杜甫《陪鄭廣文遊何將軍山林十首》Du Fu Ten Verses (1 to 4)

This is a translation of the first 4 verses of 陪鄭廣文遊何將軍山林十首 (Ten Verses on Accompanying Zheng Guang-Wen Travelling in General He's Mountain Groves), by the renowned Tang dynasty poet 杜甫 (Dufu).

This poem is composed of ten verses, although each can be read as an individual poem. I will try to offer a translation that best reflects the grammar in use, although as this sometimes makes for a clunky English translation, I will do my best to offer another idiomatic English poetic rendering as well.


其一 Part 1
不識南塘路，今知第五橋。
I am not familiar with the Southern Well Road,  [塘 is a manmade well or reservoir]
But now I recognise the fifth bridge.
名園依綠水，野竹上青霄。
Famous gardens border green waters,
Wild bamboo reaches up into the clear sky.
谷口舊相得，濠梁同見招。
Mr Gu Kou, a long time ago we got to know one another [Gu Kou is another name for Zheng Guang-Wen, the name in the title of the poem]
To Hao Liang, together we have been summoned. [Hao Liang is a famous lake in China with many cultural connotations, as it is the lake where Zhuangzi had a the conversation about the fish. Hao Liang could also be another name for General He, it is not clear]
平生為幽興，未惜馬蹄遙。
All my life I have been inspired solitude [为X兴 to be inspired by X]
And have never regretted my horses footsteps off into the distance.

I am not familiar with the Southern Well Road,
But now I recognise the fifth bridge.
Famous gardens border green waters,
Wild bamboo reaches up into the clear sky. 
Mr Gu Kou and I got to know one another a long time ago,
And together we have been summoned to Hao Liang. 
All my life I have been inspired solitude,  
And have never regretted my horse's treaded route into the distance.


其二 Part 2
百頃風潭上，千章夏木清。
One hundred qing, the wind blows over deep pools, [頃 an area of land equivalent to 6.67 hectares]
One thousand trees, the summer woods are cool. [章 means trunks, representing trees]
卑枝低結子，接葉暗巢鶯。
Low branches drop down with fruit,
Joined leaves hide nested orioles.
鮮鯽銀絲膾，香芹碧澗羹。
Fresh carp, silver slivers of meat,
Fragrant celery, the broth of a jade mountain stream.
翻疑柁樓底，晚飯越中行。
I wonder, to be below the rudder house, [翻疑 to turn over one's doubts, is a binome meaning 'to wonder'. 柁 is a rudder 樓 means building, so 柁樓 is the small building constructed over the rudder at the back of the boat for the captain to steer the boat in]
Eating dinner travelling through Yue.

One hundred qing, the wind blows over deep pools, 
One thousand trees, the summer woods are cool.
Low hanging branches droop with fruit,
Dense leaves hide nested orioles.
Fresh carp, silver slivers of meat,
Fragrant celery, the broth of a jade mountain stream. 
I wonder what it is like to be in the rudder house, [I'm really not sure about this line, if anyone has better versions, please comment below]
Eating dinner travelling through Yue. 


其三 Part 3
萬里戎王子，何年別月支？
Ten thousand li, the rong wang zi, [戎王子 is a plant, it doesn't seem to have any special properties]
When did you leave Yue Zhi? [月支 land to the west of the Tang dominion, called Tokhara]
異花来絕域，滋蔓匝清池。
Strange flowers come from foreign lands, [絕域 means foreign lands, but 絕 means to cut off, so the real meaning is more of a cut off, isolated land]
It spreads and grows, surrounding the clear pool.
漢使徒空到，神農竟不知。
The Han emissary arrives back in vain,
The God of Farming somehow does not know (of the wang rong zi).  [神農 the god of farming and agriculture, said to have invented farming techniques for China, also called a sage]
露翻兼雨打，開坼漸離披。
Dew rolls and the rain strikes,
It cracks open, and gradually departs and spreads. [both these lines refer to the wang rong zi]

Ten thousand li away from the rong wang zi plant,
When did you leave Tokhara?
Strange flowers come from isolated lands,
It spreads and grows, surrounding the clear pond.
The Han emissary arrives back empty handed,
And even the God of Farming does not know of it. 
Dew rolls over and the rain strikes the wang rong zi,
The flower cracks open, but gradually petals fall and cover the ground. 


