http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/05/08/prc-chinese-lawlessness/
I have been living and working in China for more than 14 years. I am different from most Singaporeans who lived in China because I have a strong desire to integrate into the society and understand the different behaviors of PRC Chinese. In other words, I try not to hold any prejudice against them.
I like to explain to fellow Singaporeans why the behavior of PRC Chinese is different from us. It is erroneous to say that China has no criminal laws or judiciary system during Chairman Mao era. There were criminal law and judiciary system but Chairman Mao withheld the implementation of such laws and system during his reign. Chairman Mao is the architect of great famine and society upheaval in the China, infamous for the start of Cultural Revolution and using it as a cloud to bring down his opponents and strengthen its grip on power. Of course, the accusation for the start of Cultural Revolution went to his wife, Jiang Qing or the gang of 4. In reality, it was Mao who supported this political and social mess in China. Most of us have probably heard of Cultural Revolution but the worst political campaign was actually the Great Leap Forward in the 50s that resulted in more than 20 million Chinese to death. So, why did we hear more about the Cultural Revolution? The reasons wee because those 20 million Chinese who were starved to death in the 50s were farmers and illiterate peasants who were not able to write it down their experience in words, while Cultural Revolution target the literate people in the society. Interestingly, the farmers who were starved to death thought they had to sacrifice for their country.
What is Cultural Revolution? Many Singaporeans have probably heard of this. I like to explain it shortly here. During Cultural Revolution, you can purge your parents, brothers, sisters and neighbors, teachers. You can accuse them to be counter revolutionaries and put them to jail. If you don’t do that, you will be ostracized in the society and soon you may become a victim of purges. You can organize your own force and go around the neighborhood and bring out your neighbor and shame them in the public. You can ransack your neighbor house, spit on their face and get them to write daily self-criticism. All religions are banned and all religious people are persecuted or executed. During Cultural Revolution, people have fire arms and fight among each other on the streets. The society upheaval in China extended across countryside and cities. People who are educated are the worst victims. Western and Eastern standard of graciousness, politeness and compassion are frowned upon as undesirable mannerism, etiquettes or hypocrites. Hospitals have no medical doctors but are replaced with barefoot doctors because Chairman Mao said anyone can become a medical doctor simply by self reading. Teachers are purged by students and any students can tied up their teachers, spit of their face and get the teachers to write self criticism. Basically, Chairman Mao produced a generation of poor country bumpkins and hooligans after he passed away in 1976. Singaporeans can still remember the PRC immigrants who traveled to Singapore in the early or mid 80s behaved like country bumpkins, outdated fashion, poorly dressed and poor mannerism.
Fast forward to 1983 and after Chairman Deng opened its door to the outside world and introduced “To become Rich is Glorious” to its people. In 1983, there was an incident known as “2 Wang incident” that shocked China. The two Wangs are 2 brothers that went on a shooting spree in Northern China and exhausted the arm forces strength to track them down. China at that time is still a very close door society. In other words, if you live in Clementi, you are not allowed to travel to Bouna Vista without a valid travel permit. The social order in China at that time was maintained by the armed forces with little or no training in forensic science or criminal investigation. The 2 Wang brothers were the by products of the Cultural Revolution. Young, ignorant, uneducated and rebellious, the brothers had pistols and shoot at people whom they dislike or argue. It took more than ten thousand military personnel and 10 months to hunt down both brothers in China despite a very close door society at that time. By the time, the brothers were hunted down, major crimes erupted in broad daylight in cities like Shanghai and Beijing. The largely uneducated kids or poorly educated kids who admired lawlessness in their teens during Cultural Revolution had grown up. Street fights and broad daylight rapes took place in Beijing and Shanghai cities. China was facing an increasing pressure from these groups of hooligans.
The ineffectiveness of the long search prompted Chairman Deng to start police force, forensic science and criminal investigation in 1984. By 1984, Guangzhou City was the first city to have 110 or an equivalent of Singapore 999 police hotline. Chairman Deng started a nationwide crackdown on all criminal activities known as “Yan Da” in 1984. More than 20 thousand hooligans or hardcore criminals were arrested, executed or put in jail for causing social unrest. Ever since then, “Yan Da” was carried out annually to arrested all criminals and uphold social order. Since then, 110 had spread to other cities in China. Criminal laws and judiciary system were implemented after 80s to serve as a warning to all criminals and uphold social order.
