Imagethief

What? You mean you get HBO, ESPN, National Geographic? BBC and CNN?  Down here in Dongguan we do good to get ATV world and TVB Pearl, when they aren't pre-empted by hair dye commercials or zit remover cream.  

Seriously, my wife's been watching nothing but CCTV1 or CCTV4 since the quake, being deeply affected by it all. Watching her, I now have a better understanding of the psyche here in China regarding the tragedy.

I do observe a deep misunderstanding, or a lack of awareness about Chinese customs and traditions in the musings in your post. I am a Chinese Singaporean (that's how we refer to ourselves in Singapore - Chinese Singaporean, Malay Singaporean, Indian Singaporean, Eurasian Singaporean etc - born and bred in Singapore, from or different ethnic ancestry), and so I hope I can help provide you with information about certain Chinese customs with regards to mourning.

Perhaps, you are not aware of the cultural history of the what seems to be a 'banning/stoppage of entertainment'. It is actually a very Chinese cultural thing, in times of mourning. According to Chinese customs, proper mourning must be accompanied by a stop (to abstain) in all entertainment as well. This is considered to be only right and proper, according to traditions. Chinese culture places much emphasis on piety, esp filial piety, as well as respect for the dead. In the past, till the early years of the Chinese Republic, people still mourned for their dead parents/elders for THREE years, before they could deem it appropriate to unshed their mourning code of attire colours (black/dark), and start to indulge in entertainment again (even at home). Today, in most Chinese communities all over the world (even in Singapore, where I live), people would mourn for 49 days, or for some others, 7 days. In this instance, the 3 days of mourning commencing on the 7th day is to adapt on the tradition of commemoration on the 7th Day.

Therefore, this banning/stoppage of public entertainment is in line with traditional Chinese customs and views, and represents the highest mark of respect that a nation could publicly and official accord its dead. There would have been a public outcry if it is so.

So, stop being so cynical.

Indeed, the 3-day stoppage of public entertainment is a very Chinese cultural thing. Filial piety, respect of the dead, is a very Chinese thing, and people used to mourn for 7 years, 3 years, or other number of years, according to the relationship with the dead. Even till the early years of the Chinese Republic, people still followed that tradition. Today, even in Chinese communities the world over (even in Singapore, where I live), the Chinese mourn for some 49 days, and hold a commemorative rite on the 7th Day. In this sense, the 3-day mourning period commencing on 20th May is appropriately starting on the 7th day too. And in the past, as even now, in Chinese tradition, abstaining from entertainment in the period of mourning is considered only right and proper. To do so otherwise would be deemed as severely disrespectful to the dead. Frankly, the Chinese public sees this ban as part of tradition, and it represents the highest mark of respect that a nation could accord its dead. To have it otherwise would be frankly most wrong in Chinese culture.

So, indeed, please do understand Chinese traditions and culture before being cynical.

I do sincerely hope you could provide such cultural information to your readers with regard to this mourning/ban.

This is the first time that Chinese government was more open to International press for disasters that happened in China.  It is also the most convenient way to shut out the domestic and International press from broadcasting tragedies over and over again over TV channels.

The whole country economy can slowed down so much that may hurt China's economy further even in the non affected areas.  China never claimed that she is a democratic country, so China can do anything that it's government wants.

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I like Lonnie's take on this: "As I suspected for years: CCTV9 still broadcasting. Doesn't count as entertainment."

Oddly, when that banner first started showing up, one of the remaining English-language stations was one of the Star channels, showing an episode of "Friends." Make of that what you will.

Thanks for the insight Edwin. Kind of a softer way of saying "If you don't like it, then get the f**k out!"

Regardless of tradition, filial piety, Confucianism, and other cultural doings that the CCP tried to abolish in the past, I think in this day and age of information, fast turning events, and (to roughly quote the CCP itself) a need to "free ones mind", wouldn't you agree that a MANDATORY mass mourning and blackout (conveniently of the foreign channels, too) of entertainment is in typically Draconian CCP style? How many Chinese locals actually get those satellite channels that Will gets??

Seems over the top, unnecessary and contrived in a place developing along the lines of science, technology and a socialist countryside...

@Hunxuer - We Anglos are more subtle about our mourning, it comes from having 4,500 years of culture. Let me explain, I am British (that's what some people from the UK call themselves, others call themselves English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish - I know, it's far too complicated for you to understand) so I should know.

In Britain, when something bad happens, there is public mourning and everyone tries to show solidarity with those who have suffered by not indulging in frivolous entertainment during the mouring period. We just don't force everyone to go along with this - this must seem strange to foreigners, but it is our culture and you must not criticise it!

Happy everyday!

This exchange of ideas is getting interesting, because it highlights different perspectives across cultures, and also in terms of what sacrifice of individual comforts mean in terms of eastern culture. It's not really the same as forcing everyone, because it is somewhat like the 'norm' in the customs/traditions. When it's the norm, cognitively, the Chinese people do understand and accept it, don't they? And this is China. Similarly, you would expect non-Brits living in the U.K., or new immigrants to get used to the cutural norms and traditions in their host country too, don't you? It's the same the way over. What's that saying? When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

@Edwin Heng - Are you actually saying that you think that the decision to cut off the feed rather than simply leave it up to people to mourn in their own way is one that you agree with?