其四 Part 4
旁舍連高竹，疏籬帶晚花。
The side house joins with tall bamboo, [旁舍 by this he is implying very humble living, not the main house by a small house by the side, almost like a shed, or an outbuilding]
The sparse fence bears evening flowers.
碾渦深沒馬，藤蔓曲藏蛇。
Mill whirlpool, in the depths the horse sinks, [碾 means to crush, and also means a mill]
Wisteria grows, in the bends snakes hide.
[Scholars don't really know what these two morbid lines are about, but speculate Dufu is mentioning some traumatic period in his life]
詞賦工無益，山林跡未賒。
Words and verse, this work is without profit,
Mountains and forests have never been far away.
盡捻書籍賣，來問爾東家。
I touch everything, sell off my books,
I have come to question your landlord.

Bamboo grows around the outbuilding,
The loosely thatched fence bears evening flowers.
The horse drowns in the depths of the whirlpool by the mill,
Snakes hide in the curves of winding wisteria. 
Words and verse, there is no profit from this work,
I have never been far from mountains and forests.
So I take my books and sell them all,
I come in search of the landlord. 

Chinese Beauty Standards 中国审美

Beauty standards in China is a well discussed topic on the Internet, and this post is by no means attempting to offer a final say in the matter, given cultural perceptions are constantly shifting. However, I hope I can shine some light on a few of China's well entrenched and newly ensconced beauty standards through my own experiences and study, and readers comments and views are welcome!

White Skin 皮肤又白皙又滑

It seems from the very beginning of Chinese history, fair skin has been desirable in women, and men too. The reasoning behind its allure is a bit of a platitude; fair skin represented (and represents) wealth, it implies one does not need to labour outside. The same ideology existed for centuries in Europe, where the aristocracy would powder their faces deathly white for this effect. In China, India, and many other East Asian and South East Asian countries, an endless array of products promise to 'whiten' your skin. It is the same pursuit of paleness. As the sun has come out in Qingdao, so have the umbrellas. These are UV reflecting umbrellas, designed to keep those dastardly rays of sun off you. And then there's the 'facekini', which, let's face it, is just a balaclava. On the flip side, some women in the West give themselves skin cancer through overusing sunbeds in order to get a tan. Excesses exist on both sides of the scale.

A couple of years ago during a home-stay in China, I met a young girl who said to me, "it doesn't matter what my grades are, my skin is very white, so I will be fine." While this shocked me, as most Chinese students I know seem determined to succeed through study and hard work, it did highlight the extent to which the Chinese value fair skin. In fact, a recent term depicting the perfect woman has arisen, a 白富美, literally 'white, rich, and beautiful' lady. If I mentally list all the female Chinese stars I know, they all exhibit the same dewy white complexion. All except Jie Ke Jun Yi, who recently came third in China's version of 'The Voice'. She is probably the first "tanned" star to find favour from the Chinese public. 

Considering the Chinese language, it's no surprise the ideal of pale skin hasn't faded. The idea of a 'white beauty' is embedded in its very words. Take the idiom 冰肌玉骨 bingji yugu, meaning 'ice flesh and jade bones'. Sounds like a stone-hearted, cold-blooded person, right? It actually refers to a beautiful woman, 'jade' and 'ice' both being white and pure. Beauty and fair skin are hard ideas to divorce when they are synonymous. 

Face shape 脸形

Just as Brazil has over 100 different words for shades skin tone in order to describe its multi-ethnic population, China has a vast range of words to describe the shape of a person's face. For example, 烧饼脸 'pancake face' obviously describes someone with a round flattish face, and 苹果脸 'apple face' describes someone with round rosy cheeks. 国字脸 is the Chinese for square face, and is the ideal face shape for a man. 

The ideal features for Chinese women, however, are 瓜子脸 a 'melon seed face' (the English translation would be an oval face, but with a pointed chin) and 鹅蛋脸 a 'goose egg face'. Dating sites even list face shape as important information alongside build, age, etc. 

Fan Bingbing has a 'melon seed face'

Gong Yuanyuan has a 'goose egg face' 

Actress Gongli has a 'goose egg face'

This is perhaps one aspect that has seen traditional characteristics recede. From what I have read and seen in classical literature and artwork, rounder faces seemed to be preferred. However nowadays, if there's a body part you dislike, there's a surgery out there to correct it. Liposuction can be performed on the lower areas of the face to slim down the jaw, to the more extreme option of shaving away the jawbone to give a 'V' shaped face. 

