Hemingway Stands in American Spirit

Forget your personal tragedy. We are all bitched from the start and you especially have to be hurt like hell before you can write seriously. But when you get the damned hurt, use it-don't cheat with it.
——Ernest Hemingway(July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961)

Ernest Hemingway comes to me immediately when I’m thinking of American literature. He is of great significant in American literature and world literature. His fame rose when people were suffering and depressed by the after-pain taking effects of World War I. His works curved the life of the Lost Generation, who have lost in the depression of war, forgotten their original dreams about life and given up hope. There’s a scene in Forest Gump that the veteran wanted to kill himself because he was disabled in his last battle. He yelled at Forest,” I had a destiny. I was supposed to die in the field with honor!” But he survived, he was saved by Forrest. And after that, the handsome Lieutenant Dan had gone, he got drunk all night, he spoke dirty words, he distrusted everything. He’s a good representative of Lost Generation. Hemingway didn’t do it purposely but he saved the lost angels souls. By recording their life, Hemingway provided us with an aimless and hopeless life. But underneath it, we can see the characters delicate emotion that encourages them to struggle, to fight with the fortune with their perseverance, to get back what they should get.
Take the Old Man and the Sea for instance, the sea is a vast, tender while untamable lady in the hero’s view. It is like the inner side of a person’s mind. It represents the veterans’ life also, with no friends, no excitement and with strong feelings. Santiago, the hero, is a lonely and unlucky fishman. He had great mercy and love on the boy who learned skills of fishing from Santiago. The boy is like the merging generation that dare to take adventures and learned from the Lost Generation. The Lost Generation was too old both physically and mentally to adapt the new life ahead. They were tired and bored. They were wasting time to wait for death. But look at the prime time when they were young, they had been the tomorrow of America. They had been energetic and their life was full of hope. They could still find that kind of strength from now and then, but the time had long passed. Santiago is a tragedy character because he got nothing left for the time-consuming hard work under the fierce sharks’ bite. But I can still see some positive point in him. He proved his power and faith again as an aged person. He struggled and he suffered from possession lost but his work wasn’t in vain that he gained admiration and respect again.
Considering his works, topics of wars can’t get rid of him. Wars influenced Hemingway a lot in a certain sense and depth, he recorded what he saw in mind and the world feed him back with a positive change in his novels.
There’re certain songs that make us remind of a nation. Hemingway is what I mark when thinking about American literature. He showed us a great nation that recovered itself with unbeatable strength. I’m inspired by his works. So I can say that though we speak different languages, risen up in different culture backgrounds, we have emotions of anger, sadness and love. So it makes Hemingway’s works universally well-known.

Where you can find the cartoon movie of The Old Man and the Sea:

PART 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1EbNvHDxbA
PART 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2_KszEnlq0&feature=related

Instrument Music in China

Chinese classical music is most attractive in China. There’re various kinds of classical music in China, from time to time, from east to west. The styles are quite different. People may know Peking Opera. It’s of charm that Singer’s dressing up and making great performance using both their voice and flexibility in the body on the stage.
Music played by instruments is one of the most beautiful and oldest genres and it’s my favorite. It’s usually slow and beautiful. The 1st song is played by Hulusi 葫蘆絲 - made of bamboo or another plant such as gourd, and played like a mouth organ, blown both in and out. Created by ethnic groups in the southwest of China, this kind of instrument seldom tells a sad story, nor shows a happy-go-lucky guy straight forward.

It sounds gentle, soft and emotional, just like an 18-year-old girl. She must be naughty sometimes, but she knows how to be a lady well. She might hide her feeling, waiting for someone to unpack the secret of hers.

