jeanne boden

60 years of 'communism' in china

60 years of magnificence

Beijing is plastered with slogans to commemorate the 60 year PRC celebration: "In wind and rain together on the boat, 60 years of magnificence, ..."

60 years people's republic of china

I told you before about the golden '60 year commemoration golden stick' gadgets. Here is another announcement. 

we love our country

Yesterday I posted the trailer of the patriotic movie by Han Sanping 'Founding of a Republic' telling the story of the foundation of the People's Republic. The film was screened for the first time on September 17. It is like a present to the Chinese government one could say. It sages 172 famous actors, like Jiang Wen, Zhang Ziyi, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and many more. 

It is true that many Chinese love Mao Zedong. To show that one of the requirements is to have a picture of yourself and your family taken in front of Mao Zedong on the Tiananmen Square. 

we love our country

one child policy

and the choice of nature ...

one child

Pride and hope of the family

no this is not germany

It is Shanghai!

god of chinese medicine - shen nong - 神农

Shen Nong, venerated as a Taoist god and in Chinese folk religion is regarded as the founder of natural medicine and agriculture. He developed the art of cultivating the Five Grains (hemp, millet, rice, wheat, ad pulse) and besides that he was the first to analyze the beneficial and harmful properties of herbs by testing them on himself. He is said to have a transparent stomach and whatever he ate could be observed. He often nearly died from his tests, and he did too finally when he had too much of a poisonous herb which made him turn black. That is why he is depicted as a blackish deity, dressed in leaves and grass only since he lived in times before civilization.

His statue is often found on altars, like this one in Taiwan.

aunty - ayi - 阿姨

At first sight one would think these are mothers and grandmothers taking the children out for a stroll. Reality is different. These are so-called 'ayi' or 'aunty' looking after children of other people. Very often the people working as ayi come from the countryside. They often have a child of their own that they cannot look after because they have to work in the city. They might see their own child only once a year, during Chinese New Year when they go home.