Chinese Face Mask Changing - "bian lian" a dying art?

The "change face mask artist" is actually a magician who flips up different masks from his hat, costume, belt or shoe, with a blink, a nod or a handshake.  

This form of opera is only known to only a handful of practising masters in Sichuan province today.  

I managed to take a few photographs from among the 20 or more different masks by a performer specially invited for the occasion. From the side profile, I saw one of the "slower" transitions but not enough to find out the tricks employed. Surely, he would need a lot of practice before he's able to put up such an impressive show. 

The following video probably gives a better idea of the speed of change from a famous artiste.

变脸, 變臉, Biàn Liǎn more commonly known as face changing is a 300 year old tradition  ... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwfGdJIzYZs

Gu Kailai trial - delicate balance of politics, justice and the world stage

Just as closure of the case seemed definite, the file has been reopened on the back of international pressure and leadership succession.  Had it not been for the fall of Gu's husband Bo Xilai, the case may not have been prioritised and managed with great caution. From the little details that have leaked through (deliberately or inadvertently) the apparently tightly controlled court proceedings and media, readers can draw the conclusion that Neil Heywood murdered by poisoning, was not innocent victim but one who is savvy and manipulative. 

While some speculate that Gu is made the scapegoat to take Bo's fall, a number of China watchers (not experts) contradict themselves by saying that Bo was doomed. Why not use this as a convenient excuse to get rid of the clan and their underlings?  Yet, there are others who believe that Bo could make a comeback. This is unlikely unless he has superhuman power and connections in the next leadership. The high level of publicity may end with an anti-climax whimper with all the protagonists receding to the background, as with many before who had been disciplined, purged or punished for various degrees and types of offences against the party or the people. 

China is keen to project a positive image to ensure that the its domestic population and the world perceive that justice prevails in this emerging great power. After all, a judiciary was already well-established in ancient times as far back as the 10th Century, notwithstanding political upheavals and machinations in a huge country. The judges must demonstrate sensitivity, independence and pragmatism in this high profile and divisive case of a generation. 

China says Gu Kailai didn't contest murder charge

Though Gu faces possible execution, legal experts say she is likely to be given a commuted death sentence that translates into 10 to 15 years in prison, with her concern for her son's safety providing a mitigating circumstance.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1680370/China-says-Gu-Kailai-didnt-contest-murder-charge

As a high-flying international lawyer married to one of China's most promising and charismatic politicians and with a son at Harvard, Gu Kailai appeared to have it all. Now she is on trial for murder.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1680438/Gu-Kailai-High-flying-lawyer-turned-murder-accused

Change for better or worse - China target post-Bo Xilai fiasco

Viewed with outsider lens and attempting to impose Juedo-Christian tradition, law and political mould, William Pesek presents a more pessimistic and patronising analysis. 

The subtle tussles may not be evident to most China watchers but to the experts who watch every step closely, the horse trading has been going behind the scenes, beneath the relatively calm surface. Hence the explosive scandal came as a shock to many Chinese and foreigners alike. 

Sure, focussing on the gossipy and juicy parts of the scandal would only hamper a deeper understanding of the key issues that would really matter to China's future. 

Corruption and bending rules have long been recognised as potential time bombs and have been addressed delicately by the Chinese central leadership. At times, the most severe penalty have been meted out including death sentences. However, these moves had not been implemented as coherently, quicklyand lawfully as some impatient external observers and idealists hope for. As if it had not been sufficiently drastic and destabilising.  

Even the most cynical China critic must admit that the Chinese economy, human rights record, legal system, political participation and redistribution of power and wealth have undergone immense transformation and bold experimentation. Transparency and accountability have improved despite fledging areas which seem to get undue attention. 

The bottomline is that princelings and ideologues who form part of the stabilising foundation could be removed when they ran foul of the law and commit excesses for self enrichment at the expense of the people's interests. It is a step forward in people's democracy but the road ahead is fraught with dangers. 

Antiquated political structure may be only in form whereas the economics and government has undergone incredible overhaul in essence more than any other country in the world in recent times. 

Here may be something that wealthy bankers and big business who have a stranglehold on politicians through lobbying and interest groups could take a leaf from to sort out their own unique set of problems despite having a well developed democratic and legal system in place.  

