The China Thread

[Cooper]

I don't post in this thread often and prefer to just read since both the pro-China and anti-China tend to give pretty detailed and well-argued posts for their position (outside of the "China is going to turn everyone into fertilizer" posts which I do take time to argue against since it it's so ridiculous and needs to be called out in the same way flat earth stuff needs to be called out) but I have to say seeing one of the biggest pro-Chinese posters who appears to be an ethnically Chinese himself (even though he doesn't seem to be from the mainland) completely deflect the question on how the Chinese government has such strong laws against VPN usage by saying "well plenty of people use it anyways" did raise a big pretty big eyebrow from me. He doesn't deny that the Chinese government does crack down on VPN restrictions but instead suggests people risk getting thrown into jail by using workarounds. Whether it's easy to use VPNs or not, the point that the China critics are pointing out is that the fact that people even have to use these workarounds is already a big stain on the manner in which the CPP are running things.

The fact that even such a law exists on the books is already bad enough but unlike say sodomy laws in some US states, this law does appear to be actively enforced and done so in such a heavy handed manner really doesn't inspire confidence in me the world be better off if China does become a superpower.

It's hard to tell how actively enforced that anti-VPN law is, the sources of the 2 or 3 anti-China CIK zealots being professional anti-China propaganda sites. It looks to me like something similar to crackdowns in the US on downloading bit torrent content, a crime that, in the books, can get you up to 5 years in jail and a $250k fine. A MN woman was found guilty of downloading 24 songs and fined $1.9 million for that:

Woman fined to tune of $1.9 million for illegal downloads - CNN.com

A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each -- a total of $1.9 million -- for 24 songs.

www.cnn.com

I don't blame the Chinese for banning Facebook, Insta, YT, Google etc as those are powerful social engineering and cultural subversion weapons, in addition to being a drain on their economy.

 

[Cooper]

The Hongqi bridge was recently completed in China. It's one of the world's highest bridges, and has been touted as an example of China's advancement and superiority.

Hongqi Bridge - HighestBridges.com

www.highestbridges.com

It just collapsed.



Edit: When I searched for the Hongqi Bridge, I got a link for the Huajiang Canyon Bridge which was also recently completed and very high. I think this bridge got a lot of attention, and the Hongqi bridge was not as famous. It's still a cautionary tale of hubris.

The community notes states that the collapse was due to a massive landslide:

Local authorities & news: Hongqi Bridge approach in Maerkang, Sichuan collapsed due to landslide from mountain slope failure—a natural disaster, not engineering failure. Police closed bridge day prior over cracks & terrain shifts; landslide caused collapse.

It's still a sign of engineering hubris in that the builders have underestimated the natural disaster potential in that site, but it's not like they've used shoddy materials or designs on that bridge.

 

[expectation]

I don't post in this thread often and prefer to just read since both the pro-China and anti-China tend to give pretty detailed and well-argued posts for their position (outside of the "China is going to turn everyone into fertilizer" posts which I do take time to argue against since it it's so ridiculous and needs to be called out in the same way flat earth stuff needs to be called out) but I have to say seeing one of the biggest pro-Chinese posters who appears to be an ethnically Chinese himself (even though he doesn't seem to be from the mainland) completely deflect the question on how the Chinese government has such strong laws against VPN usage by saying "well plenty of people use it anyways" did raise a big pretty big eyebrow from me. He doesn't deny that the Chinese government does crack down on VPN restrictions but instead suggests people risk getting thrown into jail by using workarounds. Whether it's easy to use VPNs or not, the point that the China critics are pointing out is that the fact that people even have to use these workarounds is already a big stain on the manner in which the CPP are running things.

The fact that even such a law exists on the books is already bad enough but unlike say sodomy laws in some US states, this law does appear to be actively enforced and done so in such a heavy handed manner really doesn't inspire confidence in me the world be better off if China does become a superpower.

I'm based in Hong Kong (HK is outside the GFW) and I do get access to Western Apps like Instagram and Facebook through my Sim Card when I use roaming so VPN is built in whenever I enter into the mainland. Obviously when I connect to wifi in Mainland, I won't have access to them.

What made me react that way is the photos of the crackdowns. Its clearly agitprop and I have never seen a VPN crackdown in my life in my 10 years of going back and forth. So I completely dismissed that post as unserious upon seeing that.

Since you're sincere here, tourist eSim Card with built-in VPN is a common thing. This is what I would recommend friends and family when they visit. None of them were ever sent to the gulags (lol).

Best China eSIM Guide: High-Speed 5G VPN eSIM | Trip.com

Get cheap, reliable China eSIM with built-in VPN on Trip.com. Learn how to choose the right unlimited 5G eSIM in China, setup steps, top providers & Trip.com discounts.

www.trip.com

 

[Sandalwood Peak]

You got to love how "Nazis" turn into SJWs when it comes to China. "China is not letting a man love another man, a disgusting dictatorship".

