nell | 累

Starting a thread of documentaries, shows, movies, & other media to get a better, more holistic understanding of China, its history, & China-US relations. Ok let’s go: @BrianBeckerDC’s podcast series on China’s foreign policy, available in full here: soundcloud.app.goo.gl/givtCeBwNeRWxP…

A Canadian’s Disappointment: What I Actually Saw on the Ground in Xinjiang vs. What Ottawa Claims As a Canadian, I have always taken pride in my country’s commitment to human rights, due diligence, and evidence-based foreign policy. We are a nation that prides itself on “peacekeeping,” not warmongering; on diplomacy, not hyperbole. That is why I find myself profoundly disappointed—not just as a Canadian, but as a citizen of a country that claims to value truth—when I listen to the Parliamentary Questions coming out of Ottawa regarding Xinjiang. The language used in is alarming. Terms like "concentration camps" are thrown around with a casual certainty that bears no resemblance to the reality I have witnessed with my own eyes. Having made three trips to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the last nine months, I have seen a reality that is diametrically opposed to the narrative being pushed by our Members of Parliament. I am not a journalist embedded with a government delegation; I am a Canadian who traveled independently. I went expecting to verify the headlines we see in Canadian media. Instead, what I found was a region vibrant with culture, actively preserved and proudly showcased. Here is what I observed on the ground, and why I believe Ottawa’s rhetoric is not only wrong but dangerously disconnected from the facts. The Cultural Reality I Witnessed During my three trips, I spent time in Kashgar, Urumqi, Tashkurgan and the surrounding areas. The narrative I was sold in Canada was one of cultural erasure. The reality I experienced was the exact opposite. 1. The Old City of Kashgar One of the most striking examples of cultural preservation is the Old City of Kashgar. Canadian politicians describe a region being "flattened" or "assimilated." Yet, I walked through the labyrinthine alleyways of this ancient Uygur city, which has been meticulously preserved as a historical site. The local government didn’t tear it down; they invested in upgrading the infrastructure, running water, natural gas lines, and earthquake proofing, while maintaining the traditional Uygur architecture, wooden pillars, and intricate brickwork. In the evenings, I watched in the alleyways while children ran through streets paved with traditional kuzi bricks. This wasn’t a ghost town; it was a living, breathing historical center. 2. The Grand Bazaar and Livelihoods The Id Kah Bazaar in Kashgar is not only open; it is thriving. I saw Uygur artisans selling hand-engraved copperware, traditional atlas silk, and locally grown dried fruits. Far from being forced into labor, I spoke with shop owners who explained that tourism encouraged by the government’s infrastructure investments had allowed them to expand their family businesses. If the goal were cultural genocide, as some Canadian MPs allege, why would the state invest billions into preserving the mihrabs in mosques, restoring the Id Kah Mosque (one of the largest in China), and promoting Uygur cuisine and music festivals? It simply doesn’t add up. 3. Videos from the Ground I am sharing some videos in my posts to show the reality. In one clip, you can see Uygur dance another a traditional wedding I went too. The Disconnect in Ottawa As a Canadian, this embarrasses me. We claim to be a nation that stands for truth and reconciliation. Yet, when given the opportunity to send independent observers or journalists to verify facts, our government often chooses to boycott or criticize the very invitation for transparency. If our Parliament is going to make accusations as severe as "genocide" and "concentration camps," the onus is on them to provide evidence. My three trips over the last nine months provided evidence of the opposite: a region where Uygur culture is not only preserved but celebrated, and where the so-called "camps" are actually vocational training centres, facilities I drove by I that looked into them focused on giving people skills in Mandarin and industrial skills. #Xinjiang

Yunnan is very very high on my list of next regions to visit 😍

Me: wow, so cute, that looks fun as hell. Westerner: I do not dream of labor, neither should those children. Drop the bombs immediately!

Synopis of US leftoid crimes against China. Since this was written in 1949, the unbelievably evil crime of creating the Taiwan issue has only increased. These are the people--leftoids like Dean Acheson--who want to blame China for not stopping LEFTOID CRIMES all over the world.

Taiwan is sending language teachers to Dharamshala, India to teach Tibetan exiles Mandarin.