The second song is played by a new classical music band in China. You can see a lot of musical instruments that are most common used in classical music. A kind of magnificence calls inside the audience mind.
The 3rd one, is mainly played by Guzheng 古箏 (or the Gu-Zheng, or the Zheng, or the Cheng). It tells a story about an ancient musician who felt only one of his friends could understand his music. This song was for his friend’s funeral. After that, the musician never played any more. Guzheng often builds an atmosphere of sadness and meditation.
Instrument music is like riddle that it doesn’t tell you what it is about by explicit words. You should always guess. It right fits the high-context character of Chinese and Chinese culture. People appreciate that understanding by certain indication. If you’re a foreigner to Chinese and you can understand instrument songs, you’ll surely be popular in China. I mean, songs convey certain cues of a culture. The song is another language of a nation. People create the song and they’ll go back to songs when they’re dominated by some kind of feeling, whether tired or happy. So music is a great topic if people start a casual conversation to know each other. Because music reveals characters of a society, a relaxed way to study cross-culture is to learn from its music and don’t forget to enjoy it!

A Pharos in China's Literature Field

There was a giant in Chinese literature before the World War I. His name is Lu Xun.
Literature attaches much to culture and history of his nationality and time. Before the World War I, China was in a reformation from feudalism to a democratic country. It was not an easy process, because China has experienced thousands years of feudalism when all emperors had highly control to the society. Hereditary System had existed for many years in the feudalist society, which presented in the intensive power control of the central government. The emperor was the emperor because he was born to be instead of being elected. Some people of common classes fought for establishing a new government, in result of a new intensive control government with hereditary system. It was a vicious circle and a maze. People in China had been trapped in the feudalism for a long time for thousands years. People seemed to be born with all the rules of feudalism and that China’s society was a pitch of backwater at that time, with civilians deadly dull, seldom knew what was going out of the outside world and with a motionless mind.
At that time, a class that consisted of some Chinese educated abroad raised, wanted to lead China to a modern and democratic country. They were too weak to fight against the feudalism, but offered China a new solution in the fast changing world and evoked more and more people in the new thought.
Lu was a great writer for the great revolution. Fight against the absolute authority would be dangerous in any time. Looking back in history, we can find Giordano Bruno in Italy who was burned to death, Galileo Galilei etc. Reformation costs lives, let alone China, which had been a highly centralization power for so long time. People died, and those who were alive would be killed by any moment. The reformation seemed to stagnate because some people’s hesitation. Lu wrote about common people’s life, with a calm style to tell people how their life suffered. People could see a Pedantic life in his novels and essays, without a word showing dissatisfaction. Lu’s works cover almost all topics in the society. They were indication of the reformation and also an encouragement to do so.
His works, telling stories about low class people, is a mark stone in China. His works is also a beginning of modern style in China. Sometimes I have comprehension problems when reading his works, because the time he lived is too far away from me. He is a recorder of that time, telling the latter generations how life was when feudalism met modernism in politics then all kinds of walks.

Mainly we perceive a culture by its people before we study seriously in it. And furthermore, we turn to look at its people to improve if the conception of the culture is correct.

I suppose people look at me like “that is the Chinese way” or “that is not a Chinese way that I have ever expected”. Some people are strict as to say it to me, some are not, but I see the invisible lines. As one day a friend of mine said, “Hey, Jude, you’re so outgoing, unlike any Chinese guy I’ve ever seen before”. I judge how American culture likes in my view to the people, too. I mean, it’s a human nature to do so, perceiving another culture from its people. People in it are the most apparent evidence of their culture. I have such kind of experience to illustrate it.

I’m a person who can be evolved into a new culture very quickly. But I didn’t realize it until I met some Chinese guys on the campus, who are more reserved who will talk little and who will reveal names or personal information of little importance to you at cost of yours first. I arrived here for almost two weeks and I’m quite used to the habits here, like greeting by smiling, hug or kiss. They’re kind of tacit actions last for less than a second. But some Chinese guys I meet here walk on the way as if there’s nobody beside. They won’t make eye contact with any pass-by because we don’t do this in China. Let alone hug and kiss. Usually I’ll start the conversation, but people talk in a shy and distant manner like “how dare you talk to strange people? And what’s worse, you’re a girl, how dare you be so open?” Even though I’m a Chinese like they are.

