Thank you to everyone who supports these projects on Patreon. I wouldn't be able to devote so much time and so many resources to one video otherwise. I'm trying to make the best work I can, and the donations really do make it possible. If you'd like to chip in and support me, check out www.patreon.com/rchapman. Video notes below. Many are questioning the 'rule of law in the USA' section of this video after the July 1st 2024 SCOTUS ruling, which said that presidents are presumed to be immune from prosecution for official acts as outlined in the constitution. Frankly I don't disagree. It does seem to throw the concept of rule of law in the USA into question. We're in an unprecedented moment in American history, and the best I can say here is that we'll have to see how it plays out in practice. It also occurred to me that I should clarify what I meant at the end, saying 'the basic story of China is the story of a country that's kept to itself.' I was feeling pressure to wrap up the video and was probably too brief there. 1) I was referring to the last, say, 2000 years of Chinese history, roughly since China unified under the Qin dynasty. 2) That's a relativistic argument, saying that China has been remarkably nonaggressive considering its size and power throughout history. China has, throughout most of those 2000 years, mostly kept to itself. It has been aggressive on occasion, particularly to countries bordering it, but those instances are rare when comparing China to other great powers. Also, like I said in the video, that might be changing. China might be becoming more aggressive in the 21st century. That's yet to be born out in a hot war, but many argue that we're seeing signs of it. Hopefully that added some clarity and nuance. I saw many comments taking issue with me saying the CCP is above the law. Most seem to be coming to the conclusion that the law is above the CCP by pointing at cases where members of the CCP are tried by the court system (like when members are tried for corruption). If that's your view, it seems that you're not understanding the concept of rule of law. I made a follow-up video elaborating on that: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iLFli5ClrqfDcX0.html Lastly, if you're wondering why I didn't cover Legalism in this video, I saw that as being one 'ism' too far for an introductory video. The basic dynamic between Legalists and Confucians was that Legalists tried to push China towards a country governed by law (though this never translated into rule of law, where even the highest political authorities are constrained by law), and the Confucians tried to push China in a direction where elders and leaders ruled via their discretion, not law. Influence from Legalists meant that China had a fairly strong legal tradition from fairly early on, but never rule of law, which is still true to this day. In hindsight, I probably should have cut about a minute of 'linear vs. lateral' and added a little section on Legalism. - Ryan

Don't be embarrassed to promote yourself! You're awesome (researched, well spoken, without being overly emotional) The world needs more people like you!

Really great content. We have an old saying here in China "当局者迷，旁观者清" can be loosely translated to "the chess player cannot see the whole view, while the bystanders are capable of having a better take". Sometimes we need other perspectives from people from different cultures and political atmospheres, it helps us grow!

I am a Chinese who both absorb from not only east but west, I read the ancient classics of both in China and West. Your observation is so detailed and you unveil the nuances between China and USA, thank you for making this video.

At long last, a video about the subject without preconceived notions of what is correct and what is wrong, but purely as an exploration of what is. Well done!

Such a well-made video. Its rare to see a Westerner who actually tries to understand the Chinese and their way of thinking, and not just blindly criticize and regard them as a threat. The world would be a much better place if people are more educated and more understanding to different cultures and values.

As someone who teaches Chinese language, I find the lateral thinking part is reflected in the language itself. Chinese languages (regardless of regional varieties) rely heavily on context. In European languages, a verb as simple as it is, can carry a lot of information. For example, "to go" is the infinitive form, it only bears the semantic meaning. No other information can be extracted from it. But when you conjugate it, like "goes" you instantly know when this action happens (present), how many people are doing the action (only one and it has to be the third person). English is one of the least "flavourful" ones, comparing to Spanish, French, Greek, Portuguese, Russian, German etc. If you add Latin to that mix it is even crazier. But in Chinese languages, a verb is a verb. No tense, no number, no subject-verb agreement. If you ask how do you know when the action happens? You will get this answer "depends on the context." "How do you know whether it's a he or a she?" "Well, from the context, duh?" "How do you know that the person means 'to cause' and not 'faeces'?" "Again, from the context! Why would faeces suddenly appear in a sentence about good news and excited?" Kidding aside, it is very true that there isn't any inherent dualism or dichotomy in Chinese culture. Things are never either back or white. This extends to the our inventions. Why invent so many different knives when you can have one that does everything? Why invent so many pots and pans when a wok can do all those things just fine? Why have a dessert fork, dining fork, salad fork, pitchfork when you can have a pair of chopsticks? Because in the end, if you only allowed to choose a wok or a pan, wok can always accomplish more. When asked is a wok a pan or a pot? The answer is always "it depends."

