Hilarious. This opinion piece in China Daily is a result of the infamous post by Blackie Lau that I and many others here cited for its unashamed hatred of all things Western and its adoration of all things Mao.
Please, if you dont know the story you have to see my original post that started it all. A few days ago I tried to talk to this fellow Lau Guan Kim about the issues on a message board, but all he would do was rant that my choice of “Peking Duck” for my blog name was a sign of gross Western prejudice and backwardness. (Sorry, but in the US we refer to Kaoya as “Peking Duck” – it’s nothing against China or anything else. Just a play on words. I never heard any complaints about it until today.) It was an illuminating exercise.
Well, I can sit back tonight knowing that many more Chinese readers will know about my blog by the morning. Lau Guan Kim, I am still willing to discuss my post in a reasonable way and go through it line by line to explain why I took my position. I offered to do so yesterday, and you went beserk over my blog name, Peking Duck and ignored my offer. This sort of reaction of mockery and hysteria — well, don’t you think it just proves my point?
1
By Jeremy
Geez, I get my blog written up in PR Week, O’Dwyer’s, Meddia Buddies and working on another piece, and I never get this type of firestorm.
Nice job, Richard! 😉
July 11, 2004 @ 10:17 pm | Comment
2
By she
http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/forumpost.shtml?toppid=117275
this is slightly more bizarre, not much more, just slightly
July 11, 2004 @ 11:04 pm | Comment
3
By Simon
Now I’ve really got a serious case of envy! The article’s stupidity speaks for itself.
July 12, 2004 @ 12:32 am | Comment
4
By Simon World
Asia by blog
Before I begin today’s edition a simple request: if you come across an entry (or you’ve got an entry on your blog) that you think should appear here, please send it to me. Also if you have any feedback on the current format or other likes and dislikes …
July 12, 2004 @ 1:55 am | Comment
5
By chriswaugh_bj
The article’s stupidity speaks for itself? I’m still trying to decipher it! Congratulations, Richard, you are now officially a sloppy baker.
July 12, 2004 @ 2:53 am | Comment
6
By haikou homie
Wow! You da man now so be expecting a knock on the door! Ha!!! I’m amazed that the “West” is so often used to directly point a finger at the U.S.; ie the article. I thought England was the main culprit in that war. Blackie never mentions any country by name, except U.S. Where’s England, France, Russia and Japan. Where’s THEIR forgive and foget. Yeah, a lot of nations haved wronged each other – we bomb Japan and then rebuild them. Something China can’t understand and probably never will. I guess this whole business is to supress any idea for democarcy. Juat a thought!
July 12, 2004 @ 5:20 am | Comment
7
By Mr Miyagi
Good one! Albeit with a little help from Mr Lau’s flaunting of his own stupidity ( I think he suffers the Singaporean Syndrome of Simulated Bipartisanism).
July 12, 2004 @ 6:14 am | Comment
8
By Peter Nolan
Jeez, the only thing “fossilised and ossified” in the article is the author’s Chinglish. Have those wicked American imperialists been bombing language schools?
July 12, 2004 @ 7:12 am | Comment
9
By wayne
clearer stream follows on which may you see reflections of yourselves and children as the hope and aspiration of the future China.
I just think you’re jealous of Mr. Lau’s rhetorical abilities.
July 12, 2004 @ 8:39 am | Comment
10
By hk
Actually, I talk like that sometimes. It requires a couple rhetorical props to get you on your way. Or six props.
July 12, 2004 @ 10:35 am | Comment
11
By Daai Tou Laam Diary
China’s “peaceful rise” means threatening ASEAN nations
CCP falls to using jingoist nationalism with threats against Singapore and third-rate “victim speak” that blames everyone but the CCP.
July 12, 2004 @ 8:37 pm | Comment
12
By Filthy Stinking No.9
Don’t attack him for his English … it may be poor and often difficult to understand … but unless you can speak native level Chinese in return … I don’t think this is fair. On the other hand, get stuck right into him for his ludicrous ideas, his pig-ignorance, his prejudice and his lack of reason … for he thoroughly deserves all those attacks!
July 12, 2004 @ 8:42 pm | Comment
13
By Prince Roy at-large
Gee Wayne,
since you are the unrepentent Maoist, as someone pointed out in the recent past, it would naturally be you who is envious of Mr. Lau’s considerable rhetorical abilities.
Mr. Lau’s brand of veiled, shrill polemicism shows that this art form is far from dead, and it justifies the continued employment of Western China Hands from the pre-reform period, just so we can have a translation appear at some point. This type of editorial has long been a feature of Chinese politics, since well back in imperial times, but the CCP raised it to an entirely new level.
Funny how Mr. Lau takes such umbrage at the use of the word “Peking”, when in fact you still see it in use all over “Beijing”, most notably, Peking University.
Mr. Lau does get one thing right, though, albeit unintentionally: it is up to the Chinese people alone to assess the place of Chairman Mao and other leaders. But for Mr. Lau, this assessment appears to consist of ‘getting on with life’, rather than seriously confronting issues or calling those in power to account.
Well, I take heart in the fact that it is only Westerners who still even read the China Daily and its kin. Chinese have much better things to do than waste their time on this garbage.
July 12, 2004 @ 9:06 pm | Comment
14
By Zhang Fei
PRAL: Funny how Mr. Lau takes such umbrage at the use of the word “Peking”, when in fact you still see it in use all over “Beijing”, most notably, Peking University.
I’ll worry about what Americans calls China’s capital when the Chinese start worrying about what they call New York (Niu Yue). And why can’t they call Uncle Sam something other than the sissy-sounding “mei guo”? “USA” will do fine.
July 12, 2004 @ 10:56 pm | Comment
15
By hk
All the names for other countries were made up by the Chinese for one purpose: to make them willing trading partners.
Those capitalist Chinese pigs!
July 13, 2004 @ 4:07 am | Comment
16
By Sinosplice
Being a Good Citizen Online
Recently I signed up with a Chinese Flash-centered site called Flash8.net. Just like with American websites, when you go through the free registration process you have to choose a username and a password, supply an e-mail address, etc. And then…
July 13, 2004 @ 11:12 am | Comment
17
By dodo
wow this guy is amazing.. his talent in name calling and criticize things that are uncalled for and nonexisting is incredible… gotta learn gotta learn
July 13, 2004 @ 12:08 pm | Comment
18
By Lulu Yan
Lau Guan Kim needs to get himself down to the nearest karaoke bar and get on down.
July 13, 2004 @ 12:39 pm | Comment
19
By Forrest
I think its awesome that you have some opposition from such a source… I -just- created my own blog, I hope that one day I can get some similar opposition… Take care.
July 13, 2004 @ 3:09 pm | Comment
20
By richard
Trust me Forrest, you wouldn’t want this kind of publicity. Now I have to wear big sunglasses and a hat whenever I go outside, and there’s always a gaggle of poparazzi waiting in front of my house. China Daily has ruined my life!
July 13, 2004 @ 3:25 pm | Comment