Kill, kill, kill

On news.sina.com.cn, a popular Chinese news site, readers can leave comments at the end of stories. While looking through the reader comments of a “news” story entitled “The Dalai Lama clique’s efforts to destroy Tibetan social stability are doomed to fail,” two friendly little cartoon police officers trotted across the bottom of my screen and saluted. The java cops informed me that I should “Stay far away from obscene pornography. Advocate a civilized Internet. Refuse to look at vulgar content. Carry forward harmonious progress.”

“Obscene pornography” is clear enough. But vulgar content? What was on my screen, on this mainstream news site, was some of the most vulgar content I've ever seen on the Internet.

Below is a translation of the first screen of the comments that came up on my computer this evening, out of thousands and thousands. I didn't pick and choose the “best” ones, I just translated all the ones on the screen. Some are typically nationalistic (and quite easy to unpack from a historian's point of view); some are simply shocking; and some, like the long one below, may have been written by government big brothers. It would of course be foolish to generalize this sampling as “typical” of China. But it is striking how widespread it is—I've noted the province where each comment originates—and it is surely a scandal that the Dalai Lama and his “clique” have close to zero sympathy in China. On a scale of hating the Dalai Lama to sympathizing with his cause, extremely few Chinese are past the stage of apathy.

The page is obviously censored (meaning absolutely no pro-Tibet comment would get through), but it's shocking that the censors allow so much violent language (from a government that constantly tells its citizens to avoid violent (and pornographic) websites). Reading this, it makes sense why so many Taiwanese are weary, and frightened, of the prospect of unification.

In fact, it's interesting how many of the comments mention Taiwan, even though Taiwan has nothing to do with the current protests in Tibet. For these kinds of Chinese nationalists, all “splittists” are the same: they want to divide the nation, and they should be condemned.

I changed some of the punctuation to fit more closely with typical English style. Some of the phrases sound a bit silly in English—in Chinese they’ve achieved normality in their ubiquity, but I'm not sure if they’re any less silly.


坚决镇压！格杀勿论！
Firmly suppress! Kill on sight with the authority of the law! (Hunan)

我们不怕 - 因为我们是一家人
We are not afraid - because we are all of the same family. (Jiangsu)

杀
Kill (Xinjiang)

对分裂首要分子，严惩不贷，杀无赦
As for the splittist ringleader, [he should be] punished mercilessly, and killed without mercy. (Ningxia)

在打击藏独和台独的势力上,要不惜一切代价,维护祖国的统一,怕啥啊!!!!!!!!!! 有十几亿炎黄子孙做盾牌,我就不信了撒!
When it comes to attacking the influence of Tibetan and Taiwanese independence movements, [we should] not hesitate for any price to safeguard the homeland's unity, fear nothing!!!!!!!!! When over 1 billion descendants of Yan Di and Huang Di [that is, Chinese people] are a shield, I don't believe they could be scattered! (Guangdong)

就一个字“杀！”，这些混球，胆敢乱我中华，杀无赦！杀无赦！
There is only one word, "kill!" These no-good bastards dare to cause chaos in my China, kill without mercy! Kill without mercy! (Sichuan)

中国是一个爱好和平的发展中国家，广大的人民在和平环境中享受着自由和民主，应该好好珍惜这个来之不易的社会环境，刚刚结束的两会又给我们的发展规划了美丽的蓝图，西藏是 一个民族问题早已有之的地区，是我们国家重点扶住的经济不发达地区，刚刚建成的进藏铁路，就是对未来西藏的发展起到积极作用的举措。
我们的国家正在进行经济建设，只有强大的经济和国力，我们才能稳定和安定，达赖一直以来以和平为幌子以西方国家的价值判断，破坏我们的安全，这种民族败类是我们整个民族的 大敌，只有我们保持了高度的警惕，保持了高度的团结，保持了高度的凝聚力，才能彻底的措败达赖的阴谋。

China is a loving and peaceful developed country, a vast people in a peaceful environment who enjoy freedom and democracy, [and should] truly cherish this hard-earned society. The just-concluded National People's Congress has given us a beautiful development blueprint. Tibet is a region with an ethnic minority problem that has existed for a long time; it's a region whose economic development is supported by our country, [for example] the recently finished railroad is an important and positive development for Tibet's future.

Our country is currently building our economy, it has a formidable economy and national strength, and we are stable. The Dalai Lama has continuously used peace as a pretense towards Western countries to destroy our country's security. This kind of minority group scum is the great enemy of our whole nation. We must simply maintain high alert, maintain strong unity, maintain strong cohesion, [and only then] can we thoroughly defeat the Dalai Lama's conspiracy. (Sichuan)

坚决维护祖国统一!对于分裂分子,我们应当坚决予以回击!
Resolutely defend our homeland's unity! As for these splittists, we should resolutely counterattack! (Sichuan)

坚持维护国家统一
Resolutely defend our homeland's unity. (Hebei)

该关就关,该杀就杀,不能手软!
If we must close then let's close [?], if we must kill then let's kill, we mustn't be softhearted! (Shaanxi)

分裂分子就是要杀无赦 统统枪毙
The splittists should be killed without mercy. All executed by shooting. (Hunan)

镇压台独，藏独分子。不能手软
Repress Taiwanese and Tibetan independence activists. Don't be softhearted. (Liaoning)

向在此次事件当中受伤的武警，公安致敬!!!
For the police who are in the middle of this situation and have been injured: pay tribute to the public security [forces]!!! (Jiangxi)

坚决维护国家的安全和统一，反对任何分裂国家的企图
Resolutely defend the homeland's security and unity, oppose any scheme that tries to split the country. (Shanghai)

坚决维护祖国统一,反对分裂分子,严惩叛乱分子,绝不手软!!!!
Resolutely defend the homeland's unity, oppose the splittists, severely punish the armed rebels, never be softhearted!!!! (Anhui)

团结!
Unite! (Sichuan)

维护国家的统一是我们每个中国人的职责!
Defending the country's unity is every Chinese person's duty! (Beijing)

杀光这些危害国家稳定的贱人们！
Kill all these sluts who are harming the stability of the country! (Hainan)

对暴乱闹事的坏分子必需严惩,不能手软!
It is essential to severely punish these rebellious evildoers who are making trouble, [we] cannot be softhearted! (Henan)

坚决打击,绝不手软,露头就打,不留一丝喘气的机会.
Resolutely attack, never be softhearted, [when they] emerge, immediately attack; do not leave behind one opportunity [for them] to keep breathing. (Sichuan)

杀,杀,杀.
Kill, kill, kill. (Zhejiang)