Occupy Wall Street - who wishes for color revolution in the faltering economies and social inequalities in developed world. Just wondering?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-17/billionaires-make-killing-amid-china-murder-tale.html

"It’s the rare scandal that involves murder, corruption, Harvard University and comparisons to Jacqueline Kennedy. The Bo Xilai kerfuffle now mesmerizing China offers all this and perhaps more: It could forever change an entire political system.
---   ---  ---

We’re missing the true story here, though. It’s really more evidence that China’s political system is trapped in the past, while its economy races ahead. This dangerous mismatch is often dismissed by pundits and investors, and yet Bo’s ambitious rise and fall, as well as the opacity surrounding it, embodies much of what’s wrong in the fastest-growing major economy.

China is iPad central, with state-of-the-art factories, modern office towers of mirrored glass, six-lane highways, high- speed rail, expanding WiFi networks and state wealth that’s the envy of Washington and Tokyo. China’s nouveau riche are so vital to Prada SpA, Louis Vuitton and Mercedes-Benz that they have been called the “Middle Blingdom.”

Yet China’s political system dates to the days of Mao and Josef Stalin. As democracy takes root from Egypt to Myanmar, China is still mired in closed-door deliberations, backroom deals and purges. This murky world is bumping up against a burgeoning Internet culture that makes it impossible to contain and control the news.

---  ---  ----

In 2011, the richest 70 members of China’s legislature were worth more than the annual gross domestic product of Slovakia. The $90 billion concentrated among them is both emblematic of how China’s model is failing the masses and why Communist Party bigwigs will stonewall any change that crimps their income.

Because the extremely wealthy are often politicians, China may have a truly difficult time retooling its economy and narrowing the rich-poor divide. The hurdles to reform increase the odds of a hard landing in China that breeds social unrest.

We can marvel over Bo’s downfall. We can go on about how China’s leadership refuses to countenance rising political stars who challenge its clubby world. We can engage in whodunit fantasies about the wife and the dead businessman. But more than anything, this tale shows how an antiquated political system imperils a nation’s future.

Ignore China's rise - arrogance and ostrich mentality - the need to understand China

Personally, I sense the fear and hypocrisy are the weighing down heavily on many China watchers.   In fact, many Asian critics do not know better than their economic competitors. Despite having a globalised education and affluent lifestyle (myself included), the high speed at which Third world nationals (not confined to Chinese) are acquiring knowledge and skills could frighten many laid back workers in the developed world.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/25/china-rise-ignorance

Quote :

Our ascendancy of the past two centuries – first Europe and then the US – has bred a western-centric mentality: the west is the fount of all wisdom. We think of ourselves as open-minded but our sense of superiority has closed our minds. We never entertained the idea that China could surpass the US. Backward, lacking democracy, bereft of Enlightenment principles,the product of a very different history, it was not western. So how could it? We were the universal model that everyone else had to embrace to succeed. The only form of modernisation that worked was westernisation. China would inevitably fail: the project was unsustainable. By insisting on seeing China through a western prism, we refused to understand China in its own terms. Our arrogance bred ignorance: we were not even curious.

China is, indeed, in so many ways, not like the west. It is not even primarily a nation state but a civilisation state. Whereas the west has primarily been shaped by its experience of nation, China has been moulded by its sense of civilisation. This helps to explain why the Chinese place such a huge emphasis on unity and stability, their reverence for the state and their embrace of ideas such as "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong. Similarly, unlike Europe, China never sought to acquire overseas colonies but established a tribute system in east Asia. The Chinese state bears a fundamentally different relationship to society compared with any western state. The state is seen as an intimate, as a member of the family, rather than, as in western discourse, a problem, a threat, or even the enemy. For the Chinese, the state is the embodiment of its civilisation: as such, it could not be more important, it lies at the heart of the Chinese pysche.

It is impossible to understand or make sense of China through a western prism. As China becomes a great power and, over the next two decades, steadily usurps America as the dominant global power, we will no longer have any alternative but to abandon our western parochialism and seek to understand China on its own terms. But the shift in mindset that faces us is colossal.

What does it mean to be a civilisation state? What was the tributary system and how will it shape China's future behaviour? Why is China's idea and experience of race so different from ours? Just as every non-western country was compelled during the 19th and 20th centuries to understand the west in its own terms, it is now our turn to make sense of a country so different from our own.

