关于国庆阅兵的一封信

羽衣甘蓝

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. y5 R0 X* o3 OPart of my letter written to a British friend.
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) b: n/ R: }; rA German friend said he watched TV and saw the military parade on Tian'anmen Square.  He said it reminded him of North Korea. It was scary to him. He thought China shouldn't have done this because other countries had already known its strength. I somewhat agreed with him. As a Chinese, I have different perspectives, though.

) L6 G4 o5 w. M! e7 h. i- F7 p' AIf the money had gone for people who were still in poverty in China, I'd have been happier. If there had been more ordinary people who joined in the parade and made it a carnival, it would have been more fun. However, when the government decided to review the troops, I didn't feel unhappy. China needs to do even more than this to draw attention, to make a show of strength, to deter Taiwan from independence and other countries from interfering.
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5 v% z1 ~- |. i9 u4 v2 oNow I am asking myself if I have been brainwashed by the Chinese government. I think I am being very sensible.
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& ]. [) {) U# C. U1 _0 P, S( N/ s5 _I just believe almost every person hopes his own country be strong and peaceful. But a show of strength is necessary after a long, silent accumulation--a person also needs to feel his country exciting and noteworthy.
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A friend once asked me why I preferred being Chinese to being Canadian. To me, being Canadian is kinda boring. I feel proud to be Chinese.

羽衣甘蓝

I feel proud to be Chinese.

tonghaien

你说的没错，我们都为祖国的强大而骄傲，但关键是注重形式还是注重实际，如果把南海岛屿收复过来，你不炫耀武力，别人照样怕你。我不知道国庆阅兵的成本有多大，但我知道我在老家的警察同学两个多月没回家，各地派往北京拦截上访的人有多少，上万人大半年的操练，记得上次阅兵那尴尬的场面吧！江主席喜上眉梢，朱总理只有苦笑，总理或许想，多少地方用钱啊，中国还有没有电没有公路的小村庄呢！

妙药

中国没有电没有路的小村庄现在有,以后相当长一段时间还会有,什么时候也都有很多地方需要用钱.但是过节时中国人民也需要快乐,也需要看见老百姓辛辛苦苦养育的军队是什么样子.
中国有今天的成就是全体中国人的努力,奋斗和牺牲的结果. 就像一个大妈说的,太不容易了.值得庆贺.

billzhao

Great!

羽衣甘蓝

My Greman friend saw my post and replied:

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I agree to the part of being Canadian...
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Germans are very sensitive about such Parades, and calling it North-Korean is sort of Diplomatic, as it would be undimplomatic to say that they learned from the Nazis to pull off such a show. Well, China is strong, independent and can choose the path to walk... but do you think that this path is really a prestige-winner among other nations?

羽衣甘蓝

My reply:

. h5 v0 R; Q, A1 D" M4 Z1 {/ LI just believe that many Chinese people have a complex inside our hearts. We feel proud and humble at the same time. We want the image of China in the world to be soft but we are also afraid in a sense that others may think we are not strong. To be honest, I think it is a sign of lack of confidence. But what do you expect a teenage girl to behave in her first formal party? She needs time to build up confidence and social skills.

Let's go back to the topic of the Chinese complex. I like reading about history but when it comes to the 19th century part, I can hardly finish reading it each time. Ancient glory versus modern humiliation, it breaks most Chinese people's hearts. Maybe it is hard for a non-Chinese to thoroughly understand this just as a non-German cannot really sense to the same degree the disgust or weary of wars that Germans feel.
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* {; f. Q" ?3 f  y% Y" N% [A show of strength is not a sign of wars to Chinese. It is an antidote to heal the pain.