Hi folks, great video. I have to copy it to my blog so my friends will enjoy it. Here are some comments/info.
* For English-speaking folks’ benefit, Tian Mi Mi is a kind of wonderful feeling when you fall in love. Not a exact word/phrase in English I can find.
* Tian Mi Mi is an Indonesian folk song. There are many songs we just copy from other Asian countries and then put Chinese lyric. At one time it was quite popular to copy Japanese songs in HK. More cost effective and we Chinese are the best copy cats.
So are the American songs like California Dream (?) by Wong Fei. Some in tasteful Chinese and some are not like some of the Beatles’ songs that HKer must have a ton to share.
* Deng Lijun represents our generation, agree?
* What’s wrong with today’s generation besides too pretty.
– McDonald’s generation. We never had fat kids in China before.
– Spoiled due to one-child policy. The famous little emperor.
HK kids have a better generation than mine. Hope to have more minority kids in the video.
Tian Mi Mi is also a title of a movie (the English title is “Comrade, almost a love story”). It is one of the Hong Kong classic. It is quite different from the Hollywood’s formulated love stories that always have a happy ending. It is a big production (with some scenes in NYC), but still at a small fraction of cost of an average Hollywood movie. Except for too many coincidences, it is quite a believable movie. Maggie and Lai Ming did a great job esp. Lai who normally is an eye candy for ladies.
Soniasays
@Steve,
LOL…It just goes to show how different cultures/generations have drastically different aesthetics. When I first moved into my college dorm and started breaking out the Chinese oldies, people started banging on my door and screaming at me. I was totally surprised because I couldn’t understand how you *couldn’t* enjoy the music.
I dunno, people these days don’t like Dong Wen Hua, they don’t like Soviet songs except as Tetris music, I’ve even met a couple of Taiwanese kids who have never heard of Deng LiJun! What is this world coming to!?
;-P
j/k. Maybe I’m just too old for my age.
Stevesays
@ Sonia: Now you can annoy your old dorm mates with videos! 😛
Speaking of Tetris, here’s a Japanese band that utilizes the sound of old video games into their style. They’re called YMCK and I found them by… listening to Louis Yu’s podcast!!! (blatant plug for Louis)
When I was in Taiwan and we’d all leave work for a dinner out and then karaoke, the 20 something young ladies would always sing Deng Lijun songs, though I did hear a couple of teen girls call her songs “old people’s music”.
huarensays
Hey Guys,
Tian Mi Mi aside, I am curious what your take is on the whole – if we all got to see China through the eyes of each of these 50 children, is that a good representation of China today?
Which one of the pictures in the presentation jumped out at you?
For example, the last one with the kid peeing on the wall – that’s kind of how China is today in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. It is also a reminder for me that spitting is still going on.
The two kids on the hammock reminds me of the growing middle class. I happen to know that image is from Kunming.
Hans are the majority. However, the 55 minorities should be included, as they’re part of China. China may be classified as Tier 1, 2, 3 cities and villages. Each has its distinct differences.
I hope less folks spit in Tier 1 cities esp. after the Olympics and the up-coming World Fair in SH. Yunnan area has the highest concentration of minorities. They are colorful. With high altitude (closer to the sun) they should be darker but not so for the ladies.
Stevesays
@ huaren #10: Two photos jumped out at me, both for personal reasons. The first was the third photo of a young girl with a bird perched on her back. I have a photo of a Shanghai colleague who when standing on a fishing boat in Guilin, had a cormorant land on her arm and she has a similar expression.
The other photo was of a young girl at school with her head on her desk, taking a nap. In our Taiwan office, after everyone finished lunch most of them would put their head on their desk, just like that girl, and take a quick 20 minute nap, something I was incapable of doing.
huarensays
Btw, TonyP4 – 不了情 is a classic. I love that song. Yunnan is indeed colorful. I went to Da Li few years ago. But unfortunately I didn’t get to visit Lijiang. Would be nice if there is a quick intro to the minorities that is both fun and informative – and concise.
Hi Steve – I highly recommend Guilin and Yangshuo and the boat cruise. The cormorant bird is pretty big – fully grown they can weigh 20lbs.
Of course, every popular movie has a popular theme song in HK. 不了情 is no exception and was played by the famous Lin Doi (my best translation) in early 60 in HK. It became a HK classic too. However, it seems the song lasts longer than the movie. I hear this song once every 3 months, but I had not seen the movie for decades.
Guilin’s boat cruise is far better than the Yangtze. I was in Guilin when they had only two Western hotels and we ate the strangely tasted rice that had been stored for 3 years (Mao’s idea to have enough grain for another war). The hotel we stayed was very memorable with a fantastic Chinese rock garden.
I believe the cormorant fishing is a show for tourists now.
At that time, a lot of beggars without limbs. I guessed they’re the victims from the war with Vietnam, a stone throw away. Against the advice of the tour guide, I gave one some change and the whole gang ganged up on me. I was saddened that the government did not take good care of them.
Steve says
huaren, any video clip featuring Deng Lijun singing Tian Mi Mi will get TonyP4 and Hongkonger to watch!! 😛
huaren says
Steve – I am impressed with your breadth of knowledge. 🙂
HongKonger and TonyP4 – let me know what else you guys like. I’ll keep an eye out.
TonyP4 says
Hi folks, great video. I have to copy it to my blog so my friends will enjoy it. Here are some comments/info.
* For English-speaking folks’ benefit, Tian Mi Mi is a kind of wonderful feeling when you fall in love. Not a exact word/phrase in English I can find.
