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AIBU?

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Original poster

To feel I've been lied to about China

267 replies

Sulettamercury · 16/07/2026 22:47

I'm well aware the country is far from perfect but no where is and I've just come back for the summer after spending 2 years there working as a teacher I'm going back in a few weeks.

What I can't get over is the fact all my friends seem to be indoctrinated into thinking China is this 1984 style hell hole where you can't criticise the government or do anything without being in constant fear.

I have to say living there really opened my eyes and I was shocked when in my first months of teaching one of the Chinese workers (now a good friend) started openly moaning about government policy and I'll admit I was nervous at the time but soon realised nothing would happen and that despite what I was told no one came after her and she didn't disappear and that every one was moaning about government policy if it didn't suit them with no consequences.

The infrastructure is also wonderful and far from the cheap rubbish you're told it is and housing isn't all on the verge of collapse or at least no worse than some of the rubbish I've seen here in the UK

Again it's definitely not perfect but AIBU to say I I feel like we're lied to in the west about how bad China really is and that some of the things we accuse them of we either do ourselves or we blow out of proportion?

OP posts:
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Original poster
Sulettamercury · 16/07/2026 23:12

Minasama · 16/07/2026 23:11

I think the difference is likely to be that China is great unless you are executed. Here that can’t happen.

You know that most Western media and social media are banned, right? So they can’t freely get information apart from what the state censors allow? My Chinese colleagues couldn’t access LinkedIn or the FT.

When I went to Beijing in 1999 there were toilet blocks for the street in residential areas. They smelt awful. I’ve heard that has been cleaned up / modernised now and that Shanghai in particular is absolutely amazing.

I know they have lifted the one-child policy, but only recently and having that policy was not the act of a state for whom individual freedoms were seen as desirable.

Have you read “Wild Swans”? That’s not information coming from the west…

Edited

I don't think we have a leg to stand on when it comes to smelly public toilets in the UK lol

OP posts:
Original poster
Sulettamercury · 16/07/2026 23:11

Just to be clear my topic isn't about saying China is some sort of perfect utopia just that we aren't being told the complete truth just like they are 100% not told the complete truth about life in the west.

I can only discuss my personal experience and as I've already said I could be being very naive which was one of the reasons for starting the topic so I could get a broader opinion pool beyond my friendship group so feel free to be as critical of the subject as you like but please remember I'm just a person not a Chinese spy lol and yes I've read my OP back and realise that it embarrassingly does sound that way but it wasn't my intention

OP posts:
Minasama · 16/07/2026 23:11

I think the difference is likely to be that China is great unless you are executed. Here that can’t happen.

You know that most Western media and social media are banned, right? So they can’t freely get information apart from what the state censors allow? My Chinese colleagues couldn’t access LinkedIn or the FT.

When I went to Beijing in 1999 there were toilet blocks for the street in residential areas. They smelt awful. I’ve heard that has been cleaned up / modernised now and that Shanghai in particular is absolutely amazing.

I know they have lifted the one-child policy, but only recently and having that policy was not the act of a state for whom individual freedoms were seen as desirable.

Have you read “Wild Swans”? That’s not information coming from the west…

plsdontlookatme · 16/07/2026 23:08

APageInYourDiary · 16/07/2026 22:52

I think it depends who you talk to - two of my closest friends are Chinese, settled here and married to British men so I’ve lots of conversations with them and don’t recognise your description of China at all. Having said that, there are a lot of human rights issues there 😬

There are a lot of human rights issues in the UK, too, it's just that most people are lucky enough to be naive to them.

rhodrhi · 16/07/2026 23:05

Sulettamercury · 16/07/2026 23:00

Before everyone absolutely dog piles me I'm happy to hear other people's experiences as I'm aware I could be being naive and that 2 years in a country is still technically the honey moon period.

Where are you? Obviously not Xinjiang or Tibet? I'm guessing maybe Shanghai or Shenzen? You realise China is nearly 10mil km sq?

hahabahbag · 16/07/2026 23:04

My friend taught there, said pretty much the opposite, i suspect it’s down to where you are, your employer and your friends

JulietteHasAGun · 16/07/2026 23:03

Well it’s certainly not North Korea. I do think there’s a lot of issues though, poverty, lack of rights. Look what happened to the protestors in Hong Kong, the govt might take a bit of muttering about things but people can only push it so far. The Taiwan issue isn’t going away.

ChirpaChirpaCheepCheepChirp · 16/07/2026 23:03

It’s good to know they can criticise their government openly.

When it’s election time they’ll be able to vote against them too….. oh, wait…..

Sodthesystem · 16/07/2026 23:02

I mean some people think Scotland is still stuck in the 14th century and we don’t have tvs or phones so…

JHound · 16/07/2026 23:01

Sulettamercury · 16/07/2026 22:47

I'm well aware the country is far from perfect but no where is and I've just come back for the summer after spending 2 years there working as a teacher I'm going back in a few weeks.

What I can't get over is the fact all my friends seem to be indoctrinated into thinking China is this 1984 style hell hole where you can't criticise the government or do anything without being in constant fear.

I have to say living there really opened my eyes and I was shocked when in my first months of teaching one of the Chinese workers (now a good friend) started openly moaning about government policy and I'll admit I was nervous at the time but soon realised nothing would happen and that despite what I was told no one came after her and she didn't disappear and that every one was moaning about government policy if it didn't suit them with no consequences.

The infrastructure is also wonderful and far from the cheap rubbish you're told it is and housing isn't all on the verge of collapse or at least no worse than some of the rubbish I've seen here in the UK

Again it's definitely not perfect but AIBU to say I I feel like we're lied to in the west about how bad China really is and that some of the things we accuse them of we either do ourselves or we blow out of proportion?

You should listen to the Trevor Noah podcasy episode on “ChinaMaxxing”. He covers this really well.

Original poster
Sulettamercury · 16/07/2026 23:00

Before everyone absolutely dog piles me I'm happy to hear other people's experiences as I'm aware I could be being naive and that 2 years in a country is still technically the honey moon period.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sulettamercury · 16/07/2026 22:57

LuckyHazelFox · 16/07/2026 22:49

Like spreading a deadly contagion?

Fair point but I doubt that was done purposely as it didn't benefit them and we've started illegal wars that destabilised the entire middle east and allowed our financial institutions to cause the massive crash of 2008 that also had devastating global consequences so we're hardly in a position to act all high and mighty.

I did say they're far from perfect but I think we do make things sound much worse their than what they are

OP posts:
rhodrhi · 16/07/2026 22:57

Your experience sounds wildly different to mine OP!

BunfightBetty · 16/07/2026 22:57

This reads like planted party political propaganda from the Chinese Communist party.

MandemChickenShop · 16/07/2026 22:54

nice one!

APageInYourDiary · 16/07/2026 22:52

I think it depends who you talk to - two of my closest friends are Chinese, settled here and married to British men so I’ve lots of conversations with them and don’t recognise your description of China at all. Having said that, there are a lot of human rights issues there 😬

LuckyHazelFox · 16/07/2026 22:49

Like spreading a deadly contagion?