PRC Chinese have very poor appreciation of lawful society because the term “lawful society” only began after 1984. When PRC Chinese got into trouble with the law, they like to look for “guanxi” to solve it. They are also limited lawful or legitimate judiciary system to resolve some issues. The judiciary system in China can be quite vague and lost. As a result of this long term exposure, PRC Chinese behave very different from Singaporeans. From the poorly dressed country bumpkins in the early 80s to the rich and decadent status now, PRC Chinese are known for their huge appetite for LV, Gucci, Bentleys and Ferraris. No matter how much they pay cloth themselves with luxury brand or drive the most expensive cars, their behavior, values and mindset is obscenely 3rd world in their eyes of not just Singaporeans.
Most Singaporeans are likely to be disgusted by the behavior of PRC Chinese in Singapore. For example, you may witness spiting; littering or someone cut your queue shamelessly without a word. You may also witness unprecedented level of “Kiasuness” displayed by PRC Chinese, whether in taking free of charge handouts or going to school. The level of selfishness displayed by PRC Chinese can be quite shocking and put our Singaporean standard of “kiasu” or Kiasi” to nothing.
I speak to many PRC Chinese who litter or exhibit selfish behavior without prejudice and draw upon the following conclusion. It is erroneous to say that only uneducated PRC Chinese litter in the public. All educated and non educated PRC Chinese do litter in the public. My hypothesis analysis is based on years of observation and talking with them. So, what is the reason for PRC Chinese who litter?
Supporting reason for littering among PRC Chinese
Educated PRC Chinese:
1. I pay tax and someone will remove the trash from the street.
2. I can’t find the trash bin”. The government should have put more trash bin.
Uneducated PRC Chinese:
1. I need to dispose the trash from my hand.
2. The wind will blow the trash into bush and it will be covered up.
Supporting reason for queue cutting PRC Chinese Educated PRC Chinese:
1. I am sorry, I didn’t see you in the line. (as if they can’t see you).
2. I was here half an hour ago.
Uneducated PRC Chinese:
1. I am in the hurry. Why is it taking such a long time?
How about the books that write China is a country with thousand years of civilization. Well, I can only say that it is a myth. Probably, they have leaders or authors in the past like LKY who put it down in books like from 3rd World to First”. In reality, I mixed with the expatriate communities among Japanese, Taiwanese and Koreans, their countries have better social benefits than us Singaporeans.
I wish Singaporeans have a wonderful experience with native PRC Chinese. Be prepared to witness spiting, littering and your line being cut.
I have been living and working in China for more than 14 years. I am different from most Singaporeans who lived in China because I have a strong desire to integrate into the society and understand the different behaviors of PRC Chinese. In other words, I try not to hold any prejudice against them.
I like to explain to fellow Singaporeans why the behavior of PRC Chinese is different from us. It is erroneous to say that China has no criminal laws or judiciary system during Chairman Mao era. There were criminal law and judiciary system but Chairman Mao withheld the implementation of such laws and system during his reign. Chairman Mao is the architect of great famine and society upheaval in the China, infamous for the start of Cultural Revolution and using it as a cloud to bring down his opponents and strengthen its grip on power. Of course, the accusation for the start of Cultural Revolution went to his wife, Jiang Qing or the gang of 4. In reality, it was Mao who supported this political and social mess in China. Most of us have probably heard of Cultural Revolution but the worst political campaign was actually the Great Leap Forward in the 50s that resulted in more than 20 million Chinese to death. So, why did we hear more about the Cultural Revolution? The reasons wee because those 20 million Chinese who were starved to death in the 50s were farmers and illiterate peasants who were not able to write it down their experience in words, while Cultural Revolution target the literate people in the society. Interestingly, the farmers who were starved to death thought they had to sacrifice for their country.
What is Cultural Revolution? Many Singaporeans have probably heard of this. I like to explain it shortly here. During Cultural Revolution, you can purge your parents, brothers, sisters and neighbors, teachers. You can accuse them to be counter revolutionaries and put them to jail. If you don’t do that, you will be ostracized in the society and soon you may become a victim of purges. You can organize your own force and go around the neighborhood and bring out your neighbor and shame them in the public. You can ransack your neighbor house, spit on their face and get them to write daily self-criticism. All religions are banned and all religious people are persecuted or executed. During Cultural Revolution, people have fire arms and fight among each other on the streets. The society upheaval in China extended across countryside and cities. People who are educated are the worst victims. Western and Eastern standard of graciousness, politeness and compassion are frowned upon as undesirable mannerism, etiquettes or hypocrites. Hospitals have no medical doctors but are replaced with barefoot doctors because Chairman Mao said anyone can become a medical doctor simply by self reading. Teachers are purged by students and any students can tied up their teachers, spit of their face and get the teachers to write self criticism. Basically, Chairman Mao produced a generation of poor country bumpkins and hooligans after he passed away in 1976. Singaporeans can still remember the PRC immigrants who traveled to Singapore in the early or mid 80s behaved like country bumpkins, outdated fashion, poorly dressed and poor mannerism.
