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Apr 30

China in WW2

Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:, ,
3 Comments » newest

The following is circulated to me by my friends on China during World War 2. They are commented by American government to tell Americans why they were sent to fight Japanese (thanks, Americans). I also include 12 pictures (out of 34) on Nanjing that I hope Allen or some one will write a post on Nanjing.

They’re circulated in the internet, so I do not claim any credit or steel the thunder from my friends.

——————

Please stroll down the page to go the following websites to see 具有珍貴歷史價值的近 代記錄.

THE 2ND WORLD WAR Website:

《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》1-7集原名《我們爲何而戰》的這套紀錄片，是美國政府于第二次世界大戰期間制作的。

　　爲了向美國人解釋爲什麽要去中國抗日，美國制作了這部短片。開始時的目的在于讓美軍知道美國爲何參戰，到後來，索性向美國民衆公開，以争取舉國上下支持聯邦政府打勝這戰争。

《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》（1）
　　 http://www.youtube.com/v/lQTWtokeF5Q&hl=zh_TW&fs=1
　　
《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》（2）
　　 http://www.youtube.com/v/DcjVWe3xgAo&hl=zh_TW&fs=1

　　《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》（3）
　　 http://www.youtube.com/v/dKTIylgLDHE&hl=zh_TW&fs=1

　　《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》（4）
　　 http://www.youtube.com/v/M6z-fZwpmME&hl=zh_TW&fs=1

　　《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》（5）
　　 http://www.youtube..com/v/VKHk6eepm0E&hl=zh_TW&fs=1

　　《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》（6）
　　 http://www.youtube.com/v/L_zntg-eFF0&hl=zh_TW&fs=1

　　《二次大戰真實紀錄片-中國篇》（7）
　　 http://www.youtube.com/v/k0hZiD5Uk5I&hl=zh_TW&fs=1

　　《美國副總統華萊士訪問重慶與蔣介石會談》（1944年6月20日）
　　 http://www.youtube.com/v/xbttAZ_EVGs&hl=zh_TW&fs=1

Apr 29

My Tibetan Students and I

Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:education, General | Tags:
 326 Comments » newest

The following essay (translated below) written by somebody named “Crystal” was posted to Woeser’s blog. I am not sure that is the origin of the article, as some attribute it to 《联合早报》 (their version here). But it has been slowly spreading since to other sites like Anti-CNN, MITBBS, and Minkaohan forums. I think it’s a very good essay, informative and incisive.

I will also post some comments from those other sites. Feel free to chime in.

Continue reading »

Apr 28

Boo Hoo Evil China Banned My Website!

Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:, ,
No Comments » newest

Have you ever heard of this thing called Plurk? Well, just heard about them, and the context presented is big bad Chinese government banning some (not so) popular micro messaging website – seemingly as lead-in to bring emphasis to the 20th Anniversary of TAM, by the best China propaganda tool my tax dollar can buy, Radio Free Asia.

Plurk.com also posted its plight on it’s own website. Plurk, you are well advised to not merely bitch and moan about it on your blocked website, but instead try to understand China’s laws in this regard.

In US we outlaw on-line child pronography, and some Arab countries don’t even allow wemen’s uncovered face on websites. As logic follows, China, as a sovereign nation, has the right to regulate information that traverse its sovereign territory.

Now, where would you go to get yourself legit and unblocked in China? You might want to start with industry counterparts in China, and some sound, local, legal advise. Here are couple starting points.

– China Ministry of Information Industry: http://www.miibeian.gov.cn

– Beijing Association of On-line Media (an information industry non-profit): http://baom.sina.com.cn/english

Good luck.

Apr 27

Happy Birthday – Foolsmountain!

