tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post2173172172829363832..comments2023-06-05T07:33:16.696-07:00Comments on The China Beat: A Defense of Jiang Rong’s Wolf TotemThe China Beathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17042877198563453117noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post-50869205231919129912010-02-28T18:02:04.475-08:002010-02-28T18:02:04.475-08:00Mr Weston,
I read Wolf Totem and felt it was wort...Mr Weston,<br /><br />I read Wolf Totem and felt it was worth reading too. And yes, Wolf Totem is not perfect and the author too a risk considering that Chinese culture does not like to talk about the Elepant in the room but for the rest of the world Totem is an important snapshot of an element of China and its culture--a path toward a better understanding for a complex people and country.Lloyd Lofthousehttp://ilookchina.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post-46114135673603561832009-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:002009-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:00Thanks for your post. I also agree whole-heartedly...Thanks for your post. I also agree whole-heartedly; many reviews I've read tended to focus on the political and social theories presented by the author. However, taking it from a perspective of ecology (and well, I am baised as I am an environmental scientist) opens up an wider applicability and relevance across the globe. I think this is part of the wide international appeal of the book.<BR/>And as for spambait9876's comment, the author is certainly deserving of praise, for thinking critically about his world around him, unlike some brainwashed sheep of from Chinese government.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07353465685118180738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post-36520127468673838602008-09-13T21:18:00.000-07:002008-09-13T21:18:00.000-07:00Do you ever read the Chinese version? The original...Do you ever read the Chinese version? The original Chinese version is different to the English version. <BR/><BR/>for example <BR/>in ENglish version,<BR/><BR/>If a man or race lacks the death-before-surrender spirit, a willingness to die along with the enemy, then slavery is the inevitable result. Whoever takes the suicidal spirit of wolves is destined for heroism, and will be eulogised with songs and tears. Learning the wrong lesson leads to samurai facism, but anyone who lacks the death-before-surrender spirit will always succumb to samurai facism <BR/><BR/> <BR/>- Wolf Totem, Chapter 6 pg 96<BR/><BR/>in Chinese is this<BR/>陈阵忍不住插嘴道:也不能把自杀战都说成是小日本的武士道精神,董存瑞、黄继光、杨根思敢跟敌人同归于尽,这能叫做武士道精神吗?一个人一个民族要是没有宁死不屈,敢与敌人同归于尽的精神,只能被人家统治和奴役。狼的自杀精神看谁去学了,学好了是英雄主义,可歌可泣;学歪了就是武士道法西斯主义。但是如果没有宁死不屈的精神,就肯定打不过武士道法西斯主义。 <BR/><BR/> <BR/>The English version is a good statement about fighting against slavery. <BR/>However, do you understand what the Chinese versioin ? The author praise 董存瑞、黄继光、杨根思 as examples to fight slavery.<BR/>But do you know who is <BR/>董存瑞<BR/>http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%91%A3%E5%AD%98%E7%91%9E<BR/>黄继光<BR/>http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BB%84%E7%BB%A7%E5%85%89 <BR/> <BR/>杨根思<BR/>http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%A8%E6%A0%B9%E6%80%9D<BR/> <BR/>Do you know which army they were in? Who was their target they want to kill? Which war was they in?<BR/>All of them were in the communist army.<BR/>董存瑞 died in the civil war by which Communist overthrew the legal goverment of Repulic of China.<BR/> <BR/>黄继光 and 杨根思 both died in the Korea war which was intentionlly stated by the north Korea and supported by the China communist.<BR/> <BR/>what did they die for? Exactly for the intention to slave people but not to against slavery!!!<BR/><BR/><BR/>welcome to my blog<BR/><BR/>http://along8848.spaces.live.com/default.aspx踏青龍https://www.blogger.com/profile/01397961039368549408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post-14256132499142548842008-08-03T16:32:00.000-07:002008-08-03T16:32:00.000-07:00just one amendment to my original comment--when I ...just one amendment to my original comment--when I wrote that Bao Shungui was "extraordinarily sensitive" to Mongol culture I hadn't reached the part about the swans. I take it back completely. Maybe I was projecting the protagonist, Chen Zhen, onto Bao. But then again, Chen's decision to raise the wolf wasn't the most sensitive one, though it was done in the spirit of investigation and study. A true Neo-Confucian I suppose. Gewu!Andy Fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16412377278632300322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post-21525901276127425042008-07-26T16:26:00.000-07:002008-07-26T16:26:00.000-07:00Thanks for your confession, Tim. I am glad that th...Thanks for your confession, Tim. I am glad that the thoughtful comments of someone whom I respect as much as you can balance out my own tirade in the blogosphere.Nicole E. Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14711720690328576237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post-91827423817287129742008-07-25T22:59:00.000-07:002008-07-25T22:59:00.000-07:00Great comments Tim. I for one agree with you. I'...Great comments Tim. I for one agree with you. I'm in the middle of reading Wolf Totem now. I agree that it is too long and that the characters could be better developed. Then again, the main characters in the novel are the wolves, not the people. I've heard this novel dismissed by Chinese literary scholars. Fair enough, everyone has their opinion. But I think that this a wonderful and unique piece of world literature. Notice I didn't say Chinese literature. The fact that it was written originally in Chinese doesn't necessarily make it a representative work of Chinese literature--especially since only a few of the characters are Chinese. I think this novel has to be reckoned within the field of world literature, not Chinese literature, and there it stands up and deserves to be noticed. The author's painstaking accounts of the interactions between wolves and their environment (including other animals and humans) are simply stunning. The battle scenes are epic. One reads it and is transported deeply into this unknown world (unknown by all except the few million Mongols who inhabited/inhabit that world). Above all, the author's humanity really shines through in the novel. His deep love and appreciation for the people, animals, and environment show through clearly. And despite some of the naivety of the novel as a work of literature, I think that aspect of it trumps the somewhat awkward and didactic use of characters and dialogue to express his understanding of the world he writes about. Also, I don't agree that this novel makes the Party look bad. Bao Shungui is no wooden party leader. One comes to understand his POV and sympathize with his own imperatives and directives. Here is where the criticisms have in my opinion been misguided. I don't think that this novel is meant to denigrate the Party or the government, but that it rather reflects the political tensions of that period, and of colonialism in general--when a technologically superior state takes command of people and resources on its periphery. In fact, as a representative of the colonizers, Bao (who one discovers eventually is actually a Mongol, not a Han Chinese) is extraordinarily sensitive to the culture and the value system of the Mongols, yet his political training still leads him to overrule some of their ways of life, especially with regard to the wolves. These are just some of the things that reading the book has raised in my mind, half-baked as they are, and I admit that I haven't finished it yet (it's a slow read for me), but I thought I'd let you know how much I appreciate your effort to get people to take this book seriously. --Andy FieldAndy Fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16412377278632300322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050554817776641945.post-16507640543903540172008-07-25T14:07:00.000-07:002008-07-25T14:07:00.000-07:00The author of Wolf Totem deserves what he gets. H...The author of Wolf Totem deserves what he gets. He has committed several unforgivable crimes.<BR/><BR/>First of all, he was successful. All other authors will automatically call him to task, to come up with whatever imaginable, or unimaginable short coming of the book. Wolf Totem is not perfect, and is popular. Therefore, the author is guilty.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, as a Han, the author dared to criticize Han. That means he is a Han Traitor. As a Han Traitor, he should be condemned.<BR/><BR/>Thirdly, he portraited Chinese government officials not in their best light. That's criticizing the government, and therefore should be convicted of crime to humanity.<BR/><BR/>Fourth, he didn't say a good thing about Party Members. That's betrayal at its worst.<BR/><BR/>Fifth, he is being too nice to wild animals. Instead of exploiting them, he tried to understand and protect them. That's stupidity deserving the worse punishment.<BR/><BR/>Sixth, the main character did not follow orders straightly. This will have very bad influence on the readers, some of them may be young and impressionable. This will ultimately undermine the authority of the government, if not the Party. The author is dangerous to the Chinese government.<BR/><BR/>With all these crimes committed, he deserves whatever is coming to him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com