Sino-Japanese War Anniversary
Jul 10, 2012 1:17:39 GMT -5
Post by douglaslam on Jul 10, 2012 1:17:39 GMT -5
A friend reminds me that July 7 marks the 75th anniversary of Japan's full scale invasion of China. Tens of millions of Chinese died in the Sino-Japanese War. Japan never own up ,apologies, or pay one brass razoo in reparation for the atrocities. Many old folks still harbour deep resentment and bitterness of the Japanese.
It started at the Marco Polo Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing. My family was taken there by a newly acquainted contact from Hong Kong, on a cold, blustery day in February, 2008. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident is deeply ingrained in the minds of Chinese students of modern history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo_Bridge_Incident Look for the link for a virtual tour.
The Yongding River which the Marco Polo Bridge spans, was bone dry, had not a drop of water at the time of our visit. Water is diverted to meet the insatiable demands of Beijing. It is hard to imagine that the Qing Emperors used to cruise the river on barges. The river is supposed to be rehabilitated. We shall see on our next visit.
Many inspiring, and uplifting songs were written during the long war on Chinese soil, which includes the one later adopted as the Chinese national anthem. It is a battle cry, rallying the people to fight the Japanese. It moves me deeply every time I hear it simply as a song of the people, not an anthem. Tian Han the playwright, who penned the lyrics, died tragically during the Cultural Revolution.
This is another song of that genre. It is a song I loved as a young boy ( and still do) back in Hong Kong in the 1950s. There are many cover versions, it is this original recording with very poor audio that captures the mood of this very very sad, melancholic song. It is an eternal favourite amongst popular Chinese music lovers. There is a translation of the lyrics in English amongst the comments, but it falls well short of the mark. Comments in Chinese are most touching . You'll get a rough idea what this sad song is about.
!
One of the comments also mentions the Yongding River, as a parallel to the song above, that of the depth in human despair on the loss of a loved one in war.
可憐永定河邊骨,正是深閨夢裡人
In two lines of seven characters each, the qoute expresses a woman's tender passion, and absolute anguish, grief, and despair in finding her lover is but a pile of bones on the bank of the Yongding River. It also highlights the beauty of the Chinese language, how fourteen characters can convey so much in human emotions.
It started at the Marco Polo Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing. My family was taken there by a newly acquainted contact from Hong Kong, on a cold, blustery day in February, 2008. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident is deeply ingrained in the minds of Chinese students of modern history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo_Bridge_Incident Look for the link for a virtual tour.
The Yongding River which the Marco Polo Bridge spans, was bone dry, had not a drop of water at the time of our visit. Water is diverted to meet the insatiable demands of Beijing. It is hard to imagine that the Qing Emperors used to cruise the river on barges. The river is supposed to be rehabilitated. We shall see on our next visit.
Many inspiring, and uplifting songs were written during the long war on Chinese soil, which includes the one later adopted as the Chinese national anthem. It is a battle cry, rallying the people to fight the Japanese. It moves me deeply every time I hear it simply as a song of the people, not an anthem. Tian Han the playwright, who penned the lyrics, died tragically during the Cultural Revolution.
This is another song of that genre. It is a song I loved as a young boy ( and still do) back in Hong Kong in the 1950s. There are many cover versions, it is this original recording with very poor audio that captures the mood of this very very sad, melancholic song. It is an eternal favourite amongst popular Chinese music lovers. There is a translation of the lyrics in English amongst the comments, but it falls well short of the mark. Comments in Chinese are most touching . You'll get a rough idea what this sad song is about.
!
One of the comments also mentions the Yongding River, as a parallel to the song above, that of the depth in human despair on the loss of a loved one in war.
可憐永定河邊骨,正是深閨夢裡人
In two lines of seven characters each, the qoute expresses a woman's tender passion, and absolute anguish, grief, and despair in finding her lover is but a pile of bones on the bank of the Yongding River. It also highlights the beauty of the Chinese language, how fourteen characters can convey so much in human emotions.