We Are Peasants

This post means not to be taken too seriously. Seeing how late Bo Yang's Ugly Chinese can be taken a run with, I have to caution. But the infinite wisdom remains.

Ever heard of Chinese teenagers quarrel? "You are such a peasant" one would say, sometimes in a half joking way. The other would be taken aback, "No, you are." Don't tell people in Wisconsin or Provence France, but Chinese are not proud of being called peasants.

Calling someone peasant is one of those preciously few things that has the magical power of stroking ones ego. A while ago, I was out drinking with some of my male friends, upon whence someone brought up the topic that Ning Jing, a Chinese actress known for her role in The Red Valley, married to an American actor named Paul Kersey from Minnesota. That made them sad, since many of them fancied her. Until, someone burst it out, "peasant", referring to the fact that Paul Kersey was a farm owner. The laughters followed, beer tasted a lot better. All was forgiven.

Image from Shanghai Planet

However, not to be mistaken, we Chinese, as a people, were peasants. And to a degree, we still are.

Chinese being peasants or China being agriculture state means Chinese are historically quite peaceful. Over the years, we grew quite good at being peasants. So while Western ancient empires such as Rome built on subjugation and facilitation of commerce, the highest objective of each Chinese dynasty, except maybe the Mongols, was to protect itself from outside forces, so the people could live their agrarian Xanadu. Yes Chinese warred to ensure silk trade route too, but that always came as second order. That Confucius guy codified the ethnics of a peasant society - to better yourself and then the family and then the nation. Therefore, the dream of a retired Chinese intellectual was to "pick asters beneath the Eastern fence，my gaze upon the Southern mountain rests".

Today a dominant proportion of population are still farmers despite all the fanfare about migrant workers. What about the urbanites, you ask. They are no less peasant. They may have some money, but peasantry is deeply rooted. Why else bourgeois is still a fashionable urban daily vocabulary?

Sometimes I feel I can understand why places like Paris don't like Chinese. Let's call it peasant-phobia for the time being. If you have traveled to the Europe recently you'd know what I meant. Scores of Chinese tourists -peasants I may remind you -with cash strapped on their waists can be seen at almost every attraction. If their picture snapping go-merry doesn't give their peasantry away, their distinct fashion does. You see that black sports blazer paired with athletic shoes? He would be a rural entrepreneur. A better tailored suit with white shirt underneath even under the summer heat? That's a give away, he is most certainly a local government official on organized tour.

In Paris, I was approached by a lady who gave me 600 euro on the street and asked me to help her buy a Louis Vuitton handbag. Apparently she had enough shopping trips to the store that LV securities could recognize her; and apparently a bag straight from Champs-Elysees somehow meant more to her than those available in most big Chinese cities. (Most LVs are made in China also. EU's product origin rule allows it not to label them "made in China", although I don't think she cared to know.) Maybe they mistook her as bag scalper (I don't know that's possible), maybe she couldn't bring herself to be understood, maybe LV was disgusted with the peasantry they decided not to let the poor lady have her bag, as gift she said. I wouldn't know. What I did know was she trusted some total stranger who looked like her patriot with cash in order to buy some luxury bag. Frankly, I couldn't think of any other people who could pull that kind of peasantry off.

Enough with the anecdotes, what about the big picture? China is now the factory of the world, but we are still peasants? Does that make sense?

No one likes to admit it, but we are peasants. Chinese spend like peasants; saving is always a virtue since forever. How else do you explain accumulating billions of trade surplus, fully knowing the excessive buildup itself is going to hurt the value? (learned anything from Japan?)The leading artists are peasants; Zhang Yimou, Mo Yan certainly are, favorite skits performers on New Years Gala are peasants too without exception. The CCP is Peasant. This used to be by its own admission. Judging by its often utter clumsiness, we see nothing changed much. To take it too far like some columnist in Washington does, is giving the CCP too much credit. when you have to find grain self-sufficiency policy to criticize for, you are trying too hard. Worse, you are committing the sin of not utilizing the wisdom of this blog post. Even when the Chinese saves up enough and tries to buy some asset, we don't escape being peasant. Wall Steer gladly takes the money for some non controlling shares, and then leave the bashing job to the main street. The only sure thing Chinese can buy, is the large sum of commission paid to American and European consultancies like Goldman Sachs.