It will be a Herculean task: we always look west, hardly ever east. When Bo Xilai, a leading contender for one of China's top positions, was dismissed more than a week ago, it received little attention in our media even though it was the most important event of its kind for more than two decades. Compare, if you will, the attention, devoted by the British media – notably the BBC and quality newspapers – to the Republican primaries with that given to China in the build-up to the Communist party congress in November, when President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao will be replaced by Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang. The latter is of far greater consequence yet the coverage is paltry in comparison.

We have an enormous China deficit that urgently needs addressing. It is replicated throughout our culture; there has been much talk of promoting Mandarin in our schools and yet, in both the state and private sectors, pitifully few offer it as a serious option. Our economy exhibits the same morbid symptoms: Britain exports more to Ireland than it does to China, India, Russia and Brazil combined. Unless we address these questions, we face the prospect of being sidelined by history.

China's remarkable economic growth started in 1978, but as its economy was then only a 20th the size of America's, its global impact was minuscule. By the turn of the century, however, after more than two decades of double-digit growth, the Chinese economy was more like a quarter of the size of America's, with the consequence that its global effect was of an entirely different order. The story, moreover, was no longer simply about China because by then its rise had begun to transform the world. Only with the financial crisis in 2008, however, did the west finally begin to wake up to the implications.

Although countless commentators speak lazily of the global financial crisis, this is a misnomer. A visit to Beijing will soon dispel the illusion. The place is brimming with energy, elan, confidence and brio. While the west is mired in austerity and stagnation, with a psychology to match, China is riding an extraordinary wave of optimism. In 2010, according to a Pew poll, 91% of Chinese felt good about their country's economy compared with 24% in the US and 20% in Britain. While most western economies are still smaller than they were before 2008, the Chinese economy has been growing in the region of 9-10% a year. That is why it will overtake the US almost a decade earlier than previously predicted.

2008 ushered in a new era, the beginning of a Chinese world economic order. Until recently the US largely shaped globalisation but now China is increasingly assuming that role. Its most dramatic expression is trade. China will shortly become the world's largest trading nation. It imports huge amounts of natural resources and exports a massive volume of manufactured goods: in 2011, it overtook the US to become the world's largest producer of manufactured goods, a position America had previously held for 110 years. In 1990, there was hardly a country in the world for which China was its chief trading partner. By 2000, there were a few, but nearly all were in east Asia. By 2010 the list stretched around the world, including Japan, South Africa, Australia, Chile, Brazil, India, Pakistan, the US and Egypt. Imagine how long the list will be in 2020.

China is rapidly emerging as a great financial power. In 2009 and 2010 the China Development Bank and the China Exim Bank – which I would guess the great majority of Observer readers have never even heard of – lent more to the developing world than the World Bank. Just as the Rothschilds funded much of Europe's industrialisation in the 19th century, so these two banks are now doing the same on a far larger canvas, namely the entire developing world, comprising 85% of the world's population. Meanwhile, in late 2008, China began making the renminbi, hitherto a currency that circulated only in China, available for the settlement of trade. The HSBC has predicted that by 2013-15 half of China's trade with the developing world (which constitutes more than half of China's total trade) will be paid for in renminbi. It is the first stage in the process by which the renminbi will replace the dollar as the world's dominant currency.

The centre of gravity of the global economy is remorselessly shifting from the developed to the developing world. China is the main player and the outcome will be the rapidly declining influence of the developed world and the reconstitution of all major global institutions, notably the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, to reflect this.

Pause for a moment and think what it feels like to be in Beijing these days. The place is on fire. It is alive with argument and debate. A country growing at 10% a year is constantly throwing up huge and novel problems that require response and solution. It is a far cry from Britain mired in stagnation, where debate rarely ever breaks new ground and for the most part is backdated. In contrast, China is not only remaking itself with extraordinary speed, but is also remaking the world. Beijing resembles London in 1850 or Washington in 1950, but on an epic scale. It is the most interesting and stimulating city in the world.

I spent much of last autumn as a visiting professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. My stay was a whirl of talks and discussions. Far from the western image of China being devoid of debate, Beijing is positively throbbing with it. And it is extraordinarily open-minded and open-ended. I was invited to give a lecture at the ministry of foreign affairs to around 100 young diplomats at which I suggested that a foreign policy based on Deng Xiaoping's principles was no longer appropriate: a new approach was required that reflected Chinese growing global interests while also drawing on its history. Far from being taken aback, those present entered into a vigorous discussion. These debates, furthermore, are infused with huge significance. As China becomes a great global power they will shape its future policies and priorities – and thereby the world.

