rogerluli Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 After watching the last summer Olympics I guess it should come as no surprise that the Chinese are highly competitive. But after watching many hours of Chinese TV over the last months I am astounded at how thoroughly competitive the Chinese are. On Hunan TV there is a nightly program "Who's the Hero?" which features people competing by doing every imaginable (and some quite unimaginable) kind of feat and trick; from balancing everything under the sun, including up to 12 wooden benches, huge stacks of bricks, and other people on their heads, noses, arms, etc, to kung fu demonstrations, magic tricks, opening up the most beer bottles with their teeth, doing head stands on tiny metal stems. And each act is judged by 3 judges and the highest scorer gets to sit on a sofa and the losers lose their heads(just for you Dan). On Beijing TV we have seen huge singing contests, contests between job applicants for really good jobs, chefs, even contests to choose the hosts for programs. Just yesterday we saw a program pitting 2 three year olds against each other in doing singing skits. The little boy that won did a victory dance all over the stage while the little girl that lost stood there bawling her eyes out. I know that US TV has American Idol, The Apprentice, The Great Race and the "reality" shows but laopo tells me that Chinese TV has always had these competitive contests in abundance.A little while ago I heard a Formula One Champion remark that there was a young unknown man working in a coal mine or factory in China who could drive a car faster than he could. With 1.3 billion people is it inevitable that the next Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Albert Einstein will all come from China? Is the US doomed to be the low cost supplier to China in 50 years? Have too many Americans lost the "fire in the belly" needed to really succeed big time? Or will the coming generation of Chinese only and spoiled children save us by being smitten by western culture, fast food and video games into accepting mediocrity? Do I have more questions than answers?... Link to comment
Guest ShaQuaNew Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 ......With 1.3 billion people is it inevitable that the next Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Albert Einstein will all come from China? Is the US doomed to be the low cost supplier to China in 50 years? Have too many Americans lost the "fire in the belly" needed to really succeed big time? Or will the coming generation of Chinese only and spoiled children save us by being smitten by western culture, fast food and video games into accepting mediocrity? Do I have more questions than answers?... 206112[/snapback]A lot of questions Roger, but perhaps accurate observations as well.... Link to comment
izus Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 its gonna happen, its only a matter of time. question is will the chinese attitude be humble enough to stay focused in their own area of asia or will they find the need to expand? will US feel threaten enough to pull something stupid?will China become the worlds peace keepers as US ever so often find themselves in the position of being current world power....lotsa of scarry thoughts Link to comment
rogerluli Posted April 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 its gonna happen, its only a matter of time. question is will the chinese attitude be humble enough to stay focused in their own area of asia or will they find the need to expand? will US feel threaten enough to pull something stupid?will China become the worlds peace keepers as US ever so often find themselves in the position of being current world power....lotsa of scarry thoughts206139[/snapback]Well Bill my original post was only about individuals but as individuals goes so goes the whole country. I was on a return flight from visiting laopo once, the interminable 14 hour mother from Hong Kong to Chicago. I was seated on the aisle and across from me was a young Chinese woman student. She was working with a laptop, books and notebooks on hearing disabilities. As near as I could tell she studied and worked for the entire flight... I could not imagine an American college student doing that. Link to comment
izus Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 its gonna happen, its only a matter of time. question is will the chinese attitude be humble enough to stay focused in their own area of asia or will they find the need to expand? will US feel threaten enough to pull something stupid?will China become the worlds peace keepers as US ever so often find themselves in the position of being current world power....lotsa of scarry thoughts206139[/snapback]Well Bill my original post was only about individuals but as individuals goes so goes the whole country. I was on a return flight from visiting laopo once, the interminable 14 hour mother from Hong Kong to Chicago. I was seated on the aisle and across from me was a young Chinese woman student. She was working with a laptop, books and notebooks on hearing disabilities. As near as I could tell she studied and worked for the entire flight... I could not imagine an American college student doing that.206151[/snapback]powerful battery Link to comment
rogerluli Posted April 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 its gonna happen, its only a matter of time. question is will the chinese attitude be humble enough to stay focused in their own area of asia or will they find the need to expand? will US feel threaten enough to pull something stupid?will China become the worlds peace keepers as US ever so often find themselves in the position of being current world power....lotsa of scarry thoughts206139[/snapback]Well Bill my original post was only about individuals but as individuals goes so goes the whole country. I was on a return flight from visiting laopo once, the interminable 14 hour mother from Hong Kong to Chicago. I was seated on the aisle and across from me was a young Chinese woman student. She was working with a laptop, books and notebooks on hearing disabilities. As near as I could tell she studied and worked for the entire flight... I could not imagine an American college student doing that.206151[/snapback]powerful battery 206153[/snapback]Maybe she had a spare... Link to comment
