Planning war on China – the West is ramping up

With CN Walking ...

Some scenes from the performance ...

The Canton Tower in GuangDong province is the world's tallest TV tower.Not only does it offer excellent features for visitors, it also unusual in being distinctly feminine - curvacious and sleek, very unusual for a skyscraper. The SpiderWalk runs from 170 meters to 350 meters in height.

With Cyrus Janssen ... Comment by Gustavo Andrés ... There is an overwhelming assumption in the West that China’s Achilles heel is the state: that it lacks legitimacy. This is the underlying reason why Westerners believe that China’s transformation is unsustainable: that the political system cannot survive. It would be wrong to suggest that attitudes have not shifted: the endurance of the reform period, now over 35 years old, and the scale of its achievement have bred a growing if still grudging respect, and a less apocalyptic view of Chinese political change. Few now regard it to be imminent and many have extended their time horizons somewhat into the future. Nevertheless, most Westerners still regard China’s present political order as lacking legitimacy and as ultimately unsustainable. In the post 1945 period, Westerners have come to believe that Western-style democracy – essentially universal suffrage and a multi-party system – is more or less the sole source of a government’s legitimacy. This is a superficial and ahistorical position. Western-style democracy does not ensure the legitimacy of a regime in the eyes of its people: Italy is perhaps the classic example, with successive governments over a long historical period experiencing a chronic lack of legitimacy. And what of China? Although it does not have Western-style democracy, there is plenty of evidence – for example the Pew Global Attitude surveys and the work of Tony Saich at the Harvard Kennedy School – that the Chinese government enjoys high levels of support and legitimacy, much higher indeed than those of Western governments. How do we explain this? Clearly the reason is not Western-style democracy because China has not chosen this path. The late Lucian W. Pye, in his book ‘Asian Power and Politics’, argues that Western scholars have, in their understanding of politics, prioritised political systems over political cultures: Pye argues, correctly in my view, that the opposite is the case. His insight is highly relevant to the Chinese case. The relationship between the state and society in China is very different from that which characterises Western societies. There are three key elements. First, China is primarily a civilization-state rather than a nation-state, with the overriding and extremely difficult age-old task of government being to maintain the unity of China and its civilization. This has lent the state an enduring authority, importance and centrality in China that is very different from the Western nation-state tradition. The state is intrinsic to China in a way that this is not true in Western societies: they are, in effect, in large degree synonymous. Furthermore the Chinese regard the state in some degree as an expression and extension of themselves. Second, whereas in Western societies the state is seen in an instrumentalist and utilitarian way – in other words, what will it do for me? – in China, following from the Confucian tradition and the idea that the Emperor should model himself on the father’s role as the head of the family, the state is perceived in a familial way, whence the expression ‘nation-family’, or the idea of China as an extended family. Or, to put it another way, in Western societies the state is viewed as an external and somewhat artificial construct, for the Chinese it is an intimate. Third, a much higher premium is placed on the efficiency and efficacy of the state than in the West, whence the importance of meritocracy in the recruitment of public servants. In the West, discussion about the state largely revolves around the manner by which the government is selected, in China, by way of contrast, the competence of the state assumes priority. Fourthly, following from the previous point, the state is expected and required to deliver in China. Over the last few decades, of course, it has presided over and masterminded a huge transformation, the most remarkable in modern economic history. The contrast between the performance of the Chinese and Western economies is manifest. In summary, the relationship between the state and society in China and the West is profoundly different and the reasons lie in the historical and cultural differences between them. They can and should learn from each other but they will remain distinct. So what of the future? As I mentioned at the outset, it is axiomatic in the West that sooner or later China will face a crisis of governance that will result in profound reform along Western lines. In reality, it seems far more likely that the crisis of governance will occur in the West than China. The United States and Europe are in decline and, as a consequence, their ruling elites and political systems are already suffering from declining legitimacy and authority, a process that is likely to continue. China, in contrast, is a rising power whose ruling elite is likely to enjoy growing status and prestige as a consequence. China, though, faces its own kind of governance challenge. The country is changing at extraordinary speed. If one thinks of how the life of an ordinary person has changed over the course of the last three decades, then this is a measure of how everything else, including political rule, must also change in order to survive. Of course, transparency, representivity and accountability have been transformed since Mao’s death, but this is a dynamic process and arguably the greatest changes still lie in the future. It is not that China needs to or should change its system – it has stood the test of time and managed to stay abreast of and lead the wider transformations – but, this notwithstanding, more profound ways must be found to modernise the political system and its institutions if they are to meet the demands and expectations of a very different society.

With FunFancie ... TeamLab is an interdisciplinary art collective and creative studio based in Japan that is renowned for its innovative and immersive digital art installations. It has expanded its presence globally. In Shanghai, TeamLab has created several immersive art experiences that blend digital technology, interactive elements, and traditional art forms to create breathtaking environments that engage the senses and encourage visitor participation. These exhibitions often feature a combination of projection mapping, interactive projections, LED lights, soundscapes, and sensor-based technology to create dynamic and interactive environments. One of the most notable exhibitions is TeamLab Borderless Shanghai, which is featured here. It is characterized by its seamless integration of digital art into physical spaces, creating a sense of boundless, dreamlike environments where visitors can explore and interact with the artwork freely. In these exhibitions, visitors are invited to walk through rooms filled with mesmerizing digital art installations that respond to their movements and interactions. For example, visitors may find themselves surrounded by vibrant, blooming flowers that change color as they move, or immersed in a digital ocean where schools of fish swim around them in response to their presence. The exhibition aims to create immersive experiences that evoke wonder, curiosity, and a sense of inter-connectedness with the world around us, unforgettable experiences that blur the boundaries between art, technology and the imagination.

A quick look back to the Chinese New Year (CNY) in previous years ... Plus, Na Ying - '(Life is like a) Warm Spring with Blooming Flowers' 春暖花开 (when I am with you) ... And Wang Feng - 'I love you, China' 我爱你 中国 (Wo Ai Ni, Zhong Guo) ...

With Blondie in China ...

Based around a large lake with a perimeter of 15 kilometers. In JiangSu province.