Larry, thanks for reminding us these isolated privmitive Chinese, although the Americans know them quite well through their products in the Walmart and all other cheap stores. Isn’t it true that 90-98% things u use daily are made in China, Larry? So we Americans know them.

All the Chinese know about America is its Dollar. Isn’t it true that the Dollar is one of the few major products the Chinese can buy from here?

It’s a reminder how primitive and low inteligent the Chinese are! They should be able to recognize the assemblance of the picture on the Dollar bill with you, Larry Smith, so they could take a picture of yours any time they like to(instead of his visiting to China). Better yet, just put their dollar bills on their walls, so they can see you, Larry Smith every day.

Or we should put the Dollar bills on our walls to remind us that it is Larry remind us that how isolated the Chinese are.

There are close to millions of foreigners living, studying and working in China, not to mention their high concentration in Beijing…and yet Larry Smith can easily conclude “Many Chinese have never seen a foreigner”. Is that a (not so funny) joke? BTW, I guess the “new and fresh” he heard is “xin xian” in Chinese, which really means “curious”.

This blog just shows how much your guys know about China. It is not exactly because China is so isolated and closed to the outside world. It is because you tend to understand or portrait anything China the way you “wanted” and really does want not to take any effort to do it.

Most likely these people are farmers from the remote region, for ordinary Beijingers, foreigners are treated just like an ordinary person. These farmers probably took their first time to leave their home to come to Beijing.

It gives you an idea how big China is, indeed.

Food Shortage, don’t think “primitive” is the right word you choose to describe a Chinese, bear in mind, China has over 5000 years of history, if I recall from my early memory in China, they would describe White man as Monkeys because the body hairs, so there goes the other side of the story.

But world has changed, don’t make assumption because these people want to take a picture with you – by the way, it is very common that Chinese want to take a picture with something or someone – just because they are different, it’s a culture thing I guess. you automatically assume they are unsophiscated, Confusious once said, “out of any three person, there must be a teacher I can learn from”, you will be surprised how much the average Chinese know if you can speak their language.

Keep that in mind.

Larry:

How many Chinese people asked you for taking photos together? If only a few, what made you draw a conclusion that China is very isolated? Have every American met and talked to Chinese? Do you actually know how many foreigners are working in Beijing? How many tourists visit Beijing every year? Please take off your tinted glasses.

I follow news from cnn every single day. The more I follow, the more irritated I feel. You should thank Chinese goverment block you guys from China. Otherwise everyone in China will realize how biased you guys really are. When it comes to Olympics, it is all about human rights, pollution, tight security, etc. That is all you guys care. It is like China is evil. Nothing good is happening there.

China does have some human rights problems. But you guys gotta take a look at China from historic point of view. Nobody can ignore the improvement of human rights in China in the past 30 years. Think about where you guys were in 50 years ago. Why every American respects Dr. King for his achievement? Why don’t you guys do a check on your own human rights record in the past before judge other countries?

I am a Chinese student in the US. I have a lot of American friends here. A lot of Americans around are very friendly. The problem with most American is they don’t even know what is going on in the world. Very narrow-minded. When it comes to China, it is always about dictatorship, human rights violation, etc. Thanks for your guys, so called fair media. We don’t have democracy in China now. I have to admit it. But a majority of Chinese people are happy about their central government and respect their leaders. That is the reality in China. No matter how much you hate Chinese government, that is how we feel. Chinese people will choose what is best for our country. We don’t need you guys tell us what is wrong, and what is right. We have our own judgement.

I hope you are having a fun trip in Beijing. You know what? I am sure you will. Why? Because I know how friendly chinese people really are. They will treat you as a guest, a friend. Anyhow, I will really appreciate if you can give Chinese people some credit for all the effort they put for the coming Olympics.

It seems like some people are a little offended by Larry’s remarks. If you are capable of getting that offended over one small exert of a bigger picture then YOU are being narrow minded. I commend China on the industrial and economic advancement of their country but does the good out weigh the bad here?? I’m talking about with the communism, genocide, and heartlessness and all. Tearing down peoples homes and over working algae layers to clean an overly polluted air in preparation for the Olympics is pushing it juuust a little, don’t you think? I have Chinese acquaintances and they are by far arrogant and, more often than not, rude. Saying all of that I still have the utmost respect for them because they are an intelligent people with goals and ambitions, But let’s just say that WE ALL share in the power. STEP OUT OF YOURSELF, THE WORLD WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!

If this happened in other part of the world, you’d say ‘oh, these people are really nice. They want to take picture with me.’ If it’s in China, then it’s isolation.

Such a typical bias westerner. People in China celebrate the Olympics, you say they’re brainwashed. If Beijing built nice Olympics facilities, then it’s for communist government coming out party.

China is not an immigrant country, of course it’s natural that some people there never got the chance to see a white dude in person. Go to Texas rural area and ask if they’ve seen a Chinese before.

That’s NOT isolated, that’s just a common trivia fact.

Talk about “Made In China”, you guys just don’t get it. Chinese didn’t drag you to make things in China. It is your fellow Americans who VOLUNTARILY go to China to do businesses because they can make great money out of it.

