The machine has nothing to do with censorship, I hope……

December 19, 2010 @ 5:32 am | Comment

A Chinese automat ? I like how you get three crabs if you get a dead one. Just enough of a deal to keep you from wondering the freshness of the rest of the crab…A foodie-approved version might work here in San Francisco during dungeness crab season, which just started in northern California. But maybe that’s the role of all the food carts south of Market.

December 19, 2010 @ 8:31 am | Comment

It must be the silly season with this crustacean dispenser. What with the decomposing US economy, Eurozone bailout jitters and Andy Xie/Gordon Chang PRC doomsday predictions, I would go for the high-tech German Go For Gold ATM instead.

December 19, 2010 @ 9:37 pm | Comment

Actually I remember seeing something not too dissimilar in Taidong back in ’02 – one of those game machines where you have to pick out toys and such with a crane, except with live lobsters instead of teddy-bears . . .

December 19, 2010 @ 11:09 pm | Comment

Good spot!

December 20, 2010 @ 12:10 pm | Comment

Oh, this is nothing. In Japan in an earlier time, there were vending machines dispensing the soiled innerwear of Japanese schoolgirls – to cater to the kinky needs of panty fetishists… China has a while to go in terms of ingenuity! 🙂

December 21, 2010 @ 12:40 pm | Comment

If I recall, Japanese prosecutors had a hard time locating appropriate legislation to shutdown the used lingerie dispensers, but were eventually able to do so, using some old 1930s laws covering the sale of second hand goods & pawnbrokers.

Lets not explore the Japanese male sexual psyche. It is beyond preverted.

December 22, 2010 @ 6:37 am | Comment

Lets not explore the Japanese male sexual psyche. It is beyond preverted.

Let’s not make assumptions based on ignorance. It is beyond pathetic.

December 24, 2010 @ 4:51 pm | Comment

Speaking as someone who worked for a year in a Japanese patenting firm, I don’t find the Japanese male psyche that hard to understand – if you worked the hours and conditions that the average salariman does, you would be a little gaga as well.

December 24, 2010 @ 5:31 pm | Comment

East Is Red

“East Is Red,
The Sun Rises,
A Mao Zedong is born in China,
he toils for the people’s livelihood,
he is the savior of the people”

The above lyrics is the original lyrics of a famous song called “The East is Red”, written in 1947 by a farmer in China’s Shanbei Province, 2 years before the Communists won China. It was adapted into a musical ballet in 1964, by musician He Luding. Mr. He Luding changed the “people’s livelihood” from the original lyrics to “people’s happiness”.

Almost everyone my generation in China can recite the entire lyrics and sing the entire song in our sleep.

The original author’s name was Li Youyuan. He is a utterly poor farmer in the Shanbei Province, and farmers like to sing songs during their sparetime. Li youyuan never received any education, and could read no more than his own name.

Then, why did he create such a song as “East Is Red”? Is it for fame? The fact is, very very few people knew the Li Youyuan as the original author of the lyrics, even Mr. He Luding does not know about Li Youyuan after later. So this orignal song was spread amongst the villagers of Shanbei Province, and eventually spread around the entire China.

If Li Youyuan did not create this song for fame, then why did he do it? Obviously there was no such concept as intellectual property in China in the 40’s, so he writes and sings this song (or other songs) as a way to release some emotion, or for pure recreation. Clearly he also did not write this song to kiss someone’s ass, because he never attempted to make it known that he wrote it. Also, Li Youyuan was never a Communist party member, never participated in the Revolution, and never received any benefits or “promotion” for this song. He was just a simple farmer and had been that way till death.

Another interesting thing is: most of the famous songs today (even old folksongs from long ago) are written by professional musicians, writers, or at least educated “intellectuals”. I have not seen another case where a popular and famous song is written by a simple, plain, poor person, and an illiterate farmer at that!

