This series of pictures comes from an amateur photographer in Henan province (连接). It’s of a self-made torch relay at a local school and restaurant, in a small village in the mountains of Henan province. No corporate sponsors, no media coverage… just possibly the best relay this year.
Continue reading »
Aug 02
Olympic torch relay – the Chinese village version
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture | Tags:olympics, torch relay, village
14 Comments » newest
14 Comments » newest
Aug 02
Snapshots from Beijing
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture, Environment | Tags:Beijing, travelogue
10 Comments » newest
10 Comments » newest
I’ve been in Beijing for a little over a week. While Western media seems mostly intent on investigating nail-houses and Internet access in the Olympic media center, I’ve been playing tourist. But because I’ve been to Beijing numerous times, no pictures of the Great Wall or Forbidden Palace. Here are a few stories from every-day life that caught my eye:
First, the first day of what I hope are numerous days of blue skies. This picture comes from Friday afternoon, looking at the Beijing railway station:
Jul 27
minipost-(Letter) Why chinese use chopsticks (From Die Spiegel online)
Written by: guest | Filed under:-mini-posts, culture | Tags:restaurant, Silverware, table manners
27 Comments » newest
27 Comments » newest
Hefty discussions usually arise over the advantages and disadvantages of using chopsticks instead of fork and knives.
To show the western point of view, here is a is a translation of an article published in the German news magazine “Der Spiegel” (Link to the original article). Continue reading »
Jul 26
With a jet-lagged baby, I thought this morning would be the perfect time to attend one of my favorite events in Beijing: watching the raising of the national flag on Tiananmen square. It is a daily ritual at sunrise, but always thrilling with its simplicity, elegance; I’ve only attended a few times (emphasis: sunrise), and always found it deeply moving.
Here’s a video, from 5/19, when the flag was lowered to half-staff to remember the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake: (Why isn’t it a video of my trip? Explanation below.)
Jul 22
Zhang Ziyi – What’s in a name?
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture, General | Tags:children, english, names, overseas chinese
88 Comments » newest
88 Comments » newest
Zhang Ziyi was recently interviewed on a Chinese TV network:
She said (in translation):
The first time I was the lead in an English-language film, I received some high praise. And especially as a Chinese person, I thought that was something to be proud of.
At the Cannes Film Festival, in front of all that media, then they call your name… And as a Chinese person, they then call you by your Chinese name… I was pretty emotional. I’ve never thought about changing my name, changing it to an English name. I’ve never thought about adopting an English name just to accommodate them.
My father and mother gave me my name. It’s mine, and if you want to remember me, you have to put some thought into how to pronounce it. It’s mine.
Jul 20
Chinese Exceptionalism -义理和人情
Written by: bianxiangbianqiao | Filed under:Analysis, culture | Tags:CCP, featured, Wen Jiabao, Zhou Enlai
227 Comments » newest
227 Comments » newest
Before switching from posting immature opinions on things I know unprofessionally to the work I do for a living for a few weeks, there are some thoughts I really want to get out of my chest. I hope these thoughts will help non-Chinese understand some puzzling phenomena in the Chinese social and political life.
Notes:
1. My English translation of the key terms (义理, 人情, 隐忍) might be a bit off. Suggestions are welcome.
2. If you disagree, please trash, ridicule, tear it apart or ignore. Don’t worry about me committing suicide out of shame. Continue reading »
Jul 20
(Letter) Tianjin’s LaoBaiXing on the Olympics
Written by: guest | Filed under:culture | Tags:China, Laobaixing, Old Hundred Names, olympics, Tianjin, 中国, 天津, 奥运会, 老百姓
15 Comments » newest
15 Comments » newest
(This is excerpted from: Tianjin’s “Old Hundred Names” on the Olympics)
Here’s what some of our neighbours and others from our daily routines in the city think about the Olympics. I asked them, “What do the Olympics means to Chinese people?” (奥运会对中国人有什么意义？) and “Why are they doing so much preparation?” (我听说中国为了奥运会作很多准备。为什么是这样？)
Jul 19
How to greet properly in traditional Chinese style
Written by: DJ | Filed under:culture | Tags:culture, greeting
24 Comments » newest
24 Comments » newest
On July 18th, Beijing released a set of official Olympic and Paralympic posters and graphics. A sharp eyed reader quickly pointed out a mistake in one of the smiling face photos:
Jul 18
There is a heated debate going on regarding the lack of Chinese characters on China’s official Olympics uniforms in contrast with those on German’s sportswear.
Personally, I see no point in not printing Chinese text on China’s official uniforms. But for this post, I will purposely play the role of a “CCP apologist” and try to put these things in positive terms. 😉 Besides, I will explain two frequently used Chinese phrases and hopefully cast some light on a particular aspect of the Chinese culture.
Jul 16
(Letter) Chinese and American Culture
Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts, culture | Tags:business, culture
20 Comments » newest
20 Comments » newest
Culture, Society and Business
The principles of business transactions are based on cultural values. To define culture we must first know where culture comes from. Culture comes from a mutual interaction between individuals, groups, subcultures and societies. Values, ideas and ideology are passed down from one generation to the next. Gradually over time they adapt to change and outside influences.
