The government and me

The longer I live in China, the more acutely aware I become of how tight of a grip the Chinese government/Communist party (it makes no sense to distinguish between the two) has on information and media that common people have access to. Exhibit A: I was trying to view the YouTube videos that accompany this article today, in particular the video in which two foreign pro-Tibet demonstrators are surrounded and beaten by PRC nationals in a hotel lobby. YouTube has been working relatively smoothly recently, so I felt hopeful. But, inexorably, Firefox yet again displayed the dreaded error message "The connection has been reset [by the government]."

I still cannot imagine what it must be like for a person to grow up his/her entire life being told by ruling authorities which opinions and sources of information are acceptable and which are not. Arguably, it is this very system that gives rise to unfortunate events of the type displayed in that video: the people are led to believe in a common worldview, and when they encounter situations that challenge this worldview, they cannot help but respond sincerely and forcefully. The government, then, knowing that allowing its people to know about said response and the negative opinions of people in other countries regarding said response may contradict the worldview that it has espoused, simply blocks all related informational pathways, at least until the furor dies down. This never-ending cycle, as it were, is only visible from the outside, and thus cannot terminate on its own accord.

It's fascinating to talk to my teachers and yuban about our views of government and human rights. According to my yuban, Chinese people value unity and harmony above all else, including the liberty and happiness of individuals--or rather, they believe that such liberty and happiness should arise naturally out of societal harmony. Furthermore, during my 1-对-1 today, my teacher told me that most Chinese people still consider it best for the government to personally handle any and every affair of the nation. On the one hand, I have enormous respect for these viewpoints, which are rooted in honorable ideals; on the other hand, I have to admit that when I listen to these opinions, a part of me remains in disbelief and feels suffocated with what it perceives to be the impracticality of the current Chinese state of affairs. I hope that this is not an intolerant foreigner mindset but rather a love for China and a hope for improvement of the aspects of Chinese society that are still lacking. At the very least, I'm glad for this opportunity to listen to and discuss beliefs that are different from mine.

Anyway, moving on... I realize that the "average day" post is way overdone, but I figured I should write one for my own sake; after all, five years from now, it's not my weekend trips to tourist destinations but rather everyday life that I'll miss the most about Beijing (if I'm not back here, anyway). So here it is:

6:30 am: Alarm (Backstreet Boys) goes off. Wake up, press snooze, and go back to sleep.
7:15 am: Wake up again when roommate gets out of the shower. Wash, change, and review characters for the day's tingxie.
7:50 am: Walk over to the classroom building and grab a few pieces of bread (provided free of charge) for breakfast.
8:00 - 9:00 am: 大班课 (big class). Lecture. Least fun part of the day.
9:10 - 10:00 am: 小班课 (small class #1). Practice new grammar. Also not very fun.
10:10 - 11:00 am: 小班课 (small class #2). Read the text aloud, improve speaking speed. Getting better.
11:10 - 11:35 am: 1-对-1 (1-on-1). Talk with a teacher about the day's lesson, or any other conversation-worthy topic. My favorite "class."
12:00 - 2:00 pm: Get lunch at the dumpling restaurant next to campus (10 dumplings for 4 kuai, unbeatable). Do homework.
~2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Meet with yuban, go over homework, talk about life.
4:00 - 8:00 pm: Free time. Play basketball, go out exploring, eat dinner, etc.
8:00 - 10:00 pm: Memorize next day's vocabulary, and, if it's Wednesday/Thursday, write an essay for Friday's oral exam.
10:00 - 11:30 pm: Relax, shower, use internet, talk with roommate.
12:00 am: Sleep. Zzzzz.

That reminds me, I've been having pretty crazy dreams lately. Unfortunately, I can never remember the details, or whether the dream was in Chinese. I'll be sure to mention when I have my first all-Chinese dream. That will be an exciting day indeed.

Edit
Today, during my language practicum about 大锅饭时代 (literally "big pot food time," when everyone in China was guaranteed work), I discovered that I really enjoy speaking with the local people in a casual, non-academic setting. This is something I could not possibly have predicted when I first got to Beijing. I should try doing it more often from now on.