And in 1943, when the song was written, the Communist Party was still struggling with the ruling Nationalists and did not have the money and the resources to hire people to make propaganda for them, and certainly did not have money to pay people to make propaganda. Most farmers in Shanbei Province had never even seen Mao Zedong, even during the Revolution, the landlord of the house under which Mao lived in did not realize his tenant was the famous Mao Zedong.

This makes it even harder for such a song to spread so quickly by itself.

Now, let’s speculate on how this song was created. Perhaps one morning, the sun was rising from the east, and Li Youyuan’s mind was hit by a sudden inspiration, and he started saying those words in his minds. He could not have written them down, because he barely knew how to read his own name. So the lyrics and melody of this song was “sung” in his mind, and as he started singing loudly in the field, other villagers heard and really identified with the lyrics and the melody, and quickly it spread from one village to another, one province to another, all through people singing to each other. In his lyrics, he used “toils for people’s livelihood”. Clearly, there were severe problems with the Chinese people’s livelihood, and the villagers easily identified with it.

“East is Red” is also the song that’s broadcast about 20 times on China’s first satellite, before that, neither the US nor the USSR had the idea of playing a song from a satellite in space. In fact, the first ever song in human history to be sent into space was written by that poor farmer Li Youyuan.

Whenever I see so many people celebrating the birth of Mao Zedong on Christmas Day every year, I feel especially happy and pleasurable. Mao was born on the same day as Jesus Christ. But because of time differences, when the East is on the 26th of December, the West would still be on the 25th. Therefore, I think “East is Red” should also be sung during Christmas just like any other Christmas carols, perhaps one day, all Churches everywhere would have lovely children choirs singing “East is Red”.

December 26, 2010 @ 3:47 am | Comment

Math, you need to do better research.

December 25th is Christmas Day. In the religious scheme of things, which you seem to be trying to riff upon, the 26th of December is not particularly important.

Maybe you can write a Maomas carol about the Great Leap Forward and wonder of watching your sister get raped by the cadres, your father dying after having pig shit shoved down his throat and,finally, dying slowly of starvation. You can get a children’s choir to sing it.

December 26, 2010 @ 10:20 am | Comment

To Math,
there seems to be little dispute that Mao (and the Communist Party) initially rose on the support of peasant farmers in rural areas. So besides Mr. Li, there were likely many many other poor illiterate peasant farmers who saw Mao in a very positive light prior to 1949 (and possibly rightfully so). So if you’re trying to suggest that there was grassroots support for Mao during those years, which was perpetuated and sustained with the purest of means, I don’t think there’d be much argument. What confuses me is why you would choose to wax on about something that seems beyond dispute. But to each his own.

So your first 11 paragraphs are mildly amusing, even if they are rather unnecessary. But in your 12th paragraph, you again over-reach, and again fall down. And you were doing so well…

First off, kinda ironic that you would try to pass Mao off in comparison to a religious figure, since Mao wasn’t, and the CCP doesn’t really believe in that sort of thing. So a religious celebration in “the west” has no relationship to Mao’s birthday in China, which is just another day.

Second, Christmas is a celebrated religious holiday by many people in many countries. Mao’s birthday, not so much.

Third, if the “west” on Christmas Day is Dec 26 in China (btw, you have a funny understanding of time zones and seem to have ignored all of Europe, but we’ll leave the definition of “the west” for another day and time), then if anything, China/CCP might want to start celebrating “western” Christmas on Dec 26 China time.

And fourth, when it’s Mao’s birthday in China, it’s Christmas Eve in some parts of “the west”. I think it’s safe to assume that most people in most places have much better things to do on that day (and on any other day, for that matter) than to worry about Mao, let alone celebrate his checkered existence.

December 26, 2010 @ 1:27 pm | Comment

Almost everyone my generation in China can recite the entire lyrics and sing the entire song in our sleep.

If that (“everyone my generation in China can recite the entire lyrics and sing the entire song in our sleep”) doesn’t scare the hell out of the entire world, it should.