Slim Figures 苗条身材

I've read some blogs complaining about how China's predisposition towards thin women must be a vestige of Western advertising, forcing Chinese women to become unnaturally thin. This is a one-sided approach to a many layered phenomenon. 

Genetically, asian bodies are less able to store fat than, say, western bodies. Also, the average Chinese diet is healthier than those of their western counterparts. I would say the average Chinese woman is just naturally thinner than the average western woman. But, the times they are a-changing. In a couple of decades, it is possible obesity could be a real problem for China, as its swelling urban population gorges itself on Macdonalds and KFC. Being overweight is starting to be an issue for children, as parents and grandparents lavish all their attention and love on one child. However, there is virtually no one here my age who I would consider overweight or obese, by my UK standards. In fact, most of the time, I walk around being jealous of 99% of the girls I see. 

So the issue is perception. After a meet-up with one of my language partners, I said I was going home to eat dinner. She looked at me with surprise, and said, "you eat dinner? But you're so thin!" She then confessed that after going home for Chinese New Year she had gained a kilogram or so. Therefore, when term restarted, she had stopped eating dinner. It was my turn to be shocked. My language partner is by no means fat, or even pudgy. She would have no trouble fitting into a UK size 8. So yes, there is a pressure forcing girls to be thin. 

However, placing the blame for this at the door of Western media is to overlook China's own literary and historical ideals. The Chinese have favoured a wide range of female figures over history, often linked to the preferences of the emperor at the time. The sentiment is summarised in the saying 燕瘦环肥 yanshou huanfei, referring to Empress Zhao Feiyan who was slim (瘦) and Imperial Concubine Yang Huhuan who had a fuller figure (肥). Regardless of their silhouette, both are regarded as historical beauties. Moreover, one of the most important female characters in the Chinese classic Dream of the Red Chamber is famed for being incredibly waif-like. Lin Daiyu 林黛玉 is so painfully thin, that when she is sick and bed-bound, it hurts to lie down because her bones protrude so much. Yet she is still one of Chinese literature's most beautiful women. Lin Daiyu's love rival is Xue Baochai, and each embodies different a facet of Chinese beauty; Daiyu is slender whereas Baochai is shapely. 

Comely figures were not frowned upon, and when I was young I remember being told that if a Chinese person called you 'fat', it was meant as a compliment. But I can't help but feel this notion has turned on its head. My slim language partner represents a new generation of girls who can't stand to be over 50kg. It seems they have forgotten the essence of 燕瘦环肥 yanshou huanfei, that 'beauty comes in all shapes and sizes', and would rather skip dinner. The women I see at my gym never run because they are afraid it will give them muscle, so they just walk. Taking up all the treadmills.  

Those who have studied Chinese culture know that the Chinese are typically very upfront about someone's appearance. Especially weight. I made a trip to one of my favourite clothes shops, and the shop assistant said to me, "Oh, you've put on weight." Which isn't the best way to make your customers feel great about themselves. Anyway, my point is that chinese people don't skirt around the issue of weight, especially parents. Having your appearance, and more acutely, your flaws pointed out to you by your family, friends and even strangers can be hard going. Competition here for jobs and partners is fierce, and society is judging. The question is, whose standards are Chinese society judging by? There is both a precedent for thin ideals, and an influx of thin idols from South Korea and the West.  

Big Eyes and Small Noses 大眼睛，小鼻子

The pursuit of large eyes through double-eyelid surgery (known as blepharoplasty) is perhaps the most controversial, as it is the pursuit of a feature that is unnatural to Chinese and Asian aesthetics, instead of the enhancement of an existing trait (like skin whitening). That said, many Chinese people do naturally have double eyelids. For those unwilling or unable to get the surgery (I've heard in Korea some girls get double eyelid surgery for themselves as a present for graduating high school), there are 'eyelid tapes' available in pharmacies and beauty stores. 

We could approach this issue of larger eyes from psychological perspective, as humans have an innate preference for things with large eyes, small noses and chins (think kittens and babies). These features in women often emulate youth, which in turn signify fertility. But this perspective oversimplifies the matter. Single eyelids were a desirable feature in numerous dynasties, but now you would be hard pressed to name a female celebrity without double-eyelids. The entertainment industry has a full time job suspecting who has and who hasn't had it done. To Westerners, this procedure often seems farcical, like MJ's sudden race change. However, to some Chinese and other East Asian women, that small fold in the skin is a huge deal. It's not about making yourself look Western, but about keeping up with your friends, giving yourself a fighting chance in a job market where you have to attach a photograph to your CV, and living up to the new beauty standards of the modern Asian woman.

