>>507063302 (OP)I've been to china. and when i say 'china', i don't mean the tier 1 cities. I've travelled to the rural/remote provinces that not even most chinese have been to. The places where police checkpoints are everywhere, and cameras literally follow you as you walk around the streets.
Generally speaking, the chinese are a pretty friendly bunch. They just want to go on about their lives and their business just as much as anyone in the west does.
There is a resignation to the fact that the party may be shit, but that's not their business. they keep their noses clean and expect the government to stay the f away from them. but it doesn't always happen like that.
I saw a man get dragged down an alleyway by 6 plain clothed men. were they police? were they government workers? were they mobsters? were they triad members?
What struck me as odder was the reaction of the people around. nobody even lifted an eyebrow. people kept sweeping the streets, people kept going on with their shopping. nobody wanted to be involved.
The chinese are really only concerned with the welfare of their families. and what's good for their families. If the government tells them that the US is going to cause a big problem for chinese and their households, that becomes a problem for a chinamans family, and naturally, they'll respond to the call.
The chinese know, or rather believe, that there are far too many of them to have a strong opinion on things. they've lived through violent revolution after violent revlution. On some level, they just accept that the party will control the country, and they'll go along with it, so long as it doesn't impact them too badly.
When I was there, I told some old couple that i was from Australia. The old man preteneded to shoot me. then asked for a photo with me. before his wife telling me that Australia is "SO SMOL!" (in chinese ee dien dien).
They're generally a good bunch of people. It's just a shame their leadership is so insecure.