As a boy in school, when the 70th anniversary of Armistice day came round, I remember standing in lines outside my school for the two minutes silence at eleven o' clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. But at least I had had the significance of the ceremony explained to me before hand and, in my own childish way, understood what it was for. I do not understand the significance of enforced mourning done whether or not people know or care what it is about.

As to what I expect of others, if somebody purposefully broke the silence of others at a Remembrace Day ceremony, this would be something I would take seriously.  If someone scheduled a wedding for Remembrance day I would think this somewhat tasteless. If a foreign immigrant (or indeed, anyone else) tried to ridicule the Remembrance day ceremonies I would disagree with them, but nothing more. But what people do in the privacy of their own homes is surely their own business - I cannot see how anyone could logically disagree with this proposition.

@Edwin Heng - I might also add, although Remembrance day is somthing I whole-heartedly support, I also recognise that , given the military involvement in it, it is something that is impossible for some people (such as pacifists) to take part in. Indeed, I myself (as well as many others) met with exactly this dilemma in 1997 during the period of what what was, in  my opinion, hysterical behaviour by a section of the British population after the death of Princess Diana. Although I know her death was a tragedy, and I support the royal family's role in British life, I could no more mourn her death than I could that of any of the other people who are cut off in their prime every minute.

During the two minutes of silence at 11 o' clock on Remembrance day I could always think of my grandfather and the others of my family and of my aquaintance who served in uniform - but what can you think of in a minutes' silence dedicated to a princess who you knew only from television?

Similarly - whilst I can understand three minutes of silence dedicated to the victims of the earthquake - I cannot for the life of me understand what you are supposed to think of when you turn on the television and see such a message on the screen. In what way is this real mourning?

Try to question, analyze and comment on Aussie's obsession with the war in Gallipoli, this is what you would hear:

" Go and get fuck, if you don't like it here, you can leave "

question, analyze and comment within the circle of culture elites (to some extent, you are part of it) are common and usually civilised.

However from my experience and experience of non whites in Australia, UK and US, among the commoners, during non-intellectual discussions in the pub, on the street, in the office, the general reactions are the ones I mentioned above.

Somehow I found most Chinese (forget about the comments people made anonymously in the internet) in everyday life are more torrerant of foreigners and foreigness.

bad spelling on my part ... tolerant is the word .. just to show you that I'm not part of your mob .. I can't even spelt!

@will

You don't need to be in a working class areas to get similar reactions.

My office is full of middle class, educated professionals.They generally believe Aboriginals are dirty, alcoholics and criminals; foriegners are wealthfare cheats; tsunami In indonesia is a payback for the Bali bombing.

So when I hear people getting alarmed about Chinese become nationalist and xenophobic because of comments made by some angry youths anonymously in the internet ...

na ...I think it is a non issue ...  it is just a natural reaction, people get over it and doesn't carry the same passion during everyday life.

Ok, I'm a mainland Chinese, I was born in Liaoning, grew up in Tianjin and currently live in Beijing. And I call myself a Chinese.(It's weird as people have to identify themselves as this before they speak.)

I honestly don't think this has anything to do with culture. It's politics. It's true that china is not a democratic country, but it doesn't mean the government doesn't need to respond to public opinions. The three day mourning is announced by CCP AFTER BBSes were filled with questions like "The Govt only makes political figure's death an official mourning, does that mean tens of thousands of ordinary Chinese worth less than one guy?" Then the CCP faces a difficult choice: do we just SUGGEST that people should mourn which makes them feel tens of thousands of people just died are less than Mao and Deng or do we ban all entertainment which may cost some money and make somebody feel violated of their right of speech?

Sometimes it's more difficult to be the govt of a non-democratic country as it always doesn't have the means to correctly access the public opinion, and the public don't always has a solid answer as what is the govt's job and what's not.  This is just another example of it.

The forms of ritual, and the symbolic aspects of certain customs.

A hypothetical situation for thought:

For example, say we question the need for a procession during mass? Does having it make one more pious and draw one closer to God? Or if we were to do away with that, and focus only on worship service, or the sermon? Why not do away with certain rites/rituals/practices in aspects of our faith? But we will continue with certain practices, because it is customary.

"Why not do away with certain rites/rituals/practices in aspects of our faith? But we will continue with certain practices, because it is customary."

I think Martin Luther had a little something to say about that.

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Are there not rituals that exist in the Lutheran faith through these few hundred years? And so the same in the other Catholic and Protestant denominations?

And I see no evil reason in simply showing the deepest sincerity in mourning by going the extra mile.

Unless we value our own individual comforts more, of course.

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During the official mourning period declared a week after last month's Wenchuan earthquake, I put up