You also got to love how boomer civnat Americans would make Hitler blush with their positions on the Chinese. Chinks are born-evil ant-people dead set on killing all whites using commie free market economics, I will never let these subhumans harm my fellow Americans: Vivek and Tyrone.

The only "truth" the Chinese need to access using a VPN is that muslims and blacks should never be allowed in. Their state enforced "racial harmony" is a major problem. The only thing American Universities are doing is turning these Chinese students gay. I'm struggling to understand what information the Chinese need access to.

 

[expectation]

You got to love how "Nazis" turn into SJWs when it comes to China. "China is not letting a man love another man, a disgusting dictatorship".

You also got to love how boomer civnat Americans would make Hitler blush with their positions on the Chinese. Chinks are born-evil ant-people dead set on killing all whites using commie free market economics, I will never let these subhumans harm my fellow Americans: Vivek and Tyrone.

The only "truth" the Chinese need to access using a VPN is that muslims and blacks should never be allowed in. Their state enforced "racial harmony" is a major problem. The only thing American Universities are doing is turning these Chinese students gay. I'm struggling to understand what information the Chinese need access to.

My favorite is when it is convenient to forget about Per Capita when it comes to Pollution.

But uses Per Capita for Murder, Thief, HS Graduation, and every other metrics known to sociology.

 

[Thomas More]

The community notes states that the collapse was due to a massive landslide:

Local authorities & news: Hongqi Bridge approach in Maerkang, Sichuan collapsed due to landslide from mountain slope failure—a natural disaster, not engineering failure. Police closed bridge day prior over cracks & terrain shifts; landslide caused collapse.

It's still a sign of engineering hubris in that the builders have underestimated the natural disaster potential in that site, but it's not like they've used shoddy materials or designs on that bridge.

Wouldn't a site survey identify the possibility of land slides as a first priority, and take steps to stabilize the ground or mitigate the risk? The failure to do so successfully is shoddy work.

 

[expectation]

The fact that even such a law exists on the books is already bad enough but unlike say sodomy laws in some US states, this law does appear to be actively enforced and done so in such a heavy handed manner really doesn't inspire confidence in me that the world will be better off if China does become a superpower.

IShowSpeed had over 36 million viewers live streaming earlier this year when he was in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Changsha, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Chinese News even covered his visit while he was here.

He obviously wouldn't be able to do that without VPN - not to mention walking around with a whole crew publicly in China without getting arrested for a week.

That VPN Crackdown Agitprop video is an IQ test from our resident moron.

 

[Wutang]

This guy already had a certain amount of celebrity status due to his reactions to the Negegege music video going viral so I'm not sure this is a good example to use if we're talking about the experience of the average person in China. It seemed like to me that the authorities deemed his visit would be a positive for China's image abroad. I'm assuming everything for his crew and himself had to be cleared with the state and that he was able to do things the average person whether Chinese or otherwise wouldn't be able to.

 

[expectation]

This guy already had a certain amount of celebrity status due to his reactions to the Negegege music video going viral so I'm not sure this is a good example to use if we're talking about the experience of the average person in China. It seemed like to me that the authorities deemed his visit would be a positive for China's image abroad. I'm assuming everything for his crew and himself had to be cleared with the state and that he was able to do things the average person whether Chinese or otherwise wouldn't be able to.

I thought we were talking about VPN crackdowns and not the average experience. If the crackdowns were so harsh in reality they would make an example of a high profile celebrity to not go on vpn.

In any case, I have no interest in showing another example - it should already be obvious.

 

[Wutang]

Not if the celebrity is someone they are specifically letting tour the country for PR purposes. That's exactly someone the CCP wouldn't want to be getting the average experience since the whole point of him being there is to counter the negative stereotypes associated with Chinese society.

 

[Sandalwood Peak]

IShowSpeed had over 36 million viewers live streaming earlier this year when he was in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Changsha, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Chinese News even covered his visit while he was here.

He obviously wouldn't be able to do that without VPN - not to mention walking around with a whole crew publicly in China without getting arrested for a week.

That VPN Crackdown Agitprop video is an IQ test from our resident moron.

 

[Cooper]

Wouldn't a site survey identify the possibility of land slides as a first priority, and take steps to stabilize the ground or mitigate the risk? The failure to do so successfully is shoddy work.

It does look a bit "ambitious" of a project given the size and steepness of the mountain above the entrance of the bridge. I think their way of mitigating the risk was probably by closely inspecting the mountain for any debris or cracks, that's how they were able to close the bridge to traffic well before the rockslides came crashing down.

My guess is that they will rebuild the bridge after blowing up and grading down half that mountain.

 

[Read_Lives_of_Saints]

Future China bridge is futuristically fixed! Everything better with LED!

 

[RedLagoon]

The Hongqi bridge was recently completed in China. It's one of the world's highest bridges, and has been touted as an example of China's advancement and superiority.

Hongqi Bridge - HighestBridges.com

www.highestbridges.com

It just collapsed.



