China Hope Live » Meta-narratives http://chinahopelive.net A cross-cultural adventure with the personal side of China. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:48:09 +0000 en hourly 1 Chinese “evil cult” propaganda in our Canadian mailbox http://chinahopelive.net/2012/01/08/chinese-evil-cult-propaganda-in-our-canadian-mailbox http://chinahopelive.net/2012/01/08/chinese-evil-cult-propaganda-in-our-canadian-mailbox#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:29:03 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9617

As soon as I saw this in our mailbox today, it reminded me of something I’d read in the news a couple years ago. A certain religious group in China, famous for being brutally persecuted by the gov’t in the late 90′s, was apparently squandering Western public sympathy by selling tickets to Chinese cultural stage performances that contained explicit (but unadvertised) political and spiritual messages. This was making some Euro-Americans feel deceived. People felt ripped off that they’d come for a family show and got explicit politicking and proselytizing.

I didn’t know if this was them or not. My suspicious were heightened when I read the vague but very spiritual introduction section and this statement:

A performance like Shen Yun can no longer be found in China today because many of China’s best artistic traditions have been lost in recent decades.

The last page confirmed my guess. Turns out the performance advertised in the pamphlet (not mailed but hand-delivered to our door by an elderly Chinese man) is put on by the “evil cult” at the top of the Chinese government’s hit list — one of the largest, most viciously persecuted Chinese religious groups in the last fifteen years. There were propaganda posters in our neighbourhood in Tianjin denouncing them (see here for images and translations), and you have to walk past their demonstration to get into the Chinese consulate in Vancouver. To avoid tempting China’s net nanny I won’t write their name here, but here’s a picture:

I don’t blame them for presenting their religion and protest message through art and entertainment like they do. We Westerners are, after all, well-accustomed to ideological propaganda in our entertainment; that — and money — is what our entertainment is all about. But it takes a little more nuance and subtly to do this effectively to a Western audience, as evidenced by the negative reactions they’ve provoked (here’s an example). Who knows, maybe this go around they’ve tailored their message a little better.

Anyway, it’s interesting to find yet another example of China popping up in the daily life of Canadians. For more about this particular “evil cult”, see:

P.S. – “Shén​ Yùn” refers to charm or grace in art and poetry. Literally it is “God/spirit/divine” (神) + “beautiful sound/charm/appeal” (韵). Here are some different dictionary entries.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2012/01/08/chinese-evil-cult-propaganda-in-our-canadian-mailbox/feed 3 Chinese “evil cult” propaganda in our Canadian mailbox http://chinahopelive.net/2012/01/08/chinese-evil-cult-propaganda-in-our-canadian-mailbox http://chinahopelive.net/2012/01/08/chinese-evil-cult-propaganda-in-our-canadian-mailbox#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:29:03 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9617

As soon as I saw this in our mailbox today, it reminded me of something I’d read in the news a couple years ago. A certain religious group in China, famous for being brutally persecuted by the gov’t in the late 90′s, was apparently squandering Western public sympathy by selling tickets to Chinese cultural stage performances that contained explicit (but unadvertised) political and spiritual messages. This was making some Euro-Americans feel deceived. People felt ripped off that they’d come for a family show and got explicit politicking and proselytizing.

I didn’t know if this was them or not. My suspicious were heightened when I read the vague but very spiritual introduction section and this statement:

A performance like Shen Yun can no longer be found in China today because many of China’s best artistic traditions have been lost in recent decades.

The last page confirmed my guess. Turns out the performance advertised in the pamphlet (not mailed but hand-delivered to our door by an elderly Chinese man) is put on by the “evil cult” at the top of the Chinese government’s hit list — one of the largest, most viciously persecuted Chinese religious groups in the last fifteen years. There were propaganda posters in our neighbourhood in Tianjin denouncing them (see here for images and translations), and you have to walk past their demonstration to get into the Chinese consulate in Vancouver. To avoid tempting China’s net nanny I won’t write their name here, but here’s a picture:

I don’t blame them for presenting their religion and protest message through art and entertainment like they do. We Westerners are, after all, well-accustomed to ideological propaganda in our entertainment; that — and money — is what our entertainment is all about. But it takes a little more nuance and subtly to do this effectively to a Western audience, as evidenced by the negative reactions they’ve provoked (here’s an example). Who knows, maybe this go around they’ve tailored their message a little better.