One might think that in such times, and with such glittering prospects, China would be full of hubris, bordering even on arrogance. On the contrary, the opposite is the case. The Chinese are still deeply preoccupied with the colossal problems that confront a still poor and developing country of 1.3 billion people. Inequality has soared, sowing the seeds of growing resentment against the rich; land seizures, as events in Wukan recently demonstrated, provide a continuing threat to social stability; massive corruption is corroding the sense of justice and fairness. While possessed of the kind of inner confidence and experience that comes from being the heirs of a great civilisation, the Chinese have no illusions about where they have got to and the tasks that lie ahead.

In November, the Communist party will hold its 18th congress. It will elect a new leadership for the next 10 years during which time China will undergo profound change. Already, there is a major shift under way in economic priorities from low value-added production and massive exports towards higher-end production and domestic consumption. During the next decade we can expect important political reforms.

In Britain, meanwhile, China will continue to receive scant coverage. But, kicking and screaming, forever looking backwards to the age of the west, we will, nevertheless, be dragged into the age of China. Time waits for no country. Over the next decade, we will increasingly come under China's spell.

It is worth reminding ourselves that last October, when the future of the euro was in grave doubt, European leaders pleaded with China to extend a huge loan. Britain is also broke and needs Chinese money for its infrastructure projects. There will be a growing clamour to learn Mandarin. And, as yet hardly recognised, we will find ourselves coming under the growing influence of Chinese soft power, be it the influence of Chinese parenting or the country's stellar educational performance. China will irresistibly shape our future.

Why Chinese are called "Tang Ren" - the integration of multicultural and cosmopolitan China of four thousand years

Wonder why Chinatowns all over the world are called "tang ren jie" -- Chinese people's street but
not zhongguoren cheng (middle country people town)?

The word Tang 唐 (ph : pinyin: táng, Cantonese: tong)   refers to the Tang Dynasty  (618 - 907)  which was the zenith of Chinese history.

The administration flourished under a well established meritocracy-based public service, enlightened Emperors ( including a female - Empress Wu Zetian) and large-scale assimilation of Chinese peoples regardless of ethnicities.

There were well documented archives, poetry and anecdotal references to mixed bloodlines which Hans carried from their ancestors intermarriage with Hu, Tibetan, Caucasian and many "Others".  Foreign physical features such as high nose, blue eyes, bushy brows, sideburns, beard, large ears, fair skin complexion were noted among senior bureaucrats and military leaders of the time. The erosion of pure Han ethnicity which began in earlier dynasties during wars and migration, was accelerated during the Tang dynasty. The Han today is an integrated culture rather than a race or ethnicity.

It was said that members of the Tang royal family, which continued to practise diplomatic marriages, had high nose bridge.

A well known general An Lushan was a Turk who later revolted against the Emperor.

Emperor Gaozong built the first mosque after meeting Prophet Mohamed's envoy.

The famous poet Li Bai who was described as having exotic physical features was possibly of Central Asian ancestry.

Read more in :

Ethnic identity in Tang China

 By Marc Samuel Abramson

Chinese history has been interrupted with variations of protectionist and seclusionist policies such warding off hostile "barbarian" invaders by building the Great Wall of China. Intrusions  and infighting among warring states were were common at times when China was devoid of a central authority.

The greatness and glory of Tang was its ability to utilise the best talents possible. Power did not come through military conquests and coercion of its people. Sincization was voluntary and sought after by the minorities.

http://www.chinavoc.com

China has come a long way. I believe and truly that Chinese leaders people will learn from history and continue to uphold the virtues and values of Tang.

Lessons for Occupy Wall Street - Remembering America's Tiananmen - Kent Campus massacre

OK, perhaps the London riots and looting by sympathisers of a rogue killed in an unclear scuffle with the police and opportunists who exploited the mayhem may not be suitable comparison with shooting at unarmed innocent students by the police and military.

So American, British or European students who do not read history or show disinterest in world affairs and prefer to rely on hearsay and biased news reports, think again and consider carefully before you plan to embark on a campaign that could disrupt the government for a prolonged period of time.

My sympathies and concerns go to the current worldwide Occupy Wall Street that if they persist, tragedy may befall them.

That the Jasmine Revolution would not happen in democratic and well endowed democratic countries is a myth. The fact is that democracy supports participatory decision-making, which has so far been muted due to apathy and indifference, and the predominance of corporate power.  The people have awakened. Capitalist and incestuous collaboration of politicians, military and corporations need to be questioned if not challenged by the people, for the people.

