Dan, I’m a little confused by your statements that all of China loves Mao. I’m sorry, but that simply isn’t true. I spent my first year in China in Changsha, and I distinctly remember about half the people who ever bothered to mention Mao telling me they loved him and the other half telling me in no uncertain terms, out loud, in public, how much they hated him.
Having said that, it’s an interesting post and a good story. I’m looking forward to more from your trip.
On Aug 6, 2004 4:38 PM, Tommy Oslo said:
Hello Dan,
I agree with chriswaugh_bj. There are a lot of Chinese people who don’t like Mao at all, specially for those who have experienced the Culture Revolution.
Most Chinese people nowdays just don’t care about Mao or politics in general. They warship their new God: Money.
Keep up the good writing! if you ever get these stories published, I will run to the nearest bookstore and buy it. :-)
On Aug 6, 2004 10:13 PM, Bulldog said:
“I used to believe in something. I used to believe that leaving the Bible Belt for China would stop annoying encounters like these from occurring in my life. From now on, I believe in nothing.” —— Hilarious!
I have been in the Bible Belt for a year, they finally got me. Well, they got my girl friend first, and now I have to go to bible study with her. Well, I have to say I do like the brownie usually served before the study.
Oh, I’m sorry guys. I meant to say all Chinese people love maozi, not Mao Zedong. All Chinese people love hats.
Seriously though, that’s refreshing to hear chriswaugh_bj. I guess I just don’t talk to the right people in Shanghai.
But I can say that during my recent swing through the south, Mao’s presence was palpable. Maybe he is not always loved. But he is most definitely looked at.
Dan
On Aug 7, 2004 10:55 PM, Dmh said:
As someone who also left the bible belt to come to china and get away from all that, now i have to be worried about seeing it here too…
I did laugh out loud at that part though…hilarious…
Fantastic stories, I really enjoy reading your fristhand experience with the zhongguo ren, as I affectionately refer to them.
But about Mao, I found my time spent in Shanghai to be similar to yours, in that people were generally afraid to speak about him in ways anything less than reverent, whether they believed it internally or not.
In fact, one of my vivid memories was in a roundtable discussion with local Chinese students organized by a local teacher. We were supposed to be discussing mild cultural and political topics, but the whole thing quickly spiraled in a patriotic self-validation fest. One of the main points I remember being brought across by Chinese students then was how crazy it was that Americans did not pay their leaders proper respect - many expressed disbelief that Americans could and would publicly humiliate their President over a sex scandal.
Perhaps it’s a combination of some level of historical respect for Mao (i.e. it’s difficult for many Americans to disrespect JFK, irrespective of any of his policies, and he’s a speck in shaping the relative history of the US when compared to Mao and the history of China), but also partly a reluctance to openly question leadership that is always supposedly working for “the good of everyone else”, as I often heard it explained to me.
After people knew the real history, he would be respected like that any more, actually many Chinese people have blamed him as a devil.
On Aug 21, 2004 3:16 PM, Elisha said:
Dan,
I just finished reading your story on Shaoshan! Hilarious! Keep up the good writing!
I too agree that the “few” people you talked to on your tour gave you a false impression of how we CHinese nowadays think of Mao. As a college student, I personally consider him as a big dictator and those red guards as “a band of murderous thugs”! So far as I have observed, the youngsters in China today prefer Deng Xiaoping, and they hold most of our premiers ( Zhu, Zhou, Wen) in respect.
On Sep 8, 2004 8:47 PM, Nick said:
“Although they do eat dog. Dana: “Dog is good for our health. In winter, it keeps us warm.” Me: “How can dog keep you warmer than beef?” Dana: “Because of the way we prepare it. In a hot pot.” Me: “Can’t you just prepare another meat the same way?” Dana: “Yes. You are right.””
Haha, brilliant! This is one of the best examples I have read of that day-to-day misunderstandings that we get here. Good luck Dan (from Nick, ex-Shanghai Uni Teacher)
Hi dear friends!
I am so happy to read Dan’s story in my vocation.
more interestings I know from your visiting.But only one thing I think it’s so funny that you meet trouble about Dog’s hotpot in China. You konw there is a famous dishs in Guizhou that is BaoYe people’s dog hotpot:)/:)/:).I am sure you are scared to get more views about eating Dog’s hotpot in here.more shops can sale Dog meat.
ha ha ha…..This is local culture about minority.
Best wishs to you.I am waiting for you Dan ,come into Guizhou soon.
Henry He
On Dec 11, 2004 5:15 AM, Ming said:
hahha, I love the part where you said He would grunt and point to the chair… :)
About Mao, I personally think 70:30 ratio is about right, if the 30 part is not too high. When people gets old, they do stupid things. Anyway, he is a brilliant war stratigist. He single handedly brought up the People’s Army. If you leave aside the ideology that Communist are nothing but negative, he is brilliant. Without him, there would have not been a China we see today, despite whether it’s good or bad.
Treating him as a God-like figure? Nahh..that’s a little too much. I don’t think there are still many people think that way today.
I definately see a lot of culture shock in this writing and mixed with a lot of mis-translation/interpretation. There is no way you can understand the Chinese culture using Western beliefs and views. Just like when I first came to the U.S. from China, many things people do, I thought, were laughable…
…but I am aboslutely enriched and thrilled by being in both cultures half of my life each. I am going to revisit China, hopfully soon. I am sure I will experience somewhat culture shocks too, just because I have been in the States for so long. But I recognize that I was a part of it, and am still is. :)
In the end, let me tell you, we are all people, everything is reasonable, anything can happen there can happen here, or anywhere for that matter. Even though we have so much differences in the culture, but there are minute similarities links us together as humans :)
11 Comments
Dan, I’m a little confused by your statements that all of China loves Mao. I’m sorry, but that simply isn’t true. I spent my first year in China in Changsha, and I distinctly remember about half the people who ever bothered to mention Mao telling me they loved him and the other half telling me in no uncertain terms, out loud, in public, how much they hated him.