After the recent Supreme Court decision for executive immunity, 7:10 did not hold up very well

What an excellent video....especially the linear and lateral thinking explanation. The Chess vs Go comparison. The extractions from "The art of War" You truly have insight.

To understand Chinese politics you need to understand "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" So what are the CHINESE characteristics to socialism? To put it simply, it's a combination of Confucianism and Legalism (surprised the video didn't even mention Legalism, which is just as important to Chinese politics as Confucianism) Confucianism relies on people knowing their place to attain social harmony, but of course that is not always the case, So Legalism uses the Law to MAINTAIN social harmony, so the aim is the same as Confucianism, but the method is different. Legalism is realist thinking, Confucianism is Idealist thinking Mao's social campaigns often uses Legalism to attack Confucianism. Fun fact, Mao is a great admirer of Qin Shihuang, the first Emperor of China that instituted Legalism to China in 221 BC Although the description about Deng's idea of "crossing the river by feeling the stones" is well explained, but it does NOT explain the entire implications of it. Due to the ambiguity of Deng Xiaoping on Laws rules and pretty much everything, has led to massive problems of corruption and nepotism. Where unwritten rules or unspoken laws might be prioritized over actual laws. Xi Jinping, on the other hand hates these unwritten and unspoken rule and laws, If he wants to extend his terms, he does not do what Deng did, which is to pull the strings behind the screen and PRETEND not to be in power, Xi could easily done that without touching anything, HOWEVER, that would continue the cycle of nepotism and corruption. Some say that Xi is power hungry for doing it, but I beg to differ, Xi is not Mao and never will even if he tries, Mao can turn on the Party, but Xi is no where near as powerful, he is a product of the Party, So what he does MUST have the general blessing of the Party, and the way I see it is that his term extensions were agreed upon by the Party to fix the problems the Party and the country might have. To extensively reform China, and the Largest political party in the world is no easy task, and 10 years is nowhere near enough. So, my prediction is, the before Xi Jinping retires, he will institute a more rule based power transition, due to his disdain about unwritten rules and retired Party elders engaging in nepotism.

British/Australian here who spent nearly 30 years living in Asia, nearly 20 of those in China. Love your channel; always learning something new. Unfortunately, due to ill health, I'm retired and living on a disability pension, otherwise I would happily support you on patreon. Keep up the great work and if I'm ever in a position to donate to a channel, yours will be the first 👍

Well the whole no one’s above the law part doesn’t apply anymore as of today

7:10 aged not so well

As Chinese, I’m amazed by the accuracy, objectivity, and depth of this video. Hope can see more videos like this.

Brilliant content. It's so rare to find a Westerner acknowledging the fundamental but equally valuable differences between US and Chinese political thinking. Bravo!

What a great effort you bring in your videos. Such complex things explained in such ease and brief. Continue enlightening us

My placeholder comment! Keep up the good work!

Really impressed with this foray into understanding the differences. I observe these gaps in understanding all the time, unfortunately even amongst most of my foreign policy peers who only frame society and history in a linear/vertical way.

I generally learn more about a topic in a 20-minute video from Ryan Chapman than I've known in my prior 71 years. This is especially true for topics like China, where I didn't know much to begin with, but also for topics like liberalism, where I thought I knew a lot.

So impressive and comprehensive!!! Thanks a lot!

Good video and nice, calming voice. Very often I go to sleep listening to you. Thank you for your work and time!

This is the first time that I have really looked into Chinese philosophy and I am blown away and intrigued by the differences. Thank you Ryan.

Brilliant. Finally some quality intellectual content. Doesn’t dumb anything down to an absurd level and makes information accessible with clear and precise definitions and examples. If you are the one who wrote the script then truly you are someone who is on such a level that many scholars and politicians would respect. Making such a complex topic into a 20 minute video essay with high level commentary. Amazing. Not even going to mention the charisma of a man that does not try to speak bs or to play on emotion. These days it’s rare to see in any media.

