"China is not a political theory," says Chinese author/actress/blogger/entrepreneur/publisher Huang Hung in attempting to explain her country. "It is a very complete social-economic system that has been in the working for 2,000 years." The authoritarianism that many in the West associate with China, she continues, is not a Communist imposition but an integral part of Chinese culture.
Still, as the country approaches its 18th Party Congress (which, btw, has a code name in Chinese, because if you refer to it by its proper name in social media, your post will be censored), Hung says, China is at a crossroad. "The decisions that the next generation of Chinese leaders make will determine, for, probably, the rest of the 21st century, whether China is going to become more powerful, more prosperous, very peaceful, build a happy society, or China is going to disintegrate. And I think it is that important. We are at that crossroad, where every single Chinese has to make that decision."
The ultimate question, she says, is "Can Chinese still find what our ancestors [have] taught us, or have we forgotten all of it, along with the prosperity, along with our MBAs, along with our wonderful growth and everything?"
N.B., This is a college alumni association interview, so the first few minutes are the usual chitchat about how it feels to come back to campus after 30 years. The real interview starts at about 4:20 (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MHRBvKINR0&feature=youtu.be
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