[Topic] It feels like people in those years were more down-to-earth, without the flamboyance of today. My family used to subscribe to newspapers, and when I was cleaning out the cabinet today, I accidentally came across a few of them. It felt like the newspapers back then were quite modest, without any wolf-warrior mentality, and people were relatively rational, not so party-media-oriented.
Magazines of the time, basketball clubs, the comics of Ah Shuai, looking through them, I felt that there was no malice in the people of society during those years. There were also classic TV shows like "Bright Sword," "Family with Kids," and "My Own Swordsman," the atmosphere of which has since vanished from our society.
I was only 7 or 8 years old at that time and didn't remember much. College students back then were probably the long-haired 80s generation, and their thinking was different from today's college students.
So, I feel that the atmosphere in China, and even the whole world, during those years was not bad.
Do any of you have memories from a political, liberal, diplomatic, economic, etc., perspective of those years? It seems that nothing particularly outstanding happened in China during those years.
L****:
As a person born in the '70s or '80s, I find the covert nostalgia for the Jiang-Hu era on Pincong (a platform for expressing ideas) puzzling.
In terms of age, I am an '80s child who has spanned the entire post-Mao era of Hu Yaobang, Zhao Ziyang, Jiang, Hu, and Xi. I'm very clear that the political relaxation during the Jiang-Hu era wasn't because Jiang or Hu were more enlightened, but simply due to a lack of Internet censorship and a deficiency in fooling the masses, creating a window of freedom of speech.
In reality, social injustice was more prevalent during the Jiang-Hu era, and the measures taken were more brutal. It was harder for the lower classes. I personally witnessed incidents like a rights-defending village secretary being hit and killed by a car, and people carrying the coffin in protest being suppressed. The violence and corruption were far worse then, but some of this improved after Xi came to power. This might be counterintuitive, but if you delve into the lower strata of society, you'll understand that most of Xi's supporters are the lower-class people in small county towns. They are the primary beneficiaries of anti-corruption drives, targeted poverty alleviation, New Rural Cooperative Medical Care, agricultural housing reform, and urban demolition. This is Xi's base, and also the main source of the wolf-warrior mentality.
As for the Great Firewall, it was never a problem for our generation. For example, in Jiang's early years, the Internet was not walled. Then, with the advent of Falun Gong, we used Freegate, and when the Great Firewall came, we used VPN, and so on.
What makes people uncomfortable is precisely that there is still hope. For someone like me, who has fully experienced the whole process of speech suppression, the suppression during Xi's time is easy to accept—it's inevitable, and I even don't bother to curse him.
I still remember the day when Xi amended the constitution to remove term limits. My father and I saw the news and looked at each other, smiling with helplessness and bitterness.
All of this was destined from the summer of 1989... I was young then. That summer, while I was spinning a top in the yard, my father walked in with a frown, furiously throwing his documents on the ground, murmuring, "How could the People's Army shoot at students? Has it become the Kuomintang?"
That was my first memory of the June 4th incident...
My father was among the few educated in our county town, and I don't know how that incident affected him. But after that, he spoke very little.
A few years later, around 1992 or 1993, he walked into the bedroom and said to my mother, "Union leaders have become appointed by superiors; can this still be called a union?" My mother, also a university graduate, lowered her head and said, "Don't worry about it, just live your own life."
These two memories formed my initial view of Chinese politics.
In fact, the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989 was a watershed moment. After that, idealism within and outside the party largely vanished. Communism went bankrupt, and the sole purpose of life for most became making money or immigrating. You can see the movie "Summer Palace," which well describes the changes in young people's mental state before and after 1989.
Returning to the present.
A few days ago, Cai Xia said well: The party itself has become a zombie. Since the 1989 crackdown, idealists like Zhao Ziyang were either overthrown or exiled, and the party has turned into a mafia controlled by the red elite. Technocrats are mere servants, capitalists are compradors, lower-level party members are thugs, and the lower classes are sheer chives.
I agree with most of Pincong's views on Xi, such as his accelerating decline, but I have a slightly different opinion: Xi's dictatorship is more like a red idealist's last counterattack against a desperate reality. Though he's indeed a bit foolish, especially in propaganda and economic methods.
From his perspective, he could have continued like his predecessors, until everything collapsed, then fled with his wealth. But he didn't. He offended almost everyone: the red second generation, bureaucrats, capitalists, liberal intellectuals. Now he holds only the military and the lower-level wolf-warriors and young nationalists. These ensure his temporary safety.
As for where this broken car is headed, there are only three possibilities:
Raise the banner of nationalism, divert contradictions through foreign wars, and create a pure authoritarian society based on a planned economy and militarism.
Admit defeat, change the leadership, continue patching things up, and relax censorship temporarily, making everyone feel better but, frankly, meaning nothing.
Decentralize, democratize, hold a referendum before stepping down, and maybe stay one or two terms more using transitional justice.
I can't judge which will happen as both domestic and international situations are terrible with many variables.
