Western companies considering doing business in China will often hear the term 'Face' being thrown around.
"Face" is being seen to be perceived in a good light, and one can be given "face," attain it through hard work and piety, or even have it taken away. "Losing face" is a major issue in China. This phenomenon is both curious and unexpected considering conspicuous consumption and showing off is an undesirable trate according to Chinese Confucianism, and inappropriate according to the traditional values of the Communist Party.
For example, take the bull statue at the new Bund (Shanghai). At 2.5 meters tall and weighing in at 2.7 tons, the Shanghai Bull is the same size as the Wall Street version, but "redder, younger and stronger," which is fair enough, but Shanghai officials had apparently wanted one twice as large as the one on Wall Street. The city requested a bull that was younger and stronger than New York City's bull to symbolize "the energy of Shanghai's economy," Zhou Wei, the head of Huangpu district told reporters at a briefing. "That's why the head of The Bund Bull looks up while the Wall Street Bull looks downward," he said.
That may be playful rhetoric, but it is also a matter of face, and taking it away (in this instance from New York) would previously have been considered rude.
While the Wall Street Bull moved quickly onto new pastures after its initial installation in front of the New York Stock Exchange, and is currently grazing in Bowling Green Park, Shanghai's bull faces Pudong with a prominent arse end pointing at the old colonial structures. Accident of design maybe, but every time I see it I can't help thinking about that, while also noting it should be matched by sculpted piles of bull poo, such is its somewhat constipated posture. It has very large testicles too, and apparently it's considered good joss to rub them. In two years' time, the bull's nuts may blind oncoming traffic. Yet facing Pudong with its butt towards the old colonial buildings does seem rather a statement, deliberate or not.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Was The Chinese Phoenix An Ostrich?
According to archaeologists and ornithologists in China, there once existed a species of Ostrich in Xinjiang province, a discovery which may be the source of the legend of the Phoenix in China.
The Asian Ostrich became extinct after the end of the last iceage, and images of ostriches have been found in China on petroglyphs and prehistoric pottery, indicating that the ostriches were still around at the time of the early humans of ancient China.
The Chinese Phoenix, or Fenghuang, (凤凰) was said to be made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish.
This combination of features could also be describing an ostrich - the long neck of a snake, the fat breast of a goose, the dark shell-shaped back of the tortoise, and the huge hindquarters of a stag. Common depictions of the Phoenix also show it destroying snakes with wings spread. Ostriches eat snakes, and do spread their wings during courtship or aggression.
It is known that the range of the Ostrich did extend from North Africa, across the Middle East and into Central Asia. The Middle Eastern Ostrich only became extinct as recently as 1966, and was probably as close as we could get to imagining what the Asian ostrich looked like to the ancient Chinese, and maybe what the image of the Phoenix was originally based on.
The Asian Ostrich became extinct after the end of the last iceage, and images of ostriches have been found in China on petroglyphs and prehistoric pottery, indicating that the ostriches were still around at the time of the early humans of ancient China.
The Chinese Phoenix, or Fenghuang, (凤凰) was said to be made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish.
This combination of features could also be describing an ostrich - the long neck of a snake, the fat breast of a goose, the dark shell-shaped back of the tortoise, and the huge hindquarters of a stag. Common depictions of the Phoenix also show it destroying snakes with wings spread. Ostriches eat snakes, and do spread their wings during courtship or aggression.
It is known that the range of the Ostrich did extend from North Africa, across the Middle East and into Central Asia. The Middle Eastern Ostrich only became extinct as recently as 1966, and was probably as close as we could get to imagining what the Asian ostrich looked like to the ancient Chinese, and maybe what the image of the Phoenix was originally based on.
Charming Snakes in India
I live, work and travel frequently all around India, and have often come across the intriguing tradition of "Snake Charmers".
India has a spiritual relationship with snakes, unlike the Chinese, who just eat them. In India, snakes are both feared and revered, and are often seen with Charmers at markets, who play a melody to make the snake 'dance'.
