I spent the past week in Macau. In case you didn't know, Macau is part of China, but you need a passport to cross from Macau into China and vice-versa. Macau has it's own separate government, but it is subservient to the government in Beijing, while at the same time being independent. Don't worry, you didn't mis-read that last sentence. China censors and regulates its internet and blocks certain websites, such as Facebook, Twitter and "The New York Times". While Macau is part of China, you can freely access the internet in Macau. Gambling is illegal in China and, though Macau is part of China, gambling is not only legal in Macau, it is the life-blood of the city. In fact, its gambling revenues are annually over four times that of Las Vegas. The top picture (above) is of one of the casino districts (The second picture is of an "Earth Door Altar" which is seen all over the city and is constantly fed with incense, making the city very fragrant). In China, the official language is Mandarin Chinese, while in Macau, they primarily speak Cantonese. Portuguese is also written all over, as Macau was a Portuguese colony for about 450 years. However, it was given back to China in 1999.
CONFUSED YET? Hong Kong has a similar story, though it was a British colony. Macau and Hong Kong are the two "Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China". Quite a mouthful. When the decision was first made to return Hong Kong to China, most outside observers, particularly from North America and Europe believed that Hong Kong would be swallowed up by China (as was East Germany after re-unification). China said not to worry, it would be "One Country, Two Systems," in other words, Hong Kong would retain its own system of government, economy, etc. Most in the West scoffed at this and prepared for re-absorption. However, we were wrong. Today, Hong Kong and Macau are as different from Mainland China as they were under colonization. We, in the West, repeatedly get China wrong because we interpret it from a western perspective and from western experience. China, Hong Kong and Macau have managed, though often with much difficulty, to maintain separate systems (though, it is clear that Beijing has quite a bit of pull in both cities).
To add to this, there is the issue of Taiwan. China says that Taiwan is, and always has been a part of China. Some Taiwanese and some foreign governments disagree, or at least choose not to comment on the issue. China has numerous missiles aimed at the island and has vowed to take it back by force, if it declares independence. Taiwan elects its own leaders, has a distinct political and economic system and has different visa rules. From a western perspective, it is clearly a separate country. But interpreting the situation in this way ignores the Mainland Chinese perspective. As the Chinese show from Macau and Hong Kong, they see no reason that different places within one country cannot have completely distinct systems. Adding to this confusion are the "Autonomous regions" in China such as Tibet, Xinjiang and Guangxi. They are provinces of China, yet, at least in name, have relatively more self-determination.
This is confusing and enigmatic to an outside observer, however, it is important for outside observers to attempt to understand that this makes sense to most Chinese. I hesitate to use the analogy, though it is, in some ways, similar to the European Union being united yet containing distinct countries with their own systems.
In any case, Macau really does have a very different feel than Mainland China. Macau is much more organized, sanitary and cosmopolitan. In Mainland China, cars do not stop for pedestrians, in Macau, they usually do. If you could stand on top of the border crossing between Macau and Zhuhai (the city just inside China across the border) you could clearly see the different systems in practice.
In China, there are few words more cherished that "united". The government in Beijing is constantly emphasizing the importance of keeping the country united. So, China watchers tend to be on the edge of their seats to see if, in fact, China can maintain one country with so many different systems. Keeping the civilization of China united is much easier than keeping the country of China united. In other words, keeping China "united" depends very much upon how "Chinese" the people of Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan feel, how much they identify themselves with China.
If you are confused....good. That means you are being pulled from of your comfort zone and closer to an understanding. If you are not confused...good. That means you understand an important aspect of this rising civilization/country.
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