December 27, 2010 @ 3:21 am | Comment

To SP:
well, who knows of what generation Math speaks. But I doubt his generation is all that virile these days. Besides, when he says “almost everyone”, it might mean him and 3 of his buddies.

December 27, 2010 @ 3:37 am | Comment

“doesn’t scare the hell out of the entire world, it should.”

Why?

A lot of people can sing East is Red. Raul Castro gave a great rendition of it not so long ago to a group of Chinese students and it was very well received, with the students joining in. I think the East is Red is a great tune, as are many other revolutionary songs. They reflected the spirit and unity and optimism of the times. The ‘Red Detachment of Women’ is also making a come back. The music of that revolutionary era was special.

Raul Castro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyZVwENinKI&feature=player_embedded

December 27, 2010 @ 8:08 am | Comment

doesn’t scare the hell out of the entire world, it should.

You know, even as a critic and hater of Chinese Communist party, you should at least have SOME knowledge of its music, culture, propaganda. Don’t tell me this is the first time you’ve heard of “East is Red”.

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

Documentary clip on the launch of East is Red, and the namesake song played from space. When I was a kid, we had extra-curricular activities where we were given the frequencies of the song played from the on-board radio of East Is Red I. At night, we’d gather in our backyards to get a faint listen of a simple tune in our radio. What wonderful times.

December 27, 2010 @ 12:48 pm | Comment

Link to the tune played from space:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMgVummiyY8&feature=related

Info on the satellite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong_Fang_Hong_I

December 27, 2010 @ 12:49 pm | Comment

@ Math. Thanks for the erudite background. I simply bought the cigarette lighters and gave them away to all and sundry. Poorly made and tended to collapse after a few flicks of the thingy.

@ Twisted_Colour. I provided factual information. You typed out unsubstantiated drivel.

December 27, 2010 @ 12:58 pm | Comment

@A single spark

Why?

A lot of people can sing East is Red. Raul Castro gave a great rendition of it not so long ago to a group of Chinese students and it was very well received, with the students joining in. I think the East is Red is a great tune, as are many other revolutionary songs. They reflected the spirit and unity and optimism of the times. The ‘Red Detachment of Women’ is also making a come back. The music of that revolutionary era was special.

If you have relatives during that reign of Red terror who survives on food posted to them from Hong Kong, who were made to kneel on broken glasses for days by the Red Guards or committed suicide because they couldn’t stand the “struggle sessions” anymore, you won’t be able to bring yourself to sing these damn bloody songs proudly presuming if you have an ounce of humanity inside you.

December 27, 2010 @ 11:08 pm | Comment

@sp123

You would be right. But then all political movements have their victims, and have those who benefit.

Should Americans not sing the ‘star spangled banner’, the British people ‘rule britannia’, Germans and French their respective national anthems and tunes, because of bad things they did in the past?

All countries have good parts to their past, parts they are proud of, and also parts they are ashamed of.

So I enjoy the revolutionary songs, but at the same time this does not mean that I have no sympathy for people who suffered under Mao and the CCP.

December 28, 2010 @ 1:31 am | Comment

@A single spark
Should Americans not sing the ’star spangled banner’, the British people ‘rule britannia’, Germans and French their respective national anthems and tunes, because of bad things they did in the past?

So I enjoy the revolutionary songs, but at the same time this does not mean that I have no sympathy for people who suffered under Mao and the CCP.

That’s where you are not much of a reach. “East is Red” is a sick song that is part of Mao’s narcissistic cult of personality and was sang for the purpose of praising a particular bloodthirsty tyrant stained with the blood of countless of China’s very own people. So that should be one of those songs patriotic Chinese should never sing unless you are an imbecile Mao sycophant.

