User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: Giving 给 Another Look

I agree with those above - the file downloaded by my podcaster does not work.  

Posted on: National Day

We've seen a lot of the five-star flag in the past few days - this reminds me that a good way to promote some argument amongst a group of Chinese is to ask what the five stars represent. Most agree, I think, that the big star is the 中国共产党 (the CCP)，but then arguments develop about the four small stars. Is it 工(workers),农(farmers),士(intellectuals - which in China is fairly general including people like writers and other artists)和商(business people)？Is there no official answer to this? There seems to be a multitude of other interpretations.  Australians are famous for knowing nothing much about civics but we do know that our stars on the flag stand for the six States (just kidding - the large Star represents the Commonwealth and the five other stars are the constellation the Southern Cross.)  Trivia question: why are there seven points on the star representing the Commonwealth?      

Posted on: Happy Birthday China

@johnnyi

Those are interesting comments - do you really think that foreigners (I gather that you are a foreigner) get deported for 'saying the wrong thing'?  Do you have any idea of actual numbers of people deported from the PRC and the reasons for deportation?  

It just seems utterly unlikely to me that foreigners would be deported for 'saying the wrong thing' - an incredibly 麻烦 process for the Chinese, something they would do everything possible to avoid.  Something that would be difficult to prove for a start.  But if you have lived here for a few years you may have some experience of this?  

I think that you would have to be an influential voice to even gain the attention of the authorities - you would need to write things down rather than just 'say things', wouldn't you?  And your writings would need to influence the behaviour of many people .. otherwise you would just be a foreigner mouthing off.  

I was also interested in you 'carefully watching what (you) say about many different topics' .. do you mean that you are trying to avoid making social faux-pas .. or is this another reference to saying something that might get you deported?    Or is it that Chinese people just 'don't get it' - is it this that you find exhausting?  

In my experience foreigners frequently 'say the wrong thing' and Chinese people are either (a) very interested if you are talking about how things work in your own country, and want to know more; (b) very understanding, or perhaps that is condescending, (after all what would a foreigner know?) or (c) quite uninterested in your point of view.   

Posted on: National Day

@barbs

Where is that photo taken??  It is not in front of Parliament House, is it?  It looks like a post-Apocalyptic Australia.. with wattles invading the crumbling ruins of the European age.  I would like an image of Mad Max standing in the foreground surveying the damage, shotgun on shoulder.  (Can you photoshop that for me?)  

PS. this is not a political statement.

Posted on: National Day

@unigato

Your instruction 'don't reply' made me think of Mission Impossible - this message will self destruct in thirty seconds.  Actually the link is historically interesting. As one of the many foreign expert so-called 'targets' around, employed to impart intelligence, it puzzles me why the spooks would undertake expensive operations described to collect information rather than just go and ask?     

Posted on: Not Cooked Enough

@zhenlijiang, inland

Ooh, thanks (red face).  There is a Qing Wen on it - I have just written a long message to John about the mysterious CP method for finding discussion on such a topic (actually ANYTHING at all.)  One answer is of course to read all the posts - but even I don't have the time for this.  And who remembers where these gems of information lie?  Ok, light maybe.. Maybe we should just ask light in future.  Do people keep indexes?  Build their own search engines?       

Posted on: Not Cooked Enough

@inland

I'm sure there will be a discussion elsewhere in a CP lesson, sorry but I don't know where. 还没有读 。。(I haven't read it.)  I will have a go; if I am wrong it will bring others in .. 

没， 没有，negates a fact or situation (past, present?)  

不  expresses a subjective negative opinion, possibility or instruction (present and future?) These 'tenses' are not properly expressed by me: you can say 两年以前我不能吃小麦 (for the past two years I have been unable to eat wheat.)  

I remember a teacher giving us 没有结婚 and 不要结婚 as examples - the former is a fact 'not married'; the latter expresses an intention not to get married. Similarly 没去 (did not go); 不去 (will not go).     

But there will be exceptions - you have to learn these I think.  You can often use either but the meaning will be different: 不错 (good, great)，没错 (not wrong, right). 

And 没有,不 together? What does 没有不可能 mean? It is not not possible (therefore possible)?  

Posted on: National Day

@tgif

同志们辛苦 sounds a little apologetic.  Thanks for this by the way, I could not understand what he was saying despite hearing it thirty times!  I did hear 阅兵 and wondered.. I imagined it as 兵 not 饼 (;-)) but could not work out 阅.  

Did anyone notice that Pres. Hu was pretty stony faced except when the female military marched passed - then he was all smiles.  I smiled too at the skirts (I couldn't imagine Aust female military personnel in such costumes.)  

The 'provincial' floats kept it interesting, trying to imagine 'which one is this?' from the sometimes bizarre designs given 5 or 10 seconds at most to communicate one stereotype or another. The symbolism in the float representing the future was the most impenetrable for me - it looked kinda like a Viking ship. With children standing on the decks delivering frozen salutes, each hand some 30 cm from the head.  Like stills of the British Royal family passing in a landau.     

The English commentary did fall apart for 10 minutes or so but overall it was no less competent than the Channel 7 coverage of the 2008 Olympics. And I liked the crafty general types in the pre-parade interviews (but they didn't quite get around to explaining 4th generation weaponry.)      

Posted on: National Day

@mintiao

Re the change of date for National Day, our daughter will be amused; she and Mao Zedong share a birthday. 

Posted on: Love Tangle 3: One Night Stand

@paul

Nice try.  Do you mean that the American (whoops, Canadian) way is what the rest of the world is aspiring to?  I'm not knocking Canada - I really enjoy a good 40-below Winter.  But those 'simple pleasures in life' .. resorts clothing, candies, chocolates, Tylenol, feminine hygiene stuff, etc. and even guitar strings.., from America?  Umm, pass.  On a serious note, 'vacationers' bringing this stuff in just does a little bit more damage to the local economy - a case study of both cultural and economic imperialism. Still, it's good for Canada.   Canadian buildings .. umm, the basements are cool (except for the mould), but again, pass.  Actually, it's a bit of a detour but Italy with possibly the most decrepit built form in the world is also one of the most beautiful and functional. 

Actually this brings to mind a lot of old arguments (I'm sure for you to).. a common response in Australia is.. well, if you think that way why don't you just go and live in China!!  That's what I did.   :-)