A BOOK REVIEW----《China》BY Neil Leach
[img]http://www.pabook.com/covers/9628604090.jpg[/img][size=3][color=navy]My friend sent this book to me as a gift.k+g'B a)}\l5I dThe book is named, China. On the webpage of an online bookshop, it's said that the author gives decisive and contemporary portraits of popular icons through short, thematic texts, accompanied by photos taken by Gutierrez + Portefaix. Subjects include Mao, the Great Wall, video games, karaoke, etc., and their relation to Chinese culture. It portrays China as the new America - not only a leading industrial nation, but also a dynamic center of world culture. p Fp M]@,x G
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There are several sentences impressed me.g w(mEx*b,l2W3|o
[color=darkgreen]"Even with a lifetime experience in China, nobody could say he knows China. [color=red]I don't really know China, just understand it.[/color]Moreover, I don't know the whole world, even can not understand it."[/color]e7SMV%TR+l6J I(b F
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It's same to many foreigners who are interested in China. This book full of his questions of china and opinions of the world. No flattery and bias. (Oho, it seems he doesn't like USA that much.)
Several year before, gossip faned the fantasy of the perfect west and the ignorance east. Once we are in the east or west, as he said, we notice that there are so many layers beneath the surface level of a society, even just a single person.
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Another is : B'{;eg"HFV
[color=red]"China will be a new Japan. "[/color] l @8y!X(z2S Z wm
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OMG! I hate it! I believe the auther doesn't mean to irritate or humilinate Chinese people. Maybe I am too emotional and superficial. However, can you stand this? China will be a new Japan? Come on!P9L+Hn L \
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Unfortunately it's become such a trend for something to be the new something else these %]Q NC0l+T%s'J#M
days. People are always trying to take a short-cut in explaining their point. Unfortunately, it also works. Especially for Americans (who would also be unaware that comparisons of one Asian country with another need first to consider their histories together, at the very least).Bd,{ _ zsO'i'~
[color=green]"In the apparent chaos, there is a certian order. All the produce is carefully graded and divided into separete piles. Everthing has its place. Patterns of self-organisation, it seems, emerge within any complex system."[/color]
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Regaring the bicycles and open-markets in China, regulations are not tight. A foreigner can hardly riding in Beijing cos it's too dangerous. In an open-market, the acrid smell of veges and the pungent perfume of dies fish fill the air. There are pink mountains of dried shrimps and piles of crabs. They suffered terribly before their death. However, people have getting used to it. [color=red]"Patterns of self-organisation, it seems, emerge within any complex system".[/color]Uh-hha, a very smart piece of comment!
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I recommend this book here because it's thin but comprehensive, it's full of questions but holds a neutral point of view, it not very expensive but ::z8 ::z8 ::z8
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[[i] 本帖最后由 辰雨清风 于 2007-4-22 04:00 编辑 [/i]] i like this haha, 'so many layers beneath the surface level of a society, even just a single person'. Very very very very nice book review!!!::p7 D/eUk$oX1a~
From the author's conclusion, China will be the next Japan, I can clearly see that they are not even merely understand China...
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well, as westerners, they might feel difficult to understand but personally, i believe that they are reluctant to do so5]^]~p?9l
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in their minds, whatever differs from their experiences would be the down side of the 3rd world and anything looks familiar with would be defined as their cultural impact on the 3rd world... I can not be too strict with his words. I think the auther's attitudes is important. He is an open-minded guy and doesn't like judgiing China without knowing it. yHt W,JC
I hope i can write a book of China in the future. I don't wanna critise others but make no efforts to illustrate China in front of the world.
回复 #4 辰雨清风 的帖子
Don't be too pressured anyway. have you guys read a book called the unknow Mao.....a foreigner writes this book....how can he know the unknow story... I haven't read it. googling?%xQtq$G l+d2yg
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another is Wild Swan. It looks it is more popular among Chinese rather than in foreigners
[img]http://www.durham21.co.uk/images/2004-2005/epiphany/3055/wild.jpeg[/img]
回复 #7 辰雨清风 的帖子
i heard of it... but never have a chance to read it I wanna see it !!!! [quote]原帖由 [i]辰雨清风[/i] 于 2007-4-21 15:34 发表 L\$A)Bj"China will be a new Japan. ",TY+Bh&|(DR)[5v
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OMG! I hate it! I believe the auther doesn't mean to irritate or humilinate Chinese people. Maybe I am too emotional and superficial. However, can you stand this? China will be a new Japan? Come on! [/quote] z6p`5H Lro7x0e
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Just to clarify this, the sentence is meant to be interpreted as "China will be the next center of technological innovation at affordable prices" and nothing more. It's more than likely that the author knew how it would be interpreted by the Chinese but the anti-Japanese sentiment in your culture reflects badly on it through the eyes of mine, even to those who know the history behind it. Different cultures have different expectations of behaviour and different interpretations of words and actions. To Americans, that sentence says something positive about China. [quote]原帖由 [i]maebus[/i] 于 2007-5-24 23:09 发表 [url=http://bbs.taisha.org/redirect.php?goto=findpost&pid=8755333&ptid=813735][img]http://bbs.taisha.org/images/common/back.gif[/img][/url]
Just to clarify this, the sentence is meant to be interpreted as "Chinawill be the next center of technological innovation at affordableprices" and nothing more. It's more than likely that the author knewhow it would be interpreted by the Chinese but the anti-Japanesesentiment in your culture reflects badly on it through the eyes ofmine, even to those who know the history behind it. Different cultureshave different expectations of behaviour and different interpretationsof words and actions. To Americans, that sentence says somethingpositive about China. [/quote]
Aha, talking about misinterpretation, I believe you misunderstood what the OP said. While you are focusing too much on how to interpret the sentence from the author’s perspective and criticising the OP based on so called anti-Japan sentiment, you clearly neglect the fact that it's only your perception, which is clearly not being justified, or you just don’t want it to.7[6rg xh XX2`.?
