On China's Own Soft Culture: of the people who dedicate themselves to art and humanities
This piece I dabbled is tricky as hell.
Politically speaking, the CCP introduced the simplified Hanzi for what it's worth. Culturally speaking, the ancient civilization of China contributed a lot to the traditional Hanzi that are arduous to learn.
If there's one thing I would concern myself when it comes to the CCP, it's probably the single time they delivered the Beijing Olympics and are willing to pour trillion dollars of worth because they believed it will boost tourism.
In real economics, that did not happen. But in my YouTube screen, everything what China is willing to showcase, the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will always be one of the most magnificent ceremony I've ever watched throughout my life.
Maybe Paris Olympics these recent years might want to review their own lazy and subversive production of their own. But it's France, whatever they do, subversive or not, being controversial seems to be their tradition. Forget about France.
Let's refocus ourselves to the dichotomous sides of this massive country.
To begin with, I don't concern myself on the politicking. Since what I picked up and took interest in is the acuity among the production I've seen done by people who are truly invested in their craft.
For example, a Taiwanese live adaptation of Hana Yori Dango produced a TV drama laced with dialogues that are rich with a weight of certain poetry. Or that Sherry Thomas learned the English language as her second language and managed to publish one of the most vivid prose I've ever read in the American romance novels.
Or I later learned that Shih-ching was asked to be translated way back in Britain during the reign of King George III of the 18th century among the circles of the English noble class.
And if there are some dimwitted people of China, Korea and Japan who seethes with prejudice and racism against the rest of their other southern neighbors, they are not the people who actually did the work that are appreciated and still influences this southern region.
For one thing, all the superiority complex that this Eastern region of Asia suffers had nothing to do with the real work of civilization in which they only graced by accidentally being birthed by their mothers. If all of these prejudiced and highly superior people would take enough time to read and pay attention, then they should know that it's more complex than their philosophy that has the depth of a puddle.
So if a Chinese keyboard warrior suddenly commented that China is the center of the world, I'd probably say: No, it never has been. Besides, contemporary history moved on and it's far from your centerfield perspective.
And if there's an ultranationalist remnants of Japanese keyboard warrior who would say that Japan's technology is the best in the world, I'd probably say, Yeah, it could have been... But do try checking your economy, Olympus's financial scandal and Toshiba LLC's bankruptcy.
And if a noveau riche Korean keyboard warrior would comment something like: you're so dark skinned, go back to your country. I'd probably say: No one's going to save your dying population if that happens.
What these keyboard warriors took pride behind their anonymous account and what they truly contribute in their society is pollution just by the privilege of their poorly educated existence.
However, if we look at the true contributors of civilization—and while I took my focus on China's culture—I've come to learn that the best contributors of how culture flourished are those who really dropped their head to work. Their dedication to their art, their influences that weaved through their artistry and how the rest are to receive them with wonder.
It occurs to me that the way the Chinese literary traditions or aesthetic philosphies produced a soft culture through dramas and literature that has a certain delicateness when it comes to human emotions.
One time, I got bored reading the same template that keeps re-appearing in Slice of Life of the romance manga, so I ended up resorting to the slice of life of Chinese romance manhwa.
You see, the romance genre centers mostly on its main characters. It focuses on how readers take time to understand them before rooting for them or before understanding the characters actions if things are difficult for their life decisions. It's how the genre differs from the external risk found in action or sci-fi.
That's why when I've read this slice of life of a Chinese romance manhwa, I'm reverted back to the same nostalgia where Jackie Chan's New Police Story made me cry when he was racing to reassemble the gun against the villain of the story. In which in my blurry memory, I recalled that the villain was the son of the police chief he respected the most and that Jackie Chan's character killed this son when he failed to save him from escaping the high building.
Or how romance novelist Sherry Thomas had able to touch that certain unspoken things when resentment persists in a bond that had been broken. The review I've read in her novel 'Private Arrangements' done by All About Romance said how her main characters moved with much restraint and cool headedness, a little low drama rather than the conventional high drama (Mexican telenovela, perhaps? lol). And I would say, the fact that emotionality is externally restrained, but internally is sensitive, written with interiority with quiet intricacy. The subtlety but in a long literary traditions that I'm vetting that Sherry Thomas heritage has.
It's that sensitivity. What I read between the character's tension are narrative structure and aesthetic sensibilities that are delicate when they are addressed.
It makes me think if this has something to do with their high culture?
In my humble opinion, I think it is.
What these writers, actors and directors manifested is the arts and humanities that came from their own long standing civilization. The one that fascinated and terrified the Western civilization so badly they tried to adjust this high culture through their own understanding. That's why you'll find the now dubious movement of orientalism that still persists in France and the rest of Europe today.
Sort of people who exoticized this region of Asia they lump them with indifference. China being their number one token to display. Japan is their second fetish if they ever want to expand their sophisticated taste.
They have no idea about Korea.
That's too narrow-minded. But Europe is Europe. We all agree that Europe exploited this continent through imperialism, because they saw it as an 'Other'. Later, the US kept on interfering during the Cold War because it wants to retain Western powers throughout the region and the only one who can't submit to it is China.
That's steering too far, but you get what I mean.
What Western narrative always failed to grasp, however, because they want everything to be adjusted to their own path, is the Chinese intricacy that is beyond their lifetime to understand. That they will perhaps be a learned fool and the only Westerner who did try to commit themselves into understanding the high culture and shed the fetishization found in orientalism are the only ones who witnesses the breadth and depth that is beyond their own culture.
They appreciate it immensely. As much as I appreciate Nigerian author Chinua Achebe for giving me a storytelling about a community found in African tribes through his novel Things Fall Apart. Their wisdom, their own tales and their way of life that centered on sweet potatoes just like how, we, Asians centered on rice.
The Westerners who took this time of their life to understand it in the way as any Chinese person would be humbled. But it does not give the Chinese dimwits to raise their held high and proclaimed their pride next to them.
These keyboard warriors, get lost in my head now. Nothing pissed me off than these idiots. I'm pretty sure my own nationality is also not spared with our own loudmouthed existence when somebody uses our nationality to bait viewership into their content.
But those who did read in the corner, perhaps learning Dream of the Red Chamber without prior education through the internet, or that someone is trying to interact with the local people despite the language barrier are probably the same people who would soon produce something that these loudmouths would go on proclaiming as their national pride.
I would never doubt a well-made Chinese artistry when I eventually recognized one. And the fact that I've watched Jackie Chan's New Police Story when I was a kid, or the best of HongKong films made me feel privileged that I'm already exposed to things that my fellow romance readers are still trying to learn.
Well, I guess I have my own hidden pride in me too then just like those loudmouthed keyboard warriors. Except that it took an entire life in me before I could write it with confidence.