A more sociological technical definition of culture is as follows: “the total, generally organized way of life, including values, norms, institutions, and artifacts, that is passed on from generation to generation by learning alone”. Thus culture includes tangible and non-tangible things where are passed down through the years.
Jul 16
minipost-(Letter) Cultural differences: Let’s be brutally honest…
Written by: guest | Filed under:-guest-posts, -mini-posts, culture | Tags:American culture, Chinese, Chinese culture, culture shock
59 Comments » newest
59 Comments » newest
Let’s be brutally honest… it’ll be both funny and enlightening!
The reality of culture stress applies to any kind of foreigner anywhere, though obviously different people have different experiences. I have no doubt that Mainlanders in North America are just as easily annoyed by Western culture as Westerns living in China sometimes are by Chinese culture. I assume they could easily whip up a list based on their own experiences of how culturally annoying different things are, and provide lots of personal examples. In fact, that’s what I’m hoping some of our Chinese readers will do.
Jul 16
“You are quite Americanized.”
Written by: bianxiangbianqiao | Filed under:culture | Tags:Chinese identity
68 Comments » newest
68 Comments » newest
I am thinking about writing a piece on “searching for a Chinese identity”, not just at the individual level, but also at a collective cultural level. The heart of the controversies surrounding the Beijing Olympics is the building of a collective Chinese identity, who we are, what we stand for, how we present ourselves to the outside. There are a lot of confusions in this aspect.
Here is a case of individual experience with cultural identity for Chinese living in the West. After years living and working in the environment, you acquire the language, behavior structures and subtle mannerism of the people you work with, simply out of necessity. In my line of work, you can’t survive a week if the students do not understand what you are talking about; they tear you apart limb by limb. Many Chinese individuals in America have encountered this type of situation. Your acquaintance looks at you and gives you a compliment: “you are quite Americanized.” My reaction depends on the way he or she puts it. Most of my acquaintances deliver this compliment out of innocence. I just have a vacant feeling of irrelevance and let it pass. Once in a while someone gives me this compliment in a patronizing and condescending manner, awarding me an alien identity that is supposed to be better than my original. Then I am quite pissy about it. As a Chinese, how would you react if an American tells you that you are “quite Americanized”?
Jul 16
Mark of a gentleman – the calligraphy of Chinese leaders
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture | Tags:art, calligraphy, leaders
34 Comments » newest
34 Comments » newest
Although some aspects of Chinese culture has been severely neglected and abused over the 20th century, other aspects remain eternal in Chinese society. One enduring trait is appreciation for traditional calligraphy.
While no Chinese political leader can point to penmanship as being the source of power, it’s no exaggeration to say cultivated writing attracts attention and admiration, while poor writing form invites suspicion and scorn. Here is a collection of calligraphy from notable Chinese leaders of the 20th (and now 21st) century, in chronological order:
Sun Zhongshan, founder of the Chinese republic (here with his earlier name, Sun Wen). “Everything for the public.”
Jul 15
A freak of nature – the savior stone
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture | Tags:Communist Party, Falun Gong, rocks, tourism
15 Comments » newest
15 Comments » newest
I don’t really know what to say about this. So, I’ll just jump right to the pictures:
In 2002, this rock formation was found in Pintang county, in Guizhou province. This rock face is apparently one half of a larger boulder that split about 500 years ago. The local government began to insist that the formation, itself approximately 270 million years old, reads “Chinese Communist Party” (中国共产党). If you believe local press reports, local villagers have started calling the stone the “Savior’s Stone” (救星石). Conveniently, it has become a tourist destination in Guizhou province. (See promotional video.)
Ironically, it’s not the Communist Party or the mainland press that focuses on the “savior stone” these days. Even though Guizhou, also the site of the recent Weng’an riots, is one of the poorest, most backward regions in China… I think the mainland public is way too sophisticated for this kind of nonsense.
Instead, it’s the Falun Gong that finds the topic most interesting. Why? Because with completely seriousness, it insists the rock formation actually has another character to the right: “dies” (亡). See FLG-produced video for the full, comical story.
Jul 14
Try to view Amnesty International calmly (translated)
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture, News | Tags:advertising, amnesty international, featured, foreign activists, nationalism, olympics
198 Comments » newest
198 Comments » newest
An advertising campaign commissioned by the human rights group Amnesty International has raised flames of anger throughout China. For previous discussions, see ESWN and Danwei.
Wall Street Journal has more details on the backlash, reporting:
Weeks before the Olympics put Beijing and the Games’ corporate backers on the world stage, an advertising heavyweight has stumbled over the divide between how some view China and how the nation views itself…. Word of the human-rights campaign is now spreading through China, and TBWA and Amnesty International are disavowing the ads.
Chinese bloggers, spurred by a report in state-run media of the Amnesty campaign last week, are now calling for a boycott of all TBWA ads, among other measures.