 "From having performed double eyelid surgery since 1981, and teaching the surgical techniques to other doctors for the same period, I honestly do not believe that most of the Asian patients are wanting to look like Westerners or their Caucasian friends. Rather, they want to retain their Asian features with the addition of an aesthetically pleasing Asian eyelid crease, just like their Asian friends or siblings." {Dr. W.P.D. Chen, M.D., F.A.C.S.}

Another feature which is highly coveted is a small nose, with a high nose bridge. Words used to describe this type of nose include 'noble' and 'elegant', compared to the relatively flat noses with wide bridges and nostrils that are a common Chinese trait. I've received some atypical compliments during my time here, including "you have a small face" and "your nose is so high". At first I didn't know what to make of those comments, because I didn't understand the desirability behind those features. 

Lucky old Fan Bingbing, owner of large eyes and a prominent nose.

Body Hair

If you really want to watch Western standards imposing themselves on China in action, you should start looking at ladies' body hair. I'm serious. I remember going to Yantai, Shandong, two years ago and getting on a bus. I remember a rather attractive lady got on at the same time as me, we both paid, and then she reached up to grab the rail and - OMFG WHAT IS THAT?! Yes, her armpit was growing a  veritable shrub and her short sleeved top was doing nothing to hide it. I had literally never ever seen armpit hair in my life. Not that I don't have my own, but it is regularly decimated for personal and public reasons. Everyone I know does the same. In the UK, if ladies haven't maintained their own pits, it's polite to cover it up. So seeing not just any old armpit hair, but a such dense crop was a culture shock. I later went to an English corner and raised the topic of body hair, and I was told that if a Chinese person sees a hair-less armpit, then that is considered weird. I like the thought of that lady and I standing on a bus together, both appalled by each other's armpits. 

But Yantai is a small, third-tier city, how does it reflect changing tastes? Currently in Qingdao, a second-tier city of 8-million with a large foreign contingent, I cannot get a wax. But I can buy hair removal devices such as razors and waxing strips, which were very hard to find/impossible to buy in Yantai. There is also much less armpit hair on show. Yet in Beijing, there are a handful of places offering a full scope of waxing services, for foreigners but also for rich Chinese customers. 

It is sensible to conclude, the more interaction with foreigners and foreign habits, the more likely average Chinese women are to adopt Western hair removal practices. Who knows, maybe in ten years time, it will be possible to get a wax in Yantai. 

Chinese Love Songs 唱一曲情歌

With St. Valentine's Day just around the corner, it's an opportune moment to share some of my favourite mandarin love songs with my own translations. My apologies that so many of them run on a theme of unrequited-ness. I assure you it's all coincidence.

Only for Love 我用所有报答爱 - 张靓颖 Jane Zhang (from The Banquet)

只為一支歌, 血染紅寂寞。 只為一場夢, 摔碎了山河

For only a song, blood stained my loneliness red. For only a dream, I have shattered the whole country

只為一顆心, 愛到分離才相遇. 只為一滴淚, 模糊了恩仇

For only a heart, I parted with love but reunited too late. For only a tear drop, I confused my friends with my enemies.

我用所有 報答愛, 你卻不 不回來

I use all that I have to repay your love, but you still will not come back to me.

歲月 從此一刀兩段. 永不見 風雨 風雨 風雨

From now the moon is sliced in two, I will never again see the wind and rain, wind and rain, wind and rain.  

Painted Heart 画心 - 张靓 Jane Zhang (from Painted Skin)

看不穿 是你失落的魂魄, 猜不透 是你瞳孔的颜色.

I cannot see through to your lost soul, I cannot guess the colour of your eyes. 

一阵风 一场梦 爱如生命般莫测 

A gust of wind, a dream, a love as unpredictable as life itself

你的心到底被什么蛊惑

Your heart, what has bewitched it so?

你的轮廓在黑夜之中淹没, 看桃花开出怎样的结果

Your silhouette disappears into the night, I watch the last of the peach blossoms open, 

看着你抱着我 目光似月色寂寞, 就让你在别人怀里快乐 

I watch you, holding me, your gaze as lonely as moonlight, so I let you find happiness in someone else’s arms.

爱着你 像心跳难触摸. 画着你 画不出你的骨骼. 

