This is great! I teach a lot of Chinese college students, and my perception is that the socio-economic conditions in their home country put them in a situation somewhat akin to those in the US at the dawn of the 1960s. The pressure to conform, need to rebel and opportunity to create are all at play in the culture, and we can see those countervailing forces on display in this clever performance. Please keep digging up and sharing gems like this.
Thank you, Didi, for bringing us this wonderful, conflicted "Survival Guide." Happy Year of the Rooster to you. -
Something seems to have happened to the English subtitles in that video. Could you post a new link to a version that has them?
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Comparing many other virulent online circulating pieces, this one seems to be at least eyeing Western audience. It's telling that it has English captions. Indeed NYT feels excited (you pick this up!) But readers may not get the real/entire picture of what are really going on in China.
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No this is for Chinese audience. They did another song last year, I think it's more humorous and hillarious than this one. It titled as " Zhang, where the hell did you put my key last night?!" And it went rival in China right away. As far as I remember, there was no English subtitle. They must add it up later. Here is the link if you are interested: https://youtu.be/fR85tjpcf34
An interesting song. Happy Spring Festival to all the Chinese readers of NYT!
I'm sure this would be amusing if I spoke Chinese. The promised subtitles are almost entirely in Chinese, however, and the few English ones don't help much.
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The translation is of the song in its entirety, and is generally pretty accurate. Nothing was left out. It takes more characters to say something than it does English words.
Fantastic! What a treasure! This brought me tears of joy! A testament to international good humor and the universality of family experience throughout the world. Anybody know where I can get the lyrics in pinyin?
I absolutely love this 2017 Year of the Rooster song. It accurately captures the Chinese culture and family dynamics. I did not become a doctor or famous or rich! Do you know how utterly disappointed my family is because they cannot brag about me or depend on me financially?
The voices of the choir are beautiful. There is also a sense of humor, pleasure, joy, and creativity in the presentation. Who knew?
The Chinese are such high achievers in the United States and the western world. Faces are generally somber and serious. All business and no play! It is quite endearing to see the choir let loose in their song.
Thank you!
The voices of the choir are beautiful. There is also a sense of humor, pleasure, joy, and creativity in the presentation. Who knew?
The Chinese are such high achievers in the United States and the western world. Faces are generally somber and serious. All business and no play! It is quite endearing to see the choir let loose in their song.
Thank you!
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Can the old mothers, fathers, aunties, and uncles gather together to sing a retort? It will be hilarious? Dress the seniors in red!
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The song is funny & does represent family pressure but also typically the warmth felt over this holiday. As to China's view of the US these days, one friend in Beijing tells me she thinks a lot of her older relatives, if they had such an election as ours, might vote for their own version of Trump. Paranoia & nationalism are on the rise everywhere. Another friend, also in Beijing, says what most people in China don't realize is the extent to which Trump does NOT represent the American people. Certainly the Chinese media can be blamed for this in part, but if we demand change, they will see it.
This is so true - in every culture
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This is fun.