But one fundamental reality must be mentioned: there are many supporters of Xi Jinping in China, especially among the lower classes. You may call them foolish or brainwashed, but I must emphasize that the power of the brainwashed is indeed a force, even more potent than the so-called awakened, who are all cynics.
Like me...
Mai****:
In 2004, the online environment was similar to Taiwan's, where everyone was polite, rarely insulting others, and of course, there were more people bragging. Sadly, by 2006, censorship started to take place within a limited scope, and people began to shift to foreign platforms. At that time, without the Great Firewall, everyone went to external websites with Chinese content like MSN, Blogspace, Taiwan's Xiute, etc. By the end of 2007, there were Chinese clones of Twitter, even earlier than Weibo, which were harmonized by 2009.
Around 2004, Baidu was like an adult site; no matter what you searched for, adult content would appear. Their own advertising network was essentially an adult image network, with Baidu's official site displaying various adult images. Around 2009, Baidu Video was outrageous, showing directly on the map what movie you were watching, even if you wanted to watch adult content, you could just find a university...
In 2004, 512k ADSL was 80 yuan a month; 20 years later, 200m is still 80 yuan a month, never reducing the price. The ADSL modem that was given at the time ran for 15 years without ever being turned off.
In 2004, at a small restaurant, a stir-fried vegetable dish was 5 yuan, meat dishes around 10 yuan, and on the streets, buns and noodles generally cost around 3 yuan for a meal.
Politically, there's not much to remember, and the freedom of the people was actually not much different from now. Various forced demolitions and arrests were always happening, only then, people were generally unaware. Those who focused on these aspects would know a lot, but of course, they didn't make as big a fuss as they do now.
It seems it was in 2006 when the "50-cent party" (internet trolls) started to appear, and I remember it vividly. They were piloted on NetEase news, with a large number of robot-like positive comments under a news article about Wen Jiabao, which completely confused me. Unfortunately, they didn't work every day and only targeted the top leaders, so they were soon exposed.
In 2007, the Shanxi black brick kiln incident occurred, where local officials teamed up with welfare center people to kidnap individuals and force them into slave labor at brick kilns. Many died in the brick factories. When the news broke, it revealed a vast network of complicity, but the incident was eventually swept under the rug. Similar news stories have continued to surface sporadically even now.
Ta***:
From 2004 to 2007, I was still young, but I remember that at that time, doing business seemed to really depend on connections. Ordinary people couldn't open a store without some connections, and it wouldn't work without bribing the leaders.
Later, when Xi Jinping (referred to as "Baozi" here) took office in 2012, there was indeed a significant opening in the business sector. People could start a business or open a shop by simply following procedures, so many supported him at that time. Because of the dog-eat-dog situation, the anti-corruption effects were visibly substantial at that time, and the CCP's propaganda work also began to be widely conducted. That was also the period when nationalist sentiment (referred to as "Pink" here) began to grow explosively.
However, these advances have all receded in recent years. The campaigns against organized crime have become a joke. I could see the effects of anti-corruption when Xi took office, but I really can't see the effects of the campaigns against organized crime. The control over speech is becoming more and more severe, and Xi doesn't seem to have the ambition and determination he once had. Anyone who has mixed in society can see the words "mediocre" written on his forehead.
When asked if I still have hope for the CCP? Speaking selfishly, I do, but not for Xi Jinping, but for Li Keqiang (referred to as "Li Kejiang" here). However, that hope is merely that Li Keqiang won't suppress speech like Xi or put heavy pressure on Hong Kong and Taiwan like Xi did. Nowadays, anti-corruption and anti-organized crime campaigns in China are no longer important to me. The long-standing problems in Chinese society cannot be solved by the CCP, and I have long become accustomed to everything. Even the so-called "younger generation" are adept at manipulating bureaucracy, and this group of people, whether at the top or bottom, will only get worse, not better. But I'm just very angry.
Deleted:
Corruption was relatively serious, and civil servants had good benefits, but everyone still had opportunities to make money and get rich.
At that time, there were many street stalls, and the food was quite tasty. Vendors selling snacks and clothes were running all over the place. The streets were somewhat chaotic, but they were full of vitality, not as lifeless as they are now.
Back then, if you took care of the official connections while doing business, there was money to be made. A lot of investment was pouring into our city, and it was bustling with activity (now, after the pandemic, all you see are signs for businesses for sale, or billboards with public welfare slogans).
Prices were generally not high, and a bowl of beef noodles cost 5 yuan locally (now it has risen to 12 yuan a bowl, and the portion is not as large as before).
Although there was promotion of patriotic thoughts, very few people actually cared about ideology. Everyone was busy making money and living their daily lives.
People were indeed more simple and kind-hearted, and patriotism was sincere at that time.
Culturally, it was far superior to now. I remember good shows like "Young Justice Bao," "Song Ci," and "My Own Swordsman." In the evenings, the children's channels played Japanese and Korean comics, and some music videos were played all over the streets, with familiar melodies cleansing the ears. Online discussions on platforms like Tieba were not censored, and everyone eagerly debated without resorting to crude insults as people do now.