change2marrow Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 ......With 1.3 billion people is it inevitable that the next Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Albert Einstein will all come from China? Is the US doomed to be the low cost supplier to China in 50 years? Have too many Americans lost the "fire in the belly" needed to really succeed big time? Or will the coming generation of Chinese only and spoiled children save us by being smitten by western culture, fast food and video games into accepting mediocrity? Do I have more questions than answers?... 206112[/snapback]A lot of questions Roger, but perhaps accurate observations as well.... 206119[/snapback]From my observation it's going to take some time for China to produce an intellectual like Edison or Einstein. Most of the elite intellectual's are schooled from abroad as China's Educational System needs major reform and overhaul. A static was mentioned in 2003 that China hasn't had an International Patent in over 50 years. As for a Gates or Trump.... China has a few that the west call them "elitist", but they are not on a world scale. Unless you count Hong Kong's elite, but often HK is still not considered Mainland. Most notable is the owner of "Ababa" (SP) who runs an internet website Business to Business sales. Yahoo also Invested 1 Billion in cash in the company and in returned establish Yahoo has a major contender in China. So, there will be a lot of influence, good and bad, from many western countries that China will rely on for the next 50 years. But China could be it's own worst enemy when it comes to development. Link to comment
Rakkasan Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 If I may be permited to deviate from the original post a little since you are thinking about the future in China. Have you given any thought to the one child rule and the preference toward a male child, with female children being adopted out or I suspect aborted. At what point will the number of men so greatly outnumber women that women will be put on pedestals and treasured by the men of China? Or will China revert to a point where like with the Zulu's and Roman legions that you can only have a woman after having proved yourself in battle (or business for a civilized update)? 1 billion men in dire need of companionship willing to do anything for it can be a scary thought. Link to comment
change2marrow Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 If I may be permited to deviate from the original post a little since you are thinking about the future in China. Have you given any thought to the one child rule and the preference toward a male child, with female children being adopted out or I suspect aborted. At what point will the number of men so greatly outnumber women that women will be put on pedestals and treasured by the men of China? Or will China revert to a point where like with the Zulu's and Roman legions that you can only have a woman after having proved yourself in battle (or business for a civilized update)? 1 billion men in dire need of companionship willing to do anything for it can be a scary thought.206378[/snapback]This should probably go under a different thread, but many people including the Chinese Gov. are looking at these issues as well. One of the things the gov. is trying to do is pay "xxx" amount of money to a family to continue and keep their female new born. It's a considerable amount to a family that barely makes 300 Yuan a month. Also if a two people get married and both of the spouses are the only child, then they are allowed to have 2 children. Well, this is what I've been told at least. Also a minority families are allowed to have more than one child. Last I heard was that by year 2020 it will be a 5 to 1 boy to girl ratio if the trend continues. The affects can be seen today even though it more of a 3 to 1 ratio. Link to comment
Yuanyang Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 "China's Century" remains to be seen. Remember 20 years ago the Japanese were going very strong and everyone wanted to be just like them. Link to comment
david_dawei Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 ......With 1.3 billion people is it inevitable that the next Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Albert Einstein will all come from China? Is the US doomed to be the low cost supplier to China in 50 years? Have too many Americans lost the "fire in the belly" needed to really succeed big time? Or will the coming generation of Chinese only and spoiled children save us by being smitten by western culture, fast food and video games into accepting mediocrity? Do I have more questions than answers?... B)206112[/snapback]A lot of questions Roger, but perhaps accurate observations as well.... 206119[/snapback]From my observation it's going to take some time for China to produce an intellectual like Edison or Einstein. Most of the elite intellectual's are schooled from abroad as China's Educational System needs major reform and overhaul. A static was mentioned in 2003 that China hasn't had an International Patent in over 50 years. As for a Gates or Trump.... China has a few that the west call them "elitist", but they are not on a world scale. Unless you count Hong Kong's elite, but often HK is still not considered Mainland. Most notable is the owner of "Ababa" (SP) who runs an internet website Business to Business sales. Yahoo also Invested 1 Billion in cash in the company and in returned establish Yahoo has a major contender in China. So, there will be a lot of influence, good and bad, from many western countries that China will rely on for the next 50 years. But China could be it's own worst enemy when it comes to development.206373[/snapback]It is a curious issue..the apparent lack of patents though does not mean they lack the capability to invent.. maybe there is simply not a focus on the need to invent. I recall [too many years ago] studying the idea that some businesses actually prefer to be 'second-to-market' with a product which someone else has spent all the time, resources, and money investing in... Maybe the chinese have known this principle all along --- Fung Yu-lan is considered one of the most important thinkers in China of the last 50 years... While maybe not intellectually stimulated for the almighty buck or invention, he prefers to focus on the philosophy of man... Link to comment
