Chinese history is great, Spandrell says:
It’s long, it’s well documented, and it’s documented in explicitly moralistic terms. Chinese thought has been always focused in how to achieve good governance, and histories are written as to contain parables of what good government is, and what bad government leads to. [...] Good government leads to nice things. Bad government leads to death and misery. That’s all Chinese intellectuals have ever cared about. I think it’s a good priority to have.
Good priority, but it doesn’t seem to have gotten much results.
Good governance is more than managing. I think the first ‘democratic’ election was in the early 2000′s in Taiwan. The historical fact is that China’s government has been monarchs, tyrants, kings and dictators for much of it’s history up to today if you include the heavy handed leadership of the Communist party. 10′s of millions were killed in the last century and probably 10′s of million in the preceding 5000 years at the hands of China’s ‘good’ government. Hardly moral.
He overstates the case. Chinese intellectuals have also cared about how to have a happy and harmonious family, how to find and savor beauty, how to live life right when society has gone astray, how to attain personal enlightenment — and when to leave the world of politics and government behind altogether. That is a theme almost as old as the “good government” one: why you shouldn’t care about government at all and instead should go fishing, or get drunk, or something of that sort.
Ah, the vaunted Chinese milenar civilization!
So, why did they go for a European cult with a red star as a symbol?
They didn’t just go for it, Lucky. It was imposed on them by the sword, like communism is everywhere and always.
As far as i know Chinese communists imposed it in others Chinese. But why a sizable proportion of a milenar culture(should be translated as “wise” in political correct dictionary) went for an European cult?
The Soviet Union was right there, and willing to meddle. You’ll find people willing to join any cult if there’s any reasonable chance of victory.