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Cultural Differences in the Interpretation of Themes

scientiae

The more I watch Chinese dramas, the more I pick up on various themes. These, I think, are observations most westerners would make when watching such  a show. But I'm curious if somebody raised in China sees the same themes or if they interpret things a little differently.

In Jin Yong stories, for instance, the hero is generally a little simple, very trusting, very good, and one tends to get the notion that 天's guiding hands are ensuring the success of his endeavors, that he has only found such greatness as a blessing for his natural goodness. The deus ex machina is in this sense not just a plot device of convenience, but rather a way to express 天's favor.

I was quite surprised with 夜天子. In the first few episodes, I got the distinct impression that this was practically a how-to guide for overthrowing a corrupt government. The message I got in the first dozen episodes was that a government that does not serve the people is not a legitimate one, and that when it becomes abusive, the people must tear it down and rebuild. 

This, of course, rather struck me. How could a country with such censorship and such political control ever allow the airing of a show practically begging the people to overthrow the government. This is what led me to wonder if people in China, thanks to their unique cultural situation, interpret the themes of shows differently.

Any examples or ideas with regards to this general topic will be most elucidating.

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RSMasterfade

The idea that people can and should overthrow a tyrannical government is one of the key theses of Mencius' political philosophy. It's so entrenched in the Chinese mind that it would be next to impossible for the government to censor it. 

The first emperor of Ming did try to remove Mencius from the Confucian canon, after reading the famous paragraph in Mencius 7B.14 for the first time ("The people are most important; the state ... come next; the ruler is last of all. For this reason, any man who gains the support of the great mass of people reigns as the Son of Heaven. Those who gain the confidence of the Son of Heaven become the lords of states, and those who gain their confidence become grandees. When the lord of a state endangers its altars, he should be replaced. "). But the reaction from the Confucian bureaucracy was so fierce that emperor relented.

In any case, the communists had to justify their rule, and the KMT's mismanagement of the economy during and following WWII and the resulting hyperinflation had always been a major justification for the communist takeover. So they need the idea for their own legitimacy,

The difference between the mainstream Chinese perception and the mainstream Western perception is not that whether people should overthrow an illegitimate government, the difference is whether the Chinese government is legitimate . Westerners tend to take a 'no' answer to be axiomatic, whereas the Chinese tend to think 'yes'. If inflation ever go above 20% in China, get ready to say goodbye to the communist party (and to the world economy). 

To sum up, no, the Chinese government doesn't care if you say tyranny must be overthrown, they'll censor you only if you make them looks tyrannical. 

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scientiae
 RSMasterfade:
So they need the idea for their own legitimacy,

That's what I thought.

But then they also have to try to maintain that legitimacy by not becoming worthy of overthrow themselves, no? Is that really all through censorship, as the Western media would have us believe? I find that difficult to buy.

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blimarch

Such an interesting topic! Thanks @scientiae @RSMasterfade

Although I'm not quite sure I understand this:

"Westerners tend to take a 'no' answer to be axiomatic, whereas the Chinese tend to think 'yes'. If inflation ever go above 20% in China, get ready to say goodbye to the communist party (and to the world economy)."

Would you elaborate RSMasterfade, please?

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Orithian

Much the same as it is in most western countries.

As long as the majority of the population are well fed and reasonably comfortable, then the government is considered "legitimate". Minorities will always exist as a handy scrapegoat and disaster's can always be blamed on weak links.

Add in control of the media and it's very hard to motivate people to rise up, when they have a certain base level of individual comfort.

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blimarch
 Orithian:

Much the same as it is in most western countries.

As long as the majority of the population are well fed and reasonably comfortable, then the government is considered "legitimate". Minorities will always exist as a handy scrapegoat and disaster's can always be blamed on weak links.

Add in control of the media and it's very hard to motivate people to rise up, when they have a certain base level of individual comfort.

Very insightful! Thank you very much!

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