What really happened?

http://dept.kent.edu/sociology/lewis/lewihen.htm/history-world.org/

http:/kent_state_shootings.htm

QUOTE :

On May 4, l970 members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. The impact of the shootings was dramatic. The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close.



WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MAY 4 SHOOTINGS?
Although we have attempted in this article to answer many of the most important and frequently asked questions about the May 4th shootings, our responses have sometimes been tentative because many important questions remain unanswered. It thus seems important to ask what are the most significant questions which yet remain unanswered about the May 4th events. These questions could serve as the basis for research projects by students who are interested in studying the shootings in greater detail.
(1) Who was responsible for the violence in downtown Kent and on the Kent State campus in the three days prior to May 4th? As an important part of this question, were "outside agitators" primarily responsible? Who was responsible for setting fire to the ROTC building?
(2) Should the Guard have been called to Kent and Kent State University? Could local law enforcement personnel have handled any situations? Were the Guard properly trained for this type of assignment?
(3) Did the Kent State University administration respond appropriately in their reactions to the demonstrations and with Ohio political officials and Guard officials?
(4) Would the shootings have been avoided if the rally had not been banned? Did the banning of the rally violate First Amendment rights?
(5) Did the Guardsmen conspire to shoot students when they huddled on the practice football field? If not, why did they fire? Were they justified in firing?
(6) Who was ultimately responsible for the events of May 4, l970?


WHY SHOULD WE STILL BE CONCERNED ABOUT MAY 4, 1970 AT KENT STATE?


In Robert McNamara's (1995) book, "In Retrospect:The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam" is a way to begin is an illustration of the this process. In it he says that United States policy towards Vietnam was "... terribly wrong and we owe it to future generations to explain why."
The May 4 shootings at Kent State need to be remembered for several reasons. First, the shootings have come to symbolize a great American tragedy which occurred at the height of the Vietnam War era, a period in which the nation found itself deeply divided both politically and culturally. The poignant picture of Mary Vecchio kneeling in agony over Jeffrey Miller's body, for example, will remain forever as a reminder of the day when the Vietnam War came home to America. If the Kent State shootings will continue to be such a powerful symbol, then it is certainly important that Americans have a realistic view of the facts associated with this event. Second, May 4 at Kent State and the Vietnam War era remain controversial even today, and the need for healing continues to exist. Healing will not occur if events are either forgotten or distorted, and hence it is important to continue to search for the truth behind the events of May 4th at Kent State. Third, and most importantly, May 4th at Kent State should be remembered in order that we can learn from the mistakes of the past. The Guardsmen in their signed statement at the end of the civil trials recognized that better ways have to be found to deal with these types of confrontations. This has probably already occurred in numerous situations where law enforcement officials have issued a caution to their troops to be careful because "we don't want another Kent State." Insofar as this has happened, lessons have been learned, and the deaths of four young Kent State students have not been in vain.



That was in Ohio, an obscure state in the Midwest, not the centre of power and wealth. The best advice anyone could give to both sides : be flexible and willing to compromise. Avoid confrontation and hardline bargaining that would get nowhere but disastrous consequences. Because we know that it is not beyond the police and military to in America to fire at innocent and unarmed citizens engaging in peaceful demonstrations, sit-ins and protests.  Anything could be justified even in the land of liberty, if the authorities are forced by circumstances. Tiananmen could happen anywhere, and it did.

General Liu Yuan says : read Zhang Musheng's "Changing our cultural history perspective"

Critics who alleged that Liu Yuan is sabre rattling obviously did not bother to read his "preface" to the book published by his social commentator friend Zhang Musheng some four years ago. Nor do they have any knowledge, understanding or appreciation of Chinese history.

Liu has certainly caught international attention though not in a favourable light. Bold imagery indeed but it is meant to wake the Chinese people from their slumber, not to alarm the insecure countries that are always on the lookout for pretext to brand China as expansionist.

Interestingly, a few pages penned by Liu whose main intention was to encourage readers to "savour" Zhang's collection of essays by Chinese thinkers could send shockwaves worldwide and spin wild speculations of China's rising militarism and leadership split!

A quick preview and gist of Liu Yuan's comments :

Liu rejects transplanting western democratic model into China as it will backfire. China should grow and embrace its unique and indigenous form of new democracy(similar to what his father Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping promoted).

