The Chinese have an idiom for just about everything, and they use them a lot. Indeed, if you want to get anywhere really serious in China (as a foreigner I mean) with your language, you probably need to know a good few for everyday use. I know barely any, because they can be quite hard to learn (four words to represent whole concepts, with underlying stories, etc) and because we just don't seem to be taught them so often. I digress.
Here's one of them: 将错就错 (jiang cuo jiu cuo) which means "to leave a mistake uncorrected and make the best of the situation" ... I think this is supposed to convey a sense of chivalry and ability to let things slide - the example in our books was of a boy who had his birthday; his sister brought him a cake, but he was leaving his room, so he placed it carefully outside a friend's, and thought he would collect it when he got back; however, when he returned, the occupant of the other room was celebrating HER birthday, and was eating the cake he'd left; rather than fix the error and complain about them eating his sister's gift, he just said he'd seen someone leave it there and run off, thus 将错就错.
I see it in a different way around me (a most comic way I should add) - the Chinese inability to ask for advice or help with their English, and just plough on regardless of error. The Foreign Language Club at my uni has been organising "trails" (I think they mean trials) for an English speaking competition ... the title of the last debate was "Culture Smart or Science Intelligent?", and while I get the general idea ("Which is more important - Culture or Science?"), it somewhat amazes me that they didnt even think to ASK for some advice on this, and instead leave their garbled Chinglish on a sign for all to see ...
And let's not forget the student(s) who ask me to help them with their English, notably one guy I saw on Monday. He asked me to speak into his MP3 player so he could record my voice and get good pronunciation for the aforementioned speaking competition. I took a look over his work and asked, "Do you want me to read this as it is, or correct the mistakes first?" ... He came back with, "But I did it all myself, there are no mistakes". After a bit of yes there are, no there aren't-ing between us I said, "Look, you asked for my help, do you want it or not? If you're so sure there are no mistakes in this, why ask me to look at it and read it for you?" ... ah, he saw the light, and accepted my help. Sheesh, I go to Bruce every week with questions! My Chinese is far from perfect. Why would their English be any different?!
Most impressive however, are tshirts. I am really writing this whole post because of tshirts ... Here are some crackers (and if I can find out where they are, I will try and get some, though may not be able to wear them in Britain (in public)).
"I AM A CAT PERSON" (printed around a fish skeleton outline)
"FUCKER" (yeah, just that, in yellow on a purple tshirt)
"IM FUCKING AWESOME" (plain blue print on a white tshirt)
"KING OF AFRICA" (back of a leather jacket, with a map of Africa. kid had no idea)
"I AM NOT BLACK (I LIKE BLACK)" (first line in massive white letters on a black leather jacket, second line in smaller white letters underneath)
"GOODNEWS DELIVERIES"
"IN THE SHOCK"
and the best one yet, seen about an hour ago ...
"HALIBUT COD FILLET PLAICE" (and some other fish whose names i forget, printed in a list running down this girl's pink tshirt
Seriously guys, learn when to ask for advice about this kind of thing. Mind you, there are some really stupid Westerners going around with dumb "Chinese" tattoos, which is probably worse than a tshirt, all things considered.
Saturday 30 May 2009
Monday 18 May 2009
The Great Firewall of China
You might have heard about it, China's systematic blocking of certain websites. Earlier this year, someone somewhere in the world put something up on Youtube criticising the Chinese over their management of Tibet. Almost overnight, the GFW blocked Youtube in its entirity. There is one way round it, you can use a special proxy site and watch a certain amount (usually around 5 minutes) for free every 8 hours (or pay 1.50 euros to receive more access). This is ridiculous.
And now, this week, Blogspot has been blocked (at least from my home connection, I've not tried on other connections or other computers), which makes updating very tricky. I am currently using a proxy site to bypass the so-called firewall, but it is hassle and I'm not even sure it will work when I come to actually POST this.
It's annoying that I should have to resort to this kind of thing, though I'm probably (in part) one of the reasons for it happening in the first place, it's not like I say very positive things about this country. Here's one more negative - China, you fooled the world into giving you the Olympics, and you are currently successful in pushing your economy Westward, but if you ever hope to free yourself from this ridiculous "developing country" ball to which you have chained yourself, and integrate properly with the so-called First / Civilised world, you will have to relax your grip on the population and let them see what the world really is.
Or, here's a start for you, let Chinese people see the real CHINA. The China that prevents mourning parents from visiting the crappily-built schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake last year (while other surrounding buildings remained upright) which form the last place their children were seen. The China that wants to keep an entire town in a semi-destroyed state to create a national site for people to visit and remember the tragic natural disaster which killed thousands (in part due to rushed, poor Chinese architecture). The China which is closing its citizens' eyes to anything they don't want them to know about. The differences between the Chinese higher "education" system and that found in Western countries (seriously, tell me of a European country which requires you take a politics exam in the knowledge of your nation's history and government - according to their version! - and then uses THIS mark over the academic exams to determine where in the country - ie how close to Beijing! - you can study). The China where a "Teaching University" not only has rules on the lowest height permitted for students, but also rules against disabled candidates attending university to become teachers (because a "teacher must be perfect"). The Chinese government which is running scared.