Great video. Thank you for this interesting deep dive 😊

7:10 2024 would like a word

This was very well researched and presented. I always wondered about China's political philosophy but most sources are very Anti Chinese so I am happy to find someone who can explain it in a more Neutral way.

Excited to hear more of this China content. As always, thrilled to hear your insightful and objectivist takes on... everything you've covered so far.

Thanks for taking the time to make these. It's rekindling my interest in these topics

Seriously very well explained. I love the diversity of the sources and the manner of explanation. Thanks and keep these videos coming!

As a southeast Asian Chinese who's studied in the West, your explanation and arguments are succinct and clear. You've just earned my sub. Looking forward to more!

This is probably my favorite social/political commentary channel because Ryan is so even-keeled, careful, and yet thorough to a good extent given his video durations.

glad to have found your channel, look forward to watching more of your videos

Thanks for the work you're doing here. Really useful

The origin of the Chinese word "美國” seems to have come from the word "亚美理驾" (ya mei li jia) which is the Chinese language pronunciation of "America", which was later shortened to "美國”. In translated names like these, the usage of these characters is not literal, but instead only for the sound they make. (I am a native Chinese speaker)

This seems to be a pretty fair unbiased presentation, which is difficult to come across. It's nice to know that there are people in the US curious about China and actually going through great length doing all that research. The points are solid. I am literally amazed by the knowledge you had to acquire to back all this up. I'd very much like to see your chanel grow.

great analysis, thanks so much for your research and clarity in presentation.

Thank you and i appreciate the efforts you have put in

Well done and insightful! Regarding the contrast of the people's views on authority in China and United States, I remember a Chinese philosopher (Dongyue Wang) said, that's due to the historical formation of societies. Chinese society is a very old one, which regarded authority as necessary to unite and organise people from different tribes and backgrounds to work together for public good, such as to combat natural disasters in ancient times (i.e. the flood of Huanghe river), so the Chinese society has been organised by the 'rule of human' (secular origin); whereas the people in United States see authority as repressive and self-interested, as the European settlers brought their trauma from their home countries where they were deprived and persecuted, so they treat authority with distrust, and prefer to be ruled by something 'transcending' human (judged by god)--'rule of law' (of religious origin). Which also explains the differences in modern societies.

I am Chinese. I have to say your explanation of China, in general terms, is pretty good. Yep, the US vs China is kind of binary thinking vs spectrum thinking. You did a good job to help different cultures to understand each other better so we all can get along. Thank you.

That was excellent, thank you for putting it together.

all your videos are so clear and informative. thank you!

I'm seriously so impressed with your content. You blow me away every time. Bless you for doing the research and teaching so effectively. I will definitely share this wherever I can.

I definitely would love to see more content from you. This, for me, is one of the better channels to expand or even explain certain topics in a way that is more concise than my own observations.

Great stuff man, been binging your videos and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying them.

Thanks Ryan - your videos are super informative and balanced - much needed

Ryan, this was a real good, unbiased, examination and comparison of two conflicting political philosophy without saying one is more correct than the other. i really liked your analogy between chess and gungho when comparing lateral and linear thinking. amazing video!!

Very much appreciating your content Ryan. Incredibly informative and thought provoking. Looking forward to more to come!

Super insightful. Thank you for putting this out.

Thank you for the hard work you put into making your videos Ryan, they’re always thought provoking and eye opening

I never heard of this term but as a mainland Chinese I have to say the "lateral thinking" thing is spot on. I grew up with my dad always saying things like "the only thing certain is uncertainty". Chinese people deal so much with flexibility and human relations, thats probably why we have a hard time accepting religion, democracy or so called "universal values". I guess the linear way of thinking is great for science or specific study, lateral thinking is good for handling complex human relations, morality etc which are difficult to be solved by law.

The Mandarin word for "America" being "Mei Guo = Beautiful Country" is likely because "Mei" is a cognate of "aMERica"

I am glad I found your channel. Trully great stuff.

I am so glad I found your channel. Like honestly this is amazing, you have managed to interest me in something my teachers never could.

In the past 2 days, I have watched more than 10 of your videos, including the longer one. I just want to appreciate you and your efforts in preparing these excellent resources. Thank you, Ryan.