Written by: Allen | Filed under:General | Tags:
 31 Comments » newest

One year ago – a new blog was launched with a simple post by an anonymous researcher in Boston – a guy whom we have come to know as “admin”:

This is an open blog for anyone who cares about China.
Anybody can comment.
Sign up, you will be able to write a post.
If you want to be an author or an editor, write to webmaster@speak4china.com.
We also like to invite people to submit original material or interesting links in Chinese so we can translate them.
Thanks! Continue reading »

Apr 26

minipost-Letter: Mainland Han human rights lawyers defend Tibetan lama

Written by: Otto Kerner | Filed under:-guest-posts, -mini-posts | Tags:, , ,
34 Comments » newest

Amid the depressing news of the trial of Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche, a respected lama from Kardze (western Sichuan), is a hopeful sign: he is being defended by two Han Chinese human rights lawyers. They say that they have had some harrassment from the police, but they have not been prevented from serving as counsel to a man they believe was unjustly accused. They have helped him have his day in court, which is better than nothing. In my opinion, democracy and nationalism, etc., are less important than simple rule of law applied impartially. Is that something Tibetans and Hans can make common cause for? It ought to be.

Apr 25

minipost-People of the world unite?!

Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:-mini-posts | Tags:,
3 Comments » newest

Here is a light topic. Since last year’s parody song “Say a word in heart”, singing songs in a foreign language — if you can call it that — has been raised to a totally new level. You’ve probably even heard the stomach-churning subsequent parodies of “Shanghai beach”, “Spicy girl”, and even the Peking Opera standard “Su san qi jie”, but alas this genre has mercifully run its short course.

On the other hand, there are more serious foreign language translations of songs, too. Just today, I discovered really nice versions of translated national anthems. Most anthems tend to be specific to a national consciousness, metrically prosidic, and so difficult to convey well in a different language context, but these two versions are quite good, I thought! What say you?
Continue reading »

Apr 23

Self identification of 2nd generation Chinese in overseas

Written by: chorasmian | Filed under:culture, language | Tags:, , ,
50 Comments » newest

Recently, my daughter had this poem in her class project.

Where Are You From?

Where am I from?

I come from
Continue reading »

Apr 22

minipost-Letter: Mainlanders and their pasts, Mainlanders and their selves

Written by: Joel | Filed under:-mini-posts, culture | Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,
3 Comments » newest

For me personally, the Mainland’s grandparents and great-grandparents are China’s most interesting generation. As soon as I could string a few sentences together I was trying to get our neighbours to tell us about their stories and experiences. But Xinran, the authour of China Witness: Voices from a Silent Generation, being Chinese, can go light-years farther in an interview than I can with my novice Mandarin, mere beginner’s cultural understanding, white face and 大鼻子。
Continue reading »

Apr 21

Web search for Tiananmen not censored, but do people care?

Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:, , ,
No Comments » newest

As a readers of China blogs for quite some times, I’ve read my fair share of reports of Tiananmen being a taboo subject in China, and a sensitive terms that’s filtered by the Chinese government’s GFW (here, here).

But those reporting filtering/censorship seem to have categorically fell silent when it appears the term “Tiananmen 64” (in Chinese and English) is not being filtered. For what reason or motive, I don’t know – but there appears to be zero, I mean, ZERO follow-up on this appearant good news.

Anyway, here’re what appear to be uncensored search results from two major Chinese-language search engines:

Sohu (Chinese, English)

Baidu (Chinese, English)

Apr 19

Is Chinese Meritocracy a Viable Alternative to Western Democracy?

Written by: bianxiangbianqiao | Filed under:politics | Tags:
 142 Comments » newest

David Brooks at the New York Times wrote a column more than a year ago, “The Dictatorship of Talent”. He characterized the Chinese political system as a form of “meritocratic paternalism”. Continue reading »

Apr 19

“Chinese need to be controlled”

Written by: Raj | Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:, ,
16 Comments » newest

Jackie Chan: Chinese People Need To Be Controlled

Action star Jackie Chan said Saturday he’s not sure if a free society is a good thing for China and that he’s starting to think “we Chinese need to be controlled.”

Chan’s comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders in China’s southern island province of Hainan.