History has shown that American, Japanese and Soviet systems were detrimental and could egulf China. The examples of Yugoslavia, Singapore and Hungary are only quick-fix potions. China should continue evolving and reforming itself with courage.

Indeed, people of China or the world for that matter, should not forget thousands of years of history. The reasons why the communist revolution took place was to unify the country, get rid of inequality, corrupt officials and foreign invasion and plunder. Life for the poor Chinese masses was difficult and untenable.

China has succeeded in feeding and clothing the starving millions and poor. However, economic growth based on the capitalist model has also contributed to the widening gap between the wealthy and poor, the coastal cities and remote provinces. Lest the Chinese forget and throw away all the hardwon gains from bloodshed and sacrifices through the revolutionary and reform years, the book is a timely reminder and stimulus for positive national action.  


Zhang is also known to be critical of corruption and ill discipline of some Chinese communist cadres. Does this mean that Liu implicitly or tacitly favours eradicating self-serving and bribe taking officials?

General Liu is a nationalist, like many Chinese. However, his outspoken style is not typical of Chinese leaders who are too polite and submissive. 

So, before anyone gives their two cents worth, go read the originals.

I'll be back with the full translation and informed analysis.

Who is Chinese defector / dissident / blogger / spy novelist Yang Hengjun?

Before anyone throw their weight behind dissidents who dared to stand up against the mighty Chinese government, ask if you really know who is this latest enigma who disappeared and reappeared : Yang Hengjun 杨恒均.

http://baike.baidu.com/view/1005189.htm

After the big uproar over secret police detaining Yang, he has emerged and appeared to have taken ill and was hospitalised. His mobile ran out of power.  Many speculations have been thrown up, the most popular being the all powerful Chinese government bowing down and seeking compromise? More like journalists who built up a storm in the teacup trying to save face. Firstly, it is unlikely that the Chinese authorities would arrest and release a criminal so quickly. Don't they always plan and plot against the enemies? One possibility is some upstart in the police had overreacted and acted on the own accord. Yang's activities are indeed dubious and cause some concern. It is not suprising that it should come under scrutiny.

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/03/30/mystery-deepens-as-missing-australian-writer-contacts-friends/

Yang Hengjun is no innocent retiree contented with writing spy novels. He has an axe to grind. He even has a website which churns out dozens of articles a week which are strident and harsh towards the Chinese government. In an interview conducted by danwei in 2008, Hengjun acknowledged that the Chinese authorities are less stringent and have not been as rigorous in censoring his blog articles.

http://www.danwei.org/blogs/cnbloggercon_2008_interview_se.php
http://yanghengjun.com/

Before becoming an Australian, Yang Hengjun worked for China's foreign affairs department.  He "retired"  from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and became a successful businessman.   Yang is by all counts a part of the Chinese elite, having received his education in Fudan university and later worked as a senior government official, coveted position hankered by millions of educated Chinese. Yang had also earned two higher degrees from Wales and University of Technology Sydney.

Should we believe the words of people in the likes of Yang wholesale without questioning any more than we distrust and condemn the CCP so willingingly? We know some former Chinese officials who live among us who have conducted businesses on the sideline and accumulated wealth.  The likely path was to empty their assets from China, a common figure of speech for planning an escape after one has dug enough gold and want to avoid being caught. Yet many of us in western countries and the free world admire these ex-Chinese officials who denounce their former governments even though they have much unexplained intrigues attached to their biodata. Those who are always inclined to point to the massive corruption of the Chinese bureaucracy and CCP are willing to forget Yang and the others' past. To give them the benefit of doubt, maybe Yang and others have reformed. But the bottomline is that these dissidents capitalising on their advantage of possessing a foreign passport have no right to claim moral high ground.
The backdrop of liberal democratic 'jasmine' revolutions in the Middle East would have caused many long reigning governments and regimes to take precautions. The jitters have rippled to the ordinary folks as well. Upheavals, no matter how one justifies it, would be disruptive in the short run.  It is certainly difficult to rationalise one happening in China now. More unacceptable is when these are supported by external parties.

Yang is utterly irresponsible when he called on Chinese citizens to go to Tiananmen if they wanted to show patriotism. Must change necessarily accompany bloodshed? The TAM incident was a grave mistake on the part of the intransigent students and the government crackdow. It is not unique in the history of developing country and developed nations in the past. Like some so-called victims Tiananmen many of us may know personally, stories were often exaggerated or even concocted to gain a passport to a better life overseas.  The true heroes stayed behind - some unfortunately sacrificed their lives, some were detained and many more are living a peaceful lives now. There are many channels Chinese citizens could express their views on social issues and complaints are taken seriously and do see the day of light.

