me understand modern China like no literature could yet.

Is it, because most long term china travellers don't tend to write literature?

[Anonymous No.15602958]

>>15602896
I like their stuff but recently talking politically about China has become their schtick and it has rubbed me the wrong way since

[Anonymous No.15602969]

>>15602949
>>15602896
The titles of the videos on both those channels make them come off as total propaganda. Not sure if they are or not, they just give me the same vibe that you get from hardcore trump derangement syndrome stuff

[Anonymous No.15603038]

>>15602969
Yeah they do some clickbait shit and try to troll chinese people, it's funny (CHINESE FACE IS GARBAGE? is one video and it's about how the Chinese concept of "face" is exemplified by garbage disposal) but can be off putting

All jokes aside though they are one of the best ways to learn about life in China as the other anon said

[Anonymous No.15603293]

>>15601380
Been thinking about getting Xis good ol "my diary desu"
Are there actual interesting understandings in this or is it mainly propaganda.
If it's a 50/50 then Id still be ok with it.

[Anonymous No.15603545]

>>15603038
>>15602949
>>15602896

Wouldn't recommend. Both channels are run by failed sexpat english teachers. Their content preys on your average white incel with an asian fetish. Most of their audience uses 'understanding orientals' as a way to justify their underaged-sex tourism.

[Anonymous No.15603622]

>>15602969
The actual video content is usually a lot more nuanced than the video titles make it look. I guess it's mainly the youtube's ranking algorithm that almost forces you to make these over the top click-baity thumbnails.
They've become more openly critical after they moved out of China, though.

[Anonymous No.15603630]

Haunted by Chaos by Sulaman Wasif Khan. It's a great intro and starts from the Communist-Nationalist civil war to President Xi.

[Anonymous No.15603671]

>>15602243
came here to post this, not much of his stuff has been translated to English from what I can find but Shigong exemplifies an Asian example of the current resurgence of Schmittian thought.

[Anonymous No.15603714]

>>15602896
Oh no what a terrible country, keeping their (tiny) African population under control, how dare they!
>Africans BANNED From Chinese Hotels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3jHADADWc0

[Anonymous No.15604328]

China's Political System by Sebastian Heilmann
>Regularly updated. Educate you about how china's political system works beyond "hurrrr communism hurrrrr"

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler
>Outdated but gives you insight into some mentalities, habits, rituals, etc., that exist in China.

China in Ten Words by Yu Hua
>I haven't read it but gives some perspective from a famous literary Chinese boomer who wrote the amazing novel To Live, movie is great too. He's a bit of a mainland skeptic so its found greater reception in western circles.

Tbf I haven't found any books that can help anyone understand modern China.

Modern China has left communism behind. Everything about Marxism/Lenin/etc. is historical context for understand a brief period in Chinese history. All the ESL teacher shit is too narrow in perspective, and the top modern books are often opportunistically critical of anything that can be debated to appeal to the anti-China hype in the west.

Modern China is urban problems (the new middle class & hyper-consumerism) v rural problems (poverty porn), men v women (debatable systematic sexism), young v old (meandering youth want more freedom but understand the security and safety concerns from older generations), and policy.

Everything in modern China revolves around what policy affects whom. That's it. Some people benefit, some don't, and some lose out.
The central gov't says no more nationalistic movies like Wolf Warrior 2, narrative film industry people lose out but reality TV industry people gain (i.e. rap of China). Xyz province says, all district centers need to be modernized; local flat/land owners & construction firms gain partly from subsidies, but future home owners now pay 2-4x what they would have 2-3 years ago, like in parts of Shenzhen.

In the west you ask what party is in charge (left or right) for our countries and you'll know exactly what they plan to do. In China, there is a somewhat chaotic nature about new policies that are issued. Some work, some don't. Some are purely the result of jingoism/nationalism and some actually help people.

I haven't read any books that can help anyone understand modern China as I see it but China moves fast and expats that came here 10-5 years ago hate it while new ones from 5years-today love it. China is for the Chinese, and only they can ever know it.

[Anonymous No.15604568]

>>15601768
Based as fuck

[Anonymous No.15604575]

>>15603038
>one of the best ways to learn about China is through the videos of a failed English teacher trying to get clicks
I wonder if somewhere in China, someone is recommending a Chinaman to watch Logan Paul to understand America

[Anonymous No.15604609]

>>15601768
As the other anon said, if you've read Chinese history you would know that they have always been like this.
They are legitimately completely ruthless, amoral, and emotionless automatons - only such a race of people could engender into existence the type of totalitarian government they have.
The race births the culture, culture is not thrust unto a people so much so that it can make a legitimate change to their mentality in like 40 years like you're saying that communism apparently did.
That is completely idiotic.

[Anonymous No.15605238]

>>15602257
what if i just walk away

[Anonymous No.15605274]

>>15604609
>I am a fucking moron and know nothing about China

Read Confucius. The most influential thinker in Chinese history wrote constantly about how to be be a respectful, considerate member of society

[Anonymous No.15605372]

>>15601352
Wild swans

[Anonymous No.15605460]

>>15601768
>Even if their parents or family was on the track
Damn, it's crazy to think that there's places where shit we take as basic human instinct doesn't apply.

[Anonymous No.15605466]

>>15604575
I mean, it wouldn't be a bad place to start.

[Anonymous No.15605502]

>>15604609
there are extreme examples of amoral characteristics in all cultures. I have many Chinese friends who are very compassionate and caring and genuinely good people. Most Chinese are just ignorant and that's why they believe eating endangered species, dead baby's or drinking bear bile will heal you or are the most racist people in the world. They told kids to beat their teachers and abolished schools during the cultural revolution. These are the people in charge now and the reason their kids are fucked too. They may not have been the the most moral of people before but communism has exacerbated their shittyness to extreme levels.

[Anonymous No.15605521]

>>15604575
Wumao proving the point that the very existence of advchina makes chink shills mad, and that it must be doing something right.

Chinese literally dig up women's corpses from graveyards to marry to their sons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yssk3bmSvzs

Chinese really do eat dogs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I7oe3MKNF0

China's nouveau riche are the worst human beings in history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iccr2gsi0hk

[Anonymous No.15605603]

>>15602257
>>15605238

yeah that's another issue. was riding with a friend on his scooter, going to a beijing hip-hop club, and we hit some dumbfuck on a bicycle tuning into the bike lane going the wrong way. Just got the fuck out there while the crowd just watched the guy laying on the ground. So works both ways i guess

[Anonymous No.15605621]

>>15601352
You have to learn how to speak and read chinese.

[Anonymous No.15605808]

Do you recommend 'On China' by Kissinger?

[Anonymous No.15605832]

>>15605808
Read this badboy instead.

[Anonymous No.15605867]

>>15601352

[Anonymous No.15605992]

>>15601352
"Competing Economic Paradigms in China" is a good overview of how the establishment thinking went from Marxism to neoclassicalism over the past 50 years. The best and brightest there today are all conventional morons who'll fuck things up given enough time.


>>15605832
Ya, you're better off not taking anything from the same right wing think tank hacks who were warning of the Japanese strategy for taking over the world 30 years ago to seriously.