My point is, since those shy guys are most seen here, people may perceive Chinese culture to be reserved and shy. When I met the 1st one, I thought he was wired. But when they all react to me in this way, a question raised in my mind. Am I exceptional in my culture? Is that how my culture looks like? I realized that I seldom did greeting to strangers when I was in China. I do so here because I’ve been conformed to native culture here, though I’m not doing this on purpose. I have to commit that there’s a sense of distance in Chinese culture. That’s the way I gain concept of my culture. Because I’m not typical of Chinese people, I assume I can see Chinese culture as a foreigner from this aspect.

Culture is never a good boy. It keeps changing. It doesn’t have a list showing every type of people in it. It varies when viewed by different people from different groups. Not every single person agrees the definition of their own, nor every single person likes what is regarded widely what their culture is like. To contacting every possible person in the culture if we really want to know it is maybe the shortcut to get to know the culture as a whole.

Chinese Dragon Boat's Day

1. Qu Yuan

Dragon Boat's Day is on the May 5th in Chinese calenda. In memory of a great poet Qu Yuan, who ended his life for his country and people. Qu Yuan served a playful emporer who paid least attention to the invasive danger the country facing. Qu Yuan was drifted immediately after saying something rude to the emporer. Qu walked by the river and by jumping into the water, he committed suicide. Maybe he was thinking that the country will be beaten down by the cruel enimies. His fame in literature and politics reached far from the young and to the aged, from the illiterary to the educated, and from his country to foreign countries.

2. People by boat play fireworks to threatened the ghosts for Qu Yuan.









3. People buying Zongzi to memorize Qu.

4. fragrant purses. People wear them to get away from illness.


His death evoked great influence in the country. Villagers living nearby made a large scale of search for him on the river by boat for many days. They threw food to the river in wish that the fish wouldn't eat Qu's body.


Many years having passed by, the date after Qu had died for seven days has been a national holiday called Dragon Boat's Day. Why the date is set to be the 7th day? You may ask. It is believed that the soul of the dead body will come back to pay the last visit to the world. So the 7th day is also regarded to be the most efficacious. Qu has long become a spiritual icon in Chinese culture. People admire his talents in literature and his care for the country so much that we still have this kind of tradition to go boating, eat Zongzi (the food that villagers feed fish), carry fragrant purse (indicate the mortarity).

Dragon Boat's show

5. Chilren singing Qu's song.

6. College students reading the funeral oration.

What I Learn from Ridwan's blog

To read Rid’s blog is a journey both of joy and knowledge. His skill in mastering English is really surprising and I can always find some new expressions upon his journals.
The Philippines is an archipelago, of 7,700 islands. I read his blog on Filipino culture and his view on the importance of language for several times and I like them very much. There’re some points that I want to share with Rid.
First of all, the immigration and the colonization of the Spaniards, Americans and Japanese do result in the cultural diversity of the country. Rid introduced us that there’re some dialects that sound like Spanish thanks to the Spanish three-hundred-year domination. It seems to be the most apparent evidence that Spanish is part of the Filipino culture now. And Rid told me that there’re Chinese restaurants on every island. Even though the Philippines focus on its farming and manufactory industry, its tourism is also a shining charming to explore. After Rid had introduced the traditions and the food in the Philippines, I got that the finest product one can buy in the Philippines is its culture. That’s why the Filipinos have a natural sense of culture inclusion.
Moreover, I want to talk about the language issue with him. "Language defines a person" is what he quoted and what I couldn’t agree more. Language is what has evolved from time and space. Though we’re not what our ancestors like some hundreds years ago, we do have some shadow of them in language. Time is like a funnel; the old-fashioned elements of a language are gradually dying away while bank of new vocabulary throws a lot of words in it which start the dying-away process once put into use; if there’re no new words to enrich the bank, the language will extinct. And, language is the code of a culture. If a language died out, a kind of culture will become a secret that will never be thoroughly known.
All in all, language is what identify as who we are and our history.
Thanks to Rid, and I’m very glad to learn some Filipino before I go back to China. And I’m trying to gain a tolerance on different cultures as Rid!

