Jing-Hu

May 5, 2010

If you Google the name for this two stringed instrument, you may find the same name is used for girls names and a railroad that runs between Beijing and Shanghai. Jing is for the capital and Hu for Shanghai.

Man playing Jing-Hu.

Since Chinese is a tonal language, each word is pronounced in a different tone.  The word is also written differently in Chinese when used for a girl’s name or the railroad.

girl to right of clock/table playing Jing-Hu

The Jing-Hu I’m writing about is a two stringed instrument often used with Beijing Opera. The Jing-Hu first appeared during the Qing Dynasty.  At that time, the strings were made of silk. Today, they are often made of steel or nylon. 

If you are interested in Chinese music, read about and listen to The Four Stringed Liuqin.

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

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5 Comments | China, Chinese arts and music, Chinese history | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

The Life of Confucius – Part 5/5

May 5, 2010

In 484 BC, a former student convinced the rulers of Lu to call Confucius home.  He returned to Chufu still believing he would find a ruler who would listen to him.  The ruling warlords asked him how to find honest officials.

Confucius replied, “Be honest yourself.”

He was ignored and retired to edit the poetry and books he loved. From his study, he watched the powerful leaders fight horrible wars among themselves and witnessed the Chinese people suffering. His daughter was married. His son, who died young, was lazy and hated learning.

In his old age, his students were his family. Claims say that he had about three thousand followers but only seventy-two were devoted to him. One student was his favorite.  Yen Hui reminded Confucius of his own youth. He believed that Yen Hui would carry on his work but at forty-one, Yen Hui died. Confucius wept saying, “Heaven has turned against me.”

Confucious grave for tourists

Depressed, Confucius thought, “Now I know that heaven has a will of its own.” In 479 BC, Confucius died. His last words were bitter. “Will no ruler come forward and take me as his master.”  He saw himself as a failure. He had no idea that his thoughts would become the dominate philosophy of China for centuries.

Today, billions work hard, value an education and believe that every person has a chance at success.

Return to Part 4 of “The Life of Confucius” or go here to learn more about The influence of Confucius.

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

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1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Confucianism | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

The U.S. China Media Divide

May 5, 2010

Zachary Karabell, who was on the “China: The Next Super Power?” panel at UCLA, April 24, said that there is a perception problem ( due to ignorance) between the citizens of the United States and China. 

For more than two millennia, Chinese society has been based on collective rights—not individual rights. When there is a piece in the People’s Daily, the Chinese people know that the collective voice of their government is speaking. If a Chinese citizen disagrees, they usually keep their opinion to themselves and it is not for public consumption as in America.

China's Pvailion at World Expo in Shanghai

Most Chinese cannot understand that in America there are many individual, outspoken voices and opinions in the media.  If a senator or congressional representative is quoted in the media blaming China for poisoned infant formula or drywall or taking jobs away from Americans, many Chinese see this as the voice of America’s leadership even if it isn’t.

The reporters and editors for China’s state media do not need to be told what to write or say.  Since they are Chinese with the same collective cultural beliefs, they know what is unacceptable without being told. The only way these perceptions change is if the leadership at the top signals a change by telling the state media to cover stores that were off limits. This is alien to American citizens who grew up in a culture based on individual rights.

That does not mean the Chinese people do not have a voice. To understand, read the Power of Public Debate in China.

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too.

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1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, media, politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

The Life of Confucius – Part 4/5

May 4, 2010

His success and radical ideas were making him dangerous enemies.  The three warlords of Lu formed an alliance to get rid of Confucius.

They found the most beautiful girls in the state and sent them to the young ruler, who spent his days and nights with the beauties, and Confucius was forgotten.  Stunned and humiliated, Confucius took his loyal students and left the state of Lu to find another ruler to support his ideas.

Confucius traveling with his students.

At fifty-four, Confucius was tough. From 497-484 BCE, he walked great distances from state to state.

During this journey, he and his students witnessed the suffering of the peasants. He knew that only the nobility could end the suffering, but none of the rulers would listen to him.

It was during this time that Confucius met the philosopher Lao Tse, who warned him to keep quiet or he was going to be killed.

Return to Part 3 of “The Life of Confucius” or go  to Part 5

_______________

Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

Subscribe to “iLook China”!
Sign up for an E-mail Subscription at the top of this page, or click on the “Following” tab in the WordPress toolbar at the top of the screen.

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1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Confucianism, politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Getting the Job Done

May 4, 2010

How can America stay competitive in the global marketplace when the infrastructure in America is wearing out, and it’s time consuming and frustrating to get anything done?

John Hockenberry–a former ABC and NBC reporter and now the host for a New York public-radio morning talk show–had the answer. He said on his show that he was yearning for a Chinese dictatorship in America to get things done.

John Hockenberry

What Hockenberry said was true. The Chinese do get things done. He was wrong about one thing. China is not a dictatorship.

A few years into the 21st century, we were in China sleeping on the blanket-covered floor of my father-in-law’s flat in the old French sector of Shanghai. His three rooms were on the second floor of a three-story building that once belonged to a French family prior to World War II. Now seven families lived in that building. What had been a walk-in-closet had been converted into a kitchen/bathroom. The balcony had been closed in—that’s where we were sleeping.

High block walls surrounded the houses in the French sector. When we woke up and left the flat to visit the local farmer’s market, the walls were gone as if they’d never been. 

Later, we learned that the Shanghai city government decided to open the city and the best way to do that was to remove the walls. An army of workers came in the night and removed the walls without waking us up.

That’s what John Hockenberry was talking about. The ability of China’s government to move fast.

Follow this link to learn more about high-speed rail in China.

1 Comment | America, business, China, Chinese Culture, government | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

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