Also, people were not as restless as they are now, which seems to be driven by selfishness above all else. Articles all have clickbait titles, and under public accounts, all you see are people cursing.
B****:
The computer at home was equipped in 2006, with 512M of memory and ADSL broadband using a telephone line, with speeds of 1M/2M/4M, and annual fees.
I was too young to fully understand the social atmosphere, but I could sense it.
At that time, the Internet was very open, and it wasn't just the Internet, traditional media were also very strong, and criticism was allowed.
For domestic affairs, ask Baidu; for international matters, ask Google; for real estate matters, ask Tianya.
Earlier on, these older folks were all playing in chat rooms, which I haven't experienced.
Of course, at that time, Baidu Tieba allowed anonymous posting, leaving an IP address with an asterisk.
There were sensitive words, but you could circumvent them, and it wouldn't hinder understanding.
There was no Zhihu back then, and various forums had experts. There was no real-name system, and people could speak freely. As long as there were no personal attacks or blatant political metaphors, posts wouldn't be arbitrarily deleted.
At that time, there was a need to play foreign server games. Due to the lower quality of mainland players, cheating, cursing, etc., proxy servers were already available.
Early socksV5, just find a web proxy, later PPTP VPN, L2TP VPN. Playing games taught you about scientific Internet access for the next 10 years in advance.
Finally, around 2013, Google announced its withdrawal from the mainland, temporarily allowing access to google.hk, and then it disappeared completely.
From then on, the Chinese Internet was declared dead.
Wo****:
Was this question tailor-made for someone nostalgic like me?
I miss Xiaolin, which died around 2015 or 2016. Although there are similar magazines now, they are not bold at all. Political sketches are all about corrupt officials falling from grace and anti-corruption, without any interest.
Also, the sky used to be blue, filled with sunshine, but now it's all smog, just like the social environment. Previously, public opinions and thoughts were lively, but now there is a stifling sense of decay. However, due to my age, I don't have a clear memory of that time. With media censorship, the vilification of beauty and wealth, the mad mockery of Trump while turning a blind eye to domestic political issues, and the constant defense and whitewashing of the wrongs, this is my youth. I once saw a post on Tianya Community about the Nanjing University dismemberment case, and someone replied below, "This is the sad China!" without being scolded. A few days ago, I looked up the content of the Republic of China's "New Youth" magazine on Wikipedia, full of admiration for America, Britain, and France. If it were today, it would be labeled as "worshiping foreign countries." Lu Xun has been stigmatized, Hu Shih has been called a traitor and left-wing, the pursuit of democracy by Hongkongers is seen as stupid, and so on. This makes me reminisce about a past I never experienced and think that change in China under the Communist dictatorship is impossible. How much of a burden is the dust of the times on every young person willing to think, and every surviving liberal and democrat?
"Learn from Western advanced systems," and you will be condemned today. What's advanced about the West? You must be a part of the hate-China crowd! People around me even like Mao Zedong, hate America madly, despise the Hong Kong movement; it's so annoying, there's no end to it~
Prices were also cheaper back then. Breakfast stalls were everywhere, and there were many markets. In recent years, many have been demolished under the banner of urban appearance, moved to specific indoor locations, without noticing any advantages. There are also cameras everywhere in schools, along with facial recognition, etc. Even daydreaming gets you reported, making it seem like a "1984" Big Brother society. In such an environment, all I feel is fear.
Li****:
I most remember a cotton-padded jacket I bought ten years ago for one thousand yuan, which was quite expensive. It was from the brand Ou Shi Li, and it was long, reaching my knees. To this day, I still wear this jacket, but the quality of the jackets in the malls now is not as good as it was ten years ago, and the prices have tripled.
Every time I return to China and see the prices, I feel they're high, not that I can't afford them, but that they're truly not worth the price. An ordinary piece of clothing priced at two or three thousand is like fooling people. What are the domestic salaries? How can they dare to mark such a high price?
Girls in China do indeed dress elegantly and beautifully, looking much better than me. I'm used to wearing hoodies, sweatpants, backpacks, and often go makeup-free when busy. When I went back to Shanghai for a visa and went shopping, I was without makeup, wearing a large coat, wide-legged pants, sneakers, and carrying a large Thermos bottle, planning to buy nice leather shoes for my wedding. Shanghai has many brands from various countries, but the sales staff ignored me and even gave me a cold look.
The mouth of my water bottle wasn't screwed tight, and it was leaking a little, but someone actually said, "Our brand is very expensive, and the soles are made of sheepskin. Your water bottle is dripping, and the shoes will be ruined." I was speechless. My water bottle only dripped one drop and hadn't even come close to the shoes. It was obviously to shoo me away.
People in China didn't seem to be like this before. My mom even said that I was being too sensitive, that people are like this now. If you don't wear a down jacket in winter, wear a dress, and carry a handbag, you'd be embarrassed to go to the mall. But compared to those delicately dressed young white-collar workers, am I not a more potential customer? I genuinely want to buy, I'm just too lazy to change into fancy clothes.
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