Having said that, it’s an interesting post and a good story. I’m looking forward to more from your trip.
Hello Dan,
I agree with chriswaugh_bj. There are a lot of Chinese people who don’t like Mao at all, specially for those who have experienced the Culture Revolution.
Most Chinese people nowdays just don’t care about Mao or politics in general. They warship their new God: Money.
Keep up the good writing! if you ever get these stories published, I will run to the nearest bookstore and buy it. :-)
“I used to believe in something. I used to believe that leaving the Bible Belt for China would stop annoying encounters like these from occurring in my life. From now on, I believe in nothing.” —— Hilarious!
I have been in the Bible Belt for a year, they finally got me. Well, they got my girl friend first, and now I have to go to bible study with her. Well, I have to say I do like the brownie usually served before the study.
Oh, I’m sorry guys. I meant to say all Chinese people love maozi, not Mao Zedong. All Chinese people love hats.
Seriously though, that’s refreshing to hear chriswaugh_bj. I guess I just don’t talk to the right people in Shanghai.
But I can say that during my recent swing through the south, Mao’s presence was palpable. Maybe he is not always loved. But he is most definitely looked at.
Dan
As someone who also left the bible belt to come to china and get away from all that, now i have to be worried about seeing it here too…
I did laugh out loud at that part though…hilarious…
Hi Dan,
Fantastic stories, I really enjoy reading your fristhand experience with the zhongguo ren, as I affectionately refer to them.
But about Mao, I found my time spent in Shanghai to be similar to yours, in that people were generally afraid to speak about him in ways anything less than reverent, whether they believed it internally or not.
In fact, one of my vivid memories was in a roundtable discussion with local Chinese students organized by a local teacher. We were supposed to be discussing mild cultural and political topics, but the whole thing quickly spiraled in a patriotic self-validation fest. One of the main points I remember being brought across by Chinese students then was how crazy it was that Americans did not pay their leaders proper respect - many expressed disbelief that Americans could and would publicly humiliate their President over a sex scandal.
Perhaps it’s a combination of some level of historical respect for Mao (i.e. it’s difficult for many Americans to disrespect JFK, irrespective of any of his policies, and he’s a speck in shaping the relative history of the US when compared to Mao and the history of China), but also partly a reluctance to openly question leadership that is always supposedly working for “the good of everyone else”, as I often heard it explained to me.
After people knew the real history, he would be respected like that any more, actually many Chinese people have blamed him as a devil.
Dan,
I just finished reading your story on Shaoshan! Hilarious! Keep up the good writing!
I too agree that the “few” people you talked to on your tour gave you a false impression of how we CHinese nowadays think of Mao. As a college student, I personally consider him as a big dictator and those red guards as “a band of murderous thugs”! So far as I have observed, the youngsters in China today prefer Deng Xiaoping, and they hold most of our premiers ( Zhu, Zhou, Wen) in respect.
“Although they do eat dog. Dana: “Dog is good for our health. In winter, it keeps us warm.” Me: “How can dog keep you warmer than beef?” Dana: “Because of the way we prepare it. In a hot pot.” Me: “Can’t you just prepare another meat the same way?” Dana: “Yes. You are right.””
Haha, brilliant! This is one of the best examples I have read of that day-to-day misunderstandings that we get here. Good luck Dan (from Nick, ex-Shanghai Uni Teacher)
Hi dear friends!
I am so happy to read Dan’s story in my vocation.
more interestings I know from your visiting.But only one thing I think it’s so funny that you meet trouble about Dog’s hotpot in China. You konw there is a famous dishs in Guizhou that is BaoYe people’s dog hotpot:)/:)/:).I am sure you are scared to get more views about eating Dog’s hotpot in here.more shops can sale Dog meat.
ha ha ha…..This is local culture about minority.
Best wishs to you.I am waiting for you Dan ,come into Guizhou soon.
Henry He
hahha, I love the part where you said He would grunt and point to the chair… :)
About Mao, I personally think 70:30 ratio is about right, if the 30 part is not too high. When people gets old, they do stupid things. Anyway, he is a brilliant war stratigist. He single handedly brought up the People’s Army. If you leave aside the ideology that Communist are nothing but negative, he is brilliant. Without him, there would have not been a China we see today, despite whether it’s good or bad.
Treating him as a God-like figure? Nahh..that’s a little too much. I don’t think there are still many people think that way today.
I definately see a lot of culture shock in this writing and mixed with a lot of mis-translation/interpretation. There is no way you can understand the Chinese culture using Western beliefs and views. Just like when I first came to the U.S. from China, many things people do, I thought, were laughable…
…but I am aboslutely enriched and thrilled by being in both cultures half of my life each. I am going to revisit China, hopfully soon. I am sure I will experience somewhat culture shocks too, just because I have been in the States for so long. But I recognize that I was a part of it, and am still is. :)
In the end, let me tell you, we are all people, everything is reasonable, anything can happen there can happen here, or anywhere for that matter. Even though we have so much differences in the culture, but there are minute similarities links us together as humans :)