</span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by
Sing Tao
5th February
Andrew Lim
Communism finds its place in a quiet Chinese village
In the quiet village of Xiaohong, located in the heart of Gansu, Communism has existed for over one thousand years.
The village of Xiaohong has less than 200 people. Most of them know each other by name, and their families have lived in the same village for hundreds of generations. The village was recently "discovered" by a Chinese training newscrew on its way to film several expedition sites.
The accepted leader of the village, Gu Yuanxi, told the newscrew that "We haven't seen strangers here since the civil war." Indeed, in this remote village, nothing seems to disturb the peace.
Yet what is most unique about this village is its strict adherence to many Communist principles, despite the inability of most to read or write. Villagers share their fate, says the village leader. Most are too happy to help each other in times of calamity. Gu Yuanxi pointed the newscrew to an old shack, saying that the shack had been blown over during a storm, but every villager of capable hands had helped to repair it.
The village, however, does not consider itself to be Communist or socialist. Marx is just another foreigner, Communism is just a vague ideology, and Mao just another in the long line of dynasties.
The village remains isolated from the outside world. A far cry from the rapidly progressive cities on the Chinese coast, this village has remained in tradition for the past thousand years.
There are no computers, shopping malls, or television. Villagers do not need any form of communication except by mouth; only a select few are literate. Young men and women do not date; they simply marry in their teenage years, raise a family, and carry on the simply life of peasant farmers. Instead of Shanghai's nightclubs and cinemas, Xiaohong village enjoys a weekly traditional dance and village dinner.
While China's youth develop liberal attitudes, the people of this small village remain strictly conservative, skeptical of new ideas. Indeed, many of the villagers whose ancestors immigrated from the coastal cities continue to view any foreign habit as degrading to purity. Huang Lijing, a young farmer, explains his daily routine.
"I wake up when the sun comes, then I work at the fields. I usually share a lunch of rice and vegetables with the other young men, and afterwards I work again until nightfall and go to bed. Occasionally, the young people of the village gather in the hall for dancing and listening to Gu Yuanxi tell stories."
None of the village youth understand any of the concepts of modern China. Telephones, television, computers, and even public displays of affection are nonexistent. As Hu Jintao tours China, spreading his message of social equality and purity, he may well benefit from looking at this village.
However, Professor Chen Jinfei says that using examples of these villages would not work in the cities.
"Many small villages consist of several hundred familiar people, while the cities may hold tens of millions of strangers. While it may be possible to look onto these villages for inspiration, it would be difficult to implement such societies into China's cities. Firstly, the majority of Chinese villages are already exposed to Western culture, and could be considered liberal by China's standards. Maintaining a conservative structure of peasant farmers would be impossible logistically."
Yet even as the village lives on, it has become inspiration to a darker side of China. A high school in Chengdu held a 4-hour demonstration, with many students calling for a "destruction of American imperialism" and a "purification of Chinese culture and cleansing of Chinese blood". Several students were arrested following a ceremony where English books and magazines were burnt, and a milk bar selling several English comic books was firebombed.
None of this affects quiet Xiaohong village, which continues to live as it has one thousand years ago.<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'>
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