I wrote this post while on the 高速铁路 (high speed rail) to 釜山(Pusan). I departed from 首尔(Seoul), formerly known as 汉城 (old name for Seoul) with a friend. We have enjoyed some great 拌饭 (bibimbap) so far here. What surprises me the most in Korea is the clearly high 效率 (efficiency）of most systems, not least of which is the rail system. Things leave and arrive on time. In addition to that, Korea has a fascination with 名牌 (name brand) products. Back in college, I studied Korean for 3 years. Actually, you get a substantial boost with vocabulary in studying Korean as many words (up to 60%) come from 古代 (ancient) Chinese. However, there is still the 40% remaining words which are 本土 (native) terms. Most remarkable here in Korea has been the 生活水平 (standard of living) of its population. More on that in posts to come.
高速铁路 gao1su4tie3lu4 – high-speed rail
釜山 fu3shan1 – Pusan
首尔 shou2(3)er3 – Seoul
汉城 han4cheng2 – Seoul (old name)
拌饭 ban4fan4 – bibimbap
效率 xiao4lv4 – efficiency
名牌 ming2pai2 – famous brands
古代 fu3dai4 – ancient times
本土 ben2(3)tu3 – local, native
生活水平 sheng1huo3(2)shui4ping2 – standard of living
1 Comment
For my entire life, I have observed world events with no power to control or change any outcome. I do not seek to do so.
I hope to say to Chinese people, you are the richest people in the world. Not all in any country is great for all people. I am a common man. I remember Mao Tsetung. He was the greatest world leader of his time, and perhaps of his century. The entire world bowed to him. He was as your very first emporor. He united China and the world, especially America, watched in awe and respect. I will not say fear, as even now Americans do not fear much of anything. We are a people who are either allowed to attempt to pioneer, or we shall die. We often do, right here in our country. We are not really free and neither are any common citizen in any country. The great powers of our leaders are free in every country and we hope most for wise and kind leadership. Mao was a great leader and so was Reagan in America. Do you not think their people died even at the orders of these great leaders? Of course common people died. Most were no better than criminals. If a man calls himself a revolutionary, but has no plan to replace what he fights, he is a criminal. He serves only himself. Mao had a vision for Chinese culture that included over one billion people. If you do not like what he did, how many people does your opinion include and how? Share ideas and be willing to die, if you enjoy politics. I am.
What is going on in many places of this world add to the chaos of the planet. That is the result of very bad leaders. Our countries try to impose our leaders politics and economies. China, Russia and America all do this. In the 1700′s and 1800′s, Britain basically owned the entire planet. It was slowly that even our countries came to be.
China, however, has maintained a culture for over 5000 years!! It has not always been free. Mao assured that. Yet the best any people can do is maintain our culture. Chinese people are the greatest people EVER. No civilization has succeeded so well. The people did this. Your leaders helped. Your scholars helped. Every country of greatness can boast this, including America, ther youngest of them all. NO ONE can claim culture that LIVES for 5000 years. Your culture, then, is free. No ruler, no country and no event has claimed your culture. I honor this truth and am amazed by how those who wish for only one moment, to change what is living and is bigger than all of us.
In Iran, they have horrible leaders. The people are trying and of course, dying. The culture and the people shall prevail, but we must ALL beware that these leaders do not bring war to the world which is the greatest threat to cultures. These leaders hate their people in Iran and are hoping to start world war. Extremism in Islam is a huge threat to all of us. It happens today in the west of China. Beware and help your allies in our war against the enemies of culture. In America, we the common people do not desire war with Chinese. We love you. It is better to assimilate than to war. It is all evolution.
I hope you understand. It is all evolution. The greatest cultures survive and everyone is then having the best that can be. We need leaders and we need food for our inner selves. We need food. We need simple peace. We need to battle together against chaos and allow evolution to take care of things. We do not need war except against the proponents of chaos.
One day, evolution will bring us all together. In art and music I can only hope we allow it.