Occupy Beijing?

There’s a really interesting Chinese take on the Occupy Wall Street movement posted in translation on the China Geeks blog. In sharp contrast to the official Beijing view, which is that the Occupy protests show the decadence and crumbling of American society, writer Wu Yun sees the street protests as the signs of a healthy society and longs for similar street protests in Beijing – on Chang’An Ave., the broad road which runs in front of the Forbidden City. Th eone you know from the picture of that brave man standing in front of a tank.

His key point:

Democracy clearly has its flaws, but OWS shows not the defects of democracy but its advantages. That protestors do not “go missing” is thanks to the benefits of democracy, and the lack of violent conflict or loss of social order is an example of its accomplishments. The US government has not condemned, suppressed or sympathised with the movement, nor have the crowds challenged the legitimacy of the government or the democratic system itself. Rather, OWS is happening precisely within that democratic framework.