Anyway, it’s interesting to find yet another example of China popping up in the daily life of Canadians. For more about this particular “evil cult”, see:

P.S. – “Shén​ Yùn” refers to charm or grace in art and poetry. Literally it is “God/spirit/divine” (神) + “beautiful sound/charm/appeal” (韵). Here are some different dictionary entries.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2012/01/08/chinese-evil-cult-propaganda-in-our-canadian-mailbox/feed 3 Japanese apologies http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:41:36 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9598 Unremarkable at first glance, this is a photo of a Japanese colleague who serves in the charity org we’re connected with in China. She’s placing flowers at the memorial to Eric Liddell (the “Chariots of Fire” guy) in the Japanese internment camp where he died during the brutal Japanese invasion of China during WWII.

Of the Japanese I’ve met in China, it’s been the three Japanese Christians (two more plus the one pictured, all serving in the same NGO) who’ve gone out of their ways to personally and symbolically apologize for the actions of their country during WWII. On another occasion, an older Japanese couple hosted a special dinner for their Chinese colleagues and language teachers at which they personally and formally apologized on behalf of their nation.

Has anyone else seen or heard of individual Japanese making apologetic gestures in China? I assume it’s not just Japanese Christians who do this (though with the three I’ve mentioned, their Christianity has a lot to do with it). But I’m also assuming that these kinds of apologies are exceptional, since, as at least one scholar points out, “in Japan there’s almost a dramatic lack of any sense of responsibility.”

I’d love to know more about the dynamics of apology and forgiveness in honour-oriented, Confucian-heritage cultures like China and Japan. I’m also curious about the ways Mainlanders are likely to perceive these types of gestures.

And I wonder: Should Europeans and Americans do the same for the Opium Wars?

More on Eric Liddell and the Japanese invasion:

P.S. – For some info about official Japanese acknowledgment of WWII atrocities in China, see this comment.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies/feed 6 Japanese apologies http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:41:36 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9598 Unremarkable at first glance, this is a photo of a Japanese colleague who serves in the charity org we’re connected with in China. She’s placing flowers at the memorial to Eric Liddell (the “Chariots of Fire” guy) in the Japanese internment camp where he died during the brutal Japanese invasion of China during WWII.

Of the Japanese I’ve met in China, it’s been the three Japanese Christians (two more plus the one pictured, all serving in the same NGO) who’ve gone out of their ways to personally and symbolically apologize for the actions of their country during WWII. On another occasion, an older Japanese couple hosted a special dinner for their Chinese colleagues and language teachers at which they personally and formally apologized on behalf of their nation.

Has anyone else seen or heard of individual Japanese making apologetic gestures in China? I assume it’s not just Japanese Christians who do this (though with the three I’ve mentioned, their Christianity has a lot to do with it). But I’m also assuming that these kinds of apologies are exceptional, since, as at least one scholar points out, “in Japan there’s almost a dramatic lack of any sense of responsibility.”

I’d love to know more about the dynamics of apology and forgiveness in honour-oriented, Confucian-heritage cultures like China and Japan. I’m also curious about the ways Mainlanders are likely to perceive these types of gestures.

And I wonder: Should Europeans and Americans do the same for the Opium Wars?

More on Eric Liddell and the Japanese invasion:

P.S. – For some info about official Japanese acknowledgment of WWII atrocities in China, see this comment.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies/feed 6 Japanese apologies http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:41:36 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9598 Unremarkable at first glance, this is a photo of a Japanese colleague who serves in the charity org we’re connected with in China. She’s placing flowers at the memorial to Eric Liddell (the “Chariots of Fire” guy) in the Japanese internment camp where he died during the brutal Japanese invasion of China during WWII.

Of the Japanese I’ve met in China, it’s been the three Japanese Christians (two more plus the one pictured, all serving in the same NGO) who’ve gone out of their ways to personally and symbolically apologize for the actions of their country during WWII. On another occasion, an older Japanese couple hosted a special dinner for their Chinese colleagues and language teachers at which they personally and formally apologized on behalf of their nation.

Has anyone else seen or heard of individual Japanese making apologetic gestures in China? I assume it’s not just Japanese Christians who do this (though with the three I’ve mentioned, their Christianity has a lot to do with it). But I’m also assuming that these kinds of apologies are exceptional, since, as at least one scholar points out, “in Japan there’s almost a dramatic lack of any sense of responsibility.”

