Understanding Chinese Culture
Around the World in Fifty-Four Years
Past and Present Hollywood Stereotypes and Archetypes of China
One of the great movies of the 50’s is the legendary Around the World in Eighty Days, and part of the charm of the 1956 movie adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel is in its exaggerated stereotyping of the characters. It’s a surprise feast for the eye and delightfully flooded with incidental cameo appearances of almost fifty celebrities alive at the time. Directed by Michael Anderson and produced by Michael Todd, the film starred the stately Larry Niven as Phileas Fogg. Nominated for eight Oscars and winning five, it was a late part of that era in which Hollywood “took itself seriously.” Todd’s movie is an affectionately tongue-in-cheek “seriously epic” send up of 1930’s -1950’s Hollywood. Read the rest of this entry »
The People Who Love to Laugh
Understanding the Chinese sense of humour
One of the big differences between Chinese and Western culture is in humour. Growing up in Australia, I sometimes struggled to understand why my aunts and uncles all thought a joke was so funny. Their particular way of telling the tale, repetitiously laboring the punch lines, irritated me. And they were vastly entertained by stories that I found not even slightly amusing. However, in my English education, I had failed to learn the Chinese sense of humour… and the deep reflection of Chinese society it reveals. Read the rest of this entry »
The Cult of Prosperity
A Goddess of Mercy becomes a Goddess of Fortune
Last week, I wandered into the Buddhist temple at the famous Shanghai water town of Zhujiajiao. People were charged a 10 yuan admission to enter the main temple grounds, but in the annex, worshippers got a freebie. Before paying the fee, one could kneel on a padded bench before a glass-encased Laughing Buddha (Maitreya Buddha) covered in gold paint, with a mischievous-looking Haibao peeking around the corner of the case. The little blue mascot for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 and the golden Buddha are emblems of the same aspiration among the Chinese: conspicuous wealth and a global showcase of modernization. Read the rest of this entry »
The Leaping Carp Becomes a Dragon
An Omen of the Middle Kingdom’s Rise in Middle America
In the last few years, fishermen in the United States have started to notice that the old bluegill, sunfish, bass, and catfish of the Illinois, Mississippi and the Ohio rivers have been disappearing. In their place a new kind of fish is gobbling up resources, feeding on the other species, and reproducing at an astonishing rate. The problem has become so intense that officials are now afraid that the Great Lakes are doomed to fall in the onslaught. They call these ferocious invaders “Asian carp”. The Chinese call them “Li Yu” (鲤鱼), “Black” or “Silver” carp, and have cultivated these breeds for their amazing reproductive vitality and hardiness for thousands of years. Read the rest of this entry »
The Real Meaning of a Revived World Expo
Does the commencement of Shanghai’s World Expo mark a bid for the passing of the scepter?
China has spent vast amounts on preparing for the World Expo this year, spending billions more than it did even on the 2008 Olympics. There is no aspect of the city or the surrounding areas that has remained untouched by the grand expectations of the event. People are told to be good examples of civilized behavior for the Expo. Old buildings have thin plastic veneers tacked on to make them look like Old Shanghai Longtangs, and plastic bags have been outlawed to make the Expo “Green”. This is quite a lot of trouble for a country that is still “developing” and “should resist the siren song of ‘Big China’.” Read the rest of this entry »
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