Dennis143 Posted April 15, 2006 Report Share Posted April 15, 2006 (edited) Despite moves toward privatization, much of China's economy remains controlled by large State Owned Enterprises (SOE's), many of which are inefficient and unprofitable. Restructuring of the SOE sector, including the privatization of some enterprises, is a major priority of the government, as is restructuring of the banking sector. Many Chinese banks have had to write off large amounts of delinquent debts from state-owned enterprises. Layoffs have been part of the restructuring of the SOEs, as many were severely overstaffed. This has created unemployment, and also has been a burden on the government budget, as the government begins to provide social benefits which were previously the responsibility of the SOEs. The geographic concentration of privately-owned industry in the urban centers along the coast also has created social strains. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/china.html China is a state controlled by the economic restraints of the Communist government. Until they allow true entrepreneurial spirit of competition and capitalism to flourish, they will continue to just be the worlds producer and consumer of goods. Edited April 15, 2006 by Dennis143 (see edit history) Link to comment
whatsthehaps Posted April 16, 2006 Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 ......With 1.3 billion people is it inevitable that the next Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Albert Einstein will all come from China? Is the US doomed to be the low cost supplier to China in 50 years? Have too many Americans lost the "fire in the belly" needed to really succeed big time? Or will the coming generation of Chinese only and spoiled children save us by being smitten by western culture, fast food and video games into accepting mediocrity? Do I have more questions than answers?... 206112[/snapback]A lot of questions Roger, but perhaps accurate observations as well.... 206119[/snapback]Who do you think invented firecrackers? This post is what I call a twofur. Two topics, both complex. It involves invention, politics and economy. And the politics have a lot to do with that but I'll save that for another post. If you recall some of my other posts with the pics you will notice that the Chinese are innovative, they use what little they have to get a job done, although in many cases very dangerous. They are good artists and great at copying things. There was a time when there wasn't much to copy. Btw, there is a great program on one of the discoveries about Chinese inventions. Some of the greatest inventions in the world were by made by the Chinese. In the T'ang dynasty, fireworks were invented. These were originally for shows, but later on they used them to scare of enemies in war. The fireworks were mainly small bamboo cases filled with gunpowder, and a fuse was put on the side. In the Han dynasty, they invented the wheelbarrow, which was for carrying loads too heavy for a normal person's back to support. The wheelbarrow was originally wood, so the Chinese nick named it the 'wooden ox'. The compass was for religious use. When a new houses was being built, they used it to see if the house was faced in perfect harmony with nature (which meant they thought if you faced your house to magnetic north, you and nature would get along). The compass started out as a wooden circle with markings on it, and a magnetic spoon on top. Designed with a machine called the Earthquake weathercock, which was a contraption that told them when and where an earthquake would come. This machine looked like a giant six-foot bronze pot that had dragon heads lining the top, and ivory frogs under each dragon. Spaghetti The Chinese first manufactured the 'fan', which was mostly carried by women and soldiers. First to create kites, which mostly children played with. The kites were most of the time silk squares, held together by bamboo. Created many things with bamboo, which made a lot of baskets and holders and were really strong. The Chinese were the first to discover iron casting around the sixth century, when they mixed tin and copper together. Revolutionized agriculture by harnessing animals made boats modern with magnetic compasses, sternpost rudders and watertight flamboyance, plus many other things to long to tell. The first clock that they devised was for astronomical uses. In the first clock ever, there was a puppet that would hold up a plaque that would tell the time. They also invented giant water clocks, which rang every fifteen minutes. The first blast furnace, which was water powered. To Chinese, jade was more valuable then gold. They invented the first object for counting, called an abacus. The Chinese used a method of medicine called acupuncture They were the first to discover the rudder Processed grain with bamboo machinery They made most toys, machines, houses, and other things from bamboo. The Chinese were the first to think of harvesting silk, and make clothes, fans, kites, toys, paper, and lots of other things from it. They produced the first planetarium. They a found a wine that acted like anesthetic, and they also used herbs before the age of written history http://www.crystalinks.com/chinainventions.html Yes and Yes. Link to comment
rogerluli Posted April 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 [[ China is a state controlled by the economic restraints of the Communist government. Until they allow true entrepreneurial spirit of competition and capitalism to flourish, they will continue to just be the worlds producer and consumer of goods.207197[/snapback]Dennis, where have you been... My laopo lived in Guangzhou and, although we taveled all over China on my 3 visits, no one could possibly come to GZ from the west and not think that this was where capitalism was alive and well. Everyone is out hustling to make a yuan in every possible way. I have a very good, very conservative friend. His wife is from Taiwan and he would NEVER set foot in China because they're commies... When I described to him what I had seen in China he said that yes from everything he knew about it, China had the most wide open kind of capitalism right now of any other country... Link to comment
Dennis143 Posted April 17, 2006 Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 [[ China is a state controlled by the economic restraints of the Communist government.?Until they allow true entrepreneurial spirit of competition and capitalism to flourish, they will continue to just be the worlds producer and consumer of goods.207197[/snapback]China had the most wide open kind of capitalism right now of any other country... 207403[/snapback]I here ya, Roger. I agree. I spent a week in GZ last Nov. And, their capitalistic drive is truly something. However, I still can't believe GZ will ever match HK in a true capitalistic/free-trade sense. Tell me a brand name of a Chinese product that all of us can identify with (something like; IBM, Dupont, Ford, GE, Microsoft......). Until China pass laws that penalize those who steal and copy trade secrets and proprietary information, most economist state they can never truly become a developer of products, but simply a producer (and consumer) of products. Time will tell. Link to comment
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