In one of my classes we’re reading an op-ed piece by Joseph Nye on “China’s soft power.” Or rather, on Nye’s account, China’s lack thereof. Nye is arguing that no one will look up to and respect China as long as the country has no democracy and is doing poorly on human rights. A state sponsored charm offensive which includes Olympic Games, World Expos and Confucius Institutes makes little difference here. Respect and admiration have to be earned and cannot be fabricated.

Nye is surely right (although “soft power” may still not be the best label). What Nye doesn’t mention, however, are the many examples that exist of a different China. A smart, creative, self-confident China. A China that doesn’t have a chip on its shoulder and is not afraid of the rest of the world. Giving an example to my students, I play this Youtube video:

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Nǎ li yǒu yāpò nǎlǐ jiù yǒu fǎnkàng, 哪里有压迫哪里就有反抗, “Where there is repression, there will be resistance,” was one of Chairman Mao’s most famous sayings. I think the Chairman was right. It makes me very proud and hopeful that there still are Chinese people who agree with him. Especially in this fashion.

This is a further disssion: http://www.chinafile.com/why-chinese-soft-power-such-hard-sell

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