The Emperor Cuckoo 望帝 Wàng Dì
Legend has it that the mythical Emperor Cuckoo of the ancient Kingdom of Shu was extremely well-loved by the people ... He taught them how to till the land and how to manage the floods (as it turns out, he was a failure at flood control, and out of shame eventually gave up the throne to live in the mountains in seclusion) ... The Emperor's Chinese name, 望帝 Wàng Dì, means "cuckoo bird" ... It is said that after his death, whenever the people heard the cuckoo's cry, they eagerly looked forward to the Emperor's return, but always were disappointed ...
Emperor Cuckoo is recorded in history as a benevolent ruler who promoted the welfare of his subjects ... In his absence, the people maintained the kingdom according to the rules he set forth ... The theme here is that the Chinese people continue to believe in the benevolence of their society, expressed in national narratives drawn from tradition, and played out in countless human interest stories ...
Human interest in China
Through stories drawn from mainland Chinese-language newspapers and posted on this blog, ordinary Chinese people speak about their traditions, values, interests and beliefs ... These reports of courage, of persistence, of failure and success, of hatred and love, often fall under the heading "everyday life in China," and therefore rarely are picked up by Western media ... Yet these human interest stories directly and indirectly define Chinese people as they go about their daily lives ...
This blog has a secondary theme: How does traditional Chinese culture fit into everyday life in China? Outside of pure commercialism, what do the historical and cultural landmarks -- the Great Wall, the terracotta soldiers of Xi'an, the written language, the history, music and literature -- represent in the mind of the average person on the street? ... We plan to glean this information from human interest stories that reflect what Chinese people think and say and do about their cultural heritage ...
A few disclaimers
These posts are not meant to be political or polemical ... The main purpose is to illuminate daily life in China for the general reader who has an interest in the continuous evolution of an ancient culture that has persisted for thousands of years through internal turmoil, foreign occupation and now, in another formidable challenge to cultural unity, rapid and massive economic development ...
About the author
China Pete lived and worked in northern China for six years (2005 to 2011); he is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and holds graduate degrees in literature ...
"不知哪个世界才是他的家乡“ 穆旦， ”自己“ He doesn't know which world to call home -- Mu Dan, "Self"
Legend has it that the mythical Emperor Cuckoo of the ancient Kingdom of Shu was extremely well-loved by the people ... He taught them how to till the land and how to manage the floods (as it turns out, he was a failure at flood control, and out of shame eventually gave up the throne to live in the mountains in seclusion) ... The Emperor's Chinese name, 望帝 Wàng Dì, means "cuckoo bird" ... It is said that after his death, whenever the people heard the cuckoo's cry, they eagerly looked forward to the Emperor's return, but always were disappointed ...
Emperor Cuckoo is recorded in history as a benevolent ruler who promoted the welfare of his subjects ... In his absence, the people maintained the kingdom according to the rules he set forth ... The theme here is that the Chinese people continue to believe in the benevolence of their society, expressed in national narratives drawn from tradition, and played out in countless human interest stories ...
Human interest in China
Through stories drawn from mainland Chinese-language newspapers and posted on this blog, ordinary Chinese people speak about their traditions, values, interests and beliefs ... These reports of courage, of persistence, of failure and success, of hatred and love, often fall under the heading "everyday life in China," and therefore rarely are picked up by Western media ... Yet these human interest stories directly and indirectly define Chinese people as they go about their daily lives ...
This blog has a secondary theme: How does traditional Chinese culture fit into everyday life in China? Outside of pure commercialism, what do the historical and cultural landmarks -- the Great Wall, the terracotta soldiers of Xi'an, the written language, the history, music and literature -- represent in the mind of the average person on the street? ... We plan to glean this information from human interest stories that reflect what Chinese people think and say and do about their cultural heritage ...
A few disclaimers
These posts are not meant to be political or polemical ... The main purpose is to illuminate daily life in China for the general reader who has an interest in the continuous evolution of an ancient culture that has persisted for thousands of years through internal turmoil, foreign occupation and now, in another formidable challenge to cultural unity, rapid and massive economic development ...
About the author
China Pete lived and worked in northern China for six years (2005 to 2011); he is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and holds graduate degrees in literature ...
"不知哪个世界才是他的家乡“ 穆旦， ”自己“ He doesn't know which world to call home -- Mu Dan, "Self"