Loving you, as untouchable as a heartbeat. Drawing you, I cannot draw your skeleton.

记着你的脸色 是我等你的执着,  你是我一首唱不完的歌 

Remembering your face, determined to wait for you, you are my never ending song.

爱着你 像心跳难触摸. 画着你 画不出你的骨骼. 

Loving you, as untouchable as a heartbeat. Drawing you, I cannot draw your skeleton.

记着你的脸色 是我等你的执着, 我的心只愿为你而割舍

Remembering your face, determined to wait for you. My heart hopes only for you, I’ve not given up.

Love at Kangmei 康美之恋 - 谭晶 Jing Tan

 一条路 海角天涯. 两颗心 相依相伴. 

One road, to the ends of the Earth. Two hearts, lean on one another.

风吹不走誓言, 雨打不湿浪漫.

The wind cannot sweep away a promise, the rain cannot wash away a romance.

意济苍生苦与痛, 情牵天下喜与乐.

Wishing to ease people’s pain, our hearts fill with joy.

一条路 千山万水, 两颗星 无怨无悔. 

One road, over mountains and seas. Two stars, without regrets.

风吹不走誓言, 雨打不湿浪漫.

The wind cannot sweep away a promise, the rain cannot wash away a romance.

意济苍生苦与痛, 情牵天下喜与乐. 

Wishing to ease people’s pain, our hearts fill with joy.

明月清风相思. 丽日百草也多情 

Bright moon, calm breeze, thinking of each other. Beautiful day, fragrant grasses, how many feelings! 

两颗心长相伴, 你我写下爱的神话

Two hearts stay together forever, you and I will write a fairy-tale romance. 

明月清风相思, 丽日百草也多情 

Bright moon, calm breeze, thinking of each other. Beautiful day, fragrant grasses, how many feelings! 

康美情长相恋, 你我写下爱的神话

Kangmei’s love lasts forever, you and I will write a fairy-tale romance.

Passing Rain 過雲雨 - 張敬軒 Hins Cheung

天空剛下了幾場雨 看街上無人不多

It has been raining, and I see no one on the streets.

現在的你在做什麼 還有沒有在想我

What are you doing right now? Are you thinking of me?

快樂是否曾來過 探訪我們兩個

Did happiness not call here once, and visit you and I?

誰都不想讓自己錯 剩下了自己一個

Who doesn’t think they have made a mistake, when abandoned all alone?

找到你愛的咖啡店 嘗試去感應著你

I find the coffee shop that you loved, to try to connect with you.

喝一杯低糖的Latte 你還會想嘗一口

I drink a sugarfree latte, do you still want to try a sip?

快樂是否曾來過 探訪我們兩個

Did happiness not call here once, and visit you and I?

誰都不想讓自己錯 剩下了自己一個

Who doesn’t think they have made a mistake, when abandoned all alone?

*春夏秋冬 有多少人會走

Spring, summer, autumn, winter; how many people will leave?

春夏秋冬 有多少人會留

Spring, summer, autumn, winter; how many people will stay?

傳聞你身邊有個他 兩個人很快樂嗎

Rumour says someone else is by your side now, are the two of you happy?

聽說你跟他提起我 是否對我也牽挂

I heard that you mentioned me to him, was it to lead me along?

快樂是否也來過 探訪你們兩個

Did happiness not call here once, and visit the two of you?

誰都不想再讓你哭 剩下你自己一個

Who doesn’t want to cry again, when abandoned all alone?

外面的雨下得太久 我的心感覺冷漠

The rain outside has been falling for too long, my heart feels forgotten,

看到這一場過雲雨 你是否會想起我

I see the storm clouds are passing, do you still think of me? 

Wandering Songstress 天涯歌女 - Shanghai Restoration Project's Version   

(seen in Street Angel 1937 and Lust|Caution 2007)

天涯呀海角 觅呀觅知音

To the ends of the Earth and edges of the sea; searching, searching for my soulmate.

小妹妹唱歌郎奏琴

A young girl sings, a boy accompanies with a zither.

郎呀咱们俩是一条心

My dearest, our hearts are one.

哎呀哎呀郎呀 咱们俩是一条心

Aiya aiya my young man, our hearts are one.

家山呀北望 泪呀泪满襟

From my mountain home, I gaze North. Tears, tears fall and wet my gown.

小妹妹想郎直到今

I miss him endlessly.

郎呀 患难之交恩爱深

My dearest, love that lasts through hard times is the deepest.

