“Filled with Righteous Indignation”: Chinese students studying abroad reflect on “patriotism” and patriotic education-ABC News

Arthur Wang still remembers a passage about the national flag the teacher said when he was in elementary school.

“If the national flag falls on the ground, you have to pick it up,” the 21-year-old international student recalled.

Mr. Wang remembers reading stories about the “Long March” of the Chinese Communist Party in textbooks. From 1934 to 1935, during the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Communist Party failed in its fifth anti-encirclement and suppression campaign and began the “Long March” during which Mao Zedong established the leadership of the party.

Mr. Wang also recalled that he had learned stories about the sacrifices of soldiers during the Anti-Japanese War.

Mr. Wang from Harbin came to Melbourne to study in 2015. He said that what he learned in school since childhood has had an impact on him so far.

“I think I am patriotic,” Mr. Wang said.

“If I’m here in Australia[因为中国人的身份]When being bullied, I will stand up and resist. “

Cultivate a patriotic generation

The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of ideological education for young people. After the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4th in 1989, the Chinese Communist Party began to call for the strengthening of patriotic education for students.

Coupled with the impact of the collapse of the authoritarian regimes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1994, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the “Outline for the Implementation of Patriotism Education” to force primary and secondary schools across the country to incorporate patriotism education into the curriculum standards.

The document stipulates that “to carry out the long history education of the Chinese nation”, “to understand the spirit and achievements of the Chinese people in opposing foreign aggression and oppression, resisting decadent rule, striving for national independence and liberation, and going forward and succeeding in blood.”

This includes teaching students the historical concept of “a hundred years of shame”. This refers to China’s “bullying” of China from the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century by foreign powers since the Opium War.

“[百年耻辱]It is by telling certain stories in Chinese history to emphasize that the problems come from foreign countries, not China, and we, as Chinese, must defend ourselves,” said Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. William A Callahan told ABC Chinese.

Berry Lee is 39 years old this year. He is the first generation to be affected after the implementation of the “Outline of Implementation of Patriotism Education” in China.

Mr. Li came to Sydney to study in 2004. He told ABC Chinese that among the patriotism education he received while studying, he was most impressed by an independent “ideological and political course” that would “teach you something to be a human being.” “The reason of “,” such as “pay attention to hygiene”, “love labor” and so on.

In addition, Berry still remembers that this course will also cover China’s political system and the way the Communist Party operates, and will “tie the history of patriotism and the party.”

“When you were young, you would think this was a natural part, and you would not think that there was a special reason for taking an ideological and political class,” Mr. Li said.

Many international students interviewed by ABC Chinese stated that China is not the only country that conducts patriotic education. They emphasized that Australia also has patriotic education. For example, the school will arrange the morning prayer ceremonies of the Anzac Corps and Australia National Day activities.

“everywhere”

Patriotism education is not limited to the classroom.

Mona Ma (Mona Ma) is 30 years old, studying in Melbourne. She recalled that when she was in school, the school organized students to visit museums to learn about Chinese history.

Ms. Ma said that in school, each class regularly draws a “blackboard newspaper”, and when encountering specific days such as Children’s Day, National Day, and “July 1” Party Founding Day, relevant topics should be drawn.

Ms. Ma still remembers that when she was in elementary school, she participated in the flag-raising ceremony every Monday. The school would require students to “dress neatly” and wear a red scarf, the symbol of the Young Pioneers. The Young Pioneers is a youth organization created by the Communist Party of China.

Professor Ke Lanan said that patriotism education is China’s “longest and most successful political propaganda campaign.”

“One of the reasons why patriotism education is so successful is that it is a multimedia movement and it is everywhere,” said Professor Ke Lan’an.

“It appears in the news, it appears in entertainment, it appears in comics, movies and TV shows.”

“because of this[对他们来说]It is normal that they understand China in this way. “

Can Chinese students see China critically?

Mr. Wang believes that patriotic education does not expressly stipulate how students should be patriotic, but it will imply that patriotism of students means that criticism of China is not allowed.

“It’s not that we learned that we can’t speak bad words about China, but that through its educational methods, you feel that other people, people from other countries, can’t insult our country,” said Mr. Wang, who agreed with what he learned.

Sally Ding (Sally Ding) is a Chinese student studying in Melbourne, now 26 years old. She said that when she was a teenager, she felt personally “under attack” when she heard critical remarks about China.

“I was at that time when you knew something, but in fact you didn’t.[全部]Time,” she said.

She added that after starting university, she began to realize the existence of patriotic education and began to reflect on the education she had received before.

“You start to receive more information, you have critical thinking, and you start to think about what you have learned,” Ms. Ding said.

Zhang Wei is a PhD candidate in Education at Edith Cowan University, researching how Australian students view Chinese patriotic education. She pointed out that her research shows that many international students believe that “being critical” can be equated with “being aggressive.”

Zhang Wei pointed out that the patriotic education received by many international students in Australia emphasized the achievements of the CCP. At the same time, these students also witnessed China’s tremendous economic development.

She said that many international students are puzzled as to why the West has been criticizing China and only pays attention to China’s “negative events”, but not China’s efforts to help people get rid of poverty and develop the economy.

“Psychologically, it is difficult for them to accept such a different way of thinking.”

“Buried in the heart of every teenager”

After taking office, Chinese President Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, began to call for the strengthening of patriotic education for young people. Xi Jinping stated that he should “patriotism education as an eternal theme” and “bury the seeds of loving China in the depths of the hearts of every teenager.”

Katja Drinhausen, a senior analyst at the Mercator Research Center in Germany, said that the CCP’s strengthening of patriotic education for young people has been affected by demonstrations in Hong Kong in recent years.

“They think that if young people are exposed to wrong information, they will have harmful thoughts just like people say.”

Among the international students in Australia, 39% are from China. A recent report by the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch expressed concern about the erosion of academic freedom in Australian universities by patriotic Chinese students.

In the report, some pro-democracy Chinese students were harassed for making comments critical of the Chinese government. In 2019, after large-scale demonstrations broke out in Hong Kong, pro-Beijing and pro-democracy international students had several fierce confrontations on Australian campuses.

“In foreign universities, when something goes against China’s interests, some Chinese student organizations will take action and conflicts may arise. This is because for these students, they have never been exposed to criticisms against their country and government. “Dellinghausen said.

“Therefore, understanding the stories behind these, understanding how Chinese students learn and understand the world, and understanding why they feel obligated to speak for China is crucial to finding solutions later.”

Professor Ke Lan’an, who teaches Chinese politics at the university, also teaches Chinese students. He agrees with Dlinghausen’s point of view.