THE Lowly Peon

Fast Forward from the Memories

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20 April 2010, 2:07am

For a long time, people have asked me either why I love China when I complain about it so much, or why I hate China when there's so much I love. What I've come to see clearly is that there are two Chinas: old China and new. I hate new China. I love old China.

This article is about the writer of some great Chinese films, from Suzhou (a city near my home, where daisy and I will visit next week). He reflects on all that China is losing while so focused on nothing more than GDP. It's a conversation I've had with all of my friends here, and one I think about probably too often.

“I’m not entirely against change,” he said, adding that the world, and China, should be allowed to prosper.

“But the important thing is knowing what to give up and what to keep. What I cannot forgive is the way it is done here today. They take a calculator” — he mimed someone stabbing at buttons — “and ask, If I pull this down, will it make money? If yes, do it. If no, don’t. No other value apart from money is considered. And that is wrong."