哎呀哎呀 郎呀患难之交恩爱深

Aiya aiya my young man, love that lasts through hard times is the deepest.

人生呀谁不惜呀惜青春

In life, who does not cherish the springtime of youth?

小妹妹似线郎似针

A young girl is the thread, her man is the needle.

郎呀穿在一起不离分

My dearest, once threaded together they are never to part

哎呀哎呀 郎呀穿在一起不离分

Aiya aiya my young man, once threaded together they are never to part.

Don't mention the War 别谈到日本

As I mentioned in a previous post, there is a considerable amount of unresolved tension between Japan and China. Anyone who has visited chinaSMACK can testify to the vitriol that a minority of Chinese netizens can spew regarding anything Japanese. Under the anonymity of the internet, many people feel able to speak more loosely. However, 反日 (fanri, or anti-Japan) is an accepted and unchallenged topic of conversation. Last year, I stayed with a perfectly hospitable, friendly and normal family over the Summer holidays, but even on the first day, the daughter said to me offhandedly and casually that she hates the Japanese. My current landlord told me he would never rent any property of his to a Japanese. Recently, I had a disagreement with a teacher, let's call him Mr. Zhang, that really appalled me. 

I hadn't prepared all of the text, so I thought I could delay him a little, and seeing as he was looking at the map of China on the wall, I asked why China laid claim to the entire ocean below it right up to the shores of Malaysia. He somehow moved the topic onto the Japanese and spent the next hour ranting. And not the regular 'I don't like the Japanese' rants. He said he would never teach a Japanese person, because 'I teach students, not pigs or dogs', which he said in both English and Chinese. At first we treated it like a normal lesson. We've had other classes with other teachers where we've had discussions on the Diaoyu Islands that were perfectly reasonable, so we offered up other points of view, but remained neutral over the issue. Every time we tried to debate a point he would shout us down saying we were '没有道理' (being unreasonable or illogical), or deceived by the Japanese (through our university education!!), or that we didn't understand China. Another student eventually walked out, while I sat in silence. 

The next day, we went to the office and asked to switch teachers, not because he disliked the Japanese, but because as a teacher wasn't able to distance himself from the topic. He had upset too many of us to able to continue learning comfortably from him. We were then visited by the head of department and another teacher, who tried to convince us 

1. We didn't understand what he was saying
2. We misinterpreted what he was saying
3. It was our fault, for raising the topic of the Diaoyu Islands and for not understanding Mr. Zhang's temperament. 
4. Mr. Zhang can't be racist because the majority of people think this way

Firstly, I understood quite clearly what he was saying, especially as he repeated himself and he stood up to write words like 'deceptive' on the board. Secondly, calling people 'dogs' or 'pigs' is a common insult in China, and in those cases it is metaphorical (I hope), but saying 'I teach students, not pigs or dogs' denotes that this was not a metaphor. I would concede the third point had I actually raised the topic of the Diaoyu Islands. I'm not even going to go into the fourth point. AAARRRGHH. 

At this point, I feel the need to defend myself, as I understand that many Chinese have lasting personal reasons to feel embittered towards the Japanese. My mother's family were also directly affected by the Imperial Japanese expansion during the Second World War and before. Chinese resentment toward the Japanese mainly springs from their actions during this era. But personal grievance and violent Nationalism shouldn't have to be linked.

James Kynge, author of China Shakes the World, sees Chinese Nationalism as a child of the CCP that it is no longer able to control. From the mid-1990s the Chinese government altered its education system to what the Japanese see as an instigation of “drives to drum up patriotism”, reinforcing Japan as the enemy. As a result the anti-Japanese riots of 2005 became more than the government could control. They were unable to stop the crowds attacking Japanese property and embassies for fear that they would face a backlash for being pro-Japanese, which immediately equates to anti-Chinese. Consequently, the people of Japan saw “images of [Chinese] policemen standing by while demonstrators hurled stones at Japanese diplomatic offices”.

This is very much a shadow of what the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls the History Issue, which the media and education on both sides does not appear to be soothing. Chinese sentiment revolves around the lack of war reparations, a lack of a sufficient apology and Japanese aggression, especially over incidents like Nanjing. A CCP writer acknowledged that Japanese aid, grants and loans are “virtually non-existent” in China’s media, and newspapers deliberately tap into anti-Japanese feelings in order to improve their sales. The effects of the education which hones in on the Japanese atrocities of war has bred a youth which when asked what they associate with Japan, 83.9% respond “the Nanking Massacre”. Faced with such strong feelings from what is dubbed ‘the restless youth’, would the CCP leadership be allowed to back down in a crisis with Japan? Would it be pressured to continue by the will of the almost dangerously patriotic nation that it had a hand in making?

