True enthusiasts of Chinese culture may be facing an unpleasant surprise: bikini-clad girls performing traditional Chinese opera in a beauty contest.
“In the Chinese final of the 36th Miss Bikini International Pageant last year, the girls wore hand-embroidered bikinis and headwear with distinct elements of Chinese operas, and they performed to the accompaniment of Chinese opera music,” said Li Yulong, the executive president of the organizing committee of the Miss Bikini International Pageant. This year, the girls reprised their shocking performance at the press preview for the 37th contest to take place later this year.
Compared to the relatively silent acceptance last year, their use of Chinese cultural elements has now come under heavy fire. A large majority of Chinese people believe it is erotic and is a sad commentary on today’s values that we need constant entertainment, to the detriment of the Guocui, or national cultural treasures.
“I am a Beijing Opera fan. I think its charm lies in its stylized performance elements, which has developed and matured thanks to the dedication of the artists to the stage art. Showcasing the opera by using bikini-clad girls is indeed a kind of blasphemy and a humiliation to the national art,” said 雨田仁荣 on his Sina Weibo account, a Chinese version of Twitter.
Li didn’t feel the same way. He says the headwear was used to demonstrate the traditional operas in a general way, arguing that the headwear would accentuate the Chinese flavor, and provide the western audience a window into the beauty of the traditional Chinese culture and Chinese aesthetics.
“We hoped to count on the popularity of the pageant to promote Chinese culture. We had no intention of ruining the image of Chinese opera.” Li said.
China is sensitive to anything that may blacken the image of its cultural masterpieces, including traditional medicine, kungfu and Beijing Opera, as evidenced by the withdrawal of a Starbucks coffee house from the Forbidden City in 2007 due to popular pressure.
Some internet users have expressed guarded optimism that their modern adaption and pioneering role of bringing together Chinese and western cultures will help revive ancient art forms which have suffered a sharp decline in popularity as the modern audience grows more absorbed in (often international) digital entertainment. They also chided the performance for the amateur dramatics of the bikini girls who obviously had no clear idea of how the ancient opera should be performed.
C罗的小弟 wrote: “It is a cultural innovation, right? The national treasure is not used for worship alone. It should keep abreast of the world and develop itself. “
In addition, they mocked the cultural anxiety of their opponents, saying that the nationalistic sentiment, an accompaniment to the expanding economy and growing international status, has become a dominant force and blinded them to the fact that a closed mind will do nothing but hamper the spread of the Chinese culture.
“To spawn cultural innovation, we have to try new things. If everyone doesn’t like it, it will be displaced naturally. The point is that we must have a pioneering spirit, or our culture will not move forward.” said 馒头的围脖.
Many other Chinese traditional elements, such as cheongsam and blue-and-white porcelain, were used as accessories or props in the past contests, Li said.
“Bikini belongs to the west. Combining Chinese and western cultures is a huge task. We still have much work to do to fathom the depth of Chinese culture and express our culture in a meaningful way.” he said.
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On September 16, Mrs Zhou, 74, received a parcel from her young granddaughter who had just begun her college life in a remote city. To her frustration, however, it was not a thank you gift or any other thoughtful present, but a pile of dirty clothes and socks.
The grandma checked the letter included in the parcel, only to find that the college entrant was asking her to send all the clothes back once they were washed.
The 18 year-old girl did not know how to wash clothes. Her parents were quite busy with work and had little time to be with the girl, Mrs Zhou said, admitting that she loved the only child in the family too much and allowed her to do nothing but study.
But the girl is not alone in basking in the seemingly endless family comforts.
A new student, Zhang Huan, discontinued his college life after living five days on campus, and gave no valid reason for his decision. After a long conversation, his mother said that her son was not well adapted to the communal life.
“The teachers there are very responsible and the school environment is nice. But the kid has never lived on campus before. He quit partly because he can’t bathe everyday and partly because he doesn’t like the food in the canteen. We have to accept his decision and choose a college that is near our house,” his mother said.
The news intensified the popular opinion that today’s children know nothing about independence and are growingly addicted to the comfortable cocoon of family life which they take for granted.
The argument is not unfounded. Traditionally, children have been a special spectrum of treasure in Chinese society and the parents will provide whatever they can afford. They have high ambitions for the children, with a primary focus on high scores, a decent job and a happy marriage.
Only children, a product of the family control policies introduced in the 1970s, have triggered many debates in China. The children hold a high status in families and are widely labeled as a self-centered generation. They are born in an age of abundance and are not accustomed to the hardship of their parents.
橹声已逝 wrote: “The doting parenting technique has a far-reaching adverse affect, but in the case, the girl is to blame. She has no idea about adapting herself to the new environment. Today, most students belong to the only children and the boys and girls usually do nothing at home before going to college. The girl has to correct her behavior or she will become a socially disabled person.”