What I think of Zoloo's blog

I knew little about Mongolia before I read Zoloo’s blog. I was thinking about horse rider once I thought of Mongolia. But now I know what they usually eat, how the traditional costume looks like and which sport they like most. I was impressed by the cultural icons comparison—American football in the U.S and wrestling in Mongolia. I think Zoloo has done a great job in making contrast and similarities.
First of all, they all belong to sports. Sports can reflect into a society’s characteristics and even spirit. For example, Latin Americans like Samba, which is done by a couple of op-sex dancers and contains a lot of body languages and eye contacts. So we can indicate that Latin American culture should include an element of enthusiasm. It’s contrary to be in close relationships for men and women from Latin America and Asia views. The Mongolians like wrestling, perhaps indicate men’s competition, physical competence appreciation and national honor. But if a Chinese boy visiting Mongolia and a Mongolian boy invite him in wrestling, is it a sign of friendship?
The language in Mongolia is a kind of Russian. Zoloo said language is part of culture. It evolves in the change of society and time. A society with advanced technology will change fast. Mongolian is changed a lot as any other language is, so it is an indication that Mongolia is a fast-developing country.
Zoloo is the first Mongolian I’ve ever met. He’s just like some Chinese boys I’m familiar with, quiet, smart, a little bit shy but brave in his mind. He’s a nice person to get along with. So, may I recommend him to y’all?

How is Language Important in China

In ancient Chinese times, there was an emperor who united China as a nation named Emperor Qin Shihuang. The priority he did after being the king of ancient China would be making union of currency and language. Those have been two elementary tools of society activities. Union of them will result in a union in social life thus a union as a nation. The Emperor Qin was surely smart. Language is what governs people mentally that people will assume they come from a same country if they have the same mother tongue.
As for the dialects, Chinese have countless of them throughout the country and some of the dialects are completely different from mandarin. For example, I have a Chinese friend whose ancestors came from nomadic tribes originally from Mid-East Asia and who still lives in a typical minority way. His ethnic group shares written forms of the Arabs and has developed a unique sound system against the Arabs. Some kinds of dialects are similar to mandarin in some way but extra understanding will also be needed. Dialects are an important part of our language system, because they form a diverse culture which remains culture identities.
So, united language and dialects are good friends to work together. A country would be isolated if either one is lost.
Nowadays, the world is working as a whole so international communication is necessary for arts, trade, political reasons etc. Take international trade in China as an example. In universities, they set it as a major that is among the top 10 popular majors; in the business field, there’re more companies doing foreign trade in China, as the professional international trade agencies are thriving. Foreign language is a kind of need in modern times.
So, let’s talk about inter-cultural communication. We’re famous for our high context language. High-context and low-context communication refers to how much speakers rely on things other than words to convey meaning. For example, Americans are more direct than Chinese. People understand each other basically depend on language in the U.S, but in China, one should always take the situation into account because people are trying to be polite that sometimes it’s hard to get their real meaning.
For example, an American businessman who was on his vocation in Beijing was attracted unexpectedly by a Chinese store when he was wondering on the street. He asked the manager to talk for further information. They had a great conversation. The American guy wanted to bring some documents the next day to talk formally about the possibility to cooperate in trade. The manager checked the schedule and said,”you can step by tomorrow.” When the American came the next day, the manager was so busy that seldom had time to talk. How’s that? Because people from low context culture backgrounds can seldom distinguish the indicative words when talking with those from high context ones. The secret is in “step by”, that means you can come but I may have time to attend you. It rather refers to “you’d better not come”, just a polite way to say so.
Directness is something to avoid, either to say something good or bad in Chinese. If somebody isn’t good-looking, you’d better say, “She has pretty personality”, pretty much alike what English culture says, “She’s homely.” If one done a pretty good job, his boss may say to him,” Do it even better next time. ” These are not real appraisal in English speaker’s mind. But we do avoid making it straight and you’ll have to think twice to get the real meaning.
So, we should learn language in a whole view of culture background in any case. Especially in China, learn the indirectness for your convenience.