A good try. Mind telling us how ’star spangled banner’ or ‘rule britannia’ glorified one specific particular political leader? Oh and mind you, in modern Federal Republic of Germany, public singing or performing of songs identified exclusively with Nazi Germany is illegal (§86a Strafgesetzbuch) and can be punished with up to 3 years of imprisonment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_songs
But i think the German laws are a little too harsh. I mean nutcases with Nazi nostalgia should have the freedom to ramble Nazi songs in their sleep to de-stress too.

December 28, 2010 @ 1:53 am | Comment

@A single spark
You would be right. But then all political movements have their victims, and have those who benefit.

I am sure that applies to the Third Reich,”Democratic Kampuchea” and today’s North Korea too by that same brush of yours.

December 28, 2010 @ 1:56 am | Comment

@A single spark
So I enjoy the revolutionary songs, but at the same time this does not mean that I have no sympathy for people who suffered under Mao and the CCP.

Guess what? Former Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi also said he visited Yasukuni shrine to pray for peace and to honor the war dead, not to glorify militarism. So i suppose he will get your understanding too for his Yasukuni visits.

December 28, 2010 @ 2:01 am | Comment

@John Chan aka Mongol Warrior
you should at least have SOME knowledge of its music, culture, propaganda. Don’t tell me this is the first time you’ve heard of “East is Red”.

Why would any sane being give a damn about this pathetic piece of egoistic crap that glorifies a leader who butchered so many of his own in order to maintain his political dominance? LOL.

December 28, 2010 @ 2:11 am | Comment

The funny thing is, Mao’s old nemesis, Chiang Kai-shek, also had the same fetish for this type of ego soothing pathetic little pieces. “East is Red” and “Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Song” may be ideological rivals, but they share the same purpose of flattering the Emperor. Check the latter out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e8okOFey-U

December 28, 2010 @ 2:21 am | Comment

@Math, John Chan aka Mongol Warrior, A single spark

You have much better alternative to “East is Red” in terms of patriotic songs: Blood-stained Glory (血染的風采). You can even sing this in your sleep if you have a bit of human conscience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnVmoPmyrM0&feature=related
By Anita Mui

Chinese

也許我告別 將不再回來，你是否理解？你是否明白？
也許我倒下 將不再起來，你是否還要永久的期待？
如果是這樣 你不要悲哀 共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。
如果是這樣 你不要悲哀 共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。

也許我的眼睛 再不能張開，你是否理解我沉沒的情懷？
也許我長眠 再不能醒來，你是否相信我化作了山脈？
如果是這樣 你不要悲哀，共和國的土壤裏有我們付出的愛。
如果是這樣 你不要悲哀，共和國的土壤裏有我們付出的愛。

如果是這樣，你不要悲哀，共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。
如果是這樣，你不要悲哀，共和國的旗幟上有我們血染的風采。血染的風采。

English translation

Perhaps I’ll bid farewell and never to return, can you comprehend? Do you understand?
Perhaps I will fall and never to rise again. Do you still want to wait forever?
If it’s to be like this, don’t you be sad, the flag of the Republic has our blood-stained glory.
If it’s to be like this, don’t you be sad, the flag of the Republic has our blood-stained glory.

Perhaps my eyes will shut and never open again, will you understand my sunken emotions?
Perhaps I will sleep forever, never able to wake up. Will you believe that I have been transformed into mountains?
If it’s to be like this, don’t you be sad, the soil of the Republic contains the love we have given.
If it’s to be like this, don’t you be sad, the soil of the Republic contains the love we have given.

December 28, 2010 @ 2:40 am | Comment

I love 血染的風采 too. It is a song about and for the PLA. A very famous song and one of my favourites along with 我的祖國.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f12NAaLX3B4

But the East is Red is also a great song – and it stirs me because I grew up with it. And many many Chinese people like it. Just as many many Chinese people realise that while Mao had his faults he also did a lot of good as well. China would not be the independent, strong, flourishing power she is today without the foundations laid by Mao. The long march, the fight against the Japanese, the defeat of Chiang, the reunification of China – together with Tibet and Xinjiang, defeating the US in Korea (the first major defeat of US armed forced in history), sacrificing his son in the process, holding off the Americans and Russians, and raising life expectancy and literacy are some of his good things. The bad are the Great Leap Forward (although some degree of collectivisation was definitely required), and allowing the excesses of the cultural revolution (which was not all bad in intent).

