Scholar: Does the US Know You Depict It To Be So Wonderful?

Zhou Qifeng attacked the United States, “That-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Attacked.”

A few remarks made by Zhou Qifeng, former president of the University of Beijing, have received quite the criticism online. He said:

“Some of our citizens are very pathetic. They can lash out at their own mothers but will not stand to hear the U.S treated so. Actually, I don’t intend to attack, either; I have mentioned plenty of the attributes of its educational system. However, I am still qualified to make such [criticisms] because I was educated in China, but also received my masters and doctorate in the U.S.”

There are several layers of meaning to Zhou’s words: First of all, some Chinese people can criticize China all they want but cannot attack the United States. Second, if anyone does criticize the United States, then this person will be condemned in China. Last of all, Zhou believes that he has a certain understanding of China and the U.S. that puts him in the position to be judgmental.

Here, I will not analyze nor list past reasons for attacks against Zhou, nor will I discuss whether his remarks are justified; I’m only saying that in Chinese society today, this “U.S. cannot be criticized” phenomenon does indeed exist and leads a rather powerful trend in public opinion. The phenomenon that Zhou has described undoubtedly exists, but here is the real question: Why does it exist with such arrogance in China?

In the long term, China needs a role model for modernization, and throughout the world, the U.S appears to be the most advanced; therefore, the U.S. became a conceptual role model for China early on. In the short term, in order to reform and open up, China needs to focus on minor details, leave behind the past, get rid of the old, and usher in the new. Consequently, the U.S. has become the perfect template. Globally speaking, praising the U.S. and devaluing China helps the U.S. make profits in China. Domestically speaking, there was once an era when China was ideologically against the United States, but after the reform and opening up – also when the U.S. was described as the “terminating peak of history” – some people turned their opposition around and went from one extreme to the other. They habitually defended their own struggles and oppositional thinking, only this time, they joined a different team. As a result, just like back in the days when they could only be anti-America, now, they can only be anti-China. Therefore, from our perspective, compared to people 30 years earlier, those who are currently dedicated to caring about the U.S. have merely changed direction. Otherwise, they have made no progress.

If back then the U.S. was overly vilified, then nowadays, it is overly idealized. These people, who have not grown at all, hold on to oppositional thinking from the past; they went from portraying a hideous U.S. to one that is absolutely wonderful; both are fictional, not real. I cannot help but ask these people, “Does the U.S. know you depict it to be so wonderful?” In fact, the actual U.S. has airplanes, cannons, atomic bombs and aircraft carriers, and when it finds someone unlikeable, it immediately makes a move; the U.S. also owns Hollywood, Wall Street and CNN. The ability of the U.S. far exceeds your imagination and does not need protection. The U.S. that you meticulously care about only exists in your imagination. This is why Zhou Qifeng said he is more qualified to “attack” the U.S.: He understands the U.S. in its truest form; thus, he can critique the country impartially. As for the imaginary, fictional United States, it is too fragile to withstand a blow.