Culture Icon Comparison: McDonald's & KFC VS China Town

I choose McDonald’s and KFC to be American culture icon. Because it is one of the most chain stores in the world, and that it is planted in other countries, probably it forms the first impression in a foreigner’s view about America.
And also, I take China town as a Chinese culture icon as a comparison. The McDonald’s and China town are all spread across the world, and that’s how we show ourselves.


McDonald’s & KFC

Comfort: these fast food stores are nice place to sit, because they’re neat and have nice temperature in all seasons. Seats are of different sizes and shapes, one can choose whichever he wants. Restrooms are available to all and they’re also fairly clean.
Hospitality: M&K are open for all. Many people come for different purposes instead of purchasing food there, for example, some go there meeting friends, some want to go to the restroom, some want to study. They’re all welcomed.
Private Service: M&K are trying to take care of everybody especially for children. They have children wash desks and toy areas. There’re physical disabled facilities. Everyone who comes on his birthday would receive a blessing of M&K, and blessings of all who are there, too.
A mosaic culture, America respects your culture: M&K have some food that is based from the custom country’s habits and needs. For example, KFC has oil stick and a kind of clay oven roll that is especially a twin of Chinese food. They’re the combination of Chinese and American fast food. The KFC was collecting the English translation of 烧饼（clay oven roll）and it attracted a lot of people. People buy food from M&K and they also buy favorable impression about M&K. Oil sticks in KFC

Oil sticks of the original look

Commercial: a clay oven roll of KFC for Chinese

China Town

China is open to the world: almost every big city has a China town. That’s because Chinese or Chinese immigrants spread all over the world. The number of China town is increasing and it shows that Chinese are encouraged to see the world. It’d always be like that. And many foreigners go there to experience Chinese life, too. So, China towns are built for mutual understanding in the first place.
Home is where Chinese traditions continue: China and western cultures are different from food, size, general personalities etc. Chinese tend to live together and I have to say that living together creates a sense of security in Chinese notions. That’s because living with people of a same language, a similar life habits as you lessens the culture shock and make you feel like home.
A pride in culture: we build China town because China is so different from other countries from almost all aspects of life. And of course we acknowledge the life style of others. And the most significant thing is that there’re many Chinese around the world and Chinese need a cultural identity. That’s pretty positive I think, because first of all we welcome the world to see us.

How others look into China

Talking about Chinese culture, Chinese will take it as a pride while foreigners may view it as a mystery. We picture in mind the Great Wall, Socialism, the Olympics, the ancient Chinese dressing style and behavior, and a lot of handicrafts that act nothing more than a cultural icon—both Chinese and foreigners. Let me introduce Chinese culture in a 22-year-old girl’s view. It must have not included every aspect of the whole culture, but what I interpret to you will be very Chinese with comments of my friends from beyond my motherland.

The Great Wall

How my friends view it:
It’s grand and amazing. It’s hard to imagine how it had built in a time without machinery. But it was also a sign of fear to invasion.
How I will interpret:
It has been the biggest defensive engineering project ever in Chinese history. It took about 2000 years to be completed, surely during which time wars and national policies had stopped the process from now and then. Men in ancient time were afraid of the Great Wall because one seldom came back home alive from it. Civilians complained about it a lot, but held a national notion that every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country. Tit for tat is fair play. That’s how the Great Wall wants to tell the world.

Socialism

Chairman Mao and Nickson

The Tiananmen Square
How my friends view it:
Socialism is a belief. Chinese people pursue absolute equality and highly collectiveness.
How I will interpret:
It’s not a belief just as the States’ capitalist is not equivalent to the American dream. That’s how our nation forms. It’s correct that highly collectiveness exists in about all social activities in China, that’s on basis of the actual situation that we have too many people and it’s better to have a comparatively unite idea to educate the majority to catch up the pace of modernism. Remember that it was no sooner China had been recovering from the pain of wars and humiliation than we started the process of modernization and it really takes time. Not everybody understand or even like Socialism, but that’s what has been chosen by people as one.

