User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Learning the Lei Feng Song
December 18, 2008 at 11:01 PMHi xigua2
Thank you very much for your insights and perspective. This conversation is richer because of your comments.
Like you, I am doubtful that Lei Feng ever existed. And you're justified in seeing something sinister about the way he was used to inspire loyalty in the Party and its Chairman.
Having said that, I still believe that lessons like this are valuable for Chinese learners, especially those living in China. This is because the mainstream Chinese perspective on Lei Feng is not your perspective. He is a part of the "moral education" curriculum in school. People these days jokingly refer to someone who does something admirable as a "living Lei Feng." A big part of learning about another culture is understanding aspects of the other side's widely held views that strike you as absurd. You don't have to share them, and in fact you can actively oppose them. But it would be a mistake to ignore them.
I'd like to say something about whether Mao was an abberation or an extension of Chinese culture. China has a long and painful record of cruel, cold leadership. And the Cultural Revolution was not the first politically motivated backlash against art, culture and education. There was a similar spasm of violence in the late Tang under Wuzong when hundreds of Buddhist temples were destroyed.
The CCP didn't come from outer space to invade China. It's true that Mao had significant foreign support (mostly Soviet). But to a large degree Mao's revolution, and even more so the Cultural Revolution, were home-grown. This was chaos and destruction that the Chinese inflicted on themselves. For all their (largely justified) complaints about foreign aggression, the Chinese have always been their own worst enemies.
So let's celebrate the beauty and elegance of Tang poetry. And let's mourn the tragic cruelty of China's civil wars. And let's recognize that these two phenomena come from the same deep wellspring.
Posted on: Learning the Lei Feng Song
December 18, 2008 at 10:38 PMHi jingdezhen
If you like Chinese poetry, do we have something good in store for you! I can't tell you any more now. But I think you're gonna like it ;-)
Posted on: 长征
December 18, 2008 at 7:46 AMHi huguorestall
在国民党的领导下，中国并不是什么人间天堂。战争经常是这样的，双方都不怎么样。对了，我们一般说老百姓.
Confucius said, war doesn't determine who's right. It determines who's left ；-）
Posted on: Fat Camp
December 18, 2008 at 7:33 AMWow, kingtut , that camp sounds wicked. I'd sign up, just for the river boating classes.
If you hired some handsome male instructors, you could double your target audience.
Posted on: Learning the Lei Feng Song
December 18, 2008 at 7:08 AMHi kesirui
I just tested it again, and it works for me. Maybe try clearing your cache and trying again?
If that fails, you can go to Baidu.com, choose MP3, and then search for this: 学习雷锋好榜样。
Let me know if you have more trouble.
Posted on: Best Friends
December 18, 2008 at 7:02 AMHi houban and changye
Recently, Pabst Blue Ribbon has re-invented itself in America as a drink for ironic young hipsters who get a kick out of chugging a "working class" drink.
It's clever marketing, but doesn't change the urine-like taste of the drink.
Posted on: Learning the Lei Feng Song
December 18, 2008 at 2:39 AMHi miami_meiguoren
Baidu even shows a techno remix, but the link wasn't working.
Posted on: Learning the Lei Feng Song
December 18, 2008 at 2:34 AMHi poddies
As Ken and Jennie mentioned in the podcast, Lei Feng was apparently killed by a truck backing up onto him. The wags at Danwei.org (can't find the exact link, sorry) speculated that his last words might've been:
到...到...到...停 （嗯）
Posted on: 三十六计
December 19, 2008 at 2:08 AMHi barto
多謝你的建議。to be in a temper 跟 to have a temper tantrum 很像， 只不過是程度的差別。我在美國也好，中國也好都看到過大人having temper tantrums，覺得特別丟人。但你還是說的對，to be in a temper 也包括passive agressive 行為。 但我沒把耍脾氣翻成翻成to be in a temper 是因為我好想很少聽到別人用這個說法，感覺有一點老套。一般我寧可用稍微不恰當的詞語而不要寫chinglish.
不管怎么樣，在乎小細節沒啥可不好意思呀，多謝你的suggestions!