Originally posted by wlachan As a Chinese who was born in HK, now part of China, I can tell you that dumping dead babies in the river didn't surprise me one bit. There have been lots of ugly things happening in China the last few decades since the CP took over. Keep in mind that the gov in power does not necessarily represent the people they are ruling, and if you have any idea what had been done to the Chinese people during the last 50 years before the economical reform, you might not be surprised why people are being so selfish and rudeness these days. It took generations for the some of the western cultures moving into the now considered civilized societies (yet again imperfect), and it will be many more decades for Chinese people to be more civilize again causing by the dark era of the CP. Then again, putting all the blames on China for low quality products might be short sighted. China has a late start, and like Japan, quality will come as they move on. And more importantly, it was the smart guys in offices came up with the idea moving their manufacturing to some cheap labour overseas. China did not steal people's job in America, Australia or Europe. It's you very own top paid CEO in your own countries made it happened. And once the ball was rolling, there is no going back. Eventually, the labour cost in Asia will raise, and the quality will be on par, and then the playing field might be leveled again.
Also, the varieties of Chinese foods are so vast, I myself am only familiar with maybe a small portion of the GuangDong style, or more toward the Hong Kong style food. It is impossible to generalize. Any foods being served in restaurants are high in sodium and fat, Chinese or not. But I bet most foods being cooked at home would be less so. And I can speak as a Chinese that the Chinese foods that we have cooked at home on daily basis are far different from what you can order from Chinese restaurants. Man, I sound like I am defending. The truth is I feel very sad that there are many bad things going on in China these days, and even sadder that nothing I can do to help. But make no mistake, I believe the human behaviors are not born with, but largely depends on the societies they are living in. People came from poorer societies might be more rudeness and less civilize, and vise verse is true as well (like the movie Trading Places). It will take generations for them to change, and let's hope the Chinese CP would not ruin it this time.
As someone that has a friend currently in China, and a Doctor whose son was a Missionary in China for several years, let me say that your post seems very true to what I have heard first hand from these people. While there are some bad things in China, just as in America or any other country, there are also some very excellent things there too, and should not be overlooked by some that I consider "China Bashers". In time, China will move forward politically as they already have demonstrated to a large degree in comparison to past governments.
There are many that want to blame China and stop trade for the faults of their own Fat Cat Wall Street handlers, and unfortunately they are on that little leash and can't reach the remote to switch off FAUX News and get some real facts about who sent their jobs to China.
Best Regards & you are welcome in my home any time! Do bring your cooking utensils and recipes! I love Chinese!
Rupert