Korean news photos of the torch relay are circulating on Chinese news forums and blogs. The reaction is mostly patriotic chest-thumping over the sea of red in Seoul and indignation at the pro-Tibet and NK human rights protesters for disrupting the relay. Some commenters are furious at the Korean media’s “distorted reporting.” A post called “Korean Media Is Even More Shameful Than the US Media” appears on several blogs. The writer accuses the Korean media of misrepresenting the orderly and peaceful Chinese participants as uncivilized and expresses doubt that it was a Chinese who threw a rock at the Korean reporter’s head. On another forum, a photo of Dr. Norbert Vollertsen and other NK human rights protesters is captioned with the claim that the demonstrators hurled rocks at Chinese students and reporters. I saw no rocks in anyone’s hands. Under photos of other acts of violence, like kicking the man on the bicycle, it is claimed that the non-Chinese instigated the violence. Yet another netizen was bewildered by a photo of a demonstrator dressed up in a PLA uniform, standing next to two hooded, bound demonstrators representing NK refugees; the caption expressed puzzlement at what the demonstration had to do with North Korea. Anti-CNN.com, the website dedicated to correcting international media distortions of China, has a photo essay thread which lumps together pro-Tibet and NK human rights advocates as “anti-Chinese partisans.”
Chinese forums aren’t link-friendly. Often it isn’t possible to link to just one comment or image, so the links in the above post will take you to the entire forum thread, where you can scroll down and have a look. The Chinese mainstream media is ignoring completely the controversy in Korea over the torch relay, but as usual, censorship hasn’t stopped Chinese netizens from doing their own reporting and commentary. It’s easy enough to dismiss the rantings of anonymous netizens, but photo essays like those linked above are all over the Chinese blogosphere, and the defensive patriotism communicated in these forums is probably widespread among urban, educated Chinese youth.
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thanks to the Chinese, the dropping of THC testing for new E-2s has slipped by unnoticed. I love the cycle of life in Korea. Hate the Japanese, GI’s, teachers/Canadians, and now the Chinese…as predictable as the weather here! (hazy, hot, hazy, hot)
You know, this is an honest question… BUT… all this excess energy by young Chinese in passionate displays of nationalism, could this partially be the result of errr… not being enough women to go around???
Case in point:
http://www.theage.com.au/artic.....m=storylhs
Hey, serious question. Please don’t hate!
Nationalism / patriotism is the ideolgical currency of assholes.
The internet is the sounding board of assholes.
It all comes together here quite nicely.
This is simply a means of co-opting those smart enough to get online and read blogs — all your blog belong to us.
Globalvoicesonline.org has a load of samples of just such CCP-inspired trolls and their anonymous banditry too if anyone is interested in seeing a few. Just look under the appropriate region and review some of John Kennedy’s entries.
If Sonagi’s posting is even half accurate, the Beijing government is going to have its hands full in controlling its piqued uber nationalists during the actual Games.
Though I’m not ready to forecast such, it is now conceivable that the Beijing Games could be China’s PR nightmare if the spectator crowds turn unruly.
Furthermore, the Beijing Olympics are laying bare a basically wrong premise of the current Olympic movement - nationalism. Also, the IOC is corrupt with bribes and payoffs as various nations and sponsors do whatever they can to host or sponsor the games.
Rather, the Games should look to ancient Greece and hold the Games in a single, permanent location where athletes compete as individuals and not as members of national teams.
But, hold on! What would happen to all those juicy bribes and pay-offs should that happen?
Never mind. It won’t happen. Vanity and greed of paunchy oldsters will win out over the legitimate concerns of young athletes every time.
Maybe we need an alternative to a corrupt IOC that stokes incendiary nationalism. But it takes graft and nationalism to stage something as massive as we see today — unless the international sports community got serious, economizes, and settles on a neutral, permanent venue.
I know, I know… Dream on!
Sonagi, thanks for the update. And it’s good to see that you’ve found a blogging home and good on the Marmot for providing you one.
and tomcoyner, do you think the CCP and other governments would spend so much money on training their athletes if there wasn’t a payoff of tribalist chest thumping? “Us good, them bad”
If this continues I don’t know if Beijing is going to attract that many people. Do you want to go somewhere in fear of saying something that might offend the mob and end up being beaten by hundreds of people. They don’t see hurling objects at unseen victims as cowardly. They don’t see hiding behind a mob as cowardly.
Did you see the look on that one dude’s face who threw whatever it was at some innocent in the distance? So smug. The police could do nothing. What if they had? Could you imagine how ugly that would have gotten?
I’m not going and I don’t know anyone that will. We may see China just playing with itself.
I’m going to wait and see until this little section too becomes filled with comments from a mob of pro-Chinese ultra nationalistic dildos trying to defend CCP sponsored VIOLENT student demonstrations in FOREIGN countries.
They say they want to welcome the world yet they aren’t coming across as very inviting.
The Chinese related blogs I’ve been to say that Korean media is distorting this incident and that Koreans started this fight by provoking the Chinese (once again). They refer to Korean attempts to steal Chinese history.. and now this.
They’re basically stating the same things that a lot of the expats in Korea say about the Korean media - biased coverages, flame baitings and fanning of the flames, etc etc.
So I’m not sure why all of a sudden the westerners here are not too sympathetic to the Chinese in Korea. Have they not been in the same shoes as those Chinese students?
It’s interesting to note that the Chinese also say the exact same thing about the US and Western media in general - that they’re biased, full of innuendos, full of flame fanning, and outright lies.