I’d love to know more about the dynamics of apology and forgiveness in honour-oriented, Confucian-heritage cultures like China and Japan. I’m also curious about the ways Mainlanders are likely to perceive these types of gestures.

And I wonder: Should Europeans and Americans do the same for the Opium Wars?

More on Eric Liddell and the Japanese invasion:

P.S. – For some info about official Japanese acknowledgment of WWII atrocities in China, see this comment.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/30/japanese-apologies/feed 6 A brief introduction to Watchman Nee & the Little Flock Movement http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:44:51 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9594 You’ve maybe heard the name “Watchman Nee” before. That’s because he founded one of the largest Christian groups in Chinese history before dying in a Chinese labour camp. Here’s a summary of a longer article on him and his work, with a link to the PDF of the original article: Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Maoist China

A basic understanding of the place of Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Chinese history adds some helpful nuance to understanding the relationships between the Party, Chinese Christianity, the TSPM, and Chinese patriotism and anti-foreignism.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement/feed 2 A brief introduction to Watchman Nee & the Little Flock Movement http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:44:51 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9594 You’ve maybe heard the name “Watchman Nee” before. That’s because he founded one of the largest Christian groups in Chinese history before dying in a Chinese labour camp. Here’s a summary of a longer article on him and his work, with a link to the PDF of the original article: Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Maoist China

A basic understanding of the place of Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Chinese history adds some helpful nuance to understanding the relationships between the Party, Chinese Christianity, the TSPM, and Chinese patriotism and anti-foreignism.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement/feed 2 A brief introduction to Watchman Nee & the Little Flock Movement http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:44:51 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9594 You’ve maybe heard the name “Watchman Nee” before. That’s because he founded one of the largest Christian groups in Chinese history before dying in a Chinese labour camp. Here’s a summary of a longer article on him and his work, with a link to the PDF of the original article: Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Maoist China

A basic understanding of the place of Watchman Nee and the Little Flock Movement in Chinese history adds some helpful nuance to understanding the relationships between the Party, Chinese Christianity, the TSPM, and Chinese patriotism and anti-foreignism.

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/29/a-brief-introduction-to-watchman-nee-the-little-flock-movement/feed 2 Merry Christmas 2011! (“Is there anything worth believing in?”) http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/21/merry-christmas-2012-is-there-anything-worth-believing-in http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/21/merry-christmas-2012-is-there-anything-worth-believing-in#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:16:56 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9443 From John Lennox, author and Professor in Mathematics and Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Oxford:
Is there anything worth believing in? Oh, ladies and gentlemen– I’m an old man. Let me speak to you directly.

In all my life studying different philosophies and ideas and mathematics for the sheer fun of it, I’ve never come across an idea that remotely touches this one:

“The Word became human, and dwelt among us.”

It’s not every world-class academic who could also make a good Santa. Merry Christmas!

The Posts of Christmas Past:

Christmas in general:

Christmas in China:

You can see all our Christmas stuff here.

(P.S. – That’s Merry Christmas 2011, not 2012. Ooohh… someone’s asleep at the switch!)

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/21/merry-christmas-2012-is-there-anything-worth-believing-in/feed 3 Merry Christmas 2011! (“Is there anything worth believing in?”) http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/21/merry-christmas-2012-is-there-anything-worth-believing-in http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/21/merry-christmas-2012-is-there-anything-worth-believing-in#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:16:56 +0000 Joel 大江 http://chinahopelive.net/?p=9443 From John Lennox, author and Professor in Mathematics and Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Oxford:
Is there anything worth believing in? Oh, ladies and gentlemen– I’m an old man. Let me speak to you directly.

In all my life studying different philosophies and ideas and mathematics for the sheer fun of it, I’ve never come across an idea that remotely touches this one:

“The Word became human, and dwelt among us.”

It’s not every world-class academic who could also make a good Santa. Merry Christmas!

The Posts of Christmas Past:

Christmas in general:

Christmas in China:

You can see all our Christmas stuff here.

(P.S. – That’s Merry Christmas 2011, not 2012. Ooohh… someone’s asleep at the switch!)

©2012 China Hope Live. All Rights Reserved.

.]]> http://chinahopelive.net/2011/12/21/merry-christmas-2012-is-there-anything-worth-believing-in/feed 3