* Tian Mi Mi is an Indonesian folk song. There are many songs we just copy from other Asian countries and then put Chinese lyric. At one time it was quite popular to copy Japanese songs in HK. More cost effective and we Chinese are the best copy cats.
So are the American songs like California Dream (?) by Wong Fei. Some in tasteful Chinese and some are not like some of the Beatles’ songs that HKer must have a ton to share.
* Deng Lijun represents our generation, agree?
* What’s wrong with today’s generation besides too pretty.
– McDonald’s generation. We never had fat kids in China before.
– Spoiled due to one-child policy. The famous little emperor.
HK kids have a better generation than mine. Hope to have more minority kids in the video.
TonyP4 says
Huaren, would you include older girls (say 18+). 🙂
Here is my contribution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uy5Ai_wyDE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1cl7QdZZ8g&feature=related
Everlasting beauties, a little too old for me though. 🙂
Steve says
@ TonyP4: Ewwww… to me that first video sounded like someone squeezing a cat. 😉
Must be a racial and generational thing, ha ha.
huaren says
Hi TonyP4,
Interesting – I didn’t know Tian Mi Mi was an Indonesian folk song. Cool.
You can embedde the presentation directly too if you like. Here is the code for it:
<div> <iframe style=”border: medium none ; background-color:000000;” src=”http://china.lightroomgalleria.com/made_in_china/iframe.html” title=”Made in China” frameborder=”0″ height=”590″ width=”610″ scrolling=”no”></iframe></div>
TonyP4 says
Tian Mi Mi is also a title of a movie (the English title is “Comrade, almost a love story”). It is one of the Hong Kong classic. It is quite different from the Hollywood’s formulated love stories that always have a happy ending. It is a big production (with some scenes in NYC), but still at a small fraction of cost of an average Hollywood movie. Except for too many coincidences, it is quite a believable movie. Maggie and Lai Ming did a great job esp. Lai who normally is an eye candy for ladies.
Sonia says
@Steve,
LOL…It just goes to show how different cultures/generations have drastically different aesthetics. When I first moved into my college dorm and started breaking out the Chinese oldies, people started banging on my door and screaming at me. I was totally surprised because I couldn’t understand how you *couldn’t* enjoy the music.
I dunno, people these days don’t like Dong Wen Hua, they don’t like Soviet songs except as Tetris music, I’ve even met a couple of Taiwanese kids who have never heard of Deng LiJun! What is this world coming to!?
;-P
j/k. Maybe I’m just too old for my age.
Steve says
@ Sonia: Now you can annoy your old dorm mates with videos! 😛
Speaking of Tetris, here’s a Japanese band that utilizes the sound of old video games into their style. They’re called YMCK and I found them by… listening to Louis Yu’s podcast!!! (blatant plug for Louis)
When I was in Taiwan and we’d all leave work for a dinner out and then karaoke, the 20 something young ladies would always sing Deng Lijun songs, though I did hear a couple of teen girls call her songs “old people’s music”.
huaren says
Hey Guys,
Tian Mi Mi aside, I am curious what your take is on the whole – if we all got to see China through the eyes of each of these 50 children, is that a good representation of China today?
Which one of the pictures in the presentation jumped out at you?
For example, the last one with the kid peeing on the wall – that’s kind of how China is today in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. It is also a reminder for me that spitting is still going on.
The two kids on the hammock reminds me of the growing middle class. I happen to know that image is from Kunming.
TonyP4 says
Hans are the majority. However, the 55 minorities should be included, as they’re part of China. China may be classified as Tier 1, 2, 3 cities and villages. Each has its distinct differences.
I hope less folks spit in Tier 1 cities esp. after the Olympics and the up-coming World Fair in SH. Yunnan area has the highest concentration of minorities. They are colorful. With high altitude (closer to the sun) they should be darker but not so for the ladies.
Steve says
@ huaren #10: Two photos jumped out at me, both for personal reasons. The first was the third photo of a young girl with a bird perched on her back. I have a photo of a Shanghai colleague who when standing on a fishing boat in Guilin, had a cormorant land on her arm and she has a similar expression.
The other photo was of a young girl at school with her head on her desk, taking a nap. In our Taiwan office, after everyone finished lunch most of them would put their head on their desk, just like that girl, and take a quick 20 minute nap, something I was incapable of doing.
huaren says
Btw, TonyP4 – 不了情 is a classic. I love that song. Yunnan is indeed colorful. I went to Da Li few years ago. But unfortunately I didn’t get to visit Lijiang. Would be nice if there is a quick intro to the minorities that is both fun and informative – and concise.
Hi Steve – I highly recommend Guilin and Yangshuo and the boat cruise. The cormorant bird is pretty big – fully grown they can weigh 20lbs.
“Cormorant Fisherman on the Li River, China”
http://china.lightroomgalleria.com/?p=150
That nap in the afternoon is common across Asia. I’ve always wondered how that originated.
TonyP4 says
Of course, every popular movie has a popular theme song in HK. 不了情 is no exception and was played by the famous Lin Doi (my best translation) in early 60 in HK. It became a HK classic too. However, it seems the song lasts longer than the movie. I hear this song once every 3 months, but I had not seen the movie for decades.
Guilin’s boat cruise is far better than the Yangtze. I was in Guilin when they had only two Western hotels and we ate the strangely tasted rice that had been stored for 3 years (Mao’s idea to have enough grain for another war). The hotel we stayed was very memorable with a fantastic Chinese rock garden.
I believe the cormorant fishing is a show for tourists now.
At that time, a lot of beggars without limbs. I guessed they’re the victims from the war with Vietnam, a stone throw away. Against the advice of the tour guide, I gave one some change and the whole gang ganged up on me. I was saddened that the government did not take good care of them.