October 27, 2005

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Do divorcees celebrate anniversaries?

Suppose you had been married to someone. Then she was whisked off her feet by a Japanese man. She grudgingly came back to you, decades later. But then, only for a couple of years - she then is forcibly taken away by your worst enemy, who happens to be your twin brother. She at first still believes that she will be reunited with you one day, but that belief gradually dissipates and she sometimes now believes that she never had anything to do with you in the first place.

Should you, 60 years later, still celebrate her brief return from that Japanese man 60 years ago? China definitely thinks so in the case of Taiwan. Please go to the link I have just provided, if nothing else for an eye-opening display of girls in banana skirts, bubbleheads and fellows in traditional costumes that go to show that the mainland choreographers seem to understand as much about modern Taiwan as a redneck from Iowa. Nevertheless, this display shows how China intends on keeping up the pressure on Taiwan for a resolution of its sovereignty in a way that is acceptable to the mainland.

As they say, all is fair in love and war...and with China and Taiwan, as always, it 's a schizophrenic mixture of both.

posted by HK Dave on 10.27.05 at 08:40 AM in the China history, education & culture category.




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Indisputable
Excerpt: Is it just me, or is it not clear why scantily clad ladies prancing about in banana skirts somehow contribute to the claim the Taiwan is a part of China?
Weblog: The Useless Tree
Tracked: October 27, 2005 11:15 AM


Comments:

Great analogy, Dave. That's put a smile on my face, especially the last line.

And not a single mention of pandas!

posted by: Simon on 10.27.05 at 09:07 AM [permalink]

Thanks for the cyber-pat on the back, Simon. High praise from a newspaper columnist!

For some reason, people don't seem to like my analogy much of Hong Kong being the child of a forced union between Britain and China, with Britain being the father of the 1841 assault. The father takes the child away from the mother after its birth, and raises the child as his own. But the previously strong father is brought low by catastrophe (read: WW II), and is eventually forced to return the son to the mother, who in the meantime has become rich and powerful. The custody agreement is signed by the parents without consulting the child himself.

This of course explains why the mother is overjoyed to have the son back, but the son does not return this affection, with part of him preferring to stay with his wealthier father (who had outgrown sowing his wild oats in all corners of the earth). The mother, a rather sensitive character, becomes incredibly offended when her son tells her he wants more independence and freedom...

posted by: HK Dave on 10.27.05 at 05:48 PM [permalink]

There is one problem with the wife analogy. The image of a 60+ year old o-ba-san (aunt/nana) is what oen would associate with.

This lady becomes more attractive as she gets more mature.....so, let's shrink the number of the year by a factor of 10, and start 1895 as an early teenager. Now it is all above libido and war.

posted by: sun bin on 10.28.05 at 02:20 AM [permalink]

The beautiful thing about countries, unlike people, though, is that they are blessed with a very long lifespan, and can sometimes grow younger instead of older (I would argue that China today has the energy of someone in their early 20s rather than a 4,000 year old geriatric!).

The problem with this aging system for countries, though, is that some of them never seem to grow up, particularly with regard to their relations with other countries. Just like with our families, our relationships with close relatives can sometimes seem frozen in time...

posted by: HK Dave on 10.28.05 at 11:45 AM [permalink]




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