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Shockingly, you even don't think you are part of Chinese culture from what you said, as I quote here:[i] but the anti-Japanese sentiment in [b]your culture[/b] reflectsbadly on it through the eyes of mine...[/i] What do you mean by YOUR culture? As far as I know, we, Chinese people share a pretty similar culture. I am not an expert on qualitative research, but I clearly read something behind those words that you exclude yourself from being with the same culture group as our OP, a member of our Chinese culture, correct me if I am wrong. N+j&R4C n)}6Q
As you pointed out different cultures may have different cognition on certain issues, I agree with you totally, but I just don’t understand why as a Chinese, you don’t understand our OP and you don’t understand why for Chinese people this sentence is sometimes sensitive and inappropriate in a way. Something makes me more confused is that you, presumably as a Chinese student in thestates, have much better understanding on the author’s or American culture comparing with that of your original one. I am not saying understanding other cultures is no good, but you need to balance here. Don’t tell me you have a culture shock on your own! That would be a shame.
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[[i] 本帖最后由 双手插兜 于 2007-5-25 07:36 编辑 [/i]] OMG... after doing a bit research, just found out that maebus is not originally from China... I am so sorry that I've used some pretty tough words above::51 ::51 ::51 ::51
Just simply ignore what I've saiddP_jd ]
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::18 ::18 [quote]原帖由 [i]maebus[/i] 于 2007-5-24 23:09 发表 [url=http://e.taisha.org/redirect.php?goto=findpost&pid=8755333&ptid=813735][img]http://e.taisha.org/images/common/back.gif[/img][/url]xn)SN@.z
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AJust to clarify this, the sentence is meant to be interpreted as "China will be the next center of technological innovation at affordable prices" and nothing more. It's more than likely that the author knew how it would be interpreted by the Chinese but the anti-Japanese sentiment in your culture reflects badly on it through the eyes of mine, even to those who know the history behind it. Different cultures have different expectations of behaviour and different interpretations of words and actions. To Americans, that sentence says something positive about China.[/quote]
Your comment is very welcome. It's not very necessary to clarify the meaning of this sentence since we all understand what the author wants to explain. BTW, your interpretation is quite accurate and clear. s8A9p9o){ rk
I think you may a bit misunderstand me. I did not aruge that the author is right or wrong, Japan is bad or good. If I make a judgement on Japan from a perspective, I must have delved beyond my surface intuitions about what is right and wrong to get at the underlying explanation for that judgement. I argued for the effect of this metaphor.
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As I said, p[size=3][color=#000080][size=2][color=black]eople are always trying to take a short-cut in explaining their point.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=black]China will be a new Japan, Taiwan will be a new Shanghai , Shanghai will be a new London.......thay're all the same. It's easier for most readers to understand. However, if the reader is a Chinese, like me, the first reaction is 'I don't like this metaphor. BUT, I understand why this auther wrote a sentence like this. '[/color][/size][/color][/size]
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[size=2]I show respect and understanding to other cultures. That's why I recommended this book: Viewing China from a different way, Understanding there is a real China and millions of perceived China. I hope you will do the same. Obviousely you totally understand American. Do you understand Chinese culture? Culture is not history, not facts, but the combination of attitudes, beliefs, behaviour and values. [/size]
回复 #12 双手插兜 的帖子
Don't worry about it. Under your presumptions, I totally understand the point you were trying to make. It would seem wrong for one to openly deny one's own culture.$qZn'X5[ yD$To*mSw \ m
We Canadians are accustomed to stronger criticisms so there are no hard feelings to it. It's an honest mistake, and it must really have seemed like a strange situation to you.
回复 #13 辰雨清风 的帖子
Ah, sorry, you may have misinterpreted my response a little. I tried to use neutral language, with no reference to "right" or "wrong", "good" or "bad" on anyone's part, to suggest there could be a reason behind the author's 'oversight'. Writing here, I am faced with the dilemma of using English connotations or trying to use Chinese connotations. I reason it, even if I have to explain myself a few times, the English connotations are better suited. They go more hand-in-hand with the language, and this place is about learning the language. That's not to say that I don't try to adjust for the difference, but they can be two very different ways of suggesting something at times.-}vs y9O+C'b{Xi
I agree, I don't like that metaphor either, for the same reasons you cited.
I'm an outsider to both American (as in the United States of America; I've never quite liked using the name of two entire continents to refer to only one of their countries but that's another discussion) and Chinese culture. I was constantly presented with Americanisms (USA again) on TV as a child so I came to know their culture, and in many ways English Canadian culture is the same. I generally refer to the common culture of English speaking countries in America as "American culture", which I admit is a lazy shorthand for "American English culture" since English isn't the only language in the Americas. But as for Chinese culture, it's not so prominently presented over here so I'm much more like a child in terms of understanding it. My perceived China is indubitably not as finely painted as yours. I do get to witness some of the attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and values from where I am, but, in the statistical sense, it's a biased sample. Maybe that book would be worth having a look at.
回复 #1 辰雨清风 的帖子
Very good, I like you style of comment::11 i wanna ... i wish i could get a chance to read it, your review is excellent页:
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