The heartbreaking death of a Chinese postdoctoral scholar, who took own life after being subjected to hostile questioning by U.S. law enforcement personnel, calls into question once again the impact and legitimacy of unwarranted U.S. interrogation and harassment targeting Chinese researchers and students. China has repeatedly protested to such so-called law enforcement actions. They seriously violate Chinese citizens’ lawful rights, poison the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and continue to create a serious chilling effect. China calls on the U.S. to carry out a full investigation, give the family of the victim and the Chinese side a responsible explanation, and stop discriminatory enforcement against Chinese students and scholars in the U.S.

Agricultural developments don't get the spotlight they deserve imo.

✨🇨🇳On the morning of March 26, the third batch of 15,600 tons of rice, part of China's 30,000-ton emergency grain aid to Cuba, safely arrived at Havana Port.

At an experimental farm in Chongqing, Pakistani student Wajahat Hussain is drawing inspiration from springtime field research, hoping to learn more and contribute to his hometown in the future. #GLOBALink

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday urged the United States to thoroughly investigate the incident concerning a Chinese postdoctoral scholar, who took own life a day after being subjected to hostile questioning by U.S. law enforcement personnel xhtxs.cn/bbd0

Ngawang Drolma, 82, recalls a childhood marked by hunger and barefoot cattle-herding in old Xizang. In 1959, democratic reform in southwest China's Xizang liberated millions of serfs, and her life began to change. Click to learn more about her story xhtxs.cn/bbd9

Man I owe y'all an apology. No wonder all the organizations are damn near book clubs. These people want to talk about political theory and history without reading anything?🫩

An 8-day-old newborn suddenly developed a high fever and seizures. Traffic police escorted the family the entire way, clearing the route with green lights, and got them to the hospital in just 2 minutes.#ChinaStory

8-day-old newborn rushed to hospital as police coordinate green-light escort #ChinaBuzz #ChinaSeen

China has recently launched its largest-scale and most fully established remote robotic surgery control center in Sichuan Province. On March 20, the center completed seven remote surgeries in a single day, including one performed by a Brazilian doctor who operated from the center on a patient about 17,000 kilometers away in Brazil.

Unable to compete with Chinese electric vehicles, Nazi-era weapons maker Volkswagen eyes a return to arms production, this time with Israel middleeasteye.pulse.ly/onm42fjzka

Why did the US embassy deny visa to a Uyghur man who is married to an American woman???

A new paper shows that neoliberal austerity policies implemented by the World Bank and the IMF in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s and 1990s were associated with a *20% decline in real incomes.* The destruction caused by these organisations across the Global South is staggering.

China mainland government literally always say that they want peaceful reunification You westies think China is “elusive”, “secretive” etc. because you refuse to listen to whatever they say, and instead depend your understanding on the stereotype you have build in your mind

He spends three hours gaming every afternoon. He has completed over 200 games, and just finished Resident Evil 9. This is not a Gen Z gamer. This is a 91-year-old man in China. His name is Yang Binglin, a retired senior petroleum engineer. After retiring in the 1990s, he found that table tennis, mahjong, and card games weren't enough to fill his time. He wanted something more, a way to keep his mind sharp and prevent cognitive decline. So he turned to single-player video games. He would excitedly discuss game plots with his wife, who, unfortunately, was not interested and could not really follow. In the end, it was his grandson, and his grandson's friends, who became his gaming companions. In the late 1990s, computers were still a luxury in China. I remember my own first computer, a Compaq laptop my uncle gave me as a reward for getting into a top middle school at the beginning of the 21st century. I used it to play games too, but only two: one based on the Three Kingdoms, and one a xianxia game. I had only heard of Resident Evil from classmates. I never actually played it. I have to admit, I'm nowhere near as cool as this old man. Back then, Yang was sort of a local legend in computer markets and game shops. He even tried to find gaming companions of his own age, but a shop owner once told him: in this entire city, there was no one else like him. For every game he completed, he would label the disc with the completion date and the ending. Over the years, he has played across generations, from the PS1 to the PS5. His current PS5 is a gift signed by two Japanese executives from Sony China (top right). In the early days, very few games had Chinese versions. Having studied Russian in college, he often struggled with the language barrier, but that never stopped him. Now, he has opened an account on Chinese social media, where he shares his gaming experiences, and has even been recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest gaming streamer (bottom left). Resident Evil is one of his favorite series. When Resident Evil 9 was released in late February, his grandson sent him a copy. Most people slow down at 91. He presses "Continue."