The famous ‘American Dream’ of the United States has been around for almost a century. Now, a new ‘Chinese Dream’ has emerged from China, drawing global attention.
In November 2012, China's ‘fifth generation’ leader Xi Jinping introduced his ‘Chinese Dream’ after taking office as the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Mr Xi stressed that, "To achieve the ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation’ is the greatest dream in modern Chinese history."
The ‘American Dream' was first defined by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book, The Epic of America. This Dream stated that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."
National Goal vs National Ethos
While the 'American Dream' centres on a personal belief that everyone can be successful in the US, the ‘Chinese Dream’ describes a common national goal.
During this year’s annual Boao Forum for Asia, President Xi further emphasised that China would achieve the 'Chinese Dream' of 'the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation' by the mid 21st century, a time when China should be a ‘prosperous, democratic, civilised and harmonious modern socialist country’.
However, the substance of the ‘China Dream’ remains widely debated because the generic “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” has not been well articulated or specified. Mr Xi has not explained the criteria and indicators required to determine 'rejuvenation'. Does this simply refer to restoring China’s former glory when it was once he greatest ever economic and political power in world history?
The Han Dynasty is generally considered a golden age in Chinese history, whereas the Tang Dynasty is regarded as a climax in Chinese civilisation.
Probing deeper, were the agricultural Han or Tang dynasties more prosperous than modern China in term of absolute economic power? Secondly, were these imperial dynasties more democratic than modern China? Lastly, was the feudal Han or Tang more civilised than modern China in terms of social cultures? The answers are unequivocally ‘no’.
China does not want to become another feudal and imperial Han or Tang Dynasty again. A more rational and precise interpretation of Mr Xi’s ‘rejuvenation’ should be that China hopes to restore its historical position as a global leader in terms of relative dominating power amongst the countries. Does this not contradict China’s pledge that ‘China will never seek hegemony’? That was why Mr Lee Kuan Yew, modern Singapore’s founding father, even suggested China use ‘Cultural Rejuvenation’.
To ease internal misunderstanding and external worry, the ‘Chinese Dream’ would be better articulated simply as the ‘great well-off of every Chinese economically, politically and socially’.
Top-down vs Bottom-up
Some see the ‘American Dream’ and the ‘Chinese Dream’ both sharing a common goal of building a prosperous nation and achieving personal success. But in fact, the approaches to attaining the same goal seem to be quite distinct.
The ‘American Dream’ can be considered a bottom-up approach, where the success of each American will naturally contribute to the overall prosperity of the US. In stark contrast, the ‘Chinese Dream’ should be viewed as a top-down approach where a prosperous China will eventually lead to the success of each Chinese.
The bottom-up approach in the ‘American Dream’ has proven to be somewhat successful and effective. The US has been prosperous for hundreds of years and numerous individuals have achieved their dreams in the US, such as Abraham Lincoln, Henry Kissinger, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Oprah Winfrey, Ursula Burns, John Paul Dejoria, Jay-Z, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Oher, Chris Gardner, Tyler Perry and not to forget President Barack Obama.
The American Dream, where determination and hardwork can eventually pay off, has been firmly engraved in the American psyche. The confidence in possible personal success has inspired and motivated Americans, enabling the US to be the most dynamic and innovative society in the world.
On the flip side, there is scepticism about the top-down approach in the ‘Chinese Dream’. China encourages every Chinese to build a strong nation first before pursuing individuals’ personal successes. Such ideas have propelled China to become the number two economy in the world within a short period of the past three decades.
Although the top-down approach seemed effective during the initial wealth creation phase, it is unable to fully justify fairness and equality during the subsequent wealth allocation phase. In fact, China has been facing an ironic dilemma of ‘richer nation with less well-off people’ as well as a widening income gap.
While the ‘American Dream’ leaves individuals to determine if their dreams have been realised based on their personal definitions of success, it is the government which is the sole referee for progress in the ‘Chinese Dream’.
In August 2010, an expert from China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) declared that the quantitative index of ‘the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation’ in 2010 was 0.6274. To put it simply, it meant China had successfully completed 62.7 per cent of its rejuvenation tasks; ironically, the index was only 46 per cent in 2005.
Nevertheless, this index was widely criticised due to its unscientific and flawed analytical approach. With such a tremendous gap between official data and public perception, it is not guaranteed whether individuals can benefit meaningfully from the manipulable ‘Chinese Dream’.
Collectivism vs Individualism
The key fundamental difference between the ‘Chinese Dream’ and the ‘American Dream’ originates from the different social philosophies in the two nations: socialist collectivism in China and capitalist individualism in the US.
US society believes that the interests of individuals can precede that of the state or any social groups. Such an idea is explicitly endorsed in the Declaration of Independence, which declares that "all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to insure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
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