Growing confidence shows the real China
- Source: Global Times
- [02:01 September 03 2010]
- Comments
The latest high-level dialogue between China and the European Union was held not in Beijing or Shanghai, but in Guiyang, the capital city of China's poorest province Guizhou.
In a rare move the Chinese government decided not to show off the more polished cosmopolitan cities of Beijing or Shanghai, but the not so glorious reality of its underdeveloped areas. This is a laudable move of real confidence.
In the past, when "foreign guests" visited China, governments or business agencies would only walk them around the "magnificent" relics of ancient empires or new, dazzling urban wonders.
When film director Zhang Yimou based his stories on rural areas of earlier times, many snubbed him as trying to appeal to foreign audiences by showing the dark side of China.
The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing was widely seen as a "coming-out" party for China. With massive fireworks displays and extravagant singing and dancing to illustrate China's recent achievements, the nation proudly celebrated its rising power.
The National Day military parade last year and the ongoing 2010 World Expo in Shanghai only continued telling this unfolding story. People from across the globe are recognizing China as a world power, as its reportedly world No.2 GDP indicates.
Yet those examples are only part of the complete picture.
When Chinese officials invited EU "foreign minister" Catherine Ashton to travel to Guiyang, and visit a nearby village with a per capita annual income of less than 2,000 yuan ($294), the government helped the outside world get closer to the truth.
This is not to say that China should pretend it is still a poor country that needs special favors from developed countries.
Just as some overly conceited people should not blindly boast about the country's mighty achievements, China should not simply emphasize its backward side for ulterior purposes.
People are living luxurious lives in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but some people are still struggling to make a decent living in Guizhou, Gansu and Yunnan provinces.
A confident nation should honestly present to the world its variety and complexity.
China should further host more international events in its 2nd- and 3rd-tier cities, or even in the countryside, so that millions of foreign business people or officials can have a chance to look deeper into the country.
At the same time, the nation should be more confident to express various opinions, and be more confident in facing different reactions from around the world.
