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Post by DollyODear on Jul 10, 2006 1:49:14 GMT 7
I just ran across some absolutely adorable children's books printed in the PRC, circa the cultural revolution, IN ENGLISH (in very clear, correct English, no Chinglish) with some wonderful pictures. One is a primer and two are probably 3rd grade level English. None are overtly political, but they do of course reflect the ideology from that period.
I am tempted to buy them all because there's a book sale for $1.25 a pound for whatever you can carry away. They would make great books for private lessons -- that is, if they aren't a no-no.
They're not Fanshen, they're not "Breaking With Old Ideas" but they are that era. Any thoughts on whether I should bother?
I guess I could sell them on Ebay ...
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 10, 2006 6:52:45 GMT 7
Dolly, please pick up a couple for me! The more ideology, the better...
I collect CR-period stuff and I'd love to have a few of them.
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Post by con's fly is open on Jul 26, 2006 21:51:23 GMT 7
Yeah, those sound cool. Put me on order!
And I'll bet the e-bay thing would take off. At a buck-twenty-five a pound, how big a bath would you take even if they didn't move?
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woza17
SuperDuperBarfly!
Posts: 2,203
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Post by woza17 on Jul 26, 2006 21:55:36 GMT 7
You know Dolly the kids have politcal and social education classes and all the books are in Chinese I would love to have one of them translated and compare the ideologies of then and now. Now that would be interesting in a classroom if you could do it
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Post by DollyODear on Jul 27, 2006 3:17:24 GMT 7
wow, woz, I would love to see that experiment done. How tricky do you think it would be? I can get several copies of each. They are collectible for their artwork. I will see what I can get hold of now -- and grab as much as I can.
I also found one called "wrath of the serfs" -- a pictorial of a group of life-sized sculptures. No reference for where the sculptures are, thinking Tibet because the whole thing is about the horrendous abuse of serfs in Tibet by the landholders and llamas. The sculptures are incredibly moving, and are accompanied by photographs of all kinds of instruments and drums and temple articles made out of the skin and bones of serfs.
Actually, I happened on a pretty large cache of this stuff all circa 1975-ish. Some of it still has comment cards to mail back to the publishing company in "Peking". Wonder what it would cost to ship this stuff back home? Wonder whether it would be bad form? ERG. That's why I asked.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 27, 2006 10:00:35 GMT 7
I have a friend here who is now in his late 80's. He is French and has been here since the late 1970's. The stories this guy can tell are amazing. Those days he slept in the classroom - locked in at night, had to be escorted and driven into town to buy anything, between the university and the town was farmland - now totally populated with shops and apartments. He thinks Chinese traditional medicine is brilliant (he is still alive and healthy!)
His take on the political learnings they do today is interesting - he says the exams are the same each year - but the answers have changed over the years. In China Marx no longer says what Marx used to say - it has all been re-interpreted.
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Post by DollyODear on Jul 28, 2006 3:57:31 GMT 7
So I just took a closer look at one of these titled "the little coast guards" and it's maybe a little more political than I thought when i took my first look at it. It's a lovely little story about Little Lung and Little Hung and how their vigilance and good judgment one foggy morning as they were tending the production team's sheep and practicing their bayonet drill led to the capture of three enemy spies.
So, Lotus, maybe you might ask your friend -- is bringing a bunch of stuff like that into the country considered unneighborly?
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Post by solongtinik on Jul 28, 2006 10:55:50 GMT 7
hey dolly! want those stuff too! how can i contact u? ASAP please!
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woza17
SuperDuperBarfly!
Posts: 2,203
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Post by woza17 on Jul 28, 2006 15:18:56 GMT 7
Lotus what an incredible person. If I make it to Xian could I meet him does he like cheese and red wine?
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jul 28, 2006 15:25:42 GMT 7
Dolly, I don't think they would give a toss, normally. They sell banned books here, and that sounds innocuous, and us bignoses get away with a lot. They don't seem to care if it is in English, only in Chinese.
But this is only an educated guess. If someone else knows for sure, take their advice instead.
Woza, if he is French, then he had better. It would be like an Australian not liking pies and vegemite.
France only has those two things, doesn't it? Wine and cheese. Oh, and some great artwork, like in those caves and the Louvre.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 28, 2006 18:37:37 GMT 7
He lives (permanently) at my previous university, and I don't know about the cheese - but red wine was on the last last time I visited him. Incredibly charming man as well. His Chinese is beyond excellent, his English is good and I don't know enough French to tell about that, but I assume as he taught it, and last time I was talking to him was tutoring P/G students (1-1) who were headed to France, so I think it is probably good as well.
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