小k歌之王 wrote: “It clearly shows the failure of the exam-based education. Despite many years of study in the school, the children don’t know how to live independently. What can we expect them to do for the society?”
“It really goes too far to send the dirty clothes to the old grandma. I don’t know when the babysitting grandma will stop loving the kid too much. If she persists, what will the future hold for our country?” said 春梦无痕2012.
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Traditional Chinese medicine’s image sinks lower as the misbehavior of some pharmaceutical companies erode public confidence and national pride in the ancient healing tradition.
According to the State Food and Drug Administration, law enforcers punished a dozen companies in Anhui province, one of the biggest herbal producers in China, for using chemical materials to dye the traditional remedies and increase their weight. These additives could cause severe damage to the respiratory tract, kidney and liver, experts said.
“To reduce costs, some producers add chemical materials and western drugs with proven efficacy to win the patients’ trust. Naturally, they are producing and selling fakes, ” said Song Ruilin, a medical professor from the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.
Since western medicine was introduced to China in the early 20th century, traditional Chinese medicine has seen a steady decline in popularity. Nowadays, most patients make western medication their first choice, while few TCM-based clinical departments exist in China’s major hospitals.
Medical students feel the same way. In a country where western medicine has become a dominant force, few students want to be trained for a job in traditional Chinese medicine, partly because of the employment pressure, but also because of the demanding skills that must be honed through years of clinical experience.
Despite its alleged ability to identify and wipe out the root cause of a certain disease, many of TCM’s assumptions, including the model of the body and the concept of disease, are not supported by modern evidence-based medicine, which leads to skepticism. This mistrust of the foundations of TCM has flared and subsided over recent decades.
Admittedly, traditional Chinese medicines still have a big purchase power these days. Many people are learning the art of ancient medicine as they believe it comes in handy for daily healthcare - herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, qigong, and dietary therapy all have health benefits.
Some critics argue that the greedy producers have worsened the already fragile image of traditional Chinese medicine and even worse, turned the nationwide attempts to bolster confidence in the market on its head.
The news also shifted social attention to the development of traditional medicine in China.
User 钱加菲 wrote: “The news may help explain why I don’t use the traditional Chinese medicine, though I really love it.”
User 云润丘 wrote: “Western medicine is based on strict chemical experiments and thus grows fast. The doctrines of Chinese medicine are rooted in the ancient text Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. It talks about yin, yang and the five phases. People today have screwed it up and created a mix of Chinese and western medicine.”
“Do not boycott traditional Chinese medicine. The fact that it helped our ancestors grow and thrive in the past millenniums proves its worth. As western medicine came to China, coupled with the shock brought by western ideas and culture, Chinese medicine took a thrashing. The top agenda of the so-called national rejuvenation is cultural revival. A classical example of Chinese culture, Chinese medicine, deserves our careful support. We have to make it an advantage for the country and its people.” said user Beaugo.
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A Chinese industry association has drawn heavy fire when it claimed that it was a huge waste of resources not to eat shark fins, even though society has grown more environmentally aware.
“To say that the consumption of shark fins leads to the extinction of sharks is not a fair judgment,” said Cui He, vice president of China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association that hosted a meeting on the sustainable utilization of sharks on June 20. “There are no fishing groups in China that solely target sharks. Since the sharks often live together with other species, they will be caught accidentally when people are aiming for other fishes.”
“As long as we are catching the commercial fish, we will definitely catch the sharks. It is inevitable… most of all, those captured sharks can barely survive and it will be a huge waste if we don’t make best use of them.” He added.
Shark fins are a popular item in Chinese cuisine, usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets. They are seen as a luxury item in Chinese culture. The Chinese people believe that shark fin soup can boost sexual potency, enhance skin quality, increase energy and prevent heart disease.
Traditionally, consumption of shark fins is a part of Chinese culture. Indeed, some experts today argue that the consumption of shark fins does not pose any threat to the endangered species, but instead, makes an effective use of the disused resources. It is a symbol of the frugal life in traditional China..
The insiders also believed that the traditional cuisine has been wrongly judged by the international community, which causes issues with consumers, who may second-guess their choice of cuisine, and blackens the global image of Chinese fishery.
“Sharks are quite popular in Europe and the US, and shark-based food is widely available. But now the shark-eaters there have taken the lead in accusing the fin-eaters over here. Why do some NGOs call for an end to the consumption of shark fins, not the sharks? They may have another axe to grind,” said Lin Dinggui, director of a Hong Kong-based seafood trade association.
But the environmental groups and their followers see it another way.
Since 2006, WildAid, an international NGO, has been working to end the illegal wildlife trade, and launched a series of activities to discourage the consumption of shark fins due to concerns over the world’s diminishing shark population. By its calculations, about 26 to 73 million sharks are slaughtered per year as the demand of shark fin soup continues to increase.
