Chinese Lives

Another hot topic grasped people’s attention on China’s most popular forum Tianya. The post was series story-telling about Tianwan’s 30 years by a 30-year-old Taiwan born young man. Mainland Chinese are interested in post-1949 Taiwan history, especially Jiang’s family, how GMT stepped down the ruling seat, and how Taiwan achieved economic boom and democratic progress in the last more than half century.
After July 4th this year, China and Taiwan formally agreed to restore direct flight between two places though only limited through weekends, which was a big gesture towards a harmonious relationship between China and Taiwan Strait.
More normal Chinese can see and taste Taiwan in their own eyes. Taiwan, as well as Hongkong, and Macao, are surely more advanced than Mainland in many ways, which will be worthy journey.

News from China’s two national committees that are current in session, tell that Beijing Opera will become compulsory in campus. This traditional culture programme aims to cultivate classic culture appreciation of students from early ages to elders.

However, there is a row about which opera songs should be gathered in the text book. Much complaints fire at the Education Ministry who chose more adapted Red Opera than standard Beijing Opera songs. Their major concerns are as a result of the Red Culture between 1960s and 1970s, adapted opera can not properly represent Chinese traditional culture.

Beijing Opera artists up a suggestion to the Ministry that the traditional culture program should teach standard opera in majority, out of concerns that after generations true Beijing Opera might be lost if adapted popular version are accepted by the mass population.

For normal people like those random speakers on Tianya forum, they do not think it a big deal. Adapted opera is simpler for young beginners. As long as taken as a mere interest, whether it is very standard does not matter much.

Chinese athletes often impress the world with their almost perfect sports technic and iron strong competing spirit. However, they seem a little too shy, reserved and lack of expressions so much so that many foreign media refer them as sports machine, which is really out of misunderstanding.

At the 16th FINA Diving World Cup running from 19th to 25th in Feburary, Chinese medalers impress us with their friendly smile and confidence, as well as intrigue the world to find out what their finger gun pose mean.

Some assume the finger gun pose resembling their sportswear sponsor LiNing’s Logo, so this could be sort of adverts for the company. But others disagree by pointing out that this gesture resembles more Nike’s Logo.

Well, is it possibly a joke about LiNing beating Nike up with a finger gun? Pardon me for my dark crazy imagination. lol

It is just so hard to say “I love you” to dad and mom. We do not hug our parents or siblings when we are adults, impossible for kiss of course. Quiet and hiding emotions, that could not be a wrong description about general Chinese.

But we truly love our parents. It is in our 2000 years’ (probably longer) Confucious tradition that has educated generations’ Chinese. We are supposed to look after parents when they are old and fragile, which is in the law. However, not only me, we feel mouth glued, throat choked when we are about to say the love words.

Probably, love is a verb, besides we are too shy. A photographer, Mr. Jiao Bo, help us visualise the heavy love through his photography collections My Dad and Mom, which is made during more than 20 years, recording their life from 1978 till they passed away at 86 and 92.

Jiao Bo said, he feels lucky to have kept this project running during those years, because he feels the photographs slow down their dying process, and keep safe a precious memory of a loving couple and parents, who used to live.

The first photo was taken in 1978.

Dad took his father’s photo to climb Hua Shan, highest and most steep mountain in China.

Dad’s favorite photo. He was making faces to mirror, which amused sick mom.

First time to make a phone call.

In 2001, their 70 wedding anniversary.

In 2002, their last photo.

Many like having tatoos representing themselves. Beckham has Posh on his arm. After flowers, sunshine, moon, gun, booze etc become too ordinary, Chinese symbols are in.

I am a bad boy.

This tatoo means loyal and save the country. Wow.

He caculates too much to accomplish anything.

From left to right: dog, dragon, monkey, rat; mother; father, daughter and mother.

Never die.

From left to right: Nerd, coffin.

From left to right: Evil, love, ambition.

Yasuiqian, or New Year Money, is a gift given to young children by parents and older family relatives traditionally on New Year’s eve, which was for example yesterday, in a good wish to expel evil spirits and express good blessings.

In ancient China Yasuiqian are a string of coins tied on children’s waist. Nowadays, Yasuiqian have many kinds, such as money in a red evelope with cute animal picture, valuable gift made of real gold and other practical gifts.

A website survey shows over 90% people expect money as New Year’s gift if they could have. Anyway, so am I if I could be young again.

The only bridge pillar with dragons pattern is in Shanghai, and it was said that Shanghai had a real dragon underneath where that bridge was contructed. Digging on dragon’s place irritated the dragon, who delayed whole project. Finally, a respectful monk prayed three days and provided with a resolution of dragon pillar, but unfortunately he died afterwards because he leaked details to others, which was forbidden.

Fengshui masters or monks are often consulted before big building projects get ahead, and often suddenly summoned to sing prayers for days, so as to please ghosts and gods who are disturbed by people.