So yes, I like the 70 – 30 verdict – as do most Chinese.

December 28, 2010 @ 3:46 am | Comment

“Mind telling us how ’star spangled banner’ or ‘rule britannia’ glorified one specific particular political leader?”

Not the point. And in any case the british sing God save the Queen (or King). If that is not glorification what then is? At least it could be argued, Mao fought his way to the top -unlike the King or Queen who was born into his or her position.

Rule Britannia could be deemed offensive to many former vicitims of British colonialism (most unfortunatley dead now). I however don’t find it offensive personally.

“Oh and mind you, in modern Federal Republic of Germany, public singing or performing of songs identified exclusively with Nazi Germany is illegal”

But that is because these songs would cause great offence, particularly to Jews, Hitler’s main victims. Whereas the supposed victims of Mao are the Chinese people. Yet I have never met a Chinese person who is offended by the East is Red, or even expressed admiration for Mao.

So when I sing the East is Red – I do not offend any group of people (maybe a few individuals) but not a group as a whole.

December 28, 2010 @ 3:52 am | Comment

sentence in previous quote should read:
“Yet I have never met a Chinese person who is offended by the East is Red, or even by my expressed admiration for Mao.”

December 28, 2010 @ 3:54 am | Comment

I think this song is no different than any other song. Some people will like it; some people won’t. And they will each have their own unique reason(s) for liking or disliking it. One person’s reason(s) for liking or disliking it needn’t have any effect or relevance on any other person’s tastes or preferences. As long as I don’t have to listen to it, I’m a happy camper. If someone wants to have it on repeat on their iPod, that’s their prerogative.

December 28, 2010 @ 6:11 am | Comment

@King Tubby: @I provided factual information. You typed out unsubstantiated drivel.

You provided factual information that the Japanese male psyche is perverted, you provided an opinion based on ignorance of a part of Japanese culture that doesn’t jibe with your prejudices. Now go shove your head back up your arse.

December 28, 2010 @ 9:24 am | Comment

Correction: You provided *no* factual information….

December 28, 2010 @ 9:24 am | Comment

@A single spark
But the East is Red is also a great song – and it stirs me because I grew up with it. And many many Chinese people like it. Just as many many Chinese people realise that while Mao had his faults he also did a lot of good as well. China would not be the independent, strong, flourishing power she is today without the foundations laid by Mao. The long march, the fight against the Japanese, the defeat of Chiang, the reunification of China – together with Tibet and Xinjiang, defeating the US in Korea (the first major defeat of US armed forced in history), sacrificing his son in the process, holding off the Americans and Russians, and raising life expectancy and literacy are some of his good things. The bad are the Great Leap Forward (although some degree of collectivisation was definitely required), and allowing the excesses of the cultural revolution (which was not all bad in intent).

So yes, I like the 70 – 30 verdict – as do most Chinese.

Yar. As if Qin Shi Huang defeated his other six Warring States rivals,united China under Qin rule and build the Great Wall of China…. all for his altruistic love for the Chinese people rather than his very own desire to rule all under heavens! Hahahahaha. Your “allowing the excesses of the cultural revolution (which was not all bad in intent)” is the most hilarious of all.

So yes, I like the 70 – 30 verdict – as do most Chinese.

How do you even put a number to any verdict of a historical figure? Why not 50-50? Why not 60-40? Why not 10-90 or even 0-100? The so-called verdict is actually to stop the Chinese people from continuously debating Mao’s legacy which would dangerously threaten the legitimacy of the CCP. Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization was the reason why the CCP wanted to put a stop to debates about Mao’s legacy in case the Party’s legitimacy becomes endangered. And how do you represent “as do most Chinese”? Another self-appointed spokesperson of 1.3 billion? Hahahaha.

