As the 70th anniversary of China approaches, subtle changes can be seen and felt. Everyday more and more flags are being hoisted around the city. It’s also getting a bit of a spring clean, even although it’s autumn, but more importantly the internet is becoming even slower and the VPN is struggling to stay connected. It is a constant battle to stay connected to a server in another country long enough to go where I want and it seems to be more so in the evening. Mind you China has a lot on its plate at the moment. Xinjiang in the west is causing them problems because they have finally had to admit to the concentration style camps that they have there. Hong Kong is going crazy, which is a major distraction; although there is not too much coverage here and when there is the story is slightly different to the one that you will see on the BBC or Aljazeera. I also think Beijing may be a bit worried that events in Hong Kong may overshadow this year’s celebrations, we don’t want another Tiananmen.
The third thing that is of interest is the social experiment which is now going to become a reality. Each person will have a personal credit score and if you do something bad then you will lose points, if you obey the law and do everything as you should then you have the freedom to do what you want and by that I mean live your life in a normal manner with no extra restrictions imposed. You know I’m sure many other western countries would love to implement such a system………..petty thieves might lose 10% each time they get caught………..muggers may lose 20% each time they break the law…………all these juveniles that break the law and get off Scot free would begin to finally get their comeuppance. This is one Chinese invention that I think could work quite well in other countries. If we are not prepared to bring back such things as public floggings to try and control all the wee bastards that cause so much trouble to society and of course use the system to their advantage, then by giving everyone a 100 points just like your driving licence and each time you break the law or are just being a prick then you lose points until the day comes you have none and we feed you to the sharks. This could be a win win situation not only for us, but for the sharks. Of course if you do a good deed then you can get points back just like you do when you get frequent flyer points, help an old lady across the road………2 points………obey the road rules……..2 points………eat with your mouth closed…………2 points……….wear headphones instead of letting the sound escape from your phone in public and being a fucking nuisance…………..1 point, just a few suggestions.
This system has already been trialled on a few people such as journalists that have written articles against the current government, their punishment so far has been not allowing them to buy any form of travel, no bus, no plane, no train, in China you need your ID card to buy tickets and so because of this there has been a rise in black market transport where drivers are prepared to crisscross the country ferrying such individuals and of course making a pretty Yuan (penny) along the way. One door closes and another opens, entrepreneurship is everywhere.
But one question looming on the horizon is; will this apply to the foreigners currently in the country, will they also have to abide by these rules? Why not I say, when in Rome…………………
I also watched the first part of a BBC documentary about China and the first one focused on Xinjiang and what is happening there to the Uyghur’s and also about the rise of Xi Jing Ping to where he is today, he now has complete control and has a job for life. He has certainly shut down any threat from the western state of Xinjiang although I would think that in years to come this might come back to haunt him and China in ways we can’t imagine yet. I must admit after watching the first part of this trilogy I was feeling ready to leave China and find pastures new. And I think I will next year when my visa comes to an end, “why not now?” I hear you say………….well I am just unable to do that at the moment but as soon as I can I will.