Traditional Chinese dress

How my friends view it:
It suggests the Chinese ladies are mysterious. It’s not sexy like but a kind of mature and it’s charming.
How I will interpret:
Cheongsam is the fashion of 1900’s China in big cities. It’s tight and body-fit, cover all parts related to sex while make them stand out. It’s a “Final Fantasy” about ladies. It suggests meditation and appreciation to internal beauty than reservation.

All in all, all I’ve listed above are the threads of Chinese culture. My friends said it was hard to understand China, maybe because our culture encourages indirection, for it is the way we feel most comfortable and it’ll be bad if somebody points the indication out.

Love Ole Miss at the First Sight

My first impression about the States is kindness of people. I met a lady named Karen on the plane from Chicago to Memphis, who was very talkative and was also a nice listener. I asked how the pets could get on board. She said she didn’t know, but she immediately went to ask others and told me the answer. Thanks to my poor English, I failed to catch the answer but was so impressed by Karen’s friendliness. It was late at night when we arrived Memphis, so I couldn’t see anything outside on the road to Oxford except lights and stars. It was a starry night, stars were clear and shining, they looked at me with a big smile,”Welcome to Mississippi!”
Students slept late at Saturday nights. I saw friends gathering in the lobby and some just came back with friends. Anny the Laos, Zoloo the Mongolian, and I arrived at the same time. Meci, a black girl, was very nice to help us settle in. After checking in the dorm I went downstairs to meet the resident assistance at the desk for more information. A guy called Frazier was there with a university policeman. After greeting I was told that I’d better stay in my dorm building at night, but if I really had some emergency to do outside, I could call the police office to give me a ride to the dorm. It sounded good and considerable enough. I went on asking him about life matters. Frazier told me almost everything. He even took about 15m to explain how to get to Wal-mart to me. At last, he brought me to the vending machine to buy me 2 bars of cookies and said WELCOME.
The next day I got up a little earlier than I had been expected. It was morning, the trees’ reflecting sunbeam, shining green was most attractive. Some squirrels get down under the tree to feed themselves. Trees and animals, they represent much about the nature. And I really love it.
Due to the air-conditioner was not desirably comfortable for me, I wanted to go to Wal-mart for a comforter to get through the cold night. But at that time, everything seems to be closed including the school store, the O.U.T bus line. I made a decision to call Frazier, even he may be not available by now. Fortunately he was able to drive us there and left an important student from a summer school called Tray. Tray was a very nice guy, too. He asked what we would buy and explained and helped us choose the products. It would be so much help. I was half-illiterary on reading on brands, and without his help, I might have got lost in the vast sea of products. What surprised me was that Tray helped us write an e-mail to someone who was in charge of air-conditioner to settle the problem, and, it has been settled the next day!
Today is Monday and the intensive English classes began. We talked to our international advisor Nalson first at the office to do some regular procedure. It was amazing that the crews were so friendly and humorous, that the documents were laid in order just as everything seemed to be right on the way to be settled down. The office were in a relaxed style but efficient. The stereotype of laziness and looseness were eliminated immediately. I think the Americans should be proud of their efficiency.
Anny was sick with the time difference and she couldn’t go out to eat at the cafeteria with me. I intended to bring dinner for her but was told I couldn’t swipe my card twice during a meal time. I met Frazier again. He wrote a note asking the desk receptionist to order pizza for her. I mentioned that the American students kept a habit of meeting people after meal. I had been introduced to Frazier’s friends. I really enjoy the friendly atmosphere here.
I love Meci when she calls me Jude, I love her when she hugs me and kisses me, I love the cleaner Clolinda when she stopped her work to talk with me, I love the lady in Wal-mart who I didn’t know when she tried to catch up with me just to say “how are you” in a smile, I love all the smiles I have received on the road. Life is great.
I’ve been here for two days and I already love Ole Miss. I wish I’d stay longer with all these people.