I have often thought that actors should stay out of politics, though as everyone is entitled to their view this was a useful way of addressing something I’ve noticed in the past. It seems to me that rich Chinese can be quick to assert similar sentiments. Certainly the article mentioned that the business leaders applauded him on that point.

If all Chinese were incapable of making decisions no Chinese person could be a politician and China would be run by foreigners, so he must think some Chinese can be in control. Thus I suspect what people like Chan actually mean when they say these things, but could never say because they would be ripped to shreds, is “people with lots of money like me can act sensibly but the majority of Chinese are too dumb to make the right decisions”.

Chan added: “I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.”

So Chan thinks that currently Chinese are not doing what they want to do? Is their sense of freedom really just an illusion? This seems like a highly controversial statement to me.

What are your thoughts on these comments and more widely how poor, middle class and wealthy Chinese see this subject?

Apr 18

other foot, form of flattery, crab meat

Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:aside, politics | Tags:, ,
58 Comments » newest

Here is something interesting. Please read to the end.

Tibetan Leader’s Secession Talk Stirs Furor

PARIS (AFP) — The Dalai Lama has touched off a political uproar by expressing sympathy for Tibetans who want to secede from China. His comments have made him a darling of exiled Tibetans, a target of abuse on Chinese state television and a target of criticism from regional Communist officials.

Continue reading »

Apr 17

My Story and the Chinese Dream Behind It

Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:General | Tags:, ,
12 Comments » newest

Bai Yansong (here’s his biography), the famed CCTV anchor, was on a trip to film his travels and observations in the US, when he gave this following speech at Yale University recently. (Here is the original.) It has a “commencement speech” style to it and is of general interest. Here is a translation for your consumption.

Continue reading »

Apr 15

minipost-Letter: How should foreigners feel about being called “鬼子,” “鬼佬,” “老外,” etc.?

Written by: Joel | Filed under:-mini-posts, culture, language, q&a | Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
235 Comments » newest

I’m on an extended visit back to my hometown, Vancouver, a Canadian city full of Chinese. Chinese is the second-most commonly used language after English. My wife and I were running around a Chinese mall for fun to practice Mandarin and buy some Chinese DVDs when we overheard Chinese people talking about us in Mandarin saying, “Those foreigners are speaking Chinese!” I thought it was funny that even in Canada, Chinese people would call white people “foreigner” (in this case: “外国人”).
Continue reading »

Apr 15

Spring 1989 in Shanghai – A Memory of the ’89 Student Movement

Written by: EugeneZ | Filed under:General | Tags:,
126 Comments » newest

One year ago, Buxi asked me to write something on 6/4, and I did not get around to do it, but promised that I would do so this year, the 20th anniversary.  At the reminder of Admin a few weeks ago, I started to think about this “action item”.  I pulled out a diary/report that was written within the weeks after 6/4/1989,  the report was 50 some pages long.  It did not have any dust on it since it has been sealed in an envelope.  Twenty-year is a long time, the paper has turned completely yellow-ish, but reading through it still brought out a lot of emotion and a lot of memories.

After some thought, I decided that the best way to write about 6/4 is to simply translate parts of the 20-year old diary for it truthfully recorded what a 22-year old student experienced, observed, heard, thought, believed and felt at the moment.  Twenty years has gone by, the author, like most of the 6/4 students, has moved on and has since lived a more or less fulfilling life unrelated to 6/4. Along the way, he has learned a few things,  has had opportunity to reflect upon the past, and his political views may have evolved along the way.  But in memory of the 1989 student movement, I felt that the best thing to do is to trace back to the time as it occurred.  I am sure that we will then have a discussion as to how we look at the events in Spring 1989 today.

So here is – Part I, from April 15th, the day Hu Yaobang died, to the day of hunger strike.
Continue reading »

Apr 14

“Fifty Cent Party” definition broaden to people not paid 50 cent

Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:,
3 Comments » newest

Oh, boy, these days it’s dangerous to have a pro-Chinese government view on the Internet, even if you genuinely believe it, out of your own volition, and volunteer such sentiment freely, without acceptiong a 50 cent pittance.

