jeanne boden

calligraphy as political tool 3

And Jiang Zemin followed in the footsteps of Deng Xiaoping:

"If the whole population engages in sports, it will benefit the country and the people; the merits of today will benefit the ten thousand years"

calligraphy as political tool 2

Mao's successor Deng Xiaoping used the same tool to spread his message: "Wealth for the ten thousand generations". This message clearly reflects the viewpoint of the reforms he introduced in 1978. 
 

calligraphy as political tool 1

This is the entrance to the publishing house of the People's Daily Newspaper in Beijing. On top of the gate we see Mao Zedong's calligraphy, the same as on the heading of the newspaper itself. By attaching so much importance to calligraphy Mao Zedong subscribed to the idea that calligraphy reflects moral power, as all his predecessors of the Chinese Empire had done before him. Mao was deeply rooted in the culture he tried to erase.  
 

xinjiang project at knack.be

For those among you who read Dutch: I will blog about Xinjiang province for a number of months at Knack.be. 

More information on ChinaConduct.

 

pink panther uniforms

 

black jelly

To cool your body down when you are too hot. 

 

bird's nest - outside

bird's nest - inside

a thousand years of good luck

I always like the efforts of the Chinese to try and obtain good luck in life. This thousand year old Gingko tree in Chengdu is covered with pieces of red cloth and threads from people trying to link their fate with the good fortune of the tree. Since ancient times the Chinese have used 'fortune trees'. In the Sanxingdui Museum in Chengdu you can admire a bronze fortune tree dating back to the Han dynasty (206 BC-221AD)

urumqi station