Fast forward to 1983 and after Chairman Deng opened its door to the outside world and introduced “To become Rich is Glorious” to its people. In 1983, there was an incident known as “2 Wang incident” that shocked China. The two Wangs are 2 brothers that went on a shooting spree in Northern China and exhausted the arm forces strength to track them down. China at that time is still a very close door society. In other words, if you live in Clementi, you are not allowed to travel to Bouna Vista without a valid travel permit. The social order in China at that time was maintained by the armed forces with little or no training in forensic science or criminal investigation. The 2 Wang brothers were the by products of the Cultural Revolution. Young, ignorant, uneducated and rebellious, the brothers had pistols and shoot at people whom they dislike or argue. It took more than ten thousand military personnel and 10 months to hunt down both brothers in China despite a very close door society at that time. By the time, the brothers were hunted down, major crimes erupted in broad daylight in cities like Shanghai and Beijing. The largely uneducated kids or poorly educated kids who admired lawlessness in their teens during Cultural Revolution had grown up. Street fights and broad daylight rapes took place in Beijing and Shanghai cities. China was facing an increasing pressure from these groups of hooligans.
The ineffectiveness of the long search prompted Chairman Deng to start police force, forensic science and criminal investigation in 1984. By 1984, Guangzhou City was the first city to have 110 or an equivalent of Singapore 999 police hotline. Chairman Deng started a nationwide crackdown on all criminal activities known as “Yan Da” in 1984. More than 20 thousand hooligans or hardcore criminals were arrested, executed or put in jail for causing social unrest. Ever since then, “Yan Da” was carried out annually to arrested all criminals and uphold social order. Since then, 110 had spread to other cities in China. Criminal laws and judiciary system were implemented after 80s to serve as a warning to all criminals and uphold social order.
PRC Chinese have very poor appreciation of lawful society because the term “lawful society” only began after 1984. When PRC Chinese got into trouble with the law, they like to look for “guanxi” to solve it. They are also limited lawful or legitimate judiciary system to resolve some issues. The judiciary system in China can be quite vague and lost. As a result of this long term exposure, PRC Chinese behave very different from Singaporeans. From the poorly dressed country bumpkins in the early 80s to the rich and decadent status now, PRC Chinese are known for their huge appetite for LV, Gucci, Bentleys and Ferraris. No matter how much they pay cloth themselves with luxury brand or drive the most expensive cars, their behavior, values and mindset is obscenely 3rd world in their eyes of not just Singaporeans.
Most Singaporeans are likely to be disgusted by the behavior of PRC Chinese in Singapore. For example, you may witness spiting; littering or someone cut your queue shamelessly without a word. You may also witness unprecedented level of “Kiasuness” displayed by PRC Chinese, whether in taking free of charge handouts or going to school. The level of selfishness displayed by PRC Chinese can be quite shocking and put our Singaporean standard of “kiasu” or Kiasi” to nothing.
I speak to many PRC Chinese who litter or exhibit selfish behavior without prejudice and draw upon the following conclusion. It is erroneous to say that only uneducated PRC Chinese litter in the public. All educated and non educated PRC Chinese do litter in the public. My hypothesis analysis is based on years of observation and talking with them. So, what is the reason for PRC Chinese who litter?
Supporting reason for littering among PRC Chinese
Educated PRC Chinese:
1. I pay tax and someone will remove the trash from the street.
2. I can’t find the trash bin”. The government should have put more trash bin.
Uneducated PRC Chinese:
1. I need to dispose the trash from my hand.
2. The wind will blow the trash into bush and it will be covered up.
Supporting reason for queue cutting PRC Chinese Educated PRC Chinese:
1. I am sorry, I didn’t see you in the line. (as if they can’t see you).
2. I was here half an hour ago.
Uneducated PRC Chinese:
1. I am in the hurry. Why is it taking such a long time?
How about the books that write China is a country with thousand years of civilization. Well, I can only say that it is a myth. Probably, they have leaders or authors in the past like LKY who put it down in books like from 3rd World to First”. In reality, I mixed with the expatriate communities among Japanese, Taiwanese and Koreans, their countries have better social benefits than us Singaporeans.
I wish Singaporeans have a wonderful experience with native PRC Chinese. Be prepared to witness spiting, littering and your line being cut.
