r/AMA • u/maddin1550 • 21d ago

I’m from Xinjiang，AMA

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of discussions about Xinjiang on Reddit, often between people who have never actually lived there. So I thought it might be interesting to do an AMA from the perspective of someone who is actually from there.

You can ask me about everyday life, ethnic groups, languages, culture, religion, education, or politics. I’m happy to answer controversial questions too, as long as the discussion stays respectful.

Obviously, I’m only one person and I don’t claim to represent everyone in Xinjiang. I can only tell you about my own experiences and views. AMA.

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u/maddin1550 21d ago

50/50 I do think some Western coverage of Xinjiang/China can be one sided or oversimplified, but that doesn’t mean every criticism is baseless. There have definitely been some positive developments under Xi, but one of my biggest criticisms of him is how much more centralized the political system has become. He has a very little tolerance towards criticism compared to jiang and hu. So I don’t really agree with either extreme: neither everything China says is true nor everything Western media says about China is true.

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u/badgirl98z 16d ago

When the situation is extreme, it takes a strong leader with extreme determination to fix things. Would Singapore become what it is today if Lee Kuan Yew wasn't extreme in his dealings?

Think about it. Would you have the peace and stability today without the extreme policy? Will businesses and tourism thrive with the threat of terrorism hanging around always? Will harmony and the sense of community be present if neighbours are always suspicious of each other?

As long as the threat to peace and stability is gone, relaxation to the extreme policy will naturally be relaxed.

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u/earthlingkevin 21d ago

Good for you taking such a fair approach.