When the populace and netizens rally behind the Chinese government, it is not considered democracy. It must be brainwashing based on the assumption that Chinese people have no minds or voices or their own at all.  Freedom of speech does not work both ways. Pro-western idealists, activists and liberal commentators who criticise the CCP and Chinese patriotism are beyond reproach.

Thousands of years ago when Chinese historians first documented significant events, there have been numerous cases of insiders who either failed in their duty as gatekeepers or collaborated with foreigners to invade China. Some are deemed traitors who worked solely for their personal interests and gains while others' motivations and goals are less clearly defined or determinable when they claimed to save the populace from tyrants. The Chinese civilisation has lasted many centuries, longer than the glorious Romans and Greek could claim credit for. Surely, they must have got many things right.

Worship of Chinese Historical Heroic Figures and Cultural Traditions

Deeply entrenched in the traditions and cultures of the Chinese people is practice to remember historical figures and commemorate special events. There is often a fine line between mythology and history. Taoist teachings have an enduring influence in these mystical stories that have wowed many generations. Volumes of folklore stories have been written, with greater ethusiasm, dramatisation and miraculous claims. Many of these have been scripted and performed in opera conveyed in different regional dialects.

Most Chinese peoples including some of the illiterate worshippers are aware that they are not "praying" to a god, demi-god, deity or shen 神 despite the tendency to "idolise" almost every spiritual figure, including the Buddha. However, injecting an element of mysticism adds flavour and colour to enrich their way of life.

Values are incalcated and reinforced by performing rituals for thousands of years. Hence, Chinese including many overseas diaspora have built temples to pay respects to Confucius (scholarship), Guan Yu (bravery, honesty, loyalty), Qu Yuan (righteousness, patriotism) and Zheng He (adventure, diplomacy).  Some like Guan Yu and Zheng He are worshipped by other non-Chinese or mixed ethnicities in Southeast Asia. Their beliefs are inclusive. It does not bother overseas Chinese that Zheng He (Cheng Ho / San Bao) was a Hui Muslim.   And Guan Yu was held in high regard in Vietnamese home shrines even though he was of a different ethnicity.  There are many more regional and local folk heroes held in high esteem and models for laymen to follow.

Hero worshipping is probably the Chinese (and some Asian) way of learning from history. This is probably the reason why ancestral worship is an integral part of Chinese customs and traditions. While  Chinese families do not accord divine status to the deceased ancestors, they are "worshipped".  It serves as a reminder for past sacrifices and contributions. It is therefore common to to find ancestors' tablets enshrined in villages and overseas Chinese clan societies.

Thousands of years ago, before moderating and nurturing effects of Confucianism and Buddhism was absorbed by the Chinese, many were pagans and animists. To date, we still find families incorporating worship of the Kitchen God, Heaven Emperor, Mountain and Guardians, Wealth God, etc.

Surprisingly Mao Zedong is still worshipped by some mainland born Chinese baby boomers, overseas residents notwithstanding.  They would usually place a Mao photo or small figurine on the altar or shrine at the side of a Goddess or Mercy or Buddha.  While Mao had built a personality cult, Chinese people had never been duped into believing he was a heavenly son like the Emperors before him who were denounced by his Communist Party.  Mao might have shown superhuman powers when he unified China but he had also committed many grave policy errors and caused untold sufferings to his people.

Mao's bid to get rid of religion in Chinese society could not succeed because beliefs, customs, religion and cultures form a complex matrix,  so closely and strongly intertwined in Chinese society.  Certainly thousands of years of accumulated customs could not be easily wipe out by decades of Cultural Revolution. Today, the fear of excessive materialism and empty souls have prompted the Chinese government to encourage the revival of "religion".

The future face of Chinese religious psyche as increasing number of Chinese turn to Christianity in tandem with the relaxation on church activities is an interesting issue to explore. While Buddhism and Islam are foreign imports assimilated smoothly into the local culture, they are nevertheless oriental philosophies.

I shall deal with this topic in greater detail in future.

References :

http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/History109bye460.html

http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/137215.htm

http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/109S124S507.html

http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Excursions/Guan-entrance-sign.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_China