I really like your stripped down analysis of essential concepts. I've been struggling to make the Chinese case to Americans, and you handed me all tools and analogies. Excellent work. Solid writing.

Absolutely wonderful- so grateful for your work!

Great work. Thanks so much!

I think this channel is so important and hope it gets the popularity it deserves. Just in this video I learned so much and it makes me excited to learn more. Thank you for covering all these ‘taboo’ topics in a way that allows for the viewer to think for themselves. It is rarer and rarer to find information like this online.

Terrific! I’ve been in China many times, spending about a year there in the aggregate, and know many Chinese people from many walks of life, many quite educated. For someone who’s not a China expert, acknowledging the generalizations, you nailed it. Love your channel. I think your research and presentations are exceptional.

One of a few best well presented video I ever like! Great job!!!!!

this is such a high-quality, well-explained video! loved it

Having lived and worked in China for 13 years in three different regions, this analysis is consistent with my own experience. Well done.

Interesting take. Though I am not usually a fan of general statements of cultural characteristics like "Americans are vertical thinkers" or "Chinese are lateral thinkers," I think in this case there's a certain truth to this observation, overly simplistic as it may be. I would argue that this is less an artifact of some essential cultural difference but rather the immediate consequence of two very different political systems. In two-party electoral systems like the United States, political actors must frame their policies and platform IN OPPOSITION to those of other political actors. This invites a sort of cycle where confrontational politics make their way into confrontational media, and so on. Hence, American political strategy is simple and straightforward precisely because of the need to make it easily digestible and discernable. On the other hand, one-party rule in China has meant that the CPC is the only legitimate authority in China. To get anything done, one must go through the party. This is not to say that political discussions do not occur in China, but rather that they take place in the context of party rule. Without the need to pander to voters, policymakers are free to design more elaborate, flexible, and contextual strategies and carry them out over much longer periods. Another thing that should be emphasized is the internal governance mechanisms of the party. This is a massive topic deserving a video of its own but something like party discipline and unity (a huge priority of the current administration) which means that party members are not so much above the law but rather subject to a different set of (often stricter) rules of behavior.

One of the best videos I have come across on the internet on the topic. Thanks for sharing 🙏 👍

Thank you Ryan, really enjoyed this material and your presentation skills. Keep up the good work.

i’m an american undergraduate student studying political science, with a particular concentration on national security. after learning about clausewitz and sun tzu, about disputes in the south china sea and re-engineering the supply chain, about the strategies of biden versus xi- i have not seen a more important video than this one here. u present such critical and messy information so clearly and with nuance, while making it accessible and engaging. i still have a lot to learn, but i’m grateful to say that i wish i watched this video sooner, i’m glad i watched it now, and i can’t wait to watch it again and connect it to what i’ll continue to learn. thank you ryan!!!

Your channel is one of a kind. The algorithm stuff as you requested is the least i can do. Looking forward to your next video!

good work, looking forward to more!

This is the first time that I have heard of the concept of lateral thinking. Much appreciated, now I have an interesting subject to delve into.

I have to thank you for, what seems to me, a wonderfully researched and balanced video. Trying to explain a topic of such immense complexity in such a short time is a feat in itself but having explained the concepts with so many illustrative and comprehensible manner is incredible. I have nothing but praise. Just a thought that I had. I seems to me that America is still being propelled by the enlightenment spirit of linear rationality. This may not be surprising as the country was founded on enlightenment ideals through the writings of Montesquieu, Locke and the founding fathers. (I am personally very drawn to the enlightenment ideal, it's very attractive and holy.) But the post-enlightenment thinking appears to have taken a turn, with romanticism and the Hegelian dialectic, seemingly sidelining strict rationality or logic as being subjected to the process of time and rendered insignifican. (This might be a vast generalisation and an unsophisticated manner of describing Hegal thought) Conincidentally, traditional Chinese thought had never had such strong emphasis on logic and strict rationality but rather on motion or movement. (perhaps analogous to Heraclitus, to a certain extent) So it would seem that Chinese political thinking coheres to a certain extent with post-enlightenment view. I would also say that the doctrinal basis of the US being rooted in enlightenment might face more challenges moving forward. (This is not to say China doesn't have significant issues, I do think the inconsistancy is much more severe under the Chinese system) Apologise for the long comment. A very rough and loose record of my thoughts whilst watching the video. No doubt very underdeveloped and problematic. I thank you again for your work in the video.

