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091101 favorited a video
(3 weeks ago)
Many people in the west believe that Chinese are in general motivated by...
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Many people in the west believe that Chinese are in general motivated by an irrational nationalism cultivated by the communist party to secure its political hold on the country. This is why some of the protests by Chinese nationals overseas have been labeled as "rebirth of the red guards". Personally, I think this misunderstanding reflects a lack of knowledge about Chinese history, which in the thousand years past have been filled with foreign invasions and civil wars. We Chinese are peace lovers, but our own history has taught us that unification as a country, especially in the face of foreign threats has always been the prerequisite for a peaceful life.
This music video is by the singer Tu HongGang, who was trained as a Beijing opera singer, but turned into a pop singer in the late 80's and early 90's. The song is entitled 精忠报国, which translates to 'dedication and loyalty to the country,' or 'serve the country with the utmost loyalty.' The phrase by itself originates from the story of Yue Fei, "a famous Chinese patriot and military general who fought for the Southern Song Dynasty against the Jurchen armies of the Jin Dynasty. Since his political execution by the traitor Qin Hui, Yue Fei has evolved into the standard model of loyalty in Chinese culture." According to legends, his mother tattooed these four characters across his back before he left home to join the army in 1122. More on his story can be found here: http://en.wikiped...
Note the first picture on the right, which shows the statue of Yue Fei, from the Yue Fei Mausoleum in Hangzhou. The four characters on his banner say, Huan Wo He Shan , or "Give back my rivers and mountains".
I love the song (and the singer!) very much, I feel it echoes much of the patriotism which Chinese holds as part of our cultural identity.
The calligraphy at the beginning of the video is of the poem "Man Jiang Hong" by Yue Fei (translation is here http://www.chinap... ):
满江红
怒发冲冠，凭栏处，潇潇雨歇。
抬望眼，仰天长啸，壮怀激烈。
三十功名尘与土，八千里路云和月。
莫等闲、白了少年头，空悲切。
靖康耻，犹未雪；臣子恨，何时灭！
驾长车、踏破贺兰山缺。
壮志饥餐胡虏肉，笑谈渴饮匈奴血。
待从头，收拾旧山河，朝天阙。
Lyrics:
歌手：屠洪刚 专辑：精忠报国
狼烟起江山北望
龙起卷马长嘶剑气如霜
心似黄河水茫茫
二十年纵横间谁能相抗
恨欲狂长刀所向
多少手足忠魂埋骨它乡
何惜百死报家国
忍叹惜更无语血泪满眶
马蹄南去人北望
人北望草青黄尘飞扬
我愿守土复开疆
堂堂中国要让四方来贺
[update] My translation of the lyrics, please do let me know if you find better ones
Dedication and Loyalty to the Country
When the fiery smoke rises I look at the vast land towards the north，
the roaring of the dragons and neighing of the horses are echoed by the chilling sword，
my heart is as boundless as the water of the yellow river,
who could challenge the power in the past twenty years
hatred is driving me towards madness,
where my wide sword points,
countless brothers with loyal souls buried their bones in unfamiliar lands,
all would die a hundred times to protect the country and the land,
I sigh with the deepest regret, yet I could not find a word to say, only blood and tear fill my eyes
the horses runs towards the south, but the people look towards the north,
towards the north, the grass are just dry and yellow, with dusts flying high
I am willing to station here and re-claim my land
the mighty China should be paid tributes and respect
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sometimes i wish i had a body like yours...so that i can be able to do all your Wu Shu and Shaolin moves...which i can hopefully incorporate into my dancing :D