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Damn, I wish I could use the title of the previous post on this one. Watch the video and you’ll know what I mean.

For anyone that has been to any number of hip hop clubs or enjoys rap music you’ll find the first part funny. It does kind of get old and repetitive towards the end (no pun intended):

Be sure to also check out Timberlake’s classic “Dick in a Box.”

Via AlleyInsider

If you’re interested in more details regarding China’s opening up 30 years ago, here is an interesting photo essay from ForeignPolicy.com: 30 Years of Economic Overdrive

You may also be interested in some original videos from CCTV:
- China Today: 30 in 30
- BizChina: 30 Years of Reform and Opening Up
- Video on Demand

In addition, the quiz on the right is a screen grab I got from CCTV. [This article talks more about gas taxes and this article talks more about tax brackets]

Remember, that is a state-run entity yet to the dismay of anti-China activists, here is CCTV talking about the Dalai Lama in public. Sure they may censor information, but not nearly to the sensationalistic Orwellian degree as people from BoingBoing make it seem like.

In fact, Bloomberg is fully unedited and uncensored (both web and TV) and they refer to Taiwan as its own separate country and talk about the “president” of Taiwan as a sovereign in their wired news reports.

So what is the real deal about the censorship or rewriting the narrative? I can only speak from my experience thus far and I’ve been impressed with the relative openness and diverse opinions expressed in various media outlets — much more than I was expecting considering the rabid anti-Chinese reports that end up on Drudge or Kos.

To give you one example of public dissent, CCTV recently held a multi-day English-speaking competition on live television. Contestants were upperclassmen in colleges from across the mainland. Each contestant gave a prepared speech and had to answer a battery of questions from a panel of three judges. Then they were given a spontaneous question that was unrehearsed and had to defend their opinion with the panelists.

While some spoke about fairly non-controversial topics like the rescue efforts after the disastrous Sichuan earthquake, a number talked about economic reforms and social liberalizations. Not once were their words bleeped out nor was the show cut to commercial, this despite the fact that they disagreed with the prevailing laws or customs.

So after a month living here, I still call BS on organizations like the NED and think it’s an unwarranted sham to demonize this place as a fundraising tactic. Thus the next time someone you know rants about the evil chinamen, ask them where they get their information or if they’ve actually been here.

Now if only Facebook would stop borking up ajax errors…

See also: Thirty years in the making
Smells like communism!
Doesn’t look like you thought it did
I call BS on the NED