What should we call the Dalai Lama? It might seem like a silly enough question... but if you look deeper, there lies a more substantial issue of basic respect and mutual understanding. On Davidpeng's blog (in an article linking to one of our entries)... an interesting discussion has developed (原贴) on that exact topic. One commenter (Flatfish, a frequent Tibetan visitor) … [Read more...] about The misnamed Dalai Lama
culture
On China and Religion
For different cultural, political and historical reasons, the Chinese government officially recognises Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism as religions. As in the realm of commerce, medicine, the legal profession or any other human endeavours, China, like many nations and for her own reasons have chosen, as it is her right, to lay down a legal and regulatory … [Read more...] about On China and Religion
A Discussion On Religion in China
This is a continuation of the discussion from the June 14th 2008 blog entry "Chocolate City" - Africans seek their dreams in China", an article originally published in The Southern Metropolis Daily Jan 2008. Because of axes and grinding the discussion morphed from a debate about race relations in China to one about religions in China. As I have been invited to turn it into a … [Read more...] about A Discussion On Religion in China
Political unification and China’s Grand Union ideal
On this site, we've come back to the question of secession several times. The news a week ago that Ireland, with less than 1% of the EU's population, single-handedly derailed the second EU attempt at political centralization (Lisbon Treaty) strikes me as the perfect opportunity to talk about the flip side of the coin: the ideology of unification. Because let's face it, … [Read more...] about Political unification and China’s Grand Union ideal
Yellow River in Beijing
Let's have a quick flashback to a happier time, when all of us thought 2008 would be a simple year full of celebration. Below is the Chinese piano prodigy Lang Lang, performing the Yellow River Piano Concerto on Tiananmen Square. The date is 08/08/07, one full year before the start of the Beijing Olympics. … [Read more...] about Yellow River in Beijing