And many in China are indeed very angry. But there are other voices as well; below is a translated internet post from Xinmin Net: (原文):
Jul 13
Tourists from mainland China aren’t the only ones taking advantage of direct cross-strait flights. Taiwanese politicians from the DPP, known for its traditional insistence on Taiwanese independence, are also beginning to take trips to the mainland. Yunlin county commissioner Su Zhifen, a member of the DPP, is leading a trade commission to Beijing.
This article from the Southern Metropolis Daily (连接) gives us more. Partial translation is below:
“I’m going to the mainland in my role as a county commissioner. So, my perspective is anything that benefits the interests of the people in my county, then I will do it. If I complicate my thoughts on this issue too much, then many things won’t get done.”
Ma Yingjiu’s defeat of Xie Changting’s was critical in allowing the Mainland Affairs Commission to change policies towards the mainland. On July 3rd, the law was revised relaxing restrictions on Taiwanese county commissioners and mayors visiting the mainland. Su Zhifen will be the first DPP member to take advantage. (Ed: KMT mayor of Taizhong, Jason Hu, has also been to Xiamen following this change in law.)
Today (July 12th), Yunlin county commissioner Su Zhifen will lead a delegation aboard a cross-strait weekend charter flight, headed to Beijing. They are going to “find a route for Yunlin county’s farmers”, pushing quality agricultural products. Su Zhifen will be the first DPP county or city head to visit the mainland since 2000. Although this trip is based on economic needs, everyone has noticed the change in political path implied by the trip.
Jul 12
In response to Marc (who wrote in #189 “What Does It Mean to Chinese”)
“However, the reason that I brought up house church vs. Three-Self church initially has a lot to do with nationalism. You see, Three-Self church was started by some nationalistic Chinese Christians in the early 1900’s (way before communist took over power in China). Hence they called themselves Three-Self (meaning self-governing, self teaching, self supporting). They hated Western Christians in China then. They teamed up with communist government later in the 1950’s to start persecuting other Chinese Christians who didn’t see things their way. That’s when house church Christians started to emerge. Anyway, the whole conflict started out with nationalism.”
I am glad that you put Christianity in China in historical perspectives, but your interpretion of important, complicated historical events is a bit oversimplified and biased. Still, you are right, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement was initiated by patriotic Chinese Christians and endorsed by the government, not “created” by the government as the PBS article claims to be (http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/china_705/history/china.html, a companion piece to Frontline/World Jesus in China).
Jul 09
The fanciest Chinese village banquet in history!
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture | Tags:banquet, food
61 Comments » newest
61 Comments » newest
Images from a village banquet from Shunde district (Foshan city, Guangdong province), courtesy of China.com (连接), :
Jul 09
Fool’s Mountain just became a multilingual blog
Written by: admin | Filed under:aside, culture, language | Tags:blog, language, translation
6 Comments » newest
6 Comments » newest
Well, sort of, and I know the danger of “Translator Server Error,” but machine translation is a convenient tool to remove language barriers. Continue reading »
Jul 06
Translation error
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:aside, culture | Tags:language, photo, translation
28 Comments » newest
28 Comments » newest
The danger of relying on automated translation (and why Fool’s Mountain is better):
Jun 26
The misnamed Dalai Lama
Written by: Buxi | Filed under:culture | Tags:dalai lama, minorities, tibet
91 Comments » newest
91 Comments » newest
What should we call the Dalai Lama? It might seem like a silly enough question… but if you look deeper, there lies a more substantial issue of basic respect and mutual understanding. On Davidpeng’s blog (in an article linking to one of our entries)… an interesting discussion has developed (原贴) on that exact topic.
One commenter (Flatfish, a frequent Tibetan visitor) reacted to part of the original discussion when the term “the Dalai” was used:
In reference to the proper name for the Dalai Lama, let me talk about a few related things that have touched me deeply.
After the end of the Second World War, a court sentenced Mr. Hideki Tojo to death by hanging. Mr. Tojo immediately stood, and with perfect manners bowed deeply to the judges; he didn’t say another word. When the Tibetan uprising (in 1959) expanded, quite a few Tibetans were executed. Before they were shot, they politely said “T’oo-Je-Che” (Tibetan term of thanks). Later, when the families of the executed were charged expenses of 200-500 RMB, they again said “T’oo-Je-Che”, and nothing else.
For the Dalai Lama, the respectful way of referring to him in English is: His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In Tibetan, the respectful way of referring to him is Jiawa Renbuqie (嘉瓦仁布切，Gyalwa Rinpoche), Kundun (昆顿), or Yixi Loubu (益西罗布, Yeshe Norbu). Tibetans would never use the name Dalai Lama, because that’s actually equivalent to a title, and not a name.
My point is, if any group or government investigates and finds the Dalai Lama guilty of a crime, then all of these details could be revealed to the public, and they could proceed to trial and conviction. And if anyone, including Han, have doubts or criticisms of him, that’s also not a problem. And for those who are not Buddhists and not Tibetan Buddhists don’t necessarily have to refer to him by his courtesy title. But all should respect basic human rights, and do not casually shorten the title Dalai Lama to just “the Dalai”.
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