This is one area "Qi si wo le". I suppose that perhaps Im being a bit too nit-picky but irks me to no end when I hear people discussing their political views regarding China and their distaste for the "Chinese". (In other words, lumping the people and thier govt. together as one) Perhaps because my fiance is Chinese, born and raised and the fact that I have actually spent time abroad in China off and on, that I am able to distinguish between the Chinese govt. and the Chinese people with the utmost clairty. Chinese people are some of the finest and most genuinely kind-hearted human beings that I have ever met. It has long been my experience that if you ask most Chinese people how they feel about their govt. they will express thier strong disatisfactions with the govt. but then reply that there is no point in worrying over it for there is nothing they can do to change it.
Most of them are truly peace loving people at heart and simply do not have an interest in politics as long as they are able to live in peace and feed their families. I wish more Americans could undergo the rich experience of spending time in China amongst their people, perhaps many would become humbled as well as find a greater respect for America.
You know, I used to hear ALL the time during the Cold War that, "Well, the Russian PEOPLE are the greatest/they are really good people, but their Soviet Government is what stinks." We could empathize with their lot because they looked like us in many respects (if you are a white American').
You really don't often hear such de-linking of the people and their communist oppressors in China. I have only one plausible explanation for that.