The American Dream vs. the Chinese Dream

In the past few years, Chinese media and some people have continually reaffirmed a dream: the Chinese dream. Amid such an uproar, I don’t know what they think about the wave of Chinese elite constantly immigrating to other countries in past years. I also don’t know if they believe that the Chinese dream truly exists and that it is something that many people are seeking. From the 1990s immigrant wave of intellectuals to today’s publicized immigrant wave of business elites, what exactly does the Chinese dream mean to society’s middle and lower class?

We are all very familiar with the American dream. Therefore, as China’s status in the world has continually risen and as China’s voice has gained more power in the international political stage, the Chinese dream has also emerged at the right time. So, what exactly does the Chinese dream entail? The American dream is undoubtedly simple and clear. It not only means that an American citizen can muster up the strength to stand up on his own in American society; it also means that he can own a house and a car, live comfortably and be a member of society’s middle class. Even if he loses his job, he will most likely not starve and freeze to death so soon. The American dream also means that a person who was born in a seriously racist society can rely on his own strength to become the president of the United States at the beginning of his middle-age life. More importantly, the American dream means that any person living on American soil can have the hope of surviving in society. This hope belongs to each person.

In comparison, what is this Chinese dream we speak of? It is more of a country’s collective dream. It is more of China’s attempt to avenge the disgrace and insult it faced more than 100 years ago. The Chinese dream has repeatedly been broadcast loud and clear, but for the people living in society’s lower class, what does it mean? Does it mean that when France’s president speaks inappropriately, we can use economic means to “blacklist” him? Does it mean that when the U.S. talks about selling arms to Taiwan, we can loudly say no? If the Chinese dream is just about that, then it is definitely not enough.

Although the American dream only exists in American society, it is something that people around the world aspire to. When U.S. Senator Barack Hussein Obama of the Democratic Party successfully became the U.S.’ 44th president, the “Obama fever” that took the world by storm said a lot: that the American dream not only belongs to the Americans but to many disadvantaged groups everywhere. Therefore, if we want to make the Chinese dream and the U.S. dream equally worth fighting for, then the Chinese dream should not exist only for the country’s name, it should not exist only as a response to a country’s disgrace from over 100 years ago and it certainly should not sacrifice citizens’ personal rights and happiness for the sake of realizing a whole country’s strength and “dreams.”

When we watched war films during our childhood, we often heard the phrase, “If there is no country, there is no home.” But the reverse is also true. Our home and country are mutually dependent. I especially do not like President Kennedy’s saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” Although this saying was suitable for the U.S. at that time, it is not necessarily suitable for the U.S. right now. What I would like to emphasize is that during times of war, we can perhaps devote ourselves to our country instead of haggling over every little thing. But during peace time, especially as a country’s economic strength is constantly growing in what some call a prosperous time, what value does a country’s strength have for the individual person if we only emphasize the people’s eternal submission to the country and the country’s rights and authority over the people? If this Chinese dream could provide us with social security, employment and services, then we should not see our government, after a 30-year period of reform, throwing a highly unprepared group of citizens into a market economy and then saying to them, “This is the freedom you wanted.” What did these people who were thrown in the water see instead? Aside from Darwin-style free competition, they didn’t have anything — not even a life preserver. Even as these people found themselves drowning, there was not a single person there to say, “Come, I’ll help you.”

So, no matter how much effort we put into promoting the value of the Chinese dream, it is completely worthless if the common person cannot experience its value. Especially for people of the proletariat, a dream’s value is determined by its value for the individual person. Therefore, although many people have done lots of analysis on comparisons between the Chinese dream and the American dream, I believe that the comparison is simple: the American dream belongs to the individual whereas the Chinese dream belongs to the collective. At least, that’s how it is now. Consequently, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream,” we had no choice but to say, “Please give us hope.”