Likewise, the Japanese education system has been accused of neglecting or distorting the events of World War II, a cause of much aggravation in South Korea and China. Tokyo maintains that there was only textbook in question, and it was created by an independent publisher, and was only picked up by 0.1% of Japanese middle schools. In response to the outrage in China and South Korea, joint historical research groups were proposed, but the damage from the textbooks was already too deep. The textbooks combined with Prime Minister Koizumi’s Yasukuni visits sparked anti-Japanese demonstrations and hackers on the Prime Ministers site.

China saw Japan as glorifying its Second World War acts. Whether or not this is true, there is simply not the emphasis on the atrocities committed as there is in China, or South Korea, and as such some Japanese do not have the same understanding of events. Hence, Japan is frustrated by Chinese references to the past. The Chinese calls for an apology causes dismay in Tokyo, when they feel that they have apologised explicitly and repeatedly from 1972; “in the Japan-China joint communiqué of September 1972, in the 1978 treaty, and in the Japan-China joint declaration of 1998” and in numerous political speeches. However, after some such apologies, visits would be made to the Yasukuni shrine, where a number of Class A war criminal's names are listed. In visiting the shrine, it is felt that the Japanese honour the atrocities committed and their apologies are thus invalidated.

Such a gulf of misunderstanding between these two populations, perpetuated by their narratives of history and constant media portrayal of one another, takes a long time to heal. In the case of Mr. Zhang, Japan is difficult topic for him, one which time has not changed, a Chinese friend used the word 老顽固 (old and stubborn) to describe him. Understandably, this topic is particularly sensitive for the older generations, the ones who experienced occupation first-hand. So when Mr. Zhang said that we didn't understand China, he had a point. There is a difference between studying China's history in a formal, detached setting, from understanding the pain of humiliation, invasion and occupation. This pain and anger lives on in China's restless youth. 

I titled this post after the famous quotation from Fawlty Towers, but I mean it sincerely and with sadness, because unlike in Europe, the War is not forgiven, and is an ongoing issue in the form of the Diaoyu Islands. Raise the topic of the Japanese and the War, and you may find a can of worms that might be best left closed. Having said that, China is such a vast and populous country; among its citizens are those who are pertinacious in their prejudice, and on the other end of the spectrum, those who enjoy Japanese music, language and popular culture. 

River Crabs and the Chinese Internet

The majority of what we hear about the Internet in China paints a gloomy picture. Censorship, online police and the planned introduction of real-name registration for microblogs; it’s an Orwellian nightmare. Despite the image of repression, there are a surprising number of ways in which the online Chinese are evading the censors and making themselves heard. Recent events could not be more relevant in showing the huge impact social media can have on social movements and revolutions. It’s no wonder the Chinese government are uncomfortable about the freedom of discussion that the internet provides.

A Chinese Mitten Crab

The internet has given Chinese netizens a taste of free speech, which they will now resolutely defend. In response to the proposed built-in censor ‘Green-Dam Youth Escort’ software of 2009, tens of thousands of China’s online population signed up to proxy servers that allow them to ‘climb’ the firewall. At the last moment, the government pulled the plug on the Green Dam.

A recent glitch in China’s ‘Great Firewall’ allowed netizens access to the normally forbidden social network Google+, which is banned alongside Facebook and Twitter. Swarming towards the leader of the free world, they began a movement to occupy President Obama’s Google+ account. The fissure was sealed up within five days, but the ‘Occupy Obama’ movement continues. His page has become a forum for thoughts that the censored Chinese people want to express; some call for Western style democracy, some the release of China’s victims of conscience, others want tougher reproof of China’s human right’s record.

However there are ways around the firewall that do not need proxy servers or VPNs, that rely on the nuances and complexity of the Chinese language, as well as a bit of humour. If you search expletives or forbidden topics, an error page or forbidden content page will appear. Now, imagine a language where you can find a homophone for anything. Although it sounds the same, it will have a completely different character with an entirely different meaning. When Hu Jintao introduced the ‘Harmonious Society’ (héxié shèhuì) ideology in 2004, its clauses came to justify the growing internet exclusion of topics that ‘undermine social stability’. Before long, it became synonymous with censorship. Under the erratic eye of the censors, ‘harmonisation’ (héxié) became a taboo topic. Chinese netizens circumvented this blockage with a pun, ‘harmonisation’ was substituted with ‘river crab’ (héxiè). Thus the lowly Chinese Mitten Crab arose as the champion in the fight against censorship.