On the other hand, go check how many American companies are doing business in China and grab market share from local Chinese business. People in China didn’t complain much. They deal with it and think of ways to get over with. This is something you Americans are lack of. You just keep whining, complaining and blaming other people.

Don’t always point your finger to China when anything goes wrong. It’s so annoying.

American culture is more selfish and concentrates more on themselves. Chinese are willing to deal with strangers.
If you travel in the States, you seldom asked other to take pictures for you. But in Chinese culture it is easy to talk with a person from other nation or background.

The last poster was right on the money. In 1989, when I was in university, many of my Chinese peers were very scared about what was going on, and about possibly being forced to return home (a casual threat against a family is easy to make).

I didn’t know what to say to them. They lived the culture, whereas I had only begun studying it from a distance.

Now, 20 years later, I have come to the conclusion that Chinese don’t care about ‘Democracy’. They care far more about good governance and the ability to conduct commerce and trade. 3000 years of history have proven time and again that if too many people feel wronged by the government, a new government takes its place very quickly. The essentials of the system change very little over time, but the decision-makers can and do.

The supposedly ‘Communist’ government of China is well aware of this fact, and has become adept at allowing outlets for public dissatisfaction (including thousands of protests), as well as surprisingly introspective studies on what the government needs to change or do to keep the people relatively happy.

Projects like the Three Gorges Dam are an effort to provide long term stability in areas that have historically resulted in the overthrow of the government.

In relative terms, the Chinese government is – in the middle of massive social change – doing far more to secure the long term interests of its people than the US is doing for its own.

I guess I could write a very long essay on this, so let me conclude by saying that, Chinese grew as a people independent of any outside influence, and if anything the last 200 years have taught them to not trust ‘the West’. Their cultural mindset is completely different, their language uses concepts rather than hard meanings (and results in admittedly humorous translations). Chinese is also a tonal language, where meaning AND emotion are indicated by inflection using the same ‘word’.

________________________________________

As to the ‘brown man’ in Beijing, he sounds like a high school kid on his first real field trip.

I forgot to add, in my hubris. Once in a while the argument takes one away.

I sincerely hope that our friendly blogger enjoys his stay in China and learns a few things. I’m jealous, as I haven’t been to China (yet).

Sorry for the double post.

It;s very interesting to hear this story from someone else’s perspective. I have been to China the past two summers and have also been the recipient of much attention form many chinese who who not seen many Westerners before. Many of them are from the countrysides where access to the international community is still limited. When they make their ‘pilgrimage’ to the forbidden city, they see these westerners and want to take pictures to share with people at home or tell people that they met and stood with a person different than them. Last year, a friend of mine who is african american was approached by a chinese woman who reached out and touched her hair and asked if it was real. Thanks for sharing your story and have a great time in Beijing! (Suggested activity: get your hair cut! its a great cultural experience in any country!(especially China!) )

Hey Larry,

This is the most red-neck commentary I have seen ever on cnn.com. When in a different environment and culture it helps not to pass judgments or comment “differences”, especially when people are interested in you and a treating you nice. For Chinese (Asia in general) I know (and I have experienced it) they take a lot of pride in hospitality and are trying to be nice to you, so reciprocate. You can meet people that don’t know that Europe is a different continent travelling down south US …

The Chinese government has spend the past seven years trying to prepare for the Olympics, and just because the fact you are visiting the country, Larry you should at least show some respect for the host country. The Chinese government host the game for the whole world, the least you can do is appreciate the services the government has provided to the whole world

And Larry, it is very normal for residents in Beijing to see a foreigner, so please don’t judge the whole country by just talking to one person, if you ever talk to whoever ask to take a picture with you.

After reading this blog, I only see how isolated this Larry Smith is from the rest of the world. LOL!!!

If wanting to take a picture with can let you draw to the conclusion of China being isolated from the rest of the world, then you are eally that frog in the well. If you stay in China long enough, you’ll probably find that Beijing or Shanghai are actually much more international than most of the cities in the US. Don’t be so self centered. Open your mind, Larry.

I’ve wondered and worried a lot about this year’s Olympic events being held in China. But I’ve focused most of it on the Chinese government and protesters. Reading this blog made me think about the Chinese people and their seclusion from western peoples. I hope that you only need to report on the games, and that we do not have another Tiannamen Square on CNN live. I look forward to the Olympic Coverage, GO USA, enjoy your time in the beautiful China!

History is the best witness for what we are saying and thinking. What happens and is happening will become history eventually. It really does not matter if we like or we do not like. Let history take its own course to help us see through ourselves.

You, sir, do not conform to the “rear end kissing to China” phenomenon among the MSM reporters now, kudo to that!

It is a living example of how important free speech is to this great country of ours.

Spend more time in China, talk to real Chinese, and see with your own eyes of their everyday life….., you will know how limited and biased the westerns know about China through their limited and biased media coverage, poor history education… (But I have a lot of respect to NPR-national public radio, which has a very good coverage about China). Also appreciate the warmth and genuine friendship Chinese people show from the bottom of their heart!
Enjoy the game! Stop mixing it with politics or treating China as a potential threat or some kind of evil……It’s a great opportunity to know the other part of the world and the amazing people there!!!

