I think the "crazy" aspect coming into play is an iteration of the world-shattering view that occurs when a child realizes his or her parents are just people, not infallible perfect protectors. This fundamentally changes the view of the world for a person because a fundamental truth is no longer true. This change can be viewed as "crazy" and reality becomes more chaotic in the new world view.<p>I believe the same thing is happening right now in modern China. Simply substitute constituents and the oligarchy instead for the child and parent. When the citizens realize the infallible groupthink propaganda touted by the ruling class is in fact being touted by people inflicted with the human condition, they also experience a change in world view. Again, this change is "crazy" and more chaotic: A fundamental truth in their world view is no longer true.<p>Remember, China favored building a society on Confucianism where society had a set order. There is no room for the chaos in a Confucian society. However, the less-promoted Dao De Jing was written in an attempt to perfectly capture the chaos, contradictions, and hypocrisies of reality. And in a way, applying its teachings to itself indicates it both succeeds and fails in doing so.<p>The "ultra-unrealism" that the author keeps espousing seems to me a reaction for coming to grips to the mind-expanding change that comes when realizing a truth previously fundamental is no longer true. I am not trying to dismiss their feelings but am appreciating the personal growth. I hope others do too.
So, some corrupt officials, a polygamist, a wanted official seeking asylum in a foreign consulate, and restaurants reusing cooking oil too much is an example of "unreality"?<p>Where exactly did the author grew up in? Cushioned upper class life, or Disneyland?<p>And those examples in a country with over a billion people? You can find all those examples in Africa, Asia, South America, etc.<p>A lot of those are hardly uncommon in the West either, just in more "white collar" versions. Restaurants re-using cooking-oil? Tons of restaurant are closed every year for just that and worse hygienic offenses. Or we have some company like VW falsifying emissions data (and lately, it comes out that several other companies did), impacting the environment in a huge scale.<p>Corrupt politicians? We have Presidents and PMs, senators and MPs openly retiring and joining the boards of companies they helped during their political career.<p>Heck, in Mexico the mob abducted 140+ students, executed them all together, and for the country it was business as usual for the country.<p>And those are examples or unreality? LOL.
I only skimmed the article since reading familiar @#$% in Chinese context in another language made me feel sick. I think this guy is just like many other Chinese that want to make a claim on a global stage with little awareness of what the reality on that stage might be. They often coin a concept for China and claim its uniqueness and somewhat advancement. People are easy to make that kind of claim when all they can see are just raw observations, especially when they think they know what they observed.
Sorry but I really don't think "chaohuan" is a Chinese word. I don't like the author's writing style, use measures instead of the content to gain readers interest. Also I agree with some fact in the article, but it overemphasizes the bad side and neglect the good side. I agree the "Good fortune is that wherein disaster lurks", but I don't think we should stop progressing because of the afraid of the disters. There is also another Chinese saying "Righting a wrong must first Overcorrect", although it's saying overcorrect but I think it's saying all the cost of doing right. And the bad side can be seen by the public is because the Chinese government is doing something to deal with the bad things.
I don't know about 'new'. I read Dos Passos's _U.S.A._ trilogy many years ago, and what I kept thinking in reading articles and essays about China's modernization over the past decades is, 'it's <i>just</i> like in Dos Passos!' Especially when you read about some Chinese businessman who has founded a dozen businesses none of which have anything to do with each other after starting as a beggar or something, I kept finding it an echo of the people in Passos. China is really in a similar stage as the USA was in the Gilded Age, right down to the muckrakers in Hong Kong and private security agencies.
Whilst I'm sure China has some 'ultra-unreal' situations, I don't think anything it can produce will top this one... 62 people have the same level of wealth as half the world's population. If you're talking ultra-unreal, nothing else is likely to come close to global inequality.<p><a href="http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/62-people-own-same-as-half-world-says-oxfam-inequality-report-davos-world-economic-forum" rel="nofollow">http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/...</a>
The author's examples of so-called ultra-unreal are not so new. Like there were no corrupt courtesans in olden days?<p>Re: The Internet: It doesn't necessitate a new genre anymore than the invention of the telephone did. Good literature incorporates technology just where it's needed to move the plot along and it's all just window dressing over the basic proverbs and parables at the core.
Hey, look, no offense China.. but you ain't that crazy.<p>Also... this has been going on in the US for decades.. and if you think China is ultra-unreal, AVOID Japan.