Apparently, the secret is that the snake moves in response the swaying of the snake charmer, not the music. The Cobra is deaf to the snake charmer's pipe, but follows the visual cue of the moving pipe and it can sense the ground vibrations from the snake charmer's tapping. Despite this slight trick, it is still amazing that the Indian Cobra, one of the most deadly snakes on earth, can be used in this manner.
The Indian Cobra is revered in Indian mythology and is now protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (despite this, it is still often seen in markets and temples around India). Sheshnag is the Preeminent Serpent, a giant snake deity with multiple cobra heads. Cobra's have also been portrayed coiled around the Hindu god Shiva's neck, and are worshipped during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami.
India has a spiritual relationship with snakes, unlike the Chinese, who just eat them. In India, snakes are both feared and revered, and are often seen with Charmers at markets, who play a melody to make the snake 'dance'.
Apparently, the secret is that the snake moves in response the swaying of the snake charmer, not the music. The Cobra is deaf to the snake charmer's pipe, but follows the visual cue of the moving pipe and it can sense the ground vibrations from the snake charmer's tapping. Despite this slight trick, it is still amazing that the Indian Cobra, one of the most deadly snakes on earth, can be used in this manner.
The Indian Cobra is revered in Indian mythology and is now protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (despite this, it is still often seen in markets and temples around India). Sheshnag is the Preeminent Serpent, a giant snake deity with multiple cobra heads. Cobra's have also been portrayed coiled around the Hindu god Shiva's neck, and are worshipped during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami.
Movie Review: Under the Hawthorn Tree
"Under the Hawthorn Tree" tells the true story of Sun and Jin, two young Chinese who meet and fall in love in the countryside during the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. The film is directed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, and is filmed mostly in the beautiful countryside of Sichuan province.
The film centers around the "The Down to the Countryside Movement", a policy instigated by Mao Zedong, which displaced millions of Chinese families, scattering them around China. Those Chinese born into the capitalist classes, were sent to the countryside for 're-education' among the proletariat. These moves sometimes resulted in families being separated for decades.
In the movie, Jing is just such an unlucky citizen, sent to the countryside, where love strikes when she meets the handsome Sun. The romance is innocent, without even hand-holding, (holding opposite ends of a stick is ok though), but the danger of being found out and split apart remains in this society of watchers, spies, and political paranoia.
Sun works in a Chinese geological mission, searching for radium sources for use in China's nuclear industry. Jing works first building roads, a dangerous job for this tiny girl, and she faces a series of injuries, which Sun helps to treat.
Their courtship continues amid the political unrest, with Sun being separated from Jing for a time. I won't spoil the ending for you, except to say that you best keep the Kleenex on hand. Director Zhang Yimou is brilliant at pulling your heartstrings, and the movie is beautifully shot and acted. It is subtitled in English, so get your hands on a copy and enjoy.
The film centers around the "The Down to the Countryside Movement", a policy instigated by Mao Zedong, which displaced millions of Chinese families, scattering them around China. Those Chinese born into the capitalist classes, were sent to the countryside for 're-education' among the proletariat. These moves sometimes resulted in families being separated for decades.
In the movie, Jing is just such an unlucky citizen, sent to the countryside, where love strikes when she meets the handsome Sun. The romance is innocent, without even hand-holding, (holding opposite ends of a stick is ok though), but the danger of being found out and split apart remains in this society of watchers, spies, and political paranoia.
Sun works in a Chinese geological mission, searching for radium sources for use in China's nuclear industry. Jing works first building roads, a dangerous job for this tiny girl, and she faces a series of injuries, which Sun helps to treat.
Their courtship continues amid the political unrest, with Sun being separated from Jing for a time. I won't spoil the ending for you, except to say that you best keep the Kleenex on hand. Director Zhang Yimou is brilliant at pulling your heartstrings, and the movie is beautifully shot and acted. It is subtitled in English, so get your hands on a copy and enjoy.
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