When I first came to this country, an American girl asked me if it snows in China. To this day, I have been asked this very same questions at least 10 times in 8 years. Yes, America advertise its diversity and rich international culture as if the reset of the world are completely ignorant, yet 65% of the young American population can not even find UK on a world map.

Larry, please open your eyes wide and keep your silence if you are one of those ‘I know everything because I am American’, because my friend, you really don’t know the half of it.

Larry, they say the opening was spetacular! More than 4 billions of people around the world live. Americans will see it ten hours later in a edited version – or should we say, in an isolated version?!

Why bother to see it at all? Boycutt by not seeing it. Why would you boycutt a people are already so isolated?

While the whole country may not be isolated, we “long noses” as westerners are often called, are still an attraction. My first trip to China in 2003 resulted in exactly the same experience, with our small group being asked by a number of people obviously touring Beijing, to have their picture taken with us–and right in front of Mao’s picture, too. And students on the street would come right up and practice their English with us, asking us about George Bush’s war (Iraq was invaded a couple days after we arrived).

The people in the countryside were even more inquisitive, although they did not have cameras to take pictures with. A truly friendly and intriguing people when you get past the politics.

Larry, seems to me that your interesting experience duirng the Olympic game held in China is somthing that could possiblely happen a dacade aga. i gotta say that China has become a very civilized country since the goverment allowed the rest of the world to have access to the industril field of this biggest developing country in the world. It’s also a fact that a lot of foreigners come to China for jobs, bussiness and visiting. They are just everywhere. Don’t make it as a big deal. Btw, China is not isolated to world at all. The Chinese people know a lot about the rest of the world.

I like food shortage’s comments ” why would yo uboycutt a people are already so isolated”.
why? worry china go out from that isolated place?

As China using this game as a stage to go out, China really want a recoginzation from rest of world, for it’s culture and the transform.

Well, the poor guy was just trying to make a statement. We bloggers always like to pick on each other’s perceptions and counter with something that is equally or more perceptive than the last.

All else aside, it is hard to argue with Larry about this year being the most political Olympics in more than two decades. For example, I am 31 years old, and this is the first time I will choose not to take part in viewing the Olympics for the sake of making a solid stance on human rights. No problem, that’s my right. Right?

Sure, some will say I am no fun, or that our human rights record is lousy in America, also. No need to point fingers. I don’t defend anyone’s poor actions, no matter which country they represent. What’s the point? The truth is the truth–and no matter how hard we try to change it, it simply doesn’t work.

So right now the world’s eyes are on China. No problem, let them take a good look and see what there is to see.

if 4 billions of ppl watched the opening ceremony, who cares if u wanna boycutt it…

Food shortage, sometimes it’s really hard to say who are isolated. Yes, there is some sensorship in China. But in the era of internet, it’s definitely impossible. There are tens of millions of Chinese living or working abroad, millions of Chinese student abroad back to China each year. Chinese kids study English even in kindergardens. And American and European History and Geography are required curriculums and exams for university entry. In some places the textbook are published by the US gov. By the way, hollywood movies and TV series are very popular in China. If you go to romote rural villages in western China, you will find there are always products of Cocacola and P&G sold in the small local shops. The problem is how many Americans are isolated and misunderstand China.

I was once in an Italian restaurant and the other patrons gawked and stared at me. Though it didn’t exactly make me feel comfortable but I understood. Probably, I said to myself, they haven’t seen too many Chinese. Am I to conclude that Italians are living in a cocoon? People are naturally curious. Stop being such a backwood provincial Larry.

I have witnessed similar events when I was traveling in Hong Kong. Not from Hong Kong People who see westerners all the time but from main land people. I was sort of shocked to find my self in senarioes where I was the most interesting thing to look at. I ran into a group of mainlanders who knew more about the Minnesota Timberwolves than I did which suprised me.

And to remark on the conversation bellow. The real difference between American and Chinese rights is simply that the CCP feels it has a responsibility to protect the rights of “the many”. While American rights are all about the rights of the individual. There is such a contrast in mindsets, It would be very ethnocentric to judge this mindset as a westerner. But to criticize China’s misshandling of problems should be fair game.

Right on Larry.

Chinese Disrespect…and Bush just smiled!

When Michael Phelps was being awarded his Gold Medal for the 400m, the Chinese Olympic Committee showed the utmost disrespect for the U.S. National Anthem. Not only did the pre-recorded music cut out the first 4 notes, they repeated the first stanza a third time, rather than the normal repeat of the music, showing great ignorance of our most important symbol of musical respect. To top it all off, the Chinese rendition usurped traditional harmonies, opting instead for a cheesy, Hollywood movie soundtrack sound with inappropriate jazz harmonies AND to add insult to injury, cutting out completely the Anthem before it’s thrilling final climax, “o’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” And our own President just laughed, smiled and waved at the cameras!

Steve Almasy in his story “Crunchy time in Beijing” explained to the the world what actually happened in Beijing: The barking vendor said to him “Try the penis, Try the penis, Try the penis, Try the penis, Try the penis, ….”