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In 1895, the British sought to extend their empire by gaining influence over Tibet. Chinese perception of history is that its humiliating decline in the 19th and first half of 20th centuries was in good part to seizure by foreign powers of areas that had hitherto been part of the Chinese informal empire or space. Chinese associate the sustainability of their nation on the basis of maintaining national territorial integrity. They are also extremely susceptible to interference from the West and Japan on the basis of what they perceive as having endured.
the fact that the attacks on the Olympic torch relay are being seen as attacks on the Chinese are not surprising, nor are they entirely unjustified. This is causing a great deal of emotional and ultimately nationalist outpouring. I should add, it is quite amazing and equally distressing how in this so-called knowledge age people are so appallingly badly informed and see little of reality beyond caricatures and stereotypes. Tibet's "image" is in many respects a fabrication of Hollywood, and being pro- Tibetan independence is political correctness big time!
That is sad. Sadder is the absence of responsible political leadership. The Angela Merckels and Gordon Browns and Sarkozys should be telling their people to pipe down and stop being infantile. There are many ways to protest about human rights abuses. This kind of charade is not one of them.
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