Similar puns have emerged, one former expletive is so popular that there are now cuddly toys of its new rendering as ‘grass mud horse’, an ancient mythical animal resembling an alpaca. As fast and as complex as the firewall is, Chinese netizens have developed a constantly mobile vocabulary ready to adapt to it. With an online population of 300 million and counting, and a language of over 80,000 characters, censorship will be a constant game of catch-up for the government from here on.

Cao ni ma 'grass mud horse' fluffy toys

Split personality rocks: Diaoyu vs Senkaku

I realise that to some, this title may sound like a review of Street Fighter and psychological disorders. Well it's not. Currently it's one of the biggest stories in Chinese media, and raising the issue with a Chinese or Japanese person may hit a nerve.

The Diaoyu (Chinese name) or Senkaku (Japanese name) Islands sit in disputed waters and are claimed by China, Japan and Taiwan. The recent spat of violent protests over the Islands was the culmination of a tense year,  brought about by a patriotic Japanese citizen planting the Japanese flag on the Islands on the 18th of August. This is one of a number of points of particular tension to Japan and China. While not mentioned on the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs site, their Chinese counterpart has labelled seven so called “Sensitive Issues”. These sore spots for the Chinese are currently listed as the issues of History, Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands, Japanese-American Security Co-operation, War reparations, Japanese chemical weapons discarded in China and Guanghualiao*.

While on the surface these 'islands' are little more than uninhabited rocks, the seabed on which they sit may be the site of rich natural resources. At the same time as fighting for the potential resources, it is also a bigger battle ground for pride and nationalism, from which neither side looks willing to step down. A former Prime Minister of Japan, Hatoyama, pledged a further $7 million to strengthen its footing on the small island of Okinotori, which China argues cannot be part of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone. For the Chinese, and South Koreans, Japanese ownership of the territory would impede their “fleet’s freedom of navigation along some key routes”. Yet these rocks have national prestige embedded within them, and the increased activity of both countries’ navies around such areas leads to an increase in tension and a higher possibility of military accidents.

What is evident in the region is China’s much more active navy, that has popped up near Guam, in Japanese waters and near American aircraft carriers. Despite apologising for their “error”, these are most likely displays of Chinese naval capabilities. Yet why would a country that claims to only have an army for internal security need a navy? This question has unnerved officials in Tokyo, and there are considerations to amend their post war constitution to allow for a Japanese force instead of solely relying on the USA. While the Chinese navy might be a form of its acceptance as a world superpower by taking to the stage at sea, it also has people ominously considering the navy preparation for its designs on disputed territories, like the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. 

The Chinese state that their “sovereignty over these islands is fully proven by history and is legally well-founded”, as the Chinese were the first to document the existence of the Islands. Whereas the Japanese state “[the islands] showed no trace of having been under the control of China… [the] Senkaku Islands have continuously remained as an integral part of the Nansei Shoto Islands which are the territory of Japan”. I read an interesting blog on the NY Times, researching the Japanese National Archive's Diplomatic Records Office for documents regarding the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands (read here). It essentially concluded that the Islands were seized by Japan in 1895 as 'war booty', while the Japanese say they legally own the Islands under the Japan-US Security Defence Treaty. The Japanese Prime Minister further inflamed Chinese nationalists by proposing to 'purchase' the islands. 

As of yet, there has been no detente over the issue, but at least the protests that erupted all over China have discontinued. Japanese property and embassies were stoned, Japanese products were (and in many places, still are) boycotted, and in one extreme case, the Chinese owner of a Japanese car was viciously struck by a brick to the head in a frenzy of anti-Japan feeling. Fortunately, other members of the crowd thought this was too much, and he was eventually given help, although he remains in a coma from the attack.

Both sides seem unable to back down, each sending vessels into the disputed waters in a 'to-me-to-you' fashion. As this persists, there will be no visible end to the discord. 

*An issue based around a youth hostel that was located in Kyoto, and in 1950 it was purchased by the Taiwanese, the debate circles around whether the property it  belongs to China or Taiwan, as China states that it is not just a lawsuit but about the legal rights of the Chinese government.