Not the point. And in any case the british sing God save the Queen (or King). If that is not glorification what then is?

Can see that you don’t want to talk about stars and spangled banner and divert attention to God save the Queen. However, the monarch in the UK is a head of state with no political power and doesn’t represent any political power. The lyrics doesn’t even heap praises on the British monarch. But the East is Red is all about heaping praises on Mao, nothing else.

The east is red, the sun is rising.
China has brought forth a Mao Zedong.
He works for the people’s welfare.
Hurrah, He is the people’s great savior!
(Repeat last two lines)

Chairman Mao loves the people.
He is our guide
To build a new China.
Hurrah, he leads us forward!
(Repeat last two lines)

The Communist Party is like the sun.
Wherever it shines, it is bright.
Wherever there is a Communist Party,
Hurrah, there the people are liberated!
(Repeat last two lines)

Tell us which line is not about flattering and idolising the Red Emperor? Hahaha.

At least it could be argued, Mao fought his way to the top -unlike the King or Queen who was born into his or her position.

Yes, even the British and Commonwealth people have doubts about the monarchy but that’s a debate for another day. The most funny thing is you said “Mao fought his way to the top”, i mean which warlord in Chinese history who wants to be Emperor doesn’t fight his way to totalitarian power? Hahaha. The key is Mao fought for himself, only the imbecile thinks he has saintly altruistic reasons.

Rule Britannia could be deemed offensive to many former vicitims of British colonialism (most unfortunatley dead now). I however don’t find it offensive personally.

I lived in the UK for years and my friends don’t even, like Math put it, recite the entire lyrics and sing the entire rule britannia in their sleep. i mean, they rather save their energy for Beatles or Michael Jackson. And i am sure the seven million people in Hong Kong are “former victims” of British colonialism who migrated in waves when they knew Hong Kong will revert to PRC in the 1980s. LOL.

But that is because these songs would cause great offence, particularly to Jews, Hitler’s main victims. Whereas the supposed victims of Mao are the Chinese people. Yet I have never met a Chinese person who is offended by the East is Red, or even expressed admiration for Mao.

That because you met all those who were brainwashed with commie history textbooks. Singing that damn bloody Maoist songs in front of my relatives who smuggled themselves across the border to Hong Kong in the 1970s is the surest way for severing ties with them.

So when I sing the East is Red – I do not offend any group of people (maybe a few individuals) but not a group as a whole.

Yar. Those whose lives were snuffed out in the Great Leap Forward, Anti-Rightist Movement and Cultural Revolution are your “maybe a few individuals”. Hahahahahaha. Nothing surprisingly given that the entire PRC is constantly brainwashed and indoctrinated to think Mao is their ultimate savior with no meaningful continuous debate over his legacy. Hahahaha.

December 28, 2010 @ 11:02 am | Comment

@A single spark
the fight against the Japanese

Here’s Mao’s personal thoughts about his “fight against the Japanese”. Sit back and enjoy the following from your “savior”. Hahaha.

CCP’s god father Mao Thanking Japan’s invasion of China
Mao: Who could have thought of we were able to occupy that mainland? (Snow:You did thought of it.) Oh, how I did long for it; still, I knew next to nothing about whether we were able to take over or not. My heart rested only only on the day we finally took over. Later on Japanese came again. This is why we said Richard Nixon is a good man. Those Japanese were real good, without Japanese’s help, China’s revolution would not have suceeded. I said the same thing to a Japanese, a capitalist, by the name of 南鄉三郎. He kept on saying:Sorry, we did invade China I said to him: Don’t say that, on the contrary, Japanese helped us(communist) in a big way, especially Japanese warlords and the Japanese Emperor. Japanese occupied more than half of China, all the Chinese rose to fight you, we ended up having an army of one million soldiers, and 100 millions people were under our control, isn’t it all because of your help?
o Conversation with Edgar Snow（1970.12.18）