WildAid said the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have been among the biggest importers of shark fin for years. So far, no legislation has been introduced in China to ban the practice.
The NGO also cited the pathetic survival of sharks that are finned. Sharks without their fins are often still alive, but they are not able to move normally. Most of them die of suffocation or are eaten by other predators.
Sina Weibo user Salvatore多多 wrote：“Many delicacies are created at the cost of the animals’ health, including foie gras and shark fin soup. Try to say no to those foods.”
“Shark fins are not that nutritious. At the top of the marine food chain, sharks often amass a huge amount of harmful substances, such as the mercury. For your health and the environmental protection, we should say no to the fins.” said 爱心公益。
In reaction to the fiery criticism, the host decided to write a white paper on China’s shark industry to “face up to the unfair criticism from the international NGOs and propose suggestions for the sustainable use of sharks that are scientific, just, and relevant.”
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The diplomatic tension between China and Japan flared on Aug 15 as Hong Kong activists landed on an island at the center of a territorial row that has plagued the two Asian countries for decades.
The group sailed from Hong Kong on August 12 to the archipelago, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, with the aim of planting a Chinese flag. Finally, seven people jumped into the water from their boat and reached the rocky shore. They were surrounded by Japanese coastguard vessels and a helicopter that appeared in advance when the Japanese government learned of their intention.
Fourteen people, including two reporters from Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, were taken into custody and the Japanese government will carry out a full investigation, said a Japanese Coast Guard spokesman.
The Diaoyu archipelago, now actually controlled by Japan, has long been a major impediment to the healthy diplomatic relationship of China and Japan. Many Chinese groups have made repeated attempts to reach the islands, but most of them have been blocked by Japanese patrol vessels.
China's vice-foreign minister, Fu Ying, summoned the Japanese ambassador to China, Uichiro Niwa. She reiterated China's sovereignty over the islands and demanded that Japan guarantee the safety of those arrested and release them immediately, Xinhua news agency reported.
The arrests sparked an indignant national mood, as China marked the anniversary of Tokyo's World War II surrender. Many Chinese people urged the Chinese government to be more assertive in protecting Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity in a way that matches China’s role on the global arena as a rising economic and political power.
The Northern Territories and Takeshima Island are disputed by Japan, Russia and South Korea, but they are not under the Japanese thumb, compared to the Diaoyu Islands. That may explain why so many Chinese people are pushing for the government to adopt the hard-line Kremlin policy, and occupy the islands before it is too late.
“The President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, landed on the Northern Territories; the President of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, landed on Takeshima Island; Hong Kong residents landed on the Diaoyu Islands. So why don’t the people from the Chinese mainland leave a footprint on the place they all treasure?” said Sina Weibo user 部落格-格格落.
User 苏小满 wrote：“On the issue of Diaoyu Islands, China should not ‘show the white feather,’ we should play hardball.”
The hawkish Chinese people said they have abandoned all hope of finding a peaceful solution to the bitter territorial conflict and it even may all come down to a final faceoff, both politically and militarily.
“Who is responsible for protecting the national land? Individual involvement in the Diaoyu Islands is just a form of protest and shows the social attitude. When the military begins to protect the islands, we can see the real effect! ” said another user 剑吟沧桑.
This contraction over the Diaoyu Islands brings up other issues that split China and Japan.
The Chinese people accused the Japanese government of failing to officially apologize for the atrocious sufferings it inflicted on China and its citizens during World War II. Worst of all, some aggressive right-wing Japanese politicians and activists deny all the historical facts and refuse to atone for the crimes, as evidenced by their frequent visits to the Yasukuni Shrine that honors both the Japanese war dead and war criminals.
China, South Korea and some other Asian countries see the Yasukuni Shrine as a symbol of Japan's militarist past and the country's lack of contrition for wartime atrocities. Growing trade issues, Japan’s historical revisionism, and the widespread anti-Japanese sentiment in China add to the fouling of the China-Japan relationship.
As a rule, both the Chinese and Japanese governments would usually play down such incidents as the attempted flag-planting on Wednesday, fearing that such conflicts may cause violent nationwide protests and more significantly, strain the already fragile diplomatic relationship.
With rising domestic pressure, however, the two Asian rivals have to present a tough and competent image. They will routinely lodge complaints to each other and reach accommodations that are comfortable to both sides. But their ostensibly conciliatory gestures on the territorial disputes are often scorned and draw furious criticism from the people.
“Now I don’t want to read any news about the Diaoyu Islands. They only will make me angrier. Solemn representation, close attention to the issue… all the diplomatic rhetoric. Even the kids know what the government will say.” said a cynical Weibo user.
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