I really like the way you condense incredibly broad topics into a clear presentation of the main points. Comparing and contrasting American and Chinese thought could easily take decades to understand thoroughly, but your explanation gives a comprehensible view in under a half hour. It is a great starting point to be able to allow discussion and exploration of points of view between people who may think they disagree. Thank you for this potential foundation for a rebuild of decent and civil society.

loved this video! very informative and well explained

Thank you for creating this !

As a Chinese, living in US for many years, I have to say that this is the best video I have ever seen comparing the culture between Chinese and western

Please keep doing what you do, Ryan. Your sober analysis of typically contentious topics is so refreshing.

A very well presented concise explanation. I look forward to learning much from your channel.

Your videos are great, thank you for the!

2:55 this doesn't translate into much more than symbolic niceties 😅 China's name for most western countries are phonetic transliterations, using different preexisting characters that sound like each countries' name: Faguo ("lawful country", 法国) is short for Falanxi (France, 法兰西), Yingguo ("outstanding country", 英国) is short for Yinggelan (England, 英格兰), and here Meiguo ("beautiful country", 美国) is just short for Meilijian (America, 美利坚). They're not perfect transliterations, but they sorta sound like the original and they get the job done 😅. I suppose unsurprisingly nice characters specifically were chosen to denote these names. I imagine it'd cause quite a stir if some country's name were translated into shit-land. But good observation anyway, and great video!

Terrific overview. I've been interested and have studied China for the last 10 years and was really impressed how you were able to get it so right given you've never spent any time at all there. Keep up the great work with everything you're doing, I truly love your channel.

Great video. Thank you!

Your videos are awesome - thank you so much!

Dear Mr. Ryan Chapman, I want all viewers to know I find Ryan's videos to be very accurate and inciteful easy viewing. Although he may lack actual experience in China with real life Confucian upbringing, he clearly made it up by reading many impartial books and documentaries. I am a 64 years old, 4th generation Singaporean living in Malaysia who is totally English educated, but brought up in a confucian and taoism background. i find his views refreshing, fair and rather accurate depiction between China and US. I do recommend American's and Chinese to follow your channel.

What a delightful take on various subjects without obvious bias. I look forward to viewing all of your videos.

Really enjoyed this video, mate. So informative, interesting, engaging. Thank you

What a great analysis, I’ll be doing a lot more research on this topic now

As a Malaysian Chinese, I think you have make the fairest representation of China in the whole of Western world. Bravo!

It's rare to find an even-handed, dispassionate video on this topic. Well done.

Thank you for the video. Absolutely thought provoking

Thanks for the amazing video!

I've spent a lot of time in China teaching, and more importantly listening to Chinese people with a third ear. What's behind what they are saying and how they are expressing themselves, I think you've basically got it right. May you have the change to travel to China someday.

I’ve always been interested in other cultures and this was excellent and informative. I’m not good at articulating others content but I enjoy watching your videos. You’re calm and concise

really good stuff here, subscribed. Reminds me about my first political philosophy class, no brainwashing, just simple facts and letting you grow in whatever direction you desire.

This was a particularly interesting video! It's not often that I see videos on China that don't feel quite biased to one side or the other. And it was a real pleasure to learn new things in this way. I believe it's importance to learn more about the world like this, so thanks a lot 🥰🥰🥰

Only seen a few videos, but they are extremely well researched and I think you do an excellent job at taking as objective of a look into these topics as possible. Ill definitely be looking into more of your content.

This was very informative and I look forward to the rest of the series!

Excellent and informative video! You earned a sub! ❤

This was very good! Thank you.

I just want to say I appreciate the editing on your videos. I love that you display the cover art of the books you highlight in the bottom corner, makes it easy to snap a screenshot for reference later as needed. Looking forward to seeing you delve into the topic further, given the nature of these politically tense and confusing times!

Thanks for making these videos Ryan, very succinct, articulate and educational - most importantly impartial. More people need to understand the foundations of political thought and philosophy and how it’s led to the modern dynamics we’re observing today. I think it’ll help develop a more peaceful way forward for the world. This is valuable work in need of support!

You are one of my favorite content creators. Thank you for your work.