Mao: In the past Japanese warlords had occupied a large part of China. Because of that, the Chinese people had learned a lesson. Without Japan’s invasion, the Chinese people would not be awakened, neither colluding nor uniting. In that case we [communists] would still stay in the mountains, let alone come to Beijing to watch the opera. Precisely because of the Japanese Imperial Army, which had occupied a large part of China, leaving the Chinese people nowhere to go, that once they understood they began taking up arm-struggle, resulting in the establishment of many counter-Japanese military bases, thus creating favourable conditions for the coming war of liberation. Japanese capitalist and warlords have done a good deed for us. If ever we need to say thank you, I would like to say Thank you to the Japanese war lords.
o Speech on welcoming Japanese politicians (24 Jan 1961)

I know CCP apologists would jump and say: Mao’s speech has been taken out of context! But isn’t it almost like saying, the Jewish people have to thank Hitler and the Nazis, if not for the Holocaust which leave them nowhere to go, they weren’t have the legitimate reason and determination to establish the State of Israel in the post war years. This line of thinking is plain idiotic and leaves you no doubts why he was the mastermind behind the sheer madness of the “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”. Hahaha.

December 28, 2010 @ 11:24 am | Comment

sp123: my my my…you are a rather literal minded person aren’t you?

Mao’s comments were obviously in the vein of a good thing can come out of a bad thing. History is full of contradictions. He often spoke in ways like this.

You mention the Snow interview.

But I suggest, sp123, you are being slightly disingenuous.

Because in exactly the same interview with Snow, right after mentioning the Japanese,Mao agrees to the following statement “Nixon is the best agent for Mao Tsetung. The more he bombs Cambodia, the more communists he makes.He is their best ammunition carrier.” Yes. Mao agreed. He liked that kind of help.
http://tinyurl.com/26c79h2

Mao’s way of talking is like that of a man who says that he has benefitted and is grateful for all the hardship in life thrown at him, because it has made him stronger. Is the hardship per se good? Of course not. But it has had a contra effect – in building his character.

I’m surprised you can’t see something so plain obvious.

December 28, 2010 @ 12:41 pm | Comment

Nixon is the best agent for Mao Tsetung. The more he bombs Cambodia, the more communists he makes.He is their best ammunition carrier.” Yes. Mao agreed. He liked that kind of help.

Hohoho. Long who’s talking. Of course Mao would like thank Nixon because what emerged later proved to be a Mao Mini-me in Cambodia: the genocidal Maoist disciple by the name of Pol Pot.

December 28, 2010 @ 1:04 pm | Comment

Mao’s way of talking is like that of a man who says that he has benefitted and is grateful for all the hardship in life thrown at him, because it has made him stronger. Is the hardship per se good? Of course not. But it has had a contra effect – in building his character.

Then Mao should have pay homage to his Japanese benefactors with a visit to Yasukuni since his encounter with them is such a life-changing experience. Hohohoho.

December 28, 2010 @ 1:09 pm | Comment

I think it would be quite speculative to surmise upon Mao’s “intent” with the CR. It likely was not a singular intent. Perhaps some of his intentions were “good”. But it seems likely that at least part of his intentions were self-serving, like ridding political opposition and consolidating his own power. Just as it is completely arbitrary to “grade” Mao (70/30 or what not), it would be similarly arbitrary to summarize his intent as having been “good” or “bad”. So even if one subscribes to “the means justify the ends”, it seems difficult to draw conclusions upon those means (or at least the underlying intent that spawned them). But even if you view those means or intentions in the best possible light, one still has to reconcile the ends, for which Mao is deserving of a lot of demerits.

December 28, 2010 @ 4:28 pm | Comment