Edit: When I searched for the Hongqi Bridge, I got a link for the Huajiang Canyon Bridge which was also recently completed and very high. I think this bridge got a lot of attention, and the Hongqi bridge was not as famous. It's still a cautionary tale of hubris.

That would've never happened in Japan.

They've got a long way to go still.

 

[expectation]

Here is a lady that shared her Supermarket Experience on youtube after moving to China. No VPN gulag and the pinned comments is amusing.

 

[Read_Lives_of_Saints]

Here is a lady that shared her Supermarket Experience on youtube after moving to China. No VPN gulag and the pinned comments is amusing.

I know why those women are not being dragged off to the gulag. Let me explain.

The foreigners are smiling and having a good time with their decadent live-streaming, wearing their white devil 鬼佬 hearts on their colonizing sleeves! They're likely planning another century of humiliations 百年国耻 so they can turn Hangzhou into a treaty port where they can force the indigenous population to eat more KFC and high fructose corn syrup. You can't trust them, but you know what they're thinking.

Compare to the inscrutable Oriental mind, hidden behind the Chinese poker face. You can't trust him and you don't know what he's thinking, but just as sure as moon cakes are sweet on the Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋, he's going to invade California and take the West Coast so he can turn Silicon Valley into a Han SOE.

The inconsistent enforcement of the VPN law is like a Chinese water torture for foreigners, who never know when the axe is gonna fall. It will be a sudden surprise when you're invited for tea 喝茶 and seated in your Euro-sized tiger chair for a friendly chat about whether you use wireguard and double hops. Answer wisely.

 

[Thomas More]

My guess is that they will rebuild the bridge after blowing up and grading down half that mountain.

The question is whether this was a known type of risk that should have been investigated and mitigated ahead of time, or whether this was unforeseeable.

Obviously unforeseeable problems can't be foreseen so there is no blame when they occur. However, the failure to discover foreseeable problems and develop an effective solution to mitigate them is shoddy work. I don't know the facts, but I can't help believing this was shoddy work, and not an unforeseeable problem.

 

[Sandalwood Peak]

The foreigners are smiling and having a good time with their decadent live-streaming, wearing their white devil 鬼佬 hearts on their colonizing sleeves!

It's almost like Asians can be hostile and passive aggressive in their own country. This isn't new. Youtube is filled with these "bad experience" travel vloggers. Not sure why you're singling out the Chinese, even white people can be hostile. I agree Asians can be super annoying to deal with in Asia. You mentioned people spitting in your direction, so you do have a point, just not a Chinese one. I think the actual measure of such thing is how much the locals condone this behavior. Did you tell your Chinese acquaintances about this and did they defend it? A lot of countries around the world don't really care what happens to whites.

I would prefer China over Japan as far as dealing with strangers.

I'm niggerish. I really don't like being accosted by strangers. I would chimp out if the videos below happened to me. That's why I always think Asians are playing with fire when it comes to Africans/muzzies. You're not going to accost an African my Asian frens. Don't let them in.

 

[expectation]

I know why those women are not being dragged off to the gulag. Let me explain.

The foreigners are smiling and having a good time with their decadent live-streaming, wearing their white devil 鬼佬 hearts on their colonizing sleeves! They're likely planning another century of humiliations 百年国耻 so they can turn Hangzhou into a treaty port where they can force the indigenous population to eat more KFC and high fructose corn syrup. You can't trust them, but you know what they're thinking.

Compare to the inscrutable Oriental mind, hidden behind the Chinese poker face. You can't trust him and you don't know what he's thinking, but just as sure as moon cakes are sweet on the Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋, he's going to invade California and take the West Coast so he can turn Silicon Valley into a Han SOE.

The inconsistent enforcement of the VPN law is like a Chinese water torture for foreigners, who never know when the axe is gonna fall. It will be a sudden surprise when you're invited for tea 喝茶 and seated in your Euro-sized tiger chair for a friendly chat about whether you use wireguard and double hops. Answer wisely.

View attachment 25349

oh man there's just no trust in you with Chinese Authority. They're not out to get you man, they just want to chill on the job and move on.

So, now that I think about it, that video of the staff checking on the phones was likely checking for train tickets or covid tracking - which are in the form of QR codes.

 

[expectation]

The question is whether this was a known type of risk that should have been investigated and mitigated ahead of time, or whether this was unforeseeable.

Obviously unforeseeable problems can't be foreseen so there is no blame when they occur. However, the failure to discover foreseeable problems and develop an effective solution to mitigate them is shoddy work. I don't know the facts, but I can't help believing this was shoddy work, and not an unforeseeable problem.

I read somewhere that China has been aggressively building infrastructure in the poorer mountainous places to build up the lower tier places. The problem is, is that they're prone to earthquakes and landslides. Nothing you can do but monitor and close out once an event happens. it seems that they're willing to spend the money to rebuild them too once it crashes out.