So blame the media. It’s all their fault.
Someone mentioned 1936 Berlin in a previous thread. I can’t wait for the poetic justice when China is just as embarrassed when they get beaten at their proudest sports. And then get shamed by their people’s reaction to losing… The Olympics do seem to have a tendency to irony even when “point-based” medals have been already paid for…
I think that wherever the torch goes next, some people should grab it, run, and throw it into a freaking lake.
Also, how about we all form an alternative Olympics in Athens for 2008? It would be truly embarrassing for China if even say 30% of the athletes went to an alternate venue instead.
I don’t know if even the athletes will be safe in Beijing. I can just see a human wave of rabid Chinese nationalists ripping foreign athletes to pieces because they had the temerity to win a gold medal.
“The reaction is mostly patriotic chest-thumping ”
Well, I would say it’s nationalistic chest-thumping. Although there is a fine line between patriotism and nationalism, being proud of kids acting like assholes in a foreign country is without a doubt nationalism, not patriotism.
“So I’m not sure why all of a sudden the westerners here are not too sympathetic to the Chinese in Korea. ”
Because we tend to not throw rocks at people’s faces.
If this is the sort of alternative reality the ChiCom press weaves, it says plenty about their “race riot” narrative of Tibet.
vietnam war is over. “chicom press” did not accuse sk media of distortion this time, and tibetan riots were economic/ethnic in character like the jakarta riots.
the Chinese are blind.
they ask, what does the Olympics have to do with Tibet, North Korea, Sudan, Burma, Zimbabwe?
“Olympics has nothing to do with politics.”
they claim.
local Chinese communities are using the above slogan in the US as well. These are presumably non-commies, but recent sympathizers of mainland China, with origins ranging from mainland, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.
one can only conclude that the Chinese only care about money in general, and give two shits about PRChina govt atrocities across the world.
they hungered for justice once. That was 1987. Tianmen Square.
Now, they tasted money, and they don’t want freedom anymore. Money is better than freedom. They will support the fascist CCParty aristocracy and try not to be the subject of their purges.
but, even the bourgois toy factory owners will get executed once in a while, if they get caught selling lead contaminated toys to the US.
but, definately his neck is okay, if the export target was South Korea or Japan.
China’s Olympics show has been protested all across Europe and Japan.
Only, only, only in South Korea, they dared to use their student/foreign worker/agents/spies to stage a violent mob like ruckus.
This is worthy of an apology from the Chinese embassy, but obviously none will come.
South Korea must continue what the great visionary Rhee Syng Man had begun.
Ally with Japan and US, counter fascist-commies of China.
Olympics always had some tie to politics. The Chinese are being grossly dishonest to suggest that the world separate politics from Olympics.
These people are too smart to say that.
Or are they?
Maybe they’re just billions of yes-man drones to the CCParty.
han-guk ee,
man-man-han
guh-ya.
Deng Xiao Ping saw his people correctly.
Indeed, the CCP will survive if the people taste wealth. They won’t ask for democracy.
Fascist totalitarianism may indeed continue infinitely in China.
That, is the weakness of the Chinese people.
“Fascist totalitarianism may indeed continue infinitely in China.”
Until the money stops flowing…
Then things will get REALLY hairy.
We (all the countries that stand for freedom) all need to band together and stop the free flowing money. But it’s easier said then done.
#16: South Korea must continue what the great visionary Rhee Syng Man had begun.
Ally with Japan and US, counter fascist-commies of China.
Rhee was an ally of Japan? Did he know this?
What?! Now the Chinese are imitating Koreans!! Man!!
Finally saw some of my Chinese students today. They looked shell-shocked. They avoided making eye contact with me and did not interact with their classmates…a stark contrast from their normal selves.
These kids are not the kind to throw rocks at cops and old ladies. I’m sure they would have never imagined it would turn to violence.
It’s a shame. They are just kids trying to adjust to living abroad and getting good grades on exams written in a foreign language.
…the vocal minority are often heard more than the silent majority…
…but why should we accept that possible truth when it’s easier to blame all for the transgressions of the few? The answer is simple… because that is exactly what is expected. The many are often punished for the few, to force the many into punishing the few themselves. It almost never works, but nevertheless…
cm, have you ever seen expats from anywhere do anything approximating what you saw this weekend? Honestly? Throwing bottles and rocks in the face of police? Turnouts of thousands of expats trying to overwhelm dissenting voices? In Korea? Please! This is in no way analogous. Have you honestly ever seen anything to rival it?
I don’t speak Korean. Those images were sensationalized? How? I didn’t see any English news coverage. How have I gotten biased coverage through pictures and video alone?
As much as I loathed the violent protests and actions of a few Chinese hooligans, it is somewhat satisfying to see the Korean netizens get a taste of their own medicine.
“Finally saw some of my Chinese students today. They looked shell-shocked. They avoided making eye contact with me and did not interact with their classmates…a stark contrast from their normal selves.”
What were they like normally? How did they interact with their Korean classmates usually? What were the reactions of Korean classmates after the incident? Were there any resentments or poor treatments toward the Chinese?
They are generally model students, very attentive and involved in the lessons. They seemed withdrawn today.
I don’t think they were mistreated by the other students (at least not in my presence), but I felt there was some tension in the air, no matter how hard the students tried to hide it.
It’s possible that the students were worried that I might think less of them. I’ve been told by one of my Korean colleagues that I’m one of the Chinese students favorite teachers at school.
In any case, I feal really sorry for them. I wish I had taken them aside to spoke with them about it.
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