Here, you can see Rebecca MacCannon just expaned the definition of “Fifty Cent Party” to include those “paid or who volunteer to post pro-government opinions”

Wow! How dare they! Like I said, heaven forbid any Chinese should have a different opinion of their own government than us American.

Apr 14

“Surprisingly”, Compulsory Education is Free!

Written by: Nimrod | Filed under:education | Tags:,
47 Comments » newest

Education is important to China’s future, and education reform has been a long drawn-out complex process, which people of all stripes agree has basically been inadequate. From the early days of Project Hope corruption to the current education spending that still hasn’t reached the 4%-of-GDP target set by the central government, people have much to complain about. Among all the problems, one most depressing had to have been that basic primary/secondary education required all kinds of fees and therefore no universal access to education existed.

Recently, this topic of compulsory education came up again in the news, and the focus is again on whether the government does not have the resources or will to further invest in education. Here is a translated commentary that will open our debate here. It is seen on the China Elections & Governance web site (joint project between Carter Center and Renmin University), itself a treasure trove of current policy thinking.
Continue reading »

Apr 14

minipost-Letter: Understanding popular Chinese notions about “racism” (help me out here!)

Written by: Joel | Filed under:-mini-posts, Analysis, q&a | Tags:, , , , , , , ,
144 Comments » newest

I have a growing suspicion that the way many Chinese people understand the word “racism” (or “racist”) is quite different from the way I use it. This causes communication problems because I use the term “racism” like most North Americans do, but my Chinese acquaintances react in ways that don’t seem to make sense. Obviously there’s a disconnect. I want to know why my Chinese friends and acquaintances react the way they do to the term “racism”. How are they understanding this word?
Continue reading »

Apr 14

The Chinese are coming!

Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:, ,
3 Comments » newest

The quality problems of Chinese products show up almost every month. It is the experience of most developing countries on their way to a developed country. The last one is S. Korean which adopted a similar model as Japan.

What have not been reported extensively are the improvement of the Chinese products and why Chinese will compete with the best in the world.

The following article reports BYM company but it is only one of the many innovative companies in China. How can the west compete with the engineers in China working 12 hours a day at about 10% of the salary?

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/13/technology/gunther_electric.fortune/index.htm

Apr 13

Did the Chinese government really tried to hide quake fatalities?

Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts | Tags:, ,
No Comments » newest

Recently GVO’s Oiwan Lam accused the Chinese government of hiding figures and names of the 512 quake victims.

But few searches on Baidu.com seem to contradict GVO’s claims:

1) In the aftermath, casualty figures have been regularily updated and published by various government agencies including hospitals

2) As result, many media outlets in China have been able to create reportings dedicated to the disaster. For examples Sina, qq, 163, including casualty figures and name lists, and missing persons resource.

3) Ai Weiwei’s victim list isn’t new. Many of the quake victim’s names can also be found in the media and government domain as public records. For examples (.gov.cn):

Hsu Tsong徐聪, Jian Chin江倩, Dong Yang董洋, Lan Tsen Dong兰成栋, Liao Jiping廖礼平

4) According to a 11/21/08 press conference, a Sichuan deputy govenor stated student casualty figure is still being verified, and the November 19,065 casualty figure is but the 1st of many updates.

IMHO these evidence seem to suggest the accusation GVO is promotion lacks factual basis.

Apr 08

China’s Bold Visions for Universal Healthcare

Written by: Allen | Filed under:Analysis, General, News | Tags:
 62 Comments » newest

The Chinese government announced a couple of days ago guidelines for an ambitious reform of the healthcare system (see also wsj report and danwei report).  The government announced,

By 2020, the world’s most populous country will have a basic health-care system that can provide “safe, effective, convenient and affordable” health services to urban and rural residents….

Continue reading »

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