All this brings us back to the topic of Olympics. Why do Chinese care so much of Olympics? Not only the government, but the ordinary people. By now you should have guessed right, because we are peasants trying to join the industrial party decades too late. We'd be better off if we acknowledge and embrace that fact.


*The challenge to you: List your peasants and the thing you find peasant.

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我们都是农民

鉴于柏杨的丑陋的中国人能被用来借题发挥，我必须先说明，别对这帖子太当真。

有没有听过中国小孩子吵架？你真是个农民，一个会说。不，你才是，另一个不爽地反击。不像威斯康星人或法国南部的人，中国人不喜欢被人叫农民。

称呼别人农民有奇妙的治疗心灵的特效。现在这种灵丹妙药已经不多见了。有次和一些朋友们喝酒聊天，有人不经意提起宁静嫁了美国来自米尼苏达的演员。几个爷们有点愤愤，要知道宁静曾是他们暗恋的对象。突然不知是谁崩出一句，农民。确实，宁静老公算是个农场主。于是大家哈哈大笑，宁静的“大错”一笔勾销，酒也变得好喝起来。

但是不可否认中国人作为一个民族一直是农民。就算现在我们也基本是。

历史上的农业中国小日子混得不错，这也让中国能保持一个相对和平的帝国。不同于古罗马等西方文明帝国以征服和维商的风格，中国历朝除了元朝军事上最高要务是保持边界的和平，让内地的农业社会能不受扰得发展自己的桃花源。当然中国也为保证丝绸之路的通畅发动过一些征战，但那些相对处于次要的地位。 孔夫子的修身齐家治国成了农业中国的道德要范，退休的知识分子更是以“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”为理想。

今日中国农民仍占人口的大多数。那么城市里的人呢，他们也不见得不农民到哪里去。钱也许有一点，但农民是扎根的事情，要不然怎么小资这个词还能在城市里这么流行？

有时候我能够理解为什么巴黎这样的城市不喜欢中国人。让我们暂且称之为农民恐惧症。如果你近期去过欧洲你知道我的意思。几乎每一个景点都能看到一批批腰间塞着现金的中国人，农民，让我提醒你。如果他们一气猛拍照片还让人看不出来的话，穿着就把他们出卖了。穿着貌似休闲的西服脚上配着运动鞋的，十有八九是乡镇企业家；那穿着稍好的黑西服里面一定配着白衬衫即使炎夏也如是的则一定是地方政府的考察团官员。

在巴黎我碰到过一位中国大姐。这位大姐当街给我600欧元要我帮她去LV店买手袋。显然她去多了店里连保安都能认出她来了。显然她觉得直接从香榭丽舍出来的LV要比中国满大街都是的要有意义的多。这个是给我侄女的，她说。（别告诉她大多数lv产品一样是中国制造，只是欧洲的出产地要求不需要它打上这个标记。）我不知道是lv店怕她是贩卖包的，是没法听懂她说什么，还是被农民性恶心着了故意不卖给这位可怜的大姐。我只知道她能信任一个看似中国同胞的陌生人现金，就为了多买一个如假包换的奢侈品。说实话我想不出这世界上还有哪国人这么纯朴这么可爱这么可笑这么农民。

也许秩事不够说明问题，那么让我们把视点放大点。中国已经成为世界的制造业中心，我们还是农民？可能么？

也许我们不想承认，但答案是肯定的。中国人消费像农民。勤俭节约是自古以来的美德。不然怎么解释明明知道这美元积累的越多越可能不值钱还累积起一天十个亿的贸易顺差？艺术上，一线的也是农民当家。张艺谋莫言，农民。春晚最受欢迎的小品还是农民。CCP首先也是农民，虽然西方的评论家喜欢用一些不着边际的形而上的词。如果一个评论家需要批评中国的粮食自给政策的话，显然是太过努力用力过猛了；更糟的是，显然没有吸取这贴子里的智慧。;) 就算中国积累了点钱伤脑筋想要买点资产，我们看起来还是农民。华尔街左边高兴的接过不构成控股资产的钱右边媒体政客就开始抨击。中国唯一能确认买到的是众咨询公司的巨额咨询费。

说多了，让我们回到最近热门的奥运话题上来。中国人不管是政府还是民众为什么这么在乎奥运会？恭喜你答对了，因为我们是农民，是想要加入工业社会的派对但几十年太迟的农民。也许我们需要承认需要拥抱我们是农民这一事实。

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