Wangjianshuo’s Blog on BBC, Again

Thanks for my reader fujianren and others to let me know that the recent hot article of BBC quoted my blog entry, again. Here is the URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7347821.stm. For my reader who cannot access the link (due to the Great Firewall), fujianren has been kind enough to post the content here.

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This time, they quoted what I mean pretty accurate.

Blogger Wang Jian Shuo says several of his friends have started to boycott French products and describes the impact of recent events on his own thinking: "If you need an example, I am the person in China who were turned from pro-France to anti-France within few days. .. I don’t think France is a friendly country at all."

I am happy that BBC did an objective report. (Objective is what I see from my own perspective, while many may see it very biased if you are not in the same camp).

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It is always a hard job to quote someone and use only one sentence to summarize what the other person used several page to express. It is hard. This time, BBC did a better job than the last time. I don’t remember how many times BBC quote my blog, but this time, I will give it a score of 5 out of 5 scoring system.

I am not Anti-France Now

Time changes, and my mind changes. If you ask me again, I may say, I am not anti-France now. The 300+ comments posted in the last few days did help me a lot to understand people in France – take some time to read the comments if you want, since they are so valuable to read, and worth the time. Some post are even 5 times longer than my original comment.

Communication is Better than Rejection

In 2005, I said, I will refuse future interview request from BBC after they mis-reported what I mean twice. I really did.

3 years past and I think it is the time to re-evaluate my decision. Many times, BBC, as many other media, may take bit out of the context to prove something I don’t agree, but even so, it may make positive change to the world by start communicating. I love this article from BBC, and they started to pay attention to another voice. So, I will take BBC’s interview in the future, although it means I often have to wake up at 3:00 AM to attend some of their live broadcast show. Hopefully, I can strength my ability to tell what I mean in just one sentence or two, since any media don’t have the luxury to give you more than that.

12 thoughts on “Wangjianshuo’s Blog on BBC, Again

  1. It is a very common practice in China to turn on the left light while turning right (i.e. saying something while doing something totally opposite.) Just like the following news report about Chinese government which denies ordering foreign students to leave before Olympics starts while the governemt-owned prestigious Universities won’t help students renew their visas.

    http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/04/19/2003409684

    I also want the blogger to comment the above story. Is the Olympics a party for Party-handpicked/selected guests only?

  2. Well done, JS. Your blog’s making a difference. I’m happy for u and the impact your blog has had.

  3. To shanghai-ren (wannabe)

    Please! For once, use your brain.

    Thousands of foreigners will come to Beijing for the Olympics. What’s the point for the government to kick out foreign studends before Olympics start. For what purpose?

    That just doesn’t make sense.

    However, feel free to believe whatever is on your free Western media.

    LOL!

  4. Someone should check the brains of BBC for quoting this blogger’s message. With thousands of other websites which tries to tell a true story of China either banned or unplugged by the Red regime, the blogger’s articles which obviously has won the Chinese censors’ taciturn approval smells more like the misleading message from yellow trade union.

    It is amazing to see this blogger flip flop on the position of anti-France within a few days. Oh, I almost forget his day job is a businessman whose internet quasi-startup has seen little success or influence in China. So I guess the alternative way to grab the eyeballs (or attention) of Western media and naive foreign audience is through this blog? One should take a long and hard look at the ulterior motive behind his changing position so quickly. Is it due to convenience for future engaging Western media such as BBC or no postion in the very beginning?

  5. Tommy, you wanna know what would be the point of China kicking out foreign students during the olimpics?

    If you had a brain to use you might have come up with something like this:

    The Chinese want the foreign guests and media to see what they want them to see, foreign students would be more open to the press and talk about what really goes on when the eyes of the world are not on them.

    They can hardly put them in jail like they have done with so many journalists.

    Juan shuo wang, all media is subjective by definition, as it is written by people.The difference is that in a free country, you can choose between different points of view, we can even read your dribble, and form your own opinion, while in countries like China, your opinion will be formed for you by the government, so there is no need to think for yourself.

    Everybody who actively supports an oppressive and murderous government is and oppressor himself.

    Free speach, and free thought for everybody

  6. Gotta love it when shanghai-ren (wannabe) is so bothered he is deperate to make a point at the expense of exposing his inner sickness.

    WJS must be doing somthing right.

    And to the pretender, u r what we real shanghainese call “que xi”. Look it up.

  7. To jakke: by your logic (or lack of), almost everyone in this world is an oppressor. Remember Abu Ghraib, where Iraqi prisoners were beaten to death by the American guards (who received light sentences)?

    Your brain prabably isn’t wired for this, but there are things people in China don’t agree with the government, then there are things they agree with. I’m sorry if this is too hard for u to understand. It’s not your fault ;-)

  8. The recent anti-France and boycott of French retailer Carrefour drama shows that the majority of Chinese youth, with high education, low education or no education lacks independent thinking and civilized mindset. Unfortunately, the blogger either seems to belong to that patriotic group or purposefully spreads misleading message.

    France is the first Western contry to establish formal diplomatic relationship with China more than 40 years ago when China was as isolated as North Korea today. Has Chinese learned to be grateful to a 40-year friend?

    Now the Western media such as BBC starts to report the anti-France rally. It seems to me that the report is as restrained as can be and tries not to offend angry Chinese including the blogger and his friends. But as far as I know, a few sit-ins were held in front of Jing-Qiao Carrefour and Pu-Tuo Carrefour in Shanghai yesterday. In neighouring He Fei, An Hui Province, hundreds of angry demonstrators burned some Dutch Flags (mistaken for French flags!) in front of a Carrefour store. The so-called harmonious Olympics looks more and more like a joke now and it probably will end up in the dumps just like the plunging Chinese stock market.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7356107.stm

  9. There is life here! I was beginning to wonder if this website had been blocked by the great firewall, as I seem to be talking to myself.

    We seem to have moved away from the original issue here, talking about boycotts and East-West mentality differences.

    I would like to ask, does anyone here actually know what is really happening in the Tibetan Autonomous region and other areas with large Tibetan populations. The Chinese government seems to be drip-feeding information, three weeks late, but do any of you really know? 6 million Tibetans and not a single one has spoken here. Jana

  10. To Jakke,

    You wrote: The Chinese want the foreign guests and media to see what they want them to see, foreign students would be more open to the press and talk about what really goes on when the eyes of the world are not on them.

    They can hardly put them in jail like they have done with so many journalists.

    OK. As if the Chines egovernment will expect those foreign students will just shut their mouth in their own country after being kicked out from China.

    Give me a break!

    Please, again, use your brain, if you actually have one with an accpetable size. (If you can have an attitude, I can have one too.)

  11. To Shanghai-ren (wannabe),

    You wrote: … the majority of Chinese youth, with high education, low education or no education lacks independent thinking and civilized mindset.

    My answer: Wow, how smart of you to jump into a conclusion that covers majority of Chinese youth. When does boycotting becomes uncivilized? Is it when it’s used in a non-western country?

    You ask: Has Chinese learned to be grateful to a 40-year friend?

    My answer: Only if this 40-year friend behaves as a friend as not as an enemy.

    Has the French learned to be grateful to a 40-year friend?

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