In my gym there's a guy who wears a tshirt saying "I love China more than ever" ... well I hate China more than ever. The more I hear about how life works here the more I will be happy to leave. In 64 days' time I will be on a plane to Dubai, and then home. I know expense scandals, two ongoing stupid wars, and a healthcare system with a questionable future awaits me, but when I compare general life to this, I cannot wait to be back.
And now, this week, Blogspot has been blocked (at least from my home connection, I've not tried on other connections or other computers), which makes updating very tricky. I am currently using a proxy site to bypass the so-called firewall, but it is hassle and I'm not even sure it will work when I come to actually POST this.
It's annoying that I should have to resort to this kind of thing, though I'm probably (in part) one of the reasons for it happening in the first place, it's not like I say very positive things about this country. Here's one more negative - China, you fooled the world into giving you the Olympics, and you are currently successful in pushing your economy Westward, but if you ever hope to free yourself from this ridiculous "developing country" ball to which you have chained yourself, and integrate properly with the so-called First / Civilised world, you will have to relax your grip on the population and let them see what the world really is.
Or, here's a start for you, let Chinese people see the real CHINA. The China that prevents mourning parents from visiting the crappily-built schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake last year (while other surrounding buildings remained upright) which form the last place their children were seen. The China that wants to keep an entire town in a semi-destroyed state to create a national site for people to visit and remember the tragic natural disaster which killed thousands (in part due to rushed, poor Chinese architecture). The China which is closing its citizens' eyes to anything they don't want them to know about. The differences between the Chinese higher "education" system and that found in Western countries (seriously, tell me of a European country which requires you take a politics exam in the knowledge of your nation's history and government - according to their version! - and then uses THIS mark over the academic exams to determine where in the country - ie how close to Beijing! - you can study). The China where a "Teaching University" not only has rules on the lowest height permitted for students, but also rules against disabled candidates attending university to become teachers (because a "teacher must be perfect"). The Chinese government which is running scared.
In my gym there's a guy who wears a tshirt saying "I love China more than ever" ... well I hate China more than ever. The more I hear about how life works here the more I will be happy to leave. In 64 days' time I will be on a plane to Dubai, and then home. I know expense scandals, two ongoing stupid wars, and a healthcare system with a questionable future awaits me, but when I compare general life to this, I cannot wait to be back.
Tuesday 12 May 2009
More Happenings From Chinaland
The Chinese reaction to Swine Flu (sorry, Type A H1N1 Influenza) is to aggressively quarantine anyone suspected of having it, or of having been in contact with someone who may have had it. Also, to lock up all of Shanghai's Mexicans, regardless of whether or not they have even BEEN TO MEXICO in the past so many weeks ... So basically, having failed miserably to warn the world about Bird Flu and SARS, neither of which thankfully got off the ground in a big way, the Chinese pendulum now swings to the opposite side. I'm willing to bet that, like the word for "logic", traditional Chinese has no word for "middle ground".
In other news, I went to the post office to send a parcel to my girlfriend and the following conversation took place:
[In the room where you have to buy the boxes, opposite the International Counter itself]
Worker: Go to the counter to check you can send all that in one box. ("All that" is a DVD, an item of clothing, and a letter)
[At the counter]
Worker: You can't send this all together.
Me: Why not?
Worker: This is written stuff, and these are articles. You can send the letter on its own and the items in a box.
Me: Why? I've done it before! Look, I'm not blaming YOU, but every time I come here there is some problem and the workers here all say "Oh it's just the regulations", so today, right now, I would like to see these regulations please.
Worker: (perplexed) I'll just go ask my supervisor. Wait a moment.
[She comes back after a minute or two]
Worker: Just a moment I have to make a phone call.
[Another minute passes]
Worker: Okay you can send them all together.
What the hell was that all about? I'm going back with a Chinese friend and I'm demanding a copy of their regulations now, this is ridiculous, I'm willing to bet half the stuff they've told me is just made up by someone who simply didn't like the aesthetics of whatever it was I was doing (writing addresses in red ink for instance) ... In future I'm just going to hide letters with my articles and sod them, I can even declare a letter's presence on the customs form, since I'm almost certain they don't speak / read English at the International Counter.
What a barmy country. Im home in 71 days.
In other news, I went to the post office to send a parcel to my girlfriend and the following conversation took place:
[In the room where you have to buy the boxes, opposite the International Counter itself]
Worker: Go to the counter to check you can send all that in one box. ("All that" is a DVD, an item of clothing, and a letter)
[At the counter]
Worker: You can't send this all together.
Me: Why not?
Worker: This is written stuff, and these are articles. You can send the letter on its own and the items in a box.
Me: Why? I've done it before! Look, I'm not blaming YOU, but every time I come here there is some problem and the workers here all say "Oh it's just the regulations", so today, right now, I would like to see these regulations please.
Worker: (perplexed) I'll just go ask my supervisor. Wait a moment.
[She comes back after a minute or two]
Worker: Just a moment I have to make a phone call.
[Another minute passes]
Worker: Okay you can send them all together.
What the hell was that all about? I'm going back with a Chinese friend and I'm demanding a copy of their regulations now, this is ridiculous, I'm willing to bet half the stuff they've told me is just made up by someone who simply didn't like the aesthetics of whatever it was I was doing (writing addresses in red ink for instance) ... In future I'm just going to hide letters with my articles and sod them, I can even declare a letter's presence on the customs form, since I'm almost certain they don't speak / read English at the International Counter.
What a barmy country. Im home in 71 days.
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